I think the thread on violence against women on the show is highlighting just one of the *many* real life, nitty-gritty reasons for the gestation of the feminist movement in the US at that time (the 1960s).  The next time you hear somebody in the mass media bashing feminism (it seems to be quite the regular thing these days), you might stop and think about this.  And a lot of this sort of thing still goes on today.

Arashi, I thought that the episode you are thinking of wasn't the Dorcas Trilling killing, but that of Mr Wells, which featured one of DS' most Grand Guignol shots as the climax.  It is true that a lot of ABC affiliates began to drop the show from the fall of 1970 down to the end.  I remember during the very final weeks of the show, ch. 7 in Washington D. C. (I think) was airing it in the evenings.  I could pick up that broadcast and I was in heaven because I got to see some of the last episodes twice!

G.

Sarah in the diner is definitely up there with the moments that define why I keep coming back to Dark Shadows.  I agree with you regarding KLS--she is just so good here.  I think she was also excellent in the upcoming arc with Maggie and Joe's courtship.  My guess is that KLS felt more relaxed with Clarice, and I know Crothers was a friend in RL, and that helped her be ON in such an excellent way in these shows.

You're very perceptive about Sarah's hatred for Liz.  If only for that scene, I really want to see this show again now.  The thinly veiled subtext of course is that Bill cared for Liz in a way that he never did for Sarah.  A resentment I could see the latter carrying with her to the grave, but of course the character was severely watered down in the later years.

G.

Hey Satan, don't forget Julia.  Not only was she constantly getting strangled, grabbed and roughhoused by Barn in 1967 (hmmm she must have *liked* it rough), she got her own back in the 1968 storyline in which she slapped Mrs Johnson, Cassandra and Joe.  In 1970 she had to slap Sabrina out of a hysterical episode.

Welcome to our board, and hope you continue to enjoy watching Dark Shadows (assuming you do enjoy watching it).

Gothick

The colors are indeed gorgeous.  I won't get attached to them because inevitably you will be making a change, but I just have to say... BRAVO.

The check for new stuff feels counter-intuitive to me.  No doubt it's yet another way in which I'm "special" compared to others, but I generally check things off that have already been attended to.

It was moving very slowly when I was on earlier today, but I'm using IE (haha) so have only Bill Gates to blame for that.

G.

I thought Alexander was the worst brat of all time, on ANY show.  "MISSUS STAWDDAWD!" can still strike a chill in one's bones.

Even when David was at his more borderline, in the early weeks of the 1966 storyline, he did have motivations that were very human and plausible.  Alexander was an arctic wind whistling past a keen-edged scythe.  Completely inhuman.

G.

Midnite, you accomplished the impossible.

I actually looked at those last three smilies and... smiled!

It's the smilie version of the Trimurti (Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva) at Angkor Wat!  too cute!

G.

Believe it or not, Gerard, I've read that prototype VCR's did exist already by the mid Sixties.  I've read about very wealthy people having them in the UK at the time.  I do not know whether these were available in the US or not, nor do I know what kind of playback the recordings offered.

This was mentioned in a couple of discussions I read about missing episodes of Dr. Who back in the early 90s.  There were rumors--legends, really--that a wealthy collector had made these kinescope-like recordings of every episode.  From what was written, it appeared to be something different from a home movie camera pointed at the TV set (some people did attempt those, the pickup was usually lousy however).

I wish I had more info, but it doesn't change the fact that none of us back then had access to such technology, so if we missed the day's episode, we were screwed.  I used to dread it when the school bus took an alternate route to deliver us home as it usually meant that I would miss at least some of Dark Shadows...

G.

I think they look cheap, awkward, and ungainly... but then I'm not really into dolls (not *that* kind at any rate.. heh, heh).

G. *theme from Valley of the Dolls plays in the background*