Hey gang,
You know, we've (regretably) seen a good number of Dark Shadows characters take that last dive/leap (intentionally or otherwise) off of Widow's Hill over the years.
Heck, there have been so many memorable "swan dives" off of Widow's Hill: Adam's frantic bid to escape the police, the unseen, "assisted" dive (courtesy of Matthew Morgan) of Mr. Bill Malloy (the only person in Collinsport, ME with an actual "Down-East' accent!), and Jeb Hawks' "nose dive" off of Widow's Hill, courtesy of that "noted" Member of Mensa, industrialist Schuyler Rumson! (You know, I actually enjoyed seeing "Mr. Carolyn Stoddard" take that last dive/leap off of the cliff!)
However, there are two specific dives, that I believe to be the two greatest dives/leaps off of Widow's Hill, bar none. In fact, perhaps we could give these dives numerical grades (on a scale from one to ten) exactly as the judges do, at the Summer Olympics diving competiton.
My first selection for Widow's Hill greatest dive/leap is Phillip Todd's memorable "Charge of the Leviathon Light Brigade." Who could forget the determined look in Phillip's eye, as he ran full-steam ahead and "Damn the torpedoes-like!," at the unsuspecting Jeb Hawks, who was standing perilously close to the edge of the cliff?
And who among us did NOT jump out of our seat, when, at the very last second, Jeb miracuously sidestepped the rampaging antiques dealer, only to hear Megan Todd's better half, let out a plaintive wail of despair as he plummeted to the waiting rocks below?!? Heavy stuff, indeed! That stirring dive merits an easy "9," IMHO!
Of course, the second (and I daresay) the greatest dive/leap off of Widow's Hill has to be the heartbreaking plunge of the beautiful, kind and extremely gentle Beth Chavez in 1897.
Yes, I'm sure we all remember how the angst-ridden Beth, stood on the precipice of the cliff, not knowing if the man standing on the path in front of her, was either her beloved Quentin Collins or the body of Quentin, possessed by the diabolical and nefarious Count Petofi. Remember when Quentin (?) shouted at Beth to come back to him, the Dark Shadows director of that heart-stopping episode (probably the very talented Lela Swift) elected to cut to a commercial as the fair Ms. Chavez teetered on the edge?
What some people don't know (as related by actress Terry "Beth Chavez" Crawford), was that she actually began to "fall" off of Widow's Hill just as the Dark Shadows technical crew, cut to the commercial. Ms. Crawford had to perform an acrobatic, balancing act worthy of the late, great Burt Lancaster in the swashbuckling film, "The Crimson Pirate," until they came back from the commercial, with Beth teetering on the cliff, so that she could take that last dive/leap off of Widow's Hill (and onto the waiting pillows) like one of those fearless cliff divers, south of the border in Mexico!
Let me tell you, that heroic dive/leap deserves nothing less than a perfect "10"!!! Kudos to Ms. Crawford for her extraordinary performance/athletic feat! Yes, that nifty move, IMHO, is Dark Shadows greatest dive/leap ever, nonpareil!!!
Bob the Bartender, who gets vertigo, merely by standing on the running board of a Ford Bronco.
