MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO, THE: WILLIAM S. PALEY TELEVISION FESTIVAL 2001: DARK SHADOWS {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Museum of Television & Radio's William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Directors Guild of America Theatre Complex, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television's creative community. This evening honors "Dark Shadows," the supernatural daytime drama that aired in the late sixties and early seventies.
David Bushman (television curator, The Museum of Television & Radio) begins with a description of the lore of "Dark Shadows" and the originality of the program. He then introduces the panelists: executive producer Dan Curtis; director Lela Swift; scenic designer Sy Tomashoff; composer Robert Cobert; and cast members James Storm (Gerard Stiles); Christopher Pennock (Jeb Hawkes); Jerry Lacy (Reverend Trask/Tony Peterson); Roger Davis (Jeff Clark/Peter Bradford); Mitchell Ryan (Burke Devlin); John Karlen (Willie Loomis); Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans/Josette du Pres); Lara Parker (Angelique Duval); Kate Jackson (Daphne Harridge); David Selby (Quentin Collins); Nancy Barrett (Carolyn Stoddard/Millicent Collins); Alexandra Moltke (Victoria Winters); and Robert Rodan (Adam). Actor Dennis Patrick (Jason McGuire/Paul Stoddard) was scheduled to appear but was unable to attend.
After Curtis acknowledges Jim Pierson, director of the show's annual fan conventions, Bushman pays tribute to several of the show's deceased performers, including Louis Edmonds (Roger Collins/Joshua Collins), Joan Bennett (Elizabeth Collins Stoddard/Naomi Collins); Thayer David (Professor Timothy Stokes/Ben Stokes); and Grayson Hall (Dr. Julia Hoffman/Natalie du Pres.) Bushman then introduces a compilation reel, which features -- among highlights from the show's five-year history -- segments of the episode in which vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid), in Curtis's words, "first comes out of the box."
Following the screening, the panelists discuss topics which include: what life was like working on a "gothic soap opera"; the camaraderie of the cast and crew; the unique challenges posed by the show's limited budget; the pleasures of acting in an ensemble troupe; the family atmosphere at the studio; how the teleprompter often saved the day for the show's actors; Curtis's "fun" in hiring talent; the spike in ratings after the show became "spooky" by introducing vampire Barnabas; and how Pierson has helped keep the show alive long after its cancellation.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics: the possibility of a DVD containing lost footage from the two subsequent "Dark Shadows" films; the quality of the program's ever-changing scenery; how the actors coped when forgetting lines; the idea of bringing actors back to play new characters after their original character was killed off; Dr. Hoffman's "switch" from being conceived as a male character named Julian and being rewritten as a female character named Julia; times when laughter or other on-camera goofs called for a retake; a fire that took place on the set; Swift's innovative work as a producer on "Dark Shadows"; and Swift's early career as one of the few female directors in television.
Details
- NETWORK: Paley
- DATE: March 8, 2001 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:16:26
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:63953
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: She Made It Collection (Lela Swift)
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- David Bushman … Host
- Nancy Barrett … Panelist
- Robert Cobert … Panelist
- Dan Curtis … Panelist
- Roger Davis … Panelist
- Kate Jackson … Panelist
- John Karlen … Panelist
- Jerry Lacy … Panelist
- Alexandra Moltke … Panelist
- Lara Parker … Panelist
- Christopher Pennock … Panelist
- Robert Rodan … Panelist
- Mitchell Ryan … Panelist
- Kathryn Leigh Scott … Panelist
- David Selby … Panelist
- James Storm … Panelist
- Lela Swift … Panelist
- Sy Tomashoff … Panelist
- Joan Bennett
- Thayer David
- Louis Edmonds
- Jonathan Frid
- Grayson Hall
- Dennis Patrick
- Jim Pierson