Have a splendid birthday, my fellow Gemini.

-Sandor

JULIA: I coulda had a V-8!!

And the fade-out of Julia on the phone, pleading hysterically for the operator to connect her to the police, was a classic Friday cliffhanger. Back in '68, viewers had to wait until Monday to find out if Julia had the guts to "stop the madness." Looking back, we're glad she didn't.

DAVID SELBY: (to himself) That lucky Don Briscoe - he doesn't have to get his sideburns glued onto his face each morning.... or have to simulate agonizing werewolf transformations in this storyline. Grrrrr!

TIM: Magda, run away with me - I'm twice the man that Sandor is.

MAGDA: Ahh, but Meester Shaw, I am three times the woman your little Charity is.

Years ago when I worked in a video store (that carried only two MPI volumes of DS), I'd bring my own "Dark Shadows" tapes in and have them playing in the background when customers came in to browse.
The episode that kept one customer glued to the set for 22 minutes was from the Dream Curse storyline, where Barnabas finally has the dream... and Julia gives Cassandra a piece of her mind (with the open palm of her hand). The acting, direction and suspense were in top form - though a recent thread brought up Vicki's obtuseness in this very episode. Still, a classic.
The Tom Jennings/Barnabas showdown, as previously mentioned, is also a crowd pleaser...

Our talented Heather's version was much better - it gave Academy Award nominee Grayson Hall her due - I may have to take steps!

I'd read somewhere that many of Joan's old Hollywood pals respected her presence on "Dark Shadows," and would actually tune in to watch her. They realized the pace of a 5-day-a-week daytime serial was not quite equal to the comfort level of, say, shooting a movie for several months at RKO. Yet other DS actors have stated Joan Bennett always arrived prepared, never acted like a diva, was always interested in what the other actors were doing outside of DS... that she was basically a gracious and elegant lady, and her staid presence did indeed dignify the show. Everyone adored her.