Damion was one of Angelique's lovers.  She says that fairly directly in a scene I won't otherwise go into because it's a major spoiler.  It's implied in a way that has to remain tactful due to the network standards and practices office that Angelique was sexually insatiable but perhaps emotionally frigid.

I think somebody concocted the whole Damion storyline in an attempt to come up with something for those who were not out on the movie shoot to do.  No doubt when DC returned from the shoot he informed whoever was writing this that Damion had to go.  DC could be quite dictatorial when it came to suddenly "revising" the existing storyline, regardless of how much prep and build-up there had been to certain developments.  The writers always got the blame for this, of course.

G.

Those are fab captures!  You're really making me want to see the movie again.

I was looking at the candles and reflecting that if this scene had been shot for the TV show, they would have come into a room like that, supposedly unused for many years, and found those candles lit and merrily burning.

It's implied of course that Gerard has been meeting Angelique's spirit and may have been doing so in the Tower room.  You have to pay really close attention to figure that out in the film as we have it now.

G.

Thanks, Mysterioso Darling!  It's a relief to know I'm not losing my mind.

... ... ... Am I???

cheers, G.

God, Grayson was fab.  And Carlotta was one of her best performances.  I'm sure anyone following along at home will be absolutely FLOORED to learn that for this viewer, Carlotta WAS the star of the picture.  Though Selby made for some delicious eye candy.

And what a hoot about Grayson's script showing up as a prop!  That happened on the series a few times.

G.

Bradley "Bradders" James plays the lead role in DAMIEN and attracted quite the cult following on the MERLIN series (which I think aired on the Sci Fi network in the US?). 

According to the NYT review, the first episode of DAMIEN makes heavy use of clips from the original movie.  Barbara Hershey plays a role that sounds as if it is based on the "Apostate of Satan" character so memorably played by the great Billie Whitelaw in the movie.

The NYT critic wasn't impressed but sounded as if this kind of thing just wasn't what they're used to watching.

G.

I think in KLS's very first PomPress book, MY SCRAPBOOK MEMORIES (the original edition, not the revision), she mentioned a kind of pamphlet that some church or religious (Christian) group circulated about how DS was teaching kids Satanism.  They were fighting to get it off the air.

I think that back in the 1960s, this kind of thing was never taken seriously by the mass media.  Times have certainly changed.

G.

Those memories of Humbert's performances are fascinating, Uncle Roger.  I'm one of those who never watched any other soap operas unless you count STRANGE PARADISE which wasn't really very soapy and I was only able to watch it for about four months.  Thankfully they did save that one so I have it all now.

I used to correspond with Ellen.  She changed her name legally to Julia Collins.  I read about the TV photos from ALL MY CHILDREN in a Grayson fan newsletter that came out at the time.  A fan was kind enough to give me photocopies of it years ago.  The photos weren't credited to Ellen, but to another fan, whose name escapes me.  You could order prints of the photos through the club. So maybe they're out there somewhere.  I imagine that nearly all this kind of thing was tossed in a garbage bag years ago.   But I guess some really diligent fan may have kept it.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that DS is now officially 50 years old, or at least, will be as of June.

Sometime today Lara Parker posted this lovely tribute to Mr. Astredo on FaceBeast:

It was with a heavy heart that I received the news yesterday of Humbert’s death. He was a fascinating man with a wicked gleam in his eye, vibrant panache, an infectious sense of humor, and his performances with his Errol Flynn good looks, so perfectly reflected and contributed to the mood and magnetism that was Dark Shadows. He was a dear friend and acting partner on the show, wonderful to work with, to joke with, to battle with, and so many people have told me that our scenes were the best ones I did. As the witch and the warlock, we had some mighty clashes. I have been in touch with him over the years, exchanging Christmas cards and emails, but I had no idea that he was in poor health. I still hoped that he would forgo his hermit ways and show up at our 50 year reunion this summer, or that I might talk him into making a Big Finish recording so that we could hear again his mellifluous voice. All of us in the cast mourn him, and will miss him terribly. (end of Lara's tribute)

G.