Both "Dallas" and "Dynasty" focused on wealthy Texans and Colorodians who ran oil companies, and with "Falcon Crest", the wine that the Ewings and Carringtons were drinking was being created through just as much mayhem and backstabbing that those two families were dealing with. J.R. and Alexis were joined in ruthlessness by an aging matriarch, played by Oscar Winning Jane Wyman, running her vineyards with an iron fist just as ex-husband Ronald Reagan's second wife Nancy was running the White House. For nearly a decade, nighttime serials were among the most popular forms of entertainment, even though by the end of the Reagan "me" era, they were quickly petering out.
The story focused on Wyman's Angela Channing, a powerful matriarch who attempted to keep nephew Chase (Robert Foxworth) from getting his hands on his share of Falcon Crest, left to him by his recently deceased father. She was in cahoots with her sexy grandson Lance Cumson (Lorenzo Lamas) who became instant rivals with his cousin Cole (William R. Moses). Angela's two troubled daughters Julia (Abby Dalton) and Emma (Margaret Ladd) rounded out her immediate family with Chase's beautiful wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan) and their daughter Vicky (Jamie Ross) rounding out the other half of the family. Later on, Chase's half brother Richard (David Selby) was introduced as another troublemaker along with Melissa Agretti (the campy Ana Alicia), the vixen daughter of a rival vineyard owner murdered in the second season by none other than his own lover and Melissa's mother-in-law, the seemingly sweet Julia.
Beautifully filmed on a country home that made South Fork look like something in the suburbs, "Falcon Crest" was also showy in the fact that it featured many well known veteran actors in guest roles or for one or two season stints that gave the show a ton of publicity. Lana Turner created a sensation as Chase's mother with her revitalized glamorous look, while later on Kim Novak got to shine in a one-season recurring role as a mystery woman posing as the stepdaughter of one of Angela's many husbands (Cesar Romero). Such well known veteran players brought on for guest stints included Anne Jeffreys, Sarah Douglas, Cliff Robertson, Gina Lollobrigida, Celeste Holm, Eddie Albert, Robert Stack, Eve Arden and Leslie Caron. Because it followed "Dallas" on the nighttime schedule on Friday nights, it was a ratings winner for years, even though it didn't receive the same amount of publicity as "Dallas" and the ABC rival soap "Dynasty". The only real remembered publicity is the accusation of several guest stars that Wyman had their parts cut short out of jealousy, but regular cast members have stated that Wyman didn't have the last word, although she perhaps did influence the exit of Lana Turner at the end of the second season. Whoever decided to make Turner's Jacqueline Gioberti a Nazi conspirator has not been revealed.
"Falcon Crest" worked better when it focused on the family but such stories as those involving Nazi's and saboteurs took it into an almost "chapter play" serial type show. At times, the guest star parade seemed gimmicky and desperate, but that gave the show a camp following which it held for almost the entire 1980's. Wyman's absence through most of the final season seemed to be a metaphor for the show's death, but for at least the first five seasons, there was much to recommend and many incredible performances.
The story focused on Wyman's Angela Channing, a powerful matriarch who attempted to keep nephew Chase (Robert Foxworth) from getting his hands on his share of Falcon Crest, left to him by his recently deceased father. She was in cahoots with her sexy grandson Lance Cumson (Lorenzo Lamas) who became instant rivals with his cousin Cole (William R. Moses). Angela's two troubled daughters Julia (Abby Dalton) and Emma (Margaret Ladd) rounded out her immediate family with Chase's beautiful wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan) and their daughter Vicky (Jamie Ross) rounding out the other half of the family. Later on, Chase's half brother Richard (David Selby) was introduced as another troublemaker along with Melissa Agretti (the campy Ana Alicia), the vixen daughter of a rival vineyard owner murdered in the second season by none other than his own lover and Melissa's mother-in-law, the seemingly sweet Julia.
Beautifully filmed on a country home that made South Fork look like something in the suburbs, "Falcon Crest" was also showy in the fact that it featured many well known veteran actors in guest roles or for one or two season stints that gave the show a ton of publicity. Lana Turner created a sensation as Chase's mother with her revitalized glamorous look, while later on Kim Novak got to shine in a one-season recurring role as a mystery woman posing as the stepdaughter of one of Angela's many husbands (Cesar Romero). Such well known veteran players brought on for guest stints included Anne Jeffreys, Sarah Douglas, Cliff Robertson, Gina Lollobrigida, Celeste Holm, Eddie Albert, Robert Stack, Eve Arden and Leslie Caron. Because it followed "Dallas" on the nighttime schedule on Friday nights, it was a ratings winner for years, even though it didn't receive the same amount of publicity as "Dallas" and the ABC rival soap "Dynasty". The only real remembered publicity is the accusation of several guest stars that Wyman had their parts cut short out of jealousy, but regular cast members have stated that Wyman didn't have the last word, although she perhaps did influence the exit of Lana Turner at the end of the second season. Whoever decided to make Turner's Jacqueline Gioberti a Nazi conspirator has not been revealed.
"Falcon Crest" worked better when it focused on the family but such stories as those involving Nazi's and saboteurs took it into an almost "chapter play" serial type show. At times, the guest star parade seemed gimmicky and desperate, but that gave the show a camp following which it held for almost the entire 1980's. Wyman's absence through most of the final season seemed to be a metaphor for the show's death, but for at least the first five seasons, there was much to recommend and many incredible performances.