A witch, a Dame, and a Dynasty dropout help Santa Barbara go for General Hospital's jugular
By Pat Sellers, TV Views & Reviews, 1984	Home   Cette page en Français

On July 30, Santa Barbara debuts on NBC, which wasted no time nicknaming it "Dynasty for daytime". There are those who might say that bringing another soap to daytime is akin to bringing coals to Newcastle, but NBC is betting the new show will stoke its daytime ratings. Brian Frons, NBC's daytime programming vice president, says candidly : "Its' no fun being N°3. We'd like to improve."

With that objective in mind, Frons lured away Bridget and Jerome Dobson, former head writers of General Hospital, The Guiding Light and As the World Turns, just as they were about to sign with CBS. The bait was a high-budget show that they would create, executive produce and own. The Dobsons set the show in their own wealthy Santa Barbara and snared fellows Santa Barbara Dame Judith Anderson to play the matriarch of one of the leading families. Slotted opposite two of their alma maters (General Hospital and The Guiding Light), the Dobsons admit they're out for blood. "The rivalry between soaps is enormous", says Bridget. Adds Jerry : "They're going to try to do to us in and we're going to try to do them in. But we're not worried about it, because they're such inferior shows."

Part of what the Dobsons and Frons think will make Santa Barbara superior is that it will be strongly colored by Californian fun in the sun. "This will be the only show where everyone in the cast has a suntan in February, "says Frons. "People in the Midwest who are bundled up for blizzards will be able to turn us on and see people who are not bundled up, who are still living the American dream that The Beach Boys sing about. I'm not saying it's going to a heavy T&A show, but let's face it, they're not going to wear as many clothes as the people on The Guiding Light." Still, Frons feels the show will radiate "romantic sensuality" rather than "raw sexuality".

Dynasty, of course, has both. As that show's villainous Cecil Colby, Lloyd Bochner died in the midst a coital encounter with Alexis, conveniently leaving her his billions. Bochner is now being reincarnated as multimillionaire C.C. Capwell. If Santa Barbara is daytime's Dynasty, Bochner is Santa Barbara's Blake Carrington. "Nevertheless," says the former villain, "I don't think I'll ever get rid of all my rottenness." Tired of playing heavies in prime time, the elegant Bochner had no qualms about taking on the central role in a daytime serial. He did have some regrets about sacrificing his leisure time. "One of my major passions is my 42-feet ketch, which I keep up in British Columbia. I had booked a flight up there to go sailing with my wife for five weeks, and now that's all out. It was a big decision for me to give that up."

Marcy Walker, who will be playing Bochner's Fallon-like daughter, Eden, is not giving up a six-week vacation in Europe. (Her character will also be said to be vacationing in Europe until her dramatic entrance onto the show in the fall.) "I worked hard for those six weeks... I worked Saturdays for a year... And I'm going to darn well go off and have some fun" says Walker. Until recently, Walker had been on New York based All My Children, playing rich bitch Liza Colby, who determined into an alcoholic tramp after discovering that she and her another shared a young lover. Walker's contract was due to run out this month, and she found AMC's renewal offer insufficient to halt plans to transfer her career to the West Coast. She heard about Santa Barbara from a fellow cast member, tested for it - "the scene was a piece of cake" - and two weeks later received an offer that was double what she'd been promised by All My Children.

"Somebody said if my agent was smart he would have called back All My Children and said, "What are you going to offer her now ?" But I don't want to play any games. I've always been straight with Jackie Babbin (executive producer of All My Children), and I didn't want any bad feelings." Walker even took this time to write down a history of her character - including her bed partner - for Babbin to give to whoever replaces her. Still, Bridget Dobson adds, somewhat happily, "All My Children is a very upset". As Babbin was searching for a new Liza Colby, the Dobsons and casting director Reuben Cannon (The A-Team, Riptide, The Winds of War) were beating the bushes for an actress to play they Alexis-like Augusta. On June 28, only days before shooting was to begin, Louise Sorel got the role.

Sorel says they originally saw her four month ago but kept her dangling. "I've think what happened is that after they saw everyone out here and didn't find the person they wanted, they just decided that it would work physically with me." Actually, a few adjustments had to made, physically, including a long, curly wig over Sorel's recently shorn locks. She has also thrown herself into Jane Fonda's Workout. "If I had only known two weeks earlier. I'd have starved because when you're without work in Los Angeles for two months, you sit there and turn into Shelley Winters, and then they say, "Oh, look, you have a job," and then boom ! You're in bikini." Sorel, who's something of a clotheshorse herself (a $50 000 floor-length white mink was stolen from her this year), had a vivid idea of her character should be dressed. "She's stylish and slightly eccentric" - when fortunately coincided with the image held by costume designer Bill Belew. In fact, both purchased the exact some leopard-print bikini for of Augusta's earlier scenes. Belew will also be dressing Sorel in leather, and some wide-shouldered Dynasty-style dresses.

And Alexis has nothing on her in hat department. "I have a hat", says Sorel, "that is so large I cannot get through a doorway. It's hilarious." She was disappointed that the pet puma originally written in for her was dropped. "The puma said it all to me. I also wanted Augusta to carry a whip." Dame Judith Anderson, who plays Augusta's Mother in law, envisioned her own character as carrying a riding crop, although she was admittedly confused as to what the character was about. "Knowing little bits and pieces here and there about houses and whatnot, but not about the woman, is frustrating," she says.

She did know that the character's name, Birdie, was for the birds. She suggested Tigger Wings instead, and her own childhood nickname, Frankie. "My real name is Frances Margaret. I was also known as "Outlaw Fan From the Anderson Gang" because I could run as fast and jump as high as any boy in the village." A name was finally settled on - Minx, which seems to suit the character and the actress, who confesses she's an old fan of General Hospital and will continue to watch it. ‘There are people there I've known intimately for a long, long time, and I've very concerned about their welfare."