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ShadowGram Update #383 -- Halloween in Hollywood; Tarrytown Fest report
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Topic: ShadowGram Update #383 -- Halloween in Hollywood; Tarrytown Fest report (Read 1208 times)
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ShadowGram Update #383 -- Halloween in Hollywood; Tarrytown Fest report
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July 07, 2016, 10:32:50 PM »
# 1 **** SHADOWGRAM PREMIERE ANNOUNCEMENT:
“DS 50th ANNIVERSARY – HALLOWEEN IN HOLLYWOOD” – OCT. 29-30, 2016
# 2 **** SHADOWGRAM REPORT: DARK SHADOWS 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION – TARRYTOWN, NY – JUNE 24-26, 2016
SHADOWGRAM OFFICIAL DARK SHADOWS NEWS ONLINE UPDATE # 383
July 6, 2016
Hello, Dark Shadows Fan,
ShadowGram (SG), The Official Newsletter & News Source for Dark Shadows (DS), provides the following news in this ShadowGram Official Dark Shadows News Online Update "Bulletin."
# 1
**** SHADOWGRAM PREMIERE ANNOUNCEMENT:
“DARK SHADOWS – HALLOWEEN IN HOLLYWOOD” EVENT – OCT. 29-30, 2016
ShadowGram is pleased to announce first word about an extra-special Dark Shadows 50th Anniversary encore event in Los Angeles, CA, the weekend of October 29-30, 2016.
“Dark Shadows – Halloween in Hollywood” will include the debut of Lara Parker's new DS novel, “Heiress of Collinwood.”
---- PLEASE NOTE: The above announcement is to encourage interested fans to “mark your calendars now.” NO further details are available at this time. Planning is underway and these free ShadowGram Online Updates will first report definite news as it is finalized.
Please do not attempt to send any money, request tickets, etc., until the specific information is officially announced through these ShadowGram Online Updates in the coming months. Thank you for your cooperation – and your DS enthusiasm!
These ShadowGram Official DS News Online Updates will premiere-announce all confirmed information FIRST through the free ShadowGram Group List at Yahoo.com.
To be among the first to directly receive each ShadowGram News Update in your inbox:
--- If you’re already a Yahoo member, go to the yahoo.com website. Find the GROUPS tab on the main page. Click there, type Shadowgram in the Search box, and click again. It will take you to the Group. Continue from there.
--- If you’re not already a Yahoo member of the ShadowGram Group, please go to
http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/ShadowGram/
Then follow the steps to become a Group member.
If you prefer, you can request an invitation, which makes it even easier to receive each Update as it is posted. For an invitation or more information, please send your request with your full name and full email address to Marcy Robin at
ShadowGram@aol.com
Once you join the Group or accept the invitation, you will receive the breaking-news Updates via email as they are posted. You also can see past news developments as they happened by reading recent Updates at the ShadowGram Group page at Yahoo.com..
# 2
****REPORTING:
DARK SHADOWS’ 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION –
COMMEMORATING DS’ 5 DECADES WITH CAST, CREW, & FANS
Over the weekend of June 24-26, 2016, an enthusiastic group of approximately 1,300 devotees of "Dark Shadows" (DS) gathered in Tarrytown, NY, to celebrate the original TV show's golden anniversary (DS premiered June 27, 1966). Fans of all ages came from across the U.S. as well as England, Canada, and Australia. They were joined by a dozen of the series' cast members and a trio of the production personnel.
The festivities began on Friday morning and afternoon, June 24, when over 500 fans visited the nearby historic Lyndhurst Estate. Both MGM motion pictures "House of Dark Shadows" (1970) and "Night of Dark Shadows" (1971) were filmed on location there; a number of the TV cast members starred in these movies. Scenes were shot inside the elegant mansion and numerous buildings as well as around the sprawling grounds filled with lush, varied landscaping. Fans taking the guided tours of the mansion interiors were offered a glimpse into the "Collinwood" of the movies – including a rendition of Angelique’s portrait.
Friday evening, the neighboring DoubleTree Hotel welcomed more attendees for a full schedule of free autographs and photo opportunities with our guests, onstage Q&A / reminiscences sessions with the actors, and a range of video screenings lasting through midnight. A wide array of DS merchandise was offered for sale throughout the weekend. Included were books, photos, and CDs from the guests, a wide range of Big Finish Productions’ wonderful DS audio dramas on CD, and premiering 50th anniversary collectibles from MPI Home Video: a retro-styled, color-illustrated DS lunchbox, a commemorative T-shirt and hoodie, and much more.
Saturday, June 25, brought a full day of activities. Our guests again were available for free autographs and photo opportunities during the day.
Beginning at 11:00am were DS-themed fan videos. Next was a DS News / Q&A audience discussion with Marcy Robin, longtime editor of the recognized ShadowGram Official DS News Online Updates and the ShadowGram Official DS Published Newsletter.
During her session, Marcy also announced that expected guests Mitchell Ryan, Donna McKechnie, and Kathy Cody were unable to attend and sent their regrets to everyone. Following were talks from Wallace McBride of The Collinsport Historical Society website and associate Patrick McCray.
A rare video treat shown during the afternoon was a long-lost live television broadcast of the drama "The House" by Art Wallace. It had not been seen since its only TV airing in the 1950s. In 1966, Art worked with Dan Curtis to create the original “story bible” for DS. This is a compilation of possible storylines, characters, tones, settings, etc., for the proposed TV show that ultimately became “Dark Shadows.” Thus those watching the screening could recognize how certain characters and situations were adapted from "The House" to become part of DS.
Then original DS production staff members Nick Besink (video engineer), Henry Plimack (audio engineer), and Daniel Morgan (stage manager) fronted an insightful panel that focused on the behind-the-scenes aspects of getting the daily DS episodes on the air.
The afternoon continued with the first of 2 charity auctions. Many rare and unique DS items were offered for open bidding, with proceeds benefiting the Lyndhurst Estate, a National Historic Trust site. Among the highlights were Josette's Music Box reproductions and a script from Lara Parker's first DS episode.
“Dark Shadows Lives” brought onstage David Darlington and associates of England’s Big Finish Productions. They discussed BFP’s excellent ongoing series of new DS audio dramas starring many of the original cast members and others. Then Mary O'Leary and Will McKinley, former business associates of Jonathan Frid, presented an insightful and affectionate tribute to Jonathan, recalling the creation and performances of his one-man Readers Theatre live shows that he toured across the country in the 1980s and 1990s.
Next DS actors David Selby, John Karlen, Lara Parker, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Jerry Lacy, Marie Wallace, Sharon Smyth, Donna Wandrey, James Storm, Chris Pennock, and Roger Davis gathered on stage. After saluting DS’ 50th anniversary with flutes of champagne, they informed fans of their latest endeavors and answered a wide range of questions from the audience. Afterward, Chris read excerpts from one of his comic books.
That evening, Nancy Barrett reprised her role of “Carolyn Stoddard” in a humorous Collinsport Players fan skit entitled "Séance Fiction," written by Jay Keaveny and directed by Richard Halpern. Next, over two dozen fans dressed as their favorite DS or horror characters came onstage, individually or in small groups, for the “for fun” Costume Celebration, emceed by Coordinator Marcy Robin. Participants shared their DS enthusiasm and creativity in a delightful variety of characters, costumes, recitations, songs, and more – all just for fun. The event was capped when the onstage costumed participants were surprised: They were joined by Kathryn Leigh Scott and Lara Parker, each wearing period attire as Josette and Angelique. The evening activities continued as Sharon Smyth shared with the fans some ghost stories and a short horror film in which she stars.
Sunday, June 26, began with more free guest autographs and photo opportunities that later continued in the afternoon. At 11:30am, the “Luncheon with the Stars” opened. Fans and guests were seated at tables throughout the hotel ballroom. A variety of door prizes were awarded prior to an afternoon of guests’ stage performances and special video presentations.
First, Nancy Barrett teamed with David Selby to sing and dance to their DS signature song, "I Wanna Dance with You," which was featured in DS’ 1897 storyline. David then requested the audience hum along as he recited "Shadows of the Night," the lyrics for "Quentin's Theme." Next, James Storm played his guitar and sang a selection of folk-roots songs before auctioning off one of his evocative black-and-white framed nature photographs to benefit a Native American educational organization in which he is involved. Kathryn Leigh Scott read a segment from her new autobiographical book "Last Dance at the Savoy" prior to the auction of her original Maggie Evans’ waitress costume and saddle shoes from DS’ first episode, plus various hair extensions she used on the show. These were offered to support CurePSP, the affliction which claimed the life of her late husband, Geoff Miller.
Filmmaker Ansel Faraj presented a pair of short films with DS cast members in both mysterious and humorous stories – including one in which “vampire” Chris Pennock conducts a job interview for a potential servant: the “very experienced” John Karlen. Then came a taped segment of Lara and Kathryn costumed as Angelique and Josette, shot on location in St. Pierre, Martinique. Finally, a “Dark Shadows in Remembrance” retrospective honored those cast and production members who have passed.
All Luncheon attendees received complementary DS books and DVDs courtesy of MPI and Hermes Press. They also could bid on more DS collectibles in another charity auction to further benefit Kathryn and Jim's causes.
Afterward, the actors signed autographs and posed for photos. Fans also could browse the wide variety of available merchandise. At 5:00, many fans departed for an optional DS-focused guided tour of nearby Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, also used for location filming for the 1970 and 1971 DS movies. Finally, the Anniversary Celebration weekend was extended as many fans lingered well into the night to talk, visit, and share about DS.
The weekend was indeed a fitting finale to a festive 3 days of honoring half a century of “Dark Shadows.”
Since we held the first DS Festival in 1983, the Fests always have been “by the fans, for the fans, with the fans.” Countless lasting friendships, shared experiences, common interests, creativity, and much more result at every Fest. Here’s to many more together!
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Re: ShadowGram Update #383 -- Halloween in Hollywood; Tarrytown Fest report
«
Reply #1 on:
July 08, 2016, 07:49:36 PM »
I greatly enjoyed reading Uncle Roger's Fest report, and decided to add my own. As in previous years, this recap is based on my memory, not on any notes, so if I have made any errors, I apologize.
Friday, June 24
***************
The 50th Anniversary Fest opened with the traditional registration line, autograph line, and entry line, all snaking around the lobby of the Double Tree and reaching back toward the hotel restaurant. Registration opened at 4:00 and the first event was not until 6:00. Those two hours were needed to assist all of the people. For a smaller venue with capped attendance, lots and lots of folks were present. I was thrilled to see old friends for the first time in years (such as our very own Ben), but sadly, registration was the only opportunity we had to see each other.
Sharon Smyth opened the Festivities by greeting the fans and offering a surprisingly serious tribute to some who who have passed away in recent years, including Ken Friedman, Judy Caswell, and Diane Eckert. These are fans whom Sharon got to know personally and befriend in recent years. As they were also my friends, I was very pleased that she acknowledged them publicly. I saw Sharon’s tribute as a wonderful example of how the DS actors are just as happy to meet us as we are to meet them.
The first true event was a screening of the final episode of DS (Morgan, Catherine, and the lottery) with the original commercials, including dish soap and a Rankin & Bass holiday special, “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” with Danny Kaye. Later in the convention, Nick Besink would talk about salvaging the master for Episode 1245. I’m glad he did recover it, because I enjoyed the vintage viewing.
The next item on the program was an interview with Jonathan Frid from the Dick Cavett Show. What we weren’t told was that this interview was audio-only; the recording was set to still-frame images of Frid as Barnabas, much like the “lost” episode. I didn’t find the recreated interview to be particularly interesting so I wandered away to the dealer’s area and returned after the first Q&A was in progress.
The format for Q&A panels on Friday night consisted of pairs of DS actors screening clips of their work on the show and talking about their memories (or lack thereof) of working on the show. Occasionally the floor was thrown open for questions, but for the most part, Richard Halpern kept the events running right along. The Fest stayed pretty close to the printed schedule for that first night. Nancy Barrett and Kathryn Leigh Scott were the first speakers. Their talk was already in progress when I returned to the ballroom. We saw Carolyn’s first scene with Vicki, Maggie visiting Collinwood in her best suit to confront Roger, a clip of insane Carolyn from 1995 (Nancy couldn’t recall this character or story line) and Josette discovering Barnabas ‘alive’ in the mausoleum. The sound went out during this last clip, so though we couldn’t hear Josette pleading with Barnabas to come back to her, we could clearly see her gesturing and following him around. “Is that really us?” Nancy marveled. KLS recalled how DS was her very first acting job. “So many of us got our start on DS,” she explained. Nancy listed a few examples: “Alexandra, Kathryn, Lara.” There was no time for questions for this first pair, but before they left, Richard announced that Nancy had donated her fangs from House of DS for the auction. “And she’ll throw in a photo of her wearing them to prove that they were in her mouth!”
Chris Pennock and Marie Wallace came up next. Chris squirmed as he took his seat, explaining that he has hip replacement surgery pending (Best wishes, Chris!) He also lamented that he forgot to bring copies of his “Fear and Loathing on Facebook” comic for sale. The first clip selected was of Jeb and Megan opening up Paul Stoddard’s grave to find a grinning Dennis Patrick. “Do you remember filming that scene?” Richard Halpern asked. “Was Dennis Patrick just lying there the whole time?” Chris said that he was (however, it’s been established elsewhere that Patrick was already off the show by then and that scene was filmed with one of Patrick’s head shots). We also saw a scene of Chris Pennock as John Yeager in Parallel Time. Chris talked about the false nose he initially had to wear. “I didn’t want to wear the nose, but Dan Curtis said it made me look like Jack Palance. Under the hot lights, the make-up ran and the nose kept sliding around. It was a big mess. So finally they said I could stop wearing the nose.” He also revealed a secret about his acting technique. “Do you know who Cyrus Longworth really was? Do you know who I was doing?” He imitated the shrinking, stammering scientist. “David Niven! Lela Swift complained that my Cyrus was too much like Jeb, so I went back to my dressing room in a panic, thinking, ‘How can I come up with a different character? How am I going to make him different?’ And finally it hit me to do David Niven. That’s how I did all my characters. I imitated other actors—badly.” Marie’s clip was of crazy Jenny Collins threatening Judith in the attic. It was a truncated variation. Displaying a sharper memory than most of her colleagues, Marie said, “I thought that scene went on longer. I remember I had a line: ‘Sometimes you wear my green dress!’” Marie revealed that Jenny’s crazy hair was her very own hair, not a wig. “Lots of people assume I was wearing a wig, but I would put up part of my hair in curlers and then tease out the rest of it so it would be in different lengths.” When asked by an audience member about her favorite character, Marie claimed that her favorite role was always the one she was currently working on at the time, but that she had a soft spot for Jenny. Chris’s favorite was wheelchair-bound Gabriel Collins.
Jerry Lacy and James Storm took the stage next. When told they would be looking at show clips, Storm turned to Lacy and asked, “Did we ever do any scenes together?” Indeed they did in 1840, and their joint clip featured Gerard and Lamar discovering a certain skeleton in Barnabas’s basement. We also saw a scene of Gerard’s ghost menacing Quentin and unleashing his pirate zombie team on Collinwood, and a 1968 clip of Tony Peterson advising a hysterical Julia. Both actors talked about their current projects. In addition to his music, Jim Storm has taken up photography and spent time traveling around the country to take his pictures. Meanwhile, Jerry has written a comedy called A Reunion of Sorts that will be performed next month by the Town and Country Players in Bucks County, PA. Many of the questions were directed at Jerry. He was asked to do his famous Humphrey Bogart imitation. He demurred, claiming his voice has changed with time, but after repeated encouragement, he finally gave us, “Of all the gin joints in all the world, she walks into mine” to much applause. He was also asked how soon after he was cast as Tony Peterson did he become aware that he would be playing Rev. Trask. Jerry recalled that he was told about the new character almost immediately after he started working He also fielded a question about the relationship of one of his audio drama characters to the Reverends Trask.
The final panel featured Roger David and Lara Parker. Roger was texting on his cell phone as he came onstage, and continued to fiddle with his phone during the Q& A session. “I’m talking with my contractor,” he explained. “It’s Friday, and I have to pay my workers.” (He does a lot of building in the LA area). Lara was in high spirits, asking how many fans were attending for the first time (neatly two-thirds of the room raised their hands) and giving a shout-out to the Orlando DS fan club (
www.cfdsfanclub.com
). She also spoke about her forthcoming Vicki-centric DS novel, Heiress of Collinwood, due out in November. In her clip, she played vampire Angelique attacking Peter Bradford. Roger portrayed a vampire in his own clip, in which Dirk Wilkins menaced Rachel Drummond. Roger spoke about his voice-over acting career and mentioned how his agent, in one of their last meetings, commented that they had never been able to find someone with as nice a voice as his. (“Not even Peter Fonda?” Lara cracked). She also ribbed Roger about roughhousing his co-actresses, including Joan Bennett. The teasing continued in the next day’s cast reunion. I got a real kick out of Lara at this year’s Fest.
The night closed with a screening of House of Dark Shadows, Night of DS, and fan film Curse of the Full Moon (starring JVjr, his talented brother Daryl, frank_b, and others from this forum).
ProfStokes
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Re: ShadowGram Update #383 -- Halloween in Hollywood; Tarrytown Fest report
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Reply #2 on:
July 08, 2016, 08:35:16 PM »
Cool recollections, as always, Prof. Stokes. It just goes to show you that people can attend the same event and see completely different things. For me, the highlight of the KLS/Nancy panel came when Nancy referred to her onscreen mom as Joanie. I found it kind of sweet and endearing, especially since some of the others still refer to her as Miss Bennett. A close second was KLS indicating Joan's disapproval of one of Kathryn's boyfriends. She arched those infamous eyebrows and simply said, "Really, Kathryn?" I can easily hear her saying that!
The part of Cyrus Longworth is now being played by David Niven?!? I certainly would not have guessed that, though the John Yaeger/Jack Palance comparison is something I can certainly see.
Well done, as always, Prof.
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Re: ShadowGram Update #383 -- Halloween in Hollywood; Tarrytown Fest report
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July 08, 2016, 10:18:14 PM »
Those are fabulous notes and memories, Professor Stokes.
Thanks,
G.
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Re: ShadowGram Update #383 -- Halloween in Hollywood; Tarrytown Fest report
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July 09, 2016, 12:10:46 AM »
Thanks, ProfStokes!
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Re: ShadowGram Update #383 -- Halloween in Hollywood; Tarrytown Fest report
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July 09, 2016, 04:14:01 AM »
Thank you for recounting those anecdotes, Uncle Roger! I came in part-way through the panel, so I think I missed those exchanges. Both are great memories of Joan.
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Re: ShadowGram Update #383 -- Halloween in Hollywood; Tarrytown Fest report
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July 09, 2016, 04:22:42 AM »
Saturday, June 25
Saturday’s events opened at 11:00 AM. Although registration started at 10, no one was allowed near the ballroom or into the dealer area until after 11. Fan videos (one of my favorite Fest features!) opened the day. We were treated to Richard Halpern and his niece and nephews reprising the roles of Barnabas, Elizabeth, Sarah, Burke, and Willie in “Baby Dark Shadows” as well as another fan’s student film from his USC days, called “The Creepybopper.” This adorable short film, shot in B&W and set to popular tunes of the era, center on a prototypical DS fan, the proud owner of fake fangs, DS models, and “Famous Monsters” magazines. The plot thickens as the boy flips through a series of poorly-scored spelling tests and is swiftly punished with no DS for a week unless he can improve his grades. Sadly, the picture went out midway through the film, so we never got to see if the boy was able to charm his mother into letting him see his favorite show again. (Fortunately, the video is available on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lSHzElZ5rA
).
I wandered away to the dealer area just before Marcy Robin began a panel on DS news and fan questions, so I missed all the excitement when a smoker triggered the fire alarm and nearly precipitated an evacuation of the ballroom! I heard plenty of people talking about this incident throughout the day, however. I’m glad it wasn’t a real emergency—particularly as I never heard any alarm going off even though I was just in the hallway on the other side of the ballroom!
The next event I attended was a panel called The Collinsport Historical Society, hosted by Wallace McBride and Patrick McCray. Apparently, this is a website or a page on FB (I’d never heard of it before) whose moderator collects information about the history and fandom of the show. He described the first item to inspire his curating: a drinking mug stamped “Blue Whale, Collinsport, Maine.” “It was obviously something a fan had made, but it looked like something you would really find in Collinsport.” (It sounds to me like CynD’’s work). He also spoke about a semi-hoax that earned notoriety for his site. The Collinsport Historical Society had held a contest to write the story for a hypothetical third DS movie. The winning entry, Child of DS, sounded fascinating:
A failed televangelist called Trask (Jerry Lacy) acquires Collinwood and converts it into a boarding school. One of the students is Victoria Winters (Alexandra Moltke). Vicki swiftly becomes the target of poltergeist and other supernatural activity. After she discovers an old portrait of an accused witch that looks just like her, she is catapulted back in time. Meanwhile, a psychic/Satanist, the brother if ill-fated Tracy Collins (played by Chris Pennock), arrives at the school to investigate the haunting. He realizes that the ghost is actually Vicki herself, trapped and condemned in the past and trying to prevent her modern self from making the same poor choices. (Kind of like The Twilight Zone’s “Spur of the Moment”). The audience loved this story outline. Many called out to McBride that he should film it himself. Evidently, at the time he posted this outline on the Historical Society website, he failed to make clear the tongue-in-cheek nature of the post. “Many fans started circulating the story that there was another, lost DS movie out there somewhere. When they found out it was a joke, they got mad and accused our site of having lost its credibility.”
The next speaker was Patrick McCray presenting The Collins Chronicles (another website, I’m guessing). His conceit was that David Collins had returned to Collinsport after an absence of many years to find the great estate abandoned, save for a box of letters and journals left for him by Cousin Barnabas. McCray read sample entries, all written in a flowery imitation-18th Century style, rather like Ichabod Crane’s monologues on “Sleepy Hollow.” In Barnabas’s own words, he retold incidents from the show, such as discovering Angelique was a witch or meeting Julia Hoffman, and sharing insights about Ben Stokes, Willie Loomis, and Julia. This segment was not my cup of tea. The readings were essentially fan fiction that did not enhance my understanding or enjoyment of the show. I’m not sure how the author was able to get a separate slot on the schedule; it seems to me his readings would have been better suited to the Costume Gala.
At last, it was time for the much-anticipated presentation of “The House.” None of the Fest staff had seemed entirely certain of what “The House” would be, though it was hinted that we would be watching a rediscovered TV broadcast. Indeed, we were able to see a half-hour episode from the 1950’s thriller anthology “The Web” (complete with creepy theramin music for the opening title) that had originally aired in 1954. In 2006, the DS actors gave a live reading of an Art Wallace teleplay called “The House” that had served as the foundation for “Shadows of the Wall,” the original DS story bible. That script differed in specific detail from the show we saw, though the basic outlines remained the same.
The show opens with a wayfarer stopping by the local bar (a set very similar to the Blue Whale) to inquire about old friends in the area. He is told that Liz Stover still lives in the old house on the outskirts of town and that she has seldom left the house ever since her husband deserted her nearly 20 years ago. The stranger gets a cunning gleam in his eye as the scene cuts to Liz (in a drawing room that looks much like Collinwood’s), awaiting her daughter’s return from a date. The girl (whose name escapes me) has big news: her long-time beau, Joe, a successful fisherman, has finally proposed! However, she is reluctant to accept the offer because she would have to leave her mother behind in the crumbling old house that she seemingly can’t afford to repair. Over the next several scenes, the young woman negotiates with her mother and her fiancé, finally devising a plan that she and Joe will marry and move into the house with Mother. As the family prepares to celebrate, they hear a knock at the door. Joe admits the stranger from the bar, who introduces himself as Walt Cummins, an old friend of the family. Liz is visibly shocked to see him and sends the others out of the room so she can deliver her ‘You said you would never come back!’ speech. It is clear that she and Walt have an unsavory history, and he uses the threat of revealing her secret to persuade Liz to put him up in the house until he can get back on his feet. Her daughter is thrilled to have Walt visiting; she’s decided he must be her long-lost father returned at last. In fact, through further arguments between Liz and Walt, the audience learns that Liz accidentally killed her husband when she caught him trying to abscond with her jewelry. Walt helped her dispose of the body and she paid him off with the jewels. Anxious to keep her daughter from learning the truth, Liz acquiesces to Walt’s escalating demands, including the young bride’s insistence that he attend her wedding, but when he starts to hint that they ought to get married themselves, Liz reaches her limit. As a surprise for his mother-in-law to be, Joe hires a handyman to make basic repairs to the house. Liz initially is angry and demands that they leave, but she finally loses her temper with Walt and escorts the handyman to a spot in the basement where she tells him to dig. Then, she comes clean with the whole sordid truth. However, when the handyman returns without uncovering a body, Walt reveals that Liz’s husband was only stunned by her attack, and that the two of them split the loot and ran off to sea, leaving her to wallow in her guilt. The no-good husband died at sea 10 years earlier. Joe offers to commit Walt to the constable for extortion, but Liz doesn’t want to press any charges. Walt’s confession has freed her and she declares, “Now I can finally leave the house!”
This version of “The House” condensed the major points of the Jason Maguire blackmail plot into a significantly shorter running time while yet maintaining a sense of suspense and scandal. The resemblance of certain characters and sets to their later DS counterparts made “The House” even more entertaining to watch. I don’t know the background of how this show was uncovered, but I’m glad that it was made available. It was a lovely treat for the Festival.
Following the screening, a panel of behind-the-scenes personnel (Henry Plimack – sound, Nick Besink – cameraman, Daniel Morgan - stage manager) assembled. Those behind the camera had a much different experience than the actors, and hearing their perspective was fresh and exciting. Besink recalled his first day at the studio. It was his habit to take candid photos, and he snapped some of KLS in her robe doing a read-through. “She didn’t like that, and she asked the director to tell me not to take anymore pictures. Later, she apologized to me. She didn’t know I was working on the show; she thought I was a fan who had somehow got backstage.” Plimack reminisced about the giant records with the sound cues that the team, including Sybil Weinberg, had to use. Some of these records were on the table to be auctioned off, and Plimack showed one off with Richard Halpern’s assistance. “You had to line up the needle with the groove and find the right cue. We were always trying to time the cue exactly right. You couldn’t have the music come in too early or too late. Later, we had all the cues on tape cartridges and you just had to push a button to play one.” The crew also talked about a new portable microphone Dan Curtis had tried to implement (as opposed to the boom mics and mics on fishing poles)--one that would have required no personnel to operate. However, after Grayson Hall repeatedly knocked the mic offline with her effusive gesturing, Curtis gave up on the idea and everyone’s job was safe. One fan asked about the infamous studio fire that broke out during the Phoenix story line. “Not only do I remember that, I was there,” Besink declared. “It was contained within the fireplace--we used a real fireplace. When I told Lela Swift we had to stop tape, she said, ‘What for?’ and I told her, ‘Because the studio is on fire.’” Another fan wanted to know what was up with all the blue candles. “They were probably cheap to buy,” Morgan mused. “Or, nobody bothered to change the candles after the show went to color.”
The first charity auction of the weekend followed. I didn’t stay for the auction itself, but did observe some of the items up for grabs: copies of Angelique’s Descent and Dreams of the Dark, scripts, a 4-CD set of DS soundtrack music, and a lovely afghan blanket.
When I next came back to the ballroom, it was during the tail-end of (not President) William McKinley’s presentation on Jonathan Frid’s post-DS stage performances, including his one-man shows and “Arsenic and Old Lace.” While a student, McKinley had been an assistant to Jonathan in many of his productions. He was joined by another of Frid’s assistants, (She was uncredited in the program, but according to ShadowGram she was Mary O’Leary), who had worked with Frid on “Arsenic and Old Lace.” She revealed that there had been talk of changing Jonathan Brewster’s famous line, “He said I looked like Boris Karloff!” to “He said I looked like Barnabas Collins!” However, Frid firmly vetoed this idea. “It was probably for the best,” she admitted. “Changing the lines might have led to issues with the copyright.” McKinley also shared a charming anecdote of Frid’s involvement in a telethon for the New Jersey Network. Frid had wanted McKinley to accompany him, but McKinley begged off, citing his big Spanish final for the next day. Fortunately, Frid had a degree in Spanish. “He said, ‘We can study in the car’ and he spent the two-hour limo ride drilling me. He even mentioned helping my prep for my exam during the telethon, and after that, people kept asking me how I did.” We in the audience called out, “So how did you do?” McKinley grinned. “I did better on that Spanish test than on any before it.” (What an awesome experience, to have Jonathan Frid as a tutor!) The presentation closed with a slideshow, set to “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors, with photographs of Frid posing before the marquees at various theaters around the country where he had performed.
And then it was time for the cast reunion!
One at a time, the actors filed in to cheers and applause: Sharon Smyth, Roger Davis, Donna Wandrey, Marie Wallace, Chris Pennock, James Storm, Lara Parker, Jerry Lacy, John Karlen, David Selby, and Kathryn Leigh Scott took their seats on the stage, which was quickly swarmed by photographers. Each offered a short greeting. Lara Parker, still in a joking mood, kidded, “I wasn’t born yet when DS first started. My grandmother introduced me to the show. And when I found out about this Festival, I was so excited, because I got to come meet my favorite actor of all time, John Karlen!” KLS was the last to appear, bringing with her a bottle of champagne with which she led a toast for the 50th Anniversary of DS. Richard Halpern then invited fans to bring their questions to a microphone in the center of the ballroom. A long line quickly formed. Though the Q&A session ran for over an hour, the line nevertheless had to be cut before it was more than half-way through.
Many of the questions prompted lengthy responses from everybody on the panel. For example, the actors were asked what other part on DS they would have liked to play, if given the chance. “I always wanted to play Little Sarah,” Karlen said mischievously. “Johnny, you can borrow my bonnet anytime,” Sharon promised. Chris Pennock and James Storm each said they wanted to play Grayson Hall. That prompted the cast to share memories of her. “She had the best apartment ever!” Karlen said (I thought he was going to reminisce about her cooking). Lara talked about how Grayson would go swimming in the morning before work and then come to the studio with wet hair. She also repeated a story from the DS Companion. “Grayson had a pug named Thing and I had a pug named Rosie. We had big plans for them. We were going to go into a partnership raising pugs.” But unfortunately, they never got any puppies. Jerry Lacy’s choice was Nicholas Blair. “Humbert Allen Astredo played him as so suave and so evil. It was a great role and he was a very talented actor.” Lara said that she wanted to play Josette. David wanted to play Angelique. “I would have liked to be Elizabeth,” Kathryn said. “I always felt like Dan Curtis had a great story in mind for her, with her husband’s disappearance and her staying in the house all those years, and just never got around to telling it.” (Evidently, she didn’t watch “The House,” or the Jason Maguire episodes.)
A young lady just starting in the acting business asked if the cast could share any advice or techniques. “Know your lines. Don’t bump into the props or the scenery,” Roger told her. “I imitate other actors,” Chris shared, repeating his revelation from the previous evening. “I based John Yeager on a movie that James Earl Jones did. He acted like a joyful, murderous gorilla, and that’s exactly what John Yeager was: a joyful, murderous gorilla.” (Has anyone any idea what film Chris was referencing? I would be curious to see it.) James Storm took the microphone next. “I imitate other actors,” he deadpanned, with a glance at Chris. John Karlen told the young actress, “No matter what role you’re playiong, always remember, that’s you. No matter who you’re pretending to be, you’re still you. Understand?”
Another question that drew insightful responses was what the castmembers would have liked to do if they had not gone into acting. “In addition to being an actress, I also got to be a mother, and I did a pretty good job!” Sharon declared. Roger Davis has a background in architecture and restored a historically important hotel in his native Louisville. Marie has found a passion for photography and also dabbled in painting when she was a chorus girl on Broadway. She even submitted some of her paintings to an art show and attracted the attention of Ethel Merman. (She discusses this episode at length in her memoir On Stage and in the Shadows). Chris Pennock also revealed that he had an artistic background, having always loved to draw. As a child, he entered a statewide art contest sponsored by Crayola with America as its theme. Western movies inspired his material. “I drew a picture of a cowboy killing an Indian with a spear. I said, ‘Yeah! That’s what America is about!’ And I won! The local paper wrote, ‘Christopher Pennock is the winner with his drawing of a man digging.’ I said, ‘But...but...That’s not a shovel, it’s a spear!’” James Storm mentioned his love of photography. Lara was drawn to all of the performing arts. “When I was a little girl, I wanted to dance, but I wasn’t a very good dancer. So then I decided I wanted to be a singer, but my mother told me, ‘You can’t carry a tune.’ So I said, ‘I’ll be an actress! Then I won’t have to do anything.’” Since then, she has raised three children, written four novels and taught both high school and college English and creative writing. David Selby initially went into teaching when he moved to NYC. “But my wife, Chip, told me, ‘That’s not the reason we came here. You need to follow your dream of being an actor.’” David also told a story of how the FBI tried to recruit him to do reconnaisance at the local ham and eggs joint, “But I turned them down because I was afraid some friends of mine might be involved.”
Other questions were directed to specific actors. One of the first women to take the mic asked David Selby for a dance and began to serenade him wit ha beautiful rendition of “I Wanna Dance With you.” David did pitch in on a couple of the lyrics. He was also asked by another fan if he could perform “Shadows of the Night.” “If you’ll hum the tune for me, I’ll try it,” he accepted. “Does anyone have the words?” Someone handed him a copy of the record album, which had the lyrics printed. The ballroom buzzed with the strains of Cobert’s music while Selby recited the words. A middle-aged man had a question for John Karlen. “Have you noticed that David Selby has all these beautiful women asking him questions and I get the old guys? Is it me?” Johnny teased. The fan asked if Karlen was influence by the other actor who had played Willie Loomis before him. Richard Halpern jumped in. “That was James Hall! He lives in Santa Monica and is on Facebook. He’s written about DS. I’m friends with him. Maybe we should have a reunion with the two Willie Loomises in LA.” Karlen didn’t look too enthusiastic about the prospect. Kathryn revealed that Hall had been a student in her acting class. “It was awkward working with him on his last couple of episodes because we all knew he was on his way out the door. He was a nice guy...did he do any acting afterward?” (According to Halpern, yes). Roger was asked about “Alias Smith and Jones.” “Putting aside how you got the role, would you have preferred to be cast as a new character instead of being put in Pete Duel’s role?” Roger told how he had been good friends with Pete and that they had worked together on a pilot for a Western called “The Young Country” but that the producers hadn’t thought he had the right look for the show. Michael Joyner asked the cast to share their memories of Virginia Vestoff and Thayer David. “Virginia was lovely,” Donna Wandrey said. “She played my sister--or rather, I was her sister. But my favorite actor to work with was Thayer David. He was the sweetest, gentlest man in the world--except when he would come up to you and say, ‘I’m going to push you into the coffin now, but don’t worry; I’ll be right here waiting for you. Sometimes they forget to let you out, you know.’” “He had the most voluptuous wife,” Selby remarked, “Valerie French.” “He was a speed reader.” Lara imitated Thayer flipping through pages. “I’d ask him ‘How do you do that?’ and he’d say, ‘Oh, it’s easy.’” Everyone recalled how he would binge on sodas and candy bars at rehearsal. One of the fans whose mother started watching DS because of Joan Bennett asked if the actors had ever met her sisters Constance or Barbara. Roger started to answer, but Lara cut him off (as he has so often done to others.) It was a very funny moment.
The Q&A session was brought to a close with many disappointed fans still at the mic. Most glumly turned back to their seats, but one ardent lady seized the mic as the actors prepared to leave the stage. “We need to acknowledge the person who is responsible for DS’s success: Lara Parker! Without Angelique, the show would have been nothing.”
At some point during that evening, Lara Parker and Chris Pennock each read from their new books, and Sharon Smyth read a ghost story. However, I don’t know when this happened because none of these events were listed in the schedule. Following the cast reunion, I left to prepare for the costume gala. I do know that in the interim, the 2004 WB pilot was shown.
The costume gala went on around 8:00 with a modest number of entrants (around 20). This year’s set of performers included several men dressed as Barnabas, Leviathan rappers, a Barnabas proclaiming his love to a dead Angelique, Pansy Faye singing and dancing with Quentin, Pansy Faye getting attacked by vampire Roxanne Drew, the future Mr. and Mrs. Buzz Hackett, Victoria Winters and Judge Braithwaite, both from 1795. Charles Ellis performed his famous Charnak the Great routine, assisted by Suzanne (“Where’s the remote? What do DS fans say when a certain Tim Burton film comes on TV—where’s the remote! The Hunger Games? What happens when Willie Loomis teases Adam with chicken—the Hunger Games!” The stand-out performer of the night, IMO, was a gentleman named Michael, who traditionally sings beautiful tributes in memoriam to DS personnel who have passed on. Part-way through his song, the CD began to skip and then went out altogether. Undeterred, Michael dashed off-stage to get a different CD and went back up to sing a new song. He acted like a true pro (in the same position, I would have panicked). During the final bow, Kathryn and Lara came onstage in beautiful costumes of their own, designed by the same costumer who outfitted the new Cabaret cast. Lara looked just like her 1897 self in a green brocade dress, while KLS imitated Josette’s film apparel in an ivory gown with ruffled sleeves, a lace-trimmed skirt, and a fashionable bonnet. KLS’s dress was new, but Lara had prviously worn hers on the cruise. “During the cruise, I wore my grandmother’s 1910 wedding dress,” Kathryn said. “It seemed perfect for Josette.” The ladies posed at length for photos with the other gala participants.
Then, the Collinsport Players took the stage. “Séance Fiction” retells the events of 1967 that led up to the 1795 flashback (“a séance that will send the Collins family back in time—and triple our costume budget!”) with a twist. Barnabas anxiously tries to prevent Elizabeth from holding a séance to contact Sarah Collins, clashes with a histrionic Julia, and flirts with a besotted Carolyn (Nancy Barrett herself). Sarah does briefly appear to Barnabas, cautioning him to clean up his act, but Barnabas refuses to heed her warnings. He succeeds in changing the location of the séance from Collinwood to the Blue Whale, where the family encounters Buffie Harrington, a waitress transplanted from the 1970 PT story, and must submit to a 2-drink minimum. After they chant “Eenie meenie chili beanie” and call upon Sarah to speak to them, Carolyn dramatically pretends to be possessed by the small ghost. However, it’s Vicki who is truly touched by the spirits. With a dramatic scream, she vanishes behind the stage to be replaced by 18th Century governess Phyllis Wick. “Aw man,” Buffie gripes. “I thought you were holding a séance. Manifestations mean you have to order the hot wings.” And on that cliffhanger, the skit concluded to loud applause and I adjourned to get some dinner.
ProfStokes
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Re: ShadowGram Update #383 -- Halloween in Hollywood; Tarrytown Fest report
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Reply #7 on:
July 09, 2016, 04:25:48 AM »
Sunday, June 26
Sunday’s luncheon consisted of salad, rolls, chicken in sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, carrots and broccolini, and a red velvet cake dessert that, unusually, was already on the table when we sat down. The Fest vendors were generous with the door prizes, providing a DVD 2-pack of The Haunting of Collinwood and The Vampire Curse, a copy of the book Produced and Directed by Dan Curtis, and a reprint of Gold Key Comics’ “Interrupted Voyage” story.
Unfortunately, the ballroom was not really large enough to accommodate all of the tables (I think there were around 50). Some tables spilled into the erstwhile hallway where vendor tables had previously been set up; these tables were set behind a wall and a coffee service station that blocked some attendees’ view of the stage where the performances and films took place. The first event was the door prize drawing. There were fewer prizes this year than in the past, but the range of tables selected was wide. Nancy Barrett nearly ended up with a prize. (In fact, I think Table 2 got two prizes.) The giveaways included the new Big Finish CD “Blood and Fire” and MPI’s commemorative 50th anniversary T-shirt.
Next, Nancy Barrett and David Selby took the stage to sing “I Wanna Dance with You.” David also gave another rendition of "Shadows of the Night." "I had so much fun yesterday with all of you humming along," he explained. Once again, the audience obliged with the background music.
The performances were were followed by KLS’s charity auction to benefit PSP research. I can’t help but imagine KLS has a vault at home with compartments earmarked for each milestone Festival (IIRC, at the 40th Anniversary Fest, she auctioned off some of Jonathan Frid’s hair). This time, she auctioned off several impressive items of memorabilia from her own collection, including one of Maggie Evans’s falls, her own script from Episode 1 (which was so rough, some of the parts were written in pencil rather than typed), the script from her last episode in 1970, and most impressive of all, waitress Maggie’s original short blond wig, head band, and saddle shoes (size 8 ½) with a replica of Maggie’s coffee shop uniform. All of the items sold for over $500. The winner of the waitress ensemble was seated at the table ahead of mine; throughout the rest of the event, people kept stopping by to admire it.
James Storm also held an auction for a photograph of a landmark tree he had taken while on a road trip to the heartland. Nancy Barrett gave the highest bid. Storm performed 3 country-style songs. I didn’t recognize the first two (one was about Sampson), but the third was the spiritual “Let the Circle Be Unbroken.” “In my travels, I learned that the Native Americans don’t have a word for “Good-bye,” he explained by way of introduction. “Their equivalent is ‘See you later,’ and ‘later’ could be tomorrow or in the afterlife.” He has shared this song in the past to commemorate the deceased cast and crew members and performed it again as a means of saying ‘see you later’ to those who have gone on ahead of us.
The Fest also had an In Memoriam slideshow featuring stars, day players, and behind the scenes personnel. Next, they played three short films by Ansel Faraj that featured several of the DS stars (Karlen, Pennock, Parker, Scott, Lacy, and Richards) as well as references to the show. I won’t go into the details of “The Interview,” “Dark Reunions in a Strange Paradise,” or “Madame Le Soeur” as I understand Faraj has plans to make the films available. They were very entertaining, and in the first two cases, very funny.
The luncheon concluded with another auction of general memorabilia (e.g., comics, autographed photos) while the actors engaged in a final autograph session. I understand that Nancy Barrett’s fangs from House of DS, the expected big ticket item, were not actually offered due to low attendance at the auction. At least this way, we can be guaranteed that another DS event will be in the works.
ProfStokes
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Re: ShadowGram Update #383 -- Halloween in Hollywood; Tarrytown Fest report
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Reply #8 on:
July 09, 2016, 01:48:49 PM »
Will McKinley is a rather well-known internet blogger who frequently writes about movies, both current and classic. Many years ago, as Billy McKinley, he appeared in many early Collinsport Players extravaganzas as Willie Loomis.
Mary O'Leary was one of Jonathan Frid's partners, along with Nancy Kersey, in Clunes Associates, which produced Jonathan's one man show productions. Mary has substantial show business credentials, having worked as Associate Producer/Producer for many daytime soaps: Guiding Light, Another World, One Life to Live, General Hospital and The Young and the Restless. (I think that she is still with Y & R.).
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