carolyn and "miss hoffman"

[michael c]

i've been watching the laura collins story and i'm delighted at the level of cattiness that's often achieved here.

however this week's slide show is reminding me of another time when things got quite catty.

in 1967 when carolyn was under a particular "influence" things sure got bitchy between her and a certain lady historian.

the scenes between the two during this period,including a particular gem where carolyn rather snottily informs "miss hoffman" that the family dresses for dinner,are among my all-time favorites.

[Sandor]

this week's slide show is reminding me of another time when things got quite catty.

in 1967 when carolyn was under a particular "influence" things sure got bitchy between her and a certain lady historian.

the scenes between the two during this period,including a particular gem where carolyn rather snottily informs "miss hoffman" that the family dresses for dinner,are among my all-time favorites.

Agreed. I nearly cough up a furball when watching those two go at it. Lots of subtext going on: fear, jealousy, possession, guilt, desperation... and to realize Grayson Hall and Nancy Barrett were actually very good friends off the set.... 

[Lydia]

the scenes between the two during this period,including a particular gem where carolyn rather snottily informs "miss hoffman" that the family dresses for dinner,are among my all-time favorites.

I keep wondering about that.  I find it tremendously difficult to imagine the residents of Collinwood sitting down together to dinner every night at a set time.  You see them wandering around the house between 7:00 and 9:00pm, which seems to cover the traditional hours for a dinner for which you'd dress.  Furthermore, I don't see any other sign of people having changed their clothes for dinner.  I can work my mind around continuity errors, bloopers, falling scenery, and just about anything else - but I draw the line at people dressing for dinner at Collinwood.

[IluvBarnabas]

It's interesting to see how Carolyn and Julia were during this period. Carolyn really had no bone to pick with Julia herself she was [spoiler]just under Barnabas' powers and being his snoop-dog and had to do whatever he told her (and she was so anxious to please "dear cousin Barnabas"). She did kind of object when Barnabas told her he wanted to kill Julia for hypnotizing Vicki against him. Even though she eventually went with the attitude okay, you wanna do that, do it and I won't care, but you could tell it still bothered her that to a degree that she would have to play a part (albeit a small one) in the murder of a woman that she never had any grudge against.[/spoiler]

[Gothick]

Watching "Miss" Hoffman slam the phone down on Carolyn when she's in the middle of making her latest date with hot lawyer-hunk Tony Peterson, and then Carolyn's icy reproof to Julia to "dress for dinner because we expect a certain standard in our GUESTS," is WAY  better than any drug you can get on the street, IMNSHO.

At the same time, it strikes a poignant note a couple of episodes later when [spoiler]Carolyn tells Barnabas she thinks he's being very cruel to Julia.  That interjected a more human note into the proceedings which had reached a fairly baroque level at that point.  Of course, Barn's response to Carolyn's admonition is a fairly telling one ...[/spoiler]

I also, of course, love the Laura/Liz showdown scenes in '67.  Another memorable, and delicious, series of showdowns, is between Dr. Hoffman and Nicholas Blair in 1968.  As far as I'm concerned, those scenes more than compensate for the endlessly dreary stuff with Adam and Jeff Clark that make up the bulk of that period of the show.

G.

[Connie]

....."dress for dinner because we expect a certain standard in our GUESTS," is WAY  better than any drug you can get on the street, IMNSHO..."

LOL.  I don't know if I'd go that far.

What is Miss Hoffman wearing that is so inappropriate?
This strikes me as funny actually, because everyone at Collinwood was always dressed for dinner at any time of the day or night (something I found intriguing at the age of 12).

I'm wondering....is there anyone on here who "dresses for dinner"??

[BuzzH]

Another memorable, and delicious, series of showdowns, is between Dr. Hoffman and Nicholas Blair in 1968. 

I concur, and will add that the slap that Julia delivers to Cassandra is the 'slap heard 'round the world'!  

[Nelson Collins]

the scenes between the two during this period,including a particular gem where carolyn rather snottily informs "miss hoffman" that the family dresses for dinner,are among my all-time favorites.

I keep wondering about that.  I find it tremendously difficult to imagine the residents of Collinwood sitting down together to dinner every night at a set time.  You see them wandering around the house between 7:00 and 9:00pm, which seems to cover the traditional hours for a dinner for which you'd dress.  Furthermore, I don't see any other sign of people having changed their clothes for dinner.  I can work my mind around continuity errors, bloopers, falling scenery, and just about anything else - but I draw the line at people dressing for dinner at Collinwood.

Weren't there some scenes in the pre-barn eps set in the kitchen, even showing Carolyn ironing at one point?  I, too would have to question dressing for dinner, especially if the family had to clean their own dress clothes! 

[Raineypark]

I'm wondering....is there anyone on here who "dresses for dinner"??

This is America in 2006.....most families don't even SIT DOWN for dinner together.  We do, and several of my daughter's friends have commented on how "odd" a thing it is.  

[Janet the Wicked]

I have been awaitimg the jpeg where Barnabas asks Carolyn to "comfort him" and Tony is watching at the window.
"cuse me. "Windah" as John would say.

[MagnusTrask]

I'm wondering....is there anyone on here who "dresses for dinner"??

This is America in 2006.....most families don't even SIT DOWN for dinner together.  We do, and several of my daughter's friends have commented on how "odd" a thing it is.   

First I've heard of it.  What do they do?   Eating off of trays on the couch in front of the TV?

I draw the line at the Collinses eating.     What a preposterous idea.

[Gerard]

Before Mrs. Johnson got there, who did the cooking, especially for dinner?  When did they have time to dress?  I'm picturing Elizabeth, in one of her formal black evening gowns, jewels all over her, in the kitchen, looking at the directions of a box of Aunt Jemima, figuring out how to make those crescent rolls.  Meanwhile, there's Roger, in a three-piece suit, oven mits on his hands as he waves the smoke away from the oven, trying to pull a burnt-to-a-crsip roast out.  Carolyn enters in one of her cocktail outfits, sighs, and says:  "I'll call Luigi's again.  I know - no mushrooms on David's half."

Gerard

[michael c]

between the diner and the collinwood kitchen the characters were frequently seen eating during the first year.

however their diet seemed rather limited.at the diner it was always roast beef sandwiches(please remember mrs. johnson's epic mayonnaise scene),donuts(generally served three on a plate),ice cream sundaes and lots of maggie's infamously bad,stale,burned coffee(for heaven's sake just put on a fresh pot!).

over at collinwood the meal most frequently seen being consumed was breakfast(the kitchen is often refered to as the "breakfast room").the kitchen set was odd.there was a toaster and a coffee percolator but no stove...hence toast and coffee were generally the menu offerings.

i loved that kitchen set and was saddened by it's departure.

before mrs.johnson's arrival(and those lousy "new england boiled dinners")it is hard to picture any of the collins family members at the stove.since they owned a cannery perhaps they subsisted primarily on canned fish.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

(please remember mrs. johnson's epic mayonnaise scene)

How could anyone forget it?! After all, we'd dedicated October 4th to it. 

And who knows - it might even become a yearly celebration. 

since they owned a cannery perhaps they subsisted primarily on canned fish.

Subsisted by sardines?!    Bleech!! 

But if so, lets hope that at least once and a while the sardines were served on toast triangles and not only on crackers. Maybe for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.    And on toast triangles night they had to get REALLY dressed up. 

[Gothick]

On the topic of catty scenes, another marvelous one is between Magda and Laura in 1897 when Magda was "helping" Laura clean up the cottage and the Phoenix demanded a tarot card reading.  The facial expressions of the two actresses as they play out this little scene are beyond priceless.  And Grayson Hall must have dealt one mean hand of poker, judging by Magda's dexterity with those cards.

G.