Holy Hekate!  How on Earth did I miss saluting my beloved, entrancing Divine One's first day on the series?  I'm gonna PAY bigtime for such an oversight!

I first saw this show during the 1976 syndication (on Phila's Channel 48) and it was like SEEING GOD.  I was fascinating by Julia's fishtank.  I think I wondered whether she was keeping her very own pet piranha pool in there.  There seemed something vaguely lethal about how she was playing with that little thingamujig (now, I KNOW it's not called a fishnet...).

I was very surprised at how different Jules was when she was introduced, from how she was when I first "met" her in June of '68.  I do think that some of Julia's harder edges come out occasionally in later storylines (thinking of some scenes in the original Chris and Sabrina story here, for example).

The other story I always remember about this episode is from an article in TWODS.  It was by a fan who had become enamoured of Grayson through Night of the Iguana.  One afternoon while she was sitting at home after school filing her nails, a dear friend rang her up and said "Hurry and turn on the TV, it's Grayson Hall running around in a lab coat!  You won't believe it!" Her initial reaction was to blandly inform her friend, "Darling, put down whatever it is you're smoking and take a deep breath and snap out of that trip!" Her friend finally convinced her to put the show on and her jaw dropped... and thereby, hangs a tail!

G.

Thanks for letting us know, Brian.  I did love Camilla's appearances on DS; very memorable.  Oddly enough, her one line of dialogue is one of the few that stands out for me from my viewings of hoDS (apart from anything in the trailer, of course " Vampirism is NOT a disease, Julia!").

Funny, too, that you should mention "The Mothers-in-law."  A week or two ago I watched a very grainy clip (from an episode guest starring Desi Arnaz Sr.) on YouTube.  What a hoot!

Best, Steve

Greetings Cousins,

Last weekend I checked out from the Library the new (released August of '06) two-disc release of the 1944 classic Double Indemnity.  I was quite surprised to learn that the set included a 1973 TV-movie remake (of whose existence I had previously been unaware), and even more surprised to find "Kathleen Cody" in the role of Samantha Eggar's stepdaughter, Lola.

Cody has, I think, three scenes in the movie.  The final one makes the biggest splash.  I still find her an irritatingly one-note performer, but for those who admire her work, they'll want to check this out.

G.

Happy Birthday to the master of suave, debonair villainy at its finest!

G.

Maggie's qualifications:  good healthy screams; looks groovy in the latest Governess Chic fashions, vintage '69.

It would have made some sense if Liz had hired Maggie to do DAYCARE for the children, on the presumption that since Maggie had been close to Vicki, Maggie's presence in the house would help ease the trauma of Vicki's disappearance for the kids.  There could have been dialogue along the lines of "I'll ask Maggie if she'd like to come live at Collinwood to help watch the children while I look for a teacher to provide their lessons."  Of course, this would have required hiring another actress to play the teacher, but she could have appeared even more infrequently than Mrs Johnson did...

I quite like the notion of Julia as the Governess.  (*starts pondering scenarios*)

G.

Last night I watched two of Jane Draper's episodes of DS.  She played Suki Forbes in 1795.

It's a testament to Draper's skill that I was actually cruising for Natalie episodes (and yes, fast forwarding through my tape, a practice that I do realize some deplore but I'm just a shameless hussy when it comes to my practice of the Cult of Grayson Hall).  When Suki walked into the Eagle, I hit the play button and commented to my roomie, whose jaw had dropped:  "I just gotta watch Suki do her thing!"

I just love it, too, that Suki had a brand new wardrobe for Day 2 and her arrival at "the Great House."  She was clearly a lady who did things with style (and who knew how to SHOP, even in a dump like 18th century Collinsport!).

I'm really really sorry that Draper did not return in a recurring role.  She's up there with Cavada Humphrey, Elizabeth Eis, Abe Vigoda, Anita Bolster and other Special Guest Players on DS, in my book.

G.

This is what I remember:

a fan has a videotape of it in her/his collection and was going to bring it to a Festival so it could be screened.  But then the fan failed to show up.  Nobody else has ever been able to track down a copy of it.  It may be one of the things that no longer exists in the studio vaults.

I remember reading a detailed description, I would guess by Amanda as Vlad mentioned.  What I recall from that is that the names were switched so that Carolyn was the Mom (who made her living offering piano lessons--perhaps this is why we see Liz playing the piano a couple of times in the very first week or two of shows), and Elizabeth was the daughter.  I think they had the theme of the mother being a recluse and not having left the house in many years.

Did you try searching Art Wallace on the Forum?  That might lead you to it.  The House would probably turn up too many hits to be of use.

G.