Rant #1,701: Dark Shadows

The year 1966 was an incredible one for television.

Not only had color finally pretty much permeated television--with more and more shows getting away from black and white and moving to the color spectrum--but television itself was being more colorful, more inventive and more fun for viewers.

Four shows debuted during 1966 that became among the biggest cult shows of not only their time, but today too. All these years later, "Batman," "The Monkees," "Star Trek" and "Dark Shadows" have incredible followings.

"Batman" remains the template for the mod, colorful, pop art medium of the day, and to some, Adam West is, and will always be, Batman.

"The Monkees" is in a category by itself, not only beloved as a TV show, but whose music has lived on 50 years later, and whose popularity has translated to a long-awaited new album that rose to No. 14 on the charts with even loftier placement around the world.

"Star Trek" is also in a category of its own, as one of the most popular movie franchises ever, with a new film coming out in a few weeks.

And then we have "Dark Shadows," the gothic horror/romance/soap opera that expanded the boundaries of where television shows could go back then, and forever changed the landscape of the soap opera genre.

The show ran only about five years, but during those years, it set television on its carcass, exploring fantasy areas that probably had only been touched on before, using a mix of science fiction, time travel, romance, gothic horror and vampires to capture younger audiences who had never watched soap operas before.

Anyway, here we are 50 years later, and the "Dark Shadows" cult continues, and this weekend, my family and I attended the latest "Dark Shadows" convention, in Tarrytown, New York.

The conventions not only focused on the show--with various forums dedicated to different aspects of the show--but it gives fans a chance to meet many of the stars of the show up close and personal.

Jonathan Frid--who came onto the scene in what everyone thought would be a short story arc about a vampire but ended up becoming the force that not only kept the show on the air, but made it the cult item that it is today, passed away a few years back, but many of the other cast members were there, including David Selby, Lara Parker, Nancy Barrett, Jerry Lacy, John Carlin, James Storm and Kathryn Lee Scott.

It really was an incredible occasion, and the more than 1,000 people who attended (my estimate) seemed to have lots of fun meeting the stars, participating in the forums, and talking about their 50-year obsession with the show with others.

Yes, there were people of all ages there, but the bulk of the attendees were the Baby Boomers, those kids who rushed home every afternoon from school to watch this show.

My mother used to watch the show on our old black and white Dumont TV in our living room, and during that half hour, you could not interrupt her. She made it dark in that room, adding to the eeriness of the occasion, and she continued to watch it in black and white during its entire run--even when the show switched over the color--because that is the only type of TV we had until the early 1970s.

I watched an episode here and there back then, but I really got into the series when it was rerun on New Jersey public television in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Since then, I have watched in on outlets including the SciFi channel--where it ran in its entirety for a good 10 years--and on DVD.

So yes, I am a "Dark Shadows" fanatic, as is my wife, and my son grew up watching the show, even though he hasn't seen the episodes in years. He, too, enjoyed himself, meeting the stars and seeing the mass of fans who love the show.

So sometimes, you have to do something out of the ordinary to just set things on their ear, and that is what my family and I did this weekend.

Don't worry, I won't bite you like Barnabas would if you disagree with me, or roll your eyes at all of this folderoll, but it really is nice to revisit things you did during your childhood, and do it up close and personal like this.

And since this was the 50-year celebration, I don't know what the future holds for "Dark Shadows" conventions, but I will tell you that if this is the last one of its kind, they went out with a bang. It was fun, everyone seemed to have a good time, and most of the stars looked like they were enjoying themselves, too.

Having fun ... that is the basic premise of any good TV show, and "Dark Shadows" provided that type of escape for millions of fans way back when, and still does this to many fans today.

What more can you ask for?