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From: waltt@tekecs.UUCP (Walt Tucker)
Newsgroups: net.tv
Subject: Dark Shadows Slip
Message-ID: <1911@tekecs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 24-Aug-83 14:05:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekecs.1911
Posted: Wed Aug 24 14:05:45 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 26-Aug-83 05:52:02 EDT
Lines: 34


In a previous article, I mentioned "Dark Shadows" in my header, but
forgot about it in my article (no detailed info on this since my book
just covers prime-time stuff, so I'll have to go from memory).  Anyway....

Dark Shadows was an afternoon soap opera with a twist: the main 
character was a vampire named Barnabas Collins (played by Jonathan Frid
[what ever happened to him?]).  I think the show came on about 3:30
to 4:00 in the afternoon, just in time to watch when we got home from
school.  I remember the series in 1966-67 (in black and white), and
then going to color in the 1967-68 season.  It could have started a 
year earlier and gone on a year longer, but those are the two years
I remember.

The show took place in modern times in the U.S. in the town of Collinsport 
(you guessed it, named after Barnabas' family, who had been in the area
for a few hundred years).  The main plot involved interaction with
the towns people about the strange goings-on in the Collins Mansion.
In a later season, Barnabas left the show for a while and the setting 
was moved back to the Collins house in the 1700's.  Barnabas later 
came back to series, though, and was convienently written back in.

I also remember that the local hangout in the modern town was a tavern
called the "Blue Whale".  As a matter-of-fact, an instrumental song was
released on 45 from the series called "Theme from the Blue Whale" that
became a minor hit.

Anyone else remember any other details?

The show is on late night television (1 AM) in the Portland, OR area,
where I have caught it a couple of times (helped to jog my memory). 

                                -- Walt Tucker
                                   Tektronix @ Wilsonville, OR