Dark Shadows on Tubi

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Oh wow, I hadn't heard about the drugging and assault before. That's even worse. As you said, they are all very tragic stories.

I was kind of surprised Geoffery Scott never returned to the show. I liked him as Rumson too. That side story with him and Angelique was one of the better subplots in the Leviathan story, IMHO.

Chris

[Dark Shadow]

Regarding Don Briscoe, there have been at least three separate stories that I have read about over the years. The first version I read is that prior to him leaving the show, Don was drugged and assaulted while on a boat trip with a few fellow cast members (and several other passengers), which caused him to have a nervous breakdown and he voluntarily left the show.

The second version was that he self-medicated after the assault and was "encouraged" to leave the show to get help. The third version was that he was suffering with bi-polar depression for years and had turned to self-medication which led to his direct termination. I have no idea which, if any, of these stories is accurate. They are all tragic, and whatever it was that happened to him, it affected him for the rest of his life.

....

Very sad to hear about Geoffrey Scott, I liked him in his role as Sky Rumson (and also as Mark Jennings on Dynasty, he had some very memorable scenes on that show).

[Barnabas Collins]

RonnyG:

Sorry to hear about Diana Millay. First I'm hearing about it. She was a great actress in so many classic TV shows, including Dark Shadows. I saw her in a Laramie episode recently.

Barnabas Collins

[RonnyG]

Sad to report we lost yet another Dark Shadows alum. Geoffrey Scott who played Sky Rumson during the Leviathan storyline. Apparently he died back in February, but it is just now being reported.
https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/geo...or-1234920109/
923r.jpg

[Earth 2 Chris]

^I think Briscoe did have mental health problems, but his drug issues (possibly self-medicating as you said) is what got him fired. The Dark Shadows wiki page states "After leaving the series Briscoe returned to his family home in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was declared legally disabled because of his illness and remained there, shunning the spotlight, for the rest of his life."

It could be total bunk, but I have heard shortly after being fired from DS, Briscoe had a really BAD that trip fried his brain, thus his disability. Again, that may all be conjecture, but I have read/heard of it in several circles.

Very sad either way. He was one of my favorites on the series. I think he could have had a very nice career.

Chris

[PNGwynne]

Was Briscoe fired because of drugs? I'd read something about his mental health and retiring, was he self-medicating?

[Dark Shadow]

^Yeah, that Jeff Clark bit at the end of Leviathan made absolutely NO sense. Wasn't Chris Jennings supposed to bring about Jeb's demise, originally? I think I read they had to come up with a last minute fix since the producers fired Don Briscoe over his drug problem constantly interfering with production.

Chris

You are correct, in the initial buildup, the Werewolf is the only thing that could take out Jeb. Then towards the end they added that he's also vulnerable to ghosts for whatever reason. Ultimately, it was a brainwashed human being that took him out. I don't exactly remember the timeline for Chris' departure, but he was still in the storyline at the end of the Leviathan arc and made appearances in Parallel Time.

I think he and Amy "leave" Collinwood after the return from Parallel Time (I think). Which only further muddies the reasoning behind inserting Jeff Clark into the story. Aside from a brief mystery, his character virtually has no purpose in the story. I'd love to know what that was all about, maybe something as simple as circling back to 1796, or Roger asking for another role?

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Yeah, that Jeff Clark bit at the end of Leviathan made absolutely NO sense. Wasn't Chris Jennings supposed to bring about Jeb's demise, originally? I think I read they had to come up with a last minute fix since the producers fired Don Briscoe over his drug problem constantly interfering with production.

Chris

[Dark Shadow]

I finished up the Leviathan storyline over the weekend, and am well on my way into Parallel Time. I have to admit, I actually enjoyed watching it this time around. I don't know if it's just that I haven't seen it all the way through in such a long time, or if it's a simply a matter of "patience with age". There were some twists and turns that I had long forgotten about and I found much to appreciate, be it certain performances, sets, moods, etc. I still did not like Jeb from the onset, but that's how he's written (kind of a mashup of Michael stuck in a man's body, angry Adam and obnoxious, too cool for school Buzz...lol). Once he desires to become human, there are subtle changes that make him more likeable, and those subtleties are a credit to Pennock's skill as an actor. (I'm really enjoying his performance as Cyrus in PT, at least so far...pre-experiment.)

I had forgotten about the Barnabas/Quentin/Angelique/Hoffman/Chris dynamic which really kicks into gear once Amanda takes her fall. I had also forgotten about what has to be the biggest head scratcher in the entirety of the show, which is the lead up to and the insertion of Jeff Clark into this arc. Amazing that I had forgotten this. When they showed the swinging body outside David's door...I was baffled; wondering, "Who the heck is that? I have no idea, I cannot remember." Then the big reveal happens a few episodes later and I'm, "WTH? Oh Jeez, that's right! How did I not remember this?"

As of last night: Barnabas is chained up, Quentin is stuck in the "anger stage" of his grievance, his rebound Maggie is a runaway, Alexis is bewildered that she upsets everyone, Bruno has no sense of personal (or property) boundaries, the recently engaged Daphne is so dazzled by her ring that she becomes careless enough to allow a sinister intruder into her fiance's private laboratory, and Cyrus is on his way down to the lab...right now! What will happen next?!

[Earth 2 Chris]

I heard Pennock was very ill, but not that he had passed. Very sorry to hear this. I enjoyed all the characters he played in that short whirlwind of storylines toward the end of the run. I thought he was particularly great as Gabriel, in both timelines.

Chris

[Dark Shadow]

First I'm hearing of this, thank you for posting it here. Very sad that yet another former cast member joins the ranks of those lost to us.

Interestingly, the latest episode that I watched last night was 932 which is basically exclusively centered on the Quentin/Amanda plot. Two or three episodes back was Michael's final appearance, while straight ahead two or three episodes (I think) is when Chris will be making his very first appearance as Jeb. While this has never been one of my favorite storylines, I have actually been enjoying it more so this time around than I have on previous viewings. I'll certainly be watching Jeb with a deeper appreciation this time around.

The character that I appreciated the most of all Pennock's roles was Gabriel Collins from 1840 proper.

Two of the most memorable bloopers for me came from his characterization of John Yeager: the delivery of his line, ""I hope you know that you're doing me...that I'm doing you...a very big favor in giving you all this information", and of course the sword malfunction.

My all time unforgettable blooper, though, was stylistically delivered by Louis Edmonds, "Several of my incestors - incestors - my ancestors are buried here".
Daytime TV, 1967.

[RonnyG]

Sad to report Chris Pennock died today. Near the end of the soap he was one of my favorite actors.

How sad! We lost John Karlen 2 years ago, and Diana Millay just last month, and now Mr. Pennock. I have fond memories of meeting him at the festivals and hearing him recite from his comic book stories he wrote and drew. And just last Halloween, he participated in the Dark Shadows Zoom reunion.

[Figuremod73]

Sad to report Chris Pennock died today. Near the end of the soap he was one of my favorite actors.

[Dark Shadow]

I thought Spectre's clothing was excellent, it's really detailed for Mego scale.

Especially for the price point on those. All three figures are nicely clothed, and Angelique's dress is amazing. It looks like the clothing on Brent's are Mego Hyde, which with a tweak, that coat will make a nice three tiered 1795 version.

[Dark Shadow]

Very good likeness! Wish Mego would mass produce them.

Me, too!

Me, three!