SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20 - PART 3

ARRIVAL AT LYNDHURST

Notified in advance by Teresa (many thanks) I went down to the lobby at 9:45 a.m. and was able to get my ticket and walk in a group over to Lyndhurst at 10:00 a.m., the time stated on the program. For once, it looked as though things were going to run on time, but I was too optimistic. Since there had been no formal announcement at the banquet the night before, not everybody who was attending the party knew when or where we were supposed to meet, and so didn’t have the tickets they needed for entrance to the estate grounds. Since the Hilton staff failed to give any wake-up calls, the stars were also running a little late, so it was a little over an hour before the Q&A session began in the carriage house. That left time for some casual sightseeing.

Teresa and Ren981 had made the trip previously, and they were kind enough to lead the way.  One of the first things I noticed as we passed through the gates was the number of geese comfortably scattered over the lawns. I was told that these are Canadian geese that apparently simply come to camp out at Lyndhurst. They were very sedate creatures. Cars drove to within a foot past them and they never budged; I know pigeons and sparrows that would have panicked at just the sound of the vehicles. One of the things that I appreciated most about the Lyndhurst estate was how close to nature it was. Seeing the trees as their leaves were just beginning to change color was a big deal. Seeing the trees, period, was a big deal to me. There were so many that it felt like being in a forest, something I had never done before (with the exception of a trip to the redwood forest of Northern California, but that’s rather unique). For a good percentage of the day’s visit, I pointed to various sights and asked, "What’s that? What’s that?"  In addition to the Canadian geese, Lyndhurst is also home to squirrels, chipmunks, a groundhog that lives under the greenhouse, and a pale blue bird of which I only caught a glimpse that I was told was a blue jay.

I snapped pictures of the first glimpse of the house through the trees when only its tower was visible, as well as the greenhouse, and "Rose Cottage," a miniature playhouse. The carriage house where Gerard Stiles saddled the horses in Night of Dark Shadows has since been transformed into a restaurant. Located in the same area are a gift shop and a viewing room where a video tour of the mansion plays. There was a bit of trouble when we realized that none of us had been given silver stickers when we’d arrived at Lyndhurst; without these stickers, guests are not allowed to enter the mansion. We went into the gift shop to beg stickers (and maps) from the sales clerk, but she seemed suspicious, and was reluctant to help out since she didn’t know anything about our convention group’s visit.

 

 

SUNDAY WITH ROGER

In time,the stars and the rest of the party guests arrived, and we gathered in the carriage house to listen to them. Marie Wallace had left the night before, so the day’s guests consisted of Roger Davis, Lara Parker, Diana Millay, and Terry Crawford. Roger was up first for his independent Q&A session. He finally explained why he’d run out on us the day before.  He had gone to see a play because he was considering one of the actors for his studio’s upcoming movie, and as it happened the particular actor he’d gone to see was the one he’d liked the least. Then, Roger spent some time discussing his houses. He referred the audience to his website, Viewmont.Com. Somebody in the audience asked him about whether he had actually surfed in the movie Ride the Wild Surf. “It’s interesting that you bring that up,” he remarked. ”That film’s been a cult classic for a while, but now after Blue Crush, it’s been showing up on some of the classic film channels.  I was curious to see Blue Crush because of all the computerized special effects. Of course, we didn’t have any of that in Ride the Wild Surf."  Roger and the rest of the cast had gone on location to practice surfing, but weren’t very successful.  “The only person who really learned how to surf was Tab Hunter. The rest of us—” he mimed surfing "—were in a studio while they threw water at us.”  Roger had to wrap up his Q&A session because his cell phone kept ringing and he finally couldn’t ignore it anymore.  He stayed long enough to introduce the ladies, who were waiting in the wings, and spent a few minutes with them before making his exit.