Leaving lonely Liz (Joan Bennett) at Collinwood, Carolyn (Nancy Barrett) and boyfriend Joe (Joel Crothers) go to the Blue Whale for drinks. Joe orders a beer and Carolyn has ginger ale. At Collinwood, caretaker Matthew (Thayer David) tells Liz there were no marks on Bill Malloy's body when he found him. Everyone is discussing Malloy's death. Did he slip on the rocky cliff, or was he pushed? Worried about her father's alcoholic state of mind, Maggie (Kathryn Leigh Scott) stops by the Blue Whale, looking for Sam. Later, Maggie decides to visit Collinwood and speak with Roger...
A milestone occurs as Maggie first visits Collinwood, which prompts the crew to give us some character perspective. Ms. Scott does well in her scene with Ms. Bennett, and even includes an unintentional bit of foreshadowing by nervously stroking her neck. We get five Blue Whale customers as Russ Karsen, Ann Leeman, Allan Lindstrom, George McCoy (hatless), and Kathleen Quint make their first appearances. The tavern would not be so crowded in years to come - and, considering the increasing likelihood of an attack by some supernatural creature, this is perfectly understandable...
The up-tick in the quality of this episode begins with the symbolic ticking of Collinwood's grandfather clock. Most obvious highlight is the use of some new (and familiar) music cues, beautifully contributed by Robert "Bob" Cobert. The direction by John Sedwick is noticeably artful, with the personnel "blocked" exceptionally well. The cast and Mr. Sedwick effectively bring writer Art Wallace's characters alive in Sy Tomashoff's beautiful sets. Producer Robert Costello balances series creator Dan Curtis' ideas with his budget. If you are skipping early episodes, stop for this one...
******* Dark Shadows 1966 ABC #63 (9/21/66) John Sedwick ~ Joan Bennett, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Thayer David, Joel Crothers
A milestone occurs as Maggie first visits Collinwood, which prompts the crew to give us some character perspective. Ms. Scott does well in her scene with Ms. Bennett, and even includes an unintentional bit of foreshadowing by nervously stroking her neck. We get five Blue Whale customers as Russ Karsen, Ann Leeman, Allan Lindstrom, George McCoy (hatless), and Kathleen Quint make their first appearances. The tavern would not be so crowded in years to come - and, considering the increasing likelihood of an attack by some supernatural creature, this is perfectly understandable...
The up-tick in the quality of this episode begins with the symbolic ticking of Collinwood's grandfather clock. Most obvious highlight is the use of some new (and familiar) music cues, beautifully contributed by Robert "Bob" Cobert. The direction by John Sedwick is noticeably artful, with the personnel "blocked" exceptionally well. The cast and Mr. Sedwick effectively bring writer Art Wallace's characters alive in Sy Tomashoff's beautiful sets. Producer Robert Costello balances series creator Dan Curtis' ideas with his budget. If you are skipping early episodes, stop for this one...
******* Dark Shadows 1966 ABC #63 (9/21/66) John Sedwick ~ Joan Bennett, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Thayer David, Joel Crothers