The latest update about Denise's amazing recovery, from Jasmine Nickerson:

Denise said some pretty amazing words tonight. Words like, "impression" and "embarrassed" and "break." Of course we don't know the full context but she has been working so hard. And she still gets so flustered and frustrated with the apraxia, but her speech is improving. It's still not there but the words are becoming words and thoughts and sentences. Josh and I just listened and held her hand and tried to understand what she's trying to convey.

By the end of the conversation she just wanted to change the TV channel to "Snapped" on Lifetime, and the volume and when she finally got it out and I did it she said, "Thank you, Jazz, very much." And I cried. I was so proud of her and overwhelmed and she laughed and told me not to cry. Then she asked me to turn off her light and have me a big hug and said "I love you, bye bye" when I said goodnight.

This has been such a long, emotional road and her progress has been unspeakable. I'm literally in awe everytime she does something new or says something new.

Sorry, I know it just seems like normal stuff but Denise was one of my best friends and we would talk and joke and bicker and prattle on about whatever. And it's been so hard. I didn't think she would survive what happened. I didn't think she would ever be herself again or understand us or know us. And she did. She fought like hell. She's still fighting like hell. But I'm so proud of her fight and her unwillingness to accept that she might not be who she once was. She is a stubborn as the day is long and she won't give up. (end quote)

According to the director (who is an online buddy of mine), this film which was completed 4 or 5 years ago is finally about to be released on DVD. He is a huge fan of NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS, and I think it shows in his work here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihovdBuP-tk

He always asks me how John Karlen is doing, whenever I hear from him.

G.

Kate is by far the best thing about this particular relic. The script has moments but is awkwardly paced and at times the writing is strictly paint by numbers, though the author strategically suggests towards the end that this is intentional.

Susan Brown is actually pretty good in a limited role. Pernell Roberts is reliable in work that doesn't require anything beyond the obvious. Whoever played Richard (the terminally annoying son's friend) seemed almost too attractive for such a minor role.

As I wrote to another friend, this episode of the strangely obscure Wide World of Mystery series illustrates the limitations of the material. But thanks to Mullgrew's performance and the oddity of it all, I watched it in one sitting which is somewhat rare for me these days.

Those of you who remember the Wide World of Mystery shows might find this project interesting:

https://letterboxd.com/campnightmare/list/abcs-wide-world-of-mystery-complete-episode/

G.

Interesting. But I would guess that despite what is said in the article, the song was written from seeing the movie HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS either in the theater or on television. Our show, as we all know, never ran in the UK until the 1990s, on a "satellite" version of Sci-Fi, if I recall correctly. (The article references the artist being taken to England as a five year old--his mother was a horror fan.)

I tried to listen to this song once years ago but was unable to get through it. I am obviously not the intended audience.

G.

A documentary about DC... because we ALL KNOW that DC was what made DS great. LOL

I keep thinking of how long Barnabas would have lasted if Bert Convy had been cast, as was DC's intention. I doubt the storyline would have run the full 13 weeks.

I thought that a "50th anniversary" documentary had been shot, or was going to be shot--presumably whatever I read about that was really in reference to the DC show. He was a significant force in the industry--Trilogy of Terror and Winds of War will no doubt be given lots of airtime, along of course with DS fan fave Night Stalker.

cheers, G.

Fans, I was playing this video of the credits for Horror of Dracula (1958), one of my favorite films, today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ0KW6IqjxI

I somehow never noticed that it looks as if the cellar door in the Old House, the door to the stairs that lead down to where Barnabas's coffin is kept, seems to have been copied from the crypt door seen towards the end of this little sequence. Plus, the music is AWESOME.

cheers, G.

The could have also been fans of the Omar Sharif/Julie Christie film, Dr Zhivago, from the Pasternak novel. Remember what a big top 40/junkbox hit "Lara's Theme" was?  The theme was introduced in that movie. That may have been where our Lara herself came up with the name.

G.

Gosh, they show new episodes of things during August now?

In the late Bronze Age, when I was a child, the only new material that was aired during the summer were variety specials and "summer replacement" shows--sometimes the latter were various pilots that hadn't gone to series, and they were often very interesting to see.

G.