There's a rather remote DS connection here in that at least two DS actors (Don Briscoe and Christopher Bernau) appeared in the Broadway production of Boys in the Band in 1969 (when the original cast were doing the film version). That play was written by Mart Crowley, who wrote this script for an unsold, unaired pilot starring Bette Davis and Mary Wickes. I think Mary Wickes would have been perfect on DS, perhaps as Mrs Johnson's cousin who comes to help out in the kitchen at Collinwood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad2UCnpakMc&t=8s

G.

Hi Philippe,

From what I have read, the DVD and the Blu Ray have identical content, EXCEPT for some extras. I thought the half hour version of "The House" from The Web was included in both formats, but I guess it is something to check. I have to wonder if Blu Rays can hold more content than DVDs which is why we've seen these "Blu Ray only" extra situations in some releases over recent years.

The half hour version of "The House" dates to around 1954. On websites, it's been specified that Art Wallace based his original treatment for the 1966 launch of DS on a 1957 re-write of the play, which expanded it to an hour running length:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0591214/

An incredible feature of this one is that it would appear that the offbeat character actress Hope Emerson (who I loved as "Mother" on the original PETER GUNN series of the late 1950s) starred in what was to become Joan Bennett's role--somewhat unexpectedly, in "The House" the mother was named Caroline, while the daughter was named Elizabeth (I hope I've got that right). I don't think anyone has found a copy of this 1957 show to date, and I suppose it might be lost. A lot of TV from the 1950s and 1960s is in various stages of missing in action. Some of it is supposed to be preserved in studio vaults but at this stage in the scheme of things, if a film conservator hasn't worked on the material, the condition might be dubious.

It was stated long ago that somebody did have a copy of the 1957 show "The House," and it was going to be screened at a Festival, but initially that did not happen. It may be that what had been found was the same as the one included on the new home video release.

As for Grayson's Playtex commercial, fans have recalled that it was shown as a DS commercial break a few times in 1970, and I think I did see it back then (though that's a vague memory and I question whether I might not be remembering something I never saw). If the original DS videos kept in storage do have all the original commercials, it's on those tapes. Of course somebody would have to go into a screening room and watch a bunch of them to find it.

I'd happily volunteer but of course nobody has asked me...

Best, Gothick

I think this interview with Joe Caldwell from 2013 was most likely posted before. Of course he claims to have created Barnabas. LOL

https://www.tor.com/2013/03/21/dark-shadows-writer-joseph-caldwell-interview/

G.

Just as a reminder, this show is based upon the life of John Whiteside ("Jack") Parsons, a real person who was a brilliant rocket engineer, a very thoughtful philosopher and metaphysician, and an inspired poet.

This is my favorite of the things he wrote.

http://web.archive.org/web/20060422141405/http://www.babalon.net/jwp/craft.html

I don't know how much on the show can be considered biographically accurate--if any of it. A friend of mine told me that you can sign up for "CBS All Access" (which, despite the name, requires a special subscription if you want to watch their content) for a month and then unsubscribe. Several people she knows have done it to watch specific programs.

G.

Either hilarious or potentially traumatizing... perhaps both.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWer4JeA4OQ&t=38s

G.

Fan review. I'm curious about the newsreel footage of Frid's appearance at the White House in 1969 but it isn't even mentioned here.

From a fan on social media:

I've now watched the new MASTER OF DARK SHADOWS documentary and all the Blu-ray bonus features, and I'm kind of.......underwhelmed. I hope you enjoy it, but frankly I was disappointed. I learned absolutely nothing new. The new interviews repeated stuff I heard before and the archival interviews and clips I had already seen. The documentary also uses that fashionable moving background behind a still photo technique over and over again until it becomes annoying and everybody's name appearing in puffs of smoke gets old pretty quickly. I did like seeing Dan's kids. Dan's other work besides DS and Winds of War/War and Remembrance is given little or no attention. Even the disk's bonus features are somewhat disappointing. With the exception of Kathryn's brief visit to the former DS studio and control room, The Web (which I had already seen at a Dark Shadows Festival), and the Frid Dick Cavett Show audio that's been floating around the internet, the other features are essentially trailers and commercials. Here's Lucy, My Favorite Martian, The Mothers in Law, The Doris Day Show, etc. The few new DS-related clips are there to sell Kathryn and David's books and the Big Finish audios. I would rather have seen bonus feature footage of the Fest panels through the years or lengthy new cast interviews. Features about Dan's other work would also have been welcome. Your mileage may vary, but this package leaves me kind of flat.

G.

In a film group I'm on, a member posted a short review of this 1964 TV film which was recently released to home video:

https://www.kinolorber.com/product/the-ghost-of-sierra-de-cobre-special-edition-dvd

It was a pilot for a series featuring Martin Landau as a psychic investigator, not picked up by the network. An expanded version was released as a feature film.

There's an unfortunately jittery blue-tinged version of the original pilot on view here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfwZmLOLeFw&list=WL&index=108&t=4s

I could only watch up to the introduction of Judith Anderson's housekeeper--she really seems very Carlotta-like, down to the weird eyeshadow.

Presumably her over-the-top entrance means she resembles somebody known to the other character and this is spelled out in the remainder of the story.

G.