Episode 42: The Pen Is Yours

The pen is yours

The pen is mine

The pen belongs

To Dark Shadows fans

Down through time

The silver filigree fountain pen; a story point which many Dark Shadows fans can’t seem to agree on – is it really great, or just a red herring?

This reviewer however has never seen a Dark Shadows prop he doesn’t like, and will instead be enthusing on the many entertaining and memorable scenes generated solely from the existence of Burke Devlin’s one of a kind sterling silver fountain pen as it changes hands from episode to episode.

Would you believe a fountain pen worth killing over? All We Are Saying Is Give Pens A Chance; Devlin’s Silver Hammer; Here Comes The Pen…

It’s always interesting when on Dark Shadows you see a character moving about on a set they normally wouldn’t be associated with; a bit like seeing a vampire in a coffee shop. Today’s episode is memorable for this reason alone. So would you please welcome, all the way from Evans cottage and points Blue Whale, in his only 1966 Collinwood appearance, Mr. Sam Evans! [the widows wail as waves crash against rocks]

It’s been more than eighteen years since Sam has set foot in Collinwood, long enough for Elizabeth Stoddard to no longer recognize him. At first he tells Mrs. Stoddard that he’s there to see Roger, then confesses that he needs to talk to her instead, about her brother. Suspecting the worst, Mrs. Stoddard asks if he’s after money. To remind the viewer that Sam Evans was bribed by Roger in connection with the manslaughter conviction that sent Sam’s friend Burke Devlin to prison for five years, he grumbles, mostly to himself, “No, not more money!”

Sam finally explains to Mrs. Stoddard that he’s there to see her because he wants to save his soul. This is somewhat encouraging because it implies that, unlike Roger Collins, Sam Evans appears to at least have a soul worth saving. But let’s face it; Sam wouldn’t be there at all to provide damning information about Mrs. Stoddard’s brother if he hadn’t accidentally admitted to Bill Malloy while blind drunk that he was the only thing standing between Roger Collins and a prison sentence.

Perhaps he figures that if he unburdens himself with what he knows before someone like Bill Malloy does it for him, it may in the end make him appear less guilty. By imparting to Mrs. Stoddard whatever secret knowledge he may hold about the accident from ten years before, this would perhaps put the ball in her court to determine the appropriate course of action; then at least he would be free in no longer being held to an obligation of silence by Roger.

What Sam doesn’t realize however is that just the night before Mrs. Stoddard lied to the sheriff to cover up David’s guilt in causing the accident that nearly killed his father. The system of values that defines Elizabeth Stoddard is not something that can be so easily anticipated. Having already covered up a crime herself, it would seem that family loyalty would be foremost in her mind. But then you have to wonder: Would she do the same for her brother?

The drawing room conversation between Sam and Mrs. Stoddard begins on a rather amusing note, with the man of artistic taste taking notice of the family portraits and Elizabeth snidely cutting through his façade:

Elizabeth: Well, Mr. Evans?

Sam: You know, this is the first time I’ve ever been in this room. It’s beautiful.

Elizabeth: It’s dark and gloomy, and you know it. Please get to the point.

Sam: To me any room that has paintings on the wall is a beautiful room… They’re all ancestral portraits, aren’t they?

Then an interesting thing happens: Sam confides that her husband had at one time consulted with him on having his portrait done. Mrs. Stoddard reacts, “Paul?”

Art Wallace had created and named the character of Paul Stoddard in his series outline Shadows on the Wall, but in eight weeks of episodes Wallace never once got around to mentioning him by name. Carolyn refers to her father once in episode 5 and then again in episode 6, but never by name. Now with a new Dark Shadows episode writer in Francis Swann, the name of Paul Stoddard is spoken for the second time in as many episodes. Add this to the mere fact of Sam’s presence in Collinwood to disclose potentially damaging information to Elizabeth Stoddard about her brother and it appears that Dan Curtis’ expectations in bringing Swann onto the writing staff are being answered; that at last, after characters have been filling weeks upon weeks of episodes just talking about the threat of dangerous hidden deeds being exposed, it looks as though the pieces are beginning to move about the story board.

After mentioning that Paul Stoddard had wanted his portrait done, Sam then adds that he’s recently been commissioned to do a portrait of someone she may know. When Sam hints that the man in question used to be a friend of her brother’s, Elizabeth correctly surmises that he must mean Burke Devlin. This is where Sam’s mission at Collinwood begins to falter, as he grows uneasy talking about Burke in light of Mrs. Stoddard pressing him for what he might know about why Devlin returned to Collinsport and what his intentions may consist of while there.

Perhaps sensing that Mr. Evans may be somewhat ill at ease, she then offers him a drink from Roger’s brandy supply. When the scene resumes, Sam is finishing the contents of his glass.

Sam: Well, I think I needed that. Thank you very much.

Elizabeth: You’re quite welcome. Now if you’re sufficiently refreshed, suppose you tell me why you came here to see me.

Sam: Well I um… I um… I wanted to see the portraits, I’ve heard so much about them.

Elizabeth: Nonsense. I’m not a mind reader, Mr. Evans. What do you really want?

What Sam really wants is another drink. You can tell by the way he picks up his empty glass as Mrs. Stoddard is stepping out of the room to answer a knock at the front door; how he is tipping the glass back like the thirst of a man stranded in the desert trying to coax just one last drop of water from his empty canteen.

That really is a brilliant bit of stage business, so very much in keeping with the character’s desperately unquenchable thirst. You have to wonder; was it scripted or an ad lib on the part of David Ford? The foyer camera perfectly capturing the moment along with Mrs. Stoddard pausing to react would suggest that it was indeed scripted. In any event, so theatrical! Oh, but that’s right, almost forgot… whereas Art Wallace has been writing mainly for television series, Francis Swann has written several original works for Broadway in the genres of both drama and comedy. The transition of Dark Shadows from a television presentation to a production more aligned with the style of live theater is now moving along at full flow.

The purpose behind Sam’s visit to Collinwood however had practically foundered completely in the moments leading up to the interruption of the knock at the front door.

Sam: I want to tell you something about your family, something I learned you might say accidentally.

Elizabeth: Why come to me with it?

Sam [stiffly smiles]: Who else?

Elizabeth: Why go to anyone? Why not keep it to yourself?

Sam: Well that’s the trouble. I’ve kept it too long to myself.

Elizabeth [rising from her chair, then moving about the room, speaking sternly]: Mr. Evans, I hardly know you. And I certainly don’t know you well enough to discuss family affairs with you.

Sam: No, please, Mrs. Stoddard –

Elizabeth [raising her voice]: I have no idea what you expected to gain by coming here. I knew you’d sunk low. But I didn’t know anyone could sink so low as to try to sell information about someone who had done something foolish.

Sam: Well, I, I didn’t come here to –

Elizabeth: Please don’t interrupt, Mr. Evans! [then comes the knocking at the door]

Instead of being able to save himself, Sam is made to feel shady, like something of a con man. Sam’s frustration is the viewer’s frustration; the moment promises a big reveal, but results only in a misunderstanding. The full details of what Sam knows in connection with the conflict between Roger Collins and Burke Devlin will have to wait, especially with the added presence of Mrs. Stoddard’s second visitor of the afternoon, Joe Haskell.

Joe’s presence at Collinwood serves a dual purpose in this episode: to ultimately inhibit Sam completely from divulging the intended information to Mrs. Stoddard and initially to inform her about Carolyn’s whereabouts. It seems that a friend of Joe’s had seen Carolyn driving along the road to Bangor while following Burke Devlin’s car. That’s a small town alright – you can’t even drive out of town without everyone you know immediately finding out about it.

Burke is meeting with his new right-hand man, Mr. Blair, for lunch at the Bangor Pine Hotel when in walks Carolyn to take a table right in the center of the room and facing the booth where Mr. Devlin is seated. Speaking at a normal conversational volume level and at first unaware of Carolyn’s presence nearby, Burke discusses the information on Collins real estate holdings that Blair has acquired.

Burke: You know, Blair, the thing I like about your work is that it’s thorough! You never ask any questions.

What’s really amusing about these moments is that Burke is saying this with such force that his voice could easily be clearly heard outside in the hotel lobby, let alone by the ears of the member of the family he is plotting to ruin, who is seated not more than fifteen feet away.

Blair: Not too long ago, Mrs. Stoddard put in a petition for the property tax to be reduced. The reason for it was that half of the house is shut off and not being used.

Burke: And was the petition granted, I suppose?

Blair: Yes, it was.

Burke: Well, I’m not surprised. That family owns everything there is to own in that town. Except me.

Blair: And you want to see that reversed. You want to own everything that’s there to own… except them?

Burke: Including them, Mr. Blair. Including them!

Burke then finally notices Carolyn there at the other table, leveling a purposeful gaze directly at him.

Excusing himself momentarily from Mr. Blair’s company, Burke sidles on over to greet Carolyn at her table – or perhaps to find out what if anything she may have heard from the conversation with his business associate.

Satisfied that he’s in the clear, he then invites Carolyn over to his table to amuse himself at her expense as he makes introductions.

Burke: Mr. Blair, this is Carolyn Stoddard. Miss Carolyn Collins Stoddard.

Carolyn: How did you know my middle name?

Burke: Well, it had to be that. Mr. Blair, here, is a nefarious old swindler who I am engaged with to defraud your mother out of every single one of her vested interests.

Burke isn’t done toying with Carolyn. Despite that they were just about to order lunch, Burke dismisses Mr. Blair so he can instead have lunch with Carolyn.

Burke: As a matter of fact, Mr. Blair is an old friend of mine from New York who just invited me up here for a drink. How will that do?

Carolyn: I’ll buy that.

Burke: I thought you would. And I will buy you lunch. Unfortunately, Mr. Blair has another appointment. Uh, don’t you, Mr. Blair?

Mr. Blair: Yes, as a matter of fact I’m rather late now.

Mr. Blair will instead be taking lunch at McDonald’s this afternoon. At least back then fast food was sort of alright; the horsemeat burgers didn’t have quite as many poisonous chemicals and the French fries were just dripping with all that deliciously greasy beef tallow.

As Burke’s guest, Carolyn on the other hand will be having a nice juicy steak with her French fries; and as an appetizer, Burke will present her with the gift of a sterling silver fountain pen, knowing as he does how proud she will be to show it off to everyone back at Collinwood.

Burke surely has in mind Roger’s reaction back at the Collinsport Inn restaurant earlier that day when he realized that Burke had in his possession the birth stone ring he’d gifted to Carolyn for her sixteenth birthday, and is no doubt anticipating the furor that will arise over what he has just gifted Carolyn with on their lunch date up here in Bangor.

Is it any wonder that among all the young women of Collinsport in general and Collinwood in particular, with all their series of intimate relationships over the years, Carolyn would in the end be the least well off?

The pen is yours

The pen is mine

The pen belongs

To Dark Shadows fans

Down through time

Dark Shadows extras:

This edition of Dark Shadows extras is tricky, given that it can never be presented with full accuracy. The source bible for the first 210 episodes, Dark Shadows: The First Year by Blue Whale Books, appears to list erroneous information for this episode. For the extras a total of seven players are listed, all as Bangor Pine Hotel customers:

Diane Ball (first of two episode appearances), Dodie Bauer (only DS appearance), Charles James (only DS appearance), Jack Pickett (only DS appearance); Neal Sigan (only DS appearance); Ray Stewart (only DS appearance); and Margo Lacey (only DS appearance).

However, there are only six extras in this episode, and two of them are not customers but hotel staff. The IMDb page for this episode only lists three names, one of them erroneously and all of them male.

Therefore, a simple photo description will have to suffice.

The two members of the hotel staff: the Maître d’ (right) and the waiter…

…couple number one…

…and couple number two.

Addendum:

The series: The Dan and Lela Show; the main players: director Lela Swift, executive producer Dan Curtis; the setting: television studio control room; main prop: the control room microphone; opening scene: the waves/title opening theme…

[waves]

Lela: Dan, I don’t like this actor John Baragrey you hired. He isn’t right for a soap opera.

Dan: Oh, for Christ sakes, Lela! Here we fucking go again, you complaining about supporting actors I hired. Is there no end?…

[Act I begins; Sam, Elizabeth, drawing room]

Dan: Now Lela, I want you to keep quiet this episode. No more complaining.

Lela: But Dan, how could you hire an actor who looks like John Baragrey?

Dan: John Baragrey is a fantastic actor. There’s nothing wrong with his performance in the role of James Blair.

Lela: What difference does that make? I can’t stand to look at him!

Dan: I want you to stop talking like that about the actors I hire.

Lela: But Dan, for you information, this is a soap opera! You don’t understand who your audience is. Women viewers don’t want to look at someone like John Baragrey. He’s scary looking.

Dan: Scary looking? Well what about Thayer David?

Lela: Thayer David is in heavy makeup. He’s supposed to be scary looking. John Baragrey is creepy. He’s too ugly to be on a soap opera.

[From the nearby set, John Baragrey can be faintly heard reacting with concern over Lela’s comments]

Mr. Baragrey: I’m not sure I can go on with this. Why is that lady director talking so disparagingly?

Dan: Lela, I want you to stop complaining…

[middle of Act I, Bangor Pine Hotel restaurant, where Burke meets with Blair]

Dan: Lela, I want you to stop complaining about John Baragrey.

Lela: Dan, John Baragrey is too ugly to be on a soap opera.

Dan: Lela, one more time and you’re through. I mean it.

In the middle of Act II, Dan has some complaining of his own to do, another quibble about scenic designer Sy Tomashoff, when he has a look at the dressing for the outside of the front doors of Collinwood as Mrs. Stoddard answers the knocking of Joe Haskell.

Dan [as Mrs. Stoddard walks across the foyer to answer the door]: That foyer set outside bugs the shit out of me!

Lela: Dan, this is a small studio.

Dan [as Mrs. Stoddard lets Joe inside]: Goddammit, that foyer set outside looks empty! I’m going to have a word with Sy Tomashoff. We’re trying to go for realism and he isn’t even dressing the set. Goddammit, that bugs the shit out of me!

[end credits]

Lela: Dan, I still don’t like that John Baragrey. He isn’t right for a soap opera.

Dan: John Baragrey is one of the finest actors in the business.

Lela: He looks like Count Dracula! How could you even think of putting him on a soap opera?

Dan: Lela, for your information, I decide who to hire, not you. I’m sick and tired of all your complaining about supporting actors I hire. Now I want you to put a lid on it. I’m really sick and tired, and there’s only so much of your complaining I’m going to take.

Bob Lloyd [ABC announcer]: Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis production.

Lela: But Dan, this is supposed to be a soap opera!…

Until next time, this has been The Dan and Lela Show.

Background/Production Notes:

The opening slating segment shows actors out of character, with Joan Bennett and David Ford positioning themselves for their marks while ABC announcer Bob Lloyd reads the slate.

John Baragrey joins the cast as Burke Devlin’s business associate James Blair for the first of three episodes, the others being episodes 89 and 95.

In their business meeting at the hotel restaurant in Bangor, Blair provides Devlin with a curious bit of information, that of all the Collins properties the only one with a mortgage is Collinwood. One has to wonder how this could be possible, given that it was built by Jeremiah Collins 130 years earlier on a piece of land already owned by the family (Widow’s Hill).

Daily studio schedule for Dark Shadows in 1966

7:00-11:00 a.m.   Lighting

8:30-10:30           Morning Rehearsal

10:30-11:30         Break/Make-Up

11:00-12:00         Engineering Set-Up

11:30-2:00           Camera Blocking & Run Through

2:00-2:30             Dress Rehearsal

2:30-3:00             Test Pattern

3:00-3:30             Episode Taping

3:30-4:00             Knockdown

3:45-4:15             Technical Meeting

4:00-6:30             Dry Rehearsal for Next Episode

4:00-7:00             Reset Studio

Bloopers/Story Continuity:

Throughout every scene and especially on the Collinwood drawing room/foyer set, boom mic shadows dance like the swaying of tree branches and leaves in the languid summer breeze.

In the opening scene as Mrs. Stoddard is talking with Sam Evans at the front door, it seems that while being positioned the boom mic makes contact with a part of the set, causing two loud bumping noises to be heard as Joan Bennett is saying the line, “You can probably find him at the cannery.”

In Act I while talking about Burke Devlin, as Sam turns to move toward the piano and while saying “Besides, he has an interesting face,” the boom mic can briefly be seen in the top middle right of screen (aligned with the right-side frame of the portrait on the far wall).

In the second half of Act I while Burke is discussing his business options with Mr. Blair, Mitch Ryan says the line, “This will give me complete control of the Collin canneries.” In the same scene he says, “Part of the pleasure I get from ruining the Collin enterprises is the anticipation of doing it.”

In the second half of Act II, while Elizabeth is berating Sam Evans, Joan Bennett stumbles over the word “foolish”: “I knew you’d sunk low. But I didn’t know anyone could sink so low as to try to sell information about someone who had done something fil-foolish.”

In the first half of Act IV, after Burke says, “Why not? You’re much prettier than he is,” the boom mic dips into view at top right of screen.

The end credits feature the frequently occurring “Orhbach’s” typo.

Food & Drink in Collinsport:

In this episode food is ordered but never seen to be eaten. At the Bangor Pine Hotel restaurant, Burke orders lunch for himself and Carolyn consisting of salad, baked potato, and steak (medium rare) with Carolyn changing hers to French fries instead of the baked potato.

At Collinwood, Sam Evans accepts Mrs. Stoddard’s offer of a drink from Roger’s supply on hand.

As Burke begins his meeting with Blair, Burke orders for each of them a scotch and water. The waiter brings these items to their table separately, first setting down a tall glass of water with the scotch served separately in a shot glass. The customer then pours the scotch in himself.

On the Flipside:

Over the closing theme ABC announcer Bob Lloyd says, “Stay tuned for Where the Action Is, next on ABC.”

Following Dark Shadows episode 42 in the 4:30 p.m. Eastern time slot, Tuesday August 23 saw the broadcast of season 2, episode 246 of WTAI, featuring performances by the sweet soul sound of the Royalettes, a four-girl singing group from Baltimore best known for their 1965 hit It’s Gonna Take A Miracle.

Original studio recording:

Dick Clark: “…We’re in Brooklyn now…”

“…four young ladies who’ve had three hits in a row… These are the Royalettes.”

Ooh… Ooh… Ooh… Ooh… Ooh… Ooh… Ooh… Ooh… Ooh

Loving you so/I was too blind to see you letting me go

Now that you’ve set me free

It’s gonna take a miracle (ooh-ooh!)

Yes it’s gonna take a miracle (ooh-ooh!)

To make me love someone new

Cause I’m crazy for you Ooh…

Didn’t you know?

It wouldn’t be so easy letting you go

I could have told you that

It’s gonna take a miracle (ooh-ooh!)

Yes it’s gonna take a miracle (ooh-ooh!)

To make me love someone new

Cause I’m crazy for you Ooh…

The Royalettes: It’s Gonna Take A Miracle. The Complete MGM Recordings (2010; RPM Retrodisc, marketed and distributed by Cherry Hill Records Ltd.)

Parallel Collinsport, 1966:

In these episodes, the romance of the week on Dark Shadows is that of Carolyn Stoddard and Burke Devlin, or rather Carolyn’s relentless pursuit of Burke as she dreams and schemes of ways to place herself in his company. While thinking of songs that might thematically sum up such a scenario I was visited with an idea. What if you create a gothic stage musical on the early months of Dark Shadows focusing on the romantic pairings that develop, where initially unsuitable couples develop into further attachments where a given character finds their more appropriate relationship. First it would be Joe and Carolyn and then Joe and Maggie, and first Carolyn and Burke and finally Vicki and Burke. Using pop songs of the day, with of course incidental music by Bob Cobert, you could call it Dark Shadows: A Musical Romance.

For the Carolyn and Burke sequence, to portray things as seen through Carolyn’s eyes, you could start with a couple of songs by Dusty Springfield, to show how she is trying to capture Burke’s attention and affections, like Some Of Your Lovin’…

Some Of Your Lovin’

(Carole King/Gerry Goffin)

You gotta give me some, give me some of your lovin’
You gotta give me some of your lovin’

Now I’m not a greedy girl, I don’t need the world
(Just give me some) some of your (some) lovin’ now, oh-oh-oh

Now I don’t expect you to guarantee
Your faith and devotion to only me
I’m aware you got a lot of wild oats to sow
But baby when I need you don’t you tell me no

oh yes, you do
You gotta give me some of your lovin’

Now I’m not a jealous child
My demands are mild (just give me some)
Some of your (some) lovin’ now, oh-oh-oh

I know a man likes to feel that he’s been around
Before he decides to settle down
I’ve no doubt
Someday you’re gonna feel that way too
But baby, just remember, until you do

oh yes, you do now
I mean to tell you (You gotta give me some of your lovin’)

Now I’m not a greedy girl
I don’t need the world (Just give me some)
Some of your (some) lovin’ now, oh-oh-oh

I mean to tell you
(You gotta give me some, give me some of your lovin’) oh, don’t forget about me now
(You gotta give me some, give me some of your lovin’) I mean to tell you, oh

(Carolyn waving to Burke at the Blue Whale, episode 14)

Then there’s Carolyn’s occasional frustration over not getting her way, like when Burke refuses to allow her to accompany him on his business trip to Bangor.

Anyone Who Had a Heart

(Burt Bacharach/Hal David)

Anyone who ever loved
Could look at me
And know that I love you
Anyone who ever dreamed
Could look at me
And know I dream of you
Knowing I love you so

Anyone who had a heart
Would take me in his arms and love me too
You couldn’t really have a heart
And hurt me like you hurt me
And be so untrue
What am I to do?

Every time you go away
I always say this time it’s goodbye, dear
Loving you the way I do, I take you back
Without you I’d die, dear
Knowing I love you so

Anyone who had a heart
Would take me in his arms and love me too
You couldn’t really have a heart
And hurt me like you hurt me
And be so untrue
What am I to do?

Knowing I love you so
Anyone who had a heart
Would take me in his arms and love me too
You couldn’t really have a heart
And hurt me like you hurt me
And be so untrue

Anyone who had a heart could love me too
Anyone who had a heart would surely take me
In his arms and always love me
Why won’t you?

Anyone who had a heart would love me too, yeah
Anyone who had a heart would simply take me
In his arms and always love me
Why won’t you?

Anyone who had a heart would love me too

(Carolyn expressing disappointment in episode 38)

But because Carolyn thinks and dreams in teenage terms, impulsive and emotional and fiercely determined to get her own way, the ultimate sensual teen girl group of the time, the Shangri-Las, would best convey Carolyn’s resolute intentions with Burke – there is even a striking resemblance between Nancy Barrett’s Carolyn Stoddard and Shangri-Las lead singer Mary Weiss:

The song Right Now And Not Later is so very Carolyn in episodes 38 and 40, the way she tries pressing Burke for an immediate yes or no answer on whether she can accompany him to Bangor for his business meeting.

Right Now And Not Later

(Kenneth Hollon/Robert Bateman/Ronald Moseley)

Listen to me baby and listen real good
You know you’re not treating me as good as you should
Every time I call you here by my side
You have some excuse and I want to know why

Right now and not later baby,
Right now and not later.
‘Cause later may be too late
I gotta know right now.
I mean right now and not later baby
Right now and not later baby

There’s something wrong and it’s starting to show
And I don’t wanna be the last to know
So if there’s someone else standing in our way
Then I think there’s something that you ought to say

Right now and not later baby,
Right now and not later.
‘Cause later may be too late
I gotta know right now.
I mean right now and not later baby
Right now and not later baby

If we can’t be lovers we can still be friends,
‘Cause life goes on even though love ends.
Boy if you still want romance,
Maybe I’ll give you just one more chance.

Right now and not later baby,
Right now and not later.
‘Cause later may be too late
I gotta know right now.
I mean right now and not later baby
Right now and not later baby
Right now and not later baby
Right now and not later baby

(Carolyn back for another try, episode 40)

The song Heaven Only Knows seems to express line for line the intensity of Carolyn’s crush on Burke.

Heaven Only Knows

(Ellie Greenwich/Jeff Barry)

I dream about you all the time, yes I do
And I can’t sleep at night
(Heaven only knows, mm hmm)
I dream about makin’ you mine, yes I do
And of holding you tight
(Heaven only knows, mm hmm)

I’ve never been sure ‘bout a boy before
But I want you to know…(Heaven only knows, mm hmm)
Given you my heart and my soul and my love
Cause I trust you so
(Heaven only knows, mm hmm)

Heaven only knows that I want you baby
Every time I see you it drives me crazy
You’re the only boy that my heart wants to know
Whoah yeah

Tell me what you want and I’ll do it for you
Baby let me show you that I adore you
Baby let me go everywhere you go
Whoah yeah

Never been sure ‘bout a boy before
But I want you to know…(Heaven only knows, mm hmm)
Given you my heart and my soul and my love
Cause I trust you so
(Heaven only knows, mm hmm)

Heaven only knows that I want you (Baby)
Heaven only knows that I need you (Baby)

(Carolyn rushing down the stairs in anticipation of Burke’s call, episode 40)

Above two songs can be found on the 2010 compilation the Shangri-Las: Leader of the Pack.

Recommended Reading:

Joan Bennett’s 1970 autobiography (original front and back covers).

The Bennetts: An Acting Family, the 2004 biography (front cover).

From the page I created for Dark Shadows Wiki:

Dark Passages is a novel written by Kathryn Leigh Scott and published in 2011 by Pomegranate Press, Ltd.

Set in the 1960s, Meg Harrison leaves her native Minnesota for New York to pursue a career in acting while working as a Playboy Bunny in New York’s Playboy Club. After changing her name to Morgana Harriott, she soon lands the role of Margie, a restaurant waitress and daughter of a local artist, in the new daytime TV serial Dark Passages. The show will eventually feature a vampire, but the catch is that Morgana is one in real life.

The characters described on the sets of Dark Passages resemble quite vividly those on Dark Shadows and the actors who played them. The diner set where Margie works is greatly similar to that of the Collinsport Inn restaurant on Dark Shadows.

For the back cover, Jonathan Frid wrote the following blurb: “Reading DARK PASSAGES was like being back on the sets of DARK SHADOWS, except with real vampires behind the scenes!”

Recommended Listening:

In this eight-CD box set of composer Robert Cobert’s series soundtrack, every music cue used on Dark Shadows is available, including the full-length original recordings of the guitar instrumentals heard at the Blue Whale.

Since 2006, UK production company Big Finish has been extending the Dark Shadows legacy with audio dramas offering new stories featuring cast members from the original TV series. My favorite is the 2015 audio drama …And Red All Over, in which Mitchell Ryan reprises his role as Burke Devlin to the backdrop of an eerily compelling backstory on how he came to acquire his wealth in business. Also starring Kathryn Leigh Scott as Maggie Evans, with original series themes and music cues composed by Robert Cobert. A must listen for any fan of the first year of Dark Shadows.

Coming next: Episode 43: The Man Who Learned Too Much

— Marc Masse

(aka PrisoneroftheNight)

© 2019 Marc Masse and Dark Shadows

from the Beginning. All rights reserved.

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