Jonathan Frid in Arsenic & Old Lace

Hi All,

Over the years I have" un-earthed" several Dark Shadows Actors related audios and videos from days gone by, but my latest find surpasses anything I've found to date. Below is a link to a clip of Jonathan Frid in the 1986 Broadway Revival of Arsenic & Old Lace.

Co-stars in this particular scene include original cast members; Jean Stapleton, Marion Ross, and Larry Storch. Enjoy!  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH4kxQtO9gA

i work with a woman who used to do wardrobing for new york theater productions and when the subject of d.s. came up(i was talking about the fest)she told me that she worked with jonathan in a 1992/3 production of "the illusion" also starring cynthia nixon.

apparently he played the storyteller/narrator in this play.she said he was very nice and a great actor but what stands out for her was how big his head was.literally not figuratively.as the costumer she had to find a hat for jonathan to wear and apparently she experienced difficulty finding one that fit.the hatmaker had to use some sort of stretching device.i never noticed this particular feature of frid's.

she also say that for some reason(perhaps he was unable to remember his lines)he didn't make it past previews and the role was ultimately recast.

Marvelous find!

OMG, thank you Bobubas!  Such memories!  When I was in "late" high school and early college, I and a bunch of friends put together our own theatrical "troupe" and produced plays not only for fun, but as a fund-raiser for local non-profits.  One of the plays we did was Arsenic and Old Lace, and I played Jonathan Brewster, Jonathan Frid's "Boris Karloff" character.  As I watched that clip, I was able to repeat Mr. Frid's lines.  We also did was The Innocents, the inspiration for the Quentin/Beth storyline, and I played the ghost of Quint, so in a way I got to play Quentin, mirroring David Selby.  I got to re-create rolls, sort of, of two of DS main stars.

Gerard

This clip was from a television program in Philadelphia who was hosting the cast of Arsenic and Old Lace on their talk show.

Jonathan Frid took over the role of Jonathan Brewster from DS alum Abe Vigoda.  Marion Ross, another cast member, was either married to or dating the guy who played King Johnny on DS.

Nancy

The "Guy" you are referring to is Paul Michael and he and Marion Ross are lifetime companions.  He refers to Marion as his "Special Lady" and they are not officially married.  Michael Hackett Todd

Mrs. Cunningham not married to the man she's been...been...  No!  That's not true!  It can't be!  The next thing you're going to tell me is that Ward and June slept in the...the...same bed!  No!  I'm not listening!  La-la-la-la-la-la......

Gerard

This clip was from a television program in Philadelphia who was hosting the cast of Arsenic and Old Lace on their talk show.

Hi Nancy, What clip are you referring to that was from the Philadelphia program you are talking about? I don't see a link in your post? If by chance you were referring to the clip I posted here on the forum, I ripped that from the DVD I own of the "complete" show.

A clip from the show was used when Jonathan was touring with Arsenic and Old Lace.  I saw it on a Philadelphia TV show when. JF was in Philadelphia doing the play.  I was sitting backstage in The Green Room watching it.

Since Broadway shows are not made available for sale, the "complete" DVD you have is a bootleg which means the actors in the show, under Actors Equity, will not get a cent from the profit including Jonathan Frid.  You don't "own" it; you only own a bootleg which is, of course, illegal to own, never mind sell to begin with.  The producers of the play own any theatrical rights to the production and unless they transferred those rights or authorized this DVD version of the hit Broadway show, you are illegally selling a bootleg copy.

Nancy

For those interested in the legal ramifications of bootlegging, check out the link below which is a pretty good summary of the issues.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootleg_recording

To double-check, I will call Actors Equity (i'm a member of the unions anyway) in the morning and ask if this show was ever videotaped for public sale. I know Jonathan Frid wasn't compensated for such a sale. Maybe it was a simple oversight.

nancy

The confirmation I received today from a couple of phone calls is that there has NEVER been any commercial public release of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE with the 1986 Broadway cast.  I was told that it is considered a crime, punishable by jail and a hefty fine to videotape a production in most theaters.  Also, those who download bootlegged material or pay for it can also face fines.   The lady at Equity told me that Actors Equity trolls various websites including Youtube and Ebay looking for violators and they do prosecute.

Just a heads-up.

Nancy

Hi Nancy,

Thanks for your sharing that information with me and the group.  Not that I need to explain myself to you or anyone else, but I purchased what was presented to me to be the "master" tape of a performance that was not bootlegged, but recorded by a member of the shows production staff from a house camera. The show was never professionally recorded, at least not my my knowledge, you may have different information.

I'm told this recording was made for the production staffs own use. The tape was a part of an Estate auction on Long Island and was purchased earlier this decade from the person who I in turn bought it from, who happens to also be "in the business" as you have so aptly put it in the past.

That is all I'll have to say on the matter. If you want to slander my name here, or in any other public forums, you feel free to do so. Have a great day. 

In light of some harsh accusations made here, I first want to say that in case it is not clear to anyone, Bobubas has stated that the tape in his possession was not produced illegally.  I can think of multiple examples in which someone can have a legal and legitimate recording in their possession.  One example would be the advance copies that move producers mail out for voting consideration.

Nancy provided a link to information (by Wikipedia's standards, that is) about what constitutes a bootleg that addresses not only production but also distribution.  Returning to my example above, if one of the screeners were to decide to dupe and sell their advance copy, that act would be considered illegal pirating.  Turning now to Bob's most recent post, he said that the "recording was made for the production staff's own use."  I'm not an attorney, but as I understand the issue, a sold copy of the recording (in the absence of the needed permissions) could meet the definition of a boot.  Of course, he did not say on the Forums that he intends to copy or sell it, and it's possible that he actually does have legal permission to do so.

Finally, thank you for the clarification, Bobubas, but to address your final comment, NO ONE has the freedom to slander (libel, actually) another fan's reputation here, but I am not seeing instances of it by Nancy in the topic, though she did say that it is illegal for you to own the recording, which you and I have now directly addressed, and I don't feel that anyone reading this topic would be confused about that issue at this point.  I'm very sorry if my decision upsets you.

Thanks Midnite. I read and understand your post.