I just have to share the perhaps unwelcome observation that Dr. Julia Hoffman's Dream Curse sequence may be one of the most brilliant bits of videotape in the history of American television.

I have also seen the fan version but the original is SO much better.  My two favorite moments are when Mrs. Johnson is silently beckoning Julia to the door and Julia is hysterically asking her, "Why are you doing this to me???" and it looks as if Mrs. J is about to grab Julia's breast!  I can imagine "Sister Wendy"'s comment on that!  "The religouth thignificanth of Dr Julia Hoffman's BREATHT"  THEN the climactic scream as the Death Bride is revealed is so transfigurative, transcendental and, well, just a HOOT to witness.

I really wish there was video of Grayson and Clarice discussing that scene after taping. I'm sure both ladies had some hilarious comments to make about shooting it!

As far as I am concerned, moments like this are DS at its most inspired.  I know others do not agree, but I had to just TELL THE DREAM.  Now I can rest ...

But no, cigarettes do NOT calm my nerves,

Gothick

Julia darling,

It's been a couple of years since my last viewing of this episode, but my memory of those lines was that Lang was wide-eyed-ly telling Julia:  "I saw you ... I saw you, but you didn't SPEAK!" and then Grayson says:  "That's how you KNOW it must have been a dream!"  It's a cute line because the way she said it made it seem like something she could have said in real life.  Remembering how on the restaurant tape she commented:  "Everyone knows my voice CARRIES!"

xo  Steve

I'm afraid I can't promise you anything, RP.  Ever see Willie's Dream Curse episode? Or his "we're gonna get Cousin Barnabas" routine as Carl in 1897?

And then, there's all the wonderful Jeff/Peter freakout scenes coming up in the next weeks.

Dark Shadows is like the little girl with the little curl.  Nuff said.

Gothick

Hi Kuanyin,

If you get this book called Dark Shadows Memories (I think that is the title of it), it gives you the taping date and the broadcast date for each show.  The shows were frequently taped out of order, though in some cases the numbering was consecutive for a period.  So this is one reason why the actors today don't have a clue about the storylines unless they have taken the time to watch the old tapes.  In some cases, the taping schedule had to be adjusted because some of the actors, such as Thayer David, had other commitments.  Some of them were doing plays at the same time as the show was running ... Don Briscoe did Boys in the Band, Virginia Vestoff did 1776, and David Selby and Lara Parker both did plays that didn't run very long in 1969 or 1970.

When the schedule for taping the episodes was adjusted, the actors called it "re-ranking the shows."

Given this situation, it's amazing that ANYBODY had any degree of continuity at all on DS!  but this is why in some instances they re-do a scene from the previous day's show with completely different costumes, or sets!

Best,

Gothick

Luciaphil, My own sense is that stokes is a plain old Professor of English.  In the old days, people who did English often had all sorts of "esoteric" side interests--think of Dame Frances Yates, for instance.  

He taught at Rockport College, which I seriously doubt had anything like a real grad program.  Cassandra was probably pretending to go for some sort of teaching certificate.  Don't forget btw that Cassandra lies more naturally than she combs her hair (MUCH more naturally, come to think of it, looking at her hair) AND the poor dear was never terribly competent so we can't expect her story to stand up to much probing.

Best,

Gothick

sorry ... this wretched thing turned the "8" when I typed "1968" into one of those goo-googly faces.

I HATE smilies, so from now I'll try to remember to disable them from my posts.

Steve

Luciaphil, MANY THANKS for giving me a smile on a rather tired, dreary Monday morning here in rainy Boston.  Several smiles, actually, and a few suppressed guffaws too (we don't want to frighten the horses, darling).

Nicky has a theory that they used more than one wig for Cassandra.  The wig really is in its own category, isn't it?  I wonder whether they could smell the thing as it entered the room?  It must have exuded a rather potent tang of styling solution ... something industrial strength, I should think!

Agree with you about the Stokes/Barn scene at the Old House.  The fact that that WASN"T on the "Best of Dark Shadows" tape shows that the editor of those tapes doesn't know the series as well as he thinks he does.  By the way, a friend of mine is convinced that Thayer was adjusting his dentures at one point in that scene ... when he has his back turned to Barn and the camera, he's obviously doing something peculiar with his mouth.

I personally like the lilac color on Cassandra ...

Agree with you about the ICKY subtext in those Lang/Peter scenes.  Keep imagining Peter feverishly scribbing in a ratty notebook labeled "I was a sex slave to a mad scientist," assuming he'd get rich selling the story to the Natl Enquirer if he could ever escape the Collinsport looney bin.

You didn't comment upon another of my favorite scenes in the entire series--the one where Angelique visits Barnabas in a vision and warns him to "beware of dreams!"  Evidently you weren't impressed.  I think this is one of the moments when Parker really shone.

Oh, please do keep picking away at Eric Lang's medical credentials (not to mention the question of his psychological competence).  You have no idea how therapeutic it is for some of us!

Thanks again for a wonderful post,

Gothick