Thanks for posting this.  Peter Lombard etched a definitive portrait as Oberon in a few scenes in two episodes.  I was sorry he was not able to return for the later episode in which one of "themselves" appears.

G.

I just tried to check a detail in the interview, and the page appears now to be offline.  The webmaster may be working on the site again.

G.

Fans,

I found this interview with Joe Caldwell on a Strange Paradise website.  But there's quite a bit from Joe here about his time on DS:

http://www.strangeparadise.net/writerinterviews_caldwell.html

I wish more had been said in the interview about Cornelius Crane.  He wrote the best episodes of the entire series of SP.  Bob Costello was responsible for bringing Crane in.  I can't help wondering if Crane was a pseudonym adopted by Violet Welles... His writing has a similar calibre and attention to nuance, atmosphere, and psychodynamic use of character.

G.

Frederick Thorne was mentioned in this thread.  I guess I am mis-remembering that he was one of Quentin's alternate identities, assumed during his long life... the identity before Grant, I guess is what I had thought.

The most blatant example that comes to mind at the moment of plotline buildups that went nowhere was Gerard as the master of a savage crew of pirates aboard the Java Queen.  I think there was even mention in 1970 of Daphne and Gerard having forbidden trysts aboard the ship.  Presumably during the long weekend when they had to plot the 1840 storyline, they quickly realized that trying to stage all this in the studio would have been impossible.

G.

New Season 2 preview featurette here:

http://www.tvguide.com/news/penny-dreadful-season-2-trailer/

Looks as if this is going to be a very Witchy story...

G.

Have you seen the new posters for season 2, MB?  There's one of Josh that's quite... memorable...

It's the artistry. Yeah, that's the ticket.  The dramatic artistry.

cheers, G.

Fans,

A friend pointed me to this fascinating recording of an interview with Humbert Allen Astredo taped last year:

http://www.collinsporthistoricalsociety.com/2014/03/podcast-humbert-allen-astredo.html

Please note that only the last 3 minutes or so of the interview has any DS material (and it's pretty limited).  The one interesting fact to remark is that the character of Nicholas Blair was written FOR Humbert because he came in for an audition--for Peter Bradford, believe it or not, back in January of '68--and Dan Curtis happened to be present, and liked Humbert so much that he told the writers to create a character for him.  The right opportunity didn't come along until later that year, in the Summer--but what a plum role it was. 

I do not know if the interview was done with the proviso that very little of the time would be taken up with DS.  Granted that Humbert's career has largely involved the theatre and some amazing roles and experiences as he describes in this, I find that entirely comprehensible.

Humbert also mentions that he knew Grayson socially before working on the show.  Again, this is a pattern I've heard from others.  The girl got around!

I found the interview a delightful diversion on this snowbound, bitterly cold evening here in Medford, Mass. (Former residence of Thayer David!)

G.