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This hour-long series was broadcast most Sunday evenings from 25 February to 6 May 1973, generally at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern) except the final broadcast was aired at 8:00 p.m. Some dramas were based on characters such as Dracula and Sweeney Todd while others were adapted from such works as "The Bells", Box and Cox, The Corsican Brothers and The Lyons Mail. Actors seen in this series included Kay Hawtrey, Barry Morse and Chris Wiggins.
Purple Playhouse was named by Fletcher Markle as the phrase represents melodrama from Victorian times.
Canada 1973
Directed by Jack Nixon-Browne
In this made-for-television movie, the third attempt to bring Dracula to the small screen, Norman Welsh donned prominent fangs, a cape, and white hair to portray the Count. This adaptation originally aired on March 25, 1973 on the CBC television series "Purple Playhouse," and was introduced by Robertson Davies. It is remembered for including Dracula's downwards crawl along the castle wall, as well as his final staking, although not at the hands of Van Helsing! Although it looks much like a filmed stage play, it does stick pretty close to the storyline of the novel -- with a few major differences: Mina and Lucy are sisters; there is no Renfield; no mention of the Demeter or Whitby; and the ending, of course.
Cast:
Norman Welsh as Dracula
Nehemiah Persoff as Dr. Van Helsing
Dan MacDonald as Jonathan Harker
Blair Brown as Mina Murray
Steven Sutherland as Jack Seward
Charlotte Blunt as Lucy Murray
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