Falcon Crest - The Early Years

Angela Channing

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To celebrate Falcon Crest's 40th birthday next month, I made a video of what I imagine the opening titles for an early years prequel would look like if it were made with the same cast many years before the first episode was broadcast in 1981.

I used bits of video from different films and TV series mainly from the 1950s and 1960s and a couple from the 1970s for the younger members of the cast. Some of the footage was originally black and white so I colorised them to give the final video a more consistent look.

 

Richard Denault

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To celebrate Falcon Crest's 40th birthday next month, I made a video of what I imagine the opening titles for an early years prequel would look like if it were made with the same cast many years before the first episode was broadcast in 1981.

I used bits of video from different films and TV series mainly from the 1950s and 1960s and a couple from the 1970s for the younger members of the cast. Some of the footage was originally black and white so I colorised them to give the final video a more consistent look.

Wonderful !! how young they all look. Great job
Susan Sullivan always had the face of a mature woman although everyone who knows her says that she is very funny.
When he played rich man he was 35 years old and he was supposed to have a sixteen-year-old daughter
 
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C Rose

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That video is gorgeous- thank you

Is the David Selby clip from Dark Shadows ?
 
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Angela Channing

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That video is gorgeous- thank you

Is the David Selby clip from Dark Shadows ?
Thank you, you're very kind

No, the clip is from an episode of The Waltons that he did in the 1970s. I couldn't find anything of him in Dark Shadows that was suitable because he looked too gothic and not enough like what I thought Richard Channing would have looked like in the past.
 

Angela Channing

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As some of you have been curious about where I got the clips from here is the full list:

Jane Wyman - Magnificent Obsession (Film)
David Selby - The Waltons (TV Series)
Robert Foxworth - Men At Law (TV Series)
Lorenzo Lamas - Grease (Film)
Abby Dalton - The Joey Bishop Show (TV Series)
Margaret Ladd - Taxi (TV Series)
Ana-Alicia - Ryan's Hope (TV Series)
William R. Moses - The Love Boat (TV Series)
Jamie Rose - Twirl (TV Film)
Cesar Romero - Ocean's Eleven (Film)
Mel Ferrer - Lili (Film)
Chao-Li Chi - Naked City (TV Series)
Susan Sullivan - S.W.A.T (TV Series)

I couldn't find a suitable clip of a young falcon chick which I originally wanted to include at the end as a reference to Apollo's appearance in the opening titles in the first few seasons.
 
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Toni

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To celebrate Falcon Crest's 40th birthday next month, I made a video of what I imagine the opening titles for an early years prequel would look like if it were made with the same cast many years before the first episode was broadcast in 1981.

I used bits of video from different films and TV series mainly from the 1950s and 1960s and a couple from the 1970s for the younger members of the cast. Some of the footage was originally black and white so I colorised them to give the final video a more consistent look.

Fantastic video!
 

Angela Channing

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Excellent work @Angela Channing . I'm sure it took a lot of work. I especially like Cesar Romero's one. Every opening credits should have at least one head turn! :D
Thanks Richard.

I did watch quite a bit of footage of Susan Sullivan looking for a head turn but I couldn't find anything suitable. The clip I used she kind of does a quarter turn but it wasn't good enough so yes, I had to find something with one of the other actors doing the manoeuvre.
 

Toni

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Thanks Richard.

I did watch quite a bit of footage of Susan Sullivan looking for a head turn but I couldn't find anything suitable. The clip I used she kind of does a quarter turn but it wasn't good enough so yes, I had to find something with one of the other actors doing the manoeuvre.
It´s great anyway. Just think that it´s the moment she suspected that Chase might be seeing someone like, say, Nicole Sauguet. But the she said, oh no, how could he!
 

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'Excellente. So one hundred percente!' Angela, I particularly like the clips you used for Abby Dalton, Cesar Romero, Chao-Li Chi and Susan Sullivan. An 'Early Years Prequel' should have been produced after Lana Turner was written out. FALCON CREST had just as much of a story to tell as DALLAS; when they broadcast their 'Early Years' movie, in the mid eighties. There was a hell of backstory detail to utilise, from the wine saga.


Emma spills the beans to Jean-Louis de Bercy (aka ruthless and evil cartel boss Gustav Riebmann), about the history of Falcon Crest. They are on his yacht. She doesn't realise there is more to the newcomer's friendliness than meets the eye. He is plotting to takeover her family's 110 year old wine business, (a scene from season 4, 1984 - '85):

"In the old days all wineries had storage rooms, dug deep into the hills. They hired Chinese labour gangs to do the digging. Someone told me that they paid them 25 cents a week. Falcon Crest is honeycombed with all these tunnels. I don't remember much about them but I do remember there's an old goldmine somewhere."
 

Angela Channing

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'Excellente. So one hundred percente!' Angela, I particularly like the clips you used for Abby Dalton, Cesar Romero, Chao-Li Chi and Susan Sullivan. An 'Early Years Prequel' should have been produced after Lana Turner was written out. FALCON CREST had just as much of a story to tell as DALLAS; when they broadcast their 'Early Years' movie, in the mid eighties. There was a hell of backstory detail to utilise, from the wine saga.


Emma spills the beans to Jean-Louis de Bercy (aka ruthless and evil cartel boss Gustav Riebmann), about the history of Falcon Crest. They are on his yacht. She doesn't realise there is more to the newcomer's friendliness than meets the eye. He is plotting to takeover her family's 110 year old wine business, (a scene from season 4, 1984 - '85):

"In the old days all wineries had storage rooms, dug deep into the hills. They hired Chinese labour gangs to do the digging. Someone told me that they paid them 25 cents a week. Falcon Crest is honeycombed with all these tunnels. I don't remember much about them but I do remember there's an old goldmine somewhere."
Thank Jock.

I totally agree. I think "early years" prequels work better than sequels and reboots because characters that have been killed off or left the series can be recast as younger version of themselves. I think a Falcon Crest prequel would have a fascinating story to tell about how Angela's father chose her over Jason to take over the winery.
 
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