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Star
Magazine - August 20th, 1985
Dynasty
- The new season
Sensational storylines and shocking plot twists are
planned to maintain Dynasty`s number one rating position- and
launch "The Colbys" spinoff with a big audience. The show`s
writers have been working overtime to come up with audience-grabbing
situations this fall.
At the same time Dynasty`s producers have
been trying to placate the fragile egos of some performers complaining
about their salaries. The first few episodes have already been filmed for
Dynasty`s sixth season, featuring scenes at the Moldavia massacre, where
the death toll includes Lady Ashley Mitchell( Ali MacGraw ), Luke
Fuller ( Bill Campbell ) and possibly, King Galen ( Joel Fabiani
).
Meanwhile the wheels are in motion for Sammy Jo (
Heather
Locklear ) and her friend, Krystle`s look alike called Rita, to set
off a kidnapping sequence when she sneaks into the Carrington mansion and
attempts to take baby Krystina. The show, which broke new TV ground with
the gay lifestyle of Steven Carrington, might be inspired by today`s
headlines to introduce the dreaded AIDS disease into this season`s
storyline, perhaps having it affect one of Steven`s lovers. "The only
characters who are really secure on the nighttime soaps, our shows
included, are the ones who are part of the family", said a source close
to the producers. "Other characters can come and go, as needed but the
family stays intact". The show`s execs are not ruling out last-minute
script changes- or even scene changes- on the nighttime soap to surprise
the TV audience. "It would be expensive to re-shoot scenes, but anything
could happen" said the source, who hinted that the soap`s writers would
come up with some wild storylines for the new season. "The fun is in the
guessing game. The are some warped minds over there ( in the scriptwriting
department ). You folks can`t get as wild or as far out as they do.
Anything is possible, and I do mean anything".
The scriptwriters even have to be prepared for the
serious illness or death of featured performers. Rock Hudson, who
appeared last season as millionaire Daniel Reece, said in an interview
before his recent hospitalization that he was considering a return to the
soap- if the producers had met his price.
"Depends on the money", said Hudson. (HE DIES
WEEKS LATER) "If they`re willing to pay what I `m asking, they`re
fools". Hudson character had been killed in the next-to-last episode
last season, but his death was off-camera. And, having established a
precedent with the resurrection of Steven ( from the supposedly fatal oil
rig explosion in the show`s second season ) and Fallon ( from the
supposedly fatal plane crash in the show`s fourth season ), there was
always the possibility that Rock could have been brought back this fall.
Now, of course, there can be no episodes with Daniel Reece leading his
CIA-type commandos into Moldavia to rescue his love Krystle- and the
others. "But we do have Dex ( Michael Nader ) for that kind of
action role" said the Dynasty source. "It`s not a problem. And
Rock had only been signed last year".
The writers working for Aaron Spelling are
under incredible pressure this season, because they are trying to put two
shows into the top ten. Dynasty`s spinoff series, "The Colbys",
will premiere in November., but the new show`s basic plotlines will begin
on the first seven episodes of "Dynasty".
So the Dynasty writers will have to come up with
enough character action and plot twists to keep "Dynasty"
number one in the ratings race- and boost "The Colbys" into the
top ten.
It won`t be easy, since "The Colbys" will
be aired on Thursday nights, opposite strong competition from NBC. Which
now dominates that night`s audience- and CBS.
Another problem they will encounter is coming up
with enough scenes to please the new performers, as well as the veteran
cast members, on "Dynasty" and "The Colbys".
Stars like Charlton
Heston, Barbara Stanwyck and
Maxwell Caulfield will be introduced in the early episodes of "Dynasty",
and their screen time- and lines- will undoubtedly mean fewer scenes for
established "Dynasty" cast members, including Linda Evans
and Joan Collins.
It`s known that trouble is already brewing on the
set over the sky-high salaries being paid to Heston and Stanwyck, not to
mention the extraordinary attention the screen greats have been getting
from the producers and the press. Joan Collins managed to miss the
first days of shooting for this season`s "Dynasty" while she
was demanding that producer Aaron Spelling double her salary to the
same $100,00 per episode that Heston is collecting.
Dynasty insiders said that Linda Evans and
John
Forsythe, who each earn in the neighborhood of $60,000 per show, also
approached the "Dynasty" boss for increases, but were rebuffed
without an extra penny for their troubles. Apart from their second-class
financial status, as compared to Heston and Stanwyck, the performers
who`ve toiled long and loyally on "Dynasty" five seasons have
been left on the sidelines while the premiere of "The Colbys"
has received worldwide attention.
"Dynasty" stars are affraid that
"The
Colbys" will steal their steam", said an insider on the set.
"Some of the actors are starting to squabble about little things.
Tempers are frayed on the set. And while "The Colbys" cast
members are shooting the "Dynasty" episodes which lead into
spinoff series, it has brought a lot of bad feeling. Some of the actors
have actually said things like: "This is our show. Now they`re taking
that away from us, too". Adding to the general discontent on the "Dynasty"
set is the addition of yet another beautiful woman to compete for the best
camera angles and designer Nolan Miller`s most glamorous gowns. Katharine
Ross, a still young and lovely screen veteran of such blockbuster
films as "The Graduate", "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance
Kid", "Tell Them Willie Boy is Here" and "The
Stepford Wives", has signed on to play Heston`s sister-in-law on the
new series.
The "Dynasty" cast has also been upset by
the shocking revelations of Rock Hudson`s AIDS illness.
Cast members are still dazed and angry that they
were not informed of the seriousness of the actor`s illness when he joined
the show last year. "Linda Evans did all of those kissing scenes
with Hudson, and she has been really upset and scared about it", said
one source.
Health problems have also been a concern to
Barbara Stanwyck, who plays Constance Colby on the new series. She has been
robbed and beaten twice in recent years, and the "Dynasty"
insider says that the actress "hates to be out late and lives in
constant terror of attack". Stanwyck`s scenes are being shot as early
possible during the day, so she can be home at night in time for plenty of
rest. "Part of Barbara`s deal with the producers is that she has a light
workload", said the insider.
While some
"Dynasty"
cast members are worried about their physical health, most are concerned
about their physical health, most are concerned about their well being in
this fall`s ratings war. "Being number one has put an incredible amount
of pressure on everybody connected with the show to make sure it stays at
the top" , says the insider. "Nobody feels they can let up for a
moment. The worst thing is that they have now created their own
competition with "The Colbys". Richard and Esther
Shapiro and their best to soothe everybody".
By
Fiona Manning & Brian Haugh |
