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

Ockeghem

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Tonight, we watched episodes 222-225/226, for a total of four episodes. (The episode marked 225/226 is one episode, with the first numbered episode being pre-empted. ABC did not wish to omit any of the numberings even when episodes were pre-empted, which occurred twenty times during the series original run. This accounts for the discrepancy in some sources for the episodes totaling 1245 instead of the actual 1225.)

The story line is quickly moving from Willie and Barnabas to Maggie and Barnabas. Even though we haven't heard the word vampire (and won't for quite some time in the series), we did get to see the fangs for the first time in one of these episodes. And the make-up job on Barnabas is very dark, especially around the eyes. He's one sinister character when the lighting hits his face just right.
 

GeorgeJA

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Originally Posted by Ockeghem
George,

I was kind of hoping that Willie I had stayed on long enough to be the one who got decked by Burke. Poor Willie II -- he didn't even do anything to either Carolynn or Victoria! ;)

Scott, I'll drink to that!

Another thing I wanted to mention about that last Blue Whale scene: I detected the Beatles song "She's A Woman" on the jukebox.
 

Ockeghem

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Originally Posted by GeorgeJA


Scott, I'll drink to that!

Another thing I wanted to mention about that last Blue Whale scene: I detected the Beatles song "She's A Woman" on the jukebox.

George,

You're right about the Beatles tune (although I don't know who was performing it). I too noticed it when I watched that episode. Good catch. :)
 

Charles Ellis

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I can answer the issue regarding #211. The bonus version with the commercials is in fact a restored videotape, as opposed to the kinescoped version seen in reruns for years. The original videotape was damaged for the final act of that episode- when Barnabas arrives at Collinwood and is greeted by Mrs. Johnson. MPI and Jim Pierson had acclaimed video restorer Kevin Segura use his Live Feed process(which actually restores videotape quality depth to old kinescopes) on the kinescope covering the 'lost' finale from 211. Then the restored last act was tacked on to the undamaged remainder of the master videotape for a new restored videotape master. Look at the bonus version from The Beginning, and you'll be amazed at the quality of the restored scene with Barnabas' introduction to Mrs. Johnson. Hard to believe that an old kinescope can be turned back to original video quality, but it has been done.

BTW, Kevin Segura also did the same with the kinescopes of Elvis' appearances on Ed Sullivan, and the entire collection of those 1956-57 shows are out on DVD!!

Some more info here:

http://www.americanclassictelevision.com/
 

Ockeghem

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^^^

Charles,

Thanks for that informative and very interesting information. It sounds as though we owe Mr. Segura a debt of gratitude not only for his work on some of Dark Shadows, but also for what he did with regard to The Ed Sullivan Show. :)

BTW, thanks also for the link. It should make for some very interesting reading.
 

Mark Collins

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Charles you are best the absolute best!!!! I cannot believe how I missed it. Now I must get 211 out and review again. Thankyou buddie and have a great time in LA!! I bet you even know when Eagle Hill got a mention. I thought it was Mrs Johnson to Wille. I think she states it is a little cemetary 5 miles north. You are best the supreme best. Oh and Scott and George please keep going I love this thread!!!
 

Claude North

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Yes, Charles. Thank you! I was wondering why the last act of episode 211 looked not quite as sharp as the rest of the episode. Would love to see what Segura could do with the other kinescopes in the series.
 

Ockeghem

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We completed episodes 227-228 last night. The Maggie - Barnabas story line is heating up, as is the Jason - Elizabeth story line. Jason has now forced his way into the business, much to Roger's (and Carolynn's) chagrin. He is now the director of marketing -- LOL. Although Jason can push Elizabeth around given what they both suspect regarding the basement, he has underestimated Carolynn. And to think that only a handful of episodes prior to this, Carolynn was referring to Jason as a 'charming' individual. ;)
 

Ockeghem

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George,

Last night, we watched nos. 229-230. We're moving on to Disc 3 tonight.

The connections are starting to be made between what has happened to several animals, Willie's loss of blood, and now Maggie's loss of blood. What I find interesting is that when I am viewing the series, it is fun to try to recall who has said what to whom when it comes to continuity. Sometimes, the camera work will help with this. For example, when the Doctor who was checking Maggie (at Sam's and Maggie's cottage) mentioned that she had had a loss of blood, the camera went almost immediately to Joe, as opposed to Sam. It may be that Joe at this point knows more than Sam does about this phenomenon. I do recall that it was Joe who broke the news (in the Blue Whale) to a couple of characters concerning how some of the animals had been drained of blood. He was quite creeped out when he was conveying this information, too.
 

GeorgeJA

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I actually watched the Original Series Disc 1 version of episode 211 and noticed it was not quite as good looking as the Bonus version even before I read Charles' informative post. But it was an interested read, and it was great to hear what they can do with kinescopes now. Thanks for that info, Charles.

I'm finishing up Disc 1 - just have two more episodes to go. Some thoughts:

That moment with Willie opening the coffin was priceless - just the expression on his face - the glee at first, thinking he's got the jewels, gradually turning into horror at what's really there, and then Barnabas' hand clutching his throat.

The family just loves Barnabas, but Vickie (sorry, I should say Victoria) has her warning signs flashing a bit. She's still in Nancy Drew mode.

I was surprised to see that right off the bat (no pun intended) they showed Barnabas' sympathetic side. I'm thinking of the scene where he first returns to the Old House and talking about his father while looking at Josette's portrait.

Nancy Barrett continues to impress me as an actress. I'm thinking of the scene where she sees Burke again and can't face him.

Scott, yes it was Joe (in episode 215) that broke the news about the calf that had it's blood drained. This was also where Willie finally returns. The unusual thing is that the entire episode takes place at the Blue Whale. How often has that happened?
 

Ockeghem

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"The family just loves Barnabas, but Vickie (sorry, I should say Victoria) has her warning signs flashing a bit. She's still in Nancy Drew mode."

George,

Yes. A name so beautiful that not a single syllable ought to be surrendered. ;)

"Scott, yes it was Joe (in episode 215) that broke the news about the calf that had it's blood drained. This was also where Willie finally returns. The unusual thing is that the entire episode takes place at the Blue Whale. How often has that happened?"

You know, I was thinking the same thing (and said as much to my daughter) when we saw this episode. It may have happened once before, but I am not certain. Did you also notice that the music for that particular episode was very non-Blue Whale like for much of it? I suppose that's not too surprising given the topics that were being discussed that evening.

And speaking of Nancy Barrett, I believe that she plays a total of eight parts in the series. Not too shabby, eh?

Incidentally, the bonus features for the last disc had Jonathan Frid speaking about his days on Dark Shadows. He spoke of how he believed that when he received his first piece of fan mail, he thought this was actually his walking papers! The interview was a very interesting segment. :)
 

GeorgeJA

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Scott,

I didn't notice the music, so after finishing the last two episodes of the disc, I went back and skimmed through episode 215. It starts out with their usual jukebox tunes, but I guessing you are referring to when Willie comes in, where the jukebox music stops and we get the atmospheric DS music instead. Speaking of Blue Whale music, the scene with Carolyn and Burke in episode 213 had something a little different too - the music was peppy and had a Latin rhythm to it.

No, Nancy Barrett is not at all shabby - she even convincingly played two totally opposite characters in the 1897 storyline. It was technically the same person, but you know what I mean.

It was nice to see Dana Elcar return as Sheriff Patterson. We also get the first appearance of future Barnabas nemesis, Dr. Woodard. However, there was an error in the credits as neither character was listed.
 

Ockeghem

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George,

Yes, that's right (about the Blue Whale music). Recently too, I've noticed a few tunes that are not the 'standard fare' that you hear whenever anyone deposits a coin into the juke box.

I didn't notice the omission in the credits. I'll look for that next time. I do know that in a future episode, they will refer to Dr. Hoffman as a 'he' since they believed for a short time that the character was going to be a male.

We finished nos. 231-232 two nights ago. And last night, we finished episodes 233-234. The Maggie Evans story line is getting a lot of attention, and we are hearing a lot more of dogs barking than usual in these episodes. Oh, and (as Barnabas says) "My faithful servant Willie..." is getting disciplined for a few things that he ought not to have done. ;)
 

Ockeghem

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We watched two more episodes tonight (nos. 235-236). Dr. Woodard gave the nurse one directive, and she couldn't keep it. She was gone for only ten seconds, and poof! Then again, it's in the script. ;)

It was wonderful to hear Josette's music box again. I bought a replica of this music box (with the same tune) for our daughter several years ago from one of the Dark Shadows fan clubs. She cherishes it. And yes, she also has some jasmine perfume. :)
 

GeorgeJA

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Scott,

Have you had your first "fangs" sighting yet? I ask because as of Episode 224, all the mayhem is still off screen.

A few things I really enjoyed:

Everyone's reaction to Willie's new attitude, *especially* Jason McGuire.

How smooth Barnabas can be. The best yet was when Liz asked him to get rid of Willie, how he turned on the charm. telling her how smart she is and how he'll abide by any decision she makes. /img/vbsmilies/htf/laugh.gif

The dream sequence with Maggie - it reminded me of the Dream Curse.
 

Ockeghem

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George,

Yes, it was during one of the episodes I saw this last week, so probably within the past seven or eight episodes. I will have to go back a page to see what episode it was, though. {You will probably see these for the first time in one of the episodes nos. 222-225/226.}

Side note: I saw Dennis Patrick on a season five episode of All In the Family last night. And guess what? He was a scheming, no-good, shrewd character in that episode as well! He was trying to sell Archie some aluminum siding for their brick house, and Archie was buying into it.
 

GeorgeJA

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Scott,

Yes, I did get to the scene. It was bit strange because at the end of the episode (I think it was 225), Barnabas enters Maggie's room and he opens his mouth and he has no fangs, but in the opening in the next episode, they redid the scene and Barnabas has the fangs. It was like they didn't have the prop the first time they shot it. Also, they are being a bit coy about things. We don't actually see Barnabas bite Maggie, but she is covering her neck in all her subsequent scenes. I'm wondering if Dan Curtis was worried about the censors at the time.

I have seen Dennis Patrick before in various shows. I probably have seen that "All In The Family" episode before as we rarely missed that show when it was on the air. His story on DS is starting to heat up again. I like that they have two different storylines going on at the same time.
 

Ockeghem

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George,

I thought the same thing when Maggie's neck was covered. I do believe that Dan Curtis was playing it safe. I believe I've either heard or read that somewhere before.

Last night and tonight, we watched episodes 237-240. When Barnabas dines with Maggie (Josette) at the Old House, I turned to my daughter and said how interesting it would have been had we not known for about two episodes that Maggie had been retained there already. In other words, what a surprise it would have been when she first appeared coming down the stairs, with her back toward us. Since we've seen the ghost of Josette numerous times, who knows what the viewer would have thought up to that point.

BTW, when we see eventually have Maggie sitting at the table with Barnabas, I could not help but think how easy it would have been to have prying eyes look through the window of the Old House (such as David often does when he visits there before going in to the house). And as you probably know, Sam and Joe do visit the Old House that evening -- to inform Barnabas that under the circumstances (Sam's daughter being missing), the portrait sittings will have to be suspended a bit. {BTW, there is a wonderful scene at the Blue Whale in episode #239. We've just cut from the Old House, and Sam and Joe are talking about Maggie's disappearance. When Sam mentions that he is thinking about going to the Old House 'tonight' to talk to Barnabas, Joe says he'd be happy to drive Sam there. At that exact moment, the music cue is very informative. It's nothing at all like music you often hear at the Blue Whale, and in this instance the viewer is being told something rather specific about what is occurring in the story line with Maggie.}

The tension that builds up with the two of them dining is quite interesting too. At any moment, someone could come to the door. And when they finally do, Barnabas and Maggie don't move! They remain on the first floor, just out of sight from whomever is at the door. It's only when Willie comes back and says that Sam wants to talk to Barnabas that Maggie is taken by Willie upstairs.
 

Brent S

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Originally Posted by Ockeghem
I saw Dennis Patrick on a season five episode of All In the Family last night. And guess what? He was a scheming, no-good, shrewd character in that episode as well! He was trying to sell Archie some aluminum siding for their brick house, and Archie was buying into it.
The first of 2 Dennis Patrick ALL IN THE FAMILY appearances.

He came back for season 8's 2-parter "Archie and the KKK," with he and Roger Bowen as regulars at Archie's bar, who invite Archie to their lodge meeting... which turns out to be a Queens KKK chapter, and Dennis and Roger were the grand wizards.
 

Ockeghem

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Brent,

Thanks for that information. As much as I love All In the Family, I don't believe I have ever seen most of the last two seasons (and only a handful of episodes from Archie's Bunker's Place). BTW, the Jefferson's spinoff episode from season five of All In the Family was also a treat, and one which we saw recently. I really love the character of Bentley (their neighbor).
 

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