Charlene Tilton's thread

[xab]

I just came across this video and I realized how much I have underestimated her... Blinded as I was by other actors/tresses, I forgot to remember how much she was talented. Maybe because I was a teenager during the original run and I didn't want to stare at the mirror she was holding me to face...
But she really is a strong actress... She spilled her guts in every plotline Lucy was involved in. I just remembered how moving she was in the Mickey T. storyline and how impressed I was, but now I realize she was that bomb from A to Z...

Another wasted opportunity ... ( Both Dallas CBS and TNT)

The JR / Peter Richards/ Lucy scene is just... Wow... She looks so high, so drunker than a drunk Sue Ellen... Amazing.

 

[Karin]

She's always been one of my favorites. I think she's underrated as an actress. I have seen her in several other roles than Lucy as well and she's really talented.

Anyway back to Lucy. Some of my favorite scenes are the scene where Lucy and Kit breaks up, the scene where she talks to Miss Ellie about how she was afraid to visit her at the hospital since she was afraid she'd also get breast cancer and the scene where she confronts Sue Ellen about that it's her fault that Mickey is in the hospital. Another great scene, but oh so sad is after Mickey has died and Lucy blames Ray and Donna has to go in between them. All great stuff!

 

[xab]

She's really full of energy and very sincere...

 

[Kenny Coyote]

The JR / Peter Richards/ Lucy scene is just... Wow... She looks so high, so drunker than a drunk Sue Ellen... Amazing.

You're right, Charlene Tilton was very good at acting drunk or high. I liked the storyline where her friends convinced Lucy to start taking pills after she got the abortion. The part where she was high at Ray's house and also the part where she was high while Sue Ellen was falling down the stairs were both scenes that showed she was a better actress that she's usually give credit for being.

 

[Toni]

I agree with you all, Charlene was very underrated and in her first full 6 years in the show she proved how gifted she really was. Her writing was awful right after marrying Mitch (the "I Love Lucy" episodes), and anything prior to her kidnapping. Between the latter and the awful Hot Biscuit saga, she gave us a lot of good moments, but I still prefer the pre-Who Shot JR Lucy better. In the video below you can see a couple of examples of that, both mentioned above.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

I agree with you all, Charlene was very underrated and in her first full 6 years in the show she proved how gifted she really was. Her writing was awful right after marrying Mitch (the "I Love Lucy" episodes), and anything prior to her kidnapping. Between the latter and the awful Hot Biscuit saga, she gave us a lot of good moments, but I still prefer the pre-Who Shot JR Lucy better.

The writing for her was best in the "pre-Who Shot JR" days, and as early as "Lessons" she was good! In the later years, it's a great example of how no matter how good the actor is, if the script is bad, there is only so much even the best actor can do with it. In contrast, Larry Hagman as JR shows what can happen when you have a great role which utilizes all of that particular actor's strengths, with some great scripts too.

 

[Karin]

I made this video last year for Charlene's 60th Birthday. Some might already have seen it. But if you haven't you might want to take a look:

 

[Pamela_E]

I think she was perfect in the mini series, her lack or experience gave the character an edge. It wasn't polished which made her kind of real.

The issue was one that we see with many young actors and that is they grow up and the style of the show changed to the point she didn't really seem to fit in, in terms of her acting style and look.

That's why she stuck out like a sore thumb in Knots Landing, they kept trying to pretend she was like 15.

In contrast Nicolette Sheridan on Knots was a far more versatile and contemporary young actress.

I always thought someone like that in the role of Lucy would have taken the character to a whole new level and been given a much bigger part.

 

[pete lashmar]

I have really big issues with Lucy, but not with Charlene (although some scenes the acting was a bit cringe IMO).

There are 2 things that viewers really hate - a kid genius and a spoiled brat, and Lucy was definitely a spoiled brat. The problem is always the same, the viewers get turned off by entitlement, the temper tantrums and mood swings.

The writing for the character was very poor, every year it was "Who's Lucy going to date this year", when what they needed to do was give her a best friend (yes I know Muriel was around, but she was a very static dull character) and have them be girls about town - they needed to write far more comedy for Lucy, when given the one liners she had Charlene absolutely nailed them.

So for me, Lucy should have been the Paris Hilton of the 80's, but with a lot more dignity, a lot more comedy and just enjoying life instead of being a victim every season.

 

[Pamela_E]

I have really big issues with Lucy, but not with Charlene (although some scenes the acting was a bit cringe IMO).

There are 2 things that viewers really hate - a kid genius and a spoiled brat, and Lucy was definitely a spoiled brat. The problem is always the same, the viewers get turned off by entitlement, the temper tantrums and mood swings.

The writing for the character was very poor, every year it was "Who's Lucy going to date this year", when what they needed to do was give her a best friend (yes I know Muriel was around, but she was a very static dull character) and have them be girls about town - they needed to write far more comedy for Lucy, when given the one liners she had Charlene absolutely nailed them.

So for me, Lucy should have been the Paris Hilton of the 80's, but with a lot more dignity, a lot more comedy and just enjoying life instead of being a victim every season.

I think the character was quite restricted once she hit a certain age and they didn't quite know what to do with her. I think after the Mickey story she ran out of steam.

In many soaps the character would have been rested and recast. But Dallas wasn't that kind of show. I always thought they should have brought in a daughter for JR as a Lucy replacement.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

I never saw Charlene Tilton as an exceptionally strong actress, but it got to the point that, for me, Ms.
Tilton's performance was Lucy. Any flaws in the acting were just Lucy's quirks. I preferred her over any newcomers who came later.

I agree with @pete lashmar that Lucy could deliver some good quips and arch observations. I loved her in season 6 and wished they just gave her something more substantial to do.

Since I'm waiting for the subway, I'll give some ideas for Lucy. ( I may have posted these somewhere before. I can't remember). After Mickey"s demise, Lucy moves out because seeing Sue Ellen and JR just reminds her that their dysfunctional marriage led to his death and, she's understandably bitter. This adds urgency to the plot because the effects of Jock's will are still being felt in the next season. It also puts pressure on JR because he knows Miss Ellie will not be happy when she returns home and learns Lucy is not living at SF and why. Lucy could still come by and visit and see Miss Ellie, Bobby, etc. It could also lead to some interesting scenes with Sue Ellen where she has to take more responsibility for the effect her drinking has on others Sue Ellen brushed off his death way too quickly. I also thought Lucy recovered from his death too soon. I would have like a scene here and there where she visits his grave and talks to him. Even in later seasons that would have been a nice inclusion.

Lucy could also at some point decide to give JR a taste of his own medicine and hire a private investigator to look up dirt on HIM. This could happen after JR has mocked her parents one too many times.
Lucy finds out about Halleyville and JR seeing a psychiatrist. She mocks him over this and taunts him wih a line like, "The JR I knew would have had that whole town turned into a parking lot, not run off to a shrink. Granddaddy must be rolling over in his grave." This line is the impetus for JR to stop acting like a buffoon, strap on a set and revert to the JR we love to hate.

@Pamela E also has a good suggestion of Lucy being a Paris Hilton type with more class and wit. That would have been fun.

 

[Monzo]

When Charlene Tilton was fired and Lucy's exit story began, did producers already know Patrick Duffy would leave? I always wondered why they fired an original cast member when another quit? Was this risky or brave move? What Lucy could have done in season 9 if she had stayed and never was reunited with Mitch? Maybe she could have become Angelica Nero's "friend", meaning she could have been used by her in some way.

 

[stevew]

I have really big issues with Lucy, but not with Charlene (although some scenes the acting was a bit cringe IMO).

There are 2 things that viewers really hate - a kid genius and a spoiled brat, and Lucy was definitely a spoiled brat. The problem is always the same, the viewers get turned off by entitlement, the temper tantrums and mood swings.

The writing for the character was very poor, every year it was "Who's Lucy going to date this year", when what they needed to do was give her a best friend (yes I know Muriel was around, but she was a very static dull character) and have them be girls about town - they needed to write far more comedy for Lucy, when given the one liners she had Charlene absolutely nailed them.

So for me, Lucy should have been the Paris Hilton of the 80's, but with a lot more dignity, a lot more comedy and just enjoying life instead of being a victim every season.

I disagree - the entire Big Bang Theory series was based on geniuses and few people were more entitled than JR Ewing - kind of a grown up spoiled brat (mine, mine, mine). I think people love such characters IF they can relate. I for one loved Lucy's character as a teenager in the 80's and I don't use the word love lightly. Daisy Duke, Lucy Ewing and Melissa Agretti - Friday nights was my dream time. Each very different.

I will agree the issue for Lucy was the writing - they never let her mature. She probably could have been more like Melissa Agretti if they let her or even more like Alexis Colby as she had every reason for revenge against members of her own family. Imagine the look on JR's face when she marries Jeremey Wendell. Imagine all Jeremy Wendell could have taught her about business and power and taking what she wants. Imagine the character as she grows up and comes into her own.

Instead of a dream we could have returned to see Sue Ellen fighting for her life and a season where JR has to confront his life with the woman her loves slowly dying and all the while Lucy marries Jeremey Wendell. One deal after another puts a nail in the coffin of Ewing Oil. Everything Rebecca Wentworth left and Bobby's share of Ewing Oil in Wendell's hands as Pam allies with him and Lucy against the Ewing's. Miss Ellie's final words before she leaves for CA, "It's time you become the man your father was, JR." And Lucy's first words as Mrs. Wendell, "There are worse things than death, Uncle JR."

I'd have found that more exciting than watching them start over gain with Bobby back from the dead and slow death they took the show on over the next several seasons.

 

[stevew]

I never saw Charlene Tilton as an exceptionally strong actress, but it got to the point that, for me, Ms.
Tilton's performance was Lucy. Any flaws in the acting were just Lucy's quirks. I preferred her over any newcomers who came later.

I agree with @pete lashmar that Lucy could deliver some good quips and arch observations. I loved her in season 6 and wished they just gave her something more substantial to do.

Since I'm waiting for the subway, I'll give some ideas for Lucy. ( I may have posted these somewhere before. I can't remember). After Mickey"s demise, Lucy moves out because seeing Sue Ellen and JR just reminds her that their dysfunctional marriage led to his death and, she's understandably bitter. This adds urgency to the plot because the effects of Jock's will are still being felt in the next season. It also puts pressure on JR because he knows Miss Ellie will not be happy when she returns home and learns Lucy is not living at SF and why. Lucy could still come by and visit and see Miss Ellie, Bobby, etc. It could also lead to some interesting scenes with Sue Ellen where she has to take more responsibility for the effect her drinking has on others Sue Ellen brushed off his death way too quickly. I also thought Lucy recovered from his death too soon. I would have like a scene here and there where she visits his grave and talks to him. Even in later seasons that would have been a nice inclusion.

Lucy could also at some point decide to give JR a taste of his own medicine and hire a private investigator to look up dirt on HIM. This could happen after JR has mocked her parents one too many times.
Lucy finds out about Halleyville and JR seeing a psychiatrist. She mocks him over this and taunts him wih a line like, "The JR I knew would have had that whole town turned into a parking lot, not run off to a shrink. Granddaddy must be rolling over in his grave." This line is the impetus for JR to stop acting like a buffoon, strap on a set and revert to the JR we love to hate.

@Pamela E also has a good suggestion of Lucy being a Paris Hilton type with more class and wit. That would have been fun.

All great ideas.

 

[stevew]

When Charlene Tilton was fired and Lucy's exit story began, did producers already know Patrick Duffy would leave? I always wondered why they fired an original cast member when another quit? Was this risky or brave move? What Lucy could have done in season 9 if she had stayed and never was reunited with Mitch? Maybe she could have become Angelica Nero's "friend", meaning she could have been used by her in some way.

No one had more reason to hate JR than Lucy. If they'd let her grow up, no one could have been more dangerous to him.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I never had a problem with Charlene’s acting. To me the problem was she wasn’t given enough to do. I think she was at her best in the mini series as the conniving little spoiled brat. I feel that when they started taking her character in a different direction as time went by she just got lost in the shuffle