Hi there,

I happened to be shelving a copy of Black Beauty yesterday (I do library work even when I'm not in the office, so dedicated am I to my chosen profession--ha!) and noticed there is a character in that novel named Lady Anne ( and the novelist's name was Anna I think).  Is there a connection with BB and your screen name?  Just curious.

I loved reading your story about meeting RD--what fun!

Best,  G.

I love Big Lou's clenched jaw and narrowed eyes, knowing that no matter how brilliant his thespian artistry, he could never possiibly upstage THE Pen in the scene where Alex confronts him with it.

CLASSIC DS!  Sadly, after the "Introduction of the Pen" storyline, it was ALL downhill.

G.

I'm definitely in the "Fearless Vamps" club.  I don't know, it just ... tickles my fancy!  My favorite parts are the scenes with Ferdy Mayne (Count Krolock) and the actor who plays his son (who was also in the Sixties cult film Wonderwall, with which George Harrison was also involved), and the whole Vampire Ball sequence.  I love the sets and photography, too, and the music is very unusual.  The sequence with the ancient vampires leaving their tombs still gives me shivers.

G.

I think they had a whole arc for Rachel planned that never got off the ground because KLS decided to take an extended vacation from the show (I think it was the safari in Africa thing) for several months.  So the character and her storyline came to an abrupt end.  I do agree that Rachel is probably the least satisfactory of all the KLS characters.  She just seems to have "helpless victim" tattooed on her forehead.

The only really good scenes with Rachel, from a dramatic point of view, are the ones with Trask.  I practically squirm watching them because Lacy's depravity is so palpable, it's like something icky between dropped down the back of your neck to watch him with KLS in those scenes.  Eventually the Rachel character does show some backbone in her scenes with Trask.

There are a couple of hints in the final weeks of the 1969 Quentin's haunting storyline (before 1897) as to where they were planning to go with Rachel's storyline, but only hints.

G.

MB luv, thanks so much for posting those images again.  I just love all of them, but to my taste, the one of Thayer and Grayson takes the palm--those two together on screen are magic!

G.

Personally, I love all the wild and woolly antics of the 1897/Count Petofi storyline.  I think a lot of the credit for how good it was goes not only to Thayer David and the rest of the cast, but to Violet Welles who seems to have had the knack of using the supernatural intelligently in a television screenplay.  She wrote all the best 1897 episodes in my not-so-humble opinion.

As for Kitty, I think she's much more interesting in her original persona.  I find the whole Josette-rediviva thing a snooze-fest, although I agree that KLS and Frid had a wonderful chemistry together.  I just find the chance the original Kitty character gave KLS to show that she knew how to do more than just fall apart onscreen to have created some of her finest moments on the series.  Once Josie starts seriously taking over, that comes to an end.

I guess we all find personal strengths and weaknesses, favorites and not-so-favorites, in watching this extraordinary series.

G.

I swear, I look at that picture of Clarice, and all I hear is "I'll GET you, my pretty--and your little DOG, too!"

G.

Thanks for sharing those thoughts, Buzz.  You and I are in agreement about the 1991 series (although I still think it deserves better the treatment being meted out to it in the forthcoming DVD release), so your comments make me all the more curious about the 2004 pilot.  Of course, it is highly unlikely I will ever see the latter, but those are the breaks in that tough town called Holly Wood! *cackles*

G.