ABC TV-16 STUDIO

433 West 53rd Street in Hell's Kitchen NYC

After taping the first 55 episodes at the ABC TV-2 studio, Dark Shadows production was moved to the brand new ABC TV-16 studio during a one week taping break in August 1966. Production then resumed with episode 56. The last episode #1245 was taped there on March 24, 1971. Located at 433 West 53rd Street, the ABC TV-16 studio had 5,000 square feet of studio space and 10,000 for operations and support. Before ABC took over the site around 1965, it had been a lumber and hardware wholesale warehouse. After Dark Shadows, the studio housed the popular ABC soap “Ryan’s Hope” for the first 10 years of its run, from 1975-1985. ABC sold the building to Chelsea Broadcast Center. It was eventually torn down to build a residential building.

Adapted from: nicholasmooneyhan.com/2016/02/13/shadows-on-the-wall/ AND eyesofageneration.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/The-History-of-ABCs-New-York-Television-Studios-Part-1-of-2.pdf

The Dark Shadows soundtrack is one of the top ten selling soundtracks of all time. The entire collection of Dark Shadows sound cues is available through MPI on a six CD set "The Complete Dark Shadows Soundtrack Music Collection."

It takes Vincent Loscalzo about 25 minutes to transform actor Jonathan Frid into a vampire. ~ Collinsport Historical Society (more...)

Dick Smith (26 June 1922 - 30 July 2014) is a renowned makeup artist who has received multiple awards and award nominations for his work - most recently an honorary Oscar for his contribution to the industry. On the original Dark Shadows Smith made up actor Jonathan Frid to appear as a 172 year old man (347-351), later returning with an improved old-age design for the 1970 MGM feature film House of Dark Shadows. He also created an improved vampire-bite prosthetic for the film, which Dan Curtis later jokingly described as "the biggest hickies he'd ever seen." ~ From Dark Shadows Wiki: Dick Smith

Ramse Mostoller is a costume designer known for her works on Dark Shadows and Ryan's Hope, Sesame Street, The Electric Company, and Another World. She also did costume designs for the film House of Dark Shadows in 1970, and theatrical costume design for the stage. ~ From Wikipedia: Ramse Mostoller

I face a daunting task trying to choose a manageable few examples of costume designer Ramse Mostoller's contributions to Dark Shadows for inclusion here. Her work is so central to the various internecine eras explored and colliding in the Dark Shadows storyline. I will be selecting  from a few of my favorite costumes, hopefully ones that were most effective and important costume examples of various story arcs.

Sy Thomashoff on IMDb: Tomashoff joined series creator Dan Curtis at the beginning of Dark Shadows (1966), which aired from June 1966 through April 1971. The gothic daytime drama around vampires - though filmed in a tiny New York studio - was set in a brooding mansion in the fictional town of Collinsport, Maine. Tomashoff was instrumental in creating the particular look of this highly unusual daytime program which became a cult phenomenon, but was struck with a limited budget.

PATRICK McCRAY on The Collinsport Historical Society website ~ Scenic designer Sy Tomashoff was not only responsible for the look of the continuing world of discovery and time travel on the program, but also for its sense of time, itself. Chronologically, yes, but also as the prison(sic) first Presented by Collinwood for the viewers. He never had the luxury of not thinking ahead. Would the show be going to color? Would the show be going to unknown storylines? Would the show eventually feature something actually scary? He was responsible for the look of the program in the present, and was constantly preparing for what the show might be in the future, an impossible feat. Oh yes, and he did all of this in a space with less versatility than a bowling alley. more on Collinsport Historical Society website...