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Thread: Grayson Hall - Dark Shadows

  1. #1
    RoRo Guest

    Grayson Hall - Dark Shadows

    1923 - 1985 cancer
    In the 1940s, Shirley Grossman took the stage at Temple University, where she was studying. She later majored in drama at Cornell University. However, she did not graduate, and instead moved to New York City to further her career. One of the first things she did was change her name to Shirley Grayson
    With her new identity, she appeared on stage and in the still-new medium of live television. In the early 1950s, she met young playwright Sam Hall, whom she later married. Sam called her Grayson, so eventually her stage name became Grayson Hall.
    Grayson was cast by John Huston in the 1964 film version of Tennessee Williams' play Night of the Iguana. Her performance in the supporting role of Judith Fellowes earned her an Oscar nomination.
    In 1965 she appeared in the Disney film That Darn Cat, as well as an hour-long color television film, Back to Back, opposite Shelley Winters and Jack Hawkins. In 1966 Grayson guest-starred as an evil assassin in the TV show The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (She later appeared in the spin-off, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., too)
    In 1967, Grayson was approached to join the cast of Dark Shadows, and she originally intended to take the role of Julia Hoffman for only a few weeks. She ended up staying until the series' end, in 1971. Her husband, Sam, joined the show as a writer, which may or may not have influenced the fact that she appeared in just about every episode for quite some time, playing several meaty roles, including the Countess Natalie du Pres in the 1795 story line, and Magda Rakosi, a colorful gypsy fortune teller in 1897 who placed a werewolf curse on Quentin Collins. (She was featured in 475 episodes -- 90 more than Joan Bennett, who was on the show a year longer than she was.)
    While on DS, Grayson appeared in a few films, including End of the Road and Adam at Six a.m. (with a very young Michael Douglas).In 1970 she played Julia Hoffman again in House of Dark Shadows. Then in 1971, she portrayed Carlotta Drake, Collinwood's creepy housekeeper in Night of Dark Shadows.
    In 1972, she played a hard-drinking, tough-talking character named Mrs. Parks in the camp-classic TV movie Gargoyles. In April 1973, she portrayed a magazine reporter named Marge in a few episodes of All My Children. In 1982 Grayson joined the cast of One Life to Live, another soap opera written by her husband, Sam. (She played a character with the unusual name Euphemia Ralston.) Grayson and Nancy Barrett joined their fellow former DS-er, Anthony George, in a One Life to Live scene in 1983.
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    Last edited by RoRo; 02-27-2008 at 08:22 PM.

  2. #2
    Reecy Guest
    Oh Roro I miss Grayson Hall. She was so good in Dark Shadows. I've just got to see this series again.

  3. #3
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    You haven't *lived* until you've seen Grayson as the dykey nightclub owner in "Satan In High Heels!"

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138075/ - NetFlix carries it - it's a pip!

    P~

  4. #4
    RoRo Guest
    Reecy I know she was wonderful!!! I wish I could afford all the Dark Shadows on DVD!!

  5. #5
    Darrianne Guest
    I rented the series from Netflix - and on one of the bonus sections of interview footage - there was an interview with her and she was talking about her son Matthew had a teacher that asked him to get his mom's autograph and his son was like Mom, why does she want you to sign this paper? He didn't understand that his Mom was so famous. There was another interview with her too but can't remember exactly what all she said.

  6. #6
    Gruesome Guest
    I remember her well in the Dark Shadows series. I was in Graduate School at the time, and I made sure to see that show at 4:30 p.m. where I lived in New England at the time. Everyone made fun of the show because it was so loosely produced...not as slick as most shows...but compared to the crap they show now on Television it stands up pretty good.

  7. #7
    More Cheese Please Guest
    I love, love, LOVED her in Dark Shadows!!!! I'm working my way through the DVD's right now.... that show was the best!!! Here's to you Grayson!!!


  8. #8
    InBruges Guest
    She was funny in as the nosy neighbour in That Darn Cat.

  9. #9
    TheMysterian Guest
    Wasn't her character in love with Barnabus Collins?

  10. #10
    Frank 'N' Howie Guest
    Loved HER!!! She kinda gave me the creeps but I loved her...My Mom got me hooked on Dark Shadows...I think Mom was in love with him...

  11. #11
    More Cheese Please Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Frank 'N' Howie View Post
    Loved HER!!! She kinda gave me the creeps but I loved her...My Mom got me hooked on Dark Shadows...I think Mom was in love with him...
    She kinda gave me the creeps too but I dug her!!! I loved that she was always flubbing her lines but she was so camp and cool about it!

  12. #12
    Frank 'N' Howie Guest
    Those false eyelashes looked like BAT wings man...I miss the old days when gals wore those THICK BLACK falsies...You could practically feel the wind being stirred by them when they fluttered their eyes...

  13. #13
    Jod6cindy Guest
    When she was scared she would take her index finger, bring it up to her mouth and bite it! And she would always say Barnabas's name TWICE. "Barnabas, Barnabas. Barnabas, Barnabas..."

    She was hysterical as the gypsy character (Maya? Monya? Zonya?)

    Whenever "Julia" narrated the beginning, I always knew she would be in it and that she would have a big part in the show that day!

  14. #14
    Noreen Guest
    She was camp, cool, and classy! I miss Dark Shadows, I'll have to rent them. What was the name of the bar in Collinsville? Was it, The Blue Somethin'? Anyone remember?

  15. #15
    Jod6cindy Guest
    Hi Noreen...it was The Blue Whale!

  16. #16
    More Cheese Please Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Noreen View Post
    She was camp, cool, and classy! I miss Dark Shadows, I'll have to rent them. What was the name of the bar in Collinsville? Was it, The Blue Somethin'? Anyone remember?
    It was The Blue Whale and it was Collinsport... not Collinsville... close though!

  17. #17
    Noreen Guest
    LOL, Thank you soo much Jody Sweets and Cheesy Dear, that was really buggin' me.

  18. #18
    angelo's ghost Guest
    Dark Shadows rocks! Julia Hoffman always irritated me a little-she talked so darn slow- but loved her as Magda the gypsy.

  19. #19
    Jod6cindy Guest
    Magda, that's it! Thanks...I thought her name was Monya.
    She wore lots of rings, had a long, curly black fall and real dark makeup.
    She was a hoot!

  20. #20
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    Several years ago a long-time fan Rebecca "R.J." Jamison, wrote a definitive biography of Grayson Hall which included interviews with her husband and son, and surviving castmates, etc. It's entitled "Grayson Hall: A Hard Act to Follow" and is still available on Amazon.

    The book extensively details her dozens of roles in dozens of plays, some of which closed quickly, but not due to her performances, which were most often the highlights of some very odd plays.

    She chose this path because she wanted to act, not be a star, though she came close with her Oscar nomination for her role in Night of the Iguana. Her marriage and family life were most important to her, and factored into her career choices. In a manner of speaking, she did "have it all", but she did it her way.
    In the book, it's revealed that her portrayal of the gypsy character "Magda" on DS was partly inspired by Grayson Hall's own ancestry, which included a Rom ancestress who was sold into marriage as a teen.

  21. #21
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    Most actors on DS couldn't act their way out of a paper bag..and thats why I love it!

  22. #22
    More Cheese Please Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by angelo's ghost View Post
    Dark Shadows rocks! Julia Hoffman always irritated me a little-she talked so darn slow- but loved her as Magda the gypsy.
    Magda the Gypsy was a great character!


  23. #23
    More Cheese Please Guest
    Here's a little Dark Shadows clip with Grayson and the gang....

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRxbqvtUVE4

  24. #24
    Shannon Guest
    So many actors are not with us from the show (one of my favorit shows of all time btw, I even dressed as Barnabas for Halloween, I have the ring and cane but hard times made me have to sell the cane, you can see me dressed as him in my pics if you like). G.H. yell allways made me laugh.

  25. #25
    Nvr_Sk_to_Tll Guest
    Gotta love the backstage photos the fans took during the Dark Shadows days...



    Also, has anyone else gotten around to reading this biography of Grayson?

    Pretty interesting little book.

  26. #26
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    I have it (met the gal who wrote it, and the chap who helped her, at the conventions over the years.) A sample is here:

    http://books.google.com/books?id=Dnk...page&q&f=false

  27. #27
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    LOVED Dark Shadows, especially the episodes where someone would brush past a tree and you could see it teeter or the day a fly kept landing on Barnabas' face whenever he was trying to deliver his line. Anyone remember seeing Angelique nearly burn herself while casting a spell or Quentin almost fall on his face when coming the the door at Maggie's house? Great memories.
    "There are two things you gotta learn how to say in life, thank you, and fuck you."-John Rzeznik

  28. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by VeuveClicquotNJ View Post
    You haven't *lived* until you've seen Grayson as the dykey nightclub owner in "Satan In High Heels!"

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138075/ - NetFlix carries it - it's a pip!

    P~
    Satan In High Heels is simply AWESOME! I rented it on a lark and ended up loving it. Grayson (love that name) is fab in it.
    "You live alone, creating your life as you go." - Edie Sedgwick

  29. #29
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    Grayson Hall is my absolute favorite actress!! I wonder why I haven't tried to get her biography yet. I bought a copy of "Satan In High Heels" for her and Meg Myles, who has always interested me. I didn't find Grayson particularly dikey, but enjoyed the scenes where she was done up while taking Stacey on the shopping trip, to glam up that carnival hooch dancer. She was approximately 38 years old when the picture was made.

  30. #30
    Shannon Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by microsonic66 View Post
    Grayson Hall is my absolute favorite actress!! I wonder why I haven't tried to get her biography yet. I bought a copy of "Satan In High Heels" for her and Meg Myles, who has always interested me. I didn't find Grayson particularly dikey, but enjoyed the scenes where she was done up while taking Stacey on the shopping trip, to glam up that carnival hooch dancer. She was approximately 38 years old when the picture was made.
    I love bios, they are really the only books I read. I never seen one for Grayson. I'll have to see that movie tho, sounds like a trip

  31. #31
    SquirrelNutZipper Guest
    Of course Dark Shadows but if you get a chance - watch the Night Gallery episode (with Agnes Morehead) as the ill sister - I believe it's called Shadow on the Wall.

    It will creep you out to no end.

    P.S. I think she was terrific in anything she did - and yes, I agree that she spoke so dramaticallly you could see the seasons change before her finished sentence. After awhile though, it didn't bug as much.

  32. #32
    Nvr_Sk_to_Tll Guest
    Grayson was fantastic in most everything she appeared in, and she's sadly little remembered by the public at large today. I've long felt she's one of those performers who deserves a posthumous rediscovery on a grand scale. She had such presence and such a style...
    If you get a chance, check out the Dark Shadows 50th Anniversary retrospective. It's up in five parts on YouTube, and there are a lot of Grayson's good moments from the show, as well as one little fragment (I believe in the third portion) of what would seem to be a home movie of her sitting in her kitchen. Just interesting to see that.
    And now, I leave you with a pair of fascinating pix.
    The first is Grayson as Dr. Julia Hoffman in the film House of Dark Shadows...I don't know what's going on in this shot, but since she's on the hospital set, I wanna say lab accident.
    The second pic is Grayson garbed as Carlotta Drake from Night of Dark Shadows, apparently hitching a ride on a camera dolly in front of the house that was the original cinematic Collinwood.
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    Last edited by Nvr_Sk_to_Tll; 06-20-2011 at 03:50 AM.

  33. #33
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    I would love to see someone do a major send up of her, I just LOVE her! (I know, I already said that earlier) She and the rest of the people on the show sounded so unhappy and uncomfortable on the show, but it worked for them instead of against, because in that "reality" they were always dealing with some real or suspected horror. I love the last two pictures, can't help but notice the 1963 Plymouth Fury convertible in the Carlotta snapshot. In the black and white episodes, Roger drove a 1965 Fury convertible. I think the Collins' drove budget luxury cars, instead of Cadillacs and Rolls Royces, I imagine a loaded 1966 Olds 98 LS in their garage for Elizabeth. Roger also had a 1965 Mustang GT. Sorry for the OT rant!

  34. #34
    Nvr_Sk_to_Tll Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by microsonic66 View Post
    I would love to see someone do a major send up of her, I just LOVE her! (I know, I already said that earlier) She and the rest of the people on the show sounded so unhappy and uncomfortable on the show, but it worked for them instead of against, because in that "reality" they were always dealing with some real or suspected horror. I love the last two pictures, can't help but notice the 1963 Plymouth Fury convertible in the Carlotta snapshot. In the black and white episodes, Roger drove a 1965 Fury convertible. I think the Collins' drove budget luxury cars, instead of Cadillacs and Rolls Royces, I imagine a loaded 1966 Olds 98 LS in their garage for Elizabeth. Roger also had a 1965 Mustang GT. Sorry for the OT rant!
    Okay, no one take me wrong here, but Grayson seems like the type that would be perfect for impersonation by drag queens...just something about the flamboyance. Maybe I think that because of this DS comedy sketch.
    re: the cars: That convertible was the one of my favorite part of NoDS, seriously. As far as on the series, I remember Roger's Fury, and there was mention in the early eps of caretaker Matthew Morgan driving a station wagon that was owned by the family. Every other car on the show seemed sort of generic, and they didn't make big references...perhaps because people were so frequently up at Collinwood and the old house rather than driving somewhere...

  35. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nvr_Sk_to_Tll View Post
    Okay, no one take me wrong here, but Grayson seems like the type that would be perfect for impersonation by drag queens...just something about the flamboyance. Maybe I think that because of this DS comedy sketch.
    re: the cars: That convertible was the one of my favorite part of NoDS, seriously. As far as on the series, I remember Roger's Fury, and there was mention in the early eps of caretaker Matthew Morgan driving a station wagon that was owned by the family. Every other car on the show seemed sort of generic, and they didn't make big references...perhaps because people were so frequently up at Collinwood and the old house rather than driving somewhere...
    Apparently I had watched that video before, I tried to watch it just now, but I have a George Shearing Quartet record playing. I saw it before, because I commented on it (64098). Now, if you want HYSTERICAL, watch this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGt_W...eature=related

  36. #36
    Nvr_Sk_to_Tll Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by microsonic66 View Post
    Apparently I had watched that video before, I tried to watch it just now, but I have a George Shearing Quartet record playing. I saw it before, because I commented on it (64098). Now, if you want HYSTERICAL, watch this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGt_W...eature=related
    Ah, yes, "Dear Julia"...that one is...different, to say the least, and I am a fan of the comedian, Stephen Lynch, who sings the song.
    You must admit, the fellow playing Grayson in those clips has the mannerisms down pat. A fitting, if odd, tribute.

  37. #37
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    I actually do take Grayson's acting and career seriously, but this caught me the right way a couple of years ago. I've got to contact Barnes & Noble for a copy of the book. I don't want to get it online if I can help it. Another video is a clip of Grayson at the lawyer's office, and he asks her if she's afraid of Roger.............. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLY18...el_video_title

  38. #38
    Nvr_Sk_to_Tll Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by microsonic66 View Post
    I actually do take Grayson's acting and career seriously, but this caught me the right way a couple of years ago. I've got to contact Barnes & Noble for a copy of the book. I don't want to get it online if I can help it. Another video is a clip of Grayson at the lawyer's office, and he asks her if she's afraid of Roger.............. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLY18...el_video_title
    Ah yes, Grayson's infamous...well...sobbing. Puts me in mind of something from the britcom "Fawlty Towers" when Basil Fawlty (played by John Cleese) described the sound of his wife's laugh as "somebody machine-gunning a seal." Seriously, Grayson was great, and the R.J. Jamison bio of her is amazingly fantastic. Very interesting information and insights in that book.

  39. #39
    The Lucky One Guest
    I always loved Grayson! She had a special quality about her that makes you care about her! I also loved her voice very much!

  40. #40
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    I felt bad when Julia was locked up and she thought she was going to die.

    This entire movie is on YouTube!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl1BIVGQ4gE

  41. #41
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    I found a couple of articles about Grayson's widower, Sam Hall, who wrote for DS, ONE LIFE TO LIFE, and other soaps. He is an interesting character--- frustrated because he never wrote the Great American Play, it seems, while he seems contemptuous of what he wrote to make a living.

    Marrying that marvelous redhead was the biggest best thing he ever did. The odd part is that when he speaks of her acting, he is very dismissive, which could be rather saddening to a fan.

    Grayson seemed to have a slow start when she first played with a character, but she grew into them and she grew on the viewers. She loved acting for its own sake, I believe, but she didn't care if she was a big name on the marquee. She also liked to make a decent living from it, which is why she took the "Julia" part when the family was just about to move back to Ohio. She made it her own, and all the other parts she played.

    DARK SHADOWS made it possible for the family to stay near NYC, get a toehold in the television industry, and work in the "arts" for the rest of their lives, including their son. Sam's over 90 now, and he was still writing (a local soap opera based on life in Rhinebeck) as of several years ago.

    Anyway, here yah go. Enjoy the cattiness.

    http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-M...with-Sam-Hall/

    http://www.tvparty.com/70-dark-shadows.html

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