On September 8th, 1969, a bizarre Canadian produced Gothic soap opera debuted on US TV by the name of Strange Paradise. On November 20th of that year, it also began airing on CBC TV in Canada. The show followed the tragic and ghostly intrigues of millionaire, Jean Paul Desmond, on his doomed island "paradise" of Maljardin ("sick" or "evil garden"). With his mysterious, but faithful servants; the gloomy and morose housekeeper, Raxl, and the silent, brutish Quito, at his side, we begin the story as Jean Paul carries the lifeless body of his beloved wife, Erica, down to the family crypt shortly after miscarrying their child and succumbing to eclampsia during its birth. Thus begins a tale of lost love and a calamitous attempt to defy nature by restoring a life which should have been allowed its natural end. Both aided and tormented by his baleful 300 year old ancestral ghost, Jacques Eloi des Mondes, Jean Paul embarks on a quest to revive poor Erica through either science or superstition, which leads him to make damning pacts with his home's demonic denizens, leaving him cursed and vexed by his efforts.
Only Maljardin would have a medicine cabinet full of poison!
Over the course of 195 episodes, we follow Jean Paul through 3 major story arcs, encompassing numerous cast changes and a shift in setting from the evil island to an equally ominous ancestral mansion on the mainland. Only Jean Paul and Raxl remain throughout the full run of the series, though other characters do survive through much of the three primary arcs. Despite the shifting cast, the overall tone and mood of the show remained consistent. A sense of gloom and despair permeates from beginning to end. While the show was originally conceived to cash in on the popularity of the US produced, Dark Shadows and its suave vampire, Barnabas Collins, Strange Paradise managed to distinguish itself as a unique entity in its own right, surpassing its low budget constraints with a sense of style and drama and a distinctive set of story lines which made it much more than the sum of its parts.
Raxl & Quito discover a secret skull in Maljardin
A big part of what makes this show endearingly successful, even though it's a half century old, is the characters and the actors who gave them life. Chief among them is Colin Fox as Jean Paul Desmond. Fox's portrayal of the lanky, dashing millionaire manages to make him likeable even in his most morose and arrogant moments. At his heart, beneath the curses, delusions of grandeur and pacts with malignant spirits, there is the core of a moral, caring man who has been pushed beyond his ethical limits by his obsessive love for his late wife. Indeed, it is his love which drives Jean Paul through all of his poor choices. Fox also has the task of portraying the ancient ancestor, Jacques, when he periodically possesses the body of Jean Paul as part of his bargain to help restore Erica to life. Fox glibly flips between the dour, dismal Jean Paul and the frivolous, "devil may care" boisterousness of Jacques with an ease that gives the character a perfect sense of schizophrenic menace. Fox's talents would go on to provide him a long, successful career as a character actor, remaining active right up to the present day.
Colin Fox contemplates murder as Jean Paul Desmond
The other key performer in this series is Cosette Lee as the black shrouded housekeeper, Raxl. Lee was a veteran of the stage in Toronto, but had few actual screen credits throughout her career. However, her presence is always potent as she dominates her scenes. Though she would often stumble a bit with her line delivery, something I'm sure could have been remedied if the show hadn't been so hastily produced, she always held her character and offered a stark, powerful disposition. Raxl, it turns out, is far more than a mere servant and is actually a voodoo priestess and centuries old protector of the Desmond family, sworn to thwart all malevolent spirits which constantly lurk at the fringes of the clan. Though her effectiveness at this task may be in question, judging by the torments which befall poor Jean Paul, her dedication and commitment are unflappable. Cosette imbues Raxl with a sense of sternness tempered by compassion even as she often would suggest killing those who threaten her charge, much to Jean Paul's consternation.
Beyond these two core characters, the rest of the cast come in as support players, but there are notables among them. Former pro fighter, Kurt Schiegl plays a kind of warped "Finnegan" to Raxl's ghoulish "Casey" as the lumbering, mute Quito. Likely due to his thick Austrian accent, he was left speechless as a character, but none the less impactful for his combination of menace and gentility. He might crush your skull if threatened, but he was just as likely to protect a vulnerable young lady in distress. Jack Creley would join the cast in the second arc as the nefarious Laslo Thaxton. Creley would have numerous notable roles throughout his career, most unforgettably as Professor Brian Oblivion in the cult classic, Videodrome. Unfortunately, he was lumbered with a most unnecessary toupee for this role, but he didn't let it get in the way of his performances. My personal favorite supporting player is Tudi Wiggins, who initially played the resurrected Erica Desmond and then returned in the second arc as Erica's doppelganger, actress Helena Raleigh. Wiggins was expert at imbuing both characters with a duplicity which left you wondering of her true motives no matter what seemed to be the evidence in either direction. She would become a regular on daytime dramas throughout the 1970s and 80s.
The above were the highlight players, but the acting wasn't always quite up to par, though some of the lesser talents at least offered some amusements in their less than stellar performances. David Wells, who played the entitled and often abrasive "last in the line" heir, Cort Desmond, would only ever have Strange Paradise as his singular screen credit and it's no wonder. He was more than adept at "chewing the scenery" with his overly dramatic emoting and petulant, simpering presence. But he was always hilarious to watch as he gouged his way through a scene. His biggest competition for play acting was Sylvia Feigel as the air-headed heiress, Holly Marshall, who managed to survive through the first 2 arcs of the series. She was a perpetual victim throughout and flitted about from one potential paramour to another, Always pouting about in a daze, she too would have a very limited list of credits outside of this series. Most of the other characters were, more often than not, mere fodder for fiendish ploys ending in death and destruction. The first arc of the series on Maljardin is notorious for concluding with the rapid dispatching of all but 4 cast members before switching the action to Desmond Hall for the remainder of the series. And, although the body count may have mounted exponentially at times, we were always spared the indignity of legal ramifications, which only ever peripherally threatened our protagonists.
In terms of setting, the producers managed to do a lot with a little. At the beginning of the series, there are barely 3 complete sets used to encompass all the action. There's the great hall and crypt of Maljardin and a Tiki lounge on the mainland where all the scenes take place for the first few episodes. Eventually, other sets are introduced; the secret ritual cave of the Serpent God, an entirely incongruous white walled scientific laboratory (with a medicine cabinet filled with nothing but bottles labeled "poison") and Jean Paul's bedroom with it's hidden surveillance room. This last set was equipped with a reel-to-reel tape deck, which he uses to record his darkest thoughts (and lament his lost love). There's also a TV monitor hooked up to a switchable series of hidden cameras, allowing him to spy on the many ill fated guests to his island retreat. One of my favorite little touches in the surveillance room is that, whenever Jean Paul is recording his audio diary, the microphone connected to the tape recorder is actually picking up the audio for the scene in the show, popped "P"s and all. It's probably done for budgetary reasons, but it does add a certain authenticity to the action.
Once the action switches to Desmond hall for the latter 2 thirds of the series, we are treated to a whole new host of sets including the main foyer and study of Desmond Hall, a number of bedrooms and the hauntingly eerie "secret" study, complete with candles, cobwebs and a full human skeleton, presumably of some unfortunate ancestor they just couldn't be bothered to free from his shackles after having rotted away there for who knows how long. We also have the home of Desmonton's favorite witch, Irene Hatter. played with maleficent flair by Pat Moffat, another actor who would only ever appear in this series. Most humorously, in terms of set dressing, the exact same sofa and chair used in the great hall of Maljardin re-appear in the main study of Desmond Hall, despite the devastating fire at the former locale. But I assume budget constraints meant that hitting the local thrift store for another set was just out of range of their limited pocket book.
One other key element in establishing the mood and charm of this series is the incidental music. It was produced by Canadian company, Score Music Productions. Throughout the series, there is a finite set of musical themes repeated, ad nauseam, in each episode. The constant and frequent use of these themes creates an overall mood of doom and menace in the series. It is fascinating to note that the same production company would be hired in 1973 to score the incidental music for the short lived Canadian science fiction series created by Harlan Ellison, The Starlost. For this series, many of the themes used for Strange Paradise would find new life in this space adventure recounting the fate of the last remnants of humanity, adrift in a giant "Ark" spaceship, struggling for survival.
I first encountered Strange Paradise in the early 1970s when it was in syndication and playing on late night TV. I only ever saw the first couple of dozen episodes before it was taken off the air (or I lost track of it), so I only had very vague memories of it from my childhood. I remember loving the show and being fascinated by Jean Paul and Raxl, in particular. For many years, I thought it was lost in some network vault somewhere, but I was thrilled to find that it had been uploaded to YouTube a few years ago. Since then, I've watched all the available episodes, twice. My first run-through included some episodes from the third arc, so I've seen probably up to episode 160 of 195. At that time, the source I was viewing them from ended up deleting the show. Since then, I've found another channel which has a near complete set up to episode 130. I have never seen the final 30 or so episodes, though there are plot synopsis online. A DVDr set of the complete series appears to be available, though I have no idea if that offer is still valid or if it's an outdated listing.
Being able to see most of the series again after all these years has been a real joy for me. Despite its low budget, flimsy sets and often clumsy acting, there is something, some essence, which transcends these physical limitations and makes this show truly fascinating from beginning to end. The producers were at least able to create a world compelling enough to manifest its own sense of reality, beyond its physical constraints. That's a bit of alchemy that's rather rare in the world of popular media, especially for programs of that era.
If you wish to view the series as it currently exists online, the following playlists are available.
EPISODES 1-65: MALJARDIN
EPISODES 66-130: DESMOND HALL
Cosette Lee as Raxl
Beyond these two core characters, the rest of the cast come in as support players, but there are notables among them. Former pro fighter, Kurt Schiegl plays a kind of warped "Finnegan" to Raxl's ghoulish "Casey" as the lumbering, mute Quito. Likely due to his thick Austrian accent, he was left speechless as a character, but none the less impactful for his combination of menace and gentility. He might crush your skull if threatened, but he was just as likely to protect a vulnerable young lady in distress. Jack Creley would join the cast in the second arc as the nefarious Laslo Thaxton. Creley would have numerous notable roles throughout his career, most unforgettably as Professor Brian Oblivion in the cult classic, Videodrome. Unfortunately, he was lumbered with a most unnecessary toupee for this role, but he didn't let it get in the way of his performances. My personal favorite supporting player is Tudi Wiggins, who initially played the resurrected Erica Desmond and then returned in the second arc as Erica's doppelganger, actress Helena Raleigh. Wiggins was expert at imbuing both characters with a duplicity which left you wondering of her true motives no matter what seemed to be the evidence in either direction. She would become a regular on daytime dramas throughout the 1970s and 80s.
Tudi Wiggins as Erica Desmond
The above were the highlight players, but the acting wasn't always quite up to par, though some of the lesser talents at least offered some amusements in their less than stellar performances. David Wells, who played the entitled and often abrasive "last in the line" heir, Cort Desmond, would only ever have Strange Paradise as his singular screen credit and it's no wonder. He was more than adept at "chewing the scenery" with his overly dramatic emoting and petulant, simpering presence. But he was always hilarious to watch as he gouged his way through a scene. His biggest competition for play acting was Sylvia Feigel as the air-headed heiress, Holly Marshall, who managed to survive through the first 2 arcs of the series. She was a perpetual victim throughout and flitted about from one potential paramour to another, Always pouting about in a daze, she too would have a very limited list of credits outside of this series. Most of the other characters were, more often than not, mere fodder for fiendish ploys ending in death and destruction. The first arc of the series on Maljardin is notorious for concluding with the rapid dispatching of all but 4 cast members before switching the action to Desmond Hall for the remainder of the series. And, although the body count may have mounted exponentially at times, we were always spared the indignity of legal ramifications, which only ever peripherally threatened our protagonists.
David Wells chewing the scenery as Cort Desmond
In terms of setting, the producers managed to do a lot with a little. At the beginning of the series, there are barely 3 complete sets used to encompass all the action. There's the great hall and crypt of Maljardin and a Tiki lounge on the mainland where all the scenes take place for the first few episodes. Eventually, other sets are introduced; the secret ritual cave of the Serpent God, an entirely incongruous white walled scientific laboratory (with a medicine cabinet filled with nothing but bottles labeled "poison") and Jean Paul's bedroom with it's hidden surveillance room. This last set was equipped with a reel-to-reel tape deck, which he uses to record his darkest thoughts (and lament his lost love). There's also a TV monitor hooked up to a switchable series of hidden cameras, allowing him to spy on the many ill fated guests to his island retreat. One of my favorite little touches in the surveillance room is that, whenever Jean Paul is recording his audio diary, the microphone connected to the tape recorder is actually picking up the audio for the scene in the show, popped "P"s and all. It's probably done for budgetary reasons, but it does add a certain authenticity to the action.
Kurt Schiegl's Quito is never sure if he wants to cuddle or kill you...
Once the action switches to Desmond hall for the latter 2 thirds of the series, we are treated to a whole new host of sets including the main foyer and study of Desmond Hall, a number of bedrooms and the hauntingly eerie "secret" study, complete with candles, cobwebs and a full human skeleton, presumably of some unfortunate ancestor they just couldn't be bothered to free from his shackles after having rotted away there for who knows how long. We also have the home of Desmonton's favorite witch, Irene Hatter. played with maleficent flair by Pat Moffat, another actor who would only ever appear in this series. Most humorously, in terms of set dressing, the exact same sofa and chair used in the great hall of Maljardin re-appear in the main study of Desmond Hall, despite the devastating fire at the former locale. But I assume budget constraints meant that hitting the local thrift store for another set was just out of range of their limited pocket book.
The forgotten prisoner of Desmond Hall
One other key element in establishing the mood and charm of this series is the incidental music. It was produced by Canadian company, Score Music Productions. Throughout the series, there is a finite set of musical themes repeated, ad nauseam, in each episode. The constant and frequent use of these themes creates an overall mood of doom and menace in the series. It is fascinating to note that the same production company would be hired in 1973 to score the incidental music for the short lived Canadian science fiction series created by Harlan Ellison, The Starlost. For this series, many of the themes used for Strange Paradise would find new life in this space adventure recounting the fate of the last remnants of humanity, adrift in a giant "Ark" spaceship, struggling for survival.
Pat Moffat as witchy Irene Hatter
I first encountered Strange Paradise in the early 1970s when it was in syndication and playing on late night TV. I only ever saw the first couple of dozen episodes before it was taken off the air (or I lost track of it), so I only had very vague memories of it from my childhood. I remember loving the show and being fascinated by Jean Paul and Raxl, in particular. For many years, I thought it was lost in some network vault somewhere, but I was thrilled to find that it had been uploaded to YouTube a few years ago. Since then, I've watched all the available episodes, twice. My first run-through included some episodes from the third arc, so I've seen probably up to episode 160 of 195. At that time, the source I was viewing them from ended up deleting the show. Since then, I've found another channel which has a near complete set up to episode 130. I have never seen the final 30 or so episodes, though there are plot synopsis online. A DVDr set of the complete series appears to be available, though I have no idea if that offer is still valid or if it's an outdated listing.
The cursed rabbit!
Being able to see most of the series again after all these years has been a real joy for me. Despite its low budget, flimsy sets and often clumsy acting, there is something, some essence, which transcends these physical limitations and makes this show truly fascinating from beginning to end. The producers were at least able to create a world compelling enough to manifest its own sense of reality, beyond its physical constraints. That's a bit of alchemy that's rather rare in the world of popular media, especially for programs of that era.
If you wish to view the series as it currently exists online, the following playlists are available.
EPISODES 1-65: MALJARDIN
EPISODES 66-130: DESMOND HALL
