Forgot to mention that Irene Hamalain did the hair on DS until sometime in 1970, and she did sometimes get a mention in the credits.  There are some funny pictures of her in the various PomPress books.  Darling Marie Wallace charitably described Irene as a rather "fussy" woman.

I'm blocking on the name of the gracious lady who took over after Irene left, but she came to one of Jonathan's readings in Long Island, and reminded him of that "Madison Avenue haircut" she used to give him, netting a big smile from him in response.  I think there is a photo of her on the Dee Kearney's pages in Mr. Juggins' DS FAQ site.

Gothick

Hi Julia, she may have gotten caught up in the planning frenzy around the movie, which was about to go into production at this time.  Sam and Gordon wrote it and councils-of-war tended to happen at the Halls apt because it was convenient and, of course, huge.

I think she grew her hair out longer to accommodate the layered-hairpiece look they gave her for the movie, which then continued on for the show.

Steve

I'm dying here... THANK YOU MB for adding the perfect dollop of sardonic humor to an otherwise wretched Friday!

I did have the show on for a bit this a.m. and got to hear Roger's tirade on the phone.  TOO delicious!

G.

It'll take more than Bobble-heads to get this curmudgeonly Yankee to sign up for the DVD club.  I'd hoped for at least a 15 percent discount.  Instead all we are being offered is more schlock to clutter up our shelves.  Bleah.

As for the Barnabas Bobble-head, I shrieked as I was convinced I had just seen Sky Rumson as a vampire!

Or maybe it was Captain Scarlet with fangs???

I hope there are no plans for a Julia Bobble-head.  I may have to summon Hoffman to bring me the black pins!

Gothick

1970 PT wins my nomination for the most uneven of all the storylines.  I thought it coupled some of the series' best moments with some real duds.  I absolutely loved what they gave Thayer, Grayson, and Louis to do.  I had mixed feelings about Lara's work on the storyline but some of it was really excellent, and darling Hannah Stokes was a hoot to watch (Paula Laurence--is that the name of the actress?).  Nancy and Johnny made a great pair, too, though their screen time was greatly diminished due to various film involvements.

[spoiler]For me the biggest stumbling block was Quentin and Maggie.  They were both such dreadful people, Quentin especially, but Maggie wasn't much better.  And this made Barnabas' obsession with helping them very problematic for the viewer.  There is even a scene where Julia asks Barnabas why on Earth he wants to help the PT Maggie and he gives her the usual runaround in response.  I always wonder whether that wasn't included due to fan mail asking that very question.  In those days, producers of shows actually cared what the fans thought about a given character or storyline, which is why the Leviathan story wound up being so abbreviated--because of the negative mail.[/spoiler]

With all this said, I've watched certain weeks of PT 1970 more frequently than many other periods, just because the theatricality of the premise worked so well for the actors.  There really isn't anyone in the group for the audience to identify with though, which is problematic if you approach it as a traditional narrative.

Gothick

Today's shows had more great scenes.  I've always loved that little exchange between Willie and Liz in the Collinwood Foyer.  Liz is at her iciest (I was surprised that Willie wasn't chipping frost off his face after he beat a hasty retreat).  Karlen played Willie's reactions with such honest, beautiful realism.  Between them, the actors created an amazing little gem out of what could have been just a standard scene.

I also loved the exchanges between Willie and Barnabas in episode #2.  Even though their putative "great friendship" violates the established history between the two, the actors played the scene with a lot of depth.  I've noticed that Karlen often brought out the best in Frid.  He played his scenes today with beautiful skill and restraint, I thought.

I just love the moment when Willie is telling Barnabas how sorry he is to be deserting him in his hour of need, and he pouts up his lips in the cutest way, like a doting father turning down his favorite child's request for ice cream.  So sweet.  Karlen has the most wonderfully expressive face!  Makes me want to send him a big splashy birthday card, thanking him for making my day again today.

Oh, and Grayson was FABULOUS, of course, but you already knew that.

I'm sure the TLATKLS brigade appreciated how charming Katie looked in her boudoir ensemble.

Gothick

Hi DoomBuggy, I'm surprised that the 25th anniversary tape was yanked as quickly as you say. My impression was that it was available for years before they finally deleted it.  I do remember when the hoo-ha broke out over the fact that Mr. Frid had apparently not signed anything permitting the use of the Telltale Heart performance (which is excellent, and rates as the only appearance by him in a visual recorded medium since that Oliver Stone thing).

I'll have to get it out and watch it again.

Gothick