Jonathan Frid's Favorite Dark Shadows Scenes

Presented at the 2012 Dark Shadows Festival, Jonathan Frid was planning to present his favorites but passed away this past April. His friends and family stood in for him at the festival and played for the fans, his favorite scenes

[@dvlaries]

Jonathan Frid went to his rest with the gratitude and love of millions of baby-boomers. He was a touchstone icon of our youth no less indelible than the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Woodstock. Though the show ran only five years, we still visit it, buy the discs and tapes and books and treasure the memories. We hope he knew he departed this life only to live on in the hearts of his audience for the rest of theirs.

[@johnnyclark2338]

I loved this show as a child and still do. There will never be another Jonathan Frid (Barnabas)!!!

[@bubbastill2040]

As the kids say,many "feels" from your comment!

[@tiamia7139]

If Jonathan's not in the scene, I'm not interested! 😉

[@cindyurban150]

So beautifully said.

[@WayToGo-JHF1924]

How true this man has made an impression in my life for the rest of it. I only got to see him when I was 16. When the show first came on when he first came on that’s the first time I ever seen the show. I fell immediately in love with him, but it wasn’t on for very long. I don’t know why so I got a streaming device and I watched it daily till I finished the whole thing and I visited it several times through several different episodes that I love with all of them when he first came out, but when I saw Well Was really crazy and the kind of feelings that every woman would love to have from her man. Wow show was amazing and still is after Barnabas Bramwell and most importantly Jonathan Frid gone. I’m still madly in love with Jonathan all the Jonathan.

[@miriamjewett5438]

I was 7 years old when Dark Shadows was on. My neighbor friend would come watch it in our t.v. I couldn't watch it. Scared me to death. The music would start and I would run out the door, screaming. lol. I love watching it now. I am on my second round of binge watching. What a fantastic show this truly is.

[@dominiquecantin7324]

I was four in 1974 when it came on and my folks would watch it. I was peeking standing hiding in the dark hallway and terrified of Barnabas. I am binge watching for the first time now and Jonathan Frid is the show. What an amazing talent and I love Julia Hoffman and Willie too. I am no longer afraid of him because I know he is kind hearted deep down lol.

[@Amphitera]

Barnabas: "Julia, I never lied to you!" *giggling from the audience*

[@leschurchill804]

Jonathan Frid's face in that scene was pure good, and so expressive, which he did so well. RIP. Ms. L. Churchill

[@JosiahSchmidt]

And we young'ns are still watching the original series. I was born in 1986 and have watched almost every single episode.

[@smartbill692000]

Same here!

[@ashleycurrin4317]

I was born in 86 too!

[@tiamia7139]

1951 for me and binge watching (on 1227 at the moment). So many brilliant actors...Frid, Karlen, Thayer David, Barrett, Bennett.

[@josephf1555]

I watched the reruns in the 70s as a kid. There was something about Barnabas that drew me to show regularly. When he was in any scene, you knew the scene was gonna be a dramatic one.

[@jshalom65]

Jonathan was one-third of my childhood triumvarite of beloved Jonathans (along with Jonathan Harris and Jonathan Winters) RIP all of you and I will see you all later and thank you so much for all the richness and humor that you brought to so many lives............

[@thejupiter2574]

True, very true Jonathan Frid and Jonathan Harris and even Charles Nelson Riley all had several things in common and made long lasting impressions on us as kids. You liked Jonathan Winters ? I liked actor and comedian Dom Deluise. :)

[@tiamia7139]

Jonathan Winters was one of my favorite comedians back then. He was so unique, so "out there". His Aunt Blabby had us all in stitches. He was completely nuts, lol!

[@bubbastill2040]

@@tiamia7139 He was amazing,and he was also a major influence on Robin Williams (aka Mrs. Doubtfire lol!).Rest in peace to both

[@monicacall7532]

I was in love with Barnabas Collins for the five years he was on DS. While the rest of my friends were sure that he was evil I KNEW that he was misunderstood. Imagine my delight when Barnabas was proven to be a good person who had been put under an evil curse! When DS went off air toward the end of my 9th grade year my friends and I were bereft. There was no reason to run home from school any more. In the 90’s when Syfy showed two back to back episodes in the early morning I introduced my son to DS as a way to make getting up for school enjoyable. The two of us love to talk about favorite DS episodes. No other TV show had such a profound and happy impact on my life. DS forever!

[@tiamia7139]

Jonathan Frid saved that show with his charismatic and eloquent acting. It was he who told Dan Curtis that Barnabas should NOT be played as a cold, bloodthirsty villain, but as a passionate, lovelorn, self-loathing, sympathetic victim of a curse. Frid said that he never had any intentions of "camping it up". He played Barnabas straight "as if he were playing Hamlet." And when he was in a scene, you couldn't take your eyes off him. He looked so handsome and natural in his Inverness cape, period costumes, silk ascots (purple was definitely Barnabas' best color!), and those beautiful satin robes. He moved across a room with a natural elegance and grace. His eyes and hands were so expressive, but of course it was that VOICE that made us ladies melt. Jonathan Frid had it ALL. He was the total Class Act!

[@cindyurban150]

@@tiamia7139 My feelings exactly, you said them so beautifully !

[@tiamia7139]

​​@@cindyurban150Thank you so much. Jonathan was such a magnificent actor and kind, gentle soul. He understood Barnabas better than anyone. He was born to play that role! 🧛❤

[@cindyurban150]

@@tiamia7139 He left us a legacy of class,romance,and charm.He was a marvelous Actor. I love your reflections,and as I said, you touched on everything I felt ! Thank you for recognizing his devotion to his craft.💕

[@tiamia7139]

@@cindyurban150 💕

[@mabel8179]

I love the second scene. I notice how Barnabas's mouth starts to twitch when his fangs are craving blood!

[@lariasher1551]

I can't get enough of these, thank you for posting this.

[@tiamia7139]

I'm 3 weeks in and on episode 1225 at 1:15 a.m (Amazon Prime). I grew up watching Dark Shadows and I'm enjoying it even more now at 71. What a magnificent, eloquent and charismatic actor Jonathan Frid was. That VOICE, those EYES! No one could play Barnabas but him.🧛‍♂️🖤

[@markgelbart5889]

My favorite scene. Some white bread hero shot him with a crossbow at the end of 1 episode. Then in the next episode, Barnabas said, "you missed my heart." He kicked ass after that mistake.

[@sharonlynnh.1951]

Classic and spellbinding DARK SHADOWS episode scenes : Theatrical Actor Jonathan Frid and his acting Colleagues were and very much still are so "hypnotic-gifted" legendary Talents from CAST/CREW that kept & still do keep you on edge. Excellent vintage DS's footage with it's haunting atmospheric settings: powerful & chiller beautiful.

[@katie9918]

I was introduced to Dark Shadows by way of the Sci-Fi reruns back in the '90s and while I appreciate the earlier episodes more now, I just remember watching with my mouth hanging open and saying, "They put this on TV back in the SIXTIES?" This was a couple of years before the X-Files and Buffy really brought the supernatural as a mainstay back to television, though the Twilight Zone was great as well. DS was the first daily show to fill a certain niche that still exists today.

[@tvance3234]

Not to mention that it was done on LIVE TV back then! The entire crew were consummate professional actors and stage hands that gave us Broadway-level plays on camera. Thankfully, they managed to keep most of the recordings safe that were originally only intended to be played again during the summer rerun season.

[@ericb2296]

@@tvance3234Actually, it was produced “live on tape”, which means that it was not broadcast “live”, but, in a cost-saving measure by the Network, was mandated as “no retakes”. That means the actors and crew had just one shot to get it right; whatever occurred in the shooting of a scene, no matter what, was part of the episode. This is why there’s a proliferation of KZbin vids comprised of DS original series’ bloopers that despite the mistakes captured on tape, made it to the broadcast version ABC transmitted out over the Network, usually within a week or two if the videotape date.

[@sherryparkman7635]

THE MASTER AT WORK. !!!

[@monicacall7532]

Amen! Jonathan Frid was a true original.

[@lisaaugustin5400]

Barnabas looks so fine with his hair combed back !!!

[@sheilajenkins2068]

He sure does!! 😍 *sigh*

[@gloriabowie5629]

Don't like the spikes in the front of his hair though.

[@Chanticlair47]

My favorite scene was in 1796 when Joshua discovered Barnabas. That was a classic episode!

[@notgivinup]

Indeed. The scenes between Joshua and Barnabas were touching. My favorite between the two of them was when Joshua intended to kill Barnabas but couldn’t go through with it. When they said their final goodbyes and he asked his father to take care of Ben Stokes. 😢

[@ashleycurrin4317]

I love it when he wears the red and, black jacket!

[@HallowWen65]

Thank you for sharing these wonderful memories. Jonathan lives on in the hearts of so many and this speaks volumes about how special he was and always will be

[@carolcunningham6595]

I love dark shadows. Everyday i would run home to watch dark shadows. Barnabas and quentin were my favorites.

[@user-yv8qf8et6k]

I remember (in my early 60s) when I decided to watch the entire series from the very first episode to the very last episode: having to keep the bloody lights on in the kitchen, lol. Such an authentic and real performance even though I had seen and witnessed way back in the 60s and knew now what to expect made just the whole idea of fear coming over me, proves how incredibly talented this man was..............❤

[@darlenedeluca7850]

I loved this program Dark Shadows! since i was 13 yrs old ! xxx ooo !❣👍👌!

[@silglaba]

According what I read in JF's Diaries he enjoyed to plan his next Festival one year before. In middle of 2010 he already was thinking of 2011.- Thanks. Silvia Gladys

[@lindaschley5921]

Where can the diaries be obtained ....just curious

[@aureliabuendia6013]

Que tierno vampiro ,pichoncita💓

[@josette1959]

SWOON!

[@georgewilliams6251]

It is too bad that a project cannot be done to colorize the B&W episodes and to sync them better. For instance, the spot where Baranabas' picture was hung on Collinwood contained an oval mirror instead before the run up to Banabas' appearance. In the preBarnabas story line, Josette's death date on her tombstone had a visible ""death date" of 1828. The family Bible Elizabeth consulted during the Premature Burial storyline had Roger's name listed above Elizabeth's as if he had been born first. Scenes of lighting equipment and Mike booms could be photoshopped out, etc. It would just be hideously expensive. Star Trek TOS looks far better with new electronic LED digital gauges instead of the 1960s technology with the mechanical wheels. Some of the distances quoted by Barnabas (as that Eagle Hill cemetery was 5 miles away -- making David's latter many round walks there into 10 mile round trips. But since, as Mr. Frid characterized Barnabas as a manipulative liar to persons unfamiliar with the place, those distances might be left as they are.

[@journeyon1983]

Where's the part that comes after the end of this clip? His personal life. I wanted to see that.. Damn..

[@howardyoungblood9133]

Did Mr wrestling Tim woods play on the 📺 tv show dark shadows ??in the 1970 in Augusta ga and did you go to 👌 Knoxville tenn???oh my goodness

[@Atomank68]

How come that damned rooster crows only when Barnabas is around?

[@kenclevland5253]

There were episodes in 1968 when Barnabas was a normal human and Tom Jennings was the vampire.

[@libertubey2199]

@@kenclevland5253 Tom was the first person on DS turned into a vampire by another vampire - Angelique.

[@lisakeller355]

who is the db that keeps popping up & down?

[@lox_501]

When did this event accord?

[@juliewitt7496]

Who keeps the rooster?

[@marilynwillett804]

that's good.

[@marilynwillett804]

SO nobody could ask this one person, who knew it was being videotaped--to move a bit so their head and back wouldn't be in the entire video.

[@lisacassar7040]

ty i thought the very same idea ugh moooove

[@sting1111]

I hate when people stand and read something and worse do it badly.

[@thejupiter2574]

Well not everyone is a gifted speaker nor an actor. Considering this video is for someone who passed away, any imperfections are forgiven.

[@pedinurse1]

Oh I just cant stand seeing Angelique kissing him

[@Amphitera]

that isn't Angelique, it's Catherine. Lara Parker had to wait a long time to be able to play someone who wasn't evil.

[@thejupiter2574]

Well don't forget that Angelique and Barnabas were married. He never married Josette. Also, it was Barnabas who first approached Angelique in Martinique He made the fist move on her even though he was already in a relationship.

[@christinechepeleffwaybackr8225]

Rewatching the show now, I see Angelique much differently... I LOVE her. I think she & Barnabas had a lot of chemistry and glad they 'went there' with it.

[@laraparkerisalousyactress8085]

Gets bad around 8:41.

[@thejupiter2574]

LOL you again. I know who you are. You're so pathetic. SMH. You made up that stupid youtube name out of spite, just because Ms. Parker refused to kiss you at the convention. You bothered her so much at her autograph table that she had to call security on you. Sad, there are 'nut jobs' in every fandom.

[@valmi4144]

Love DS. Was Johnathan gay?

[@kimberleyfcummings5123]

Not important....

[@thejupiter2574]

@Val Mi Yes Mr. Frid was a Gay Man. Many, many older DS first generation fans have known this for decades now. Also, YES Kim it is certainly important to know that. This is not the 1950's There is no shame nor disrespect in acknowledging the fact that Mr. Frid and several other people associated with the show were Gay and Lesbian, LGBTQ+ no shame at all. .............. It's important to the hundreds of DS Fans who happen to be Gay and who had no role models like Frid to aspire to when they were growing up. In a world that is still filled with much hatred and bigotry including many older DS fans in the Facebook groups as well, it's important to know because 'representation' helps to lessen that hatred when we know that anyone, anyone we love or admire might be a Gay person. It's part of one's identity and there is no shame nor disrespect in acknowledging it.

[@kimberleyfcummings5123]

I was not in any way dismissing him. I loved JF, then, now, and forever. I was annoyed at the question. It is so funny to me that people are judgement over things that are normal. I was in grade school in the 60's. I also couldn't wait to get home so I could watch JF in action. He was truely a gifted actor and a wonderful, kind man.

[@kimberleyfcummings5123]

Jonathan was a gentleman. Some people could really learn from the kindness that he had for others, irregardless of their personal beliefs and lifestyles.

[@peggyivey5828]

Yes