LornaHansonForbes

an AMC AMBASSADOR STATION WAGON would come in handy too...

a 1969 LINCOLN would seem his style...

Also the other day, BARNABAS in 1970 real time (and under control of THE LEVIATHANS) WAS DRIVING HIS CAR WHICH struck down Quentin Collins in front of a Collinsport antique store WHICH JUST BEGS THE QUESTION: What kind of car does Barnabas Collins drive? I discount this as a too-obvious choice:

one unexpected plus of the whole LEVIATHAN STORYLINE has been- if this makes sense- that many of the episodes have been character driven as opposed to plot driven- the latter of which is primarily how DARK SHADOWS operated 99.9% of the time to its credit and its fault, but THIS STORYLINE has opened up some interesting 1970 real-time drama AND CONFLICT between BARNABAS AND JULIA and ELIZABETH AND CAROLYN AND CAROLYN'S FATHER as well as the age old BARNABAS VS. BARNABAS struggle.

And I could have watched these two interact all day.

still not mad at THE LEVIATHAN(s?) storyline...although i am sorry they "aged out" THE LITTLE BLONDE KID FROM QUEENS who played THE BEAST AT AGE 8 so quickly. He was such an uncanny combination of spooky and hilarious, like PAUL WILLIAMS possessed by JOE PESCI... "YO! It'd be a REAL FREAKIN SHAME if sumthin happened to this here antique shop, Lady..." also, forgive me for invoking his name, but does anyone else see a resemblance to the 45th PRESIDENT?

SOAPDISH is imminently quotable. it's on AMAZON PRIME and I have been avoiding watching it because I am worried, ironically, it might induce melancholia for both the glorious bygone age of daytime television and BIG SCREEN ROMANTIC COMEDY. (For the record, I myself struggle with "The BILL STYRON THING" and have to be careful at certain times as I am susceptible to nostalgic depression)

“And Ariel should be raped by Father Corey!“

I cannot begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed OUR EXCHANGE AT "THE WRITER'S TABLE" HERE. All we need is GARRY MARSHALL sitting at the head emphatically saying: "Just so long as it isn't JAMAICAN HOMELESS PEOPLE SUCKIN' SOUP ALL DAY!" BTW, I think we're all in agreement that a GIRL'S BOARDING SCHOOL in MARTINIQUE run by COUNTESS NATALIE who is eventually (and ironically) decapitated BY AN ARMY OF VOODOO ZOMBIES led by WILLIAM MARSHALL as VOODOO MASTER “OTHELLO LEGENDRE” was the way to go. and later on, THE HEAD OF COUNTESS NATALIE and THE HEAD OF JUDAH ZACHERLY get together during an 1812 parallel time storyline and become DAYTIME'S NEW SUPERCOUPLE. The wedding of their disembodied heads is attended by the disembodied head of ELIZABETH TAYLOR and becomes the HIGHEST RATED DAYTIME EVENT EVER!!!!

It was also, basically live performing, Which causes the release of endorphins and adrenaline and all kinds of body chemicals that you can’t control and wreak havoc on your body and concentration . And for some people it never gets better. i despise live performing. I personally would be a stuttering, stammering mess shaking like Joe Cocker on a caffeine binge if I had to Perform a live scene with dialogue that I had to either remember or read off of a Teleprompter.

❤️❤️❤️ THAT is a DAMN GOOD IDEA!!!!

adding a VAMPIRE ANTAGONIST of BARNABAS'S STATURE might have worked (or been a total disaster), odd as this sounds, maybe they could have used the character of LORD RUTHVEN from BRYON'S THE VAMPYRE...(It was public domain by then.)

a HOME INVASION story, THE DESPERATE HOURS-style could have worked, but could only be stretched out so long. and if was seen as being too MANSONesque, it could could offend. but there is potential. (images of the MURDEROUS HIPPIES from THE MACDONALD CHILD scared me as a kid in the early 80s when i saw FATAL VISION)

(BORDERLINE VAMPIROS LESBOS TYPE STUFF, BUT DAYTIME)

OKAY LEGIT NOW, I HAVE IT: ALTERNATE 1871 where COLLINWOOD is an ALL GIRL'S SCHOOL run by JOAN BENNETT and GRAYSON HALL.... (AND OF COURSE, BAD THINGS HAPPEN...)

The SCOOBY DOO/ DARK SHADOWS crossover we all felt was destined to be...?

I am THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE and JACK THE RIPPER...maybe LIZZIE BORDEN. TIME TRAVEL opens up certain possibilities, although I think DER GOLEM would be a stretch...and the budget isn't there for PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. maybe NAZI SUB intrigue in 1941, or THE WHALES OF AUGUST, but with vampires... What, no?

I'll also toss out that I worked for LISA RINNA'S business manager in the 2000's and she was, when I would deal with her on the phone daily, an UNBELIEVABLY- yet GENUINELY- PLEASANT PERSON 100% of the time (I was STUNNED.) (LISA RINNA, not the BUSINESS MANAGER. )

I have to admire how, as society frays and temperatures rise, DOOL chugs on...

i dunno what your tv set up is, but if you can download TUBI, go for it. They've got a lot of great stuff, as well as ALL the post-BARNABAS intro episodes of DARK SHADOWS very clearly indexed and catalogued with minimal commercials. the LEVIATHON storyline was, as i recall it, QUITE SHORT compared with most of the other DS plotlines.

there's some sort of new streaming only DAYS short-term spinoff called (I think?) BEYOND SALEM...It's on PEACOCK maybe...?

Also I feel like I need to take the time to give a much deserved shout-out to Joan Bennett’s COLORIST, who was WORTH EVERY PENNY!!! Those are some RICH, thick, chestnut hues: lustrous and with a mirror-like sheen and whoever did them was AN ARTIST. Thank God she went “prematurely brunette” in TRADE WINDS, huh?

The brutality of HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS crept into 1970 PARALLEL TIME as well, Which would’ve been all right if the storyline and only run for a week or two, but it just goes on and gets SADISTIC. I’m going back and filling in some of the episodes I missed from the leviathan episodes, and I don’t mind them at all. In fact I don’t understand the beef people have with the whole leviathan story, it’s fine to me and provides a great storyline for Joan Bennett, she really seems to be enjoying herself.

Now that I am more familiar with the progress of the show, and have even gone back to fill in some gaps I missed and the catch up on earlier storylines as well, I will daresay that all shows go in peaks and valleys and have ups and downs...if I may be so bold as to say, I think DARK SHADOWS "lost it" in the 1970 PARALLEL TIME storyline (the REBECCA knockoff), which is just SO DARK and also POORLY CLOSED and has lots of characters who come and go with little explanation...everyone was also so unlikeable in it.