Alexandra "Giggles" Moltke

[Dr. Eric Lang]

In the "Blooper" topic I described two scenes from the early, pre-Baranbas episodes where Alexandra Moltke can be seen to crack up.

I found another instance of this in episode 454 (aired on Sci Fi 4/23/02).

Victoria is the in secret mausoleum room w/Peter Bradford. After her prophetic dream that Daniel is in danger, she tells Peter about it. She refers to Daniel as "David" and warns Peter that if he dies, so too will the Collins family in the future where she comes from.

Vicki is in close-up as the scene dissolves away to the next one - but as the scene begins to fade, you can see Moltke starting to crack up. If you have this episode on tape, go back and look. It's hilarious.

Can anyone else think of an instance where an actor was obviously laughing?

[Philippe Cordier]

I noticed this too, and have noticed a handful of other similar occurences.  Funny thing is, I didn't notice these when I viewed the series for the first time (this is my second time through).  I'm pretty sure that Thayer David was trying not to crack up in a couple of scenes with Barnabas not too long ago.

The only scenes where I had noticed actors cracking up in my first viewing of the series were one of Mitch Ryan's last scenes before he was canned, and one with the actor who played Sky Rumson in the Leviathan episodes.

[ProfStokes]

At the last Festial, we saw a taped interview with Moltke in which she shared a memory of cracking up during a scene.  She described a time during 1795 when Peter Bradford was reading her a message.  She was to ask, "What does it say?" and he was to reply, "It doesn't say anything."  Since this was a prop, the 'message' consisted merely of scribbles, so Peter's line was very accurate.  Alexandra admitted that she thought this was hilarious and had to fight to keep from bursting out in laughter.
 
This happened just a few episodes ago, when Joshua wrote to Peter to tell him that Naomi wouldn't testify.  When Davis holds the paper out to Moltke, she quickly sits down on the bench, turns her face away, and covers her mouth, but you can still see her smiling.

ProfStokes

[tripwire]

i have another vicki giggle scene,,,,,ok  on tape, its tape 19, its where Barny is scaring david...david hauls butt down the steps, followed closely by liz...well, vicki and julia are in the drawing room, and here the commotion, and come out to the foyer,,,david remarks about the portrait of Barnabas...then he says to vicki "the eyes, the eyes, theyre blaring at me, glaring at me, staring right thru me". watch vicki turn her head, annd bust up, and even gets liz to laughing(well, smiling heavy) which for a dramatic scene wasnt called for..julia saves the day as she walks over to the portrait, getting the other 3 out of the scene.

[tripwire]

and another one, was just on i believe...its where vicki daniel and naomi are in the study...and a pounding comes on the door, its forbes.well, i dont know what naomi was doing, but she was going this way and that, all freaked out, or pretending to be....well, as moltke watched this, again, a turn of the head and a smile.

[Gothick]

Last night I was watching the episode where Garth Blackwood has escaped Charles Tate's botched attempt at knot-tying (obviously Tate was never a boy scout) and is railing at Petofi.  I swear Roger Davis was about to crack up in that scene.  You could see him biting his lip and looking away.  The camera was not on John Harkins (who played Blackwood) and I had the feeling that his hat was askew. Or one of those eyebrows they had pasted on him. Those eyebrows looked like painted dead caterpillars. They were the most horrifying thing about Garth Blackwood!

I also think that Jonathan Frid or Peter Turgeon was about to burst out laughing in the climactic scene where Dr. Woodard tells Barnabas, "Last night I saw your sister Sarah!"  I'm referring to the cliffhanger of that episode; the next day when they restaged the scene, it went smoothly and came out as intended.

Steve

[Nancy]

Last night I was watching the episode where Garth Blackwood has escaped Charles Tate's botched attempt at knot-tying (obviously Tate was never a boy scout) and is railing at Petofi.  I swear Roger Davis was about to crack up in that scene.  You could see him biting his lip and looking away.  The camera was not on John Harkins (who played Blackwood) and I had the feeling that his hat was askew. Or one of those eyebrows they had pasted on him. Those eyebrows looked like painted dead caterpillars. They were the most horrifying thing about Garth Blackwood!

I also think that Jonathan Frid or Peter Turgeon was about to burst out laughing in the climactic scene where Dr. Woodard tells Barnabas, "Last night I saw your sister Sarah!"  I'm referring to the cliffhanger of that episode; the next day when they restaged the scene, it went smoothly and came out as intended.

Steve

I dunno. I didn't see that, but who knows?  Frid was always so afraid of not remembering the lines I can't imagine him even finding anything amusing in the process of doing a scene.  I know the scene you are talking about: it's a badly directed scene.  Part of the awkwardness present in the scene was due to the fact that one actor was sitting down, the other standing up, and it was a tight shot.  When the other actor stood up, and not the same size as the standing actor (and back to the camera blocking that actor at first, IIRC) the camera had to pull back.  

Nancy :-/

[Ben]

but as the scene begins to fade, you can see Moltke starting to crack up. If you have this episode on tape, go back and look. It's hilarious.

Can anyone else think of an instance where an actor was obviously laughing?

Chris, I never realized that Alexandra was so giggle-prone until you pointed out these incidents.

To answer your question, I spent the last half-hour rummaging unsuccessfully through my tapes for an instance I have in mind.  Since I couldn't find the right episode, I will recount from my vague memory a scene during the Roger car accident storyline in which he, Burke, Liz, and Sheriff Patterson are standing in the doorway to the drawing room, engaged in a serious discussion.  Toward the end of the scene, Louis Edmonds inadvertently interchanges the syllables on two words (which I can't recall), making one of the words sound thisclose to sh**.  Louis deftly ignores his naughty mis-speech and sails smoothly to the end of his line.  

As the cue music comes on, however, everybody has to do the obligatory holding of their poses until the music fades and the tape goes black.  During these seemingly interminable seconds, it is obvious that Louis is trying to stifle a smirk.  Just before the tape fades to black, Dana Elcar loses it and cracks a toothy smile (and when was the last time Sheriff Patterson ever had reason to smile about anything?).

Ben
(recounting this scene purely from memory ... and if it comes nowhere close to what really happened, please post your correction, call Wyndcliffe immediately, and tell them I'm on my way there!)

[Cassandra]

I remember a scene with David & Amy, (or was it Nora & Jamison?) Anyway, they are both sneaking around in the drawing room at night and each is holding a candle. Liz is apparently talking to someone in the foyer regarding the children, and the two kids are eavesdropping by the door. Well, David blows out his candle first, then goes to blow Amy's out. Amy's candle however, was already out and once David realized this, he turns to Amy with a big smile on his face as if he's about to crack up.


There's another one with Quentin & Jamison in the West Wing at Collinwood. Quentin comes in the door and Jamison rushes over to greet him. For some strange reason, Jamison first runs over to Quentin, then stops, turns to look directly at the camera and has a wide tooth grin on his face (as if he suddenly realizes the camera is really on)  I could never figure that one out.

[Dr. Eric Lang]

I remember a scene with David & Amy, (or was it Nora & Jamison?) Anyway, they are both sneaking around in the drawing room at night and each is holding a candle. Liz is apparently talking to someone in the foyer regarding the children, and the two kids are eavesdropping by the door. Well, David blows out his candle first, then goes to blow Amy's out. Amy's candle however, was already out and once David realized this, he turns to Amy with a big smile on his face as if he's about to crack up.


There's another one with Quentin & Jamison in the West Wing at Collinwood. Quentin comes in the door and Jamison rushes over to greet him. For some strange reason, Jamison first runs over to Quentin, then stops, turns to look directly at the camera and has a wide tooth grin on his face (as if he suddenly realizes the camera is really on)  I could never figure that one out.

Both these scenes appear on the bloopers tape. Yes, it was David and Amy, dressed up as Jamison & Nora in present day.

The second scene you describe looks to be a case of forgotten lines. Jamison grabs Quentin by the lapels and YANKS on them in frustration, then seems to turn toward the camera because that's where the teleprompter is. :-/