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Billy Nolan

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That's really interesting. I always assumed that the Dutch audience knew Knots Landing and watched it on ZDF. An old friend of mine ran a German Knots Landing fan club back then - and in addition to some Belgian members, there were also fans from the Netherlands.
... and: I have some Dutch reports about Lisa Hartman - she was featured at least twice as the title star on "Veronica" magazine - with reports on several pages about her and her films (or series) that were shown on Dutch TV - and I also have a few individual reports about her as an actress. Most of the time, reference was always made to her involvement in Knots Landing - and they coukd be read as if it is assumed that the Dutch audience knows Knots Landing.
Was Lisa Hartman that popular in the Netherlands?
 

Willie Oleson

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I always assumed that the Dutch audience knew Knots Landing and watched it on ZDF
Ah, but what makes you think that the average Dutch/Belgian viewer understood German language? They didn't, and certainly not my parents' generation. And those people were the target audience for these type of shows.

We got plenty of German tv series in the 1970s and 80s, but not without Dutch subtitles.
I have some Dutch reports about Lisa Hartman - she was featured at least twice as the title star on "Veronica" magazine
She starred in a few mini-series (Valley Of The Dolls, Roses Are For The Rich, Dazzle) and mini-series were extremely popular in Holland.
A bing search confirmed my suspicion.
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And naturally, since she was a big star in a very popular American series linked to DALLAS, it would be odd not to mention it at all.
But the average viewer would still be none the wiser.
 

Billy Nolan

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Ah, but what makes you think that the average Dutch/Belgian viewer understood German language? They didn't, and certainly not my parents' generation. And those people were the target audience for these type of shows.
hmm ... I never wrote that I think they understand the German language ??
Since the series also was advertised in the Netherlands - and I also know Dutch fans from the fan club I mentioned, I assumed that KL was watched on ZDF or BBC ... But of course you're right if you are mentioning the aspect of language.
I found these reports on Lisa Hartman's miniseries.
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Willie Oleson

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Thank you for posting all that fabulous vintage stuff! I still remember the tv promo for VALLEY but I don't remember why I didn't watch it. 1983, it says on the cover.
My taste for soap and other adult drama had begun to develop some time before that, and it all started with the Blaisdels from Denver.
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And I also started to read soapy novels like Peyton Place and everything by Sidney Sheldon and Jackie Collins. etc.
I had never seen the original VOTD movie so maybe I didn't know what it was. Nevertheless, it seems like an odd choice not to watch that mini series remake because - apparently - the tv promo was intriguing enough to remember it.
I found it on youtube but unfortunately it didn't excite me at all.

I gather you're an exclusively Knots Landing fan, have you never been tempted to watch any of the other soaps, Billy Nolan?
 

Billy Nolan

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Thank you for posting all that fabulous vintage stuff! I still remember the tv promo for VALLEY but I don't remember why I didn't watch it. 1983, it says on the cover.
My taste for soap and other adult drama had begun to develop some time before that, and it all started with the Blaisdels from Denver.
Interesting. Yes, the "Valley of the Dolls" also was broadcast in Germany in January 1983 - with great success. The Dutch report about Lisa Hartman as "Miss Piggy ..." in relation to "Valley" is from 1989. "Valley of the Dolls" was repeated in 1989 in the Netherlands.
 

Billy Nolan

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I gather you're an exclusively Knots Landing fan, have you never been tempted to watch any of the other soaps, Billy Nolan?
To be honest, Knot Landing is the only soap opera I really like. I tried "Falcon Crest" once and also "Dynasty" and "Dallas", but couldn't get excited about it. I found "Dynasty" in particular terrible. The show was so overdone that my wife and I made fun of laughing at the (in our opinion) bad acting and scenes that were really "over the top". But at some point we just found it annoying. "Falcon Crest" never "grabbed" us - and we canceled the series after 2 seasons. We were never interested in "Dallas", but at some point we want to give it a try.
The only series we're still watching with interest (and currently) is "Desperate Housewives". There are so many parallels to Knots Landing.
Otherwise I like series like "Cold Case" or "Medium".

I also came to Knots Landing by chance: When it came here in the spring of 1990 as a morning rerun on ZDF, my mother was watching it. For a while she couldn't look and asked me to keep looking for her to tell her about the storyline. I was 13 years old and I was by no means interested in soap operas of this format. I knew Knots Landing before when it aired on Saturday and my parents occasionally watched the show before dinner in the fall and winter months, but I never really cared because I labeled the show a typical boring soap. I was more interested in sports programs or series like "The Fall Guy".
When I was supposed to watch for my mother in the morning, the story arc around the singer "Ciji Dunne" was broadcast and the series "grabbed" me from that moment! :)
 

Willie Oleson

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I tried "Falcon Crest" once and also "Dynasty" and "Dallas", but couldn't get excited about it.
I think I know what you mean, maybe it only works if you really want to watch it.
For me, it started with Dynasty and then I got greedy because I couldn't get enough of the dysfunctional rich family dramas. Falcon Crest, Sons & Daughters and Howards' Way were the next ones, but it was going to take at least another 6 years before I finally dipped my toe in Dallas because of its glittery dream season. I had no idea that I had missed out on Dallas' best years but, nevertheless, I became addicted to the Ewing saga as well.
When all these soaps had ended in the early 90s I started to think of Knots Landing. Before that I hadn't even considered watching it (even if it had been available on Dutch tv) because without the big mansions and companies and archetypal villains I presumed it would be a watered-down and boringly suburban version of the outrageous glamour soaps.

Actually, that's not entirely untrue - especially the early seasons - except that Knots made up for it with brilliant writing, filming and character driven drama.
Then the internet came in the late 90s/early 2000s and I started to look for Knots articles and synopses.
While doing my research I realized that my initial perception - based on ignorance - was wrong, and then I started to get obsessed with the only big prime time soap I had never seen. Incidentally, the reason why I ended up here on soapchat.
I was over the moon when we got the first DVD release, 6 years later, and then 7 or 8 years later I finally got the opportunity to watch the entire series.
I was blown away by the consistent quality of the show, and unlike Dynasty and Falcon Crest it almost looked like a labour of love.
Not that it made me dislike my favourite soaps of the eighties, but it helped to put things into perspective.

the story arc around the singer "Ciji Dunne" was broadcast and the series "grabbed" me from that moment!
Yeah, sometimes it only takes one character or storyline or even a single scene to pull you in. And then it's too late to escape.
does the Veronica - magazine stills exist?
Yes it does.
Too bad there isn't much information about those vintage tv guides from the 70s and 80s, unless a forum member like you posts the scans here on tellytalk:)
 
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Billy Nolan

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Thank you @Willie Oleson . I like to post the articles and I am happy when others are happy about them. If you have any wishes that I should post anything, please write to me. I really collected a lot and also got a lot from other fans (collection releases, etc.).

It´s very interesting what you write about why you initially preferred watching these series rather than Knots Landing. I always liked KL because the series was more down to earth. I also think it's nice to read how you approached this series - and got into this forum. Thanks for sharing!
After a few years I found this forum again. I prefer the discussions and exchanges here more than on the social media pages. Somehow the discussions here are more profound and has more substance!
 

Billy Nolan

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When KL arrived in 1988 no teen magazine had interest in it, KL never made it in annual reader's polls of any magazine, not even in weekly Bravo Top 10 favorite tv shows voted by readers.

I found this small article about James Houghton in a "Bravo" magazin from Feb. 1988 - and KL in the "Bravo Top 10 shows"...

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Billy Nolan

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I liked it when magazines devoted multi-page reports to Knots Landing. Here is a small selection from France and Germany (see post below).
The French magazine "Ciné Tele Revue" even dedicated two special magazines to "Côte Ouest" with reports from the actors, backgrounds to the series and a huge poster.
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Billy Nolan

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The German "kult!" Magazine devoted several pages to the series in the 2018 summer edition and praised it as a "timeless series" that is still "absolutely worth seeing" today. The reporter even writes that the series has almost left "Dallas" behind in punto cult today. The plots and characters were created exceptionally well.
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Karin Schill

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To be honest, Knot Landing is the only soap opera I really like. I tried "Falcon Crest" once and also "Dynasty" and "Dallas", but couldn't get excited about it. I found "Dynasty" in particular terrible. The show was so overdone that my wife and I made fun of laughing at the (in our opinion) bad acting and scenes that were really "over the top". But at some point we just found it annoying. "Falcon Crest" never "grabbed" us - and we canceled the series after 2 seasons. We were never interested in "Dallas", but at some point we want to give it a try.

I think you and your family should definitely give Dallas a try. It is more down to earth than Dynasty and had something of a Western feel to it in the early seasons. I think you will really enjoy it. Then there's also the Gary & Val connection and they do show up occasionally in the early seasons for crossover episodes. So if you haven't watched those yet it will be a treat! :cool:

I got hooked on Dallas first, then I watched the last season of Falcon Crest, it didn't grab me the same way, then I got hooked on Beverly Hills 90210 and Dynasty and finally on Knots Landing. My favorite show is Dallas, followed by Knots and then Dynasty. It took me longer to get into Falcon Crest in reruns. Eventually I did get hooked on it too. FC had a lot of classic hollywood guest stars, more than any other show. It is worth a watch too. But for some reason I have never made it through it more than once. The other shows I have watched at least twice all the way through. I re-watched Knots most recently between 2017-2018. The show is still great and I still love it. :D

I must confess I haven't rewatched Dallas since 2004-2005. So a rewatch of that is definitely over due. I usually rewatch shows every 10th year or something so I have time to forget some details. But well since Dallas TNT ran between 2012-2014 I sort of missed rewatching the original as I had my Dallas quota filled with new episodes.
 

Billy Nolan

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I think you and your family should definitely give Dallas a try. It is more down to earth than Dynasty and had something of a Western feel to it in the early seasons. I think you will really enjoy it. Then there's also the Gary & Val connection and they do show up occasionally in the early seasons for crossover episodes. So if you haven't watched those yet it will be a treat! :cool:
Yes, I believe Dallas will appeal to me more than Dynasty and Falcon Crest. (Maybe because the series is a little more macho than the other soaps) ... hahaha ...
I like horses, fancy cars, motorcycles, etc. The series will certainly also address more male issues. - I'm curious.
Small fun fact on the side: I bought a new car last week. A Mercedes. When I was looking for old newspapers in the archive, I came across a Mercedes brochure from 1983. In there is a great report about the car brand Mercedes and the marketing of the car in the TV Series "Dallas", "Dynasty", "Falcon Crest", etc. ... I don't know if I have already posted the pictures of it on the Dallas forum have. But that was a funny coincidence.

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Billy Nolan

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I found a real rarity: an Italian article about the start of Knots Landing - California - on the TV channel "Rete 4" in 1985. The series was broadcast on Sunday evenings at prime time at 8:30 pm. In this article, the series is announced with great recommendations. The time slot on "Rete 4" is also a very good one! You can see the Italian "Californa" logo of the series in the article and also in the corresponding episode ad. This logo is also seen in the Italian Knots Landing opening.
What makes me wonder: I have another Italian article about a first KL broadcast from 1981. In this article, "Knots Landing" is called "Da Dallas a California" (From Dallas to Knots Landing). This was the title, the series ran on several Italian TV channels, I suspect they were regional programs (similar to how "Falcon Crest" was broadcast in Germany).
In this newspaper article from 1985, KL is announced as a "new series for the Italian audience", although it should have been known since 1981.
Or it has to do with the fact that the Rete 4 station had a greater range in Italy ...
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