Sarah Douglas on 'Falcon Crest' (Interview)

[Richard Channing]

Wonderful interview with the fabulous Sarah Douglas with lots of interesting stories about her time on the show.

 

[Julia's Gun]

That was great, thanks. She's a classy lady.
Strange, I never really took to her character and thought her chemistry with Richard was a bit limited. But this explains why. She was only meant to be in a couple of episodes to begin with, so they didn't really develop her character much. I think that was the problem. She was more of an image, or type. But we didn't know enough about where she came from to really care much for her.
I feel sorry for Sarah that they messed up her career towards the end of her stint of FC, not letting her do that pilot. But I think her role had run its course by then, and we had Laura Johnson get together with Richard which was lots of fun in Season 5. Those two did really did have great chemisty together, and they were humourous as well.

 

[James from London]

Brilliant! I was only going to dip into that but I ended watching the whole thing. Thanks for posting.

How mad that she was only employed on a week by week basis during her first year. That must really screw up the long term planning of a season. See, that's why I'm always a bit dubious when people automatically dismiss the writers/producers on soaps as incompetent or uncaring (or worse) when a plot doesn't quite make sense. There are so many backstage factors we're not necessarily aware of, actors' availability being just one.

I never noticed before but the young Douglas really looks like Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

 

[Angela Channing]

That was a fascinating interview with Sarah Douglas. I didn't particularly warm to her character but I loved hearing her talk about her time on the show. Amazing that she was only on a week to week contract and I wonder what the producers would have done had she decided not to go back for another week when she was in the middle of a particular storyline. It's nice that she spoke so warmly about her time on the show and her co-stars.

 

[Richard Channing]

See, that's why I'm always a bit dubious when people automatically dismiss the writers/producers on soaps as incompetent or uncaring (or worse) when a plot doesn't quite make sense. There are so many backstage factors we're not necessarily aware of, actors' availability being just one.

Right, things you never think about. It also goes to show how destructive it is to axe a storyline half way through. Falcon Crest never really recovered from them axing the Nazi treasure plot imho, and as Sarah says, it left her character kind of high and dry with nothing to really do.

 

[James from London]

Pamela Lynch's final episode, the penultimate one of Season 4 where she double-crosses Richard, Angela and Chase out of millions only to get double-double-crossed by Richard at the last moment, originally aired the same week as Bobby's death on DALLAS and the Moldavian massacre on DYNASTY (and the week before Val saw Harry Fisher drive off with one of her babies on KNOTS). When I was watching all the '80s soaps chronologically, I thought FC's was the most exciting episode of that week.

 

[Alexis Colby Carrington]

Pamela Lynch's final episode, the penultimate one of Season 4 where she double-crosses Richard, Angela and Chase out of millions only to get double-double-crossed by Richard at the last moment, originally aired the same week as Bobby's death on DALLAS and the Moldavian massacre on DYNASTY (and the week before Val saw Harry Fisher drive off with one of her babies on KNOTS). When I was watching all the '80s soaps chronologically, I thought FC's was the most exciting episode of that week.

What a time to be alive, being able to watch them all as they aired, it must have been exciting.

 

[Alexis]

Pamela Lynch's final episode, the penultimate one of Season 4 where she double-crosses Richard, Angela and Chase out of millions only to get double-double-crossed by Richard at the last moment, originally aired the same week as Bobby's death on DALLAS and the Moldavian massacre on DYNASTY (and the week before Val saw Harry Fisher drive off with one of her babies on KNOTS). When I was watching all the '80s soaps chronologically, I thought FC's was the most exciting episode of that week.

I am trying to imagine me in my thirties in the 1980s. Mate calling up on the house phone that would either be in the living room or in the hall.
Mate - Hey do ya fancy going for a few pints?
Me - No sorry I cant, Dallas is on tonight and Bobby's dead.
Mate - Oh ok what about tomorrow night?
Me - Oh no I couldn't, the Carrington's get massacred!
Mate - Maybe one day during the week we could go lunch and few then?
Me - I'm only free one day and I have taken it off to see Val get's the twins back, sorry.
Mate - You what?
Me - On Knots Landing!
Mate - What about next week?
Me - Sorry I will have to get back to you, there's a lot going on in Falcon Crest!

 

[Willie Oleson]

That has got to be the most insightful and honest account of living the soap life I've ever seen. I assume we've got to thank the German fanclub for this video?
It's 24 minutes but it felt like only 5 minutes because she speaks so pleasantly and coherently.

A pilot episode with Jane Badler? Wow, I wonder what they had in mind - maybe another prime time soap? *drools*

But I think her role had run its course by then

To be honest, since she was merely a replacement for Diana Hunter, I don't think I expected anything significant from her role, let alone for two seasons.

 

[James from London]

I assume we've got to thank the German fanclub for this video?

No, it seems to have been organised by her Facebook page. (The fan club would probably want lots of lovely €€€, £££ and $$$.)

 

[Willie Oleson]

Now I love Facebook!

 

[James from London]

Now I love Facebook!

Just in time for the boycott!

 

[Willie Oleson]

Just in time for the boycott!

Oh? What's going on in facebook land?

 

[James from London]

Oh? What's going on in facebook land?

I think advertisers are planning to boycott Facebook for a day in protest at them continuing to allow/promote hate speech. Or something like that.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

How mad that she was only employed on a week by week basis during her first year. That must really screw up the long term planning of a season. See, that's why I'm always a bit dubious when people automatically dismiss the writers/producers on soaps as incompetent or uncaring (or worse) when a plot doesn't quite make sense. There are so many backstage factors we're not necessarily aware of, actors' availability being just one.

And yet her first year (Season 3) was brilliant!

Right, things you never think about. It also goes to show how destructive it is to axe a storyline half way through. Falcon Crest never really recovered from them axing the Nazi treasure plot imho, and as Sarah says, it left her character kind of high and dry with nothing to really do.

Yes, Earl Hamner implied it was only one executive at the network who wanted the Nazi plotline killed, not the audience. And the show never really got back on track after that, so I'm sure Sarah must have been pretty frustrated with how that unfolded and how her character was affected.

 

[Chloe-Fusco]

Interesting interview and thank you for posting Richard. Yeah James there is a striking resemblance between Sarah in her earlier years and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. I never noticed before until your post.

 

[Gold Canyon 340]

Wow! What a breath of fresh air! She was very down-to-earth and candid.


I was surprised to hear her mention another actor stepping into the role of Pamela Lynch after she ended on bad terms?! She said they recast it, yet I cannot find any evidence of any other actress playing Pamela. Did I miss something here? Which episodes have a different actress playing her? Or did she mean they only thought of recasting and didn't?

 

[Angela Channing]

Wow! What a breath of fresh air! She was very down-to-earth and candid.


I was surprised to hear her mention another actor stepping into the role of Pamela Lynch after she ended on bad terms?! She said they recast it, yet I cannot find any evidence of any other actress playing Pamela. Did I miss something here? Which episodes have a different actress playing her? Or did she mean they only thought of recasting and didn't?

It's been a while since I last watched it but didn't "Pamela" return for an episode to see Richard? She had plastic surgery so could be recognised.

 

[James from London]

It's been a while since I last watched it but didn't "Pamela" return for an episode to see Richard? She had plastic surgery so could be recognised.

When you're right, you're right!

 

[Toni]

I also loved all that was NOT said, like what she really thought of the actress who replaced her in one scene of Season 5, Martine Beswick, and the way she mimicked her in that scene, as if she were in a SNL skit instead...