Fridiculous

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