FRIDAY FEBRUARY 5, 1988

Meet the two Susan Sullivans By MIKE HUGHES Gannett News Service

There are two views of Susan Sullivan One is the woman in total control. In endless Tylenol commercials, she's the ultimate TV spokesperson, crisp and commanding. And the other is the woman whose love has put her out of control. On this week's 'Falcon Crest' — at 10 tonight on CBS — she makes her second try at an ill advised wedding with David Selby.

Those views might seem like opposites, but to Sullivan they fit neatly together. They're part of a life that has gone from childhood chaos to grown-up precision. The cool person you see in those commercials is real, she insists. "That's definitely Susan Sullivan. It's what I'm like, I guess. I've heard it described ais 'vulnerable authority."' And that crispness sprang from long-ago troubles.

"Being a good-Irishman, she recalls, I come from a family of deep drinkers." Her father's drinking turned into alcoholism that shook the family financially and emotionally. 'It affected everything. There is so much chaos; you become so frightened to express yourself." That shaped her passion for acting. "With that chaotic environment, to put on a play was OK. I think it was a way that I got to express myself." And it helped shape her character c

"The decisions you make at' ages 4-5-6-7 affect the rest of your life. I have a need to be very much in control because back then I was the one who had to stay calm. Now I have to have a tight rein on everything." That affects her relationships ("the trust factor is difficult") and her work.

If anything, Sullivan says, she has to work to keep from being too commanding. "I want to see the vulnerable parts, too." And all of that set up the latest "Falcon Crest" twist: 'This is a storyline that I suggested.I think people are interested in this sort of thing — 'women who love too much,' women who think they can change a man." So why not link Sullivan's bright Maggie and Selby!s scheming Richard? Blinded by love, she'll ignore his faults; that's the "denial phase" that alcoholics' families are familiar with. Soon, she'll begin to drink heavily. The last "Falcon Crest" episode should have convinced Maggie that this would be a shaky marriage. The wedding ceremony was nearly completed when Richard paused to read a codicil (an amendment to a will) and walked away.

Sullivan has learned to tolerate such melodramatic quirks. "That I didn't mind-although another codicil would be a little much." And she's enthusiastic about the reports that the CBS soaps will get an overhaul, with smaller casts and storylines that conclude each week. "It ('Falcon Crest') needs to have a new energy. I think the show has gone a little far afield, with white slavery and that sort of thing. Now the characters may be fuller and the scenes may be longer.

Two months later, Susan elaborated on her dad.

TV/Radio & Cable Week , Sunday , August 26 , 1984

Nice-guy role limits Billy Moses By STEVE REICH

CBS's hit soap "Falcon Crest," Billy Moses is a man with a problem . He's shackled with a vanilla pudding image . "People should realize that I just don't feel how I look. There's more to me than the boy-next door," Moses told TV Week in Hollywood. Moses concedes his laid bac k characterization of Cole Gioberti reinforces the impression he' s a dull Mr. Goody-Two -Shoes . "Cole is just a nice a young man , who was brought up well and tries to do the right thing. That' s the scope of this character . Playing a nice guy is restrictive for an actor." Despite several tragedies - a crazy custody situation , a murder rap , the shooting of his father , the kidnap of his son , the suffering of his cancer-patient mother , the machinations of his ruthless cousin , two rocky marriages — Cole somehow manages to maintain his calm and niceness .

Faced with such situations , many young men would be going nuts or seeking psychiatric counsel. Moses doubts if he himself would be able to cope . " I certainly wouldn't handle it as well . But I don't think I'd get into some of those situations. I'm a lot smarter and more aggressive than Cole Gioberti . He' s not the swiftest guy on the block. I wouldn't pick up a murder weapon and look at it like Cole did . All I could say is that I take what they give m e and make the best of it." At the beginning , Moses knew exactly why he was tapped to play Cole . "They wanted a male ingenue . I know I look a certain way . But in the last three years , I've grown emotionally and physically . I've gone from being a boy t o manhood." As Clint Eastwood usually says , " a man gotta know his limitations. " Moses is such a man . "I doubt if any casting directors are going t o call me up to ask m e t o wear an eye patch , walk with a cane or talk with an Irish brogue."

Nevertheless , Moses wants Cole to have a rougher ,harder edge . "If I had my way , Cole would have broken into Falcon Crest to see his son during the period when his ex-wife had custody. " But Moses stresses that "Falcon Crest " Is just fantasy . "The characters drive nice cars , wear expensive clothes and usually don' t work hard at jobs . Whenever Cole has something to do , it usually involves racking wine and that's just a device to interrupt a scene . Let' s face it , it's not reality."

The Californian , a former star basketball player at USC and international relations major at Wesleyan in Connecticut, feels that the presence of the Gioberti family lifts "Falcon Crest " above the other soaps. "The Giobertis embrace the best values of Earl Hamner' s material - which is the meaning of family . In the other shows, families are either getting divorced o r yelling at each other . Our family members are more tender to one another . There is a basic goodness. "

Moses also thinks that the sexuality on "Falcon Crest " is more subtle than the other shows. Moses refuse s t o talk about the plane crash that climaxed the season . H e was not aboard the ill-fated craft . "All I know is the cast will be smaller when the new season begins . Our cliffhangers don't exactly inspire job security. Another actor estimated that 'Falcon Crest' has a death every fourth episode." Every season has been different for Moses, whose brother Rick is an actor , too . "The first one was devoted to learning . During the second, I was more comfortable . It was the most challenging since I had very intense work with Joanna Cassidy." But last season was something of a disappointment to the young actor . " I didn' t have as much to do because there were more characters. I've had to come t o grips with the fact that it's an ensemble . I try not to be dissatisfied or write off the material . In every script , I look for the possibilities and seek to develop them t o the best of my abilities." Moses , an experience d horseman , dreams of playing a cowpoke in the future . "I'd like to wear a gun , wear a hat , chew tobacco , spit and make bad smells . That' s my boyhood fantasy . Playing a mass murderer or drug dealer would break my Pepsi image , too."

43 minutes ago, Paul Raven said:

TV/Radio & Cable Week , Sunday , August 26 , 1984

Nice-guy role limits Billy Moses

To think that less than a decade later, William R Moses would be on Melrose and scaring the crap out of an entire generation.

I watched his arc on Melrose in real time when I was teen so it was jarring for me to see him on Falcon Crest as the good son. I thought Cole was like an early 1980s version of 90210 Brandon.

I was about to bring up his role in Melrose lol. Keith was surely the opposite of nice guy Cole.

dp

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by Khan

It's a shame actors like Billy Moses don't see the full value in "goody-two-shoes" characters like Cole Gioberti. True, they're not as flashy as the Angela or Richard Channings. They sometimes have to be saps in order for the stories to work (as Moses himself learned only too well, lol). However, you absolutely need down-to-earth, dependable types like Cole who act as a sort of moral compass, both for the other characters, and for the audience.

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by Khan