I revisited as much of the 1991 series as I could stand last year (I think the only episodes I didn't rewatch were 3 and 4).  My roomie watched too and was laughing his ass off at the horrendous 1980s fashions, particularly Carolyn's clothes--he opined that her true profession would have been as an after ten p.m. girl out in a certain area of Hollywood...  As for mullets, I really had never noticed until this recent version just how horrifying Ben Cross's hair was.  I'm sure they felt obliged to come up with something to help us forget the original spiked bangs but honestly...

And if you think you're horrified now, wait till you see what they make poor Lysette Anthony do in her episodes as Angelique.  I wish I could forget, but it's scarred permanently into my cerebellum now.

I heard there were quite a few bloopers in this version as well, including the purported fact that you can spot somebody wearing a wristwatch in one of the 1790 courtroom scenes, but I failed to catch the latter in my last viewing.  I did enjoy Roy Thinnes stratospherically over-the-top scenery-chewing as Trask, and Julianna McCarthy's version of Abigail.  And, of course, I'll watch Barbara Steele read from the Manhattan phonebook--I very much enjoyed her work here.

Look at it this way--you only paid $14, and maybe you'll be able to trade it in for store credit once you're done.

cheers, Steve

Actually, Magnus, Diana's movements as Laura in that scene are really fascinating to watch.  She is very poised and elegant... yet quietly sinister.  Millay obviously had "turn on a dime" acting chops back in the day... she's really very compelling to watch, and her characterization in the original Laura storyline is much more layered and nuanced than in the 1897 version (of which I am still very fond, I hasten to add--since many say it is one of their least favorite parts of 1897).

G.

Oh, my darlingest Mysterioso ... you HAD to go there!!!

ROFLMAO!

G.

Interesting to learn that O'Loughlin is Strine.  And with Sophia Myles being English, Moonlight suddenly seems very cosmopolitan.

I keep thinking I'll try the show again, but then I expect to hear it's off the air permanently because they've run out of episodes.  There seems no end in sight to the writers strike (not that I've really been paying attention).

G.

In the recent Deep Discount sale, I bought set 17 and it finally arrived last night (I think they ran out because the DS sets are so popular there).  That set includes two of my all time favorite Grayson episodes.  The first one is her last day in 1897 and I was *stunned* by how beautifully her gorgeous greeny-grey mutton-chop sleeve dress "read" on the DVD.  and the lovely Arts and Crafts movement style drop earrings (looks like blue glass) with matching cameo brooch complements that gown so exquisitely.  Plus, her hair was beautifully styled that day, too.  I was in Heaven.

More to the point, I then switched to the last show on disc 3 of this set which is another fave rave (Grayson actually utters the expression "...diVINE...!" on camera!!), with its Grayson-in-stereo moment of Julia doing her silent screen vamp routine to the voices of Magda and Pansity tuning in from 1897.  AND Carolyn shows up wearing what seems to be a miniskirt version of Maggie's legendary patchwork quilt skirt.  In this case it's not quilted fabric but what seems to be a lightweight print (dacron, maybe???).  I love these scenes with Carolyn and Julia.  Julia is all angst and foreboding and Carolyn is larking about with "oh, that new antique shop downtown is just divine ... will you just CHILL, Julia honey?"  Great stuff.

There was a very odd thing on the beginning of the first episode of disc 1 in this set (can't recall the number, but among other things you see a CLASSIC shot of what's left of poor, misbegotten Miss Wanda Paisley).  On the shot of the Great House as Selby was reading the opening monologue, it looked as if there was a clear plastic sheet sitting over the recording camera with the words DARK SHADOWS scrawled on it.  I noticed this when the titles cut rolled, too--presumably the same cam.  Anyone else ever notice anything like this?

G.

Hey Fidel, I seem to remember you from a DS list that was run by somebody named Rex Goode (a screen name, I think?)  It turned into spam hell around '98 and I ditched it sometime around then.

I never really was into the Undernet although I did experiment with some of those channels briefly, if I recall correctly--it's been a long time.  in general, "chatting" and I do not seem to get along.

Welcome!

Steve

A whiff of the highbrow?  It was adapted from an old 1840s penny-dreadful serial and was a huge mass market hit for the bus and tunnel crowd on Broadway way back when.

On the other hand, some powers of ratiocination are required to follow the story so perhaps that does set it somewhat apart.  I wonder whether MacDonald's will run a "Happy Meal" marketing tie-in; something to do with meat pies?  *cackles*

G.