Ghostwriting

[Gothick]

Ah! ? The scene from Jamison's dream of David's last birthday! One of my favorite moments in the series! ? If only Violet Welles had been with the show longer!

Hi Arashi, according to an interview with Violet Welles published in Dale Clark's zine, she did come back to write many scripts in the final couple of months of DS.  She started out ghostwriting scripts for Gordon Russell who must have been busy with other projects or perhaps just needed some time doing something other than writing DS, and then somehow got on the show's roster as a writer.  I'm guessing that if Violet was not mis-remembering her time on the show, her final relay of scripts must have been the same arrangement--Russell got the screen credit but she did the work.

The arrangement is apparently more common in television than the general public are widely aware.

G.

[arashi]

Thanks Gothick! I'll have to go back and rewatch those now.

[MagnusTrask]

Why would a writer let someone else take credit?  Some sort of union thing?   

[Uncle Roger]

Union/writer's guild rules, I'm sure. That's probably the reason for the unique credit that Art Wallace received. Story created and developed by. No doubt a compromise regarding DC's infamous dream.

[MagnusTrask]

Care to relate anything of the infamous dream please, UR?

[arashi]

Dan had a dream about a girl riding a train and going to a big mysterious mansion, or something along those lines - and that is, apparently, where the idea for Dark Shadows came from.

[retzev]

I wonder if Alan Smithee has any DS credits to his name