Ecrutiating scenes to watch

[Julia99]

Now this is all my opinion and i'm asking others to share theirs although i know right up front this might bend a few feathers. . .What are some of the most excrutiating DS scenes to watch?  And i'm thinking you can't bear them because of quality or technical errors not scene content.  

Today's lot of shows had 2 for me. .
1.  the scene where B is telling J about Maggie's excape. . could more lines have been forgotten or flubbed by those 2?  (someone came here and told us .. uhhh you mean Joe?? was he the someone???)

2.  Harry's attempt to extort Nicholas. .again could Mr. Slocum have flubbed or forgotten more lines?  Harry's constant "umms" and long pauses (i'm searching for the line. .) drove me insane!

[tripwire]

this was not one of  uhhhh harry johnsons better.....uh....days.......seems he didnt uhhhh do his uhhhhh  homework the previous  uhhhh  night..good thing nicholas was there  uhhhhhh to bail  uhhhhh him out.

[CandleLighter]

Since this is my first time around watching DS, today's show was new to me.. I wondered if Harry J. always acted this way or if he was  just having an off day.  Hopefully it was the latter. :-/

[The Ghost of Sarah Collins]

Now this is all my opinion and i'm asking others to share theirs although i know right up front this might bend a few feathers. . .What are some of the most excrutiating DS scenes to watch?  And i'm thinking you can't bear them because of quality or technical errors not scene content.  

Today's lot of shows had 2 for me. .
1.  the scene where B is telling J about Maggie's escape. . could more lines have been forgotten or flubbed by those 2?  (someone came here and told us .. uhhh you mean Joe?? was he the someone???)

2.  Harry's attempt to extort Nicholas. .again could Mr. Slocum have flubbed or forgotten more lines?  Harry's constant "umms" and long pauses (i'm searching for the line. .) drove me insane!

I ummm agree with your uhhh train of ummm thought, this umm scene made uuhh Harry seem board with ummm someone he uuhh wanted money from.  

[Linda]

Since this is my first time around watching DS, today's show was new to me.. I wondered if Harry J. always acted this way or if he was  just having an off day.  Hopefully it was the latter. :-/

I think he got better as time went on, but that was the day that he apparently either forgot all his lines or didn't know them to start with...Humbert told me that he had to ad-lib the entire scene with the guy.

Cheers,

Linda

[RingoCollins]

Since this is my first time around watching DS, today's show was new to me.. :-/

WOW!   That must be so neat to be riding this train [well, roller coaster] for the first time!  AND to have this great board/commuity to enjoy the show even more with!!  When I was into it during the orig run, there were only 12 - 15 people that I knew at school who were into it, and it is a 'participation sport' here it seems!  ya get so much more out of the show, to hear others perspectives, and there are some -scholars- on here that really know the details!

my most excrutiating scenes are: David

[Linda]

. . .What are some of the most excrutiating DS scenes to watch?  And i'm thinking you can't bear them because of quality or technical errors not scene content.

There were a few scenes featuring the first (and not-so-inimitable) Willie Loomis -- James Hall -- that were like fingernails on a chalkboard...he came up with about five or six different ways to pronounce "Loomis."  (Loman, Lomas, Loumas, etc.) and I guess he got so excited during the scene where he got to touch Nancy Barrett's hair that he practically drooled.

Cheers,

Linda

[MrsJ]

For me, *any* scene where Hallie Stokes speaks is excruciating to watch.  


MrsJ.

[petofi]

It is easy to see why they replaced James Hall with Karlen- The difference in timing and verbal acuity was obvious from the start!

[VAM]

2.  Harry's attempt to extort Nicholas. .again could Mr. Slocum have flubbed or forgotten more lines?  Harry's constant "umms" and long pauses (i'm searching for the line. .) drove me insane!

Harry and Bathia Mapes should get together.

[Gothick]

Hi Linda, Humbert was wonderful in this scene, and in ALL his scenes on Dark Shadows.

I'm fascinated that he can recall taping that specific episode.  What a gifted actor, and seems as if he is really nice offstage, too.

Just out of curiosity, did he ever mention experiences of working with Grayson Hall?  I thought their scenes in this storyline (especially a couple that are coming up) were simply marvelous.  Better than Turkish Delight.

And I love it that Humbert described Nicholas in an interview as "the Walter Huston role."  Actually I think he was a more skilled actor with a wider range than Huston.

Gothick

[Lindsey]

Linda said...
Humbert told me that he had to ad-lib the entire scene with the guy.

Linda,
 You have personally met HAA? When was this as I know he hasn't been to any Fests lately. Do explain this meeting...

-Lindsey

[Connie]

this was not one of  uhhhh harry johnsons better.....uh....days.......seems he didnt uhhhh do his uhhhhh  homework the previous  uhhhh  night..good thing nicholas was there  uhhhhhh to bail  uhhhhh him out.

Uhhhhhhhh...well, with all this uh, talk about uhhhhh...ummmmm...what's his name...you know...Harry...(yeah, that's it)
My curiosity got the better of me and I just went and studied the scene in question.
Uhhh....LOL...actually I don't think it went THAT bad.  (At least for me).  I've seen a lot worse.  Nicholas pulled him through it quite well. PLUS....Harry did NOT look at the teleprompter.  That's what kills a scene for me - that damned teleprompter.  (So naturally, many are the scenes with Barnabas (God love him) that leave me shaking my head).  ROFL
Anyway, uhhhh.....Harry gets a couple of points for "No Teleprompter".

-CLC
Unqualified Scene Critic At Large

[Dr. Eric Lang]

For me, *any* scene where Hallie Stokes speaks is excruciating to watch.  


MrsJ.

I'll have to agree - the entire David/Hallie/Tad/Carrie thing was excruciating. Unfortunately, towards the end of the series, there were many excruciating moments, including any scene with Lee Beery (Joanna Mills).

Sadly, I have to say that in the last year of the show, scenes between Barnabas and Julia were excruciating to watch. It was clear that Jonathan Frid was losing interest and didn't feel challenged. He could still rise to the occassion if he seemed particularly interested in a certain scene every now and then, but the formulaic conversations between Barnabas and Julia had become so tiresome you could really see how little he cared for them, and his delivery suffered from it (i.e. more flubs than usual).

[Linda]

Hi Linda, Humbert was wonderful in this scene, and in ALL his scenes on Dark Shadows.

I'm fascinated that he can recall taping that specific episode.  What a gifted actor, and seems as if he is really nice offstage, too.

Yes, he has a remarkable memory, and is very witty.  :)  He definitely remembered it, though, because he found it frustrating that CS remembered none of his lines, and he had to make things up as they went along and adapt to whatever flew out of Slocum's mouth.  He said, jokingly, that the situation came very close to bringing out the "real" Nicholas side of his personality.  :D  

He's a genuinely decent and kind man, though, and it's really uncharacteristic of him to say anything unflattering about anyone, so there may have been additional circumstances that irked him.

Just out of curiosity, did he ever mention experiences of working with Grayson Hall?  I thought their scenes in this storyline (especially a couple that are coming up) were simply marvelous.  Better than Turkish Delight.

He enjoyed working with her.  We've only rarely talked about DS, but he did make a point of saying that he thought she was a marvelous actress, albeit overworked.

And I love it that Humbert described Nicholas in an interview as "the Walter Huston role."  Actually I think he was a more skilled actor with a wider range than Huston.

Ah, yes, his oblique reference to The Devil and Daniel Webster in the Ron Barry interview. His sense of humor was on a roll that day.  :D

I agree about his acting -- I would have loved to see his work on the stage.

Cheers,

Linda