Imagine if you will, a new soap opera set in the modern day.
Then, as the storylines progress, it takes on a horror-themed flavor.
A vampire, an artificial man, a werewolf, a warlock, a witch, and zombies.
And another universe known as 'parallel time', accessed through a changing staircase.
Oh, I should also mention the 'modern day' as being 1966.
Sound impossible? Ridiculous, maybe?
ABC was beginning to think so, when network executives allowed renegade producer Dan Curtis' gothic serial "Dark Shadows" a spot on its weekday afternoon programming schedule.
Viewer reception initially was ho-hum, at best. From its inception on June 26, 1966 to March 22, 1967, the show's plot contained mostly mysterious, but few horror elements until about six months into its run to try and boost its sagging ratings.
Then it happened.
Jonathan Frid was a classically-trained Canadian, and for the most part, was unknown outside of the stage and minor movie character roles, the majority of which were forgettable. He entered the show as Barnabas Collins, a 175-year-old vampire unwittingly released from his coffin by a would-be grave robber, and unleash his bloodthirsty horror on the local townsfolk and even members within his own family.
The ratings results were phenominal. The show took on a whole new identity, especially among young people who would rush home from school to their TV sets just to see what the villainous vampire would do next. Board games, action figures, and other merchandising followed.
The production was most often a joke...with set walls wobbling, equipment making its way into the camera's range, black-clad stagehands ducking out of shots, and most cast members flubbing their lines while at the same time, swatting houseflies from their faces.
Nonetheless, the ratings remained high, with ABC taking enough interest in the show's success to invest in its future.
Vampire bat marionettes that 'bit' Barnabas and caused his vampirism, gave way to 'blue screen' images later, as Barnabas frequently vascillated between vampire and human.
Chroma-key technology, prohibitively expensive even for networks at that time, along with TelePrompTers, were used in the show's production. ABC News didn't even have access to these niceties at that time.
Frid appeared on game show panels and national talk programs to demonstrate that talentwise, he was more than the character he would become most famous for.
The show's demise happened as national advertising dipped from the ban of cigarette ads in 1970, thereby constraining the show's budget, rather large when compared to its counterparts. It was finally canceled in 1971.
But fans failed to forget Frid.
In later years, he became a spokesman for the publicly-supported NJN, the New Jersey television network, which aired Dark Shadows reruns. He was often seen on camera displaying a choice of thank-you gifts for viewer pledges, including his own...a ceramic coffee mug with the NJN logo.
He would pick up the mug and give a tongue-in-cheek reminder to fans of why this was his choice:
"Because I drink coffee all the time," he would say into the camera with a slight grin as he took a sip from it.
"That's right...coffee."
Of course, implying that he was Jonathan Frid the coffee-drinking actor, and not Barnabas Collins, the blood-sucking vampire.
On Friday, April 13th (yes, Friday the 13th), we said goodbye to him, as John Herbert Frid left this world after 87 years and a very distinguished career both on and off the screen and stage, due to complications from injuries due to a fall he suffered in his Ontario home, while at the same time, battling cancer. He had recovered from a near-fatal car crash just last year, and according to his former co-star and longtime friend, Lara Parker, he was likely in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease.
Not a fan of his TV work at the time, Frid would come to embrace it beginning in the 1980s and lasting pretty much until the end of his life, traveling as often as his health would allow, and maintaining a personal website with frequent updates.
Frid also made a cameo appearance opposite his young successor, Johnny Depp, in the soon-to-be-released comedy film adaptation by Tim Burton.
Though Frid did not live to see the film's premiere, he was with us long enough to know what an impact he had on people, and on our culture.
Thanks for the memories, Mr. Frid.
NEXT WEEK: Right is Wrong
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
House Calls
Time to call the doctor.
Yes, it's a house call.
But not what you're thinking.
Since moving into our house in May of 2009, and one child later, I've taken note of what all has migrated into our home since then.
It first became obvious when I recorded a home movie of our daughter on Easter of 2011, following her as she toddled her way over to her hidden Easter basket hidden behind the couch.
When I watched the movie a short time later, I wrinkled my nose at what I saw.
The stains on our dining room carpet. Then as I walked into the family room, I saw the same thing.
While it's only natural to blame this on our two-and-a-half year-old, I'm smart enough to know better.
And sometimes I wonder if folks in Japan and Eastern Europe have the right idea with their shoes off at the door policy. Lately, I'm seeing more and more Americans adopting this same policy, and wonder if I should assimilate as well.
I've tracked in salt and snow from the winter, and rotting black walnut residue during the fall. Add Savannah's spills and other such messes, and it makes sweat break out on my brow when I run the mental adding machine for a professional carpet cleaner or worse, new carpeting.
But before I could suffer a panic attack, something caught my eye one morning before work, when I was at the local hardware store.
The Rug Doctor.
I had remembered this being advertised on game shows as a consolation prize, and was more surprised to see that it was still around.
The price was certainly right for a 24-hour rental.
Seems easy enough. Unless I get a second opinion.
The problem is getting everyone out of the house long enough to get it done.
NEXT WEEK: Fridicule
Yes, it's a house call.
But not what you're thinking.
Since moving into our house in May of 2009, and one child later, I've taken note of what all has migrated into our home since then.
It first became obvious when I recorded a home movie of our daughter on Easter of 2011, following her as she toddled her way over to her hidden Easter basket hidden behind the couch.
When I watched the movie a short time later, I wrinkled my nose at what I saw.
The stains on our dining room carpet. Then as I walked into the family room, I saw the same thing.
While it's only natural to blame this on our two-and-a-half year-old, I'm smart enough to know better.
And sometimes I wonder if folks in Japan and Eastern Europe have the right idea with their shoes off at the door policy. Lately, I'm seeing more and more Americans adopting this same policy, and wonder if I should assimilate as well.
I've tracked in salt and snow from the winter, and rotting black walnut residue during the fall. Add Savannah's spills and other such messes, and it makes sweat break out on my brow when I run the mental adding machine for a professional carpet cleaner or worse, new carpeting.
But before I could suffer a panic attack, something caught my eye one morning before work, when I was at the local hardware store.
The Rug Doctor.
I had remembered this being advertised on game shows as a consolation prize, and was more surprised to see that it was still around.
The price was certainly right for a 24-hour rental.
Seems easy enough. Unless I get a second opinion.
The problem is getting everyone out of the house long enough to get it done.
NEXT WEEK: Fridicule
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Primary Colors
Pennsylvania's primary is coming a little earlier than the usual this year.
Our primary usually falls the second full week in May. This time it's the fourth full week in April.
It was a bit exciting locally, at least until very recently.
Now-former Republican Rick Santorum, also Pennsylvania's former U.S. Senator, announced the second week in April that he was quitting his bid for the Presidency.
At the radio station for which I work, we paid particular attention to the campaign, because Rick has a local tie to the area.
For about a decade, he grew up here. Not born here, no family here, but as the son of medical professionals assigned to our local VA Medical Center, Rick attended our local schools, and still recalled fond memories when back in the area and talking to the local media.
When he gave us time, that is. Rick earned a reputation over the years for being somewhat truculent with reporters, with some of those moments chronicled on the air and in print.
He's also earned a reputation for being one of the most conservative politicians in modern history. His views on homosexuality, women working outside the home, pornography, Social Security, and gun control have been widely publicized and criticized.
He ran an underfunded campaign but still managed to produce results that yielded in his winning 11 primaries and caucuses...amounting to more than three million votes.
And now, he's out.
It never ceases to amaze me how many candidates drop out of the presidential election. Why?
Because nobody wants that job.
Not anymore.
It wasn't but half a century ago when every little boy's ambition at some point in his childhood was to be the President of the United States.
The real power lies in the hands of Congress. Yet one man takes the bullets for everything that's wrong (and right) in this country.
That's a hard job. And for what it pays, you make more money in the private sector. Chief executive of the U.S., $250,000. CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation, put another zero at the end.
At least.
It's food for thought.
If we don't have a capable leader at the helm, we put ourselves in a very vulnerable position against the rest of the world.
We've already seen what happened when the self-styled 'working class' takes over a country.
Freedom reverts from reality to a dream.
NEXT WEEK: Calling the Doctor
Our primary usually falls the second full week in May. This time it's the fourth full week in April.
It was a bit exciting locally, at least until very recently.
Now-former Republican Rick Santorum, also Pennsylvania's former U.S. Senator, announced the second week in April that he was quitting his bid for the Presidency.
At the radio station for which I work, we paid particular attention to the campaign, because Rick has a local tie to the area.
For about a decade, he grew up here. Not born here, no family here, but as the son of medical professionals assigned to our local VA Medical Center, Rick attended our local schools, and still recalled fond memories when back in the area and talking to the local media.
When he gave us time, that is. Rick earned a reputation over the years for being somewhat truculent with reporters, with some of those moments chronicled on the air and in print.
He's also earned a reputation for being one of the most conservative politicians in modern history. His views on homosexuality, women working outside the home, pornography, Social Security, and gun control have been widely publicized and criticized.
He ran an underfunded campaign but still managed to produce results that yielded in his winning 11 primaries and caucuses...amounting to more than three million votes.
And now, he's out.
It never ceases to amaze me how many candidates drop out of the presidential election. Why?
Because nobody wants that job.
Not anymore.
It wasn't but half a century ago when every little boy's ambition at some point in his childhood was to be the President of the United States.
The real power lies in the hands of Congress. Yet one man takes the bullets for everything that's wrong (and right) in this country.
That's a hard job. And for what it pays, you make more money in the private sector. Chief executive of the U.S., $250,000. CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation, put another zero at the end.
At least.
It's food for thought.
If we don't have a capable leader at the helm, we put ourselves in a very vulnerable position against the rest of the world.
We've already seen what happened when the self-styled 'working class' takes over a country.
Freedom reverts from reality to a dream.
NEXT WEEK: Calling the Doctor
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Doing Without...for One Day
Guys just don't understand women. I'll be the first to admit it.
I don't think we're allowed to.
Especially when it comes to the 'shoe thing'.
About 13 years ago, me, my younger brother, and his then-girlfriend all rented a two-bedroom duplex after they were done with school and I was saving up to buy my first house.
Jenny easily owned more than fifty pairs of shoes. I don't remember an exact number, and chances are, neither does she.
What I did remember is that with all of these shoes in her closet, she spent the majority of her time in the house padding around barefoot or in socks.
"You just don't understand," is what she said when I inquired about it one day.
Perhaps not. But I do know I regularly wear every pair of shoes I own. I have about twenty pairs, and I'm told that's a lot for a guy. The oldest pair is my burgundy wingtips I bought at a Montgomery Ward going-out-of-business sale, and the newest pair is my Nike Cortez retros (same style that Tom Hanks wore in "Forrest Gump") that I got for Christmas in 2010.
And in a lot of countries, I have enough shoes to take care of a full classroom in a Third World country.
It's something to think about.
I became aware of TOMS Shoes annual "One Day Without Shoes" initiative about five years ago, when the local city clerk announced she was going to go barefoot for a day in the office, and encouraged her co-workers to do the same. She's done it consistently since then, even with below-freezing temperatures last year in western Pennsylvania.
This is not a college kid either I'm talking about. Without advertising her age, she has two grown children, one of whom babysits my daughter on a regular basis.
This year's is this Tuesday.
For those of you who aren't familiar with TOMS, go to their website at http://www.toms.com/. Better yet, go to the website http://www.onedaywithoutshoes.com/.
Both sites explain the story behind TOMS and the 'barefoot challenge'.
Are you up for the challenge?
Today, take a moment if you will, and remember how often you've said to yourself about a particular article of clothing "I wouldn't be caught dead in that!"
And think of someone else half a world away saying "you should be so lucky".
Be a better person tomorrow than you are today. Start by taking nothing, and I mean nothing, for granted. Including the clothes on your back and the shoes on your feet.
Oh, and how much did you pay for those Uggs again?
NEXT WEEK: Primary Colors
I don't think we're allowed to.
Especially when it comes to the 'shoe thing'.
About 13 years ago, me, my younger brother, and his then-girlfriend all rented a two-bedroom duplex after they were done with school and I was saving up to buy my first house.
Jenny easily owned more than fifty pairs of shoes. I don't remember an exact number, and chances are, neither does she.
What I did remember is that with all of these shoes in her closet, she spent the majority of her time in the house padding around barefoot or in socks.
"You just don't understand," is what she said when I inquired about it one day.
Perhaps not. But I do know I regularly wear every pair of shoes I own. I have about twenty pairs, and I'm told that's a lot for a guy. The oldest pair is my burgundy wingtips I bought at a Montgomery Ward going-out-of-business sale, and the newest pair is my Nike Cortez retros (same style that Tom Hanks wore in "Forrest Gump") that I got for Christmas in 2010.
And in a lot of countries, I have enough shoes to take care of a full classroom in a Third World country.
It's something to think about.
I became aware of TOMS Shoes annual "One Day Without Shoes" initiative about five years ago, when the local city clerk announced she was going to go barefoot for a day in the office, and encouraged her co-workers to do the same. She's done it consistently since then, even with below-freezing temperatures last year in western Pennsylvania.
This is not a college kid either I'm talking about. Without advertising her age, she has two grown children, one of whom babysits my daughter on a regular basis.
This year's is this Tuesday.
For those of you who aren't familiar with TOMS, go to their website at http://www.toms.com/. Better yet, go to the website http://www.onedaywithoutshoes.com/.
Both sites explain the story behind TOMS and the 'barefoot challenge'.
Are you up for the challenge?
Today, take a moment if you will, and remember how often you've said to yourself about a particular article of clothing "I wouldn't be caught dead in that!"
And think of someone else half a world away saying "you should be so lucky".
Be a better person tomorrow than you are today. Start by taking nothing, and I mean nothing, for granted. Including the clothes on your back and the shoes on your feet.
Oh, and how much did you pay for those Uggs again?
NEXT WEEK: Primary Colors
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Winers Are Winners Here
"I love wining with you!" (in a 'whined' voice)
"And I love wining with YOU! (likewise)
These are frequent exchanges between my wife Margie and me. Usually it's when wine is consumed.
Most of you who know us also know that we're wine aficionados. We love wine. And now for the third year, we've looked forward to our annual spring trek to Erie, Pennsylvania.
It's called "Wine on the Lake".
With more than 40 exhibitors (not counting the wineries themselves), this sell-out event is one where you make sure you get your tickets early.
This year, Margie and I decided to spring for VIP tickets, which are $15 higher than the general admission tickets. It allows you access to two private tasting rooms with tapas, plus you get access to purchasing and tasting on the main show floor before the lines start building from the general admission crowd.
My wife asked me why I had this permanent grin affixed to my face at the event. She was probably convinced that I love wine more than I love her.
And nothing could be further from the truth.
Since becoming parents, our freedom to take off and go where we wanted whenever we wanted has now become restricted. As some couples become disconnected from each other after children, we've managed to stay connected.
We can still take our bike rides on the trails when the weather permits, thanks to the child carrier I tow behind my bike; we can also take road trips provided we pack toys for our daughter, extra pull-ups, and snacks.
But Wine on the Lake harkens back to the days when we were a carefree power couple that could get away with being somewhat irresponsible, if only for a moment.
And some of those moments make the pocketbook a little lighter than it was.
A good example was the end of the day yesterday, when we bought dinner at a Mexican eatery, after Wine on the Lake and before we got home and realized how much wine we had bought.
Seventeen bottles.
Though we have a 24-bottle wine rack, we still had bottles in it before we left. After we filled the rack with our new purchases, we had some to put aside until there was room.
And we made room last night.
Perhaps tonight too.
NEXT WEEK: One Day Without Shoes
"And I love wining with YOU! (likewise)
These are frequent exchanges between my wife Margie and me. Usually it's when wine is consumed.
Most of you who know us also know that we're wine aficionados. We love wine. And now for the third year, we've looked forward to our annual spring trek to Erie, Pennsylvania.
It's called "Wine on the Lake".
With more than 40 exhibitors (not counting the wineries themselves), this sell-out event is one where you make sure you get your tickets early.
This year, Margie and I decided to spring for VIP tickets, which are $15 higher than the general admission tickets. It allows you access to two private tasting rooms with tapas, plus you get access to purchasing and tasting on the main show floor before the lines start building from the general admission crowd.
My wife asked me why I had this permanent grin affixed to my face at the event. She was probably convinced that I love wine more than I love her.
And nothing could be further from the truth.
Since becoming parents, our freedom to take off and go where we wanted whenever we wanted has now become restricted. As some couples become disconnected from each other after children, we've managed to stay connected.
We can still take our bike rides on the trails when the weather permits, thanks to the child carrier I tow behind my bike; we can also take road trips provided we pack toys for our daughter, extra pull-ups, and snacks.
But Wine on the Lake harkens back to the days when we were a carefree power couple that could get away with being somewhat irresponsible, if only for a moment.
And some of those moments make the pocketbook a little lighter than it was.
A good example was the end of the day yesterday, when we bought dinner at a Mexican eatery, after Wine on the Lake and before we got home and realized how much wine we had bought.
Seventeen bottles.
Though we have a 24-bottle wine rack, we still had bottles in it before we left. After we filled the rack with our new purchases, we had some to put aside until there was room.
And we made room last night.
Perhaps tonight too.
NEXT WEEK: One Day Without Shoes
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