Alf's Dad arrives soon??

[Julia99]

Originally posted by Julia99 on the Dark Shadows: General Discussion Forum on January 27, 2002 at 00:44:34:

Sorry but the actor who takes over Dave Woodard's part (as a result of the-then actors strike) reminds me of the actor who played ALF's dad, Max Wright .. . something was really lost in this re-casting. . .sorry to say . . .J99

[Ben]

Posted by Ben on January 27, 2002 at 06:00:19:
In Reply to: Alf's Dad arrives soon?? posted by Julia99 on January 27, 2002 at 00:44:34:

Sorry but the actor who takes over Dave Woodard's part (as a result of the-then actors strike) reminds me of the actor who played ALF's dad, Max Wright .. . something was really lost in this re-casting. . .sorry to say

David Gerringer -- Dr. Woodard #2 (do we even REMEMBER Dr. Woodard #1?) -- infused passion, integrity, inner strength, and a responsible, caring, paternal attitude into his character. He was a believable doctor who connected with the other characters, especially Maggie, Sam, and Julia.

[spoiler]Had Gerringer still been playing Dr. Woodard when Barnabas and Julia killed him, I think that would have been truly shocking. The fine work of all three actors would have made that scene a pinnacle of the entire series.

I am at a loss as to how the actor who replaced Gerringer got cast, actors' strike notwithstanding. He displayed none of the attributes that made Gerringer's Woodard such a strong character. He couldn't have given us a blander Dr. Woodard -- did he even watch any of Gerringer's work or DS at all? To his credit, he did rescue Sarah and Barnabas when they forgot their lines. But when Barnabas and Julia killed him, I felt nothing for him. It was Frid and Grayson's dramatic acting that carried the scene and evoked my emotional response, certainly not Gerringer's replacement.[/spoiler]

Ben

[Julia99]

Posted by Julia99 on January 27, 2002 at 09:49:28:
In Reply to: Re: Alf's Dad arrives soon?? posted by Ben on January 27, 2002 at 06:00:19:

[spoiler]Had Gerringer still been playing Dr. Woodard when Barnabas and Julia killed him, I think that would have been truly shocking.[/spoiler]

So true Ben, so true, even thinking of it now, makes one shudder. . .also the implications of Julia and Dave's prior relationship (friends since college) were a lot more interesting than when Doc #3 arrives. . .the idea of Julia in any sort of 'relationship' with that guy, ewwwwwww, yes, one shudders at that too.

J99

[kuanyin]

Posted by kuanyin on January 27, 2002 at 14:17:18:
In Reply to: Re: Alf's Dad arrives soon?? posted by Ben on January 27, 2002 at 06:00:19:

[spoiler]Would they have still killed off the character if they hadn't lost Gerringer? I got the impression that the replacement was so bad that it was the quickest way to "fix" the situation.

I, for one, will sincerely miss the good Dr. I really wish he had been kept on.[/spoiler]

[S.J.G.]

Posted by SJG on January 27, 2002 at 18:45:29:
In Reply to: Alf's Dad arrives soon?? posted by Julia99 on January 27, 2002 at 00:44:34:

The actor you find bad was Peter Turgeon.

[spoiler]He'll be great as a horrifying voice on the phone scaring the yell out of Julia later.[/spoiler]

Word has it he was up, originally, for the Julian Hoffman role.

[S.J.G.]

Posted by SJG on January 27, 2002 at 19:59:05:
In Reply to: Re: Alf's Dad arrives soon?? posted by Ben on January 27, 2002 at 06:00:19:

I remember the first Dr. Woodard. A tall guy who had no personality. I wondered when Dr. Woodard became Dave. I said that in an old postig "here".

[Miss_Winthrop]

Posted by Miss Winthrop on January 28, 2002 at 03:42:58:
In Reply to: Re: Alf's Dad arrives soon?? posted by SJG on January 27, 2002 at 18:45:29:

I think he also rescued JF once with his lines. I've seen him in many shows as a character actor. He came across almost like a 'nerdy' scientist type character rather than a doctor who could give you warm fuzzy feelings.

[mfmdpt]

Posted by mfmiozza on January 28, 2002 at 11:03:42:
In Reply to: Re: Alf's Dad arrives soon?? posted by SJG on January 27, 2002 at 18:45:29:

Word has it he was up, originally, for the Julian Hoffman role.

Really??

I've always read that Grayson Hall was called because the person who'd typed the casting sheet made a typo that turned "Julian" into "Julia".