I hate that whole "vampire patriarch" thing but it seems so very characteristic of meta-media in our times.  To quote the immortal Lucy van Pelt, BLEAH!

My greatest hope at the moment is that this will give a definitive green light for WB to produce a lavish, RESTORED edition of the two films--if it's not too late at this point.  I had the impression that a Hallowe'en release for the discs had been mooted but perhaps with the Depp film being given a go, they'll be more interested in marketing a higher-quality product to tie in with the ramp-up to what I'm sure they fondly hope will be the next "Pirates of the Caribbean."  Let the schlock roll on... (although, I will see that if they get Tim Burton on board, there's just a chance that the project could produce something worthy of the Shadows heritage--judging from Burton's work on Sleepy Hollow.)

G.

Greetings fans!

I was in a Joan Bennett mood just now and found this clip on YouTube--it was posted several months ago but seems not to have been noted here in this forum:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtUSW1Y2tTI

As I wrote in my comment, Joan exudes the kind of dignity and quiet sense of elegance that still make her one-of-a-kind.  It's almost painful to contrast Joan's sense of style and grace with the antics of today's "celebrities."

G.

My condolences to you and your family at this time of bereavement.  May your memories of her in happier times bring you comfort and consolation.

Best wishes

Steve

Hi Adamsgirl,

Spoiler:

I've been re-watching some of the 1840 shows where the writers sort of play with a Julia/Barnabas/Angelique triangle.  It's kind of too bad that they did this at a time when the plot was lurching literally from pillar to post, so the character moments are quick and sometimes sketchy, and I still can't take Angelique's "reform" very seriously.  But it's all we've got and it's a treat to revisit some of these scenes again.

G.

Unfortunately they never did a flashback showing us the circumstances of Barnabas' original liaison with Angelique.  (And it's a pity they didn't, because I'm sure Frid and Parker would have blown the roof off the studio in such a scene!)  So, it's up to the viewer to interpret the various things that Barnabas and Angelique say to one another--and to other characters--about their trysts in Martinique.

In evaluating those various scenes, I for one bear in mind that Barnabas showed himself to be a master in the fine art of rationalization when it came to his own needs, while Angelique already seemed old in the arts of cunning when we first see her as an apparently demure lady's maid in 1795.  So, I pretty much find it impossible to take ANYTHING that either of them says about the situation of their original affair at face value.

For what it's worth, my interpretation is that Barnabas used Angelique for physical gratification, as so many of his peers did with other servants in 18th century genteel society.  Judging from things she says to Ben fairly early on in 1795 about intending to get for herself EVERYTHING that Mam'selle Josette has, I view Angelique as having been amibitious from the start (I would hesitate to call her a gold-digger, though) and seeing a way into upward social mobility through matrimony with Barnabas.

One also needs to bear in mind that folk ethics around pre-marital sex were probably a LOT more fluid in tropical Martinique than was the case in Maine.

Again, just speaking for myself, I don't think Barnabas ever really "cared" for Angelique, although in that initial scene in 1795 you can see him trying to be somewhat gracious with her, initially.  He doesn't really get rude until it becomes clear that she is not taking "no" for an answer.  As for Angelique, I would describe her attachment to Barnabas as obsession--not love. I see a lot of it, particularly the original 1795 narrative, as being about her injured pride and her need for the validation of higher status in genteel society, than about the pure affections of her sweetly adoring heart.   I'll leave it at that because we've already gone over all of this a million times in the past.

G.

I've never seen anything like that hoDS poster either.  I wonder whether it was part of a standee that would have been a lobby display; the other part, which presumably he discarded, would have had the title, slogans, etc. on it.

The monochrome Barnabas poster looks like something that would have been produced by the Philly Gum co. (whatever their actual name was) that produced the gum cards.  That's the picture that you could make by piecing the cards together on your bedroom floor (I did that many a rainy afternoon...).  I think the same poster used to be sold in the back of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine.

cheers, G.

Thanks, Joe, that's very sweet.  I always dreamed of some day getting to take Lisa Richards out to dinner to hear her remembrances of Grayson.  Kathy Resch printed a short snippet in TWODS years ago from Lisa indicating that she not only admired Grayson greatly, but was very fond of her.  I don't know whether they had the chance to get together occasionally whenever Grayson would make her annual trips out to "the coast" to do this or that show.

Is Lynn Chris's current spouse?  (I guess we're not supposed to discuss the actors' private lives here, though.)

That story about the moon poppy is priceless!

Best, Steve

What fun!  Thanks for the alert, Penny!

I'm sure none of your fans would need to drink a love potion to feel Cupid's dart in contemplating your voluptuous form, my dear! given your extravagant Witchly charms...

A Fan 4ever,

Gothique