ShadowGram Updates #340 & #341

[Midnite]

SHADOWGRAM NEWS UPDATE   # 340
 
January 5, 2015
 
Hello, Dark Shadows Fan,
 
ShadowGram (SG), The Official Newsletter & News Source for Dark Shadows (DS), announces the following key breaking news in this Official DS News Online Update "bulletin."
 
PLEASE NOTE:
DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF RECENT DS NEWS, SG UPDATE # 340 AND  SG UPDATE # 341 BOTH ARE BEING POSTED TODAY, JANUARY 5, 2015.
 
--- IN THIS SG UPDATE # 340:
 
**** DAVID SELBY & SUSAN SULLIVAN HONORED FOR PLAY PERFORMANCES
 
**** DONNA WANDREY TO APPEAR IN PLAY IN NORTH CAROLINA
 
**** JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT MARRIES
 
**** LYNDHURST ESTATE FEATURED ON SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL SHOW
AND DS FANS ENCOURAGED TO SUPPORT LYNDHURST
 
**** GREYSTONE IS FILMING LOCATION FOR MARVEL’S NEW TV SERIES
 
 
--- IN THE SOON-TO-FOLLOW SG UPDATE # 341:
 
**** IN MEMORIAM – 2014
 
**** DARK SHADOWS REMEMBRANCES
 
**** 2015 DS CALENDAR HAS RARE PHOTOS FROM 1970 & 1971 DS MOVIES
 
**** DS CARIBBEAN CRUISE – SAILING JAN. 10-17, 2015
 
 
----------- HERE IS SHADOWGRAM OFFICIAL DS NEWS ONLINE UPDATE # 340:
 
**** DAVID SELBY, SUSAN SULLIVAN, & “A DELICATE BALANCE” AWARDED
 
SG is happy to share news that David provided this afternoon. Announced today: The 2014 production of “A Delicate Balance” received 6 awards from “the theater critics of www.ArtsinLA.com. The honors went to the entire production, director Robin Larsen, and 3 actors: David, Susan, and their co-star O-Lan Jones.
 
http://www.artsinla.com/ explained:  On 1-1-15 “the theater critics of ArtsInLA.com submitted their lists of the ‘Best of 2014’ in categories ranging from production through performances. Names appearing on 2 or more of the critics’ lists became winners of ArtsInLA.com’s second annual Sage Awards. The awards are named for the obvious reference to the wisdom we hope for, but also for the plant that covers the Los Angeles area, as we do.”
 
SG Update #313 (3-23-14) and subsequent SG Updates announced and reported the play staged at LA’s Odyssey Theatre 4-30/6-15-14. Numerous reviews highly praised the overall production and cast. The LA Times and other local media often cited it as a “Critics’ Pick.”
 
Edward Albee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “A Delicate Balance” is very intense, full of complex characters seeking a balance – or trying to rationalize or escape how things really are. Long-married couple (Susan’s Agnes and David’s Tobias) must face the deeply hidden and ignored fractures in their relationships with each other, their adult daughter, their best friends, and the course of their lives. 
 
This marked the first time David (DS’ Quentin) and Susan (DS’ Ghost) had acted onstage together in a play. They had no scenes together on DS. But as stars in 1981-90’s FALCON CREST primetime series; their characters eventually married. They also performed the classic 2-character staged reading LOVE LETTERS as a 1-day benefit in Martinsburg, WV 10-10-2003.
 
 
***** DONNA WANDREY ONSTAGE IN PLAY IN N. CAROLINA
 
SG thanks Marie Wallace for relaying Donna’s news: Donna portrays “Polly” in OTHER DESERT CITIES at the Hanesbrand Theatre in downtown Winston-Salem, NC. Rehearsals start soon. Previews begin 2-11 with opening night 2-14. The run ends 3-1.
 
Publicity: “A contemporary comic drama. Returning to Palm Springs, CA, to celebrate the holidays with her family for the first time in years, Brooke Wyeth reveals plans to publish a memoir. As she threatens to disclose the most painful moment in the family history, Brooke’s parents must come to terms with her choices. Through battles over perception and fact, Brooke soon discovers that even secrets have secrets of their own.”
 
The production is through the “professional not-for-profit Triad Stage organization, serving the Triad area.”
 
The Hanesbrands Theatre is at 209 Spruce Street North, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. Box Office:  (336) 272-0160, or (866) 569-TIXX    http://triadstage.org/hanesbrands   Driving directions: http://triadstage.org/visit
 
 
**** JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT & TASHA McCAULEY WED
 
SG congratulates Joe (1991 DS’ David, Daniel) and his wife Tasha McCauley on their 12-20-14 wedding. 
 
His PR representative Erica Grey confirms the private ceremony was held at the couple’s home. It’s well-known that Joe values his privacy, very rarely talking about his relationship.
 
SG Online Updates and SG in print have long included Joe’s own news, also sharing and applauding his many-faceted talents, career, and creative interests. His innovative hitRECord.org collaborative production company openly encourages and works with people of every type worldwide. Its Pivot cable TV series “hitRECord ON TV” won a Creative Arts Interactive Media Emmy Award last summer for its first season of episodes. (See SG Update # 328 – 8-27-14)
 
Tasha is the co-founder and CEO of Fellow Robots, a robotics company based at NASA Research Park in the Silicon Valley, CA. She has a Masters from USC and has taught about robotics, artificial intelligence, and other technologies at the university level. “She is a director of the Ten to the Ninth Plus Foundation, an organization focused on “empowering exponential technological change worldwide.” An area of interest is “how technology can facilitate and enhance creativity.”
 
Joe’s involved in directing, producing, screenwriting, acting, and other projects. In 2014 he starred in SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR. He’s also seen briefly in the recent controversial comedy THE INTERVIEW, co-directed by his friend Seth Rogen, who was his co-star in 2011’s 50/50 movie.
 
 
**** LYNDHURST ESTATE IN NEW SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL SHOW
**** PLEASE SUPPORT LYNDHURST – D S MOVIES’ “COLLINWOOD”
 
--- Promotional footage for the Smithsonian Channel’s new historical/biographical series, MILLION DOLLAR AMERICAN PRINCESSES, was filmed at Lyndhurst.
 
Publicity: “An in-depth look at the young American heiresses whose real-life stories inspired the acclaimed TV drama DOWNTON ABBEY. This series explores the time between the 1870s and the outbreak of World War One, when more than 200 daughters of America’s new industrial millionaires marry into the money-strapped British aristocracy. They use their affluence, allure and ingenuity to their advantage, and they bring dramatic changes to the English ruling class and eventually the world.”   
 
Smithsonian website schedule: http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/series/1003587/million-dollar-american-princesses
 
Please check your local listings. The website and its brief biographies of the individual women do not mention Lyndhurst.
 
---- Please support Lyndhurst
 
Over the years, each Fest gathering at Lyndhurst and nearby locations has benefited ongoing restoration and maintenance of the historic estate. SG celebrates that recent DS Festival events there have raised over $20,000 for the preservation of Lyndhurst.
 
The estate is part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation but relies heavily on public support. On 12-27 Lyndhurst shared: “We're growing. With expanded programs, more concerts, new exhibitions and free lectures, Lyndhurst continues to welcome members of our community” and visitors from near and far.  Please make a commitment to Lyndhurst and your contribution will help us for years to come. If you want to ensure that our beautiful 67 acre park stays open and vital, please help us today. As a private, non-profit, we only exist and thrive because you care.”
 
It is hoped DS fans will support the estate, its programs, upkeep, and legacy. Thank you.
To donate: https://secure2.convio.net/nthp/site/Donation2?df_id=13800&13800.donation=form1
 
Lyndhurst, 635 S. Broadway, Tarrytown, NY.  914-631-4481. www.lyndhurst.org
 
“Lyndhurst is considered one of the most significant architectural masterpieces of 19th century America. Designed by Alexander Jackson Davis, the preeminent American architect of his time, Lyndhurst contains important collections of Davis’ furniture, designed for the house and still in situ. Lyndhurst also displays significant collections of French 19th century academic paintings, 18th century French furniture and late 19th century American decorative art objects…. Your donation will help us restore objects and architectural details in the collection, both large and small, as well as support educational programs, curatorial research and preservation of this American Treasure.”
 
 
**** GREYSTONE ESTATE SETTING FOR MARVEL’S NEW “AGENT CARTER’” TV SERIES
 
Interiors, exteriors, and the grounds of Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills served as “Collinwood” and “The Old House” in NBC’s 1991 primetime TV revival DS series (1-13/3-22-1991). The 2004 pilot for a proposed new WB (Warner Brothers) DS series also shot on the estate.
 
Greystone currently is the production set for AGENT CARTER, the new 8-episode series based on the widely-popular Marvel Cinematic/TV universe. The ABC show debuts with a 2-hour episode Tues., Jan. 6.
 
LA Times 1-4: “Set in 1946,… (it) features a number of key characters from Marvel lore,
But with its espionage trappings and deft blend of adventure, comedy, and intrigue,… it’s a high-spirited caper.” The show “is set 1 year after (the movie) CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER… Should the show prove a breakout hit, the busy agent could return for further adventures.” TV Guide 1-5: The “lushly-produced, lavish adventure series brings) some old-style Hollywood glamour to primetime.”

[Midnite]

SHADOWGRAM NEWS UPDATE   # 341
 
January 5, 2015
 
Hello, Dark Shadows Fan,
 
ShadowGram (SG), The Official Newsletter & News Source for Dark Shadows (DS), announces the following key breaking news in this Official DS News Online Update "bulletin."
 
PLEASE NOTE:
DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF RECENT DS NEWS, THIS UPDATE # 341 IS THE SECOND OF 2 SG UPDATES POSTED AND DATED TODAY, JANUARY 5, 2015.
 
SG UPDATE # 340, ALSO DATED JANUARY 5, 2015, WAS POSTED A SHORT TIME AGO.
 
----------- HERE IS SHADOWGRAM OFFICIAL DS NEWS ONLINE UPDATE # 341:
 
*** * IN MEMORIAM – 2014
 
**** DARK SHADOWS REMEMBRANCES
 
**** 2015 DS CALENDAR HAS RARE PHOTOS FROM 1970 & 1971 DS MOVIES
 
**** DS CARIBBEAN CRUISE – SAILING JAN. 10-17, 2015
 
 
**** REMEMBERING DS LOSSES IN 2014
 
Over this past year, SG Updates have reported the sad passing of 3 members of the DS creative “behind the camera” family, including:
 
--- The original DS series producer ROBERT COSTELLO, who died at age 93 on May 30, 2014.
 
Bob made an unexpectedly unique contribution to DS when he posed for the iconic portrait of Barnabas that hung in the Collinwood Foyer. The vampire’s character was created but had not yet been cast, so the portrait initially did not include an actual face. Bob sat for the painting but his face was not used. When Jonathan Frid was cast as “Barnabas Collins,”Jonathan’s own face was added to the portrait.
 
--- The original DS series / HOUSE OF DS special make-up designer DICK SMITH, who was 92 when he died on July 30, 2014.
 
Dick created the intricately-realistic old age makeup for Jonathan Frid on the DS series, expanding on his “old Barnabas face” for 1970’s HOUSE OF DS movie, for which he also created the vivid “vampire bite” and other make-up effects.
 
He is considered one of the greatest make-up artists/makeup prosthetics creators in the entertainment industry. Often called “The Godfather of Special Makeup,” he pioneered the development and use of many innovative techniques, tools, and materials for myriad makeup needs and prosthetic body/face appliances. He willingly shared his knowledge and skills, encouraging and assisting with new and established artists worldwide.  Acclaimed and esteemed for his creative skills in aging, horror, and special effects makeup, he was nominated for and won Academy Award Oscars and an Emmy. He was awarded an Honorary Oscar in 2011. 
 
--- The original DS series/HOUSE OF DS/NIGHT OF DS/DS 1991 series Writer SAM HALL was 93 when he passed away on September 26, 2014
 
Sam began writing for DS in 1967, often working closely with Gordon Russell. His wife Grayson Hall played DS’ “Julia Hoffman,” “Natalie,” “Magda,” and other characters, plus “Carotta” in NIGHT OF DS,” He co-wrote both DS movies with DS creator/director Dan Curtis. After DS ended, Sam and Gordon joined the writing team at ONE LIFE TO LIVE, eventually creating what is considered the show’s 1980s “golden era.” Grayson played “Euphemia Ralston” in 1983 and their son Matt also wrote for the show for about a year. Sam and Matt also were writers for the 1991 NBC primetime revival DS series. He was nominated for 5 Daytime Emmy Awards and won a Peabody Award.
 
 
**** THE PASSINGS OF THE HUSBANDS OF 2 DS PERSONNEL
 
SG offers condolences on the losses of the husband of a DS actress and the husband of a DS costume designer.
 
---- ALEXANDRA MOLTKE (DS series Victoria Winters 1966-1968) lost her husband Dr. Alfred Jaretski III, age 94, on 5-29-14.
 
His influential medical career included his tireless work as a pioneering and world-renowned surgeon, medical researcher, Professor Emeritus of Clinical Surgery and Special Lecturer at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in NYC. He also was a member of a number of professional surgical/medical societies and associations. A cardiothoracic surgeon, his areas of expertise included aorta aneurysm, the anatomy of the thymus gland, and surgical treatment and therapy for myasthenia gravis. Even after his 1992 retirement from the operating room, he continued to be active in academic surgery and medicine until the time of his death. Survivors include his sister, his children, his wife Alexandra, and his stepson and family.
 
---- MARY McKINLEY-HAAS lost her husband Saul Haas at age 84 on June 21, 2011. Artist and original DS costume designer Mary and Saul were married 50 years. She was responsible for the elaborate period costumes for the final 3 months of DS’ 1841 Parallel Time storyline. Saul was a veteran of World War II and an accomplished interior design expert, Saul attended several DS events with Mary over the years. Additional survivors include their 2 sons and their families.
 
**** NOTE: The upcoming new SG #124 Official DS Published Newsletter will remember those of the DS family who are now gone.
 
 
**** 2015 DS CALENDAR AVAILABLE FROM DS FESTIVAL
 
The DS Festival offers its 2015 DS Calendar. It showcases the movies HOUSE OF DS (1970) and NIGHT OF DS (1971). Several DS characters were “written out of the TV scripts” so those actors could shoot the films on location in and around Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown, NY. The Calendar’s covers and each page feature rare, never-before-seen pictures of the actors on-set in character as well as in more candid moments.
 
The Calendar is available only by mail-order from the DS Festival. Price is $14.99 (includes postage). Pleas\e send check/money order. Note: The Fest can not accept PayPal or credit cards.
 
Dark Shadows Festival
P.O. Box 92
Maplewood, NJ 07040
 
The 2 DS theatrical movies were the first major motion pictures to be based on a daytime TV show. The DS Festival has held several cast/fan reunion events at Lyndhurst. The DS Weekend 6-28/29, 2014 saluted both movies and the 48th anniversary of the daytime series’ debut.
 
 
**** DS CARIBBEAN CRUISE WITH DS STARS – JAN. 10/17
 
SG gives a hearty “BON VOYAGE!” to the 2nd DS Caribbean Cruise, sailing aboard the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Jewel of the Seas. The ship departs San Juan, Puerto Rico this Saturday, 1-10 and makes 1-day stops in 5 islands before returning to port Monday, 1-17.
 
DS actors MARIE WALLACE, JERRY LACY, KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT and LARA PARKER join approximately 100 fans from across the US and Canada. They will share a variety of onboard DS-related activities, surprise DS events, and optional on-shore activities. On 1-15 they visit Martinique, the island location of the fictional sugar plantation home of DS’ Andre DuPres, his daughter Josette, her aunt Natalie DuPres, and the maidservant Angelique. All attendees will also be taking a bus tour of parts of the island with Lara and Kathryn.
 
Upcoming SG published newsletters will feature the cruise. May everyone have a “Grand Voyage” indeed!

[Midnite]

DS actors MARIE WALLACE, JERRY LACY, KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT and LARA PARKER join approximately 100 fans from across the US and Canada.

Did Kathy Cody bail?

[Mysterious Benefactor]

**** GREYSTONE ESTATE SETTING FOR MARVEL’S NEW “AGENT CARTER’” TV SERIES
 
...
 
Greystone currently is the production set for AGENT CARTER

Interesting - I've never once spotted Greystone in any of the ads. But I've been planning on checking out the show because it looks like something I might like, so now I'll be very curious to see how Greystone is utilized.

[Uncle Roger]

Midnite, Cody made a post on her Facebook page around Thanksgiving stating that she would not be going on the cruise for health issues.

[Midnite]

Thanks, Uncle Roger.  Using your info, I found her November post on the cruise's Fb page.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Greystone currently is the production set for AGENT CARTER

Interesting - I've never once spotted Greystone in any of the ads. But I've been planning on checking out the show because it looks like something I might like, so now I'll be very curious to see how Greystone is utilized.

Unfortunately Greystone wasn't used as much as aficionados of the house might have liked - but when it was used, it was used to good advantage.

However, Greystone as a location isn't the only connection Marvel's Agent Carter has to the '04 DS pilot. It probably won't surprise anyone that I'm behind on watching the show on my DVR, but I just recently watched the February 17th ep - and what was I surprised to discover but that in that ep one of the locations was the Los Angeles Theatre-

- which, as we know, was used as the location for the Old House in the pilot.

[KMR]

Am I the only one who thinks that using such a location as the Old House doesn't just tiptoe on the edge of ridiculous, but dives head first into the deep end?

[dom]

No, you are not the only one.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Actually, the production design altered things from the way they appear normally, which is how they're seen in the above capture. And I honestly thought that the way things were shot not only made the Old House look quite impressive but extremely Gothic.

[dom]

I agree.