Frid/DS Q&A 11/84 Part 1

[Nancy]

Thanks for that, Nancy, that was very interesting, especially for all the fans who have never had the chance to read one of these.  

I was curious about the date, 1984.  Now, I was living abroad during much of the 80s (specifically, I lived in Taiwan from 1982-86) and boy, did I feel like a foreigner when I came back to live in the US.  Anyhow, in one part of this interview (in answer to the question whether Julia was written to be a comic character!) he alludes to the failure of the NBC revival.  This makes me wonder whether part of this may not date to 1991 or 1992?

 
Also, it's interesting to see him mention the part that was done "like a film, bit by bit"--I think he must mean the part when Maggie finally does escape from Barnabas, in the 1967 storyline, with Sarah's help.  I think most of that show was done on film which accounts for why they were able to start and stop.  I was fascinated by the much earlier episode from 1966 with Roger stalking Vicki through the West Wing, where they clearly had some footage spliced in with a stand-in for Louis Edmonds (where you would only see the legs and the footwear).  >>

Thanks again for posting this.

Steve

New York's NBC outlet revived DS and I think it ran in the afternoon.  However, it suffered from a lack of promotion etc. and the show died.  If you ever saw the photos or footage of Frid at a disco called MAQJUE in New York, that was part of a function trying to promote the NBC syndication of DS.  That was in 1982 or 1983, I don't remember which year.  

As you know, the Julia character regularly takes a beating from fans at the festivals.  The overall impression is that she was created for comic relief.  I was surprised when I first heard that said, but it is a commonly held belief in the fandom.

That's true - could be. I think he might have been alluding to the fact that when they shot the series, they didn't stop. To tape a long walk or chromakey, for example, you have to stop and start with shooting and that is probably what Frid meant by that remark.  He didn't have experience in film at that point to really know other than what fellow actors told him.


Nancy

[Nancy]

Thanks, Nancy, for taking the time and trouble to share that with us.  I don't think I've ever heard or seen an interview with Johnathan Frid and it's wonderful to hear his sense of humor...poor Barnabas Collins was so rarely allowed to have one.  

Raineypark

Whether you are a big fan of Barnabas or not, Raineypark, you might want to visit JF's website at www.jonathanfrid.com and listen to some audio readings he does, and also read his explanation about computer troubleshooting.  It's very funny.  This is a man who in his 70s starting learning about computers and websites.  His "instructions" on computer shooting can be found in the instruction area of the audio gallery when you click on to the readings.

In the Jonathan at Large section of his website, Frid writes some essays about his view of his "cult" hero status and he makes some pretty funny remarks there too.  

Nancy

[VAM]

"I think its pretty obvious he has a problem with dyslexia - justapositioning words (this night must go nothing wrong), and this problem rules out being able to memorize words quickly.  It also means even having a teleprompter doesn't mean you will get the words right. I have another friend, an actor, who is dyslexic and it takes him three times longer to memorize scripts than the average actor, even though he is getting treatment for dyslexia."


Nancy



Susan Hampshire, a well-known British actress, was dyslexic. Many are familiar with her work from Masterpiece Theater. In an autobiographical source, she mentions about the difficulty with learning scripts, etc.