GREAT SCOTT!

Kathryn Leigh Scott, best known for her roles as Maggie and Josette on Dark Shadows, drops us a note to say:

I AM SO DELIGHTED TO HAVE BEEN INVITED TO CONTRIBUTE TO SOAP OPERA 451. THE BOOK IS A REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT THAT CELEBRATES THE WORLD OF SOAP OPERA.

In Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama's Greatest Moments, Ms. Scott talks about how she came to play the role of dead Josette (for no pay!) in addition to that of Maggie, discusses Dark Shadows' very limited special effects budget and the famous on-air bloopers that resulted, and connects the classic 1970s soap with today's vampire mania!

It could be said that Jonathan Frid is the granddaddy of all modern vampires with his creation of Barnabas Collins, the “reluctant vampire” on Dark Shadows. He certainly saved our fledgling series from early cancellation! We were such an anomaly in daytime television, a Gothic romance tale set in a remote seaside village in Maine that became a paranormal, time-traveling anthology series. I was the first actor to play a scene with Jonathan and introduce his character to the new storyline. Maggie Evans, the role of the Collinsport waitress that I played in the early days of the show, was at work in the diner when she first encountered Barnabas, complete with cape, wolf-head cane and knuckle-duster-sized ring. Jonathan Frid was delightful. He was soft-spoken, almost courtly in manner. Our characters met as two outsiders and formed such an instant bond that the story of Barnabas and Maggie became the central romance of Dark Shadows.

For more from Kathryn, as well as Eileen Davidson, Hillary B. Smith, Victoria Rowell, Lane Davies, Jon Lindstrom and many, many other soap opera icons, check out Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama's Greatest Moments by clicking on the cover image to your right!

In addition to being an actress, Kathryn Leigh Scott is also a writer. A listing of all her books on Amazon is available, here.