I personally find the final months of 1795 (1796??) a trial to sit through, with a few glowing exceptions such as the Bathia Mapes sequence, or [spoiler]the comeuppances of Aunt Abigail and Reverend Trask--I really need to run Abby's scene again just for Barn's immortal line, "FEEL THE FLESSSSHHHH!"[/spoiler]  The whole thing with Vicki's trial, her romance with Peter, the involvement of Noah, etc. seemed a considerable lowering of the dramatic pressure.  I do consider 1795 to have some moments that are up there with the finest of DS, and I understand that for MANY fans the storyline is their top favorite (I'm sure in particular for Barnabas/Josette 'shippers, of which I will freely admit I am not one) but for me it will never be among my favorites because of how badly the final two to three months of it drags for me.

Leviathan started out dark, grim and understated, with moments of odd lyricism (the Rime of the Leviathan, those weird dream sequences--I'm not counting Liz's here).  As we all know, the production office was avalanched with mail from fans protesting their hatred for the storyline in the most vitriolic language imaginable.  I think the fate of the antique shop was a direct response to fan complaints about the set which was widely despised, although I personally agree that it's very cool.

There is an abrupt shift in tone and the whole thing becomes wild and woolly until it reaches the "everything including the kitchen sink" phase, and then D. C. abruptly ordered the story wrapped up so that the movie shoot could begin.

One of the things I've thought about Leviathan for years is that it was an attempt to do something genuinely new with the characters and the show--and, to some extent, something never really done on television before.  DS had innovated previously with great success--the Phoenix storyline, the introduction of Barnabas, the time travel to 1795 were all brand new territory in television, particularly daytime television, at that point,  I think with Leviathan D. C. just tried something that his fan base was not prepared for.  The storyline went forward over and against the protests of his staff writers.  I do think there are some incredible moments, particularly in the first two months of the story.  After that, I think it's just fun to watch the fur fly, but I have very odd tastes (as if you all didn't notice!).

As for Jeb, cheap insufferable pig he may have been, but I think Pennock is compulsively watchable in the role.  I'm sure part of it is the clothes and the hair, which are just so groovy, y'know?

cheers, G.

Wondeful images from what looks to have been a powerfully played scene.

I am in awe of Virginia Vestoff's talent. DS was extremely fortunate to have her--she brought such depth to Samantha.  Thanks to her, I actually believed what the scripts had Samantha saying and feeling.

G.

No, I didn't!  I thought there was just the one pages.

Sometimes (sometimes??) I'm such a Luddite.

Thanks, Buzz!

G.

Wow, I'd never seen either "Hallelujah" or "Fields of Barley" before.  Fantastic work!

He did some promo videos that he appears to have taken down, and it's a pity, because they really rocked the house!  One of the PT 1970 videos was among them.  I also really liked the one he did around the Liz/Jason storyline.

G.

Interesting.  I thought both Night Strangler (which I personally prefer to the first movie) and Burnt Offerings were well crafted, fine films, though of course each is very different from the other.  The evil chauffeur in Offerings gave me genuine creeps, and I'm a hard sell when it comes to that sort of thing.

I tried watching a bit of Supernatural--didn't work for me.  I think I am the wrong age and cultural background for the series.

G.

Luciaphil darlin', thanks for that correction!  I got fuddled but I guess the show was adding in an element of Laura there in the midst of the Rebecca redaction.

It's been such a treat to see your revival of your notes on Dark Shadows!  Keep up the fabulous work!

Best,

Steve

I've also posted several times over the years about how fond I am of PT 1970.  I thought this story worked much better than the attempt to do a PT 1841 story, presumably because the writers had a bit more time to set things up (despite how frantic things were preparing for the filmshoot).

I love so many things about PT 1970: what Sy did with the sets; a few new music cues to suggest a different universe; Hoffman, Hoffman, Hoffman!; Louis' superbly arch and bitchy twist to the new Roger (obviously meant to suggest Clifton Webb in Rebecca, but I really do think Edmonds made this character fully his own); the fabulous Angelique/Alexis dual role for Parker; Thayer's wonderful work late in the game as alcoholic, delightfully seedy mad scientist Tim Stokes; the fabulous (and much mourned) Paula Laurence as Aunt Hannah; Lacy's gig as a butler; great roles for Elizabeth Eis and John Harker; Bennett's initial characterization of PT Liz as a dowdy mouse; and who can forget Claude North, Chris Collins' secret gay lover?  (OK, so I made that last bit up, but I can't think of anyone more deserving of Chris than our own Claude!--OK, Sandor, so you guys can work out a time share!!).

Deserving of her own paragraph is Barrett's work as Carolyn Stoddard Loomis.  I happen to think that Barrett did some of her very finest, most nuanced work onscreen in this part.  If daytime Emmies meant anything, she should have been nominated for this.  Equally fine, of course, is Karlen as alcoholic, washed up hasbeen writer Will Loomis.

I could still mention things I love about the storyline, such as the seance sequence and the haunting of Damion Edwards story, and the fact that Collinsport finally gets an English Inspector (just off the boat from Scotland Yard??) to investigate the murder mystery.  Just great stuff.

G.   

Well, I personally am a huge fan of the movie The Devil's Daughter.  I'd seen it back in the day and didn't remember much about it, apart from Winters' over the top performance.  About 12 years ago I was able to tape it when it was on around 2 a.m. on a local station and a friend recently made a DVD-R for me from my old tape, which looks pretty darn good!

The movie is well worth seeing, I'd say.  Frid's role is more than a walk-on; he plays an important part in the Belinda Montgomery character's gradual understanding of what's happening to her.    As another fan commented, his final scene in the movie packs a poignant punch.

Winters is a hoot, and if memory serves, Abe Vigoda plays one of the cultists.  I think the movie was directed by Jeannot Szwarc who worked a great deal on Rod Serling's Night Gallery series, and Joseph Cotten has a nifty little role in it.  The Belinda Montgomery character is somewhat reminiscent of Vickie Winters in her "I don't understand" mode--I mean, if you walked into somebody's living room and there was a giant picture of Satan over their fireplace, wouldn't you think they were more than just "eccentric"?  There are also these priceless two white-gloved garden-hat-wearing ladies who live next door, played by two character actresses whose names escape me.  Their scenes add a disturbing note (because of how they're played) to the otherwise rather campy goings-on.

Some of those Seventies TV movies are surprisingly well done.  Anybody remember Crowhaven Farm, with Hope Lange battling seventeenth century Witches in New England?  Or Soimething Evil, with Patty Duke, where she has to paint a fullblown 9 foot magic circle on her floor to protect her family?

G.