Lara Parker, R.I.P.

Above, Lara Parker at a Dark Shadows Festival. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This one hits hard.

The gorgeous Lara Parker, who played the witch Angelique on the ABC spook-opera Dark Shadows, has passed away at age 84.

A post from the House of Dark Shadows Facebook page:

It is with a heavy heart to announce that our beloved, Angelique (Lara Parker) has passed away. Please keep her family in your prayers.

And, from her co-star and friend Kathryn Leigh Scott:

We met as "Josette" and "Angelique" on Dark Shadows. . . that's how many knew us, but we knew each other as friends and confidantes. For more than 50 years, our lives were intertwined through our mutual love of literature, writing and acting. While getting on with the ordinary stuff of life, we sought each other out for encouragement, support and a trusted sounding board. We could not have been more unalike, and therein lay the magic of our enduring friendship. My thoughts are with her family in this sad time of grief and remembrance.

 At Soap Hub, Scott is quoted:

The news of Parker’s passing was reported by her dear friend and Dark Shadows co-star Kathryn Leigh Scott (ex-Maggie/ex-Josette). “I have sad news . . . my beautiful, beloved friend Lara Parker passed away Thursday, October 12,” Scott shared on Facebook. “I’m heartbroken, as all of us are who knew and loved her. She graced our lives with her beauty and talent, and we are all richer for having had her in our lives. Family meant more than anything to Lara, and they have wanted these few days since her passing to themselves. Rest in peace, my cherished friend.”

Details on her passing have not as yet been provided.

"Master of Dark Shadows" Trailer

This looks to be interesting!

Dark Shadows Collection 6

Above, Dark Shadows Collection 6.

A few years ago, I began buying the MPI Dark Shadows original series DVDs.

I managed to get the first five DVDs before stopping. Yes, I know the complete series is available in a box set (around $300), but I did not want to get the whole series.

The last DVD I have has the 1795 storyline in which Victoria Winters (Alexandra Moltke) is back in the past so that how Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) became a vampire is revealed. I was watching some of the episodes in Collection 5 the other day and decided to get Dark Shadows Collection 6.

Above, Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins at a White House Halloween party in 1969.

Last Friday, I checked Amazon.com to see if it was available and it was. So I ordered it. Since I have a special account, I was able to get it with a two-day delivery (due today) with no charge.

As it turned out, I received a telephone call from Amazon and the lady said the driver was looking for my apartment and wondered if he needed to be buzzed in. I gave her the directions to my apartment and within minutes the package was at my door.

The DVD case features Kathryn Leigh Scott as Josette as a vampire with her glued-on fingernail fangs.

Since I had nothing else going on yesterday, I started watching it. I finished the first disc last night. The original air dates for these episodes was in January 1968. I began watching the show a few months later (thanks to my mom).

Talk about great service! I wasn't expecting it until today, but it was delivered one day after ordering.

Scored At Amoeba Music

Above, House of Dark Shadows VHS signed by Jonathan
 Frid and Kathryn Leigh Scott. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Much of today was spent down in Hollywood with my cousin Ralph.

Before heading to Hollywood, we stopped at Vip's cafe in Tarzana for breakfast.

Following breakfast, we then headed to Amoeba Music on Sunset Blvd. Amoeba Music is a huge store that sells new and used CDs, DVDs, vinyl records and other items of entertainment.

I managed to pick up the last two Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry movies: Sudden Impact (1983) and The Dead Pool  (1988). I already have both movies on VHS, but with a price tag of $2.99 each, I figured I'd get them.

But, for me, the buy of the day was a VHS copy of House of Dark Shadows (1970). I already have it on Blu-ray, but the VHS tape Amoeba Music had for sale was autographed by Jonathan Frid (Barnabas Collins) and Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans). The price of the tape was lower than what one would expect to pay just for an autograph at a convention. Plus, it can now be considered a "rare" collectible since Jonathan Frid passed away a few years ago.

Ralph picked up a poster and several CDs.

I am very pleased with my purchases.

"Remembering Jonathan Frid" Book Released

A new book, Remembering Jonathan Frid has been released.

According to the Dark Shadows News Page blog:

The life of Jonathan Frid (Barnabas Collins) is celebrated in a new book from Evil Twin Publishing. Remembering Jonathan Frid is a 200-page paperback that gathers memories and insights from Jonathan's friends, colleagues and fans, illustrated throughout with rare and unseen photographs.

Frid passed away on April 14, 2012, only weeks before the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp Dark Shadows movie was released. Frid, along with former Dark Shadows co-stars Lara Parker, Kathryn Leigh Scott and David Selby, appeared in a cameo scene in the movie.

Above, Jonathan Frid, circa 1984. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The paperback book can be ordered through Amazon.com.

Dark Shadows Movie Night In Hollywood April 30

Above, Kathryn Leigh Scott. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The folks who put on the annual Dark Shadows Festivals have a special event coming up on April 30 in Hollywood.

They will be holding a "Dark Shadows Movie" night at the Vista Theatre. The event includes a premiere party and screening of Doctor Mabuse II: Etiopomar, starring Jerry Lacy (Rev. Trask on Dark Shadows), Lara Parker (Angelique on Dark Shadows), Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans on Dark Shadows) and Christopher Pennock (Jeb Hawkes on Dark Shadows).

The even will also have a 40th anniversary screening of the Dan Curtis-produced (and newly restored) Dracula, starring Jack Palance, with music by Dark Shadows composer Bob Cobert.

Above, Lara Parker. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Actors Lacy, Parker and Pennock will be in attendance as will composer Cobert. Each will sign free autographs. New Dark Shadows merchandise will be on sale, plus a surprise Dark Shadows screening.

And, a Dark Shadows memorabilia auction will be held.

Ticket are $15 per person and will be available at the door or in advance (advance ticket buyers will receive a free Dark Shadows gift).

For advance tickets, send Paypal to Shadowgram@aol.com or mail to Dark Shadows, P.O. Box 1766, Temple City, CA 91780.

The address for the Vista Theatre is 4473 Sunset Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027. The doors open at 6:15.

Meanwhile, At The Blue Whale...

While in Little Tokyo's Weller Court yesterday, my attention was drawn to a sign on the top floor of the building.

The sign said "Blue Whale."

This is the sign:

Above, the Blue Whale sign in Little Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Upon seeing the sign, it immediately reminded me of the tavern in Collinsport, Maine on the daytime soap, Dark Shadows.

Above, the "Dark Shadows" Blue Whale.

Above, thought dead, Maggie Evans (Kathryn Leigh Scott) shows up at
the Blue Whale, much to Barnabas Collins's (Jonathan Frid) discomfort.

Dark Shadows Festival Events For 2013

Above, Lara Parker.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The latest mailer from the Dark Shadows Festival arrived and they have some good things in store.

First, their 2013 Dark Shadows Island Weekend takes place April 27-28 at the Coronado Island Marriott Resort (2000 Second Street, Coronado).  Special guests include David Selby, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Lara Parker, Jerry Lacy and Christopher Pennock.

One of the activities that weekend is the screening of Doctor Mabuse staring Lacy, Parker and Scott at the Coronado Village Theater.

For details go to www.darkshadowsfestival.com.

Above, Kathryn Leigh Scott.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Next, is the Dark Shadows Halloween Cruise 2013 aboard Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas.  Fans can take a 7-day cruise to Bermuda from New Jersey with Kathryn Leigh Scott, Lara Parker and Marie Wallace.  The cruise is from October 27 to November 3.

There will be a "Tribute to Jonathan Frid" during the cruise.

The price (based on double occupancy) ranges from suites at $1,399 per person to inside staterooms at $749 per person.  This is pretty reasonable as far as cruises prices go.

For details, go to www.hartfordholidays.com/DarkShadowsHalloweenCruise.

"House of Dark Shadows" Blu-ray Edition

Above, Kathryn Leigh Scott and Jonathan Frid.

House of Dark Shadows was produced in 1970, but looking at the images on the newly-released Blu-ray, one would think that it was made a lot sooner than that.

The image quality is superb as is the sound quality!  No disappointments here.

Yes, my Blu-ray of House of Dark Shadows arrived and I watched it this evening.

House of Dark Shadows starred Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins, Joan Bennett as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, Grayson Hall as Dr. Julia Hoffman,  John Karlen as Willie Loomis, Thayer David as Professor T. Elliot Stokes, Nancy Barrett as Carolyn Stoddard, Kathryn Leigh Scott as Maggie Evans, Roger Davis as Jeff Clark and Louis Edmonds as Roger Collins.  It is based on the then-ABC-TV soap opera Dark Shadows.  It was produced and directed by series creator Dan Curtis.

While the movie and television show were produced at the same time, actors were written out of the show so that they can take part in the movie.

The only extra is the original 1970 trailer.  It was nice to see it after 42 years.  "See how the vampires do it!"

House of Dark Shadows is the Barnabas Collins story (recently re-made by Johnny Depp and Tim Burton in Dark Shadows).  The story is of vampires, love and betrayal.  It was released by MGM (the movie was a hit and is said to have rescued the studio from financial difficulties).

Before watching the Johnny Depp-Tim Burton Dark Shadows, I recommend watching House of Dark Shadows first.

"House of Dark Shadows"

Just in time for Halloween, House of Dark Shadows (1970) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971) have been released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 30.

I ordered the Blu-ray House of Dark Shadows on Amazon.  I am skipping Night of Dark Shadows (at least for now) as it isn't the once-promised restoration.  It is is the original theatrical jumbled up mess with missing scenes that would have improved the story had they been included.  I remember not liking the movie when I saw it in the theater in 1971.

However, House of Dark Shadows is a gem of a vampire movie.  It features most of the Dark Shadows cast members.  It is a re-telling of the original Barnabas Collins story.  It expands and includes a few twists to the story.

According to Wikipedia:

House of Dark Shadows is a 1970 feature-length horror film directed by Dan Curtis based on his Dark Shadows television series. Filming took place at Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown, New York, with additional footage at nearby Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.

It stars Jonathan Frid as the guilt-ridden vampire Barnabas.  Other cast members include Grayson Hall, Thayer David, Joan Bennett, Louis Edmonds, Nancy Barrett, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Roger Davis, John Karlen and Donald Briscoe.

House of Dark Shadows was so successful in its initial theatrical release that it virtually rescued the financially-strapped MGM.

Although it has been 42 years since House of Dark Shadows was released, I still remember the trailers on television with the tag line, "See how the vampires do it!"

I would recommend watching House of Dark Shadows before seeing the new Johnny Depp Dark Shadows.

Loaded Up On A Few DVDs

Yesterday, I went to the local Fry's Electronics store and picked up some DVDs.  They consisted of one new release and three old favorites (to replace my old VHS copies).

I'll start off with the three "oldies but goodies."

Two of them were the first and second sequels to 1971's Dirty Harry with Clint Eastwood:

Magnum Force (1973), which involves rogue motorcycle cops acting as judge, jury and executioner on baddies in San Francisco.  These guys made Inspector Harry Callahan look like a moderate.

The Enforcer (1976), which pits Inspector Callahan against radical killers (inspired by the real-life Symbionese Liberation Army) and a woman partner (played by Tyne Daly).

I had myself a Dirty Harry mini-film festival this morning.

True Grit (1969) with John Wayne as U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn.  Wayne's performance garnered him a Best Actor Oscar.  It was interesting to see some familiar faces such as Myron Healey (uncredited), James McEachin (uncredited), Hank Worden (uncredited) and Jay Silverheels (uncredited).  While watching the movie last night, it dawned on me that I've met two actors who were in this movie: Jeff Corey and Hank Worden.

The new movie I picked up was the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp Dark Shadows.  I bought the Blu-ray edition. As I knew what to expect ahead of time, I was prepared for it.  Fortunately, I found myself enjoying it (not quite as much as Burton's Ed Wood) and was entertained.  It was nice to see the cameos of original series stars Jonathan Frid, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Lara Parker and David Selby.  It was also good to see Christopher Lee's cameo as a grizzled sea captain.  It really looked great in Blu-ray.  My grade: A.

Dark Shadows Movies To Be Released In October

Above, Kathryn Leigh Scott and Jonathan Frid in "House of Dark Shadows."

There's good news for fans of the original gothic soap-opera Dark Shadows!

Both House of Dark Shadows (1970) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971) will be released on DVD and Blu-ray by Warner Home Video.

The street date for both movies is October 30.

Unfortunately, it appears that it will be the theatrical version of Night of Dark Shadows rather than an expanded/restored/director's cut version.  

Burton and Depp Bring Their "Dark Shadows" Roadshow To Tokyo

Above, the original "Dark Shadows" cast in England to film their cameo scene. From left, Jonathan Frid, Lara Parker, David Selby and Kathryn Leigh Scott.  Japanese audiences probably have no clue as to who they are.

Director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp have taken their Dark Shadows "roadshow" to Tokyo, according to Metropolis magazine.

They wrote:

For moviegoers, the mere mention of Tim Burton summons up frightful scenes of grimacing jack-o-lanterns, corpse brides and headless horsemen. Yet the director whose very name is synonymous with gothic imagery had never tackled a vampire movie. Nor, for that matter, had his frequent collaborator, Johnny Depp. That has all changed with Dark Shadows, a fresh, comedic take on the bloodsucking genre that the dark duo recently flew into Tokyo to promote.

I am not aware if the original ABC-TV Dark Shadows soap-opera (or spook-opera) was ever telecast in Japan back in the late-1960s/early-1970s.  If not, the Japanese audience will probably be unaware of the back-history of the movie.

To read the full article, go here.

Lara Parker: Dark Shadows Movies "Will Be Reissued"

Above, Lara Parker at a Dark Shadows Festival in Burbank.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

At about the time the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp Dark Shadows movie was announced, it was stated that the two Dark Shadows movies would be released on DVD.   Those movies are House of Dark Shadows (1970) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971).

Rumors have swirled about regarding restorations of missing scenes, dialogue and other facets of the two movies.  But I haven't seen anything definitive.

Today, I was reading Lara Parker's latest blog post and this paragraph caught my attention, particularly the highlighted part (by me):

Those fans who are disappointed should remember that the show they loved inspired a major motion picture with first class talents. Because of the movie, Dark Shadows will live another day, another year, another decade. Because of all the renewed interest, the DVDs have been reissued, the two films will be reissued, my books were reissued, Kathryn has written another book that is selling extremely well along with all her others, and Dark Shadows will not fade away. The legacy has been resurrected one more time.

My feeling is, "if anyone should know what's going on, she's the one" (along with Kathryn Leigh Scott).

I have a copy of House of Dark Shadows on VHS that I recorded back in the 1980s from television.  It is heavily-edited.  I am looking forward to having a pristine, complete and clean copy on DVD (or, better yet) or on Blu-ray.

Let's hope an announcement of a release date is made soon!

To read Lara Parker's blog post, go here.

(By the way, no matter how one feels about the new movie, it benefits the Dark Shadows fandom as Lara Parker stated.  She's right!  I still have to go out to see it.)

Jonathan Frid Dies At 87

Sad news has been reported over at Dark Shadows News:

It is with tremendous sadness that we report that Dark Shadows legend Jonathan Frid has died. Jonathan passed away peacefully on April 13 at the age of 87. 

Frid was the original Barnabas Collins on the ABC-TV soap Dark Shadows.  He has a cameo appearance in the upcoming Johnny Depp/Tim Burton feature film Dark Shadows.  He posted at his website that he was hoping to attend the movie's premiere.  It would have been interesting to read of his reaction to the film.

I had the pleasure of meeting Frid at a convention in Los Angeles in 1984.  This news is almost like a punch to the gut.  Frid was as much a favorite to me as George Reeves.  Fortunately, Frid was blessed with a long and active life.  I have an autographed photo of Frid as Barnabas displayed on my bedroom wall.

Strangely, I received a mailer yesterday from the Dark Shadows Festival organizers.  Inside, it advertised that Frid was to be part of a luncheon with Lara Parker and Kathryn Leigh Scott on July 29 at the Doubletree Tarrytown Hotel.

Above, Jonathan Frid at a Dark Shadows Festival, circa 1984.   Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Read Kathryn Leigh Scott's Tribute to Jonathan Frid.

"...and our little life is rounded with a sleep." - Jonathan Frid quoting William Shakespeare.

UPDATE:  More details on the passing of Jonathan Frid.  Go here.

L.A. Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention In May

The Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention mailer arrived today. Their next show is set for May 6 at the Shrine Auditorium Expo Center and the special guest list is quite impressive.

Lara Parker (left), who played Angelique in ABC-TV's Dark Shadows.

Photo by Armand Vaquer.







Kathryn Leigh Scott (below right), who played Maggie Evans and Josette on ABC-TV's Dark Shadows.

Photo by Armand Vaquer.


















Barbara Leigh, the original Vampirella cover model for the classic run of Warren's Vampirella magazine.

Ian Ogilvy, who starred as The Saint in the 1978-79 television series The Return of The Saint.

Audrey Dalton, who starred in Boris Karloff's Thriller and The Monster That Challenged The World.

Ann Robinson, who starred in the George Pal (and still the best) version of War of the Worlds.

Georges Jeanty, Dark Horse comics artist on Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Last January, I had a table for The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. I may just do it again at this show. I've a couple of weeks to decide.

It is timely that the show will feature two of the original Dark Shadows cast members as the Tim Burton movie version will be released the same month. Both actresses appear in a cameo.