Dark Shadows Closing Credits

Why does Joan Bennett gets top billing and Alexandra Moltke gets bottom billing? ?!?

Why does Joan Bennett gets top billing and Alexandra Moltke gets bottom billing? ?!?

Before DS, Joan Bennett had been a movie star. Her agent probably negotiated for her to get top billing since she might be considered a audience drawer--people might tune in to see Joan. As for Alexandra Moltke, it was basically like 'and introducing...'. They did the same with Kate Jackson in "Night of Dark Shadows".

Joan Bennett was the show's star name, hence the "Starring" credit, which was later given to Jonathan Frid too.  Alexandra's credit was actually a "featured" one too, the "and..." bit intended to distinguish it from the other performers.

Or something...

It's my understanding because they were the "stars" of the show.  Although by now in the storyline Sci-Fi is showing, September 1968, Barnabas is the star, and Vickie and especially Elizabeth are rarely used.  

Maybe a reputable show like A&E will do a Biography of that show, they have been spotlighting groundbreaking television shows like the Mary Tyler Moore show on Monday nights.  I think Dark Shadows in it's own right is a groundbreaking show.  I would be interested in learning from a respectable source what was going on behind the scenes of that show.   One thing that would be interesting is the reaction of Joan Bennett and Alexandra Moltke to taking a more secondary role after the tremendous popularity of the Barnabas character.  

As for Alexandra Moltke, it was basically like 'and introducing...'. They did the same with Kate Jackson in "Night of Dark Shadows".

LOL, and if you look at movie or tape covers now, it'll have "Charlie's Angels star, Kate Jackson as Daphne Harridge" or something like that. Grrrrr ... I hate it when they do that, lol. I think it's kewl that we can still see the original posters, with "STARRING: David Selby, Grayson Hall and Lara Parker. Also featuring Nancy Barrett and John Karlen." LOL And KJ isn't even mentioned. Amazing. But it's kewl that way, some sort of preserved bias. .. . . .. . . or something  :-/

Then again, it's publicity.

Why does Joan Bennett gets top billing and Alexandra Moltke gets bottom billing? ?!?

Listing a performer at the very end of the credits, with  "and starring...." or "and introducing...," is the other distinctive way of setting him/her apart from the rest of the cast -- for example, Martin Sheen is last in the credits for The West Wing.  Rob Lowe starts off the credits for the show, and everyone else, I think, is listed alphabetically.

Since Joan Bennett was an established movie star, she (or her agent) would have negotiated her star billing before she ever set foot on the set.  Even so, Victoria Winters was really the focal point of the show early on, but Alexandra Moltke wasn't on the same professional footing as Bennett, so they opted for the second method to distinguish her contribution to the show.

They finally recognized JF's star status at some point, and gave him equal billing with Bennett, but IIRC, everyone else got treated as part of the ensemble cast.

Cheers,

Linda

Why did Kate Jackson got the "And Introducing" billing on "Night Of Dark Shadows"??!?   We know she's been on "Dark Shadows" before "Night of Dark Shadows" was released.

Why did Kate Jackson got the "And Introducing" billing on "Night Of Dark Shadows"??!?   We know she's been on "Dark Shadows" before "Night of Dark Shadows" was released.

It was her first movie.

Cheers,

Linda

Dark Shadows in it's own right is a groundbreaking show 

Willie would probably have to agree.  So would Jeff Clark......and Julia & Professor Stokes .......... and ......

Willie would probably have to agree.  So would Jeff Clark......and Julia & Professor Stokes .......... and ......

ROFL!  Hey did you ever notice that sometimes when someone is digging, ALL the ground will move - like even 2 feet away?  Interesting phenomenon.  (Could be related to the crop circle phenonmenon).

-CLC

One thing that would be interesting is the reaction of Joan Bennett and Alexandra Moltke to taking a more secondary role after the tremendous popularity of the Barnabas character.

I don't know about Moltke, but Bennett made some cursory remarks in her autobiography that weren't exactly enthusiastic about DS.  After the career she had, it was clearly not the pinnacle of her professional life.

Luciaphil

I don't know about Moltke, but Bennett made some cursory remarks in her autobiography that weren't exactly enthusiastic about DS.  After the career she had, it was clearly not the pinnacle of her professional life.

Was that The Bennett Playbill, from 1970?  I wonder if it was because she was doing a soap -- i.e, if she started off the series with that attitude -- or if she came to resent playing second fiddle to the vampire character and other supernatural elements?  Although it was neverl ordinary, the show definitely began with more mainstream soap opera elements than it contained later on, but after the 1897 sequence seen in 1969,  her roles in the series pretty much deteriorated.

Cheers,

Linda

Was that The Bennett Playbill, from 1970?  I wonder if it was because she was doing a soap -- i.e, if she started off the series with that attitude -- or if she came to resent playing second fiddle to the vampire character and other supernatural elements?  Although it was neverl ordinary, the show definitely began with more mainstream soap opera elements than it contained later on, but after the 1897 sequence seen in 1969,  her roles in the series pretty much deteriorated.

It was The Bennett Playbill.  She doesn't devote a lot of copy to DS.  It's just a couple of pages at the end.  I got the feeling that the workload was more than she expected or wanted.  IIRC, Bennett talks about how whenever she wanted a vacation or to do a play, they would give her "a splendid breakdown" (I think I'm quoting correctly).  

She made her share of clunkers and she knew it.  Her comments about the supernatural stuff are tongue-in-cheek, but her remarks about beginning DS were more about the hours and the pages of dialogue than the content.

Luciaphil

Wasn't she also one of the first movie stars to do a "soap' i'm sure that was also the only way she would have done it.She really was also the only known actor when it started i remember my mother could not believe she was on the show. She also was being paid the most! It's too bad Rob Lowe is leaving that show
and I don't think it is the best career move but time will tell!

jennifer

It's too bad Rob Lowe is leaving that show and I don't think it is the best career move but time will tell!

I know what you mean, Jennifer -- I was astounded when I heard the news he was quitting The West Wing...I guess he didn't pay attention to the career David Caruso *didn't* have for years after he left NYPD Blue.

Cheers,

Linda