Morning at Collinwood, but there is no joy in this morning. For the mistress of the great house died on the previous night. There is considerable mystery surrounding her death, mystery that can only increase before its ultimate resolution. And at this moment two innocent children are about to be drawn tighter into a web of terror neither can understand.
| Episode 656 | |
|---|---|
| Series Dark Shadows Season 1968, Episode 656 | |
| |
| Air date | December 30th, 1968 |
| Writers | Ron Sproat |
| Story | Art Wallace |
| Director | Henry Kaplan |
| Producers | Dan Curtis Robert Costello |
| Starring | Jonathan Frid; Kathryn Leigh Scott; Clarice Blackburn; Bob Fitzsimmons; David Henesy; Denise Nickerson |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous Episode 655 |
Next Episode 657 |
Episode 656 is the untitled 656th episode of the daytime Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows. The episode was directed by Henry Kaplan with a script written by Ron Sproat. It first aired on ABC on Monday, December 30th, 1968. This episode is part of "The Ghost of Quentin Collins" storyline.
Synopsis[]
David and Amy continue to do the bidding of the mysterious ghost of Quentin Collins. Quentin's spirit silently instructs them and they gleefully agree to obey. As the leave Quentin's room, the laughter of the ghost can be heard.
A man named Mister Jarret comes to Collinwood under the pretense of organizing funeral preparations for Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. Neither Barnabas nor Mrs. Johnson are aware of any arrangements made with Mister Jarret, and Barnabas tells him that Elizabeth had made her own arrangements in her will; part of which decreed that there would be no funeral service.
Barnabas arranges for David and Amy to leave Collinwood and spend some time in Boston. At first the children seem excited by this notion until they realize that this is for an extended stay. They know that Quentin will not allow them to leave Collinwood.
Maggie Evans moves into Collinwood to take over the role of governess to David and Amy. Barnabas and Mrs. Johnson help her to move into Vicki's old room. The appearance of Vicki's belongings causes Barnabas great distress and he orders them removed immediately - including Josette's music box. Mrs. Johnson brings all of Vicki's stuff to the basement.
Later, Maggie goes into her room and is startled to find that all of Vicki's clothes have returned. She calls out to Barnabas and Mrs. Johnson. Mrs. Johnson grows manic and speaks of the curse that has always plagued the Collins family. She believes that this is a sign that Vicki is coming back.
Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Jonathan Frid | Barnabas Collins |
| Kathryn Leigh Scott | Maggie Evans |
| Clarice Blackburn | Sarah Johnson |
| Bob Fitzsimmons | Mister Jarret |
| David Henesy | David Collins |
| Denise Nickerson | Amy Jennings |
Appearances[]
Characters
- Amy Jennings
- Barnabas Collins
- Carolyn Stoddard (Referenced only)
- Chris Jennings (Behind the scenes only)
- David Collins
- Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Referenced only)
- Maggie Evans
- Jarret
- Josette du Pres (Referenced only)
- Julia Hoffman (Referenced only)
- Quentin Collins (Behind the scenes only)
- Roger Collins (Referenced only)
- Sarah Johnson
- Victoria Winters (Referenced only)
Organizations
Races & Animals
- Ghosts (Behind the scenes only)
- Humans
- Werewolves (Behind the scenes only)
- Wolves (Behind the scenes only)
Locations
- England (Referenced only)
- Massachusetts (Referenced only)
Items
Miscellaneous
Notes & Trivia[]
- Dark Shadows was created by executive producer and showrunner Dan Curtis. Major storylines were developed by writers Art Wallace and Sam Hall. The original daytime Gothic soap opera, Dark Shadows aired on ABC from June of 1966 to April of 1971 spanning a total of 1,245 episodes. Two spin-off films House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows were released in theaters in 1970 and 1971. A remake series of Dark Shadows was produced in 1991 and ran for thirteen episodes on NBC. In 2012, director Tim Burton crafted a comical reboot of Dark Shadows as a high-budget feature film.
- This episode is included on disc one of Dark Shadows DVD Collection 12 and disc 69 of the Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series DVD collection.
- Opening narration: Kathryn Leigh Scott.
- Opening still: Collinwood, exterior tower side (day).
- Closing still: Quentin's old bedroom in the West Wing of Collinwood.
- This episode was recorded on Thursday, December 26th, 1968.
- Barnabas Collins is the first character seen in this episode.
- The Collinwood staircase is the first location seen in this episode.
- This is the first and only appearance of Mister Jarret, played by Bob Fitzsimmons.
- Maggie Evans' bedroom at Collinwood is the same room that Victoria Winters once occupied.
- The events of this episode take place on the following evening from the events of episode 655. Episode 655 states that it is the second night of the full moon, which would make this the third night of the full moon.
Storylines[]
The events presented in this episode are part of the following storylines:
Allusions[]
- Many of the plot points of this episode revolve around Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. Elizabeth supposedly "died" in episode 655. In truth however, she has been placed in a supernaturally-induced sleep that gives the appearance of death. This is all part of the ongoing machinations of Angélique, who is perpetually causing misery for the Collins family.
- Numerous references are made to Victoria Winters in this episode. Victoria Winters disappeared into the past with Peter Bradford/Jeff Clark in episode 650.
- In a still shot featuring the full moon, the sound of a wolf baying in the background can be heard. Given that this is the third night of the full moon, and that episode 655 establishes that werewolf Chris Jennings is at large, it is possible that it is actually he who can be heard howling.
- The song that David Collins is playing on the piano is "London Bridge is Falling Down", which is a traditional English nursery rhyme. It was also the song that David's ghostly friend, Sarah Collins, who often heard singing back during the "The Ghost of Sarah Collins" storyline in 1967.
Bloopers[]
- In the scene where Barnabas Collins is speaking with Mrs. Johnson in the drawing room, a camera can be briefly seen on the right side of the screen near Barnabas’ right shoulder.
- When Mrs. Johnson is speaking with Maggie Evans in the Collinwood foyer, the shadow of some production equipment can be briefly noticed moving overhead.
- When Mister Jarret first arrives, he asks for Mister Johnson. He actually meant to say Mister Collins. Ironically, it is Mrs. Johnson who answers his query and responds with "Yes". Given that her honorific is "Mrs.", implying that she is married, it is possible that there is in fact a Mister Johnson living at Collinwood. However, such a character has never been seen or referenced.
- In Quentin's bedroom, a piece of equipment is briefly visible when the chandelier begins moving of its own accord.
Quotes[]
- Mrs. Johnson: This house is cursed and everyone who's under its roof. I'm glad the children will be leaving.
....
- Mrs. Johnson: Vicki Winters would have known what to do.
- Barnabas Collins: Mrs. Johnson, that's not fair to Maggie.
....
- Mrs. Johnson: I hate to think of her being lost to us forever.
- Maggie Evans: I hate to think about that, too.
See also[]
Media
The World of Dark Shadows
Miscellaneous
External Links[]
The Original Series
The Revival Series
Tim Burton's Dark Shadows
 This article pertains to an episode from the original Dark Shadows television series. This template will categorize articles that include it into the Dark Shadows episodes category. Characters
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