I agree with this. They really let the show run aground seasons 6 and 7.
I think I am right in saying that there was a level of animosity between Joan Collins and John Forsythe? In interviews he made prior to his death he's always cordial about Joan, but he insinuates that they didn't get on. I may be wrong here, but I think he was miffed that they brought her in for season 2, and she proceeded to take over, and swan around because of the success of Alexis. I think things got so bad that when he had to strangle her at the end of season 6, they had to bring in a stunt double cause joan was too scared to do it because of their discord.
They seemed to have had a difficult relationship over the years. There's times where they spoke fondly of each other in interviews and times that they were obviously at loggerheads. I get the impression that John's nose was put out of joint when Joan became the star of the show. He realised that the show wouldn't have lasted without her but at the same time he didn't like that he wasn't the central character of the show any longer. He also took exception to Joan posing for Playboy and said in an interview that he thought Joan didn't like him because he never tried it on with her and as a result she thought he was gay (Joan laughed at this when an interviewer presented her with John's theory).
Looking at the various behind the scenes shows and interviews, like any show there were a number of stars that didn't get along. Ali McGraw said that Joan was fabulous to work with but John and Linda weren't happy that her and Rock Hudson were on the show as they were brought in to mess with the Carringtons marriage and they didn't like this. Diahann Carroll wasn't happy that Kate O'Mara was brought in (Kate mentioned it in her book) probably as Diahann felt that she was losing more of her already limited screentime to another actress of the same age. Kate also insinuated in a radio interview that Joan wanted her off the show but on other occasions they speak fondly of each other. Nolan Miller also said that when Pamela Bellwood left the show that "nobody was sad to see her go". Joan also apparently didn't like the actor that played her husband Sean. Over on The Colbys, Maxwell Caulfield pissed Charlton Heston off so much that he wrote a letter to Max about his behaviour which was leaked to the press. Maxwell used to also go jogging on the studio roof during Barbara Stanwyck's scenes in order to annoy her and Barbara also left Tracey Scoggins in tears after berating her about her punctuality. So overall, there was plenty of tensions between the cast on both shows.
Joan inadvertently outed Gordon Thomson in an interview. I couldn't find it on youtube, but she says "all the ladies fancied him but of course no-one stood a chance because he's.... [pause] he was already in a relationship [looks around nervously]".
Joan inadvertently outed Gordon Thomson in an interview. I couldn't find it on youtube, but she says "all the ladies fancied him but of course no-one stood a chance because he's.... [pause] he was already in a relationship [looks around nervously]".
Also, Sean Rowan had the voice of a drag queen.
Yes i have heard that Gordon Thompson is gay. Sean Rowan was such a bad character:D you have to laugh. The actor really was lousy, especially when showing anger. BUT he beat up the awful Leslie, so gets points there!
I can't remember all that much from season 8, but the Elizabethan Fair & Adam & Danas struggle to have a baby with the surrogate mother.
Don't you recall that charming storyline of Fallon having been abducted by aliens, struggling to be taken seriously by her unsympathetic family and husband?:D
That really was the series low-point for me. You just know when they came up with that plot they just didn't care anymore. I mean that is off the scale. What must poor Emma Samms have thought when she read that script for the first time ?:D
Don't you recall that charming storyline of Fallon having been abducted by aliens, struggling to be taken seriously by her unsympathetic family and husband?:D
That really was the series low-point for me. You just know when they came up with that plot they just didn't care anymore. I mean that is off the scale. What must poor Emma Samms have thought when she read that script for the first time ?:D
No and thank heavens for that, lol. But to my recollection- Dynasty didn't delve on that SL for long and forgot about it very fast..(?)
I would've loved to hear Emmas thoughts when she read her script, yes, and also whilst shooting it.. Oh, and when Fallon returned to Dynasty it was with red hair- no no. My Fallon is and always will be a brunette!
No and thank heavens for that, lol. But to my recollection- Dynasty didn't delve on that SL for long and forgot about it very fast..(?)
I would've loved to hear Emmas thoughts when she read her script, yes, and also whilst shooting it.. Oh, and when Fallon returned to Dynasty it was with red hair- no no. My Fallon is and always will be a brunette!
we haven't discussed Steven yet. I feel that in the early series Al Corly was best. He played the part with great sensitivity. The show was very bold having a handsome lead character openly gay and with a boyfriend at that time 1981. However they backtracked in the subsequent seasons, by making him confused or whatever, and having relationships with Sammy jo and Claudia. I think maybe they got complaints about his gayness too from the network/ audiences.
I loved Steven in season 1 & 2. Al, like you said portrayed him with great sensitivity. Loved the sibling relationship with Fallon! When Jack came to the show as Steven, yes I felt that the producers had somewhat regressed him even more by having him be with Claudia. Frustrating to watch. Was it Als choice to leave, or was he fired?
I laugh everytime I watch the dinner scene from "Oil" with that HUGE table. Blake & Steven sit at each end of the table, and Fallon in the middle. They eat at the same table, but the distance between them is BIG. Very symbolic for season 1.
Don't you recall that charming storyline of Fallon having been abducted by aliens, struggling to be taken seriously by her unsympathetic family and husband?:D
That really was the series low-point for me. You just know when they came up with that plot they just didn't care anymore. I mean that is off the scale. What must poor Emma Samms have thought when she read that script for the first time ?
There used to be a video on YouTube with excerpts from interviews with Emma Samms and Gordon Thomson where they discussed the alien abduction. Emma said that the cast had heard a rumour that the UFO was going to be that year's cliffhanger and everybody thought it was a joke or just a story to put the press off the scent but then they got the scripts and that was the actual cliffhanger. Gordon Thomson had two stories relating to it. He said that a producer on the show told him that they'd gotten a phone call in the middle of the night from Esther Shapiro to tell him that Richard (her husband and co-creator) had had an idea for the cliffhanger and then just blurted out "ALIENS". There was also a writers meeting where Esther warned that the first person to laugh would be fired and then announced their intention to do an alien plot.
For what it's worth, there's American TV Archive interviews online with Richard and Esther and he said that the plan if The Colbys had been renewed would have been to have it be a figment of Fallon's imagination as a result of mental illness. Esther however wrote this off as she said that their shows didn't really explore those sort of themes (despite Claudia's mental illness earlier in the series).
There used to be a video on YouTube with excerpts from interviews with Emma Samms and Gordon Thomson where they discussed the alien abduction. Emma said that the cast had heard a rumour that the UFO was going to be that year's cliffhanger and everybody thought it was a joke or just a story to put the press off the scent but then they got the scripts and that was the actual cliffhanger. Gordon Thomson had two stories relating to it. He said that a producer on the show told him that they'd gotten a phone call in the middle of the night from Esther Shapiro to tell him that Richard (her husband and co-creator) had had an idea for the cliffhanger and then just blurted out "ALIENS". There was also a writers meeting where Esther warned that the first person to laugh would be fired and then announced their intention to do an alien plot.
For what it's worth, there's American TV Archive interviews online with Richard and Esther and he said that the plan if The Colbys had been renewed would have been to have it be a figment of Fallon's imagination as a result of mental illness. Esther however wrote this off as she said that their shows didn't really explore those sort of themes (despite Claudia's mental illness earlier in the series).
It was the most stupid of plots imo. Fallon just looked like a complete idiot the whole season. Maybe it was just an illusion? and we were meant to see it as just a big mental breakdown or something?
One of my faves was the first proper storyline I saw on Dynasty, but I honestly can't remember much about it.
Alexis is in jail for murder (I think). I have no idea who died though.
Dex & someone else are looking at photos taken of Alexis from outside her apartment (supposedly of her committing the crime).
They suddenly realise that the pictures aren't of Alexis, but of someone dressed up as her.
Can anyone enlighten me further?
I know I can't remember too much, but these were the episodes that got me totally hooked. I was born in 1975, so presumably I had just started my teens when it was aired?
One of my faves was the first proper storyline I saw on Dynasty, but I honestly can't remember much about it.
Alexis is in jail for murder (I think). I have no idea who died though.
Dex & someone else are looking at photos taken of Alexis from outside her apartment (supposedly of her committing the crime).
They suddenly realise that the pictures aren't of Alexis, but of someone dressed up as her.
Can anyone enlighten me further?
I know I can't remember too much, but these were the episodes that got me totally hooked. I was born in 1975, so presumably I had just started my teens when it was aired?
Krystle's first husband Mark Jennings had been thrown off the balcony of Alexis' apartment by Senator Neal McVane who was dressed in a wig and cape to make him look like Alexis! He even managed to fool her own son Steven who ended up given testimony against her in the trial. Even more ludicrous than this was the scene where Alexis had champagne on ice and caviar served in her prison cell! This story also heralded the entrance of Amanda who'd arrived from Europe to support her secret mother and fill the Fallon shaped hole that had been left after Pamela Sue Martin's departure.
Can we dicuss Alexis' hairstyles, and the amount of wigs Joan Collins wore over the series?
It was sometimes difficult to tell if it was real or not. By season 5 her hair at one point was almost an afro:p
Can we dicuss Alexis' hairstyles, and the amount of wigs Joan Collins wore over the series?
It was sometimes difficult to tell if it was real or not. By season 5 her hair at one point was almost an afro:p
I quite liked her hair from the earlier seasons when she sometimes wore her own hair or had longer wigs. By season 4, her hair was basically a mullet. And if you want to see her in full afro mode, check out this clip from season 2 http://youtu.be/VKMnPGBj-NU
By season 9 her hair was huge, possibly the biggest it had been throughout the entire series (with the exception of the afro mentioned above). She looked like a drag queen at times.
I loved the scenes when Alexis and Krystle are trapped in the burning cabin. Alexis gets knocked unconscious and Krystle has to drag her to safety.
The most cringe-worthy scene i recall is what i think was Al Corley's final episode when he wants the whole family to acknowledge he is gay. And Fallon alone says 'Steven is gay'.
And they seemed to have so many scenes where two female characters would be at the same store at the same time. They just happened to go to buy a dress from the same shop at the same time!
I loved scenes with trashy, trampy Sammy Jo! The ridiculous Krystle/Rita/Joel storyline with Sammy Jo helping Joel and going along with the subterfuge. And the Sammy Jo/Amanda and Sammy Jo/Claudia catfights. She wore some horrific outfits too!
I loved scenes with trashy, trampy Sammy Jo! The ridiculous Krystle/Rita/Joel storyline with Sammy Jo helping Joel and going along with the subterfuge. And the Sammy Jo/Amanda and Sammy Jo/Claudia catfights. She wore some horrific outfits too!
At least Sammy Jo dressed contemporary, most of the female cast looked like they stepped out of a 1940s movie.:D I always thought the style was a deliberate attempt by by Nolan Miller to hark back to classic Hollywood. This I suppose all fit in with the shows campy melodrama. It was like a long Joan Crawford vehicle. Hats with veils, shoulder pads, fur coats, wraps etc, even some of the hairdos had a very 40s flavour about them. Most women did not dress like that in the 80s, even the rich
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They seemed to have had a difficult relationship over the years. There's times where they spoke fondly of each other in interviews and times that they were obviously at loggerheads. I get the impression that John's nose was put out of joint when Joan became the star of the show. He realised that the show wouldn't have lasted without her but at the same time he didn't like that he wasn't the central character of the show any longer. He also took exception to Joan posing for Playboy and said in an interview that he thought Joan didn't like him because he never tried it on with her and as a result she thought he was gay (Joan laughed at this when an interviewer presented her with John's theory).
Looking at the various behind the scenes shows and interviews, like any show there were a number of stars that didn't get along. Ali McGraw said that Joan was fabulous to work with but John and Linda weren't happy that her and Rock Hudson were on the show as they were brought in to mess with the Carringtons marriage and they didn't like this. Diahann Carroll wasn't happy that Kate O'Mara was brought in (Kate mentioned it in her book) probably as Diahann felt that she was losing more of her already limited screentime to another actress of the same age. Kate also insinuated in a radio interview that Joan wanted her off the show but on other occasions they speak fondly of each other. Nolan Miller also said that when Pamela Bellwood left the show that "nobody was sad to see her go". Joan also apparently didn't like the actor that played her husband Sean. Over on The Colbys, Maxwell Caulfield pissed Charlton Heston off so much that he wrote a letter to Max about his behaviour which was leaked to the press. Maxwell used to also go jogging on the studio roof during Barbara Stanwyck's scenes in order to annoy her and Barbara also left Tracey Scoggins in tears after berating her about her punctuality. So overall, there was plenty of tensions between the cast on both shows.
Also, Sean Rowan had the voice of a drag queen.
Yes i have heard that Gordon Thompson is gay. Sean Rowan was such a bad character:D you have to laugh. The actor really was lousy, especially when showing anger. BUT he beat up the awful Leslie, so gets points there!
I can't remember all that much from season 8, but the Elizabethan Fair & Adam & Danas struggle to have a baby with the surrogate mother.
Don't you recall that charming storyline of Fallon having been abducted by aliens, struggling to be taken seriously by her unsympathetic family and husband?:D
That really was the series low-point for me. You just know when they came up with that plot they just didn't care anymore. I mean that is off the scale. What must poor Emma Samms have thought when she read that script for the first time ?:D
No and thank heavens for that, lol. But to my recollection- Dynasty didn't delve on that SL for long and forgot about it very fast..(?)
I would've loved to hear Emmas thoughts when she read her script, yes, and also whilst shooting it..
we haven't discussed Steven yet. I feel that in the early series Al Corly was best. He played the part with great sensitivity. The show was very bold having a handsome lead character openly gay and with a boyfriend at that time 1981. However they backtracked in the subsequent seasons, by making him confused or whatever, and having relationships with Sammy jo and Claudia. I think maybe they got complaints about his gayness too from the network/ audiences.
I laugh everytime I watch the dinner scene from "Oil" with that HUGE table. Blake & Steven sit at each end of the table, and Fallon in the middle. They eat at the same table, but the distance between them is BIG. Very symbolic for season 1.
me too. The season 5 finale is a very good episode.
There used to be a video on YouTube with excerpts from interviews with Emma Samms and Gordon Thomson where they discussed the alien abduction. Emma said that the cast had heard a rumour that the UFO was going to be that year's cliffhanger and everybody thought it was a joke or just a story to put the press off the scent but then they got the scripts and that was the actual cliffhanger. Gordon Thomson had two stories relating to it. He said that a producer on the show told him that they'd gotten a phone call in the middle of the night from Esther Shapiro to tell him that Richard (her husband and co-creator) had had an idea for the cliffhanger and then just blurted out "ALIENS". There was also a writers meeting where Esther warned that the first person to laugh would be fired and then announced their intention to do an alien plot.
For what it's worth, there's American TV Archive interviews online with Richard and Esther and he said that the plan if The Colbys had been renewed would have been to have it be a figment of Fallon's imagination as a result of mental illness. Esther however wrote this off as she said that their shows didn't really explore those sort of themes (despite Claudia's mental illness earlier in the series).
It was the most stupid of plots imo. Fallon just looked like a complete idiot the whole season. Maybe it was just an illusion? and we were meant to see it as just a big mental breakdown or something?
Alexis is in jail for murder (I think). I have no idea who died though.
Dex & someone else are looking at photos taken of Alexis from outside her apartment (supposedly of her committing the crime).
They suddenly realise that the pictures aren't of Alexis, but of someone dressed up as her.
Can anyone enlighten me further?
I know I can't remember too much, but these were the episodes that got me totally hooked. I was born in 1975, so presumably I had just started my teens when it was aired?
Krystle's first husband Mark Jennings had been thrown off the balcony of Alexis' apartment by Senator Neal McVane who was dressed in a wig and cape to make him look like Alexis! He even managed to fool her own son Steven who ended up given testimony against her in the trial. Even more ludicrous than this was the scene where Alexis had champagne on ice and caviar served in her prison cell! This story also heralded the entrance of Amanda who'd arrived from Europe to support her secret mother and fill the Fallon shaped hole that had been left after Pamela Sue Martin's departure.
It was sometimes difficult to tell if it was real or not. By season 5 her hair at one point was almost an afro:p
I quite liked her hair from the earlier seasons when she sometimes wore her own hair or had longer wigs. By season 4, her hair was basically a mullet. And if you want to see her in full afro mode, check out this clip from season 2 http://youtu.be/VKMnPGBj-NU
By season 9 her hair was huge, possibly the biggest it had been throughout the entire series (with the exception of the afro mentioned above). She looked like a drag queen at times.
The most cringe-worthy scene i recall is what i think was Al Corley's final episode when he wants the whole family to acknowledge he is gay. And Fallon alone says 'Steven is gay'.
And they seemed to have so many scenes where two female characters would be at the same store at the same time. They just happened to go to buy a dress from the same shop at the same time!
At least Sammy Jo dressed contemporary, most of the female cast looked like they stepped out of a 1940s movie.:D I always thought the style was a deliberate attempt by by Nolan Miller to hark back to classic Hollywood. This I suppose all fit in with the shows campy melodrama. It was like a long Joan Crawford vehicle. Hats with veils, shoulder pads, fur coats, wraps etc, even some of the hairdos had a very 40s flavour about them. Most women did not dress like that in the 80s, even the rich