Santa Barbara Discussion Thread

[Carlos Abad]

Loved her as Pamela. RIP!

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Edited December 12, 2023 by Carlos Abad

[Liberty City]

I know a lot of people preferred Marj Dusay but, to me, Shirley Anne Field was THE Pamela Capwell Conrad! She held such a presence in the role that was unmatched by Dusay's take⏤much like the swap of Linda Gibboney and Robin Mattson as Gina DeMott. The way Field always delivered her name as Pamela pause Capwell pause Conrad. I hate that she didn't look back on her time in the role with much positivity, because she really was a presence to be held.

[slick jones]

There are links to 2 interviews with Shirley Anne Fields available in the Soap Hoppers Thread. One from Cinema Retro and the other from the Yorkshire Post.  Great reads.

@DRW50 @Vee @Bright Eyes @Paul Raven @jam6242 @Faulkner @janea4old @vetsoapfan @FrenchFan @danfling @dc11786 @John @beebs @Liberty City

[vetsoapfan]

Shirley Anne Fields was excellent in My Beautiful Laundrette, a wonderful film starring Daniel Day Lewis, which I can highly recommend.

[DRW50]

She was. I rewatched that last year and it's still a striking film, with a much more compelling take on a gay relationship than you get often, then or now. 

I imagine Shirley's time at SB was marred by all the infighting, as she was unwittingly a big factor in the Dobsons lockout.

[vetsoapfan]

Locking out the Dobsons and retaining Anne Howard Bailey was just incomprehensible to me.

[chrisml]

I can imagine the Dobsons were not the easier people to deal with and networks want malleable people at the helm. 

[Khan]

Could someone clarify some facts for me?

IIRC, when the Dobsons sold their show to New World Television, it was with the agreement that they (the Dobsons) would retain creative control.  However, when the Dobsons elected to replace Anne Howard Bailey, New World barred them from production, then sued, claiming that the Dobsons were jeopardizing the show's future.  In turn, the Dobsons countersued New World, saying that they were well within the terms of their contract by trying to fire Bailey.

If all that is true, then how does NBCD factor in?  Because, I know the Dobsons also sued NBC (or NBC sued them, or both), I just don't know when or why.

(Dear God in Heaven, that situation was such a mess, lol.)

Edited December 14, 2023 by Khan

[j swift]

From LA TImes 9/25/87 

New World Television has filed a $25-million suit against Bridget and Jerry Dobson, creators of the NBC-TV daytime soap “Santa Barbara.” New World alleges that the husband-and-wife writing team did not honor their contract and are interfering in the show’s production. New World TV President Ed Gradinger said that the suit, filed in Superior Court in Santa Monica, was intended to “heal the divisions that the Dobsons had caused in the show.” New World’s suit alleges that the Dobsons fought with New World and NBC over the appointment (and retention) of Ann Howard Bailey as head writer for the show after the Dobsons relinquished that responsibility. After Aug. 20, the suit continues, the Dobsons “disrupted and confused” members of the “Santa Barbara” production staff and sought to discredit Bailey. As a result, Bridget Dobson was fired as the show’s executive producer, the suit says. “All of this dissatisfaction and trouble were a complete surprise to us,” Gradinger said. “The show was more successful than ever.” The Dobsons did not return phone calls from The Times.

Then Michael Logan in 1988 wrote

According to their attorney, Jim Hornstein, "Because New World refused to honor the Dobsons' right to creative control, the Dobsons were entitled to a return of the series they had sold to New World." The Dobsons countersued for nearly five times the amount - a whopping $120,000,000 - a few days after Bridget was physically barred from the set by eagle-eyed guards who'd been supplied with her 8x10 glossy and alerted to her probable arrival.

So, I assume that they sued NBC, both because of the network's deep pockets, and because it was NBC staff that barred them from their office.

Notably in the trial, The Dobson's were forced to admit that they had difficulties with executives at ABC, CBS, and NBC during their tenures at various soaps.  And, while we know that they eventually won the suit, because their contract was specific to allow for final creative control after their experience with P&G, it has never been reported what their final financial reward was from the lawsuit.

[Ryan Mason]

So from what I remember, Samantha Eggar was cast as Pamela but got cold feet about the pace of shooting a soap and backed out, so they then cast Shirley Anne Field. Then Marj Dusay took over a couple of months later.

I also remember that the concept of Pamela was to be the Alexis Carrington of Santa Barbara...the ex-wife who would be stirring up a lot of trouble. I don't think any of the parties involved pictured her poisoning margaritas several months later! 

But what I forget is...what was the Dobsons' position on her? Was it that they were wanting Marj to play her all along?

[Contessa Donatella]

It was NBC who originally promised them complete creative control.

Anne Howard Bailey had it in her contract that she could only be fired by NBC. 

And, this is a quote by Bridget about AHB & her. 

"It was impossible for Anne Howard Bailey to get inside my head, and I could not get in her head. She has a darker view of life than I do; I think she thinks of me as Pollyanna, and I think of her as Darth Vader." - Bridget Dobson about the writer they wanted to fire off of Santa Barbara

Source: http://santabarbara-online.com/articleDobson2000-2.htm

What I have never understood is why NBC didn't just fire Anne Howard Bailey. 

Edited December 14, 2023 by Donna L. Bridges
more info

[Contessa Donatella]

NBC sought them out specifically to create Santa Barbara, called them out of the blue, with this idea, offering them complete creative control. They tried to fire one writer, found out that they could not & according to the terms of their deal they should have been able to, so they objected, quite naturally. But the whole thing could have been handled right then & there without any ado at all. I will never understand why that didn't happen. 

[Khan]

I think the Dobsons (or just Bridget, since she was EP) wanted Marj Dusay to play Pamela, but Anne Howard Bailey and Charles Pratt, Jr. wanted Shirley Anne Field, so the Dobsons bowed to Bailey and Pratt's judgement, because, as Bridget would put it later, "We want our HW's to be happy."

What happened to Pamela is indicative of what happened to most everything on that show: a great idea that is ruined (and quickly!) by horrendous creative choices.  NBC would have been better off just dumping Bailey and Pratt when the Dobsons wanted them to.

[j swift]

I find it difficult to reconcile the image of Pamela as a recluse because of her scar evolving into an Alexis Carrington-like figure.  Pamela was so tortured when she first came back to Santa Barbara for CC's trial.  Her fragility jibed with the idea of Jeffrey needing to coddle her.  She seemed traumatized, and a little emotionally unstable.

So, I don't see how any actress could've pulled off a turn to make her a power-B who would be a threat to Sophia and Kelly.  That whole concept feels foreign, as I think there would've been a ton of potential in Mason and Jeffrey being angry at CC and Sophia for what they had done to Pamela if she remained as a frail, anxious character. 

Marj's Pamela never felt like a real threat to the romance of CC and Sophia, because he clearly never loved her as much, and he had no respect for her.

Edited December 14, 2023 by j swift

[Khan]

So, Pamela was your basic mix of Alexis Carrington and Y&R's Vanessa Prentiss.  And did they really have Pamela and Sophia get into a pie fight?  LOL!!