Hahaha Jennifer!  Well, if I were Carolyn, it wouldn't be Chris' NECK I would be feasting upon, if you know what I mean ...!

And Henry, I believe that in the 1990 interview in Fangs for the Memories, they actually asked Don whether anyone had suggested he play that scene sans pj BOTTOMS! (dreaming & sighing)

Best,  Gothick

Wonderful comments as always, Luciaphil.  I haven't watched these shows in several years, so I won't add any of my own comments--the memories are far too vague.

I'd be surprised if Ben Stokes were ever intended as a John Karlen role.  In the 1970s fan gathering interview Nancy so kindly posted, Karlen mentioned that DC had plans for a big story arc involving Willie in '67 when Karlen had to opt out of the series due to another commitment (not at all sure what that was).

He was presumably brought back in 1968 due to deluges of fan mail demanding the return of Willie.  I can't think of anything else that would make DC interested in having him come back. It's interesting how closely they read the fan mail back in those days, given that today's TV shows seem to completely ignore fannish reactions.   Don Briscoe was brought back as a regular due to the fan mail response.  I have even heard one fan who was around in the old days recalling a fan picket line demanding the return of the actor to the series back in 1968!

Gothick

John and Luciaphil, have to agree with both of you about the subtext between Nathan and Noah.  I'm sure for Nathan it was just shipboard convenience, but for Noah, it was SO MUCH MORE.

Luciaphil, who was it who commented about life in the British Navy in the 18th century being a farrago of "rum, sodomy, and the lash"?  I've heard from friends who served aboard ship back in the Fifties or the Sixties that the sodomy component was still very much a part of shipboard life.  This guy I met at an Open Pagan Forum recently described a ship he served on that was rife with male witches (whom he described as "Satanists") who would prowl the decks in long flowing capes with big silver pentacle medallions.  Sounds like an episode of DS, doesn't it!

Gothick

Jon, judging from the fact that your post has already been read 40 times when it's barely an hour old, I'd say you're in good company!

I hope you continue to enjoy DS.  Have you seen the entire series before?  Curious whether you have a favorite storyline.  I started watching in June 1968 and my favorite storyline is still the 1968 story, especially involving Cassandra, Nicholas, Tom and Chris Jennings, etc.  My next favorite is the Leviathans, especially the early weeks when "Detective Julia Hoffman investigates"!

Steve

Hi Donna,
Sorry to say, this Nero Wolfe series is a continuation of a more recent one, featuring Canadian character actor Maury Chaykin in the lead role of Nero Wolfe (which Thayer David played in the 1978 telefilm).

There is kind of a "semi" DS connection with this series because the role of Nero Wolfe's French chef is played by another great Canadian actor, Colin Fox.  If any of you out there remember "Canada's answer to Dark Shadows," a show called Strange Paradise, Colin Fox played the lead dual role of Jean-Paul Desmond, "richests man in the world," and his evil ancestor, Jacques-Eloi des Mondes.  Colin's role on Wolfe is well worth checking out--some marvelously deft touches of comedy.  Otherwise, I don't find the series terribly inspiring, I am afraid.

There are these websites, I think one of them is called "TVMinder," where you can type in the title of a movie and they will notify you if it is going to be broadcast.  Of course you'll get notified every week about the A & E series since it is the same title. It would be great if the Thayer David Wolfe film were shown by one of the channels.

Steve

I shudder to think what would have happened to the Collins family if Julia Hoffman had not come into their lives!

I mean, you have to admit that she earned every penny of her "rent" on that room they gave her.  Just start counting all the free "sedatives" she handed out plus the endless hours (ever see that ABC Movie of the Week, "The 36 hours of Dr Julia Hoffman"?) ... you'll see why Liz loved having her live on the premises!

Steve

Well, Gambit (sorry, I love that name--ever watch The New Avengers from the 70s??),

There's the rub--it is hard to say how quickly MPI will release further DVD sets after the first one.  One would think monthly, but it is unwise to assume anything about MPI's schedule.

I'm sure, however, that if they release the 1966/67 pre Barnabas episodes on DVD, it won't be until AFTER they have finished the rest of the series from Barnabas onward.  When they first started issuing the series on VHS, it was not at all clear that they would do the whole thing; they were looking at sales figures, or so I have been told.  They may wait to see what the figures are like for sales on the first DVD set before they make a decision about continuing.

Steve

Well spoken, Luciaphil!  I have a few friends who are absolutely ga-ga over DVDs.  While I enjoy going over to their homes for DVD parties, I also have no intention of blowing the cash on yet another gizmo at this stage of the game.

Gambit, if you don't already have the MPI tapes, one thing that might make you want to hold out for DVDs (especially if you enjoy that format more than VHS) is that there are scheduled to be some "extras," at least with the first set of discs.  Also, supposedly MPI has paid for new prints to be made for the DVDs--I'll believe it when/if I see it!!

Happy viewing,

Gothick