Has there ever been a more perfect casting choice in television

[Snarky Oracle!]

She wanted to do Star Games with Caitlin Jenner.
“ I am big, it’s the pictures that got small”
She should have looked to see how great it worked out for her TV brother before she split.
It’s a very gifted career and she took it for granted I guess, she could have worked in a meat processing plant or taught kindergarten to a room of screaming kids flinging their snots at her.
One thing about Emma Samms and even Jack to a degree, they knew they were given a gift and Emma gave back to charities for kids and used that fame for good, Pamela didn’t,
She aimed for movies like Patrick Duffy but he came to his senses, she was stubborn, she probably didn’t want to hear Joan saying I told you bitch
The recasting was the worst thing, more than the writing or the stiff acting
It hurt the series the most

I don't think those were PSM's motives for leaving DYNASTY at all. Movies might've been nice, but she wanted out of a series which had a narrative sensibility that was cratering.

Saying otherwise is like saying that Victoria made a "mistake" in leaving DALLAS when she did. Both actresses were right and saw the writing on the bubblegum wrapper.

I've decided that "Fallon" was Blake's mother's maiden name, Ellen Lucy Fallon, a member of the powerful Catholic Fallon family dynasty who ran Boulder for two hundred years and disinherited her (temporarily) when she married that no-account protestant varmint Tom (which was also Audra Barkley's father's name, so I get confused) from Pennsylvania -- the family only reinstating Ellen in the will once her son Blake started to make good in the oil business in the mid-'50s. (Only months before Ellen died in that horrific fire, thus leaving that crater to her eldest son). The Fallon empire ultimately brought down by Cecil's ColbyCo from the shadows, over a military hardware deal gone wrong.

After all, in Season 9, Adam describes himself as a member "of one of the oldest, most-respected families in Colorado." But the Carringtons had only been a big whoop in The Rocky Mountain State for a couple of generations! So, I say: let's use that!

But not everyone loves my latticework of back story ideas.

How evil is Blake's mother? | Forums for television shows past and present

Perhaps during WW2, Cecil and his uncle (Andrew's brother) were involved with the Fallon family in a military hardware deal to provide materiel to the government to fight the Axis Powers with huge profits at stake. But the Fallons pulled out at the last minute when they realized the deal also meant providing munitions to Hitler (which happened at the time in real life). And even though the Catholic Fallons weren't particularly sympathetic to the plight of the Jews necessarily, the Fallons had a moral issue with supplying the Third Reich with munitions that would inevitably kill American soldiers.

When the arrangement fell through and untold millions of dollars were lost, Cecil and his uncle were inconsolable and vowed to destroy what remained of the Fallon dynastic empire, using the Colby connections with the corporate world, Wall Street and in Washington to ultimately crush the Fallons, the Fallon kingdom setting in the west behind the Rockies as a result just as Blake's corporate star rose in the east.

So Cecil became Blake's "best friend" with the main objective of keeping an eye on him, occasionally sabotaging Blake from the shadows, slowing his rise to some degree. After all, a Fallon is a Fallon by any other name.

 

[Lankershim Blasdel 1]

Victoria left Dallas in 1987. I don’t think anyone would have objected to Pamela Sue and Al leaving their series 7 years into it and Victoria was with the show since 1978.
Dallas was fading and Victoria had a very very successful skin care line The Body Principal and was doing (crappy) but working tv movies.
Dynasty was getting attention when Al left and was huge when Pamela left.
They were young and foolish and that reunion that was almost 20 years ago you could see Al’s regret and even a bit in Pamela.
Easy fix for lazy writing:
Ben (if you’re going to cast someone 20 years younger and British) was Blake’s half brother and was responsible for his mother, Blake’s stepmother’s death who happened to be extremely wealthy and although Tom inherited a fortune never forgave Ben who was a bit of a psycho anyway. Easy peasy.
Cecil was Blake’s friend and even. Though season 2 was fantastic there were discrepancies to get where they wanted to go.
Fallon told Alexis she was named after her fathers mother, not usually a last name but the writing team when writing that stupid Blake is being accused of killing his mother retool garbage that the audience was too stupid and would get confused if they called her Fallon and Ellen sort of sounds a bit the same so they went with it
One could argue that Cecil seeing Alexis again sparked hatred that he suppressed over Blake stealing her away, although their first encounter Cecil called their affair a one night stand and we were told Alexis introduced Blake to Cecil then were told Cecil introduced Alexis to Blake, so the disorganized Pollacks were doing their thing from the beginning , but I guess got lucky for one season

It’s all so exhausting, let’s take a short nap

Randal is so confused over it all,
especially being called Fallon and the young witch (since she’s always crying)

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Victoria left Dallas in 1987. I don’t think anyone would have objected to Pamela Sue and Al leaving their series 7 years into it and Victoria was with the show since 1978.
Dallas was fading and Victoria had a very very successful skin care line The Body Principal and was doing (crappy) but working tv movies.
Dynasty was getting attention when Al left and was huge when Pamela left.
They were young and foolish and that reunion that was almost 20 years ago you could see Al’s regret and even a bit in Pamela.
Easy fix for lazy writing:
Ben (if you’re going to cast someone 20 years younger and British) was Blake’s half brother and was responsible for his mother, Blake’s stepmother’s death who happened to be extremely wealthy and although Tom inherited a fortune never forgave Ben who was a bit of a psycho anyway. Easy peasy.
Cecil was Blake’s friend and even. Though season 2 was fantastic there were discrepancies to get where they wanted to go.
Fallon told Alexis she was named after her fathers mother, not usually a last name but the writing team when writing that stupid Blake is being accused of killing his mother retool garbage that the audience was too stupid and would get confused if they called her Fallon and Ellen sort of sounds a bit the same so they went with it
One could argue that Cecil seeing Alexis again sparked hatred that he suppressed over Blake stealing her away, although their first encounter Cecil called their affair a one night stand and we were told Alexis introduced Blake to Cecil then were told Cecil introduced Alexis to Blake, so the disorganized Pollacks were doing their thing from the beginning , but I guess got lucky for one season
View attachment 55763
It’s all so exhausting, let’s take a short nap
View attachment 55764
Randal is so confused over it all,
especially being called Fallon and the young witch (since she’s always crying)

I don't think they were young and foolish at all. The show was going to shit -- and quickly. And they knew it.

What was left to stay for??

 

[Mustard]

I don't think they were young and foolish at all. The show was going to shit -- and quickly. And they knew it.

What was left to stay for??

Yeah. I don't think Pamela Sue Martin regretted leaving Dynasty at all. She could have gone back on four different occasions, i.e. late Season 5/early Season 6 plus The Colbys, Season 8, Season 9, The Reunion, and didn't go back. She might have regretted her film career not taking off, but that's a different matter.

Al Corley probably only regretted that what he was told about Steven's trajectory was misleading during Season 2.

 

[Lankershim Blasdel 1]

What was left to stay for??

Being employed, making more money in a week than most make in a year possibly being a reason.
Both did nothing in the 40 years since.
Nothing in tbeir 30’s 40’s or 50’s and now they’re too old.
If you’re a secretary, work in retail or some office job you usually have the sense to keep your job unless you have another one or better one offered to you, they both thought they were too good for what they were doing but it was proved otherwise by Hollywood.
Catherine as well, she thought hey I’m not showing up for work and I’m going to make them cave into my demands by just staying home and not answering my phone or front door, that worked out well for her too.
Dynasty wasn’t shit when Al had a childish fit and got fired and it wasn’t total shit when PS decided to leave to do some low rent movie her husband was bankrolling.
If they stayed until season 7 or 8 then left because they made their money and the soaps were fading that was one thing, Jack left at the end of 8 and isn’t thought of the same as the rest of his tv siblings, Heather, John and Gordon stayed until the end.
Al did that awful reunion, didn’t he read the script? or did he need the money
Pamela Sue probably regretted leaving but her pride got in the way of returning since her big movie was a total nothing,
Al probably regretted it once his character was recasted and the show was a world wide hit
Catherine couldn’t get another job and she was in her 20’s.
this wasn’t the 90’s when Friends were making a million dollars an episode, do the job, invest in real estate and you’re set for life in your early to mid 30’s. Who would take that
Lloyd Boucher and Lee Bergere were fired,
They would have stayed, they were in their late 50’s and knew better, Linda, Joan and John knew better too.
Kathleen would have stayed too.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Being employed, making more money in a week than most make in a year possibly being a reason.
Both did nothing in the 40 years since.
Nothing in tbeir 30’s 40’s or 50’s and now they’re too old.
If you’re a secretary, work in retail or some office job you usually have the sense to keep your job unless you have another one or better one offered to you, they both thought they were too good for what they were doing but it was proved otherwise by Hollywood.
Catherine as well, she thought hey I’m not showing up for work and I’m going to make them cave into my demands by just staying home and not answering my phone or front door, that worked out well for her too.
Dynasty wasn’t shit when Al had a childish fit and got fired and it wasn’t total shit when PS decided to leave to do some low rent movie her husband was bankrolling.
If they stayed until season 7 or 8 then left because they made their money and the soaps were fading that was one thing, Jack left at the end of 8 and isn’t thought of the same as the rest of his tv siblings, Heather, John and Gordon stayed until the end.
Al did that awful reunion, didn’t he read the script? or did he need the money
Pamela Sue probably regretted leaving but her pride got in the way of returning since her big movie was a total nothing,
Al probably regretted it once his character was recasted and the show was a world wide hit
Catherine couldn’t get another job and she was in her 20’s.
this wasn’t the 90’s when Friends were making a million dollars an episode, do the job, invest in real estate and you’re set for life in your early to mid 30’s. Who would take that
Lloyd Boucher and Lee Bergere were fired,
They would have stayed, they were in their late 50’s and knew better, Linda, Joan and John knew better too.
Kathleen would have stayed too.

You're not just crazy, you're neurotic crazy --- so welcome to Tellytalk.

And didn't PSM marry and divorce a billionaire? She didn't need their frackin' money!!

 

[Lankershim Blasdel 1]

Her husband was a spaghetti western actor in the 1950’s who bankrolled her flop of a movie with his own money which caused them to divorce. She married him in 1982 and divorced in 1984 so even even if he had some family billions he inherited (I don’t believe that was him but someone else with the same name) Pamela couldn’t have gotten too much for a 4 year marriage with no kids.
She was stupid and did need the money since she worked on some crappy tv movies that weren’t even for the 3 main networks at the time after Dynasty as Al worked on a mini series soap playing a straight man, oh my!
Stupid both of them and throw in CO.

 

[Tony]

PSM did an interview with Wogan in 1985, a year after she left Dynasty saying she didn't want to work in a studio for years on end, but wanted to be out riding horses - she was playing a lot of polo at the time, plus 'to watch it once a week was OK, but making it every day was rough'.

She may have missed the money -didn't Aaron offer her a million to stay on Dynasty - but she used her health reasons to get out a year early in her contract. So no, I don't think she regretted it in the long run. When Al interviewed her in 1991 for the German reunion documentary, he said that she had spent all her money or given it to family, and was working in theatre, but I don't think she massively regretted her choices - her values were different to Joan Collins for example.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

PSM did an interview with Wogan in 1985, a year after she left Dynasty saying she didn't want to work in a studio for years on end, but wanted to be out riding horses - she was playing a lot of polo at the time, plus 'to watch it once a week was OK, but making it every day was rough'.

She may have missed the money -didn't Aaron offer her a million to stay on Dynasty - but she used her health reasons to get out a year early in her contract. So no, I don't think she regretted it in the long run. When Al interviewed her in 1991 for the German reunion documentary, he said that she had spent all her money or given it to family, and was working in theatre, but I don't think she massively regretted her choices - her values were different to Joan Collins for example.

Yes, reportedly Aaron offered her a million dollars to stay (even though she supposedly had one more year on her contract) and she had hepatitis (she even looked kind of puny in Season 4). In 2006, she said she "never" regretted leaving DYNASTY, and I believe her.

Isn't J.J. the source for the story that PSM had "admitted" to him later that she regretted leaving the show? Was J.J. also the source that seemed to verify that Forsythe was "jealous" of Joan (or was that Gordon, I can't remember)?

 

[Lankershim Blasdel 1]

Yea it was John James on a podcast called Hollywood Obsessed where he said John was jealous of Joan and that Pamela told him I guess recently that she regretted leaving when she did.
In Gordon’s interview he said in the last season Joan confessed to him that she had feelings for him that weren’t maternal where he just smiled
She should have taken the million dollars and did one more season, I mean they don’t work everyday and get the whole summer off, a million is a no brainer then split in 1985.
Only one actress I might have accepted but probably not to replace my favorite dynasty character and actor if they wrote her like season 1-2 and not a complete symp

Maybe in a new series I would have accepted her if written correctly, Fallon was such an important character in the show and after season 4 was gone forever, Emma was Randal Adams, along with Ben Reynolds and some rando from the T shirt store at the Hard Rock who all won the power ball lotteries from a family who weren’t so bright, maybe rich but not bright

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

When you know the quality of work isn't any good anymore, and your humiliation is out there for millions to see every week, it's going to be a problem for some people. Pamela Sue was one of those people.

Yea it was John James on a podcast called Hollywood Obsessed where he said John was jealous of Joan and that Pamela told him I guess recently that she regretted leaving when she did.

I don't want to accuse anybody of fibbing necessarily, but J.J. is firmly in Joan's camp.

 

[Lankershim Blasdel 1]

When you know the quality of work isn't any good anymore, and your humiliation is out there for millions to see every week

I agree with that but the show was still enjoyable while she was on it. It would have been interesting to see what the end of 4 and season 5 would have been like if Fallon stayed. I don’t think they would have rushed Jeff and Fallon back together. I read that Fallon would have had the role of sleeping with Dex in 5 like they did with Amanda and I strongly feel the show wouldn’t have went full on mental. There wouldn’t have been a Moldavian massacre and probable no Rita since I don’t think they would have brought in those has been special guest stars. I doubt she would have agreed to do The Colby’s and would have left after her 5 years were up but season 5 was all over the place and started to get that unrealistic feeling more than the previous 2 seasons ever got close to.
I agree I can’t see real Fallon in season6 talking to fake Krystle but she left a year earlier and we’ll never know.
I believe John James’ when he said she had people talking in her ear saying you’re too good for this show and to get into movies and she took the advice, I mean she had a movie career in the 70’s and probably wanted to go back to it once they weakened Fallon
There isn’t humiliation being on a show pre internet when their were only 3 networks that was a incredible hit around the whole world, that movie she made was a humiliation and worse than any Dynasty season
Al did the Bare Essence mini series and that wasn’t a humiliation from being on a show that was really good while he was on it?
it also would have been interesting to see what season 3 would have been like if he had stayed, I doubt they would have invented the missing son and maybe Mark would have stayed the insurance salesman
Maybe Cecil would have stayed around a while or that young Colby Co executive to help Alexis out. No Adam (the 2 children was a thing for the majority of season 2 so Adam was something created when they decided to get rid of Al) so no poison paint nonsense

 

[Chris2]

Pamela Sue Martin was irreplaceable. She just had this breezy iciness that was unlike other actors on TV. A really unique performer.

 

[tommie]

When you know the quality of work isn't any good anymore, and your humiliation is out there for millions to see every week, it's going to be a problem for some people. Pamela Sue was one of those people.

She also left Nancy Drew early when she wasn't happy there, so there was a history of her bolting from projects when she felt they went wayside.

No, I don't think she's ever regretted her choices. Ultimately, she values her own happiness over money and she's not materialistic enough where she thinks money can buy that. Money can certainly make life easier, but it's not the be-all and end-all. She likely could've worked a lot more if she had put more effort into it and she clearly doesn't.

 

[Lankershim Blasdel 1]

Pamela Sue Martin was irreplaceable. She just had this breezy iciness that was unlike other actors on TV

That’s the perfect description of her, she was irreplaceable, didn’t the Dynasty producers realize that? Richard Shapiro had said that Fallon was his favorite character “ a modern day Zelda Fitzgerald, drinking champagne out of a shoe” or something like that
Emma Samms’ performance was the opposite of breezy including her season 9 stint.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

That’s the perfect description of her, she was irreplaceable, didn’t the Dynasty producers realize that? Richard Shapiro had said that Fallon was his favorite character “ a modern day Zelda Fitzgerald, drinking champagne out of a shoe” or something like that
Emma Samms’ performance was the opposite of breezy including her season 9 stint.

They were willing to give PSM a bonus to stay, but they weren't willing to fix Fallon's writing.

 

[Lankershim Blasdel 1]

Which doesn’t make any sense at all.
They had such a unique character and let her become any typical soap opera victim.
Was it because the popularity of Joan’s Alexis in season 3 that they neglected her character or out of spite that she wouldn’t do the hotel spin off. Either way it was a huge mistake

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Which doesn’t make any sense at all.
They had such a unique character and let her become any typical soap opera victim.
Was it because the popularity of Joan’s Alexis in season 3 that they neglected her character or out of spite that she wouldn’t do the hotel spin off. Either way it was a huge mistake

And that's what Pamela Sue was reacting to. She later said that the original writers (Krumholz, et al) were quickly replaced with "traditional soap writers" (meaning the Pollocks). Was she supposed to stay forever under those circumstances?

While Alexis' presence shouldn't have eclipsed all the other characters, not even the original edginess of Fallon, the producers were cynically looking for their "hook" and decided Alexis was it. So they lost interest in everybody else -- that didn't have to happen, but it did.

Years later, Doug Cramer attributed DYNASTY's success to "Joan, Nolan, and Eileen & Robert Mason Pollock."

I mean, Martin got out when the getting was good. She knew, given the dynamic behind the camera, it wasn't going to get any better.

 

[Willie Oleson]

but J.J. is firmly in Joan's camp.

That's sweet, Jeff and Alexis also had that special relationship.

And of course it's more practical to support the person that's still alive.

 

[Monzo]

Nicole was originally supposed to be Daniel Reese’s daughter,

I had never heard of that before; was Nicole intended to be the daughter instead of Sammy Jo, or were they supposed to be half-sisters? Perhaps Nicole could have worked as Daniel's daughter if she’d had a suitable red-headed mother.

The only ones that I would consider uninspired casting choices:
Nicole De Vilbis (totally unbelievable as PDV's partner)

I’m probably one of the few people who liked Susan Scannell as Nicole. I didn’t care for her at first, but she won me over once she moved into the mansion. By that point, the hair and makeup and wardrobe departments had finally found the right look for her. I think she had the best glamorous look of all the soap redheads from that era (like Jamie Rose or Constance McCashin). Unfortunately, the chemistry with Jeff just wasn't there. I wouldn't have written her out right away; instead, I would have paired her with Adam. I think Nicole would have been a better match for Adam than Claudia was—though if the chemistry hadn't worked there either, she could have arrived as Adam's date for the royal wedding and died in the massacre, ensuring there were at least three casualties we actually knew.