James Houghton died

Daniel Avery

Daniel Avery

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I recall in the early, Wild-West era of internet gossip and discussion, he posted--under his own name--in Usenet groups based around the CBS daytime soaps and Knots/Dallas, often correcting misinformation or just offering commentary as "a resident insider". When someone asked him about his departure from KL ("Was it his choice to leave?"), he tacitly replied that he was "forcibly ejected".
 
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A few years after leaving Knots Landing, James Houghton had a bit of a run playing Cash Cassidy in The Colbys, the spin-off of Dynasty.

Daniel Avery said:
I recall in the early, Wild-West era of internet gossip and discussion, he posted--under his own name--in Usenet groups based around the CBS daytime soaps and Knots/Dallas, often correcting misinformation or just offering commentary as "a resident insider". When someone asked him about his departure from KL ("Was it his choice to leave?"), he tacitly replied that he was "forcibly ejected".
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I did get that impression too. Knots Landing wanted to move on. Season 4 was already considerably different in tone to the first 3 seasons, and Season 5 was going to continue those changes further by losing characters like Kenny and Ginger Ward, as well as Richard Avery, and bringing in Greg Sumner and Ben Gibson. The Wards fitted in with the tone of the first 3 seasons when it was largely focused on the Seaview Circle cul-de-sac and the 4 main families (i.e. Ewing, Fairgate, Avery, Ward) who lived there.
 
ClassyCo

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To elaborate, it's not that I didn't like the Wards (James Houghton and Kim Lankford) on KNOTS LANDING, it's just I felt like they were always lost in the shuffle somehow. I know David Jacobs saw the show as his take on SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, but with "four families instead of just one", but I wonder how much fun they had writing for Kenny and Ginger from the very beginning. Michael Filerman said, "but then the actors bring a life to it", as his response to the direction the stories eventually took.

KNOTS LANDING, as it were, was steadily "pointing out of the cul-de-sac" (to quote @Daniel Avery ) for story and development towards the end of Season 4. Kenny and Ginger had no real arc outside Seaview Circle, so to make room for characters and storylines outside of that setting, the two filler-of-sorts characters just got disregarded.

I recall my dad saying Kenny and Ginger were "never part of the clique", and in retrospect, that's a good way to see it. The Wards were often left out of episodes, and their storylines always seemed tacked on to scripts because the writers occasionally remembered they had two other cast members getting opening credits billing that needed something to do.

I don't know. It doesn't seem right to be a downer in memorial thread, but James Houghton just isn't someone that fans looking back at KNOTS are likely to remember.
 
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Karin

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That's sad news. I actually liked Kenny and Ginger.
It's sort of odd to think of that he was 75 years old and is now dead considering that he portrayed one half of the "young couple" on Knots. :(
Time really stands still for no one.

Anyway my condolances to his family, friends and co-stars.
 
Frank Underwood

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Kenny and Ginger may not have been the most enthralling characters on the show, but they were integrated nicely in season 4 with the Ciji storyline.

I feel like everybody got to shine in season 4, and I was glad Richard, Kenny, and Ginger got a final solid season before departing.

RIP James Houghton.
 
Angela Channing

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Very sad that James Houghton died and total respect for his family's decision not to release the news until now so they could grieve in private before letting the wider public know.

I really liked Kenny and Ginger and was sorry when they left the series. I can understand why it was necessary so they could introduce new characters but I don't think the decision was anything other than a commercial one.
 
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Angela Channing said:
Very sad that James Houghton died and total respect for his family's decision not to release the news until now so they could grieve in private before letting the wider public know.

I really liked Kenny and Ginger and was sorry when they left the series. I can understand why it was necessary so they could introduce new characters but I don't think the decision was anything other than a commercial one.
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I loved Ginger and Kenny and they could have been great characters with interesting plots,
 
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