TV Trivia
by Michael Karol
& Craig Hamrick

Aired: 1966-1971 Stars: Cast of hundreds includes former movie star Joan Bennett, overnight sensation Jonathan Frid (pictured left), stage veteran Louis Edmonds and future primetime stars Kate Jackson and David Selby Premise: Members of the Collins family of Collinsport, Maine, struggle to live their lives under the weight of a number of curses. Time-traveling Collinses include a vampire; a werewolf; and a blonde-haired, blue-eyed witch.

Dark Shadows premiered in 1966. At first it was primarily known as "that soap opera starring Joan Bennett." Joan was a major movie star in the 1940s and '50s, but her career was damaged when her jealous husband, producer Walter Wanger, shot her agent in the groin. The agent survived, but the Bennett-Wanger marriage did not, and the scandal basically brought a halt to Joan's movie career. She moved instead into television and stage work.

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At first, the show struggled in the ratings, and was nearing cancellation after its first year. In a dramatic attempt to save the show, Diana Millay, a veteran of over a hundred episodes of such TV classics as Father Knows Best and Perry Mason, was brought on to portray a monster called a phoenix. (Like the mythical bird, her Laura Collins was reborn in flames, century after century.) Ratings climbed as a loyal audience grew. As more monsters were added to the mix, eventually more than 8 million fans regularly tuned in. The show's most famous supernatural creature was vampire Barnabas Collins, played by Jonathan Frid.

Future Charlie's Angles star Kate Jackson made her TV debut on Dark Shadows -- as a silent ghost who later started talking. She went on to make her movie debut in the film Night of Dark Shadows, based on the show.

Most of the action on DS takes place at Collinwood, a mansion perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean near the fictional town of Collinsport, Maine. Other settings include a sanatorium called Windcliff, a dingy bar called the Blue Whale, and a creepy crypt with a secret room.

Many DS storylines were inspired by classic horror tales, including Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein, and Dracula. Beginning in 1967, the main character was vampire Barnabas Collins, played by Shakespearean actor Jonathan Frid, a native of Canada.

Before joining the cast of DS as Dr. Julia Hoffman, Grayson Hall was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Night of the Iguana. (She later starred in the similarly titled Night of Dark Shadows, written by her husband, Sam Hall.)

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DS creator Dan Curtis went on to produce many other horror-related movies and TV shows, including the series Night Stalker and the miniseries Winds of War.

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Famous DS fans include horror writers Stephen King and Ann Rice, designer Todd Oldham, and pop star Madonna.

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Due to DS' low budget, editing was practically impossible -- and time constraints meant that the cameras kept rolling through some pretty far-out bloopers, which made it on the air. Occasionally, stage hands wandered into view, actors read the wrong lines from the teleprompter, and scenery fell apart. MPI Home Video has released a tape containing many of these blunders.

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Two feature films were based on the soap opera: House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows.

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Tons of DS merchandise was released while the show was on the air, including paperback books, puzzles, models, a Halloween costume, bubblegum cards, a View-Master set, and much more. (Click here to read more about the DS collectibles.) Because of the show's supernatural flavor, a large segment of its fanbase was made up of pre-teen kids, many of whom still fondly recall running home from school to catch the show. (Remember, this was in the days before VCRs and Tivo simplified life for TV fans.)

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Dan Ross, who wrote a series of paperbacks based on Dark Shadows (using the penname Marilyn Ross) was one of the most prolific writers of all time. He penned more than 600 novels. He was a guest on David Letterman's late night talk show the same night as voluptuous country music star Dolly Parton.

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Lara Parker, who portrayed Angelique the witch, has written a novel about her character. Angelique's Descent was published by HarperCollins, and is currently out of print. Visit her official website by clicking here.

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David Selby played werewolf Quentin Collins. He went on to star on the nighttime soap Falcon Crest, as well as many other TV series and movies. Visit his official website by clicking here.

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A very young Marsha Mason appeared on one episode of DS, as a vampire named Audrey. She went on to star in many films, including Audrey Rose.

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In a storyline inspired by The Bride of Frankenstein, Robert Rodan played a man-made fellow named Adam. His mate, Eve, was played by Broadway veteran Marie Wallace. Marie appeared in the original productions of Gypsy and Sweet Charity, as well as many other plays.

Marie is a good friend of the TV Tidbits series' editors. She has made several personal appearances with them at nostalgia conventions, and in the summer of 2005, she wrote her career memoir, edited by Craig and Michael.

Visit Marie's official website by clicking here.

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Child actress Denise Nickerson played Amy on DS, and she went on to appear in the children's classic movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. She played gum-chomping Violet Bauregard, a girl who is turned into a huge human blueberry. Visit her official website by clicking here. (She's also Craig and Michael's friend, and she wrote the introduction to Michael's 2005 TV Tidbits book The ABC Movie of the Week Companion.)

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Brief flashbacks are often used on soap operas, but the writers of Dark Shadows expanded on this concept by staging many-month-long storylines entirely in the past. The present-time cast members played their characters' ancestors.

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John Karlen, who played Willie Loomis, went on to win an Emmy for his portrayal of Harvey in Cagney and Lacey in 1986. He attended the 2003 Emmy Awards ceremony with his former Cagney and Lacey wife, Tyne Daly. Tyne won that year for her role on Judging Amy, and she mentioned John in her acceptance speech.

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Dark Shadows fans gather each year at Dark Shadows Festival conventions. Many of the shows stars attend and take part in Q&A panels and autograph sessions.

At the 2003 DS Festival, held in Brooklyn, about a dozen cast members reunited to perform a "radio play" called Return to Collinwood. The play brought the story line and the characters into the 21st century. It was written by Jamison Selby, son of series star David Selby.

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The 2001 DS Festival was held at the World Trade Center Marriott hotel, just days before the building was destroyed during the September 11 terrorist attack.

DS star John Karlen appeared in a 1993 TV movie about the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, Without Warning: Terror in the Towers. That movie's oddly eclectic cast also included George Clooney and Fran Drescher (stars of the TV series ER and The Nanny, respectively).

The entire run of Dark Shadows has been released on VHS, and many episodes are available on DVD. Visit www.darkshadowsdvd.com for more information.

A remake of Dark Shadows aired on NBC in 1991. With an all-new cast, and much higher production values than the original series, it failed to catch on with fans. It was cancelled after one season. Film stars Ben Cross and Jean Simmons headed the cast. (Another remake was attempted in 2004. A pilot for the WB was not picked up. It featured Blair Brown as Elizabeth Collins.)

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An off-Broadway stage version of Dark Shadows was presented in the 1980s. Julian Stone, then unknown, but later a star of General Hospital, played Barnabas.

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Craig Hamrick has written several books about Dark Shadows. The two most recent, Big Lou and Barnabas & Company, are currently available on Amazon.com. Big Lou is the biography of Louis Edmonds, who starred on Dark Shadows and All My Children. Barnabas & Company is a comprehensive look at the cast of DS.