Lovely to see Humbert's handsome face today! Great shot of him in that role.

For those who haven't heard it, there's a pretty cool interview with Humbert you can listen to on the Collinsport Historical Society site. He only discusses DS at the very end of the interview. He explained there that Dan Curtis liked him so much when he read for some role or other that Dan had the character of Nicholas Blair created specifically for Humbert.

He was a fine actor and a wonderful presence.

G.

Hi Philippe!

Malcolm Marmorstein took credit for creating the character of Barnabas in a couple of interviews some years back. MM wrote a screenplay, Love Bites, produced in 1993 as a vehicle for Adam Ant who played vampire Zachary Simms. I have never seen the movie, but it sounds kind of like a precursor to the Burton-Depp film. The vampire "oversleeps for 100 years" and emerges from his coffin bewildered by changes in technology, society and culture. He falls in love with a mortal woman and tries to become human again so he can be with her in the mortal way. The film was done as a slapstick comedy and I have to wonder whether Tim Burton really likes the movie--sounds like there are some similar vampire pratfall moments in it.

I have read that Art Wallace claimed that he created a Barnabas-type character in his story plotting notes, but if he did write something, I have never seen it. Sam Hall wouldn't have ever claimed to have had anything to do with creating Barnabas, but he may well have come up with the Barnabas-Angelique-Josette triangle story set in 1795. I don't think many fans even today understand that that narrative was a complete reboot from what had been established in the 1967 storyline, in which Barnabas lived in the 1830s and Josette (originally surnamed La Freniere, if I recall aright) was the bride of his elderly uncle Jeremiah. I think I've read that they chose to set the origin story in the late 18th century because those were the costumes they were able to rent from a supplier.

I've read an interview with Bob Costello where he said he found the name Barnabas on an old tombstone. But he did not take credit for creating the character. And of course, Jonathan Frid's personal interpretation had a lot to do with how Barnabas actually manifested.

My conclusion is that the creation of Barnabas was a group effort. Interesting to see what impact this "vulnerable vampire" had in how media vampire culture evolved after the 1960s. Several Dracula films took on the Barnabas narrative of the vampire searching the world for the reincarnation of his lost love.

G.

Fabulous! You know I love our dear Count!

And maybe there will be a shot of Cassandra informing a terrified Liz: "But I MUST TOUCH you... I have puh-ROMISED YOU that..."

G.

Love today's photo! Great shot of Laura and Guthrie.

I'm really appreciating how you're highlighting characters and storylines which do not always get the attention they deserve in this series!

Thanks MB!

G.

Wonderful shot of 1995 Stokes today. Thank you! I always feel a pang when I watch these episodes (and it's been well over a decade since I watched the complete 1995 storyline), since of course neither Grayson nor Thayer lived into that time. And Clarice died in that year.

Thanks, MB. Wishing you and yours safety and health today.

G.

Fabulous! Great shots of Joel. Looks like that was shortly before he started on DS.

G.

Another fabulous photo and quote today! You really are on a roll with this series, MB!

All the best,

Gothick

Great scene in a great episode. Thanks, MB.

G.