James Hall & John Karlen

I've said it before and I'll say it again, John Karlen made Willie a far more complex character and did more with him than I think James Hall could have done.

And yes John had some excellent scenes with Dennis Patrick and Mitchell Ryan. Hall, to me at least, didn't seem to click very well with the other actors.

Can you imagine, for instance, Hall being paired with Nancy Barrett? I certainly can't!

     Likewise, I doubt we'd be talking about Dark Shadows today if Bert Convey had been cast as Barnabas. What probably would have happened is that as originally planned, the character would have been staked by Dr. Julian Hoffman after a few weeks and the show would have been a footnote in tv history, probably being canceled in its second year. Frid's casting, like John Karlen's was the necessary change and "lucky accident" that led to Dark Shadows being able to sustain and become the show we still love 40 years later.

And from what I've heard about Frid and Karlen, they both landed the parts in very similar ways; both got a call from their agents while planning to go to CA for work.  Interesting "coincidences".... nah, it was meant to BE.

In an interview about his role as Willie, Karlen described the experience as "a FEAST of emotions" 

The look in his eyes and the tones of his voice as he reminisced were like those of someone recalling some the best times of his life...

I spoke with the Old Man last month. I wanted to tell him how brilliant I thought his ressurection of Willie is on the new CD's - the radie plays. I mean I was really floored that he was able to play Willie so perfectly after all these years. I asked him if he'd been watching some of his episodes to help him remember how he played the character and he said that he hadn't. I persisted and told him that I was amazed that he played Willie so well. He exclaimed, "My darling, I AM Willie!"

I spoke with the Old Man last month. I wanted to tell him how brilliant I thought his ressurection of Willie is on the new CD's - the radie plays. I mean I was really floored that he was able to play Willie so perfectly after all these years. I asked him if he'd been watching some of his episodes to help him remember how he played the character and he said that he hadn't. I persisted and told him that I was amazed that he played Willie so well. He exclaimed, "My darling, I AM Willie!"

  I agree.  He perfectly re-captured the essence of Willie.  The Willie in these dramas is very much in keeping with the television incarnation of the character, yet Karlen manages to make him even more neurotic.  Bearing witness to the dark side of Collinsport for so many years has taken its toll on poor Willie.

- Penny