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‘Dark Shadows' Debuted in 1966: A TV Flashback
Dark Shadows, poster, Jonathan Frid, 1966-. (Photo by LMPC via Getty Images)
Dark Shadows took a 'bite," so to speak, out of the network daytime drama landscape. And it was the beginning of a franchise that has returned numerous times in subsequent decades.
Flashback to June 27, 1966, and Dark Shadows began its five-season run on ABC. At first thought, Jonathan Frid as the vampire Barnabas Collins comes to mind. But Frid's iconic role was not introduced until 10 months into the run of Dark Shadows. From the onset, the show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport, Maine, where a number of supernatural occurrences take place.
Residents at the Collinswood Mansion included brother and sister Roger Collins (Louis Edmonds) and Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Joan Bennett), their children, and the governess Victoria Winters (Alexandra Moltke). Actors who rose to fame in primetime in later years who got their starts on Dark Shadows included David Selby (Falcon Crest), John Karlen (Cagney & Lacey), Kate Jackson (The Rookies, Charlie's Angels, Scarecrow and Mrs. King), Conrad Bain (Maude, Diff'rent Strokes) and Abe Vigoda (Barney Miller, Fish).
UNITED STATES - Circa 1969: DARK SHADOWS - gallery - Circa 1969, David Selby stars in this Gothic ... More horror soap opera as several characters from various time periods, all named Quentin Collins. , (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
UNITED STATES - Circa 1968: DARK SHADOWS - 1968 cast gallery - pictured, clockwise top right: ... More Humbert Allen Astredo, Lara Parker, Louis Edmonds, Grayson Hall, John Karlen, Nancy Barrett, Robert Rodan, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Thayer David, Jonathan Frid (cast color from photo), (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
UNITED STATES - JULY 28: DARK SHADOWS - 7/28/70, James Storm (Gerard), Kate Jackson (Daphne), ... More (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
At the time, the daytime drama landscape consisted of the more traditional entries like ABC's General Hospital, The Young Marrieds and The Nurses; CBS' Search for Tomorrow, The Guiding Life, As the World Turns, One Life to Live, The Edge of Night and The Secret Storm; and NBC's Days of Our Lives, Moment of Truth and The Doctors. Needless to say, this soap opera category was considerably more visible than it is today (only four shows are on the broadcast networks at present). And the arrival of Dark Shadows 59 years ago added a new twist to the then standard storytelling.
Blending soap opera and horror, Dark Shadows had a darker tone, distinguished by its supernatural elements and gothic horror themes. Unlike the other daytime dramas, Dark Shadows featured vampires, ghosts, werewolves, and other creatures. And, unlike the typical adult female audience skew, the end result was an attraction for a large teenage audience and a cult following.
UNITED STATES - JUNE 27: DARK SHADOWS - 6/27/66, The story of Dark Shadows begins with newly hired ... More Alexandra Moltke (as governess Victoria Winters, left) arriving at Collinwood, the Collins' estate in Collinsport, Maine in search of her mysterious origins. Louis Edmonds (as Brutus Collins) also stars., (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
An immediate success, the original Dark Shadows was a victim, perhaps of the 'too much, too soon' syndrome. Unlike other daytime dramas that have lasted for decades (think General Hospital, The Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful at present), series creator Dan Curtis felt the show had run out of fresh story ideas. And the show's ratings dropped significantly during its final two years. So, it was just five seasons on ABC. But there have been numerous attempts to capture the original magic.
The success of the original run of Dark Shadows spawned two initial feature films: House of Dark Shadows in 1970 and Night of Dark Shadows in 1971. In 1991 came a 12-episode primetime reboot with Ben Cross as Barnabas Collins. There was a pilot produced in 2004 for a new series on former network The WB (with Alec Newman as Barnabas), but it was not picked up to series. And in 2012 came Tim Burton's film reboot of Dark Shadows with Johnny Depp as Barnabas. Jonathan Frid, who died shortly before the movie opened in theaters, made a cameo appearance.
HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 07: (L-R) Chloe Grace Moretz, Eva Green, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer and ... More Bella Heathcote arrive at Warner Bros.' Los Angeles Premiere of 'Dark Shadows' at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on May 7, 2012 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/WireImage)
Chances are we will see other attempts to reboot Dark Shadows in the future. And today we celebrate 59 years since debuting on ABC.
