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*

Probably its biggest downfall was its own success.  That success led to the movies, which really over-taxed the resources of the cast and production team; the first movie, because it was so violent, led to a lot of Parents groups around the country to demand that local ABC affiliates drop the series because it was perceived as too violent for children's viewing; as more affiliates dropped the show, the ratings also fell; finally, the experience of working on the movies made Dan Curtis decide he wanted to do other things besides helm a soap opera, and (in my opinion) led to his pulling the plug on the show.

btw just so you know, there really aren't any missing or never aired episodes of DS, incredible though that seems.  There's one episode that exists as a montage of stills and an audio recording because the original tape disappeared (apparently back in 1971) and no back-up existed (I think they had stopped making the filmed kinescopes).  It's kind of amazing that that is actually from the very final weeks of the series.  Up until that point, every episode exists in some form or another.  Some episodes were skipped during the 1980s syndication of the series which may be where you got the impression that there were missing shows.

G.

Wow.  Finally somebody *gets* it:

Grayson Hall was the bridge between Hollywood and Broadway, where all the actors on the show came from. She was part of the allure of Dark Shadows, and it's her presence that really kicks up Dark Shadows: DVD Collection Three a couple of notches.

I hope Darren sees this part:

These are great sets that are important to collectors of the show. MPI is a hero in my book for keeping the Dark Shadows torch burning brightly when no networks seem to be airing reruns. I've heard rumblings that the first batch of non-vampire episodes are going to see a release once MPI completes this run of the show. Now if only the movie adaptations of House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows could find their way onto DVD (uncut and with special features, please). Or is that too much to hope for? But in a world where a vampire can become a romantic leading man on a daytime soap opera, anything's possible.

Thanks for posting the link, Luciaphil.

G.

Just a couple of historical comments on this thread...

I believe the decision not to SAY "vampire" on the air was a conscious strategy on the part of DC and the writers to try to make the first Barnabas storyline more realistic.  You'll also note that before 1795, they never confronted Barnabas with a cross.  I think that was deliberate--to try to create a new space for a new kind of Undead that would owe less to the existing portrayals and more to the imagination of the viewers.  Of course they did use quite a lot of traditional "Gothic" iconography in the physical portrayal of Barnabas... so there was a give and take between the traditions and something that was new.

ABC had an office called Standards and Practices that was internal to the network and I believe all the scripts had to be stamped by that office.  In a book that came out several years ago about the first Barnabas storyline, the editor reprinted a memo from the S & P office which was, I believe, addressed to the producers and directors and had to do with scenes involving Willie, Jason and Barnabas.  They were concerned that Jason not be insinuating that he thought Willie and Barn were a gay couple in a scene with Willie in which he had some smirking dialogue about his former playmate's "light housekeeping" duties in the Old House.

I think the business about a male vampire not biting another man in the throat, etc. also came from S & P or from a presumption about how they would react--so, if this was censorship, it was more or less self-censorship.

The Bible-thumping crowd did conduct campaigns against DS but I think it was all too small scale for the network to bother over.  I never heard about it at the time.  I have to say I get a giggle out of the idea of DS as "the devil's favorite TV show."

G.

Oh, I simply revel in my chosen role as a sick freak obsessed with the occult, the dark side, and Grayson Hall's culinary adventurousness.

If anybody tries to hassle me about it, I pull out this little wax doll I always carry and a black pin and say something like "You know what your problem is?  You have too much time on your hands.  Well, that can be remedied...  but perhaps not as you would have chosen."  By this time I'm cackling quietly with this really demented look in my eyes, and the poor imbecile is whimpering as he crawls towards the nearest exit.

I find that that stifles any adverse comment quite efficiently...

G.

I'm really enjoying what you're writing about Burke in this current series of shows.  I'm afraid Burke never really moved me one way or the other.  It's interesting to see that you, as a viewer who started out sympathetic to the character, now regard his actions as way beyond the pale.

I've been thinking about Sarah's wig and I've decided that (unlike Cassandra's) it was MEANT to be a wig.  Premature hair loss could have something to do with why a woman in her early 40s regards herself as an "old lady."  Only being able to afford a bottom-of-the-line hairpiece would certainly help fuel her resentment, particularly when she visits Collinwood for the first time and gets a gander at the range of wiglets Liz gets to sport.

"The Wig as an Object of Pity, Revulsion and Envy on Dark Shadows." I hear a dissertation calling...

G.

It was used to drive Jonathan Frid nuts, I'm sure, in taping many episodes of DS. "Here, Jon, don't forget the cane!"

There's a cute photo of Grayson (wearing one of her caftans) holding the cane on the Eagle Hill cemetery set.

G.