Don’t be looking for any thematic order here in Past
Goings-on…there isn’t any.
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An unusual
piece of work, this photo of cast members from Dark Shadows…curious in that
it seems to imply in its stateliness a definitive portrait of all the
principals of the piece…and with beautiful results, I must admit. However,
where, in fact, are the rest of the principals? I think I could count
at least a dozen actors of importance who are missing here. Let’s see:
One or two partly hidden or otherwise unrecognizeable creatures…one of them
could be Clarice Blackburn, poking her nose out from behind Louis
Edmonds. Those clearly among the missing are Lara Parker, Humbert Allen
Astredo and Thayer David (the very essence of D.S. for me). Where does this photo come from
anyway? I ask. I have no memory of ever having seen it before, let alone
posing for it…and occasions such as this are easily remembered. I strongly
suspect we were all photographed separately by some brilliant camera artist
and then one by one placed in various perspectives so that however distant
from the camera , every one comes out clearly…well, almost every one.
The whole thing, in a rather amusing way, resembles a room at Madame Tussauds
in |
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CLICK
ON THE PHOTO TO BEGIN OUR LATEST FESTIVAL "TEASER"
>>>><<<<
CLICK
ON THE PHOTO TO BEGIN A RARE PERFORMANCE
FROM ITHICA, 1989
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CLICK
ON THE PHOTO TO BEGIN
OUR LATEST SAMPLE FROM SHAKESPEARE AND
EVIL INCARNATE
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Plot
of Arsenic and Old Lace
The 'murderous old lady'
plot line was inspired by actual events that occurred in a house in
Kesselring
originally conceived the play as a heavy drama, but a friend, reading the
half-finished play, convinced him it would be much more effective as a comedy,
a sort of farcical
black comedy
revolving around Mortimer Brewster, a theatre-hating drama critic who must
deal with his crazy, homicidal family and local police in Brooklyn,
New York, as he debates whether to go through with a honeymoon with the woman
he loves and has recently agreed to marry.
His
family includes two spinster aunts who have taken to murdering lonely old men by
poisoning them with a glass of home-made elderberry
wine laced with arsenic, cyanide and "just a pinch" of strychnine;
a brother who believes he is Teddy Roosevelt and digs locks for the Panama Canal
in the cellar of the Brewster home (which then serve as graves for the aunts'
victims); and a murderous brother who has received plastic
surgery performed by an alcoholic
accomplice, Dr. Einstein (a character based on real-life gangland surgeon Joseph Moran)
to conceal his identity and now looks like horror-film actor Boris Karloff
(a self-referential
joke, as the part was originally played by Karloff).
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~~
UPDATING PHOTO GALLERY ~~
SOME
NEW PHOTOS CAN BE FOUND IN PHOTO
GALLERY SHOWCASING THE 2007 DARK SHADOWS FESTIVAL IN
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On-going through
2008
with Jonathan Frid
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We’ve been gradually building up a sizeable number
of items being sold or put up for bidding on eBay during the past 2 or 3
months. It has been our driving ambition to dispose of most of the
materials stashed away or even “lost” for decades in our cellar rather than
let them rot as junk in a coating of dust. This undertaking will continue to expand even after
the holidays and on into the spring and summer of 2008. We would welcome any comments you might have on all
of these activities especially from those of you who have participated in
this eBay exercise so far…whether you have won a bidding or not. >>>><<<< |
A
POSSIBILITY FOR 2008
>>>><<<<<
Post
40th Anniversary business
The
more I get settled into a quieter mode following the months of hectic
preparations for "J.F.s 40th Anniversary" gala...the more I seem to
be evolving a new and fascinating approach to a cheerful way of spinning out my
senior years that will embrace my continuing career...all this based on a sort
of foolish notion I declared to my associates recently. "Folks",
I said, "My days of deadlines are over. I have created a new plan
for myself: Jonathan Frid's Four Year Plan". (I should live so long)
It's
not a book I'm thinking about but it is about a
website (JonathanFrid.com). It's about eBay. It will be about
readings/enacting tales old and new...and its about
preparing for future festivals, near and far...
(to be continued later in the week when our webmaster Mark
Lawrence returns)
>>>><<<<
A
brilliant last minute surprise at the recent
Dark Shadows Festival in Tarrytown, New York
Now
for the first time ever, you can own a DVD of Jonathan Frid on stage performing
one of his critically-acclaimed one-man shows! This DVD is Jonathan
Frid's Fridiculousness, arguably Frid's most popular one-man show, videotaped
in 1992 in
$13.95
covers the cost of the DVD and postage. Email nckersey@aol.com for
details on how to order this DVD for yourself; consider ordering several as
gifts!
>>>><<<<
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The As I reminisce over the August weekend
celebrating the 40th anniversary of my personal beginnings with
Dark Shadows, I am certainly mindful of the huge costs and endless
organization in connection with this huge success. |
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Meanwhile, I’m basking in waves of beautiful
memories inspired by the overwhelming reception given to me by the huge
audience present. Never before during that forty years had I come face
to face with so many warm smiles. Never before had I consciously tried to
make at least a flickering glance back as I scribbled my name or initials or
whatever. I was not always successful, of course, and I am very sorry about
that. It was ( You were ) an extraordinary audience
simply because you were more than with me throughout the various segments.
For a great deal of the time you were even ahead of me. You knew your subject
that well…”subject?... ”subjects”…not only Dark
Shadows, not only my Readers Theatre items, but my weird sense of humour as
well. Yes it takes two to tango and I felt we were a dazzling couple. Thank You |
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ANOTHER
SPIN FOR VISITORS' CORNER
YOU
WOULD BE AMAZED BY THE AMOUNT OF FEEDBACK THAT ACTUALLY COMES TO OUR ATTENTION
OVER A PERIOD OF TIME AND IT IS NOT EASY TO COPE WITH A RESPONSE, LET ALONE
READING ALL OF THEM. SO THEREFORE, STARTING IMMEDIATELY
MONDAY WE WILL BE POSTING ANY AND ALL FEEDBACK RECEIVED IN VISITORS' CORNER.
IT IS AN EXPERIMENT THAT WILL BE REPEATED EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. THIS WAY
WE CAN KEEP THINGS MOVING IF NOT ALWAYS TO THE SATISFACTION OF MANY OF YOU
INSISTING UPON A RESPONSE. WE DO READ THEM AS BEST WE CAN AND WILL
CONTINUE TO TRY AND REPLY TO SOME.
>>>><<<<
John
Arkelian (editor of ArtsForum...a Canadian arts review located in Durham,
Ontario) who has written some of the most intelligent treatments
of Dark Shadows ever...has now added
Issue No. 14 - Summer/Fall 2007, article number 7 to our collection of his
articles.
>>>><<<<
1966
My
first trip to
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Romeo and Juliet |
The Tempest |
Two Gentlemen of |
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Lord Capulet |
Caliban |
Duke of |
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Father to Juliet |
Savage and deformed slave |
Father to Silvia |
A
busy summer for me...little did I know what lay ahead in...
1967
..From
the savage Caliban ('66) to the vampire Barnabas ('67):
I had no idea how busy I would be trying to figure out the human complexities
of yet another monster during the following summer of 1967...However, that's
another on-going story.
For
more on Barnabas now, click the new "Frid's Essays" link: Essays #2, #9,
and #10
>>>><<<<
A
SPECIAL ITEM FROM OUT OF NOWHERE:
Published in 2006 in an issue of
The Journal of the Richard III Society of
Canada
"...we began the meeting with
Jonathan Frid's "The Bookends of the Wars of the Roses", adapted from
his one-man show, 'Jonathan Frid's Shakespearean Odyssey'. Jonathan
compared and contrasted Shakespeare's treatment of Richard II and Richard III
in the plays that bear their names. He went on to elaborate on the belief
in the Divine Right of Kings, and the steady decline of this concept through
The Bard's 'history plays'. Punctuated by dramatic readings from Richard
II, Jonathan's presentation emphasized the theme of betrayal against God and
family that Shakespeare examined in both Ricardian plays."
>>>><<<<
Problem from Visitors' Corner: "The frame below takes up far too much space on
the screen"
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Reply:
Hello devoted follower, we have taken into consideration a few feedbacks like
the one you posted regarding the "link bar" taking too much space
at the bottom of the page. My answer to this is the note I posted some time
ago on the front page of the site, "the latest comings and goings with
Jonathan Frid...". It is advised that
"(this website best viewed at 1024x768)". Have you tried this
suggestion? Granted the screen we are using is 19" in size here, but I
have sampled the website on many other machines with screens varying in size.
All of which I sample with the suggested resolution. Your suggestion is quite
valid about reducing font size but this takes away from visibility which John
has stressed the importance of. I would like to take this opportunity to ask
for feedback (via visitor's corner) as to everyone elses personal
experiences. If there is a common problem with viewing, we will make changes. |
>>>><<<<
Artsforum
Magazine is a quarterly Canadian magazine of arts and
ideas which covers all aspects of performing and visual arts, as
well as such public policy issues as international relations and
human rights. Launched in the Fall of 2000 to serve the Eastern
Greater Toronto Area, Artsforum, originally established and maintained to this
day by John Arkelian, won an award in 2001 as the Best Arts Magazine
in Ontario.
~~~
"Almost
unknown on this side of the border, the gothic television drama Dark Shadows
became a popculture phenomenon during its five year run on ABC-TV (1966-1971),
making a star of Canadian stage actor Jonathan Frid."
~~~
Click here
to view Artsforum articles and reviews on Dark Shadows
>>>><<<<
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TARRYTOWN 2007 |
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ANOTHER 40TH AUGUST 17/18, 2007
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Posted by Paul W.
on 2007-02-28 23:30:52
Hey Jonathan, I was just wondering
if we could get an update on the progress of Evil Incarnate. Things seemed to be
going so well there for a while with the video presentations but we have heard
nothing in the last two months. I'm really looking forward to seeing the next
installment, even if it is not your final installment. Could you give us an
idea where things stand? Thanks. I really enjoy and appreciate all your
efforts.
Reply:
You are absolutely right, nothing. These last two months unfortunately
have been rather a painful time for me in that I had a bad fall in January
resulting in damage to my tail-bone, but nothing broken, making it quite hard
to be active in all of the current on-going business of the website. Although
the aggravation is still with me, it is much improved. I am anxious indeed to
move ahead with an upcoming special installment. So please don't despair.
For a reminder of this special installment, see A New Spin on Digital under Jonathan at Large.
jf
>>>><<<<
Shades
of Jonathan and Richard; A plea to Sherlock:
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Revisiting a most fascinating article on "
for the full story
>>>><<<<
An Audio Presentation
I am overjoyed with the marvelous work that Mark Lawrence and Sherlock have brought to this piece that plays out Richard of Gloucester’s gloomy if not gruesome wooing of the widowed Lady Anne over the casket of her now deceased father-in-law, King Henry VI.
Anne’s own father, Richard Neville
Earl of
It seems we now have two versions of "The Wooing of Lady Anne" running simultaneously. The original can be found under Audio Gallery, first established there 3 years ago. And now in 2006 we have a new version being developed and posted under "Evil Incarnate" within the links below.
>>>><<<<
Working on the perfection of our digital program...seriously.
>>>><<<<
>>>><<<<
A Recent Posting from Visitors' Corner
"Dear Mr. Frid, Hi there... I like the little teasers that you are putting up for your update to the Evil Incarnate section. But you demoted Sam to the second page and he strikes me as being a front page kitty. But still I'm looking forward to seeing more added to the Evil Incarnate section..." Valentina You will indeed...thanks. jf
Not to be forgotten however...lol
"Forgotten? No way!" meows Sam, our honorary Chair.
>>><<<
Sam says "meow" from his new home.
>>><<<
>>><<<
A new linkbar (see below) replaces "menu/index"
listing the following categories:
1."Career Highlights" contains the first sound recording of Jonathan's voice for this website.
2."Jonathan at Large" It will no longer be generating the essays however (see ''Frid's Essays''). Otherwise it will be the catch-all for reporting just about everything else in the way of prospects, musings and activities.
3."Biography" memorable highlights of 60 years of acting. (we are currently searching for Mary O'Leary's listing of every play production that Frid took part in under ''Actors' Equity'' ruling going back to the late 40's).
The following CATEGORIES, 4. to 9. will be clarified in due time. Meanwhile, they can be reached in their present form by clicking on the linkbar below.
4.''Photo Gallery''
5.''Frid's Essays''
6.''Visitors' Corner''
7.''Special Project''
8.''Audio Gallery''
9.''Evil Incarnate ''
**** 
****
And what about our devoted followers of the past 6 years to make of all this? Not a thing, just hang in!! Everything is going to be clearer before long.
>>>><<<<
"A Group of Six has come together to really get something moving in Frid's long neglected Evil Incarnate" The Webmaster
Mark Lawrence (Webmaster)
Sherlock (Illustrator)
Nancy Kersey (Consultant)
Roberta Jacobs-Meadway (Consultant)
Artur Kustra (Consultant)
Jonathan Frid (Producer)
>>>><<<<
Our webmaster Mark Lawrence is will be happy to take on critics of our technical work and/or any actual technical problems you may be having with connecting. He will also be glad to help me respond to other matters that you may wish to enquire about. through ''Visitors' Corner''
>>>><<<<
( under the menu/index dealing with Shakespeare's King Richard III )
Rather than reorganizing it into a more readable form (as once promised), we have decided to post pieces from it periodically onto the Home Page as we continue to do the laborious work in making improvements to the four episodes of Evil Incarnate.
I have to keep reminding myself that I am an octogenarian and that this is a hobby, plain and simple. As much as I would like to answer all my visitors' feedback...and I do read and appreciate it...I'm getting a rather weak with my time management. But I will keep trying.
>>><<<
Keep your eyes peeled for an audio presentations chosen from some of my Readers' Theatre days. Samples like "Here There be Tygers", "The Open Window", "Dead Call", "Yma Dream" and "My 'Fridean' Connections" may appear.
"YES" says Sam, "just get on with it!"
>>><<<
"Age hath not withered him"...Oh?
Oh my goodness...could this be an x-ray of the "mighty-one's fangs" ...hahaha? Anyway, it was a gift to me compliments of my oral surgeon celebrating the end of a year long journey in dental magic.
>>><<<
Sssh...
...this photo is of my... ugh em ... great-great-grandfather chatting with his friend Artur whose wife Alina, along with her mother Zofia visiting from Poland, did much to enhance the old man's garden during the past summer months ('05). The flower boxes that are visible are part of their work. My great-great-grandfather seems to hobnob with the right people, doesn't HE? (even at 175 years old...what?)
>>>><<<<
The camera in catching the blazing glory of an outdoor autumn day can be most unkind, however, to the human condition…or at least to mine
…so…
…we will just remove the ancient homo sapien (me) from the garden scene
and give place to the following indoor snapshot of
yours truly "puttin’ on the ritz" for a recent New Years Eve Bash
05/06.
>>>> <<<<
Below is a picture of me pointing to my home’s nickname “Cottage Country.” How else could I get away with a croquet set...of all things...asserting itself in a corner of my living room? (see living room above)
>>>><<<<
With Grandpa
Lost in time.
>>>><<<<
While recovering from some dental work fit for an retiree (some sedative involved), we are posting some photos of my appearance on a Merv Griffin Show a millenniumago. These pictures that reached today were gathered by Jackie Blockus, through the good offices of Nancy Kersey.
Can't remember the name of the pretty lady being victimized by yours truly, can you help me?
>>>>><<<<<
The
Octogenarian Look: Wrinkles and
Wisdom and all that jazz!...Enjoying a hot
lazy summer and still hangin' in and no air-conditioner. Hope you are too.
If an air-conditioner is a must, then so be it. Thank you all. jf
>>>><<<<
A Summing Up
See Jonathan At Large under Misc. Items for an official list of all the Actor's Equity Stage Productions in which yours truly has performed over a period of 40 years (1955-1988).
>>>><<<<
Check out five more responses in Visitors' Corner to recent incoming feedback!
>>>><<<<
Four responses to Brant Davidson followed by one from yours truly regarding Brant's and other viewers'
input on "Frid's acting career"…all to be found in...Essay#11...under Jonathan At
Larg
>>>><<<<
on the
MENU/INDEX
Career History: Three highlights...that's it. Be
prepared for an audio greeting.
Biography: Other highlights covering a period of sixty years, among them some
unusual foot notes. No audio. Open to overlooked additions…none at present.
Special Project: The list can change periodically. At this time, only items dealing with the background to Evil Incarnate based on Wm. Shakespeare's King Richard III, plus essays and information about the monarch's life and times will be the exclusive subject matter of Special Project. They are:
· The Lady
Anne makes news in the Toronto
· A Summing Up
· Another take on Richard III
· Program
· Frid a New Yorker/Old Yorkist
· Pure Evil
· Pondering
· General Notes
· Synopses
· Frid as Richard...1965
· The Bottled Spider.
Audio Gallery: a collection of readings by yours
truly, readings that include Poe's Cask of Amontillado and selections from
Shakespeare's The Tempest (Caliban's Island ),
a TV recorded piece from King Richard II on The Dick Cavett Show. Also, Evil
Incarnate: four episodes from Shakespeare's King Richard III, all specially
designed for this website.
Photo Gallery: Definitely a non-fixed, but ever changing item on the menu / index. Photos from many collections, both professional and private will provide the materials.
Jonathan At Large: Always on-going with ever changing general themes, especially with the essays. A current one in the works, for example, Gazing: Frid's Miraculous Survival As Barnabas Collins.
Visitor's Corner: There's been a tendency of late for essays to evolve from the feedback that appears on the Visitor's Corner. Two good examples: De-Canadianizing My Voice and "Gazing". There's always my yearning to put more up on Visitor's Corner than I actually do, even though all the comments are read in the feedback section.
Past Goings On: Former Top-of-Site headlines. Things that are no longer new, but often still relevant.
Contents of Shows: Reviews / critiques of all the standard pieces from my One Man Shows. JF's Fools and Fiends, JF's Shakespearean Odyssey, and Jonathan Frid's Fridiculousness. Recent shows are often made up of a mixed collection of prose and poetry from all three...as well as from other sources.
Engagements: New shows will be posted at the Top of Site if and when they are scheduled.
Acknowledgments: More of an embarrassment that so few have been recognized for their time and talents.
>>>><<<<
Lets liven up the Photo Gallery for a change...
its been a year or two
>>>><<<<
There is proof in the old saying...
you win some...
Posted by dnilsen@rochester.rr.com on 2005-04-11 17:50:22
Mr. Frid, I have to say just how much I LOVE coming to your website! Today, with the addition of your latest photo, I laughed so hard. Your sense of humor is priceless. I check in every couple of days and look forward to whatever new appears. I have never had any real trouble viewing pages, pictures or your audio. You have without a doubt one of the best websites going. Your humor, stories and orations are unique. I so appreciate the chance to keep up with you. And greetings from your neighbor across the lake (Rochester, NY). You have many fans here. Thank you for putting a smile on my face.
...and you lose some
Posted by Alyssa on 2005-04-12 22:43:52
Mr. Frid, I, like others, am puzzled by your reluctance to discuss Dark Shadows. Surely you realize that without that no one would be googling you? Mr. Frid, I think you should realize this simple fact: you are a has been, and if it were not for your contribution to Dark Shadows you would not even have that claim to make, without Dark Shadows you would be a never was. You are arrogant and assumptive, and this web site is nothing more than a sad old man trying to live in a past that never really was.
>>>><<<<
John Arkelian has this to say about Artsforum
"As a magazine of arts and ideas,
Artsforum covers books, film, DVDs, theater, music, art, photography, and
travel. Every issue contains at least one piece of short fiction.
Television, dance, architecture, and poetry make occasional
appearances. As far as "ideas" are concerned, the sky's
the limit: We cover international relations, human rights, law
reform, political affairs, ethics, international security, and more. Or
goal? To challenge accepted wisdom, foster reasoned debate, and stimulate
our readers to think critically about the world around them - whether a
subject arises from the arts or from important public policy issues of the
day. While our base is the Greater Toronto Area, our goal has always been
to produce a magazine that would appeal to thoughtful people wherever English
is read. Artsforum is available by subscription worldwide, and we have
attracted readers well beyond our original base - across
For previous content on Artsforum click here
>>>><<<<
My camera and my ego had a fight the other day. Guess who won.
NEW!! Valentina writes in Visitors' Corner: "So your ego and the camera had a fight. I'm going to guess you won, because if not, you would not have posted the photo...I have the feeling you are playing with us..."
OF COURSE..BUT GUESS AGAIN...IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE THE CAMERA DID WIN...
HAH!!!!
P.S. Familiar faces?
...
HOW DID ALL THIS UGLY BUSINESS ABOUT MY FACE GET STARTED ANYWAY?
Answer
I happened to mention this unflattering picture of myself to Sherlock. We had a few giggles about how ugly it was and so she, using her usual creative craft, rendered it as Barnabas (in old age...irony) by putting the bangs on my forehead. My instant reaction was "my gosh, I look like Hitler!" "How about putting that abrupt moustache of Adolph's on the image as well." "Okay", Sherlock agreed, and the above was the result.
...
acknowledgements to Sherlock and our webmaster Mark for artwork
>>>><<<<
Surprise! Surprise! Two or three feedbacks have been added to Visitors' Corner...a hopeful sign of more input to come.
>>>><<<<
See Movie Magic's "Hollywood Vampires" in Jonathan At Large / Miscellaneous Items
>>>><<<<