Dan Curtis Has Died

My mother recently gave me some sympathy cards to go thru that she was sent after my father's death.  It made me realize how much has happened in the "DS world" since then(2001)  that would have bothered him.  I wonder how much the "world of DS" will change now that Mr Curtis is gone.  I can't help but wonder how my dad would have felt about everything that has happened.  All the actors who have passed, the WTC being attacked, Mr Curtis passing.... I really feel for his daughters and the rest of his family and my thoughts are with them.

While I was very sad to hear of the death of Dan Curtis, I was moved by the fact that he and his wife had had such a long marriage and that they passed away so close together.  It was almost like an aunt and uncle of mine who died a few years ago.  She was suffering from something similar to Alzheimer's and when she finally passed away my uncle (her husband of 50+ years) followed her a few weeks later.  It was like he was willing himself to stay just long enough to make sure she was no longer in need of his help. 

So, here's to Dan Curtis - God bless him for having whatever combination of creativity, imagination and intestinal fortitude it took back in 1966 to present us with that wonderful collection of gothic tales.  I hope he realized how much we all appreciated it then and now! 

May he and his wife rest together in peace.

I do hope he is given mention at the Emmeys and the TVLAnd awards

I'm sure he will, on the Daytime Emmy's too.

Question--has anyone informed Jonathan?  You'd think he'd mention it on his website the same way KLS did on hers.  I mean, DC *did* change the course of his career and everything.  

I do hope he is given mention at the Emmeys and the TVLAnd awards

Unfortunately, last week I was speaking to another cousin from this board who attended the TV Land Awards, and he said Dan Curtis was not mentioned.  Neither were Dennis Weaver, Darren McGavin, or Don Knotts!  I certainly hope that the Emmys present a better tribute to these TV greats.

ProfStokes

Question--has anyone informed Jonathan? 

Yep, the very day in fact.

You'd think he'd mention it on his website the same way KLS did on hers.  I mean, DC *did* change the course of his career and everything. 

You are assuming that nothing was said or done privately.  I don't think the lack of acknowledgment of an event on a website indicates anything.  Afterall, David Selby attended the Curtis funeral but makes no mention of the passing on his website.  I don't think other actors have made any mention of it on their sites.

Also, Curtis didn't cast Frid as Barnabas.  It was Sproat and Costello who put Frid in the role and wrote Barnabas as a totally different character than what Curtis had in mind.  Curtis was in Europe at the time and had little to do with all that. 

At any rate, Frid's goal - as he stated in a 1961 interview while in summerstock in New York - was to get all the acting experience he could in order to teach acting at a college.  He also said in that same interview he had no interest in being a "star" or a celebrity of any kind.  This explains why he basically left the business soon after DS was cancelled.   It also explains why he didn't want to be in succeeding DS movies or take over the title of a horror star in the movies which he could have easily done.  He didn't want to. 

Curtis was an ambitious and imaginative producer and director, no question, but Barnabas was cast and created by those left in charge during Curtis' long absence in Europe. The Barnabas Curtis wanted was the one you saw in HODS.

Nancy

I knew I forgot to add something to the previous post - 

JF had added a very funny sketch to his homepage but when he heard about DC passing away, he took it down so as to not distract from the mourning fans would be undergoing.

nancy

I don't think other actors have made any mention of it on their sites.

KLS did.  Can't speak for any of the other actors sites though as I didn't look at their sites.  But I happened to be on the Pomegranite site looking for a specific book to purchase and there it was on the home page, which made me wonder about and go to Jonathan's page.

Also, Curtis didn't cast Frid as Barnabas.  It was Sproat and Costello who put Frid in the role and wrote Barnabas as a totally different character than what Curtis had in mind.  Curtis was in Europe at the time and had little to do with all that.

Yes, I know all this, we all do.  Nevertheless, he was his boss regardless of how he got hired or who hired him.  I think it would have been a nice gesture for *all* the stars w/sites to offer their condolances, knowing that the fans are looking at their sites, IMHO. 

At any rate, Frid's goal - as he stated in a 1961 interview while in summerstock in New York - was to get all the acting experience he could in order to teach acting at a college.

Hmm, curious he didn't do just that after DS ended.  Wonder why?

KLS did.  Can't speak for any of the other actors sites though as I didn't look at their sites.  But I happened to be on the Pomegranite site looking for a specific book to purchase and there it was on the home page, which made me wonder about and go to Jonathan's page.

Yes, I know she did - didn't address that as you had already mentioned it.

Yes, I know all this, we all do.  Nevertheless, he was his boss regardless of how he got hired or who hired him.  I think it would have been a nice gesture for *all* the stars w/sites to offer their condolances, knowing that the fans are looking at their sites, IMHO. 

My own feeling about such things is that you offer sympathy to the people directly if you are going to do it at all.  You don't do it to impress other people.  I happen to know sympathy was offered directly to the family.

Another point is that the success of Dark Shadows is what made Dan Curtis the force he became as a producer and director. He wasn't any big deal prior to that.   Curtis continued to make money off DS merchandise and those whose likeness was used didn't earn any extra income from it.  I think everyone involved in Dark Shadows - creator and the actors - benefited equally though some benefited more than others.  If Curtis' original vision of the hateful, straightforward vampire villain had indeed been played out, would DS have been what we know it to have been? We'll never know.

At any rate, Frid's goal - as he stated in a 1961 interview while in summerstock in New York - was to get all the acting experience he could in order to teach acting at a college.

Hmm, curious he didn't do just that after DS ended.  Wonder why?

Actually he did - in Mexico where he lived for a time and after that he did teach privately and then in acting workshops while touring with the one man shows for eight years.  I know because I assisted in many of those workshops and sat in on some of the ongoing classes.  That's when JF told me of other times he had given lectures in schools and worked with students but didn't have it publicized all over the place beforehand.  He attempted to teach acting and voice in New York during the late 1980s at the theater I was working at as a teacher but too many potential students were more interested in being with Barnabas than learning the craft.   It seemed that every screwball came out to sign up for the classes.   So all that was abandoned.  JF settled for teaching primarily voice privately.  He continued to teach voice in Canada and work in schools conducting Shakespeare classes and seminars.  He got the best of both worlds in the end.

Nancy

I think it would have been a nice gesture for *all* the stars w/sites to offer their condolances, knowing that the fans are looking at their sites, IMHO.

I feel the same as Nancy.  Sadness for another person's grief that's expressed publicly for the purpose of impressing whomever might read it has the opposite effect on me-- I think it smacks of insincerity.

I feel the same as Nancy.  Sadness for another person's grief that's expressed publicly for the purpose of impressing whomever might read it has the opposite effect on me-- I think it smacks of insincerity.

I also believe that sometimes we tend to forget that we didn't know Dan Curtis personally and few of us ever had any contact with him.  He never attended a festival.  He created some great shows and he was loved for that.  The loss and grief is felt by his daughters and other family members in a real, direct way.  They are the ones who need comforting, especially in light of the fact both Mr. and Mrs. Curtis suffered protracted illness - Mrs. Curtis especially.  That's hard on the people around them.

I wonder if how many people even though to express sympathy to Jim Pierson who worked side by side with Dan Curtis and knew Mrs. Curtis very well for about twenty years?   The personal, direct sentiment what matters most to those who are grieving for the loss of a loved one.  Public tributes are certainly lovely but I withhold judgment from anyone who doesn't choose to go that route.

Nancy

I do hope he is given mention at the Emmeys and the TVLAnd awards

Unfortunately, last week I was speaking to another cousin from this board who attended the TV Land Awards, and he said Dan Curtis was not mentioned.  Neither were Dennis Weaver, Darren McGavin, or Don Knotts!  I certainly hope that the Emmys present a better tribute to these TV greats.

The TV Land awards were a few days before he died.

He attempted to teach acting and voice in New York during the late 1980s at the theater I was working at as a teacher but too many potential students were more interested in being with Barnabas than learning the craft.   It seemed that every screwball came out to sign up for the classes.   So all that was abandoned.

I did not know this, thanks for sharing that.  I never even thought about the possibility that nutjobs would only sign up for his class because of who he played, but that makes total sense.  It's unfortunate that some fans can't separate the man from the role isn't it?  Oh well, what are you going to do?   :-

Buzz, most people wouldn't think about that happening (the teaching thng) but it does.  Many famous actors (far more famous and accomplished than JF) want to teach and can usually only do so by having private classes and accepting references from other professionals who know an aspiring actor or an actor who wants to study the craft more.   If a well known actor puts an ad in a trade paper advertising acting classes fans of that actor will sign up in order to be near that actor, not study.  So it's a definite hindrance once you are famous and then want to teach.  It was all too much hassle for JF to pursue after DS - being a drama professor at a college or university.

I'll tell you a sorta funny story (though off topic and it was humiliating at the time) - I was working through the Creative Place Theater and the Writer's Theater in New York City years ago as a teacher and one of the program leaders wanted Jonathan to come in an talk about teaching there.  I arranged it and told her I thought he would be good and the students would like him.   He did and was pretty excited about it but even the program leader turned into a lunatic and yakked all about the days of watching DS.  That was fine for about ten minutes but a half hour of that and never asking JF anything about his thoughts on teaching students pretty much turned him off that attempt and he taught a few people privately thereafter.

Nancy

[I did not know this, thanks for sharing that.  I never even thought about the possibility that nutjobs would only sign up for his class because of who he played, but that makes total sense.  It's unfortunate that some fans can't separate the man from the role isn't it?  Oh well, what are you going to do?   :-

I spoke with John Karlen recently. He was a paul bearer. He was saddened by the loss, particularly for Dan's daughters.

A movie magazine that I subscribe to: "Classic Images" will have a big nice obit for Dan and I will scan it and share it with ya'll.

Janet