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.

Dark Shadows, Now At A Bus Shelter Near You

As we get nearer to the release of the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp Dark Shadows, the advertising campaign is in full throttle.Bus shelters in Los Angeles County are now being adorned with posters advertising the movie. Here's a couple of them shot with my cell phone in Burbank tonight:

Original "Dark Shadows" Cast Members In Cameo

Whether or not the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp Dark Shadows movie (opening May 22) is a boxoffice and/or critical hit, at least the producers saw fit to include members of the original soap opera cast in the movie. They will appear in a cameo during a party scene.

The photo at top is of (left to right) David Selby, Lara Parker, Johnny Depp, Jonathan Frid, Tim Burton and (partially cut) Kathryn Leigh Scott.

Burton's "Dark Shadows" A Comedy?

The trailer (above) for the new Tim Burton Dark Shadows movie, with Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, has people talking.

The trailer indicates to some that the movie would be played as a comedy or spoof.

Over on Twitter, I asked original series cast member David (Quentin Collins) Selby, "Is the DS movie "comedic" or not?"

His webmaster responded:

Production was all very hush hush. Not sure even the original series actors with cameos know. (I'm David's webmaster.)

Wonder why details are so hush-hush? It will be interesting to see how this plays out.



UPDATE: I watched the trailer several times and this is my gut reaction (as posted over at the Classic Horror Film Board):

I enjoyed Ed Wood. It was a very entertaining movie. It could have been a depressing movie given its subject matter.

I watched both Dan Curtis television series (1967-71 & 1991) and the two feature films.

From what I can tell from the trailer, this is definitely a movie whose approach is from the comedic side. Is that bad? I don't think so. It looks to me that this will be entertaining. Maybe hardcore Dark Shadows devotees won't particularly like it, but I think this may be a fun movie.

New Barnabas and Angelique

A new photo from the new Tim Burton Dark Shadows has been released. It is of Johnny Depp (Barnabas Collins) and Eva Green (Angelique Bouchard):



The movie is based on the Dan Curtis soap opera. The roles of Barnabas and Angelique were originated by Jonathan Frid and Lara Parker.

Dark Shadows Cast Photo

Above, is a cast photo of the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp "Dark Shadows" movie from Entertainment Weekly. It is based on the 1967-71 soap-opera that was produced by Dan Curtis.

Depp steps into the role of vampire Barnabas Collins, originally played by Jonathan Frid.

Directed by Tim Burton. Starring Johnny Depp, Chloë Grace Moretz, Helena Bonham Carter.

Above, the original "Dark Shadows" cast.