A quote from Lara Parker (Angelique), commenting on the role of Victoria (as played by Alexandra Moltke), from "America On The Rerun":
"Alexandra had this distance, this cool, and was just ravishing. She was a very real actress but she didn't bring a lot of energy to it, but again it worked for her character, because Victoria Winters was supposed to be reactive--she was the protagonist--she was the one that it was happening to.
She was the audience's eyes. We saw it all through her eyes. She didn't have to be strong--she just had to be the bridge that carried us into the show. And her lack of energy--which drove the directors mad--didn't really do any harm because she seemed so real. The rest of us seemed larger than life, but she seemed very placid [and] natural."

That said, perhaps if Vicki had been continuously bewitched, we the audience would have lost our bridge.  I love how after Dr. Hoffman slapped Cassandralique, Vicki icily commented to the witch, "You deserve a lot more than just a slap in the face!"  Vicki could be a tough cookie when confronted by the adversity brought on by Angelique, and perhaps that gave us hope for normality being triumphant over voodoo.  

I felt sorry for Minerva when [spoiler]she was poisoned to death by a hypnotized Tim Shaw, but if I had to go the way of all flesh, I'd like the last person I see to look like Tim (Don Briscoe).[/spoiler]
Clarice Blackburn was meant to be on DS - she brought a Mrs. Danvers-meets-Granny Clampett attitude to Mrs. Johnson: creepy and cantankerous, and yet funny and vulnerable all at the same time.
You loved watching her characters get their comeuppance, yet you felt just as scared as she did.

Well, they don't call me Sandor for nothin'....
I picked Prof. Stokes, Sandor, and PT Stokes... and was then reminded how well he played Ben Stokes in 1795. For actors like Thayer David & Nancy Barrett, it's hard to choose just three characterizations each portrayed.
His Sandor was killed off too soon in the 1897 story. He and Magda had such verve and wit in their scenes together. I grew tired of Petofi, for reasons Prof. Stokes just mentioned in a previous post. Maybe PT Stokes wasn't that memorable, but after playing Angelique's victim as Ben, then triumphing over her as the Professor, it was neat to see Thayer as her mad-doctor father.

I particularly enjoyed Joan Bennett's scenes with Louis Edmonds, Alexandra Moltke, and Nancy Barrett.
One of my favorites was when Roger brought home Cassandra/Angelique as his new bride, much to the general shock of the family.  There's a great scene where Elizabeth and Roger go at it in the study, as Liz wisely suspects Roger is off his rocker.  Joan was very classy, but you could tell she was also down-to-earth, and had a sly sense of humor that made her characters both sympathetic and engrossing.

Jennifer,
Hope your birthday is BRISCOE-LICIOUS!

xoxo
Sandor

Speaking of the DS novels and those Gold Key DS Comics, does anyone recall a COMIC STRIP version of "Dark Shadows" in the daily/weekly newspapers back in the late 60's? Vaguely, I remember it was alongside Mary Worth, Blondie, Beetle Bailey, Little Iodine, Dick Tracy, etc., and was an on-going story, though different from the plots on the series.
Anyone know if these exist in book form somewhere, who wrote the strip, or how long it lasted in syndication? I'm having flashbacks...

Wow - Dark Shadows without the bloopers is like Barnabas wearing dentures as he swoops in for the bite!
Wonder if the powers that be releasing the DVDs will re-consider editing/covering up the bloopers in future releases.... or at least offer a "here was the blooper" in the Bonus section of the discs. Are they doing the latter currently (I'm still in VHS-Land)?