Dark Shadows - Barnabas Collins Interview

Interview with the great Jonathan Frid (Barnabas Collins)

[@MrCharlies74]

Barnabas was the first and still the greatest of the TV vampires. Vampires are everywhere today but Barnabas rises above them all

[@rpetty50]

A part of my childhood died the day Jonathan Frid died. Thank you for such wonderful memories and for the thrill of watching you on Dark Shadows all over again today. Can't seem to get enough of Barnabas Collins! :)

[@lynnebraun4845]

What a wonderful man!! His talent and that voice!! I was 10 when I fell in love with him and followed his work until he passed. Well done Mr.Frid!!!!Thank you for all those years of enjoyment.

[@bldali]

I remember meeting him at a presentation Mary O'Leary was giving on "The Guiding Light" and working in the soap opera genre. She was also stage manager for his "Fools and Fiends" tour in 1991 , so he showed up (at my college campus) to speak with her, and Mary introduced me to him. Nobody else in the room recognized him! Anyway, I was very privileged to meet him and he was such a nice man with a great sense of humor! Jonathan, you will be missed by millions!

[@silglaba]

I'll never forget Mr. Frid.- Thanks for sharing this video with us all his fans. Silvia Buenos Aires, Argentina

[@pedinurse1]

he was brilliant in this show

[@BegoneJonah]

I was pleasantly surprised at the difference he managed to portray in the Barnabas character before Angelique's curse and afterward. Two different men. Good work.

[@bobcousineau1]

i ran home everyday to watch this and i remember my 80 plus aunt coming over and it was the time josette appeared after falling off the cliff omg.

[@TheLampDancer]

I miss him a ton!!!!! R.I.P Mr. Frid. You will always be the best Barnabas in my eyes!!!!!

[@lisaannejane2]

I wanted to see Barnabus finally give up on recreating Josette and fall in love with Julia. I wanted to see Julia finally cure him and both of them walking in the sunshine. I also wanted to see Angelique find someone. He was such an interesting character. Now that I am much older I think I appreciate his acting abilities even more.

[@mswmullis]

an incredibly gentle man and a gentleman. RIP

[@hugojero]

Genial vampiro!!!!!!!! excelente actor!!!!!

[@SlasherFilms]

I just started watching the show last month, but I was able to get into it instantly. Dark Shadows is one of my latest obsessions. I started with the 1795 timeline episodes and now I'm making my way through the first Barnabas episodes now.

[@elbikino1]

“...synchronicity is defined as the harmonious orderly alignment of events that would otherwise seem to appear random. I would argue that the casting of Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins is one such synchronous event. And I would further suggest that it is doubtful if there was an actor at that time that could have stepped into the shoes of Jonathan Frid and played the character of Barnabas Collins as successfully as he did." Excerpt From: The Mystique of Barnabas Collins.

[@anacisterna3314]

Que serie tan buena , aun que han pasado, los años, muchos aun no la olvido, de niñas la veiamos , nos encantaba ver los capitulos , ahora veo que Barnabas era muy guapeton

[@hypermecha223]

RIP Jonathan Frid thanks for all the fond memories!! Screw Depp! }:0P~~~~

[@HattieLovesCattie]

He also was terrible at remembering his lines.The " anguished look" on his face was waiting for the teleprompter to give him his lines to say a few seconds later.

[@hippyelise1]

God, I love this man.❤

[@MegaHorror2]

Wasn't a good actor? Did you watch the same show I did? He was a perfect actor.

[@mmoo173]

Loved this show!

[@AvengerII]

Sad to hear of his passing but then again he lived to be 87! That's more than most people. My best compliment to him would be -- "You scared the hell out of me when I was kid!" LOL Enjoy the afterlife, Mr. Frid.... Thank goodness nobody had to stake you! ( => reference to comment made by Peter Lorre at the funeral of Bela Lugosi.)

[@janiebigham1]

RIP Mr. Frid. You will truly be missed!!

[@clintbronson5]

I hear ya! The entire box set will be released in June 2012 so save your pennies kiddies (selling for $419.99) I am a horror fanatic and DARK SHADOWS-NIGHT GALLERY was some of my earliest memories

[@theRonald511]

i LOVED dARK sHADOWS...

[@maunten66]

mis saludos a ese gran actor " sombras tenebrosas ".

[@brobill4848]

1991 This interview was from the 25th anniversary VHS Tape of Dark Shadows

[@vampwolfgothqueen272]

i agree!

[@Dimensioneer88]

RIP Mr. Frid. I'm sure the new movie will be dedicated to you.

[@Astraldragon1]

I agree I was sad to learn he passed away..I didn't learn about it untill Kathryn Leigh Scott appeared on the Coast To Caost Am radio show about a week ago to talk about the Dark Shadows Movie coming out which she , Lara Parks , David Shelby and Jonathan Fried all had cameos in the new Movie starting Johnny Depp.

[@gtpcruiser02]

Correction....David Shelby is David Selby and Lara Parks is Lara Parker.

[@miriamjewett5438]

He was the ultimate vampire..

[@danyell47641]

awesome....

[@lisaannejane2]

Yes, I saw that on another you tube video.

[@vampwolfgothqueen272]

i know rite!

[@jay-day]

We named a guinea pig Barnabas - because he was able to "disappear" (actually, he used to jump out of the cage)

[@Monkofmagnesia]

Very insightful of Mr. Frid. Towards the end of the series, I lost interest. It seemed to become Monster of the Week. Now I know why. Introducing a vampire as a regular character in a soap opera was risky back then. It could have gone all camp, all failed miserably, but it was a success due, largely, to the acting of Mr. Frid. He made you feel Barnabas Collins anguish!

[@user-gy6lh8rd5g]

Me too! they totally changed the story line and from there it got stranger and less entertaining They abandoned the quest of Barnabas to find a beautiful woman to share his life with ... after all of his and Julia’s efforts to better his life. And they matched him up with that plain looking ugly short haired woman and the adventure ended

[@Monkofmagnesia]

@@user-gy6lh8rd5g I actually met Mr. Frid! I interviewed him for a local magazine I worked for. He was doing his one man show which he termed "Reader Theatre." He called it Jonathan Frid's Fools and Fiends. He was very gracious and invited me and my friends to his dress rehearsal. At that time, I walked with a wooden cane. He saw it and said, "I use to use this to beat Willy." I did not realize how tall he was until I met him.

[@Astraldragon1]

Ironic not only did Johnathon Fried pass away on Friday April 13th but he returned to his roots and has a Cameo in the new Dark Shadows movie staring Johnny Depp before he passed away. I may change my mind and go see the movie only to see the Cameos By Johnathan Fried and a few others from the original cast.

[@bLacKxxxLoDgE]

Wow! I didn't know that but it certainly would have created a cool story arc imo. I actually just got back from a meet and greet book signing in Atlanta with Kathryn Lee Scott(Maggie) and Lara Scott(Angelique)! It was such a surreal experience and someone joked they were vampires b/c they looked just as beautiful as their Collinwood days. I must say Kathryn Lee Scott was one of the kindest women I may have ever met and had so much to say, while Angelique, living up to her role...not so much :)

[@11redlions]

Lara Parker is much more demure than KLS. Sweet southern lady.

[@MikeCarrollArtist]

They all flubbed their lines, (Greyson Hall seemed the worse) but it was live (to tape). For what they had, they were great!

[@jenawulf]

Does anyone know what year this interview was taped? Thanks for posting. I'm still in mourning.

[@HattieLovesCattie]

The news was showing hours of George Zimmerman.

[@marilynwillett804]

He never understood why women were so attracted to him, in those days.

[@thejupiter2574]

Sweet Gay Men always attract the ladies.

[@marilynwillett804]

Mabye Frid was, but Barnabas wasn't gay and that's who we are attracted to.

[@zyxmyk]

if you watch the series from the beginning you see they had a plot about a woman who could start fires with her mind--absolutely where Stephen king got "Firestarter." he never was above a little plagiarism.

[@BegoneJonah]

"...he wasn't a good actor!" Perhaps. but he was precisely right for the Barnabas character. I have always thought that John Karlen was the best actor in that series.

[@hypermecha223]

I didn't say whether or not he was a good actor, I said "thanks for the fond memories." The guy had charisma. Besides, "good" is a relative, subjective, and particularly broad term...I happen to have enjoyed DS immensely & Frid's "bad acting." You're certainly entitled to your opinion, I just don't really give a shit :)

[@user-gy6lh8rd5g]

. The first episodes were the absolute best. But when they started with werewolves and etc coming onto the scene, I totally dropped it. And they never finished the quest of Barnabas finding someone to share his new life with. Like they just totally switched the story line. Being that about 2-3 seasons were all about Barnabas living an obscure and tortured existence ....and all of his and Julias plotting and efforts ... he wound up with that ugly strange woman as a partner. Very weird ending the writers gave Barnabas. Didn’t like it