Santa Barbara Discussion Thread

[dc11786]

 

Interesting thoughts. I think the issue for me remains the combination of writing and casting or rather rewriting due to casting. To start with your Blair Waldorf reference, I believe Eden was originally suppose to be the spoiled little rich girl in that mold, but they tamed her much more quickly when they decided she was going to be with Cruz. I do think Cruz / Eden's early relationship has some very fascinating elements and scenes. There is also no denying the chemistry between Walker and Martinez. It's just a shame that this was a typical NBC soap that felt the need to sacrifice everyone at their altar. 

I think its easier to see the difference in the characters of Gina and Santana in 1991 when you have removed Eden from the equation. Santana is a woman who lives in the past. In 1984, it motivated her to seek revenge and I think her disappoint, loss, and desire to recreate the hope she had in her youth when she was young and in love with Channing, Jr. and planning a life motivated her. It helped that Santana had a career. She was more independent. By 1991, Gina seems very clingy in her relationship with Craig Hunt. There was definitely a return to a more neurotic, desperate version of the character. I could see this version of Robin Mattson's Gina being involved with a Hank Judson type. Santana seems more calculated in what I've seen, while Gina seems a bit more impulsive. With that said, in other time periods, the characters functions definitely overlapped or became interchangable. 

I don't think Jade was underdeveloped, but rather poorly cast. Melissa Reeves is talented, but she couldn't nail the aspiring actress who had weaponized sex to achieve her goals. So they softened the character to play along with the actress rather than recasting. Julie Ronnie is very stiff and cold as Laken. Maybe this was a deliberate choice, but I can't think of a single scene where Ronnie stood out. The guys on the otherhand were equally underwritten but the actors had some more charisma. On paper, Ted was a thinly written character; Todd McKee was charming so Ted was charming. Similarly, Rupert Ravens had nice friendship chemistry with McKee which kept Danny more relateable for me at least. 

The biggest problems in the younger set for me are 1) the central couple (Laken and Ted) have few character traits, no goals or aspirations, and basically no story outside their romance and 2) the decision to isolate their story from the rest of the canvas. Jade wanted to be an actress. Danny wanted to do stunts. I don't remember what Ted or Laken hoped to do. I also don't remember anyone being deeply effected by the Channing murder. Jade's brother was in jail for killing Ted's brother, who was involved with Danny's sister. Even if it didn't bother the kids, it should have made the parents more upset. 

With that said, I would be curious what would have happened had they introduced Gabriella Andrade. The one time she was mentioned, it was suggested she was a teenager (she's always on the phone). I'm curious how that would have changed some of the character dynamics. 

[spike99]

the teens plots were supposed to be comedic and fun: escape to hollywood (booooorrrring), the motel, the school. But the audience wanted drama. So Christie was added, then Hayley (Tricia Cast and Stacy Edwards were stronger actresses than Julie Ronnie....). I don't know what was the purpose of Jackie Parks because it didn't go anywhere...A variant of Mrs Robinson?

 

In 1985, we have Gina trying to frame Eden for C.C's attempted murder too. A very dramatic story. And the beginning of Santana/cruz/eden/ kirk square...

[j swift]

It is ironic that Laken is not even home for Lionel's introductory episode.  The episode ends on a cliffhanger with Warren mistakenly knocking Lionel out because he thinks that he's an intruder.  Then the next episode picks up with Lionel regaining consciousness and trading quips with Augusta, while Warrren sits around in a robe, and nobody even mentions Laken or calls for her to come see her father.  She's in LA during Ted and Danny's summer adventure, but I do not recall a follow up scene where Laken greets her father or remarks on his return.  She such a nonentity that her presence is not needed.

Edited July 18, 2021 by j swift

[amybrickwallace]

It's really hard to tell if Julie Ronnie was or at least could have been any good, because Laken was pretty much a non-entity from Day One.

[Carlos Abad]

Warren was also a non-entity from day one and John Allen Nelson showed good acting many times.
I think Julie Ronnie was hired because she had a very beautiful face. Because she had zero acting skills on SB and after that.
She was bad in the delivery of lines.
She always seemed uncomfortable while "acting".
She didn't know how to hit a mark. You can watch many scenes of her where she moves along the set in a very weird way.

[Marissa Gallant]

When I was a teen, I liked the teens more than I did this time through. But I think TPTB decided not to do a teen story the second summer.

[amybrickwallace]

It's interesting that SB only did teen stories in its first and last years on the air. It's also interesting that 18-year-old Robin Wright was in "adult" stories while 20-year-old Todd McKee was stuck in classroom scenes. I don't know the ages of Julie Ronnie and Rupert Ravens, but it seems that of the four only 17-year-old Melissa Brennan was the "right" age for these stories.

Edited July 19, 2021 by amybrickwallace

[Liberty City]

Well, wasn't this truly back when they would cast older for younger? Plus, Kelly was Ted's older sister, yet Robin Wright is two-years younger than Todd McKee. Interesting casting choice by the Dobsons and Jeffrey Hayden. Julie Ronnie was born in 1963 and Rupert Ravens we know nothing of; Santa Barbara seems to have been his sole acting role.

[kalbir]

Two Alexis clones on one show? I once read Santa Barbara described as a dollar store Dynasty.

Edited July 19, 2021 by kalbir

[Marissa Gallant]

Yes, but Robin Wright has a sort of ageless beauty. Her looks have barely changed since then. Yes, she does look older, but it took a few decades to get her there.

 

I guess I don't know Dynasty well enough because I've never thought of Sophia as an Alexis clone. She isn't Crystal either. 

[FrenchBug82]

McKee certainly looked younger than 20yo and I will give credit to his acting that it was partially due to his conveying pretty effectively the ADHD puppy energy of a teenage boy.

But Wright certainly looked roughly the same age. I wouldn't have bought they were more than a couple of years apart either way. Not sure I remember what the age difference between Ted and Kelly was supposed to be.
In all fairness she was on the show several years and looked exactly the same four or five years older. So they would have had the same "problem" regardless.

The Alexis backstory was used in several soaps in the 80s (Young and Restless' Dina for instance) so can't quite throw the stone at them for it but having two characters on the same show having a similar backstory certainly was not good writing.
As for the Dynasty crack: I actually don't see it. There is a rich family and some oil involved but I don't think content or tone or even the stories matched at all. Pamela and Sophia didn't remind me of Alexis in any other way.
Every soap kind of have the same tropes; Dynasty didn't own them. Heck, by that logic Dynasty was a Dallas clone (which it wasn't but point there is more to a handful of lazy archetypes to make a show a version of another show).

 

Edited July 19, 2021 by FrenchBug82

[Marissa Gallant]

I will say, the Lockridges are abnormally attached to their milkman. Lol

[Soaplovers]

I know Robin Wright auditioned originally for Jade...and I think she could have done the early stuff that Jade did (i.e. wanting to be an actress, etc).  Plus, she would have relished being let go instead of being held hostage to the show.

Melissa Reeves would have made a better Laken.  She had a better rapport in scenes of her with Augusta, Lionel, and Warren...then Julie Ronnie did.  I don't see chemistry with Todd Mcgee... but it would have worked better if she'd been Laken.  Heck..Jennifer on DAYS was Laken 2.0 imho.

It seemed like the Dobson's and who ever did casting recognized talent...just not how good at correctly casting the actor to the right role.

 

[amybrickwallace]

It also helped enormously that JAN was practically a clone of Nic Coster. Even their voices sounded identical. 

[amybrickwallace]

I thought she originally auditioned for Laken, but I could be wrong.