Happy 50th Anniversary, Night of Dark Shadows

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting the forum's VantageNet days when the 2001 Vista Theatre's NoDS 30th Anniversary celebration was raised from the dead:

And just what is it that most would probably think was gone forever - and if it wasn't for the fact that I'd saved copies of it all, it would be? Well, it's selected posts from the forum's VantageNet incarnation that reported about the 2001 Vista Theatre's NoDS 30th Anniversary celebration. Midnite provided a detailed report and later on shared many of her photos. Other fans shared their photos through Midnite. And members of the forum also posted links to other fans' sites that shared photos. And all of that will be popping up in one way or another beginning today and lasting through the 18th.

First up will be Midnite's report and her "preview" photo. And so as to convey the experience of reading the report as it was originally shared, I've recreated the old VantageNet forum as best I could - and the reason I'm able to do that is because rather than just saving the text and photos of the soon to be shared posts, I'd used my browser's (the old Netscape 6.0, NEVER Internet Explorer!!  ) "Save page as" feature. Though, of course, most of the buttons/links no longer do anything because VantageNet folded not all that long after the NoDS 30th Anniversary posts were made in 2001, taking all of our posts with it and sending us scrambling to briefly host the forum on eboards4all before creating the initial iteration of this forum in January of 2002. The fact that VantageNet's abrupt and without warning closing took everything with it when it shut down makes it even more amazing that I'd had the foresight to save what I did of the NoDS Anniversary topic and that it all still exists on that CD that I recently rediscovered.

And as an aside, the reason why the graphic that appears on the VantageNet page is comprised of those screen caps is because I chose screen caps from Eps #1, #262, #523, & #785, all eps that originally aired on June 27th, and I also threw in Ep #1045, which originally aired on June 26, 1970, because June 27th was a Saturday that year...

(And as another aside, if only more people today felt the same sentiment that Thomas Paine expressed in the forum's moto back in October of 2001...)

So, without further ado -

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DARK SHADOWS: General Discussion Forum - 10/27/01 2:00:43 AM

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how the rest of Scene 82 is scripted:

Wrapping up Scene 82 as Claire and Tracy window shop and talk about Quentin's lack of getting work done:

CLAIRE                  Is he worried about it.                              TRACY                  No ... I don't think so.  But                  sometimes he seems so far away,                  it's hard to know what he's                  thinking.

And that's when the 5th's quote -

Page 32/Scene 82 - Claire: 'You know, that's what I felt when I first met him in Paris. He was so ... so super moody. He and Alex always connected. But I spent the first month just trying to figure him out.'

comes up, followed by the 6th's quote -

Page 32/Scene 82 - Claire: (contd) 'Those eyes always seem to see so much. And then everything becomes a kind of private thing. But that's what's so great about him. Don't you like dark brooding men of mystery?

- coming up, followed by the script continuing with:

TRACY           Yes. They both laugh.

End of scene - though not of sequence (the infamous Gregory comes up in Scene 83).

And there's absolutely nothing to get into when it comes to differences with the dialogue, the descriptions, or the directions because nothing here was ever shot. And that's a shame because it not only showcases the Claire/Tracy friendship, it gives background on the Jenkins/Collins friendship and some insight into Quentin. But then we all know that DC rarely met a character oriented scene that he didn't want to drop...

But just to help try to picture what these scenes might have been like, here's a candid still of Kate Jackson and Nancy Barrett relaxing with each other between scenes:

And one last thing: I do find it interesting that the script refers to Tracy and Claire being on the streets of Tarrytown and not Collinsport. Sure, Tarrytown is more than likely where the scenes would have been shot - but it's certainly not the location within the story...

   And so far as the "5th's quote" goes, it was on November 6th this time around, and so that means the "6th's quote" is today''s, November 7th.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting more of the forum's VantageNet days with post about the 2001 Vista Theatre's NoDS 30th Anniversary celebration:

DARK SHADOWS: General Discussion Forum - 10/29/01 11:56:22 AM

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting another post from the VantageNet day's posts about the 2001 Vista Theatre's NoDS 30th Anniversary celebration:

Unfortunately when it comes to the two links that I'm sharing in this post, I don't recall who posted on the VantageNet forum to alert us to their original site or, more importantly, who actually created the pages and shared the photos. Also unfortunately, the original site no longer exists, so I couldn't track down who it was. But the photos are much too good for them to have disappeared completely, so sharing them is a no-brainer.

NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS IS 30! - 1

NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS IS 30! - 2

There are several more pages from this to come, but coming up next in the flashback will be more from Midnite...

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And another post to revisit from the VantageNet day's posts about the 2001 Vista Theatre's NoDS 30th Anniversary celebration:

DARK SHADOWS: General Discussion Forum - 11/1/01 6:04:06 PM

As I was checking out the photos Midnite had shared in that post it struck me that three of the stars in them have sadly passed away since then. And then it struck me that there are actually four of the NoDS stars who attended the event who have passed away since then because John Karlen has also passed...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting two more of Midnite's VantageNet posts about the 2001 Vista Theatre's NoDS 30th Anniversary celebration:

DARK SHADOWS: General Discussion Forum - 11/1/01 6:17:10 PM

DARK SHADOWS: General Discussion Forum - 11/1/01 6:22:05 PM

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting the beginning of how Scene 83 is scripted:

Setting up the Gregory scene:

83     INT - BOUTIQUE - DAY                              83        A very New York shop, with the very mod GREGORY in        charge.

And that's where yesterday's quote -

Page 33/Scene 83 - Claire: (entering) 'Hi, Gregory, I'm back.'

- comes up, followed by today's quote -

Page 33/Scene 83 - Gregory: 'And I have a mattress ticking jumper you'll live in the rest of your life --'

- coming up.

And again there's absolutely nothing to get into when it comes to differences with the dialogue, the descriptions, or the directions because Scene 83 was never shot. Though I do have to say that it never struck me until today to wonder what the hell "mattress ticking" means?! And after googling it, I'm quite surprised that when it comes to shirts, it's something I've often worn throughout my life but I'm certain it was never described as such (not even by my mother who worked in the fashion industry). So once again DS proves how educational it is!! 

Also, revisiting a comment I made in the previous post, it's interesting how the boutique is described as "a very New York shop" and not "a very New York-like shop". Could it really be that the reason Scenes 81 & 82 are described as being set on a Tarrytown street is because in this film Collinwood is really located in Tarrytown, NY and not in Collinsport, ME?! I don't believe there are actually any references in the script to Collinsport or Maine. Or are the references to Tarrytown and New York simply oversights that crept into the script because they knew they would be shooting at Lyndhurst?

   And as far as "yesterday's quote" goes, it was on November 8th this time around, and "today's quote" is indeed today's, November 9th.

 

[Uncle Roger]

Given the description of the "very mod" Gregory and his somewhat pretentious attitude, perhaps he aspired to running a boutique in NYC but could only manage to open a place in Collinsport. Gregory seems like the type who would say that it's always NYC inside his shop, no matter what might it might be outside.
And wasn't the term "mod" passe by 1971?

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting two posts related to Gregory's "mattress ticking" line:

I remember thinking that it was supposed to a mattress tickling jumper, which sounded like a lot more fun to me.

Btw, the scene with "the very mod Gregory" was one of the missing scenes that the Collinsport Players staged in the 1989 skit entitled The Night Before.

I remember thinking that it was supposed to a mattress tickling jumper, which sounded like a lot more fun to me.

Decidedly more fun!!   

Btw, the scene with "the very mod Gregory" was one of the missing scenes that the Collinsport Players staged in the 1989 skit entitled The Night Before.

Yes, I remember that skit. 

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And revisiting a third page made by the sadly unidentified VantageNet poster about the 2001 Vista Theatre's NoDS 30th Anniversary celebration:

NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS IS 30! - 3

I didn't realize until today that I'd saved the background image that's intended for these pages so I've gone back and fixed the first two...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Backtracking a bit, I just realized that I forget to revisit this still for Scene 80:

Another post definitely worth revisiting (and for more than one reason)...

I want to share the following still because, like several others for NoDS, it depicts a moment that's not really associated with the actual scene in the film -

(Click here for a 700X476 version)

- because nowhere during Scene 80 is Carlotta seen lying across the bed and looking to be in anguish. In fact, Carlotta remains calm and cool throughout. But hey, perhaps Grayson wanted to do an alternative take on things just for a photograph. Or perhaps the photographer simply wanted to showcase one of Selby's assets from just the right angle and pretended Grayson was the desired subject. We'll probably never know...

(Plus this version shows slightly more than the version shared in the Fest's 1999 Movie Calendar. Very slightly more, but still more...)

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[Mysterious Benefactor]

Oops - I forgot to include revisiting this comment regarding Selby's "asset":

I was hoping that was Selby's asset.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Given the description of the "very mod" Gregory and his somewhat pretentious attitude, perhaps he aspired to running a boutique in NYC but could only manage to open a place in Collinsport. Gregory seems like the type who would say that it's always NYC inside his shop, no matter what might it might be outside.

A perfect explanation. 

And wasn't the term "mod" passe by 1971?

I honestly have no clue.    But if it was, apparently no one told Laugh-In because they were still doing their various Mod World skits.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

   I just did some research on Google (which I probably should have done before posting above) and apparently the Mod subculture lasted into the '90s in England, where it originated. Though of course, that doesn't mean that by 1971 it wasn't passe in the US...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And revisiting a fourth and fifth page made by the unidentified VantageNet poster about the 2001 Vista Theatre's NoDS 30th Anniversary celebration:

NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS IS 30! - 4

NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS IS 30! - 5

And there are still more pages from this to come, but coming up next in the flashback will once again be more from Midnite...

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