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Running weekdays on the ABC Network, from June, 1966 to April, 1971, Dark
Shadows was a show truly innovative in ways most shows can only aspire
to be; a Gothic soap opera renowned for drama, horror, suspense,
romance,sci-fi, and what is seen by todays' viewers as camp and some pretty
ham-my acting at times, the show motored along on the strength of its eerie
ambiance for the first year, until Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid-
could there possibly be a better Barnabas??) was introduced to the series,
the lovelorn, tortured 175 year old vampire looking for a way to overcome
his vampiric fate. Not stopping there, the show brought in virtually every
monster, ghoul or ghost one can name in the years and storylines to come.
Barnabas, an anti-hero if ever there was one, brought much to the series and
probably is the one reason it ran for five years and is still such a cult
classic 35 years after the last episode was filmed. Dark Shadows has the
distinction of being the only long running soap to have every episode
released on home video, originally in the VHS format and now in the process
of replicating that feat on DVD.
Worth mentioning is one rather inspired practice Dark Shadows used in order
to keep their show changing while also using familiar to fans, recognizable
year after year was to change their names and identities during those
parallel/ time travel ventures. Notable actors among the long-running
regular cast included Joan Bennett (1966-71), Louis Edmonds (1966-71),
Alexandra Moltke (1966-68), Kathryn Lee Scott (1966-70), Clarice Blackburn
(1966-70), Thayer David (1966-71), Grayson Hall (1967-71), John Karlen
(1967-71), Lara Parker (1967-71), Roger Davis (1967-70), David Henesy
(1966-70), Denise Nickerson (1968-70). Kate Jackson (1970-71), Dana Elcar
(1966-67), Diana Millay (1966-67, 1969) Conrad Bain (1966. 1968), Abe Vigoda
(1969), and Marsha Mason (1970).
Lord knows the show had a huge fan base in the late 60's to early 70's span
in which it ran 5 days a week, month after month and year after year; I was
among those ranks, trying to get home in time to catch the show or at least
a portion of it each day after school in a time before the VCR. It was a
fan base strong enough that publications such as 16 Magazine and Tiger Beat,
popular teen-zines of the times, were practically running a story
featuring some member of the cast every month along with the David
Cassidys, Bobby Shermans and David Souls of the era. Jonathan Frid, a well
cast, middle aged Shakespearian actor, was promoted by the teen mags as a heartthrob along
with David Selby. Oh, there were lots of episodes where the show dragged
along, nothing much happening past ham-handed acting with lots of too long
periods building to action- hey, it ran five days EVERY WEEK, they had to
fill some of that air time as best they could. Was it over the top, Gothic
camp at times? Absolutely, and as a kid I loved every minute of it. Who ever
heard of the kind of the promotional tie-ins DS had in the world of the soap
opera? This reviewer himself can recall having owned dozens of paperback
books, trading cards with nasty gum in the package, posters, a board game,
and a record album or two with the Dark Shadows logo adorning the product.
As I understand it the soundtrack album is still one of the all time best
sellers in its genre. For cryin' out loud, the vehicle was popular enough to
have spawned two theatrical films (which would be great to see finally make
their way to the DVD format) and 1991 (along the same time period of the
first Gulf War, preempting some episodes) saw a short lived, quickly
canceled revival of the series with new actors in a prime time TV
slot.
Dark Shadows introduced me and likely many other viewers to the talents of
director and producer Dan Curtis, God bless him; after Dark Shadows he gave
us the also innovative ABC-TV movie "The Night Stalker", introducing the
world to one Carl Kolchak and furthering his adventures in the movie sequel
"The Night Strangler" as well as a short lived "Kolchak: The Night Stalker"
television series in which to enjoy more Curtis creepiness. He frequently
worked with horror/sci-fi writer Richard Matheson, who gave us some
wonderful works of his own over a period of decades, among them personal
favorites such as "I Am Legend" (the novel which was turned into "The Omega
Man" with Charlton Heston) and "Bid Time Return" (the novel title for cult
favorite "Somewhere In Time"). Curtis was also at the helm for the
groundbreaking miniseries "The Winds Of War" which garnered 4 Emmy
nominations. Both Dan and his wife died in March this year, his wife passing
only 20 days before him. As I understand it he spent the last few years of
his life overseeing the release of the entire Dark Shadows series on DVD,
which has to be one of the reasons the sets boast a fair degree of quality
given their 35 year old daytime television vintage.
Unfortunately by this point in the series, things had gotten pretty zany;
let's face it, when you have Jonathan Frid NOT playing Barnabas in a
storyline, you know you've hit a wall. it seems as if the five year run had
depleted the writers' well of ethereal creepiness from which they could
draw. At what was probably the shows' peak the door had been opened to
implement time travel to both the past and future as well as parallel time
to the show; that premise seemed to be one upon which the show would draw
again and again, usually making a many month run from it each time. We had
seen vampires, werewolves, ghosts, witches, warlocks, Leviathans, a Phoenix
(which it is mentioned was a plotline that likely saved the show early on),
zombies, a man-made monster (Adam) ala' the Frankenstein monster , spirit
possession, reincarnation, I-Ching, and heaven knows what else. The creative
demands of writing five episodes each week for five years sounds impossible;
if anything, the creative team is to be applauded for being as innovative as
they were for so long.
The particular episodes of Collection 26 are numbers
1227 - 1245, and are a continuance of the 1841 Parallel Time storyline.
James Forsythe's spirit revels why he placed a curse on the Collins family
in 1680; because of this curse, a member of the Collins lineage must spend
the night in a mysterious room and not only survive but also be sane in
order for the curse to be broken. Bramwell Collins (Jonathan Frid) returns,
hoping to marry Catherine Harridge (played by Kate Jackson), but she
instead marries Morgan Collins- unaware she is pregnant with Bramwell's
child. Enraged upon learning that Bramwell and Catherine have taken up their
romance again, Morgan tries to kill the two by locking them into the mysterious
room-but they survive and break the curse forever, finally laying to rest
the evil spirits at Collinwood forevermore.
Personally, growing up there were a number of interesting Dark Shadows
storylines that appealed to me far more than the one these final episodes
bring to the viewer; the 1987 time travel period in which Quentin (David
Selby, virtually becoming an overnight sensation) is introduced to the
show, the 1791 storyline giving us the origin of Barnabas becoming a
vampire, and the first parallel time sequence come to mind. Sadly the show
fairly limped to the finish line, evidenced by these last chapters. There
are a number of good reasons to pick this one up, however. The Dark Shadows
completists will want the collection for obvious reasons- it makes the end
of the set, even though MPI reportedly will now begin releasing the first
200+ shows of the series, those aired before the introduction of Barnabas.
In my opinion what sets this set apart from the others is what the producers
have done having only 19 episodes to release; they used 2 discs of the 4
disc set space to give the fans several hours of nifty Dark Shadows
extras.
Extras-
Dark Shadows Tribute- Coming in at just over an hour, this 30th
anniversary documentary is a joy to watch; with interviews from many of
the cast members apparently given at a convention during the Clinton
presidential years, we get to listen to several familiar actors giving
their takes on the experience of being a part of the Dark Shadows
legacy. Virtually all the main cast members (and a few who went on to
make bigger names post-DS) are represented here in one form or another,
and quite often in tandem; Louis Edmonds, David Selby, John Karlen, Kate
Jackson, Denise Nickerson (whom this reviewer had a monstrous crush on
in his childhood years watching the show), Donna Wandrey, and Conrad Bain
show
themselves to be both personable and grateful for the notoriety that
being a part of Dark Shadows has afforded them. Incidentally,
both Kathryn Leigh-Scott and Lara Parker must have Dorian Gray-type
pictures in a closet somewhere; 30 years after the shows' cancellation
they are still vibrant, strikingly beautiful women.
There are period excerpts from both the Mike Douglass Show with Joan
Bennett, and the Merv Griffin Show interviewing an engaging Jonathan Frid.
Grayson
Hall is represented here both by her DS writer/husband Sam Hall as well
as older footage. Trailers for both theatrical films are also shown, as
well as bits of footage spanning the years of the TV show, and a bit of
discussion with Sam Hall on how the sequel had to be rewritten because of
Frid's refusal to participate. This extra alone is
probably worth the price of the set and should be a treat for any Dark
Shadows fan.
Scariest Moments From Dark Shadows- About 30 minutes in length, tons
of excerpts from the show with lots of creepy(and campy, goofy)scenes.
The Best Of Barnabas- Also at 30 minutes, plenty of footage of
Jonathan Frid as the
quintessential Barnabas!
Dark Shadows 25th Anniversary Special- The cast reunites for the 1991
Dark Shadows Festival fan convention. Includes series highlights. Much like
the Tribute documentary, at around 40 minutes.
The Making Of The Return To Collinwood- Comes in at around 20 minutes; original series actors talk
about performing their characters again for the first time in decades, this time in the form of an audiobook type story.
Dan Curtis- before The Shadows- The late creator and executive
producer discusses his show business background.
The Mistress Of Collinwood- Joan Bennett- Colleagues fondly recall the
former movie star who came to the soap and played Elizabeth Collins
Stoddard.
A Fan Remembers- Jay Nass reflects on his New York childhood visiting
the Dark Shadows studio. Includes home movies.
1970 Dark Shadows Rehearsal & Pretape Segments with Lara Parker
1984 Dark Shadows PBS Promos with Jonathan Frid
1969 ABC-TV Promotional Announcements
The Beginning- A preview of the earliest Dark Shadows episodes before
the arrival of Barnabas; definitely a smart promo for upcoming MPI Dark Shadows releases.
Dark Shadows Vampires & Ghosts
Movie Trailers- Vintage film previews featuring Dark Shadows
actors.
The DVD-
Dark Shadows Collection 26 is a 4 disc set, attractively packaged in
an oversized DVD case with four disc holders. Also in the case is an insert
and a post card. There is 12 1/2 hours of material here, so settle in and
get comfortable.
Video-
Aspect ratio here is 1.33:1 fullscreen, preserving the original manner in
which the show was broadcast. Given the material with which to work, you're
bound to see problems; when DS was on the air the probability of future
syndication might have been considered, but not eventual archival mediums
such as videotape and DVD. You'll see occasional tape glitches, lines,
smearing, haze, some dirt and shadowy instances here and there. In spite of
this, the video quality is actually pretty good, all things taken into
account. Colors are rich and well represented and while by no means razor
sharp the picture is adequate. This is footage from a daytime soap thats now
going on forty years old, folks. It'll do.
Audio-
The audio here is Dolby Digital Stereo, a track which seems to brave some of
the shortcomings of the 60's medium. There are occasional compression as
well as mixing problems, but for the most part its clear and easy to
understand.
Final Thoughts-
If you're a Dark Shadows fanatic, you're likely to buy this just to make the claim that you have it; the set contains the series' final episodes, and as such is a landmark in the history of the show.
This is a swan song that isn't really a swan song; MPI will still be
releasing the first 200 plus pre-Barnabas episodes to adoring DS fans,
likely with the same time cycle they're used thus far. When I was a kid,
Dark Shadows was creepy, fun television to watch several times each and
every week. Thirty-five years later its even more fun to watch. What's here
for the more casual viewer? Alot, actually. It is significant that these are
the last episodes that were aired, and our last look at a great cast, but
what really sets this set apart from the previous installments is the
plethora of Dark Shadows extras MPI has added. For that reason alone I highly
recommend this set above many of the Dark Shadows Collections that came
before it. |
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