New Early Barnabas Trivia

[Cassandra Blair]

Ringo, the portrait is PRICELESS!   Can you imagine how much different the whole show would've been with Bert Convy as Barnabas?  Who would they have gotten to play Dr. Julia Hoffman?  Brett Sommers or JoAnn Worley?

[Nancy]

It's been the most consistent version of the story that the intention of Dan Curtis was to bring in a super bad guy spook, jack up the ratings, and then kill off the character.   Obviously Curtis hoped for a good reaction to the character but the reaction he got was more than he bargained for.

Associate Producer Bob Costello has said he and the writers brought in Frid to talk with him about the role and he had the look they wanted.  I have no doubt that the fact that Frid had gone to Yale with one of the writers, Ron Sproat, played a role in the hiring.  Frid did a great many plays at Yale (though there as a directing student) and Sproat saw him.  Yep, the old "who you know" could pay off even then.

Nancy

OMG Ringo that portrait is killing me!!!

I wonder if their original intention was that Barnabas was young and handsome. Curtis has stated that he chose Frid from a list of candidates simply because he was wearing a cape in his photo. At the time he didn't envision Barnabas being a romantic lead, but rather, the most frightening villain he could think of. Frid was probably the "scariest" looking of the actors he chose from in his own estimation.
(Although, in my mind, the thought of Bert Convy is much more frightening ;-) )

[Patti Feinberg]

Ringo, the portrait is PRICELESS!   Can you imagine how much different the whole show would've been with Bert Convy as Barnabas?  Who would they have gotten to play Dr. Julia Hoffman?  Brett Sommers or JoAnn Worley?

Charles Nelson Reilly, naturally

Ringo....thanks for the laugh.
Patti

[Birdie]

Ringo,
             That is just too funny.  My husband is standing over my shoulder LHAO.  

Birdie

[Minja]

If JoAnn Worley was Dr. Hoffman....would the Collinses be....FARKEL'S??

Roger as Frank Farkel
Liz as Fran Farkel
Mrs. J. as Freida Farkel
Carolyn as Fannie Farkel
Tom and Chris as Simon and Gar Farkel
Carl as Ghost Flicker Farkel (Hiiiiiiieeee!)
Quentin as Fab Farkel
and as the loyal and trusted neighbor.....
T. Elliot Stokes as Ferd Berfel!!!!!

and all those Farkel kids would have slick comb overs and would be wearing monacles!

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Always, Minja
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JoAnn Worley as Dr. Hoffman would probably say...My husband Boris wanted to play Dark Shadows with me
last night.  He said he's be Barnabas and then he took a bite out of me! Bwahahaha!

[Minja]

Ringo,
That portrait of "Barnabas Convy" is truly frightening![thumb]
I'd bet if Convy played Barnabas, he and Roger Davis would be competing in the "Beware The Hair" category!

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Always, Minja
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[Julia99]

The lines read something like like:  "Willie is staring at the portrait of young Collins and notices the eyes glowing at him."  Another line states "Willie once again looks at the portrait of the young man and in addition to the glowing eyes, he hears a heartbeat from the portrait."

not to be too catty but that portrait ain't of a young man. . he's middle aged to say the least. . .

[LorraineAAB]

    Bert Convy!!!!  Doesn't work for me either.  Would Barnabas Collins have worn a perm instead of spiked bangs?   Ewww.

I used to think so, too, until I saw these pics of Convy from the mid-sixties (his B'way salad days in "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Cabaret". . .)

http://www.bertconvy.net/bert.html

That head shot looks sufficiently misterioso and sinister enough for a much younger Barnabas than that fellow (what's his name again? <G>) whom Curtis ultimately chose.

I think the biggest drawback would have been that VOICE !!!!

L.