Collinwood in the year 1897, and the dread cry of vampire is in the air. To keep his own secret safe, Barnabas Collins has been forced to turn Dirk Wilkins into a vampire. Now Dirk Wilkins has been destroyed, and with his death his victims no longer remember their ordeal. But certain things cannot be forgotten, as Judith Collins will learn this day.
| Episode 777 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Air date | June 17th, 1969 |
| Writers | Violet Welles [1] |
| Director | Henry Kaplan [1] |
| Producers | Robert Costello; Dan Curtis |
| Starring | Joan Bennett; John Karlen; Jerry Lacy; Don Briscoe; Kay Frye |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous Episode 776 |
Next Episode 778 |
Episode 777 is the untitled 777th episode of the Gothic daytime soap opera series Dark Shadows. It was directed by Henry Kaplan, with a script written by Violet Welles. It first aired on Tuesday, June 17th, 1969. This episode is part of the "1897 Flashback" storyline. In this episode, Gregory Trask tries to comfort Judith Collins after her recent ordeal with the vampire, Dirk Wilkins. Tim Shaw bursts into Collinwood and accuses Judith of shooting Rachel Drummond. Carl Collins continues his search for Pansy Faye, while the rest of the household prepare funeral services for Rachel. Tim Shaw goes to the Old House and sees the ghost of Pansy Faye.
Synopsis[]
Gregory Trask and Judith Collins are sitting in the drawing room at Collinwood. Trask tries to comfort Judith over her recent ordeal with the late vampire, Dirk Wilkins. Suddenly, Tim Shaw enters the room. Trask stands bolt upright and points a gun at Tim. He instructs Judith to telephone the police, claiming that he has now apprehended the murderer of his wife, Minerva Trask. Tim tells Judith that it would not be in her best interest to call the police, as he would then have to tell them about how she had killed Rachel Drummond. Judith is in shock. Not only was she unaware of Rachel's demise, but she had no memory of killing her. Trask refuses to even accept the notion, and believes that Shaw is simply blowing smoke to divert attention away from himself. Shaw notes how Rachel had been shot three times. Judith begins to recall certain details, but everything is still sketchy.
Trask asks them both to leave the room. His affection for Judith is stronger than his desire to see Tim Shaw punished, and he cannot even entertain the notion of what might happen should Judith decide to confess. To subvert Shaw's efforts to blackmail her, he telephones the police and tells them that Tim Shaw had been in Bangor at the time that his wife was killed. Concluding his call, he tells Tim what he had done. Shaw is relieved, and agrees to not say anything more about Rachel as it relates to Judith Collins. Trask then asks him to leave Worthington Hall, to which Tim readily and excitedly agrees. He still feels that he can exert some measure of control over Judith however, and brings up the notion of giving him a job working for the Collins family.
Suddenly, Carl Collins enters the room. He is in a panic as he has yet to find his beloved Pansy Faye. He is upset with the other members of the household, who always seem to dismiss his concerns in favor of some other matter. Trask then tells Carl about Rachel and he becomes visibly stricken and upset. He asks where she was killed and Shaw and Trask tell him that it happened only a short distance from the Old House. Trask tells him that he was the one who found Rachel's body and had it moved to the Old House. He wants to give Rachel a proper burial as soon as possible. Carl finds it strange that the Reverend is in such a rush to bury the body. They send Carl and Tim to the Old House to recover Rachel and bring her back to Collinwood.
They go to the Old House to take care of business. Carl steps outside leaving Tim alone in the parlor. As he turns around, he sees Pansy Faye standing before him. He doesn't realize that she is a ghost. He races outside screaming for Carl, but as the two men re-enter the house, they find no sign of Pansy. They scour the entire building in search of her, but turn up nothing.
They go back to Collinwood where a funeral service is performed for Rachel Drummond, whose coffin sits in the middle of the drawing room. Afterward. Gregory and Judith ask them to bring her to the cemetery where she is to be buried.
Carl and Tim go to Eagle Hill Cemetery and bury the coffin not far from the Collins family mausoleum. Afterward, Tim says that he is going to go into town to get extremely drunk. After he leaves, Carl hears the familiar music and crooning lilt of his beloved. He calls out to Pansy and looks for her, but she is nowhere to be found. Carl begins to wonder if he is actually hearing the sounds of a ghost.
Cast & Crew[]
Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Joan Bennett | Judith Collins |
| John Karlen | Carl Collins |
| Jerry Lacy | Gregory Trask |
| Don Briscoe | Timothy Shaw |
| Kay Frye | Pansy Faye |
Crew[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Henry Kaplan | Director |
| Violet Welles | Writer |
| Robert Costello | Producer |
| Dan Curtis | Executive producer |
Notes & Trivia[]
- Dark Shadows is copyright © 1969, Dan Curtis Productions, Inc.; All rights reserved.
- "DS 777" serves as a shortcut to this page.
- This episode is available on disc 1 of Dark Shadows DVD Collection 15 and disc 81 of the Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series DVD collection.
Well SOMEBODY's a Grumpy McGrump!
- Opening still: Collinwood exterior, day; Tower-side. This scene transitions into an odd and rarely used close-up of the exterior wing of Collinwood.
- Closing still: Old House parlor.
- Opening narration: Kay Frye.
- Aside from the main cast, no additional credits are listed in this episode.
- Tim Shaw is identified as Timothy Shaw in the closing credits of this episode.
- This is Henry Kaplan's sixty-fifth episode of Dark Shadows as a director.
- This is Violet Welles' twentieth episode of Dark Shadows as a writer.
- There are a total of six characters in this episode. Four characters are living characters, while two are dead. One of the dead characters is a ghost, and the other makes a behind-the-scenes appearance in a coffin.
- There are a total of three structures features in this episode, two of which are mansions, one of which is a mausoleum. There are a total of four rooms seen in this episode.
- This is the third appearance of Kay Frye in the role of Pansy Faye. She appeared last in episode 772.
- This episode includes a behind-the-scenes appearance of Rachel Drummond.
Allusions[]
- Rachel Drummond was a governess hired by Edward Collins as an instructor for Jamison Collins. She was murdered by Judith Collins in episode 776.
- Edward Collins is referenced in this episode, but does not make an appearance. He appeared last in episode 776.
- Dirk Wilkins was the former Collins family handyman. Barnabas Collins turned him into a vampire in episode 771. Dirk was destroyed at the end of episode 776.
- The gun that Judith Collins used to kill Rachel Drummond was a gift from her grandmother, Edith Collins. The memories she is trying to recall in this episode reflect back to events from episode 776.
- Barnabas Collins is referenced multiple times in this episode, but does not make an appearance.
- Pansy Faye was the fiancée of Carl Collins. She was murdered by the only-recently turned vampire Dirk Wilkins in episode 771.
Bloopers[]
- Right when Gregory Trask draws his gun and says "Tell them Minerva Trask's murderer has been captured!", the shadow of a production crew member can be seen cast over the right side of his body.
- In Act II, when Judith Collins rises from the sofa, the shadow of a boom mike can be seen across her.
- When Gregory Trask picks up the telephone, the loud sound of a production crew member's chair dragging across the floor can be heard.
Quotes[]
- Judith Collins: It's so frustrating to remember nothing.
- Gregory Trask: Now don't dwell on it, Judith. You known what Edward and I told you, that's enough. Dirk is dead. His hold on you is over.
....
- Gregory Trask: Don't move. Judith, call the police. Tell them the fugitive has been found. Tell them Minerva Trask's murderer has been captured!
....
- Tim Shaw: If you tell the police about me, I shall have to tell them about you as well.
....
- Tim Shaw: What kind of a woman is it that can't remember doing what you did?
- Judith Collins: What did I do?
- Tim Shaw: You shot Rachel Drummond!
- Judith Collins: What are you saying?
- Tim Shaw: Rachel Drummond is dead.
See also[]
The World of Dark Shadows
Gallery of Shadows
Miscellaneous
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dark Shadows Wiki; Episode 777; Infobox.