In the Shadow of the Bridge: A Memoir (by DS writer Joe Caldwell)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

In the Shadow of the Bridge: A Memoir
(Scroll down to the 2nd book.)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

In the Shadow of the Bridge, a memoir by novelist Joseph Caldwell
(Scroll down to the 2nd book.)

References DS...

[Joeytrom]

From Amazon:

The bohemian, free-spirited existence that blessed many of Manhattan’s gifted artists and writers in the nineteen fifties and sixties has, with current skyrocketing rents and the high-income requirements of basic living, been nearly extinguished. And only for the likes of an astute observer such as Joseph Caldwell, perhaps be almost forgotten. In his charming, brutally candid memoir, the author describes his tenure working at WQXR, the venerated classical music station, marching in civil protests and being arrested, his accomplished acquaintances, all of it part of the libertine life of a young gay man who becomes a noted playwright and novelist and Rome Prize winner. But then the mantle of the AIDS epidemic falls heavily on the city and exultation in free love and sex is replaced by unrelenting fear. In a twist of fate, a quixotic love that plagues Caldwell his entire life gives him one last chance at a relationship but in a completely unexpected and tragic ways. This memoir is an important chronicle of the changing tide of artistic and gay life in New York City in the shadow of the plague years.

https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Bridge-Memoir-Joseph-Caldwell/dp/1883285836/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=joseph+caldwell&qid=1572441608&s=books&sr=1-6

[Brandon Collins]

This sounds like an interesting read. I'll have to add it to my booklist, which is already about 20 books long on top of what I have on my shelf--too many to count! But, aside from just the DS aspect of it, it seems that from the description posted by Joeytrom, that Caldwell's life story has a lot more to offer as well.

[Gothick]

That sounds fascinating. Interesting that both Caldwell and Ron Sproat were gay. I only found out about Sproat a year or so ago.  It seems he left the show due to creative disagreements with DC and perhaps other writers. I thought Joe Caldwell was such a great writer but he'd disappear for months and I have no idea if that was due to Dan Curtis's whim or if he simply had other work on hand during those periods. Joe wrote one of my favorite scripts, the one that ends with a cat and mouse conversation with Julia and Barnabas, and then in the final scene Barnabas comes to her bedroom to kill her, only to be informed by "Miss" Hoffman: "I've been waiting for you a long, long time." A classic moment on the show.

G.

[Brandon Collins]

It doesn't surprise me one bit that Sproat, or Caldwell, were gay even though this is the first I'm learning of it. Quite honestly, I am surprised it isn't more well known how many of the cast were part of the LGBT community, especially because of the LGBT following the show clearly has. I know in some circles it is a hotly debated topic about which cast and crew members were or are part of the LGBT community. Anytime Frid is brought up in this regard I always see some pretty interesting remarks from people.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Joseph Caldwell: In the Shadow of the Bridge

[Gothick]

Thanks for that link. It's so fascinating how many people who were involved in the show claimed to have "created" Barnabas. I really think the character's creation was a group effort... I personally feel that if a more confident, technically skilled actor than Jonathan Frid had been cast, the character wouldn't have been nearly as compelling as he became. Because Jonathan fed into his performance his own fear and anxiety in struggling to master such long scripts with such a punishingly short timeline. That gave Barnabas an edge very different from the suavity of Lugosi, the feral brutishness of Christopher Lee, the cadaverously predatory zeal of Carradine, to name three famous actors associated with vampires prior to Frid. Barnabas was a genuine new page in the annals of the Undead.

Which is partly why I can't imagine anyone seriously trying to mount a reboot of DS without Barnabas. But we'll see...

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

7 Books to Read During World AIDS Month

References DS while talking about Joe Caldwell...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Winter 2020 reading list

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Dark shadows & radiant light: Joseph Caldwell's memoir 'In the Shadow of the Bridge'

Apparently David took his time getting to this. 

[Gothick]

According to this review, Joe mentions that in the 1950s, an apartment could be rented in NYC for $24 a month. That seems much more fantastical than any of the storylines on DS.

Thinking of folks living now in NYC and praying for your safety, health and sanity.

G.

[Philippe Cordier]

Mr. Caldwell's telescripts were often notably literate, and I could often guess while watching an unusually intelligent episode of DS that he was the writer.

His claim of having created, along with Ron Sproat, the character of Barnabas seems very detailed and specific. I wonder what the other claimants would say about it. I remember some rather heated discussion on the topic on this forum, or maybe it was one or more of the other claimants who was heated ... wasn't it Art Wallace who specifically claimed to have created Barnabas? And countered by whom, I wonder - Sam Hall, perhaps?

It's surprising that Dan Curtis would hire so many LGBT actors and writers etc., not to mention his producing "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Mr. Oscar Wilde (and including the gay subtext) if he was such a homophobe ...

[Gothick]

Hi Philippe!

Malcolm Marmorstein took credit for creating the character of Barnabas in a couple of interviews some years back. MM wrote a screenplay, Love Bites, produced in 1993 as a vehicle for Adam Ant who played vampire Zachary Simms. I have never seen the movie, but it sounds kind of like a precursor to the Burton-Depp film. The vampire "oversleeps for 100 years" and emerges from his coffin bewildered by changes in technology, society and culture. He falls in love with a mortal woman and tries to become human again so he can be with her in the mortal way. The film was done as a slapstick comedy and I have to wonder whether Tim Burton really likes the movie--sounds like there are some similar vampire pratfall moments in it.

I have read that Art Wallace claimed that he created a Barnabas-type character in his story plotting notes, but if he did write something, I have never seen it. Sam Hall wouldn't have ever claimed to have had anything to do with creating Barnabas, but he may well have come up with the Barnabas-Angelique-Josette triangle story set in 1795. I don't think many fans even today understand that that narrative was a complete reboot from what had been established in the 1967 storyline, in which Barnabas lived in the 1830s and Josette (originally surnamed La Freniere, if I recall aright) was the bride of his elderly uncle Jeremiah. I think I've read that they chose to set the origin story in the late 18th century because those were the costumes they were able to rent from a supplier.

I've read an interview with Bob Costello where he said he found the name Barnabas on an old tombstone. But he did not take credit for creating the character. And of course, Jonathan Frid's personal interpretation had a lot to do with how Barnabas actually manifested.

My conclusion is that the creation of Barnabas was a group effort. Interesting to see what impact this "vulnerable vampire" had in how media vampire culture evolved after the 1960s. Several Dracula films took on the Barnabas narrative of the vampire searching the world for the reincarnation of his lost love.

G.

[Uncle Roger]

No idea if Dan Curtis was a homophobe or whether it was all bluster. But DS was not remarkably different from other soaps at the time. There were a significant number of closeted actors working on various other soaps at the time. Most had come from theater.  So, they could get the work done with a minimum of fuss and, probably more important to DC, they worked cheap. It was somewhat of a win/win situation for the actor, because even if they lost the gig, it would give them a current TV credit on their resume.