Ockeghem's All Things DARK SHADOWS (w/Spoilers) (1 Viewer)

[Ockeghem]

"Yes this is a jump to 1969 which aired late May of 1897."
Mark,
This would have been shown on one of the very first televisions, yes?

 

[handley]

Scott, I found that birthday party scene to be one of the creepiest in the entire series!
I'm now up through Episode #949...right in the thick of the Leviathan storyline. I've found Chris Pennock to be quite effective as Jeb Hawkes, but Geoffrey Scott's portrayal of Sky Rumson is pretty tough to watch. He seems to be just reading his lines and looks lost most of the time. He gets my vote for worst actor in the series thus far.

 

[Mark Collins]

Paul love your comments. The episode was strange indeed. The idea though was to give us the clues to Quentins demise and help Barnabas to stop it. I will be returning to the Laura 1967 storyline on Saturdays until it concludes in March. The trio of Barnabas Quentin and Julia out to end the Leviathans takes some interesting turns. Poor Amanda Harris. The actor had a trick played on her in her last scene. She speaks about it on one of the dvds. " Do you want to see Barnabas" John Karlen trying to excite fans at i believe one of the last movie sites. I believe the crew were in a party mood and really enjoyed playing up to fans during the last days of shooting House of Dark Shadows on location. John Karlen has lots of stories on the show. Scott happy DS viewing 2013 my friend.

 

[handley]

I'm now up through Episode #969. Peter Bradford (his ghost) has made a surprise return. Jeb and Carolyn have just been wed, but for how long...only the SHADOW knows! Also, Barnabas opened the door to an abandoned room and saw Julia and Elizabeth, only he couldn't communicate with them and they seemed "different" somehow...not sure what that was all about, but I'm intrigued.

 

[Ockeghem]

Also, Barnabas opened the door to an abandoned room and saw Julia and Elizabeth, only he couldn't communicate with them and they seemed "different" somehow...not sure what that was all about, but I'm intrigued.

Paul, In my opinion, you are in for one of the most remarkable treats in all of Dark Shadows now! I can't wait to get there (again) myself. On a related note, you (and other fans of Dark Shadows) might be interested in something I saw last night for the first time. My family and I were watching an episode of Little House On the Prairie. This was an episode that I had never seen before. It is called "Haunted House." I won't go into great detail regarding the episode, but suffice it to say that there is a scary looking house, a portrait of a young woman (often gazed upon lovingly by a man -- a recluse -- who lives in the house), and a music box that plays a haunting theme as the man imagines the woman to be dancing around in the house. I think fans of Dark Shadows would like this episode. My family and I enjoyed it a lot.

 

[Mark Collins]

Hey Scott. I think one of those writers is a DS fan from what you describe. DS had not been off the air that long when that TV series began to air. I will not give away Paul but you are in for a treat. Did you know that DS had advanced in special effects so they could do what you describe. I remember them talking about just what you watched and should maybe even be on your dvd extras for that set you are watching now where they describe the process. I always wondered where they would have went if the show had gone on with the new advances. I never understood the mention of Vicky by Jeb when he and Peter speak. Were you surprised to get our favortite bad guy back? I love the scences between Angelique and Nicholas. When he comes back he states there is a most particular reason why he will be useing Collinwood as his base but we never find out. I love how Roger and Quentin try to rescue Julia from the Zombies. Nicholas and Julia meet and he always treats he with respect. I was always intrigued by the thought that Nicholas and Julia could have been an item as they used to say. He really liked and respected her. Well I will not talk on the things you have not seen. I remember that Barnabas scene and the room when it first aired. Happy viewing. I am at the point where Laura is about to cast her first spell on Sam. I remember I loved that episode. The first is a kinescope and the next day is a regular episode. I had to cut it off right before that epsiode last weekend. Crazy as it sounds but i hated to do it. I know the out come but I am just a kid about this show. I brought that first Nicholas ep to school so my one friend could hear it. Do you know you have now crossed into the very last 12 months of the show.

 

[Brent S]

I never understood the mention of Vicky by Jeb when he and Peter speak. When he comes back he states there is a most particular reason why he will be useing Collinwood as his base but we never find out.

It was implied. Nicholas' "particular reason" was revenge for his earlier failure [an army of Adams] at Collinwood, and against the people who were key in that downfall. Notably Vicky's final [offscreen] fate in 1796 at Jeb's hands, and the selection of Barnabas to lead the Leviathans in 1970.

 

[handley]

Scott, I remember that Little House episode...I believe the great character actor John Anderson played the old man. Next time I see it, I'll think of DS. I watched Episode #971 last night...okay, so I guess this is the start of the "parrallel time" storyline. I thought it was cool how that book came thru the "time bend" (by that noted author "William Hollingshead Loomis")! I've always been fascinated with multi-universe and time travel theories, etc., so this should be fun. BLOOPER ALERT: I spotted a crew member in the background as Julia and Willie are entering the room to stake Megan.

 

[Brent S]

I spotted a crew member in the background as Julia and Willie are entering the room to stake Megan.

Probably the same guy hiding in the mausoleum, when Barnabas strangled Angelique back in 1795. He didn't try to help anybody!

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott, I remember that Little House episode...I believe the great character actor John Anderson played the old man. Next time I see it, I'll think of DS.

Paul, You're right, it was John Anderson. I remember (and so do my children) seeing him in an episode of The Rifleman, in which he played a legendary old frontier hunter who challenges Lucas to a shooting contest.

 

[Dan5ielle]

The story line is quickly moving from Willie and Barnabas to Maggie and Barnabas.

 

[classicmovieguy]

Can somebody please help with this question... This episode is in Collection 4 of the series... In the opening moments of #343, when the camera is panning down across Julia's chemistry equipment, there is a brief cut-off of the soundtrack. Is this a fault of the master or is this a DVD playback issue?

 

[Mark Collins]

It was implied. Nicholas' "particular reason" was revenge for his earlier failure [an army of Adams] at Collinwood, and against the people who were key in that downfall. Notably Vicky's final [offscreen] fate in 1796 at Jeb's hands, and the selection of Barnabas to lead the Leviathans in 1970.

Hi Byron no the episode was designed that way. I just took a look at what you are talking about. The music stops is what you mean but you can hear the equipment. The noise when Julia puts the cube into the boiling pot is not drowned out and perhaps that was why there is no music. DS many times had these quick music cut offs. I can think of a few episodes where it seemed the person editing the music was doing a very bad job. Willie has Maggie in the tomb at Eagle Hill is one that was really bad. Barnabas music over another character in one epiosode. Hi Brent. Yes I thought that was what meant from the first time I watched it when it aired but I felt there was another reason and they wanted to have a mystery the most particular reason to use Collinwood as Nicholas states. Roger Davis was brought back because the movie would be shooting in the next month or so. He was brought on the show while waiting. The Vicky thing was just his reason for revenge. He states she was made to jump from Widows Hill by Jeb. Jeb alive at that time and Nicholas had nothing to do with it. Jeb states he had nothing to do with it too. The whole thing was stupid and the writers would do this to the fans many times even the dates of flashbacks 1795 96 and then 97. They would at times go outside and ask the fans who were outside the studio when they could not remember a past storyline as one star of the show stated.

 

[classicmovieguy]

I didn't mean a cut-off of the music, but cut-off of the actual SOUND. It lasts for probably just a second and comes as the camera is panning down over Julia's chemistry equipment, but I was just wondering if it was part of the video master used. There's also 2 brief sound cut-offs during the opening titles of episode #310.

 

[Brian Himes]

I would have to go back and rewatch the episode in question but most likely the sound drop out is a fault in the original master tape. There are a lot of episodes with very obvious video and sound faults. I get the impression that the tapes were not very well cared for over the years. Another possible reason is that the company doing the digital transfer of the episodes to DVD out of complete ingnorace of the series, did edit out some of the audio bloopers that were a part of the original master tape. If I'm remembering the episode correctly as the camera is panning down the table there is an off camera cough. It is possible that the cough was edited out and that is the brief moment of silence that you are hearing. They did the same thing a couple of other times that I can remember. There is a scene between Barnabas and Vicky in Collinwood where you used to be able to hear hammering going on backstage. It was VERY loud and Jonathan Frid even gets a frustrated look on his face and rolls his eyes briefly. On the DVDs the hammering sound is no longer there. Also there is a scene between Caroline and Barnabas where they are discussing Julia's notebook and there is some kind of squeeking or some other type of audio annomoly. On the DVDs that sound has been edited out as well. So, either way, I don't think that it is a flaw in playback of your DVD. It is either a dropout inherant in the original master tape or the company that did the digital transger editied some audio blooper out and the silence is the result. However, I will pull out my DVD and take a listen just to be sure.

 

[Brian Himes]

Ok, I watched the beginning of the episode you mentioned. The off camera coughing is there. Some much for my theory about that being the dropout you mentioned. I did hear the part you are refering to. It is my guess that it is a fault in the original master tape. The only way that I could be 100% sure would be to find the episode on the original VHS release (Yes I still have all 254 VHS tapes of the series). The VHS releases are 100% accurate to the original master tapes. Audio and video faults in all.

 

[classicmovieguy]

Thanks for letting me know... just checking if I had a dud disc.

 

[handley]

Thanks for letting me know... just checking if I had a dud disc.

I also checked my DVD copy of that episode and the brief drop-out is there.

 

[Ockeghem]

"The VHS releases are 100% accurate to the original master tapes. Audio and video faults in all." Correct. I'm thankful that I have all 254 (and then some) of the VHS tapes of the series as well.

 

[Mark Collins]

The fact is I never saw any of these bloopers or tape probems when first viewed by me as a kid during the shows original broadcast. I even had the pleasure of seeing the show twice over when I was a kid. Sort of like a VCR. I think Scott was able to view it twice too. We all know when the set caught fire in the histroy making episode where Julia confronts Barnabas at the end of it. I remember that Scott said the famous bloopers are on one of the special DVDs. I think it came out on on the special DVD between DVD 26 and the collectors series if memory is correct. I also have the VHS blooper tape too. Yes they did edit on the DVDS but ended the practice when fans became angry. I think it must be early in the transfer. Set 4 must be ok because as I watched the episode it is just how i remember it . I remember the episode on VHS where Barnabas bites Carolyn and she waits to see him after the bite. He is now young again begins to speak and the lines are all wrong. We hear the same words twice. I had a tape of the scene and had to hang on to it because of this fact. MPI did correct it when the DVD came out. Kinescope episode it was remember Scott? I also was frustrated with the episode transfer of Julia and the Sheriff talking in Collinwood. The episode takes place during the time Barnabas and Julia are taking care of Joe at the Old House after Angelique tells Barnabas to kill him. Joe instead tries to kill Barnabas. I loved this storyline. I have to say this. Watching the show as a kid I never once noticed bloopers. Even when I watched the show again restored I had to have it pointed out in the famous blooper tape. I so loved Dark Shadows that I was caught up in story and acting and did not care about anything else. I remember hearing that fans at the festivials would laugh during epsode screenings. I just could not do that.