Joey, for what it's worth, I agree with many of your criticisms of the WB 2004 pilot.  My least favorite things were Vicki's arrival at Collinwood and welcome by Elizabeth--the tone was so extremely off I still have no idea what they were doing--and the finale which was just WAY over the top.

The stuff with a bloodcrazed Barnabas hovering in the trees was very creepy, although I think it was ripped off from an earlier film (maybe directed by Tarantino? or John Carpenter?  I never saw it--I generally avoid post 1970s horror films--but I saw stills).  I did think Alec Newman made a wonderful choice for Barnabas.  I will be very surprised if Depp hits the mark to the degree that Newman did, in fact.

G.

Interesting that one of the last reported tweets implies that Jerry Lacy was there.  I didn't realize that.  Now I'm really bummed I missed out!

G.

Many thanks MB for collecting all those tweets. and those are some great photos. 

That's too bad about Nancy not being able to appear.  I hope she is OK.

G.

I always thought her favorite character was Maggie.  Her best performances in the show, as far as I am concerned were Maggie in 1966, particularly when she was setting her cap for Joe, and a few of the Lady Kitty episodes when Kitty was intriguing to snare a rich hubby at Collinwood.  Of course, once Kitty fell under the spell of the dead Josette, it was back to yawnsville and the standard mouth-breathing "W-where am I?? W-what am I doing here?" crap they made her do over and over again...

But then, I'm not much of a KLS fan or a Josette fan...

The event sounds really nice.  Thanks for the report!  What a nice treat for the fans to have Marie there, too.

G.

At this time, Art Wallace was both plotting and writing every episode.  I think he wrote the first eight weeks or so solo.

Interestingly, I think at the end of the series it was almost exactly the same, with Violet Welles (uncredited; screen credit went to Gordon Russell) writing every show, or nearly every show, while Sam was busy scrambling to get the NoDS screenplay together.

G.

It was such a treat seeing the shots from the piano screen and reading the fruity, bitchy dialogue.  Thanks for choosing these!  I wonder whether by this time next year, we'll have the DVD with the restored scene available to enjoy whenever we wish to do so?

I also found myself wondering whether, in her own mind, Diana Millay was playing her Laura scenes in the movie with the subtext that this Laura, like the other two she had played, was destined to become a Phoenix?

Hoping Diana, Lara Parker and David Selby were all able to loop their original dialogue from this scene!  It seems destined to become a classic.  Thanks again to Darren for so heroically, indefatigably taking on the task of restoration!

G.

Happy Birthday Midnite!  Here's wishing you a truly fabulous time in honor of your special day!

xo G.

She's referring of course to Frid's blooper during 1897, when he accidentally walked across the set that was on cam for the closing credits carrying one of his costumes on a hanger.

It sounds as if she either didn't finish her thought about it, or the reporter garbled what she said.

That's amazing that the original series actors got three days work out of this.  I would love to know what the fees were.  It's good to hear that they were all treated so well.

G.