New Documentary from Alexandra Isles

Alexandra Isles (Victoria Winters) has directed a new documentary, The Healing Gardens of New York. Two screenings are scheduled in New York in June. For more information, visit the New York Women in Film and Television web site.

The film will be broadcast on WNET, New York's PBS station, as part of their Reel New York series, on July 27. For more information, visit the WNET web site.

Isles' previous documentary credits include Scandalize My Name, which chronicles the impact of McCarthy-era blacklisting on African-American performers. This film is available on DVD from Amazon. Click here for additional information.

This information was originally posted on the Dark Shadows Forums by victoriawinters.

Grayson Hall Biography Due This Summer

R. J. Jamison's biography of actress Grayson Hall (Dr. Julia Hoffman) is set to be released this summer. Hall, an Academy Award nominee, was married to Sam Hall, who went on to write for Dark Shadows. Their son, Matthew Hall, served as a writer for the 1991 Dark Shadows series.

Here's an announcement regarding the book:

Ms. Hall (1923-1985) was a widely acclaimed New York Theatre actress, 1964 Academy Award nominee and co-star of the 1960s-70s iconic Gothic television serial, Dark Shadows. Research into her career has uncovered reviews of Grayson's earliest stage appearances as a teenager on Long Island and includes material on her extensive stage work in New York City; Spoleto, Italy; and the Hedgerow Theatre outside Philadelphia. Rare, previously unpublished documentation of her television and film careers will also be presented.

The biographical project's goal is to provide a comprehensive, candid view of Ms Hall's professional achievements, persona and legacy for her admirers, the theatrical community, and students of the history of the American media arts.

The book contains excerpts of interviews with Kathryn Leigh Scott, David Selby, Nancy Barrett, Alexandra Isles, Marie Wallace, Diana Millay, Sylvia Miles, John Guare, Ted Mann, Arthur Penn, and Sam and Matthew Hall. It will also include several privately, unpublished photos of Grayson's early life, including a photo of her first husband -- Ted Brooks, and her theatrical endeavors.

The book is scheduled for publication in August 2006.

Information on the book can be found at www.rjjamison.com (Click on Non-Fiction)

Look for an announcement on this site when the book becomes available.

Dark Shadows DVD Collection 25

Originally posted on April 16, 2005. Episode and interview information added on April 30, 2006.

Dark Shadows DVD Collection 25 is scheduled to be released on July 25, 2006. According to MPI Home Video, the set contains episodes 1186-1226, which include the transition from 1840 to 1840 parallel time. Here's the synopsis:

At Collinwood in the year 1840, Daphne Harridge describes strange occurances she viewed in a room in the east wing. Dr. Julia Hoffman warns her to beware of the parallel time band she has witnessed. Barnabas begs Angelique to use her powers to help save Quentin Collins from being executed for practicing witchcraft. Using Quentin's stairway through time, Barnabas, Julia and Professor Stokes travel back to the future.

In 1841 parallel time, Bramwell Collins insists that Catherine Harridge marry him instead of Morgan Collins. As the family's oldest son, Morgan is placed in charge of the dreaded lottery, where a family member is selected to endure a night in a mysterious, cursed room. Kendrick Young discovers that his lover Melanie Collins suffers from a split personality. Carrie Stokes reveals that Morgan is possessed by James Forsythe, the man who placed the curse on the Collinses in 1680. The ghost of Brutus Collins taunts Morgan.

The set features bonus interviews with David Selby (Quentin Collins), John Karlen (Desmond Collins), Lara Parker (Catherine Harridge), and costume designer Mary McKinley.

This set also includes a reconstruction of Episode 1219, the only episode of Dark Shadows that does not exist on videotape or kinescope. Lara Parker (Catherine Harridge) provides a synopsis of the events of the missing episode.

If you plan to purchase this DVD set from Amazon, please click here or use the link below to help support this site through your purchase at no additional cost.

Criseyde's David Selby Site Update 4/29/06

A few odds and ends:

• Information about David's possible participation in a touring version of L.A. Theatre Works' Caine Mutiny Court-Martial has been added to the Upcoming Appearances section of the News page.
• The premiere date for Black Hole has been added to the Events Calendar on the What's New? page and to the News page.
• Information about a second book signing in Morgantown held this past week has been added to the Recent Appearances section of the News page. Anyone who attended is invited to share photos on the site.
• The oft imitated and sometimes flat-out duplicated Biography page has been updated to include recent projects.

http://www.ldrweb.com/davidselby

New Book by the "Other" Victoria Winters

When Alexandra Moltke (Victoria Winters) left the cast of Dark Shadows due to her pregnancy, a couple of other actresses took a stab at playing the part. One of them was Betsy Durkin, who now goes by the name Betsy Durkin Matthes.

Matthes has written a new book, Dressing the Man You Love: A Woman's Guide to Purchasing, Coordinating and Caring for His Classic Wardrobe. It is scheduled to be released on June 1, 2006. You can read more about Matthes and her book on the book's official web site.

Special thanks to Craig Hamrick who first posted about Betsy Durkin Matthes and her new book on his Dark Shadows Online site.

Use the link below to purchase a copy of the book from Amazon. Sales generated through this link will help to support this web site at no additional cost to you.

New Dark Shadows Audio Dramas

On April 10, 2006, Shadowgram Update #149 announced that new Dark Shadows audio dramas will be produced by Big Finish Productions, a British company who is also behind a Dr. Who audio drama series.

Dark Shadows cast members first reunited to produce an audio drama continuation of the series at the 2003 Dark Shadows Festival in Brooklyn. Return to Collinwood, written by Jamison Selby, son of David Selby (Quentin Collins), was performed live at the Festival and then recorded in a studio for release on compact disc from MPI Home Video, the company behind the Dark Shadows video releases.

Jamison Selby penned a sequel, Vengeance at Collinwood, which was performed at the 2005 Dark Shadows Hollywood Weekend. It has not been released on compact disc.

On April 15, 2006, Big Finish Productions announced the new Dark Shadows audio drama series on their web site. Four single-disc audio dramas are slated to be produced, and the first two will debut at the 2006 Dark Shadows 40th Anniversary Celebration in Brooklyn in August. You can read the complete release here. The official web site for the new audio series is www.darkshadowsreborn.com. It will launch on June 5, 2006.

Diana Millay in The Man from UNCLE

The first season of The Man from UNCLE, starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum as Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, is scheduled to be released on DVD in July 2006.

Diana Millay (Laura Collins) appeared on the first season of The Man from UNCLE as Ernestine Pepper in an episode titled "The King of Knaves Affair." This episode originally aired in December 1964, a few years before Dark Shadows debuted on ABC.

To order the first season of The Man from UNCLE on DVD and support this site through your purchase, click here.

Update: This title has been removed from Amazon due to a dispute over the DVD rights. If and when the matter is resolved and the set is made available, an update will be posted on the site.

Dark Shadows Meets The King of Queens

Dark Shadows and its fan conventions were mentioned on a March 2003 episode of the CBS series The King of Queens. The main plot of the episode involves Doug's machinations to get out of attending the opera with Carrie. A subplot focuses on Spence's girlfriend's objection to his attending a Dark Shadows convention. The episode is titled "Cowardly Lyin'," and it is featured on The King of Queens: The Complete Fifth Season, scheduled to be released on DVD in June 2006.

Watch Dana Elcar in Falcon Crest Online

Dana Elcar (Sheriff George Patterson) appeared in three episodes of Falcon Crest as vintner Carl Reed. One of those episodes, "The Tangled Vines," is currently available for online viewing through AOL's In2TV service. In2TV is a free broadband television service.

Click here to access Elcar's episode.

Click here to read the AOL In2TV system requirements.

Donna McKechnie to Participate in Summer Music Theater Immersion Experience

Donna McKechnie (Amanda Harris), who won a Tony for her performance as Cassie in A Chorus Line, will participate in the Summer Music Theater Immersion Experience at the New School for Drama in New York. The three-week program features master classes taught by visiting artists including McKechnie.

For more information, visit Playbill Online.