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500 Gallery
500
Number

494

Timeline

1968

Narrator

Grayson Hall

Writer

Sam Hall

Director

Lela Swift

Broadcast

May 24, 1968
(Friday)

Recorded

May 15, 1968
(Wednesday)

Video

Complete: Disc 53
Collection 8: Disc 1

500 Gallery
We have 8 images of Dark Shadows 500

Barnabas and Julia visit Sam, who is now blind, she believes he will never see again.

Synopsis

At the great house of Collinwood, the portrait of a woman has caused many mysterious happenings. And one man decides to test its power to establish whether it controls a witch or a witch controls it. And he and an artist discover that as the portrait changes so does the woman. But the artist also learns the terrible truth of the witch's power.

Barnabas discovers Willie tormenting Adam with Josette's jewels. Willie claims that Adam found them, but Barnabas doesn't believe him. As Barnabas puts the jewels away, he notices that the emerald earrings are missing. Willie again tries to pin it on Adam.

Maggie arrives at the Old House, looking for Barnabas. She tells Dr. Hoffman of her father's blindness and asks her to come with Barnabas to the cottage. Once they arrive, Sam refuses to be examined by Julia until after he's spoken to Barnabas. Maggie's upset, but finally agrees to her father's conditions and leaves. Sam tells Barnabas of the strange woman's appearance and his resulting blindness. Barnabas feels terrible for Sam, but insists that he had no idea that he was putting him in any danger.

Julia examines Sam briefly, but refuses to tell him or Maggie anything. Later she confides to Barnabas that Sam may never see again. Barnabas blames himself.

Memorable quotes

Barnabas: (to Willie) I know you're lacking only one dimension in being a truly great blackguard - intelligence.

Sam: What's an artist without eyes?

Barnabas: When will I learn not to involve others. And now I've ruined another life.

Julia: I won't let you be alone. You're much too depressed.

Sam: (to Julia) I might have known you were in on this.

Dramatis personae

Background information and notes

Production

  • This episode was recorded out of broadcast sequence. The previous episode to be recorded was 496.
  • There is a tape edit as Maggie arrives at the Old House.
  • The Collinsport Afghan is on the couch in the Evans cottage.
  • Robert Rodan is inexplicably uncredited in the cast list even though he appears in several pivotal scenes as Adam.

Story

  • Maggie asks if they should call a Dr. Sloane.
  • Cassandra took her portrait from the easel in the Evans Cottage. A painting has been put in its place, but it's not the same painting Sam was working on when Barnabas came to see him. It would be difficult to imagine that Sam would be concerned about an empty easel since he has just been struck blind.
  • If Angelique can blind anyone, why hasn't she done this to enemies in the past? (She likely had no reason to. Angelique has many ways of dealing with enemies, and in this case, she might have liked the symbolic gesture of making an artist blind.)
  • When referring to Sam's blindness, Barnabas says "If only Eric Lang were alive." Why? Would Dr. Lang steal someone's eyes to replace Sam's?
  • Julia uses the opthalmoscope wrong, she just waves it in front of Sam's eyes. And it's not illuminated, therefore useless.
  • It appears Sam has finally quit drinking, there is no bottle or glass on the table.
  • SEDATIVE: Julia offers Sam a sedative, he refuses.

Bloopers and continuity errors

  • The music keeps playing for a little while after Adam turns off the tape recorder.
  • The "wall" shakes as Adam chases Willie out of his dungeon cell in the Old House cellar. The Old House door entrance and "wall" also shake. When Barnabas and Julia arrive at the front door, it appears that the door was actually pushed outward on the right side of the screen and a section of the foyer can be seen through it.
  • Jonathan Frid stumbles over the line about whether Cassandra controls the portrait or the portrait controls her.
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