Santa Barbara Discussion Thread

[j swift]

Notably, the next year in 1990, when Terry Lester left the role as Mason, SOD reported rumors that Lane Davies might return.  According to SOD, Terry left the role after nobody in production approached his agent about renegotiating when his initial contract ran out. SB responded that they had simply overlooked the date at end of Mr. Lester's contract.  The next issue Gordan Thompson's hiring was announced.    

 

There were also rumors printed that when Terry was lured from Y&R to SB Lane did not know that he was being pushed out. 

 

Which makes me think that SB behind the scenes was messier than any Capwell Dinner Party. 

[Wendy]

I don't buy the rumor of Terry Lester pushing Lane Davies out. From all accounts, Davies was more than ready to go, what with not being happy with Mason's direction (felt he was becoming too domesticated) and his tension with NLG, etc. The TPTB were dumb, but I think even they realized how popular LD was in the role.

[pdm1974]

And, am I remembering correctly? Didn't they switch Masons between Lester and Thompson in the middle of an episode? I believe the episode started with Lester playing the role and then they switched about half way through.

https://youtu.be/UhaecIiMTkE

Just found the link where they did the switch mid-episode.

 

https://youtu.be/UhaecIiMTkE

[j swift]

I looked at the dates from the French SB website and it sort of makes sense with this caveat - Lane left at the end of his contract, but he didn't know that the role would be recast; I don't think it was anything more than that.  So, I don't think Terry Lester actively pushed him out, but his hiring closed the door on the character.

 

 

Yeah, so that's the thing, according to the SOD story, Lester's representative called him and told him that this was the last day of his contract and there had been no offers for negotiation.  He cleaned out his dressing room, didn't say anything to anyone, and went home.  When production called his agent to ask why he was not on set, they were told that his contract had expired.  Nobody on staff was prepared so they had to edit those scenes to try to make some transition between the actors.

 

Thus, production had to pay each successive Mason more money than the one before; because of poor planning.

Edited January 28, 2019 by j swift

[pdm1974]

Wow! I never knew that was the reason for Lester leaving. So the hiring of Gordon Thomson must have happened VERY quickly.

[Carlos Abad]

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I think 1986 was a great year of the show. 

[Carlos Abad]

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[j swift]

I'm currently watching JAN's Warren's exit story from April 1986.  Warren develops a gambling addiction as soon as CC's casino opens.  Unfortunately, Dylan Hartley is rigging the casino to make Warren lose.  His newspaper goes bankrupt.  He decides to steal from the casino by going underwater.  He gets shot.  Then he realizes that the money from the casino is marked so he can't use it to pay CC.  CC demands the cash in person (it is unclear if he knows the casino is rigged).  Sophia winds up helping Warren.  Warren also has a reprochment with Birck, who heals Warren's wound with tricks he learned in the circus.  Then Minx shoots CC with a BB gun, the Lockridge's mortgage the mansion to pay CC and Warren goes off to cure his gambling addiction.

 

The whole arc happens over the course of six episodes.  JAN's body is remarkably more buff than when he started so they have him take his shirt off a lot in the story.  But, I was left wanting a Sophia/Warren romance.  Their chemistry is not mother/son but two desperate people who are not appreciated by their families.  I know Warren is younger than her son, but I think a Warren/Sophia tryst would have been hot.

 

BTW, also looking back I am happy they never tried a Mason/Sophia pairing because she practically raised him.

 

How long do you think CC and Sophia were married the first time when she birthed Eden, Kelly, and Ted? 

Edited February 3, 2019 by j swift

[Franko]

Six episodes? A little return to the anthology style of storytelling, I see.

 

C.C. and Sophia's first marriage lasted from 1961-69, but they weren't legally divorced until 1985.

http://santabarbara-online.com/SophiaCC2.htm

Edited February 3, 2019 by Franko

[j swift]

Hmmm, looking back it is odd that CC was single from 1969-1985, then as soon as Sophia returned he started sleeping around?

 

Also, Sophia having four kids and two affairs during an eight-year marriage seems excessive.

 

The six episode arc I think had more to do with JAN's exit to go make his Oscar-worthy-film debut in Hunk.  Kirk and Eden, as well as the David Laurant Murder, were the A & B story of the time.

 

 

Edited February 3, 2019 by j swift

[Franko]

Kelly was 15-years-old and madly in love with Joe in the summer of 1979? Those Capwell women, I tell you.

[Wendy]

 

I think, even though Robin Wright was young, Kelly was obviously older. But - maybe aside from Eileen Davidson - the timeline never worked for any actress playing Kelly!

[DRW50]

 

It's always odd when I hear about the tension because I never feel it onscreen. Sometimes you can feel some kind of hostility, no matter how much actors try to cover it up.

 

I guess that may have been one of the reasons the characters were separated for so much of his last year or so on the show though.

[Wendy]

 

Yeah. They were very open about their issues in that joint Soap Opera Weekly interview (done when Lane Davies joined GH as Cameron Lewis). And I think the separation in LD's final year on SB was indeed because of said tension. Hence, why that saying of not schitting where you eat applies. At least they were professional on screen 'til LD left! And at least they seemed to bury the hatchet.

[Carlos Abad]

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