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1117 Gallery
1117
Number

1102

Timeline

1840

Narrator

Virginia Vestoff

Writer

Gordon Russell

Director

Henry Kaplan

Broadcast

October 6, 1970
(Tuesday)

Recorded

September 29, 1970
(Tuesday)

Video

Complete: Disc 114
Collection 23: Disc 2

1117 Gallery
We have 3 images of Dark Shadows 1117

Desmond returns from his travels, bringing with him a mysterious disembodied head.

Synopsis[]

Teaser

The great house at Collinwood in the year 1840. By way of a mysterious staircase in time, Julia Hoffman has come here from the present. She is posing as a member of the Collins family. Soon after her arrival, Julia opened the chained coffin, hoping desperately that Barnabas would be able to help her. But the Barnabas of 1840 looked upon her as a stranger and enemy. Since then, welcoming his new-found freedom, Barnabas has met a young woman named Roxanne Drew. He has made the decision to make Roxanne his bride in life after death. But on this night, Julia has thwarted his plans, and her actions will place her only in grave danger.

Barnabas appears in Josette's room while Julia is away and prepares to bite Roxanne. Julia returns and Barnabas gets angry with her. He attempts to kill her, but something happens and he falls to the floor.

Act I

Julia grabs a cross to protect herself as Barnabas revives. Barnabas tells Julia he has arrived from 1970, but Julia isn't so sure. He explains he used the I Ching to travel through time after he and Professor Stokes saw her grave, indicating that she would die on this day in 1840. Barnabas also informs her that Carolyn has gone insane and Quentin has been taken to Windcliff. Julia finally believes him and puts down the cross. After the two embrace, Barnabas notices that Roxanne is near death on the bed and promises Julia he won't harm her, but they must get her back to normal because she is now a threat.

At Collinwood, Flora tries to calm Samantha down, who continues to be worried about where Roxanne might be. Flora offers to make her some tea to calm her nerves.

Meanwhile, an unknown man with a covered box enters Collinwood.

Back at the Old House, Barnabas finally replaces his clothes from 1795 with some from 1840. Julia wonders what is taking Ben so long, and goes to find him. Roxanne revives and calls out Barnabas' name. She begs him to come to her, but he resists.

Act II

Barnabas tells Roxanne that "something has happened" and they can't be together anymore, which greatly upsets Roxanne. Julia returns and is able to put Roxanne back to sleep. She decides to try and hypnotize Roxanne into forgetting all of her encounters with Barnabas. Barnabas tells Julia he needs to meet those at Collinwood, and Julia explains to him the story she has perpetuated of their relationship with the 1840 Collins family.

At Collinwood, Flora notices the front door has opened, but unknown to her, a man is hiding in the coat rack. The man frightens her, but then she realizes that it's her son, Desmond Collins, and the two share a hug. Desmond tells her he has something to show her and he takes her into the drawing room. He uncovers the box he brought in, revealing a disembodied head with its eyes closed. Flora is frightened by the head and senses evil coming from it, and begs Desmond to cover it up. Desmond places the cover over the box and tells Flora that it is a present for Quentin, since Quentin has always been fascinated by the occult. Flora sadly tells him that Quentin is dead.

Outside, Barnabas prepares to knock on the front door, but he hesitates.

Back in the drawing room, Desmond and Flora remember Quentin together, and Samantha soon joins them. Suddenly, there is a knock on the door. Samantha answers it and discovers that Barnabas has arrived, claiming to be a cousin from England.

Act III

Samantha introduces herself and says she has been expecting him. Barnabas meets Flora and Desmond, and Flora is amazed at his resemblance to the portrait of Barnabas that is currently in Ben's room upstairs. Barnabas admits that he feels he has arrived at a bad time, and Samantha informs him that her sister, Roxanne, has been attacked and is currently missing.

At the Old House, Julia attempts to hypnotize Roxanne, but she is distracted by the raging thunderstorm outside, and soon the lights go out. She goes out into the hallway to see if anyone else is in the house, but there is no response. She goes back into Josette's room and finds that Roxanne has disappeared.

Meanwhile at Collinwood, the three continue to wonder where Roxanne might be when Julia shows up. Barnabas and Julia pretend to embrace as if they've never seen each other, and Julia whispers to him that Roxanne escaped and she isn't sure if the hypnosis worked. Everyone convenes back in the drawing room. Julia meets Desmond for the first time, but they are interrupted when Roxanne stumbles through the front door. Flora and Julia try to get her upstairs, but she collapses to the floor. When she staggers to her feet, she sees Barnabas and claims that she knows him.

Act IV

Everyone awkwardly looks at Barnabas as Roxanne says "I know I was waiting for... him," seemingly indicating Barnabas. Roxanne swoons again and Julia and Flora take her upstairs. Barnabas quietly slips back into the drawing room and Desmond follows him. Desmond puzzles over Roxanne's reaction to Barnabas and asks if this is his first trip to this country. Barnabas surmises that perhaps Roxanne has seen the portrait of the "original" Barnabas upstairs. Desmond eventually excuses himself, but it is evident from his facial expression that Barnabas believes that Desmond is suspicious of him.

Later, Julia returns to the drawing room, where Barnabas is still pacing. Julia thinks it might be best for him to leave Collinwood for the night, but Samantha comes running down the stairs calling for Julia. Julia meets her in the foyer while Barnabas eavesdrops from the drawing room. She tells Julia that the awakened Roxanne remembers leaving Collinwood and waiting for "someone" back at her apartment, but she doesn't remember anything after that (thanks to Julia's hypnosis).

At Rose Cottage, Desmond talks to Flora about the strange happenings that followed Barnabas' arrival. Flora is very tired and doesn't want to argue with him, but Desmond thinks it's strange that two members of the family no one has ever heard of have suddenly shown up at Collinwood. Flora manages to calm Desmond's suspicions, and quickly changes the conversation to the head that he has brought back. Desmond takes off the cover, which again greatly disturbs Flora. She runs out of the room and Desmond chases after her. Once they are both gone, the head opens its eyes.

Memorable quotes[]

Desmond: I wish you would stop carrying on about this head; there is nothing frightening about it!
Flora: Oh, I'll never believe that! I have instincts, and my instincts tell me this hideous thing is disgusting, vile and evil!

Dramatis personae[]

Background information and notes[]

Production[]

  • First appearance of character Desmond Collins. This was the fourth role played by actor John Karlen in the original series.
  • First appearance of Michael McGuire as the head of Judah Zachery, who is credited as as "The Head".
  • Final appearance of Josette's room. This set will appear later in the '1840' storyline re-dressed as Daphne's bridal suite in the main Collinwood building.
  • In this episode, the pair of electric torchieres were returned to their traditional location in the Collinwood foyer, mounted with burning wax candles on top of the plastic electric candles. Apparently they chose not to dismantle the turn-of-the-century antique to remove and risk damaging or losing the electric candles, though the appearance was not correct. However, they did a credible job unwiring the foyer chandelier and mounting it with candles, although drafty foyers and hallways traditionally had glass chimneys to guard flames.
  • The music that plays whenever Judah's head opens its eyes was originally composed by Robert Cobert as the theme tune for a 1969 pilot titled Dead of Night: A Darkness at Blaisedon. The project was a failed attempt by Dan Curtis Productions to replicate the success of Dark Shadows for a prime-time slot.
  • There is a tape edit when the head is shown with its eyes open in the final scene.
  • The scene with Roxanne "knowing" Barnabas is reminiscent of the return of Maggie Evans at the Blue Whale in 295
    1117-credits

Closing credits scene: Josette's room at the Old House.

Story[]

  • It is believed by the family that Barnabas went to England in the year 1797. Barnabas uses the "long-lost cousin from England named after a lookalike ancestor" line for the fourth time when introducing himself to the family (after arriving in the present day (211-212), 1897 (703), and 1970 PT (1012)). As with the other cases, the residents are astonished by Barnabas' resemblance to his "ancestor".
  • The portrait of Barnabas is currently in Ben Stokes' room.
  • Julia rushes to help with Roxanne at Collinwood, saying, "I'm a doctor." Oddly enough no one even raises an eyebrow, although they live in a time when there were very few female doctors, and none of them were licensed in the United States (though Julia was from England according to her story to the family).
  • SEDATIVE: Julia has given Roxanne a sedative.
  • TIMELINE: 8:30pm: Barnabas and Julia in the drawing room.

Bloopers and continuity errors[]

  • When Barnabas from 1970 takes over Banabas' body in 1840 he couldn't know that his other self has just attacked Julia yet he appears to have complete knowledge of the last couple of minutes before he "arrived".
  • In Act I Virginia Vestoff flubs a line: "The four other attacks in the village were identitical" (with an extra "ti"-syllable).
  • The sound effect when Desmond opens the door to Collinwood when he first arrives is the metallic squeaking sound usually used for the mausoleum door or the door to the Old House basement.
  • There is a thunderstorm raging as Julia goes from the Old House to Collinwood in Act III but she is dry when she arrives.
  • Joan Bennett flubs a line when Flora is talking to Desmond in Act IV: "Now, I want you to forget these silly, silly superstitions...sus...suspicions."

External Links []

Dark Shadows - Episode 1117 on the IMDb

Dark Shadows Every Day - Episode 1117 - Meanwhile, Again

Gallery (3)[]

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