Young Looking Joan Bennett Is Stern Grandma

The Milwaukee Sentinel, February 21, 1970 (enlarge)

Star In The Great Days Of Hollywood Now In TV Show

The Williamson Daily News, August 8, 1966

Pacquins Hand Cream featuring Joan Bennett

Life, December 13, 1948

Out In Detergent Land; A Hard Day's Fright

The New York Times, July 30, 1967

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Joan Bennett Signed For Play In Westport

The Norwalk Hour, July 22, 1967

Joan Bennett was not only a movie star in her own right but quite an active performer as well. She regularly used her DS respites for short theater runs before returning back to the ever-popular television series. This article briefly details her part in a Westport Country Playhouse production of Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park. The comedy ran from August 7 to the 12th in 1967. The previous winter she starred in a six week run of the S. N. Behrmann's play in Chicago called Jane.

Joan Bennett Editor Injects Spice Into Magazine

The Reading Eagle, September 8, 1970

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I knew that Joan Bennett was an enterprising lady but had no idea that she was also a controversial columnist for a monthly publication called Girl Talk. Apparently it's still around or at least has taken another form as a teeny magazine. At the time this newspaper article was penned the magazine had around 5 million readers and rivaled such successful enterprises as Cosmopolitan and McCall's. I looked around a little bit but couldn't find anything online that was worth linking up to.

Joan Bennett Ads

Life, October 1, 1951

Life, December 13, 1948

I knew that Joan Bennett was a movie star before DS but I would have never guessed that she had hocked products like Pacquins hand cream and Ayds Vitamin and Mineral Candy in Life magazine! It might have been false advertising by the company but it sure worked for her figure and complexion to say the least.

Dark Shadows To Premiere

from The Herald-Mail, June 25, 1966

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This is the earliest clipping that I've come across and it's not the greatest advertisement for what the series had in store! Of course nobody knew what was really in the works for the show and if not for the arrival of Barnabas it might not have lasted out the year. At the time of the printing only Mitchell Ryan, Joan Bennett, Alexandra Moltke had guaranteed recurring roles or so the article seems to suggest. Collinwood was also being billed as Collins House which might be a result of journalistic laziness or suggests that the show was a rough work in progress.

As much as people want to slam the show for its fantastical plot lines, I thought that the first episodes were actually quite good. Of course I had the foresight of knowing what was to come whereas the audience at the time took it for what it was so that might have prejudiced my expectations just a bit.

Joan Bennett -- Shining Star Who Lightens 'Dark Shadows'

from The Salt Lake Tribune, July 28, 1968

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For all the same reasons that I like Dark Shadows -- over-acting, ridiculous dialogue, staid mannerisms -- I detest old movies. Which would lend to the reason why I never heard of Joan Bennett before seeing her in "Dark Shadows." If not for the supernatural element to the show I probably never would have either. Which would have been a shame because she's not only a great actress but a MILF-GILF to boot!

I'm glad this article brings up the incident where her husband Walter Wanger shot her agent Jennings Lang because I had come across that story while researching Hollywood murders and didn't put the two together before now.

As for her lightening up the mood on DS: What? She was as grave and somber as the rest of the non-supernatural characters! Which is why I liked her and Roger so much. The damned Debbie-downers that they were.

Another thing of note here is that show was apparently running at 8AM in Salt Lake City at the time of this printing. I've read some places where it was showing as late as 11PM so it's amazing that the show ever caught on with the allotted time slots. It also lends to the fact that more than just giddy school-age children were watching the show and catapulting it to stardom. Mom must have been peeking in as well and not admitting to it.