Where Was Willie Loomis From?

[Bob_the_Bartender]

Was it ever mentioned on DS where Willie hailed from?  I do not recall ever hearing any mention of Willie's hometown on the show.

On one of the DS dvds, John Karlen related in an interview that Dan Curtis and the DS producers wanted John to use a "Southern accent" in his portrayal of Willie.  That's the only mention I remember of where Willie may have possibly come from.  Does anyone know what was Willie's hometown and state?

[Gerard]

The only fleshed-out background of Willie's character was in S.E. Hinton's DS novel, Hawke's Harbor.  It was to be a part of the Collins-Harper rebooted series of DS novels, but after just a few the project collapsed.  From what I read, the book was to be called Dark Shadows:  Collinsport.  It covers Willie's background and what led him to where he ended up.  The climax is heartbreaking.  I actually cried.

Gerard

[michael c]

Was it ever mentioned on DS where Willie hailed from?  I do not recall ever hearing any mention of Willie's hometown on the show.

On one of the DS dvds, John Karlen related in an interview that Dan Curtis and the DS producers wanted John to use a "Southern accent" in his portrayal of Willie.  That's the only mention I remember of where Willie may have possibly come from.  Does anyone know what was Willie's hometown and state?

as i recall James Hall used a slight "drawl" during his brief stint in the role that was abandoned once Karlen stepped in. i'm not sure if that was Hall's own speaking voice or if the plan had been to make Willie "southern" at first.

it ended up not really mattering. Willie was a vagabond. a rootless drifter Jason fell in with during his travels. like Julia he was without meddlesome family connections and made him fully "available" to Barnabas' needs and commands.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

It would be fascinating to get ahold of Willie's character breakdown. Unfortunately, none of the character breakdowns except for the ones in the Shadows on the Wall bible have ever been released. But if James Hall played Willie with a southern accent because DC and Bob Costello wanted it, that could easily be a clue to at least what was initially considered as part of Willie's background.

You'd think that at some point during at least one of the Fests someone would have asked Karlen what he thought Willie's background was and/or what he was told about Willie's background. But if he ever was, I don't recall hearing about it...

[michael c]

Hall gets (unfairly) dogged in the fandom i think out of (somewhat misguided) "loyalty" to Karlen. which is understandable...

but i think each actor was perfect for the period in which they played the character. Hall's Willie was appropriately menacing and predatory. a lowlife. a scumbag.

Karlen's Willie captured the pathos and sense of defeat needed for what his character had undergone. both interpretation worked for what was happening at that time.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I didn't see James Hall's version of Willie until his eps were shown for the second time on Sci-Fi back in August of '95. I didn't know what to expect but was quite impressed with what I saw, mostly because, as michael c points out, his Willie was called upon to be a menacing and predatory lowlife. Not having started to watch DS until September of '67, that was something I'd never seen Willie as when Karlen played him, though I would have loved to have seen him play it, just as I would have loved to have seen Hall's take on Willie post Barn's little treatment on him. But, of course, we can never see either. Well, unless it ends up being possible some day to slip into some Parallel Time universe where Hall stayed with the show and another universe where Karlen played Willie from the start. 

[Gerard]

I'm thinking maybe why the dumped Hall for Karlen what because Hall played the part too well.  He came off as the perfect, creepy sex predator which was too much for '67 TV.  Hall's Willie was creepy; Karlen's was more of a thug.  It would've been interesting to see where things would've gone if they kept Hall.

Gerard

[morlock]

This is the absolute best discussion of Willie Loomis and his vague background I have ever read in my entire DS-life. I appreciate it very deeply. Thank you so much.