The Return of Dracula (1958): This may be the last film to come out that isn't influenced by Hammer's rendition of the vampire story. It is earie in every detail and scared the crap out of me when I was a kid watching it on TV. A very fifties type of horror film.

Nadja (1994): A very stylishly filmed vampire tale. Interesting in many ways although I could have done without Peter Fonda's over the top rendition of Helsing. This film stuck with me for a few days.

One thing I love about "The Return of Dracula" is how is foreshadows Barnabas's entrance. In this film Dracula arrives in America introducing himself as a relative from Europe.

Nadja should be watched in context with "Dracula's Daughter", which its pretty much an unauthorized remake of. Some nice moments, but too much POV from a "toy" movie camera. Its funny that shows flashbacks to  "Papa Dracula" that are actually from Bela Lugosi in "White Zombie."  Nadja even pays homage to the morgue scenes in Dracula's Daughter as well as its sapphic subtext.

If anyone here has never read the book of Dracula, I would heartly recommend Leonard Wolfe's "The Essential Dracula" which beautifully annotates the original text and makes it more readible. You must have some patience with it, but when you do get into it, its quite entertaining.

While a lot can be said on some of the inadeqacies of Coppola's film, he did at least add some elements of the book no one else had, and dare I say it, its a better adaption that Dan Curtis's, which always made me wonder where Matheson was going, with his major changes to Harker's storyline and making Lucy Dracula's great fascination, not Mina, the latter of which makes much more sense storywise and cinematically.

Michael 

Do you mean Diana Anderson?  She's one of Joan's daughters.

Yes, that's who I meant. I wish they could get Elizabeth Taylor, I bet she would have some good memories of Joan, lol. BTW, when did June Lockhart and Joan work together? I doubt June will be in the autograph line, she charges an arm and a leg at most fan shows.

Michael 

I see the fest schedule is now up!    Does anyone know who Diana Alexander is? Did she do stage work with Joan?

Michael

Maggie: Chris, did you forget? Tonight you promised to play "Mystery Date".
 

Dennis: Quit calling me Agent Flaherty, Anthony. You're on Dark Shadows today, not back on "The Untouchables"!
Anthony: Ixnay! I got reason to believe "Greasy Thumbs" Johnson is right here in the kitchen.

Never used footage of David Selby for Michael Apted's "Up" series, tracing the lives of schoolchildren to adulthood,  has recently surfaced. Here we see David at age 7, the only American child filmed for the Granada London series, deleted as"..too disturbing."
 

Two weeks from today, anyone gotten a schedule yet?    The clock is sticking...