Pioneers of Television

SEACREST

They created the characters we loved and hated. Everyone in the world has a jerk like JR in the family. I'm going to bring Bobby down. I'm going to cut him out, if I have to destroy Ewing Oil to do it. A father, an uncle, a brother or a cousin, or somebody who asserts authority and is a jerk. And everybody can identify with that. He was so evil and yet so vulnerable at times, so sexy, and you hated him. You're not a human being, you're scum! Edgar, I know how you feel, but it's not going to change the way things are. Now, don't make it hard on yourself. I'm really a nice fella, when I get what I want. They embodied a generation's aspirations and excesses. A saga of people who could actually wear, maybe, tiaras. And it was all about oil! Oil and "get rich." It was a magical time in U.S. history. It was the oil embargo, Reagan was president, it was all macho swagger. They were larger than life and over the top. Ow!

Laughing

SEACREST

She came up to me and said, "That felt so real. Did you mean it?" And I said, "No, darling, it was acting." When someone walked in and said, "Do you like my new ring? It cost $187 million and we just picked it out," I'd think, "That was 'Dynasty.'" I hope we meet again, Ms. Deveraux. Oh, we will, Mr. Carrington, believe me. They represented an ideal and set the trends for a nation.

COLLINS

If you look at the actors in "Dynasty," they were the best-looking bunch of actors that I've ever seen in a show, better than "Dallas." The guys were guys and, you know, they were cowboys, and the women were gorgeous Dallas ladies, all of them gorgeous, look like former Miss Dallas, every single one of them. Well, it didn't take you very long to find him, did it? He found me. But, then, I knew him first, didn't I? Uh, ladies, I don't think this is the proper place for an argument.

SEACREST

No matter what you call them, these television series ranked among the most popular ever. I have no problem saying "Dallas"was a nighttime soap. That's what it was. Well, I never liked the term "soap." I thought it was a nighttime drama. I don't know really where it falls -- drama or cartoonish or whatever -- but it carved a place in history, that's for sure. Together, they created some of television's biggest hits. They are the "Pioneers of Television." November 21, 1980. As 10 P.M. approached, the nation shut down. Restaurants closed early, shopping malls emptied out, meetings were cancelled. Across America and the world, only one question seemed important -- "Who shot JR?" That was a big deal. That was a big deal. The entire world wanted to know the answer. And it took us to a level that most actors never get to experience. It was so huge! It was the longest summer ever. The "Dallas"TV series had already been a runaway hit. But then the show's producers came up with an idea that would trigger a worldwide obsession. And that's when somebody in the room again said, "Well, let's shoot somebody." And the obvious choice was, "Let's shoot JR. Everybody wants to do it anyway." And that's how it happened. So they shot JR, he collapses on the floor -- that iconic shot of him lying on the floor.

Thump

SEACREST

Who's there? The shooting took place in the final scene of the third season. The producers of "Dallas" had just invented the primetime TV cliffhanger.

Gunshot

Grunts

Gunshot

Gasping

SEACREST

For the next eight months, the world speculated about who'd shot TV's biggest villain. The episode that finally revealed the answer would send the ratings higher than anything television had ever seen -- numbers that even beat the Super Bowl. People were having "Dallas" parties and so forth. It was just a strange phenomenon. I really don't get it. They were betting on it in Vegas. Everything stopped... when we found out who shot JR. So, when the shooter was revealed -- Kristin, Sue Ellen's sister. I have finally figured everything out, that's all. You have been trying to frame me. Oh, you're crazy. It was you, Kristin, who shot JR. Kristin, it was you who shot JR. The seeds of the "Dallas"phenomenon were planted in 1978 when the series premiered on CBS. The original story line focused on Bobby and Pam, young lovers from opposing families -- rich Texas oil families.

TILTON

Bobby and Pam were sort of like Romeo and Juliet, the Montagues and the Capulets getting married, you know, going, it's that old Shakespearean story just retold. Your folks are going to throw me right off that ranch. Relax, honey, you're my wife now. You're family. You are a Ewing. And once that sinks in, they're going to love you like I do. Before it sinks in is what worries me. Relax, sweetheart, everything's gonna be fine. Originally, the show was "Romeo and Juliet." It was Bobby and Pam, the Montagues and Capulets, and all the big... If that would have been the follow-through premise, we'd have been down in two years.

SEACREST

"Dallas"didn't become popular until a villain emerged. There were plenty of candidates. The first script I read, everybody was a scoundrel. Even Mama, in her own way, was a scoundrel. And over the period of five or six shows that we did the pilot, you know, the miniseries, it kind of narrowed down to me, which was fun. Larry rose to the fore, which was not intended in the original premise of the show. But he found something in there that fit him like a glove. And from day one when we saw that happening, the rest of the cast went, "Yes! This is gonna be great," because we rode his coattails for 13 years. Because he was so delicious in screwing it up, if I can say that, for everybody else. And everybody loves a good villain. I think people get a vicarious thrill out of seeing someone wink-wink and get away with it. If you return to Bobby, all hell is going to break loose. I'll call off this truce that exists between him and me. We'll be in a dogfight, and that will make what went on before look like a love match. Larry Hagman's character, JR Ewing, remains the perfect symbol of 1980's excesses -- an oil man who liked money and didn't care who he stepped on to get it. He was conniving, unethical, immoral, and audiences couldn't get enough. And as for your brother, I'll use every penny at my disposal and Ewing Oil's disposal to destroy him. I'll bring Mr. Cliff Barnes down for good. And whoever goes down with him, so be it. Now, you've known me long enough to know I don't make idle threats. So I promise you what I have just said will happen... if you return to Bob. It's your choice, Pam. One bar, I don't know, it was in Illinois or something like that, used to buy an old television set, and at the end of the show, when I came on with that kind of grin of mine... Ha ha ha. They would raffle off tickets. And whoever got the winning ticket would be able to throw a beer bottle through the television set. I thought that was -- that's -- I made it. I had made it then. "Dallas'"success didn't go unnoticed at ABC. And the network quickly crafted its own drama about a super-rich oil family, "Dynasty," starring John Forsythe and Linda Evans as Krystle Carrington. I hope you don't ever think that I'm being intrusive -- like a stepmother watching over you. I like it. It's good you being here with us, Krystle. The character was a beautiful character that I think people trusted. Early on, "Dynasty's" ratings foundered. The producers looked for a villain to shake things up -- a female version of JR Ewing. They wanted more zip. They wanted more drama. And so they decided to add an ex-wife of Blake Carrington's who would still be interested in him. The producers offered the role to Sophia Loren and then to Elizabeth Taylor. Both said no. So they turned to an accomplished British actress who wasn't as well known in the states -- Joan Collins. She agreed, making her debut in the now-famous season two premiere. Would you state your full name, please? Alexis Morell Carrington.

Gallery murmurs

LAWYER

And your residence?

Gavel raps

LAWYER

You were the first wife of the defendant, Blake Carrington. You're the mother of his children, is that correct? Yes, it is. Well, it's, you know, Snow White and the Evil Queen, it's good against evil, it's blonde versus brunette. It's classic.

SEACREST

Joan Collins based her character Alexis on an old friend and a certain outrageous real-life businessman -- Donald Trump. I put a bit of Donald Trump in there, I thought. An actress since her teens, Joan Collins studied for the stage at the Royal Academy in London. While serious about her craft, she did make time for one young American. Let's see, I think I was 19, and I think she was 16. And I was stationed over there in the Air Force. I dated her several times -- and her sister Jackie. She was gorgeous, too. Oh, yeah, that was great.

But I had to have them in by 10

00 at night,

00 and 10

00.

SEACREST

Young Joan Collins was focused on acting for the stage. She didn't have much interest in films or television -- at least, not at first.

COLLINS

An agent saw my picture and got in touch with me, and brought me into his office, and said, "Do you want to be in the films?" And I said, "No. No, I'm going to be an actress -- a proper actress on the stage. I don't want to be in the films, they can't act." Anyway, he said, "Well, you'll make a bit of money and I think you'll do very well." So he got me a few small parts in three or four films.

SEACREST

Collins made her mark with a certain type of role, perfect preparation for her character on "Dynasty." Even when I started when I was 17, I always played bad girls or naughty girls or juvenile delinquents or girls gone wrong. Had something to do with the way I look, you know? In her early 20s, Joan came to Hollywood, landing starring roles in films like "The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing."

Giggles

SEACREST

Now, look here, why do you do that? You can doubt me and laugh at me and not try to hide it. Oh, it's not because of that. Then why do you do it? It's my tooth. I fell when I was skating and chipped it. You must be careful not to trip up. You're much too pretty. Despite her movie roles, Joan Collins didn't become a household name until she landed the role of a lifetime -- "Dynasty's"Alexis. Blake, what you call filth may be a lie to you, but I still have it. And when I'm ready, when I need a trump card, I'm going to play it. Once Joan Collins joined the cast, "Dynasty's"ratings skyrocketed, just as "Dallas'" numbers had shot up when Larry Hagman became more prominent. Meanwhile, a third nighttime soap, "Knots Landing," was following the same formula, but their villain had blond hair and trademark blue eyes. I guess it just happened. I mean, my eyes are very blue, I guess. I don't know. Donna's eyes are like -- nobody has eyes like Donna Mills -- bitch. But, no, I can't say -- no, she has gorgeous eyes. Now, I like my marriage. I assume you like yours. Our lovemaking has nothing to do with that. Because if I ever have to make a choice between love and money... money's gonna win every time. Simple enough? Donna Mills wasn't the obvious choice to play the troublemaker on "Knots Landing." She had a long resum of lighter roles, including a stint on a sitcom opposite Larry Hagman.

MILLS

We were this very naive husband and wife in the good life. You know, then to go from that to being the villain.

SEACREST

A Spin-off from "Dallas,""Knots Landing" wasn't a ratings hit until after Mills was added to the cast to play the scheming Abby. Hey, let me give you a hand with that. At last, a man. Da-dum!

MILLS

She came on the show to stir things up. Moving day? At last, yeah. To create problems so that, you know, other people would have to deal with it. Now, I mean it, Abby. I just want an answer. Well, I'm not saying we're having an affair, and I'm not saying we're not. I am saying I can have him any time I want him.

SEACREST

With the black hats now in place, TV's three major primetime soaps would go on to some of the longest runs in the history of television drama. "Dynasty,"nine years. "Dallas,"13 years. And "Knots Landing," the longest of all, 14 years.

Organ plays

ANNOUNCER

And now, "The Guiding Light." Richard! I thought you'd already left for the office.

SEACREST

Daytime dramas date back to the very earliest days of television. Laura, I've been very disturbed. In 1964, the genre came to prime time with "Peyton Place,"starring Ryan O'Neal and Mia Farrow. Hey, are you doing something Friday night? Aren't you going steady? Not anymore. How about it? Well, I... I guess it's all right. Okay, it's a date.

LEE

Mia Farrow... And that was so Barbra -- hello! That was, oh! That was so much fun to watch. They did blaze that trail, and it was hugely successful. People love to peer into other people's lives. Um... I watched it. I was a fan. Well, all's well that ends well.

SEACREST

The genre was nicknamed "soap operas" because the earliest advertisers on daytime television were soap companies.

Musical bells chiming

SEACREST

Join the value jubilee! Make this year 19-thrifty-3. Get personal size Ivory for your beauty care and save. You get four cakes of personal size Ivory for about the same price... As only three cakes of any other leading toilet soap. Over time, the term "soap"came to be associated with story lines involving long-lost relatives, secret affairs, amnesia, and the occasional evil twin. When the genre was revived in prime time in the late '70s, many of the soapiest story lines returned. My evil twin in itself was embarrassing a little bit to me. Some joy -- Who are --

Gasps

SEACREST

What's going on here? After eight years, you have to find something to write about people, so you do it. What are you doing? Calling my husband. By the time he gets here, you better have an explanation.

Gasps

LEE

And, certainly, and I don't mean to say that "Knots Landing" did not have moments in time where I went, "Okay, all right, you want to do that, all right." You know, sometimes, went -- whoosh -- right into the soap. Right into -- did it rather well most times. I'm afraid... that we lost the babies. What? I'm sorry. There was nothing we could do. They were stillborn. But I saw them. I heard them cry. My very first scene in the show is I'm sneaking in the hay loft. Do you know how close that was?

TILTON

With this ranch foreman who was much older than I am. His ex-girlfriend is Pam Ewing, and I'm saying, "Call me her name. Call -- do it! Call me Pam." Call me her name. No. Do it. Call me her name. And this is like weird stuff. This has never been done on television. It was... This is, you know, we absolutely pushed the envelope back then. I always considered it a cartoon. And I always thought of "Dallas" as kind of funny, 'cause it was kind of funny.

SEACREST

The most famous examples of over-the-top camp were the catfights, a "Dynasty"staple. Well, I didn't cause your accident, Krystle, just as I didn't cause your barrenness. So if you've quite finished -- I haven't. I think it was the first time that knock-down, drag-out fights between two women had been seen on television.

Both grunting

SEACREST

Linda and I went all out. And Linda was very strong. She loves doing those kind of scenes, so she kind of ran the whole show in those scenes. You can fling each other around on couches. You can take pillows and hit each other, which the feathers all come out and looks a lot more dramatic than it is.

Dress tears

Glass shatters

SEACREST

Whatever you have as a set, you can use it to fall over, be on, but you can be cushioned by it. You don't have to worry. But I'm not also afraid to go onto the ground. But there are many aspects of a room that you can just use to look dramatic and fling yourself around, but you don't have to be hurt. I loved it when I saw a scene coming up in which Linda and I were going to have conflict, or then Diahann and I. I don't care what you say to my face, you viper. Retract this or I'll cram it down your throat! Will you? I slapped Joan. And Joan slapped me. America went wild that we were just... just beating on each other. Oh! You bitch!

Dog whimpers

SEACREST

And I thought, "Isn't that interesting? They like this. Hmm." What does that say about us? But I loved every moment of it.

Dog yelps, whimpers

SEACREST

They were probably a little over-the-top, but that's what made it -- that's what made it "Dynasty." Catfights aside, the women of "Dynasty"embodied the glamorous looks of the era, setting the standards for 1980's fashion. I think the clothes were a huge part of what made "Dynasty"fun. Remember that this was the '80s, this was the excessive '80s. We have to talk. The big shoulder pads, early in 1983, I think, Pierre Cardin brought them out. And I said to Nolan, "That is a great look." Excuse me.

COLLINS

You know, the shoulder pads, and then it makes your waist look smaller and your hips slimmer. Yes, well, I still do have an empire to run and it is keeping me sane, yes. More flattering than an Italian waiter. Hello. I thought I'd find you here at the auction, Alexis. Well, of course, the jewelry is ravishing. You know, Nancy, I have an admission to make. I would rather be looking at antique cars. Well, come on, then buy one.

SEACREST

No TV series showcased luxury more than "Dynasty," with ostentatious fashion, opulent jewelry, and palatial locales. There was one quite famous scene when Henry Kissinger is in the show, and we're doing the Carousel Ball, and we were actually shooting it in Denver. And the director said, "Well, just say something to Henry as he walks past." And so I was thinking, "What can I say? What would Alexis say?" And I said, "Henry, darling, I haven't seen you since we last met in Portofino." And Henry was somewhat, was -- "Oh, really?" Henry, hello! Hello, Alexis, good to see you. It's good to see you. I haven't seen you since Portofino. It was fun. While "Dynasty" focused on the super-rich and powerful... "Knots Landing"got bigger ratings by telling stories of more typical families. At the center was Michele Lee's character, Karen. A woman who reflected the dreams and aspirations of middle-class America... and was happy with it. The Karen character was a unique reflection of American culture. For 14 years, an Everywoman who verbalized the questions all Americans were thinking. What she was saying was what the audience, what the middle-class audience, was thinking. I don't want to look at the world through rose-colored glasses, I want the world to be rose-colored. I want people to be nice. We talked about what was happening. That was... enormous! And people hadn't voiced it yet on television. People should be nice. Nice should be the norm. I hate it that I can't trust anyone. I hate it that I can't put my daughter on the front lawn by herself. I hate it that I have to lock my car, and I have to worry about an alarm system in my house, and I can't send cash in the mail. That's not the way it's supposed to be, Gary. I liked being a Pollyanna. I want to be a Pollyanna. She talked about the inability of her... Middle-class America, putting her child, and allowing her child to play out on the front lawn. Can't do it anymore. Can't send checks in the mail. Have to have alarms on my car. "People should be nice!" she says. Why aren't people just nice? Karen's best friend on "Knots Landing" was Valene, played by Joan Van Ark. You know, whenever Gary and me talk about the way we'd like to be, it's always you and Sid. You know, solid. I think Valene... started a particular way, a little more vulnerable, a little with the braids and the gloves. It's just that sometimes I feel like such a dunce around here. I mean, Karen's got a college education, and so does Ginger. I mean, even Laura's had some college. I got no education at all to speak of. Over time, Valene grew. The producers even asked Van Ark to drop the character's accent. I liked that about her, because that kept her with a fingerprint that was her own, you know. So I would have stayed with the accent, made it slighter, but still always just a little bit there. 'Cause once you're in the south, unless you move to London...

Laughing

SEACREST

you're gonna keep, you know, talking with a little bit of a twang, a little sloppy there. By the sixth season, Valene had developed a multiple-personality disorder. The transition from personality to personality was an opportunity for Van Ark to showcase her acting skills. What did you do? What did you do?!

Gasps

Empties glass

SEACREST

What? You... dirty, filthy tramp. You! The way to go into this new character, which was gonna be Verna Ellers in Tennessee as a waitress, would be for me to wash my face, at the sink in the bathroom. And completely wash everything off and start all over again.

Water running

SEACREST

You tramp!

Grunting

VAN ARK

I go in the bathroom, look in the mirror, turn on the water, wash my whole face, soapy, soapy, soapy, rinse it, and put a whole new makeup on and become this other character. Hello. Hi. And I was just talking into the mirror. And that's the scene I'm the most proud of to this day. You know what I think, Verna? I think... that you owe it to yourself to go on a shopping spree. Buy yourself some pretty new dresses. Because you... are going home.

SEACREST

If "Knots Landing" appealed to a female demographic, "Dallas"skewed the other direction, with two strong male characters at the center, played by Patrick Duffy and Larry Hagman. Just think lovely, wonderful thoughts... and up you go! Show business was part of Larry Hagman's life from an early age, as he watched his mother -- Mary Martin -- star in NBC's "Peter Pan" special.

MARTIN

Look at me, way up high Suddenly, here am I, I'm flying

SEACREST

Inspired by his mother's success, Larry Hagman hoped to follow her footsteps into show business. Well, she gave me three pieces of advice. She said always hang up your costumes, and know your lines, and stay reasonably sober. Well, I did two of them. When his parents divorced, Hagman moved to Texas and worked a back-breaking job digging ditches under the hot Texas sun. His tough, unyielding boss named Jess Hall Jr would become the prototype for JR Ewing. Jess Hall Jr. And he was the quintessential JR. And I just took his character and lived it. Larry Hagman first came to national prominence in the sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie," which showcased his comedic talents. What I'd really like to do on a day like this is go swimming. I wish I had a swimming pool on my patio. Jeannie! Jeannie! What will the neighbors think? I can't afford a swimming pool. You do not wish it? No, I do not wish it. Now come on, get rid of it.

WOMAN

I loved working with Larry. Help! I really had a good time all the time on that show. I enjoyed that part. When you look at the comedic work he did on "I Dream of Jeannie," he was a comedic genius on that show. He really was.

SEACREST

After "I Dream of Jeannie," Larry Hagman turned to dramatic roles, including an obscure film called "Stardust," where Hagman began to develop the character of JR Ewing. Porter Lee Austin. I'm delighted to meet you. Nice to see you. I was playing a manager, and they'd written it as a Boston character, and I tried to get my accent into a Boston, kind of talking like that. It didn't work. Hey, wait a minute. Wait a minute, Jim. You mean you don't know about this? Now, what the hell is this? Is this the way the English do business? God only knows. We had lunch, and they said, "That's not really your accent, is it?" I said, "No, I have kind of a Texas accent." They said, "Well, why don't you use that?" So I used the Texas accent and made the guy a Texan, and that was the study I'd done on the JR character. And that was a lot of fun. I liked that. Todd, I want to tell you something. There's no one in the whole world who's a bigger fan of yours than I am, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. When Larry Hagman landed "Dallas," he was ready to play JR -- a presence on the set from the very first day. Larry walked in, cowboy hat. I remember walking into the first reading, and I had my Western garb that I always wore anyhow. Slung over his shoulder, he had a carved... leather saddlebags. And I had a case of champagne in a big leather sack with ice in it. And a big -- big creature that walked in. I mean, it was an awesome, awesome sight. I walked in the door, and she said, "Ah, I'm your wife, I'm Sue Ellen." And he looked at me, and he went, "Hello, darlin'." And that was right there. I knew that woman was just the best leading lady I'd ever have. There was an... there's an instant chemistry that we had. I -- you know, I can't describe it. It's magical. Sue Ellen... In the past, I never realized how lucky I was to have you for a wife, and a lover. I took you for granted. I'll never do that again. Moments of tenderness were rare on "Dallas." Most of the time, Sue Ellen was at war with JR. He could have died, Sue Ellen. You're a totally unfit mother. JR, stop! Sue Ellen, he'd be a hell of a lot better with you out of his life. We'd all be better off. Well, where is he?! Stop! Sue Ellen's anger and frustration led to alcohol. So I remember saying to the producers, "Sue Ellen has had too many affairs, and she's had too many years of drinking. I would like her to stop." And they said, patronizingly so, "But you do it so well." I said, "Thanks! Thanks a lot." Eventually, Sue Ellen found herself homeless and living on the street. Drink it! You saw her at her... at her lowest. And I thought people need to see this. They need to see that, you know, this could happen to them. But fortunes changed often on "Dallas," and Sue Ellen had her share of success. Sign these. 90% of the business is mine. You keep 10 for incentive. I want you to stay right here and manage things the way you always have. But I'll call the shots. Maybe we'll even see a profit. To this day, I feel that Sue Ellen Ewing was the most interesting female on television in the '80s. After the third-season cliffhanger created a worldwide frenzy, Larry Hagman saw an opportunity and asked for an unprecedented salary hike. "Dallas"was a huge success, and I thought, "Well, you know, I'm getting a secondary salary here," so I thought it's a good time for me to ask for a little more. I asked for a huge amount. Hagman demanded $100,000 per episode. CBS offered about half that. He held out. He didn't report to work. And then, you know, the world knew that he was holding out. So if JR lives, is it going to be JR? So are they going to recast it? It built up such a ground swell of interest. In the end, Larry Hagman got his way. And so when they gave me that raise with the incremental raises down the line, I mean, it lasted for, what, 10 years after that. So it turned out to be a pretty good salary. So I was the first guy to negotiate that. Hagman's unexpected victory sent a shock wave through the industry that reverberated for decades. 20 years later when the stars of NBC's "Friends" reached the million dollar per episode level, Larry Hagman was smiling. So I figured all those kids on "Friends"owe me at least 10%. They were getting a million dollars each! Good for them! I just want a little piece. Larry Hagman had fun every week playing a larger-than-life character. The series was a much bigger challenge for Patrick Duffy, who played Bobby, the more restrained good guy. Good guys, you know, that's the hard work -- Bobby. Bobby has the hard work. He's such a nice guy. And, you know, and the bad guy gets the ladies and the money and all that kind of stuff. And I had more fun with that part. When you're a JR character or any of those characters, you're just -- the world is your oyster. You can do anything. And it's written that you do anything, and it's justified. But Bobby's role as a character is the counterbalance to that. JR, we have got a lot of loyal people working for us down there. They deserve better than to get kicked out in the street. Well, what do you think you're doing? Aren't we losing enough money because of all those Arab countries, huh? Now you want to start supporting the rest of Texas? JR, there's got to be more to Ewing Oil than just making money. Well, maybe so, but I don't know what it is. Now, listen to me, Bob. If Washington wants to pay welfare, that is their business, but I'm not going to. I'm serious about this. So am I. If you don't have the stomach to lay folks off, I'll do it. That has nothing to do with it! After the seventh season, Patrick Duffy left "Dallas." His character was killed off. I love you... so much.

Monitor beeping

Grunts

Faster beeping

Groans

Faster beeping

Monitor flatlining

SEACREST

Without Bobby, "Dallas"struggled. Don't do this to me, Bobby. Larry Hagman pressured the producers for a solution. Together, they came up with a surprise twist that would save the series. In a remote warehouse, the plan was put into action. First, a shower set was built to shoot a commercial for Irish Spring soap. Inside the shower was an actor quite familiar to "Dallas"fans. And we hired a commercial production company in Los Angeles to shoot an Irish Spring commercial. And we spent all day in the middle of a huge sound stage with a little tiny shower built right in the center. And I was wet and lathering up for about eight hours. But this was no Irish Spring commercial. It was a fake -- designed to get key footage for "Dallas" without tipping off the media to the series' big secret -- that Patrick Duffy was returning.

DUFFY

All he needed was for me to turn to camera and go, "Good morning." Good morning. But I would go, "Good morning." Beat, beat, beat. "And you can have a good morning, too, "if you wake up like the Duffy family with Irish Spring..." And we'd do the whole commercial.

SEACREST

Bobby's exit from the shower -- minus the Irish Spring line -- opened the ninth season. Eventually, it was revealed the the entire previous season had been nothing more than a dream. Pam? Honey, what's the matter? You look like you just saw a ghost. With Bobby back, "Dallas'"ratings improved. Once again, it was the black hat versus a worthy white hat -- JR versus Bobby. Larry did the research on JR's character. And what people don't understand is he lost more money in 13 years for the Ewing family, and Bobby actually made more money for the Ewing family. But everybody thinks that his ruthless character was just one success after another. But he had tankers going down and oil fields blowing up, revolutions happening. It was great fun -- great fun. "Dynasty's"oil baron, played by John Forsythe, may not have had JR Ewing's panache, but he was no less willing to play outside the rules. I felt that his character Blake was much more evil than my character of Alexis because he'd killed people. And Alexis never killed anyone.

Grunting

SEACREST

No, no!

Grunts

SEACREST

He's not breathing. John Forsythe was by far the most experienced actor on the "Dynasty"set, having starred in dozens of movies. But he was best known for a role in which he was not seen -- as the distinctive voice of Charlie in "Charlie's Angels." Charlie! A trophy. What for?

CHARLIE

A small remembrance from me to you to commemorate the official end of your racing career. Well, thank you, Charlie. And if you ever put forth a championship effort at anything, you be sure to let me know so I can send you a trophy. Not a bad idea, Sabrina. I'll start working on it right away.

SEACREST

In "Dynasty," Forsythe's Blake Carrington was married to Linda Evans' character Krystle. It wasn't the first time these two actors had worked together. 20 years earlier, Evans guest-starred on Forsythe's sitcom "Bachelor Father." Well, John Forsythe gave me my first speaking part. You know, I've heard about you -- man about town, eligible bachelor. Dad might be all to himself pretty soon. Do you have any feelings about this divorce? Mom and dad are just... how shall I put it, in different orbits. And as the man said, "You can't warm over spilled milk." Right? It was called "Crush on Bentley." And I had a crush on him and tried to seduce him. Well, all right! I'm pretty good at hint-taking. I'm sorry, Liz. I really do think it would be wise. I had not seen John since I was 15 years old till he walked on the set of "Dynasty." And he said, "My! Little Linda Evanstad, how you've grown. And how is your mother Arlene?" And I thought, "Oh, my gosh! John, what a guy, remembered all those things!" By the fifth season of "Dynasty," John Forsythe was lobbying to make his character nicer. The producers agreed, but worried with too many good guys, the show might lose its dramatic edge. But even with the softer Blake Carrington, "Dynasty"remained a top-10 series. John Forsythe and I refused, at that point in the show, to have affairs with other characters in the show. We said, "Can there be somebody on television that is loyal and faithful? Can we have some kind of role model for two people who love each other who don't do that? I mean, I know this is a soap opera, but we want to do it this way." And it was wonderful because they listened to us. Despite rating success, the primetime soaps faced a stinging criticism that grew over time. They were among the whitest shows on television. Over 13 seasons, "Dallas" producers never cast an African-American actor in a major role. "Knots Landing"did better, adding an African-American family, but it wasn't until the ninth season, and the characters often didn't appear for weeks at a time. I felt that... at first, I came on like gangbusters. And then because there are so many characters, they do have to -- you only have so much time. You know what's really ironic about Val's accusations? What? Well, you said that the night that you were over there, she was acting like somebody had a gun to her head. She was... but it could have been the pills. Maybe she'd already taken them. No, no, chlorazepam hydrochloride is a sedative, honey. It wouldn't have made Val nervous, it would have made her calm. Concerned about her diminishing screen time, Lynne Moody met with the producers. I didn't... handle it very well.

Chuckles

SEACREST

So I asked to be off the show. And they... accommodated me.

Laughs

SEACREST

The only primetime soap that cast an African-American in a major role was "Dynasty"... signing Diahann Carroll in 1984 to play Dominique Deveraux. Welcome to La Mirage, Miss... Deveraux. Let's see. I really wanted to do that. I thought wouldn't it be nice to do something that's beautiful -- mindless, but beautiful. By the time she came to "Dynasty," Diahann Carroll was a respected star, a prominent singer and actress who'd already starred in her own successful TV series "Julia." So "Dynasty's" producers listened when she made suggestions. I did say, "Please remember to write... If we're going to make this work with what you have, I think, if I may make the suggestion, that this character should be written the same as you would write for a wealthy white businessman," because she's a total bitch about anything except, "How do I earn money?" Look, Ms. Deveraux, whatever it is that you're doing in Denver, I suggest that you tread very carefully with me. Let me ask you, Mrs. Colby, is that supposed to be an implied threat of some sort? Because if it is, I am just as tough as you -- maybe tougher. Who the hell are you, anyway? Who am I? You'll find out very soon. Very soon. As the primetime soaps moved into their latter years, adding an established star to the cast became a common technique to boost ratings. But one star's appearance caused an unprecedented controversy -- Rock Hudson. Rock came on the set, and he was painfully thin. And I thought, "Oh, my God, Are you all right?!" Hudson was dying of AIDS, but he told no one. By the mid-1980s, fear of AIDS was bordering on hysteria. Researchers could find no cure, no real treatment, and tens of thousands were dying every year. Some speculated that the disease might be transmitted by saliva in a kiss. Although later disproven, that fear was very real in 1985.

EVANS

They have this scene where I fall off the horse.

Man yells

EVANS

And he comes over, and he sees me vulnerable or something, and knows that Blake's been abusing me. So we have all the justification.

DANIEL

Don't move! How's your shoulder?

SEACREST

Hudson was supposed to give Evans a passionate kiss, but held back, fearful he might give her the AIDS virus. So he has to kiss me. Well, it was a very kind of... not passionate kiss. It wasn't the kind of kiss they wanted. And so a few months later, the came back and they said we're going to shoot that again. So we re-shot it, and he did the same thing. In retrospect, I understand he was trying to protect me, because nobody knew in those days. Soon, news of Hudson's AIDS became public, and he faced criticism for not telling Evans about his illness. The hysteria reached a point where even Evans was shunned. There was such a big scare on the set that... some of the... people in the cast wouldn't eat with me, wouldn't shake my hand, and wouldn't be with me in the same room -- because they were afraid they could give their children or somebody AIDS if -- They didn't know, if they shook my hand, if the makeup thing... There was just weeks and weeks of being very careful. The last of TV's big nighttime soaps left the air in 1993. But the legacy of these shows remains. They demonstrated that viewers liked continuing story lines that aren't resolved each week, an approach that was once taboo on prime time. There's not a show on right now at this moment that isn't soap -- meaning a continuing story. They're all continuing. Because these series were immensely popular worldwide, their impact on the global culture was potentially enormous. The Ewings and the Carringtons were the symbol of America for a half a billion people around the globe. Whether that's good or bad depends on your perspective. We showed Americans to be quite materialistic, ruthless. People like that big stuff -- like big hats and big shoulder pads, big earrings and big hair. My theory was the reason the Soviet Union fell down is because they were seeing what we had here, all the cars and the beautiful clothes.

DUFFY

But we also were able to show a moral compass, a sense of right and wrong. Let's not get too high and mighty. "Dallas"was a nighttime soap. So let's just call, you know... And it was entertainment. I thought that maybe "Dallas" was the downfall of the Soviet Union -- ha ha.

SEACREST

The stars of the primetime soaps aren't just celebrities, they are the icons of a generation. It was a slice of fantasy mixed with the reality of the problems that these people had. And I thought, "This is so great -- two older women in television." How great is that -- with all these glamorous clothes saying, "We're not through yet, you know." It was all, to me, bottom line about relationships, and dysfunctional at their best.

TILTON

Here comes little Lucy learning how to drive and getting her first car and accusing one of her schoolteachers of raping her. And Lucy got married, divorced, she was addicted to pills, she was raped. Ah, those were the good old days for Lucy, little Lucy. Because you wanted to come back every week, you wanted to find out what happened to those people, what they were doing. I really -- I do like TV. I think I'd like to come back on TV. From day one at the table reading, you could not imagine anyone else playing any of those parts except the people at that table. And I think the audience got it. I would describe "Dynasty" as 100% entertainment, and very good entertainment. I have to say I love "Dynasty" so much. I love what it gave me. I actually feel very proud of what I represented because, up to this day, really, women would come up to me and say, "Thank you." "Dallas"is about them and "Knots"is about us. And it's closer to home somehow. We love that camaraderie in all of us. And we agreed to just have fun during it, and we just all had a blast! I'm just an entertainer. You know, I'm not a singer, I don't dance, I don't sing, I don't play any instruments. I have to rely on somebody else to write the lines for me. So I just do the best I can at interpretation. And I happened to hit on a character that I was familiar with.

SEACREST

The primetime soaps won't soon be forgotten, and their audiences remain unmatched... thanks to the performances of the "Pioneers of Television." And...cut! Good. For more insider features about your favorite TV stars, stories you won't hear anywhere else, visit pbs.org. To order this program, visit us online at shopPBS.org. Or call us at 1-800-PLAY-PBS.