bobod
Chancellery Guard
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Post by bobod on Apr 18, 2016 11:50:16 GMT
Next up in our Quentin listenthru is a Quentin-less story. "But the most terrible thing of all was the woman's face. She didn't have one.”
Helvetica Stanhope is a famous actress with adark secret. She's afraid to sleep – for in her dreams, she sees the terrible deaths of her friends. Dreams which come horribly true. But that is not her dark secret.
Gideon Wilder is a Hollywood reporter with a dark secret. He knows the truth about Helvetica Stanhope and he's going to tell all. But that is not his dark secret.
Amanda Harris knows both their dark secrets. But she's quite happy standing quietly in the background. Waiting. Because that's what she's always done.
Written by Nev Fountain
Directed by Jim Pierson and Darren Gross
Starring Donna McKechnie as Amanda Harris and Andrew Collins as Gideon Wilder. |
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bobod
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 2,759
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Post by bobod on Apr 18, 2016 11:52:05 GMT
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Post by elkawho on Apr 19, 2016 10:41:51 GMT
This will be a first listen for me on this one. Looking forward to it.
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Post by silverednickle on Apr 19, 2016 12:20:37 GMT
The Eternal Actress is certainly a change of pace from the Quentin adventures. It's certainly a colorfully descriptive script. The actors, Donna McKechnie and Andrew Collins, were well matched for this story. I know the first time I listened to it, I kept guessing for quite a while about things.
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Post by elkawho on Apr 19, 2016 14:21:46 GMT
Well, well. What a story. I was wondering why this was a Dark Shadows audio for a while, and then the creepiness and horror sneak up on you. I loved that we completely identified with Gideon and then the story did a 180 degree turn. When Gideon is begging to be brought along as one of Helvetica's pets was shocking to me. The conclusion to this story ended up being a very satisfying one. See what just the thought of Quentin can do to people.
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Post by kimalysong on Apr 19, 2016 16:07:40 GMT
This was very enjoyable. The early parts of this reminded me of Sunset Blvd, I even suppose Gideon Wilder is a tribute to Billy Wilder. Then I tried to see if any of the other silent stars mentioned in this were tributes. I thought Lionel Flannagan was a combo of Lon Chaney and Fatty Arbuckle but not sure. I kind of gave up after that. Although Norma Farlow could be Norma Shearer.
I was wondering why this was part of the Quentin storyline (besides having a connection to the upcoming Darkest Shadow) but the end did make that clear. And Of course there was a very Dark Shadows supernatural twist which I did not see coming. But I do wonder is Amanda in love or obsessed with Quentin. Those last moments made her seem extremely dangerous. Too bad Gideon didn't realize who he was dealing with. In the end the actress is one step ahead of her fan.
And once again I have to say Andrew Collins sure has a great voice.
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Post by omega on Apr 19, 2016 23:04:41 GMT
I was wondering why this was part of the Quentin storyline (besides having a connection to the upcoming Darkest Shadow) but the end did make that clear. And Of course there was a very Dark Shadows supernatural twist which I did not see coming. But I do wonder is Amanda in love or obsessed with Quentin. Those last moments made her seem extremely dangerous. Too bad Gideon didn't realize who he was dealing with. In the end the actress is one step ahead of her fan. Amanda's origins are touched upon in greater detail in The Darkest Shadow. The Blind Painter hints at some aspect of Amanda's nature, although that's more of an easter egg reference. |
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Post by Trace on Apr 23, 2016 8:14:31 GMT
Great little story--funny/creepy/horrific/gross--and the lovely Amanda Harris center stage! I love Helvetica's eccentricities with her exotic animals, exaggerated speech during her dream stories....and her temperament, "You're a BIG SQUAWKING bird, and all you do is SQUAWK, SQUAWK!!"
Andrew Collins is excellent as well. Nice to hear him in a non-Barnabas role.
Speaking of exotic animals...Helvetica reminds me of surreal artist Salvadore Dali and opera singer Lily Pons. Both kept ocelots (YUP!) as pets! Not for me, no thank you. Well, if it came down to the ocelot or a snake, the ocelot wins for me hands down.
Great fun!!
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bobod
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 2,759
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Post by bobod on Apr 24, 2016 19:07:52 GMT
People who have enjoyed Nev Fountain's work might be interested in Pain Killer, his first standalone thriller. There's the novel itself and an audiobook read by Nicola Bryant. I cannot go on like this. I feel such a burden to you. You are young and can start again. You deserve that chance. By the time you read this I will be dead. Do not grieve for me, for I am now without pain. Yours truly for ever, Monica Monica suffers from chronic neuropathic pain. Every second of her life is spent in agony, and she is coping with it the best she can. However, there are whole years of her life which are a blur to her. But when she finds what appears to be her own suicide note, Monica begins to question everything. She has no memory of writing it - so who did? And if someone tried to kill her once, what's to say they won't try again . . . A read-in-one-sitting edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller, perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, I Let You Go and Before I Go To Sleep. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2016 1:38:22 GMT
I just realized that Helvetica is also a font and that Gideon Kills People with his typewriter, Coincidence, I think not!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2018 9:20:01 GMT
 I did search for a created thread but I couldn’t find one.😇 well you didn’t look hard enough as my father used to say... |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2018 11:39:55 GMT
very Sunset Boulevard I almost saw it visually in black and white another good story just needed William Holdens tones alas...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2018 11:55:14 GMT
Next up Carriage of The Damned
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bobod
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 2,759
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Post by bobod on Aug 9, 2018 13:24:44 GMT
I did search for a created thread but I couldn’t find one.😇 well you didn’t look hard enough as my father used to say... There's search function, just in case you've been scrolling though the pages manually. |
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Post by Ela on Aug 9, 2018 15:27:45 GMT
I did search for a created thread but I couldn’t find one.😇 well you didn’t look hard enough as my father used to say... There's search function, just in case you've been scrolling though the pages manually. Yup, came right up when I searched for the release title when I merged the threads. The search on the board can be quirky, sometimes you have to try different variations to find the thread. Or use Mr. Google.  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2018 17:41:37 GMT
I did search for a created thread but I couldn’t find one.😇 well you didn’t look hard enough as my father used to say... There's search function, just in case you've been scrolling though the pages manually. That’s what i have been doing scrolling through manually am new at forums. |
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