I've always wanted to see again one of the few episodes of LAND OF THE GIANTS I watched back in the day.  It featured Jonathan Harris as the Pied Piper of Hamelin.  It was really quite trippy.

I always thought it was funny that the two time travelers somehow managed to get back into that ratty 1960s off-the-rack crap they had been wearing when they were catapulted into the time tunnel at the start of the series.

G.

I'm pretty sure one of Jonathan Frid's favorite scenes was the one in the Blue Whale where Barnabas and Burke are crossing swords and Barnabas has his speech where he says, "I thrust, you parry."  I remember hearing that that was included in the BEST OF BARNABAS compilation (when the VHS tapes began coming out) because Frid like it so much.  Of course, my memory could be playing tricks on me again.

I know Sam and Grayson were very friendly with Anthony George and I think Frid found him much easier to act with than had been the case with Mitchell Ryan. 

All of this is to say that although Ryan was undoubtedly the stronger screen presence, Tony George may have been an improvement in the eyes of at least some of the cast members.  Don't know what Mrs. Isles thought of him.

Best, G.

Interesting if true that James Hall was kept on for a few days after his re-cast had been planned.  On DS, re-casts normally happened over at most a 24 hour period--sometimes more like 12 hours, or less.  I think that was the case when Craig Slocum left (or simply failed to show up for work).

I wish I trusted KLS's memories more, but she's told us so many things over the years that are documented to have been not at all the case.

G.

THE PEN edged out Bleedervalvulus Collins for ultimate Dark Shadows Superstar. 

G.

Looking at today's Burton/Depp image, I was reflecting that Depp Shadows was the only version of the story where Barnabas didn't prey on Carolyn.  But then, I don't think he went after her in the WB pilot.  It would be interesting to know if they were planning to do that storyline.

In the Burton/Depp project, it would have been so very icky if he had attacked Carolyn since to all intents and purposes, she was still a child--albeit, a very precocious one.

G.

Jessica Chastain was almost shockingly brilliant in CRIMSON PEAK.  Hiddleston and Mia (I have given up trying to remember how to spell Mia's last name) are both very good, but Jessica steals every scene she's in.

My criticism of the movie, for what it is worth, is that it was overproduced to an absurd degree.  I told a friend after I saw it last November that it would have been much better if del Toro had spent 30 million less on it.  I could make the same comment about the Burton Depp Shadows disaster except there wasn't all that much to salvage from the latter.  A vast improvement would have been made if Depp had never appeared onscreen.

And that's all she wrote.

G.

That's such a fab shot of Grayson delivering what may be my favorite line in the entire film.  (Too bad Lara's "Laura my darling" got cut--it was such a bitchy line.)

I don't remember ever seeing the shot featured today of David and Kate. 

I am struggling to make myself order the two film DVDs in time for Horrorween.

G.