California Dark Shadows Festival Update

The Dark Shadows Festival have released more information on their upcoming Dark Shadows Island Weekend, which takes place in Coronado Island, California on April 27-28. As previously announced, the event will comprise a gala screening of the new film Dr. Mabuse, with a celebrity luncheon taking place at the Marriott Coronado Hotel and resort the following day.

The Festival says: "In the spirit of Dark Shadows, fans in California and surrounding states may want to consider taking Amtrack train service to San Diego for the Dark Shadows Island Weekend on Coronado Island, a short taxi ride via bridge from downtown San Diego.

The Amtrack Pacific Surfliner Train from Los Angeles' Union Station to San Diego is just one of many train options for those who do not travel by air. For all train schedules to San Diego, go to the Amtrack website. Additionally, the Marriott Coronado Hotel & Resort has extended their special Dark Shadows discount sleeping room rate until April 10."

To receive discount Dark Shadows sleeping room rates at the Marriott, use the online reservation form or call the Marriott toll-free reservations line at 1-888-236-2427. You must mention the Dark Shadows Group Code drkdrka to receive the discount room rate. For online reservations, you must type in the code into the online form when making your reservation.

Additionally, the Festival reports that: "David Selby (Quentin Collins) will perform a new musical concert he has written, Shadows and Light, including songs and poetry about Dark Shadows. Joining him will be his wife Chip on piano and James Storm (Gerard Stiles) on guitar. All attendees will receive a special gift bag of goodies, and all of the actors will participate in a question and answer panel with the fans followed by autographs, socializing and new Dark Shadows merchandise."

To view the event flyer, with full booking details and an itinerary for the weekend, click here.

Joan Bennett: From Collinwood to Hollywood

We're delighted to share two recently-discovered images of Joan Bennett backstage on the set of NBC's Hollywood Squares, taken on September 13, 1970. Joan was appearing on the much-loved game show to promote the release of House of Dark Shadows.

Joan is seen pictured with panelist Bill Reynolds and her good friend, horror legend Vincent Price in the first image, and is seen alongside Hollywood Squares and Bewitched regular Paul Lynde in the second. Click on the images for a larger view.

Barnabas Makes Headlines

• TV Guide have named Barnabas Collins one of TV's 60 Nastiest Villians of All Time. Barnabas placed at number eight: "The Dracula of daytime TV was a spooky and tragically romantic 200-year-old vampire who haunted Collinsport and pursued the local female population fangs first," says the magazine.
• The Hamilton Spectator has published an update on the fan campaign to get Jonathan Frid immortalised on Canada's Walk of Fame. In the piece, Jonathan's nephew Dave Howitt reveals that the original Barnabas cane, which the actor kept until the end of his life, has now been donated to the Smithsonian Museum. To read more, click here.
• And finally, original Dark Shadows writer Joe Caldwell was recently interviewed by Tor, discussing his involvement in the creation of Barnabas. "We never wanted to play to the metaphor, but instead, play the vampire straight," he explains. "The audience wouldn’t connect with Barnabas if he didn’t seem like a real person, with real problems... We almost wanted to make you forget he was a vampire sometimes." To read the full article, click here.

Kathryn Leigh Scott's Novel Mystery

Dark Shadows actress Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans) has written a new novel, Down and Out in Beverly Heels, which is released today. We caught up her to chat about the book's inspirations and her writing routine...

So Kathryn, what was your starting point for Down and Out in Beverly Heels?

I once saw a segment of 60 Minutes about women who were living homeless in affluent neighbourhoods in plain sight – what I call homeless and hiding it. I was intrigued by the idea of a woman who had it all and lost everything, and it doesn't take much. Illness, bad investments, career meltdown, divorce, mental health issues or natural disaster can destroy everything in short order. For me, writing and acting always begin with a what if? So I imagined not only what it would be to lose everything – home, friends, reputation, earning potential – but how to survive it and, most important, redemption and finding the road back. But I also write funny, so my story has an edgy humour.

You first published the story as Murder in Primetime, back in 2006. What made you decide to revisit the idea and how different is the new version from the original?

I printed a limited number of Murder in Prime Time paperbacks that were never sold in stores, but only available to fans of Dark Shadows at the festivals and on my website. I asked everyone who read the book to send me their suggestions to make it better. Well... I got so many really complimentary letters full of ideas... I used all those reviews and comments to rewrite the book, and even changed the name of the lead character. It's a far better book, and I am now almost finished with the sequel!

The theme of suddenly losing one's financial security seems more topical now than it was when the book was first published...

In truth, these days anyone can identify with this story because it's about people who have worked hard, found success through their own efforts and then see it all wiped out. Who doesn't understand that?

Meg, your central character, is an actress from a cult television show. Dare we ask how much of her is drawn from your own experiences?

I write like an actress. I write in scenes and imagine what I would do 'if'... Hollywood is a world I know and experience, so it's fun to write about, but also when something goes wrong, the public exposure is terrific! I know you can hear my voice in the writing, but Meg Barnes is quite different from me and what she experiences only exists in my imagination.

What's your approach to writing? Are you disciplined when working on a manuscript?

I make up a story and write it down in a few pages, that are full of what ifs. Then I write an outline and force myself to write 1,000 words or three pages a day and I don't get a glass of wine until I do. Sometimes I find an excuse to come up with less, but it has to be a really good excuse.

Who inspires you as a writer?

I've always been a fan of the great British women mystery writers, who create wonderful atmosphere, characters you care about and stories that pull you into their world...  Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, P.D. James, Josephine Tey... I love them and their use of language! And I'll never be their equal.

Nonetheless, is there a particular passage or scene in the book you're proud of?

There are some scenes where Meg is auditioning and working on set that I think really capture the behind-the-scenes experience... and I'm most proud of the scenes when Meg is very vulnerable as a homeless woman living in her car.

What are you working on next? Are there any more novels in the pipeline?

I have a screenplay based on Down and Out in Beverly Heels completed and another screenplay in the works. I'm almost finished with the sequel to Down and Out... I am half through a non-fiction book  and have the sequel to Dark Passages to write.

To order Down and Out from Beverly Heels in paperback and Kindle formats, click here.

Kathryn is also offering fans a bonus signed bookmark with proof of purchase from the book from Amazon. For more information, click here. Kathryn will be signing copies of the book at New York's Barnes & Noble store on 82nd Street and Broadway on Monday April 1 from 7.00pm. For full event details, click here.

A Glimpse Inside The Studio

Reader Ron Edens has written in to share some great shots of the original Dark Shadows studio, located on Manhattan's West 53rd Street. More than 40 years on, it's a still a working studio space, and until recently was the home of The Wendy Williams Show. 

"It was actually formerly a lumber yard before ABC took it over and although narrow, extends north from 53rd up to 54th, thus giving them a block's length to have multiple sets up at one time," explains Ron. "I rang the bell and a worker came to the door and I asked if I could take a peek. He said, unfortunately, no way. OK, I thought, fair enough, so I took a picture from the street and then went over to 54th Street to see the loading dock entrance. Lo and behold, the bay doors were open, so I took a couple of pictures! It's pretty exciting to see where the Collinwood drawing room and all of those other great sets were!" Click on the images for a larger view.

March News Digest

• A fan campaign is underway to get Jonathan Frid (Barnabas Collins) commemorated on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2013. If you would like to submit a nomination for Jonathan, you can do so by clicking here.
• Sharon Smyth Lentz (Sarah Collins) has just launched a new official website, offering signed photographs and other merchandise. To pay a visit, click here. 
• Christopher Pennock (Jeb Hawkes) is one of the artists taking part in Hanged, a group art exhibit which runs at the JP Art Market until March 31. For more information, click here.
• Bella Heathcote (Movie Victoria Winters) is to star in a new independent film, The Curse of Downers Grove. The movie is slated to begin production this spring.   
• The Tim Burton Dark Shadows movie comes to Cinemax next month. The film will be seen daily on the channel, with screenings beginning on April 6.
• And finally, visual effects house Buf have posted some of their work on Dark Shadows, demonstrating before and after versions of the digital effects shots they contributed. The video can be viewed in the window below.

Pictures From a Scrapbook

It was with sadness that we recently learned about the death of Dark Shadows audio engineer Frank Bailey. His niece, Mary Spohn contacted us to give us her memories of Frank and his time on the show:

"Frank W. Bailey was my Uncle. I know very little about him but I will tell you what I can. Uncle Frank was born September 10, 1914 in Bradford, Philadelphia. He passed away May 19, 2012 in New York City and laid to rest at a Military Cemetery in Long Island NY. 

Frank Bailey had a younger brother and sister. His brother Lee died about 20 years ago and his sister – my Mom Alice – died 38 years ago. When I was in school I had to run home every afternoon to watch Dark Shadows. I loved watching that show and seeing Uncle Frank’s name under 'Audio'.

I felt I had a famous uncle. Recently I discovered he had a small part in the Ulysses adaptation by James Joyce in 1967. He also did sound for the soap One Life to Live and won an Emmy. He did some work at the Olympics and won an Emmy. He received an award for 25 years service for ABC."

Mary also shares some rare candid Dark Shadows shots from Frank's scrapbooks, taken by fellow audio engineer Henry Plimack in 1970. Shown above is Kate Jackson (Daphne Harridge); Below: Director Henry Kaplan oversees rehearsals on the Eagle bar set; Christopher Pennock (Gabriel Collins) on the drawing room set; Longtime series director and producer Lela Swift; Henry Kaplan conducts the actors with his trademark baton in the rehearsal room. Click on the images for a larger view.

News In Brief

• Dynamite have announced a new comic book miniseries, Dark Shadows: Year One, which will explore the origins of many of the show's familiar characters. Says the publisher: "How did Barnabas Collins become a bloodthirsty vampire? All it took was one night of weakness, and Barnabas cursed his family – and himself – forever! The twisted tale of one of pop culture's most iconic and enduring vampires begins here!" The series hits stores from April onwards.
• James Storm (Gerard Stiles) can be heard in the new online radio drama Hothouse Bruiser, a hard-boiled dystopian detective series. To find out more and listen to excerpts online, visit the show's official website.
• Elizabeth Wilson, who appeared in the very first episode of Dark Shadows as Mrs Hopewell, can be seen in the new Bill Murray movie Hyde Park on Hudson. Elizabeth is still acting at the grand age of 91 and plays Mrs. Roosevelt in the new film.
• David Selby (Quentin Collins) has just filmed a guest appearance for TNT's drama series Rizzoli & Isles. He's also set to appear in You Are Here, a new film from Mad Men creator Matt Weiner. 
• Marie Wallace (Eve) has been added to the guests sailing on Dark Shadows Festival's 2013 cruise to Bermuda, taking place from October 27. For information on the event, click here.
• And finally, Sharon Smyth (Sarah Collins) and Kathleen Cody (Hallie Stokes) are to appear at Seaview Terrace, the original Collinwood, as part of a special event on May 18, which will include a ghost tour of the historic mansion. For more information, click here.

April California Shadows Events Announced

The Dark Shadows Festival have announced a weekend of special events for April, taking place in Coronado, California. Stars from the show will appear for a gala screening of the new independent film Doctor Mabuse and a celebrity fan luncheon. 

Saturday April 27 sees the official premiere of Doctor Mabuse with Jerry Lacy (Reverend Trask) Lara Parker (Angelique) and Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans) appearing to sign autographs and discuss the project onstage. The event takes place at the historic Coronado Village Theatre. 

Sunday April 28 will see a celebrity luncheon held at the nearby Marriott Coronado Island Resort with guests in attendance. David Selby (Quentin Collins) will appear to give a dramatic performance with live music, followed by autographs and panel discussions. The Marriott is offering a discount price for rooms across the weekend; to receive the special price, use the code drkdrka when booking online.

The event flyer is shown below. To view it in high resolution, click here.

Dark Shadows Movie Artistry

• Prosthetic make-up company BGFX have released some images of their work from the recent Dark Shadows feature film, including an unused design for an emaciated Barnabas. Check it out online by clicking here.
• Concept artist James Carson has posted a gallery of Dark Shadows artwork on his website, including early designs for the interiors of the Collinwood mansion. To view it online, click here.
• And finally, the Moving Picture Company have posted a video breakdown of their visual effects work on Dark Shadows, which can be viewed in the window below.

Conrad Bain: 1923-2013

It is with sadness that we report the death of veteran actor Conrad Bain, who has succumbed to natural causes at the age of 89. Conrad died on Monday January 14 in his hometown of Livermore, California.

As a jobbing actor, he appeared in four episodes of Dark Shadows as innkeeper Mr Wells, beginning with the show's very first episode in 1966. Two years later, he returned for a final fatal encounter with werewolf Chris Jennings. 

To more recent generations, he is best remembered for his role as Phillip Drummond on the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, along with film appearances in Bananas and Postcards From The Edge. Our condolances go out to Conrad's friends and family.

Picture of the Week: Mitchell Gives Chase

This week, it's a publicity still from Chase, the 1973 cop show that starred Mitchell Ryan (Burke Devlin). The brainchild of The A-Team creator Stephen J. Cannell, the high-octane drama cast Mitchell as the leader of a team of undercover Los Angeles cops and ran for one season on NBC.

Chase's short primetime reign was a disappointing experience for Mitchell, who dismissed the show as "badly cast... badly directed," when later reflecting on its troubled production. "When it started doing badly in the ratings, they cut the stunt budget," the actor told The Modesto Bee in 1976: "That was the one area – those chases – where the show was good."

If you would like to submit an image for Picture of the Week, email webmaster@collinwood.net.

Picture of the Week: Drawn-Out George

This week it's a great 1961 caricature of second Burke Devlin actor Anthony George, in his guise as one of the detectives of Checkmate. Anthony is pictured with his co-stars Sebastian Cabot and Doug McClure.

Offscreen, the pressure of heading the cast of primetime television show often placed a strain on Anthony, as he revealed in a 1962 interview with The Evening Independent. "I still haven't figured myself out yet... I'm now getting what I fought for – and, believe me, it wasn't an easy fight – I should be deliriously happy with myself, but I'm not." 

Anthony went on to explain the frustrations of Checkmate's fast turnaround. "Why do they keep rewriting scripts? Do you know what it's like to memorize a script at home with the feeling that no matter how letter-perfect you master your lines, they're going to change it anyway?" He concluded: "To me, it's like driving a car with faulty brakes!"

If you would like to submit an image for Picture of the Week, email webmaster@collinwood.net.

End of Year News Bites

• Earlier in the year, we reported about a host of foreign editions of Lara Parker's novel Angelique's Descent, which have recently been joined by a Hungarian edition of the sequel, The Salem Branch. The new version, seen above, has been published under the title Salem Kísértete (Salem's Ghosts). Click on the thumbnail image for a larger view.
• Dynamite will be publishing a second Dark Shadows graphic novel next Spring, collecting their recent Dark Shadows: Vampirella offshoot. The 112-page trade paperback is due out in April and can be pre-ordered at a discount price by clicking here.
• Donna McKechnie (Amanda Harris) returns to New York in January with her one-woman show. Donna will be appearing at Broadway nightclub 54 Below on January 2, 3 and 6 at 7.00pm and January 4 and 5 at 8.30pm. For more information and to book tickets online, click here.
• This is our last update of 2012. Thanks to everyone who has read, contributed to, and supported the site over the past year – it's been a privilege to document these exciting times. However, the year was not without sadness, and the loss of Dark Shadows' greatest star, Barnabas actor Jonathan Frid, is still keenly felt. Keep visiting in 2013 and remember you can also keep abreast of the latest Dark Shadows news from us on Twitter and Facebook.

Marie Wallace Returns Home

We're delighted to report that beloved Dark Shadows actress Marie Wallace (Eve) has returned home after a spell in hospital. As we previously reported, Marie was injured back in October, after falling from the stage during a performance and has been recuperating since. Marie left hospital care just in time for Christmas.

Marie wrote in to share this message: "Please tell all the fans how touched I am by the hundreds of cards, notes and letters of good wishes and healing I received. I know it was their love and support that helped me heal so fast."

To keep up with Marie's current activities and projects, visit her official website by clicking here.