The Artistry of Clarice Blackburn

[Gothick]

Fans,

Last night I took a look at the old MPI tape 53 (which includes episodes from the 1968 storyline which have featured in recent montages on this site).  I remembered some good scenes between Grayson and Clarice as Julia tries to keep Mrs J from telling David the Dream.  I have to say I was REALLY impressed by how excellent Clarice was in these scenes.  I thought she underplayed superbly (for the most part--you could tell there were moments when Lela or Kaplan were pushing her to rev things up for "that DS effect") and she really made me believe in the terror of the Dream--not something I found very plausible by and large.  Her delivery of a line that ran something like: "What is it about that dream that makes us become other than who we are?" had a tragic beauty (that actually was way out of character for Mrs J, but it was a superb moment nevertheless).

Over the years, I've come to cherish Grayson's scenes with Clarice.  One of the old fan newsletters mentions that at one time, Clarice was the "honorary President" of Grayson's fan club, so the two ladies were obviously fond of one another.

Best, G.

[Willie]

I've always admired her excellent acting ability.  She was superb in just about every role she played, no matter if it was the poor unappreciated housekeeper or the detestable Abigail or even Minerva Trask.  She brought a real depth and believability to any character she portrayed.

[BuzzH]

I agree those were good scenes between them.  I have to say though, as much as I *adore" Julia, I wanted to bitch-slap her something fierce during this part of the plotline.  I realize the motivation for her actions was her undying love for her MAN, but she was rather selfish to say the least when she tells Mrs. J that she needs to leave town and NOT tell David the Dream, no matter how much it preys on her mind, because if the Dream continues it will eventually [spoiler]kill Barnabas, or rather, make him a vampire again[/spoiler]

She didn't seem to have a problem w/the Dream progressing when SHE had to unload it to the next person to keep HER sanity!

[Gothick]

I agree, but it seems to me that in the above mentioned scenes, the writers are exploring the notion (maybe a little too subtle for DS) that the Dream is not just terrifying, it also corrupts everyone touched by it, and makes them behave in dishonorable, deplorable ways to one another.

Can anyone tell me whether we ever see David have his dream?  I may be missing an episode...

G.

[Barnabas'sBride]

We see David have the dream at the very end of the episode where Mrs. Johnson tells him (I think). We don't see him tell the dream to the next person though.

[arashi]

I agree with you about Clarice, she was a fine actress and played both the villan and the victim well.

[Philippe Cordier]

I remember that scene; she made Mrs. Johnson's struggle not to tell the dream very real.  Clarice Blackburn showed an impressive range in the depictions of the characters she played.  Remember how unlikeable Mrs. Johnson was at first?  Her performance as Abigail Collins was first rate - she was so unlikeable that one felt she deserved what she got when she went into the basement - yet in that final moment you could finally sense her humanity.

She was also superb as Mrs. Johnson in the 1995 sequence ...

Perhaps her most nuanced performance was as Mrs. Trask.  Not especially likeable, but still you didn't feel she deserved her fate - there was a glimmer of humanity in Mrs. Trask that was utterly lacking in the "Rev." Trask.

[Gothick]

Hi Vlad,

I really love Clarice's work as Minerva Trask, too!  It's quite subtle but she really made her a very different characterization than Abigail... the first time I watched the shows, I remember thinking, "Oh, she's doing the Abigail shtick again," but the character of Minerva is really very different.

There's this wonderful scene where Minerva and Laura bond around their views on child-rearing. That scene always has me in stitches.  Both ladies are clearly very complacent in their views... a wonderful example of bizarre, understated, classic DS humor!

Best, Steve