Dark Shadows is an American-produced gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements. It was unprecedented in daytime television when ghosts were introduced about six months after it began.
The series became hugely popular when vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) appeared a year into its run. Dark Shadows also featured werewolves, zombies, man-made monsters, witches, warlocks, time travel, and a parallel universe. A small company of actors each played many roles (as actors came and went, some characters were played by more than one actor). Major writers besides Art Wallace included Malcolm Marmorstein, Sam Hall, Gordon Russell, and Violet Welles.
Dark Shadows was distinguished by its vividly melodramatic performances, atmospheric interiors, memorable storylines, numerous dramatic plot twists, an unusually adventurous music score, and a broad and epic cosmos of characters and heroic adventures. Now regarded as something of a camp classic, it continues to enjoy an intense cult following. Although the original series ran for only five years, its scheduling as a daily daytime drama allowed it to amass more single episodes during its run (1,225) than most other science-fiction/fantasy genre series produced for English-language television, including Doctor Who and the entire Star Trek television franchise. Only the paranormal soap opera Passions, with a total of 2,231 episodes, has more.
Directors Tim Burton and Quentin Tarantino [1], and pop singer Madonna have publicly stated they are fans of the series. As a child, Johnny Depp was so obsessed with Barnabas Collins that he wanted to be him. He has collaborated with Tim Burton on a theatrical film adaptation which is scheduled to open in 2012, in which he plays Barnabas.[2]
In 2004 and 2007, Dark Shadows was ranked #19 and #23 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever.
History
Creator Dan Curtis had a dream in 1965 of a mysterious young woman who was on a train. The following day Curtis told his wife of the dream and pitched the idea as a TV show to ABC. Network officials greenlit production and Curtis began hiring crew members.
Art Wallace was hired to create a story from Curtis’s dream sequence. Wallace wrote the story bible Shadows on the Wall, the proposed title for the show, later changed to Dark Shadows. Robert Costello was added as a line producer, and Curtis took on the creator and executive producer roles. Lela Swift, John Sedgewick, and Henry Kaplan all agreed to be directors for the new series. Robert Cobert created the musical score and Sy Thomashoff designed the set.
Curtis then set out to find the actress to play the girl who was on the train. Alexandra Moltke, a young actress with little experience, was discovered and cast in the role of Victoria Winters, an orphan who ends up in the mysterious town of Collinsport, Maine to unravel the mysteries of her own past.
Film star Joan Bennett was soon cast as Victoria’s employer Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, a woman who had not left her home in over eighteen years. Stage actor Louis Edmonds was cast as Elizabeth’s brother Roger Collins. Another stage actress, Nancy Barrett, was then cast as Elizabeth’s rebel daughter Carolyn Stoddard. Child actor David Henesy was cast as Roger’s troubled son David Collins.
Dark Shadows had a rocky beginning. Critics were quick to deem the show rather boring for its heavy use of unknown actress Alexandra Moltke and the slow progression of the legacy of the show. The earliest episodes consisted of introducing the troubled characters and did not show many of the supernatural elements that later made the show known.
As production on the series continued, the introduction of many new and mysterious characters and various unknown actors and actresses was prevalent on the set. Most actors also ended up playing multiple characters and their same characters that would often come back from the dead in the unprecedented use of parallel times and flashbacks.
There are 17 pages of DS on this link. You will have to be a member of "Adventure and Thrillers" to complete the linking process. The items that are on TP are listed below the link.
https://timespast.ning.com/group/adventure/forum/topics/big-finish-dark-shadows
Curse of The Pharaoh
Echoes of Insanity
The Wicked and The Dead
The Path of Fate
The Skin Walkers
The Ghost Watcher
The Skin Walker
Clothes of Sand
The Rage Beneath
The Crimson Pearl
The Book of Temptation
The House of Despair
The Legend Reborn
Angelique's Descent
The Christmas Presence
The Night Whispers
London's Burning
Blood Dance
The Doll House
Final Judgement
The Kingdom of The Dead (All 4 Parts)
Death mask
The Blind Painter
The Creeping Fog
Carrion Queen
The Poisoned Soul
The Lost Girl
Here is a nice Documentary on Dark Shadows
Replies
I am saddened by the passing of Jonathan Frid (Barnabas Collins) on Friday, April 20, 2012. He died near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, his birthplace and was truly a real gentleman and a fine actor. He will be missed by all of those who remember the original Dark Shadows or have a chance to relive his performances. Thanks Rick for that opportunity.
Bob
You beat me to it. I was going to put his obit up. He shall truly be missed. -------------------- Rick