FAQ ABOUT FALCON CREST

1. What does the title refer to?

"Falcon Crest", upon the Pilot script, is referred to the birds that used to inhabit the lands of the Gioberti property. Besides, Angela Channing and grandson Lance own a pet falcon called Apollo.

2: Who killed Melissa´s father?

Carlo Agretti was murdered at early Season 2 by Angela´s older daughter Julia. After the big reveal in the cliffhanger (she did it to keep the Channing inheritance for her son Lance and leave the Giobertis and Melissa out), we found out in the following season that she was having an affair with Carlo and he was cheating on her, which drove her nuts and led her to kill him off and also try to kill Cole, Chase and Maggie.

3. Why was Lana Turner´s character written off?

Reportedly, her behavior on the set delayed the filming and Jane Wyman didn´t want her to stay.

4. Who was Lance Cumson´s father?

Tony Cumson, who tried to reconcile with his mother Julia twice but eventually couldn´t stand Angela´s influence on her and left again. Julia gave her Falcon Crest share to him when she got blind and returned to the convent in 1986.

5. How many times did Angela Channing marry?

When the show began, she was divorced from Douglas Channing, the father to her three children. During the series´ run, she tied the knot with lawyer Phillip Erickson, tycoon Peter Stavros and Melissa´s uncle Frank Agretti (for convenience reasons).

6. Who died in the Season 3 plane sabotage?

The co-pilot, Cole´s wife Linda, Terry´s new husband Michael Ranson, and Angela´s new husband Phillip.

7. What movie did Jane Wyman win an Oscar for?

She received an Academy Award (as well as a Golden Globe) for her role in the Jean Negulesco melodrama "Johnny Belinda" in 1948, co-starring Lew Ayres and Agnes Moorehead. She had been nominated once before for "The Yearling", and twice after that, for "The Blue Veil" and "Magnificent Obsession".

8. What day and timeslot was "Falcon Crest" originally aired?

For most of its run, it was aired right after "Dallas", at 10 pm on CBS. In its last weeks, it was re-scheduled to Thursday nights.

9. What actor starred in every episode?

Lorenzo Lamas appeared in all 227 episodes, plus the unaired Pilot "The Vintage Years".

10. What are the differences between the two Pilots?

The cast is partly the same, except for the roles of Maggie (Samantha Eggar), Chase (Clu Gulager), and minor characters like Mario Núñez (David Labiosa). Abby Dalton´s role is called here "Dorcas" (instead of Julia) and Michael Swan plays a Richard Channing that is not the same one later played by David Selby. Other differences are the opening and main theme, the plot details (which served as scripts for two other episodes of Season One), the overall approach, and the title, which was replaced by the catchier "Falcon Crest".

11. Who died because of the Season 5 earthquake cliffhanger?

Two characters, Maggie´s half-sister Terry Channing (played by Laura Johnson) and Dwayne Cooley (portrayed by Daniel Greene). Johnson was asked back for a couple of episodes but she refused to.

12. How many times did the show have to recast a role?

A few of them, but not as notoriously as in the other supersoaps: first they recasted Tony Cumson with Robert Loggia in Season 2 (and then back to John Saxon in S. 6 & 7). Then they replaced Jamie Rose as Vickie Gioberti with Dana Sparks in S. 6 thru 8, and minor characters like Lori Stevens, Spheeris, et al. Two specific cases were funny: a non-speaking actress appeared as Melissa before Ana-Alicia took over the role, and Sarah Douglas was briefly replaced by Martine Beswick as a post-plastic surgery Pamela Lynch.

13. Who killed Jason Gioberti in the Pilot?

Actually it was an accident, though it was Emma Channing who pushed her uncle Jason in order to stop a fight between him and her lover Turner Bates. In the Season Finale, the case was taken to court and truth came out, though Emma wasn´t charged but Chase did use the clause in his father´s will to get his share of the property.

14. Who was going to play Peter Stavros´ brother in Season 6?

Actor Anthony Quinn. In fact, in the Season 5 Finale there is a scene of a phone argument between him and Peter, though he doesn´t give any explanation at all. Next season this scene was overseen and instead of Quinn, the Special Guest Star was Kim Novak as Peter´s presumed stepdaughter Skylar Kimball.

15. Was Susan Sullivan a well-known actress before "Falcon Crest"?

Yes, she was, but became even more popular during her 8-year stint in the show. She had earned an Emmy nomination for starring in the series "Having Babies", got international recognition thanks to her role as lawyer Maggie Porter in the sequel to the "Rich Man, Poor Man" Miniseries, and guest-starred in a lot of the 70´s highest rated series, like "Medical Center", "SWAT", "McMillan & Wife", "The Incredible Hulk", and "The Love Boat".

16. What was the background of the series creator Earl Hamner Jr.?

Virginia-born writer and producer of "Falcon Crest" during its first 5 years had been writing novels and TV scripts since the early 50´s, being his most accomplished work the traditional saga "The Waltons" and its many sequels. Prior to the series, he wrote for the big screen ("Palm Springs Weekend"), for episodic TV ("The Twilight Zone", "The Invaders") and also wrote, among others, the novel "Spencer´s Mountain", adapted as a movie in 1963 starring Henry Fonda, which served as a base, a few years later, for the Waltons´ saga, with little changes. He has been nominated for the Emmy twice as Best Writing Achievement in the latter series.

17. How many grandchildren had Angela at the end of the show??

Two grandchildren from Richard and Maggie, Michael (whose mother was the deceased Cassandra Wilder) and Kevin (whose father was Chase). From Julia, she had Lance and Father Christopher (whose father was Dominic Rossini), and baby Angela was Emma´s daughter with Charley St. James. She only had one grand-granddaughter, Lisa (who was given to adopt), from an early relationship of Lance with his wife Pilar Ortega. If we also count Danny Sharpe, who supposedly also was Richard´s illegitimate son, then Angela had 5 grandchildren. These are the official ones, but knowing that family, who could actually say...

18. Why so many actors from "Dallas" also appeared in "Falcon Crest"?

Easy answer: both shows were produced by the same company and aired by the same network, though they weren´s filmed in the same studio lot. "Dallas" was shot at MGM Studios in Culver City, and "Falcon Crest" used first the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, and then the CBS Studio in Los Angeles. Actually, they also shared supporting actors with other non-Lorimar companies, so you could also see, eg, John Saxon or Bradford Dillman on "Dynasty".

19. Who was the first choice for the Angela role?

Barbara Stanwyck, who turned the role down and recommended her close friend Jane Wyman for it. Stanwyck didn´t want to do long-running series at the time, though she ended up starring in the first season of "The Colbys", 5 years later.

20. Was the series a ratings winner?

In fact, the series only entered the annual Top Ten in Nielsen ratings three times: in Seasons 2 thru 4. Subsequently it didn´t even reached the Top Twenty but its audience was stable enough for CBS to renew it for 5 more years. It finished its run at 81st place in the 1989-90 season.

21. What stars refused to appear in "Falcon Crest"?

Almost more than actually agreed to: aside from Stanwyck and Quinn, also said no Richard Burton, Sophia Loren, Lauren Bacall, Mia Farrow, Susan George, Brooke Shields, Raquel Welch, or Charlton Heston, among others. Ginger Rogers lobbied for the part of Maggie´s natural mother Charlotte Pershing, but Jane Greer was cast instead.

22. What other characters were considered as Carlo Agretti´s murderer?

Every other character, or almost. They filmed the final confession scene with the actors who played Lance, Melissa, Richard, his assistant Diana Hunter, Phillip, Chao-Li, Cole and Angela herself! The ultimate choice, Julia, was, upon her portrayer Abby Dalton, the proof of the lack of imagination of the writers, who didn´t know what to do with her.

23. Whose idea was that Richard always drank a glass of milk?

It was a suggestion of actor David Selby, given the initial darkness and scarce empathy of his character.

24. Who really was the father of Melissa´s baby?

It was Cole Gioberti´s (as seen in the paternity proof he got in Season 2) though Lance had been considered as such at first. Actually Joseph did live at Falcon Crest with Melissa and Lance until half-Season 3.

25. How many characters were in danger in the Season 6 Cliffhanger?

Way too many: Emma (who tried to commit suicide jumping off the roof), Chao-Li (who fell downstairs while having a heart attack), and, at the San Francisco Bay, after Melissa´s car fell into the waters, Melissa herself, Baby Kevin, Dan Fixx, Chase Gioberti and Richard Channing. Only Chase died drawn (apparently, though no body was ever found).

26. Where is located the famous Channing manor?

The house is called "Villa Miravalle" and is located at the Spring Mountain Vineyards, in St. Helena. Tuscany Valley actually was Napa Valley in North California. The series, though, didn´t film there its two last seasons at all, but in Los Angeles.

27. What actors worked in both "Falcon Crest" and "Flamingo Road"?

Since "Flamingo Road" ended when "Falcon Crest" was planning its second season, a few of its stars went from one to the other (or even "Dallas") with little time in-between. Mainly were David Selby (who was first Michael Tyrone and then Richard Channing), and Morgan Fairchild (Constance Fielding who became Jordan Roberts). John Beck (Sam Curtis on "Flamingo Road") went on to star on "Dallas" as ill-fated Mark Graison. The three series also shared producers, writers, music composers and directors.

28. What story is there behind Kim Novak´s fictional names?

The first alias of Kim Novak´s character is Kit Marlowe, the same name that producer Harry Cohn wanted to give the star in her beginnings, instead of her own, Marilyn Pauline Novak. Not coincidentally, another of the character´s names is Madeleine, like her character in Hitchcock´s "Vertigo", and Kit´s true name is Susan Cameron, after her agent at the time. Besides, the woman she poses as (Peter Stavros´ stepdaughter) is called Skylar Kimball, a nod to the historic character of "The Fugitive" series played by David Janssen.

29. Was Robert Foxworth going to return as Chase in Season 8?

Allegedly, there were plans to bring him back at some point of Season 7 or, as the cliffhanger scene suggested, early Season 8. However, the actor left the show by mutual agreement with the producers because he found his role boring and his personal life became more important at that moment, due to the health condition of his wife Elizabeth Montgomery.

30. How many children did Cole Gioberti have?

Two: first, Joseph, from his affair with Melissa on Season 1, and then a girl called Hope, whose natural parents were Cole (married to Melissa) and her cousin Robin Agretti, as (sort of) surrogate mother. The baby girl ended up with Robin and Joseph was sent away with his father to Australia on Season 6.

31. How many characters had cancer on "Falcon Crest"?

Too many of them. Jacqueline Perrault was allegedly dying when she was shot by Julia. Then Maggie´s brain tumor was removed by Chase´s cousin Michael. Years later, Frank Agretti returned saying he was about to die, but who died instead of him was his son Nick´s ex-wife Anna Cellini. During the 9-year run, there also were cases of mental illness (Emma, Julia, Melissa, Lauren Daniels), alcoholism (Jason, Maggie), amnesia (Maggie again!), addiction to gambling (Charlotte and Eric), schizophrenia (Jordan), epilepsy (Gabriel Ortega), blindness (Julia), and paralysis (Chase), among others.

32. What does the R in William R. Moses stand for?

Remington. Yes, as in "Remington Steele".

33. Did the show ever film in any foreign country?

No, never. That was only allowed for the series that started it all, you know: "Dallas".

34. Has the original cast ever done a special reunion?

Yes, they did on October 12, 2010, though it was not aired on TV. Celebrated at Paley Center in Beverly Hills, California, it was attended by Robert Foxworth, Susan Sullivan, David Selby, Lorenzo Lamas, Ana-Alicia, Abby Dalton, Margaret Ladd, Jamie Rose and the series creator Earl Hamner Jr., as well as other actors like Carl Held and Roy Thinnes, and crew members like John F. Perry, Victoria LaFortune, Garner Simmons, and our friend from falconcrest.org Thomas J. Pucher.

35. Besides Jane Wyman, who else won a major award for the show?

The composer Joel Rosenbaum achieved an Emmy award in 1989 for his "Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" in episode "Dust to Dust" (aka the episode of Melissa´s death).

36. How many times did sweet Emma Channing get her heart broken?

Again, too many times...Once per season, usually. Turner Bates framed her for her uncle Jason´s death and left her pregnant. Jean-Louis de Bercy turned out to be a Nazi. Dominic Rossini helped to bring her mother down with his sister Cassandra. Dwayne died because of the earthquake. Karlotti happened to have many more wives. Emma herself left her hub Daniel Cabot for sociopath Charley St. James. And she ended up becoming a single mother.

37. What actors appeared in the show with their own names?

Father Bob, Chao-Li and singer Apollonia.

38. Where was the Gioberti house located?

At Stags´ Leap Winery in Napa Valley. The interiors of the house were rebuilt in the Burbank Studios, on Stage 19.

39. What movie clip is used when Angela read Peter´s letter about Richard?

It belongs to Curtis Bernhardt´s "The Blue Veil", a 1951 movie about a young widow who fills her empty life with her job as a children´s nurse. The scene where she is told that her baby is stillborn was inserted into the Season 6 Finale "Desperation" as a sepia-toned flashback. It reportedly was Wyman´s favorite role, who won it over Greta Garbo and Bette Davis, and achieved another Golden Globe and another Oscar nomination.

40. How many characters did Ana-Alicia play in the show?

Two: Melissa Agretti and her dead ringer Samantha Ross. She was paid twice for her acting that year: she got the whole season salary though she only was in 3 episodes as Melissa and was later brought back due to the decline of ratings as another character.

41. Did any actor win an award for the series, aside from Jane Wyman?

Only David Selby and Margaret Ladd achieved Soap Opera Digest awards, as "Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role" in 1989 and "Outstanding Actress in a Comic Relief Role" in 1981, respectively. However, many cast members (including supporting actors) were nominated year after year, but lost on behalf of the three other major soap operas.

42. What was the most watched "Falcon Crest" Season Finale?

The Season 3 Finale with almost all the characters inside a sabotaged plane whose gears had been manipulated and made the plane fall quickly. The family was going to hold the funeral of presumably dead Julia Cumson in Tuscany, Italy. It gathered 22 million viewers in front of their TV sets.

43. Who put the bomb in Richard Channing´s house?

It was his former assistant and lover Pamela Lynch. As usual, there were a lot of suspects, including Lance, Terry, and Judge Holder.

44. What "Falcon Crest" actors also appeared in "Melrose Place"?

Among others, William R. Moses, Kristian Alfonso, Dana Sparks, David Beecroft, Joanna Cassidy, John Saxon, Parker Stevenson, Bibi Besch and John Aprea.

45. How many cast members also directed episodes of the series?

Robert Foxworth, Mel Ferrer and Simon MacCorkindale. Jane Wyman didn´t direct but, when Foxworth´s contract was changed to include the directing task, she demanded having the same clause in her own contract.

46. How many Oscar winners starred in the show?

Only Cliff Robertson ("Charly") and Celeste Holm ("Gentleman´s Agreement").

47. Who was the most prolific writer in "Falcon Crest"?

Late Ernie Wallengren, who worked as "story editor", "executive story consultant" and "supervising producer", aside from penning episodes, which added up to 38, from Season 1´s "The Tangled Vines" to Season 6´s Season Finale "Desperation". He had previously written stories for other Lorimar series, like "The Waltons" and "Eight Is Enough".

48. Why a revival of the series never happened?

Actually, it was because of the declining ratings and subsequent cancellation of TNT´s "Dallas". Former "Falcon Crest" writers Garner Simmons and Bob McCullough developed in 2013 a sequel to the series that never got to be produced by Warner. It would have featured Cole Gioberti returning to Tuscany Valley after 20 years, to face the new patriarch of the Channing family, Richard. Both actors (Moses and Selby) expressed their interest in the project, as well as Lorenzo Lamas and other stars from the original series.

49. How came that Catalan actress Assumpta Serna was cast as an Italian in "Falcon Crest"?

Barcelona-born actress Assumpta Serna traveled to Los Angeles from Spain in order to participate in a play, but she didn´t get the US work permit on time. Then she was offered the role of Anna Cellini on the show´s Season 8: a mysterious, elegant, wealthy Italian woman who was the ex-wife to Melissa´s cousin Nick Agretti and mother to his son. It was going to be a 2-episode stint only, but they liked her so much that the role was expanded to 8 episodes and her plot became more relevant, though she didn´t interact with the original cast very much (actually, it was the saving grace of a really boring season).

50. Why was Gregory Harrison´s character so relevant in the last season?

The actor was under contract with CBS at the time, and his sitcom had been canceled the previous season, so he was cast as tycoon Michael Sharpe in "Falcon Crest". By focusing on him, the show became more and more his story and less and less the "Falcon Crest" everybody had loved for 8 long years. With Maggie killed in the season premiere, and Angela, Emma and Frank missing in many episodes, only a softened Richard, Lance and Pilar represented the feuding family. No wonder they ended up under 80th place in the Nielsen ratings...

51. Who wrote Angela Channing´s final monologue?

By the actress´s request, Jane Wyman herself. She only appeared in the first two episodes and the last three, though she was credited in the opening titles of all of them.

© 2021 Toni Díaz for all texts and photo selection

© Falcon Crest photos copyrighted by Warner

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