DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '24 I => Current Talk '07 II => Topic started by: michael c on November 26, 2007, 05:31:51 PM
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i've been looking at besty durkin in this week's slide show...
i never saw her episodes.i skipped ahead because i just couldn't handle a "fake-vicki" and i hated the adam storyline and didn't care about it's conclusion.
however i've come to understand that she proved an unworthy successor to alexandra and thus she,and subsequently the character of victoria,were written out of the show entirely(enter kathryn leigh scott in the role of collinwood governess).
so just how bad was she to prompt this drastic move?
did the producers know that the character was going to be written out anyways and thus just hired miss durkin to finish out the vicki/jeff storyline?was she just intended to "fill in" for alexandra during her maternity leave with the thought that she was going to return?if the writers decided to write the character out anyways couldn't they have persueded alexandra(who was under contract after all)to stick around for a couple more weeks and play out this storyline(those a-lines would more than cover up a growing tummy)?
also,if the character of vicki never left than kathryn leigh scott's maggie would never have taken over as collinwood governess.what kind of storyline would have been in store for maggie?
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At the 1993 Dark Shadows Festival during a Q&A, Lara Parker said that Alexandra "hated" being on the show at that point and at times even refused to put on makeup, that's how badly she wanted out of her contract. Based on that revelation, it's doubtful that Alexandra could have been persuaded to stay on the show once she was released from her contract.
nancy
did the producers know that the character was going to be written out anyways and thus just hired miss durkin to finish out the vicki/jeff storyline?was she just intended to "fill in" for alexandra during her maternity leave with the thought that she was going to return?if the writers decided to write the character out anyways couldn't they have persueded alexandra(who was under contract after all)to stick around for a couple more weeks and play out this storyline(those a-lines would more than cover up a growing tummy)?
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I wonder whether Alexandra started having bouts of morning sickness? It just may not have been physically possible for her to continue doing the show if she was having a rough time of it.
Either that or she had had about all she could take of being mauled by Roger Davis and phoned DC and announced "That's it, Bob, you ain't seeing me again, I'll look for my severance in the post."
I actually thought Durkin was competent in the role of VW. It was just very jarring to have somebody with such a different temperament in the role. Fans "hated" her interpretation but I think what they "hated" was the fact that she wasn't Alexandra, hardly something she could rightly be blamed for.
I imagine you also missed the two episodes with Carolyn Groves, who I thought had more of the temperament and feel for the character of Vicki. Again, by the time she appeared on the scene, fans simply threw their hands up in the air.
I remember Lara Parker's comments about Alexandra's final months in the show and how she kept repeating that AM "refused to wear makeup!!!" She repeated that again at another festival two years later. For some reason I found that comment VERY entertaining.
G.
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i did once read an interview with alexandra where she said that she was having a "difficult" time with her pregnancy...so maybe that meant morning sickness.
as far as alexandra "refusing" to wear make-up i think that lara parker was probably just spinning a yarn.the producers probably would not have stood for such childish nonsense and i can't recall ever seeing her onscreen looking un-made-up.
b.t.w. on dvd collection 23 they interview sam hall who goes on to say that jaclyn smith...roger davis' then wife...auditioned for the part of vicki when alexandra left but that dan curtis did not like her readings.that would have been interesting.
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as far as alexandra "refusing" to wear make-up i think that lara parker was probably just spinning a yarn.the producers probably would not have stood for such childish nonsense and i can't recall ever seeing her onscreen looking un-made-up.
If it was only Lara Parker saying that, I would tend to agree with you but other actors also stated by that point in the show Alexandra was doing whatever she could to get out of her contract and that was before it was known she was pregnant. As for not wearing make-up - there are women who can get away with not wearing a lot of makeup for the camera and look perfectly fine. Besides, what can the producers do if someone refuses to wear make-up? Tie them down and have it applied? Fire the person? That's what Alexandra wanted apparently . . .
Nancy
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That comment by Lara Parker was also published as part of an interview in the early 90s in a book on American TV. In it, she says that Alexandra already wished to leave by the time she (LP) made her first appearance, but didn't succeed until she became pregnant. She went on to say more, including the part about not combing her hair or wearing makeup, yet Alexandra still looked beautiful. In print, anyway, I thought I detected a degree of bitterness in her assessment, but that's my opinion.
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hmmm...
alexandra was never as heavily made up(unbecoming perhaps on a demure governess)as some of the other actresses on the show(and as perhaps the world's chief alexandra moltke aficionado i notice such things)but this business of refusing to wear make-up and not brushing her hair just isn't backed-up with on-screen evidence.
in her final episodes she's wearing plenty of eye make-up and her hair is as lustrous and ribbon be-decked as usual.
be that as it may ironically she didn't do the one thing she could have to ensure she'd be ousted and that's flubbing her lines and stopping tape.as "bland" as her delivery is during her final months on the show she took the trouble to learn her lines.she never screwed up...and on this show that's saying something.
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I got the feeling that they did want to - at least originally - continue with Vicki's character even in the persona of Betsy Durkin. They were probably hoping the audience would accept her; after all, they did have a different Burke (who had a completely different approach to the character) and things moved on after the audience "adjusted." They also had changing actors for the same characters (albeit the changes did occur far earlier) and they got away with it. Maybe they were hoping they still had the charm. This time it didn't work, so - it appears to me- that they had no choice but to change the plot and dump Vicki, period. The one, in my opinion, who did clean up was TLATKLS. If she didn't become the new governess, just what was left for her character? Pop was gone; she didn't return to slinging hash at the diner, her boyfriend was history, she just sat at home doing what? Watching As the World Turns? Couldn't do much with that. I'm just thinking that she might've ended up being the one dumped if New Vicki continued plodding on.
Gerard
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I'm not sure it's so much bitterness as bewilderment as to why someone would want off a very popular soap. Actors want to work and certainly many actors enjoy fame if they achieve it. As mentioned elsewhere in print, Alexandra wanted out before the pregnancy was an issue. Some actors (and fans) might not get why the do anything necessary to get off a soap. I'm not saying the pregnancy was a ruse to get off the soap; it became a factor where the producers were given a viable reason to allow the actor out of the contract.
Parker's attitude toward the situation isn't unlike how some other DS actors reacted to Jonathan Frid's having no desire to be in the second DS movie but seemingly choose to disappear altogether at a point in his career where he could have capitalized on his fame. John Karlen didnt understand that and said so in several interviews and Fest Q&As and others implied the same. A funny moment came at this last DS event in Tarrytown when Parker got up at the banquet to speak about Jonathan's contribution saying she was glad he came to this and noted in a mock indignite tone "And we've been here! . . . ."
Nancy
That comment by Lara Parker was also published as part of an interview in the early 90s in a book on American TV. In it, she says that Alexandra already wished to leave by the time she (LP) made her first appearance, but didn't succeed until she became pregnant. She went on to say more, including the part about not combing her hair or wearing makeup, yet Alexandra still looked beautiful. In print, anyway, I thought I detected a degree of bitterness in her assessment, but that's my opinion.
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hmmm...
alexandra was never as heavily made up(unbecoming perhaps on a demure governess)as some of the other actresses on the show(and as perhaps the world's chief alexandra moltke aficionado i notice such things)but this business of refusing to wear make-up and not brushing her hair just isn't backed-up with on-screen evidence.
Well, maybe so . . I have to admit I've never looked that closely. [hall2_shocked] Maybe she stated she refused to wear make-up but did anyway when the time actually came to tape, who knows? [hall2_undecided] I think the main point here is that Alexandra hated doing the show at that point and wanted out of her contract - and being difficult was one avenue she was willing to take towards achieving her goal. Whether she actually went through with all of her threats we don't know. The comments about her attitude at the time have been made by people who were there to hear her and know what was going on and being said behind the scenes. [hall2_cry]
Nancy
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I'm not sure it's so much bitterness as bewilderment as to why someone would want off a very popular soap. Actors want to work and certainly many actors enjoy fame if they achieve it.
Nancy, I wouldn't call it bewilderment because she explains her unhappiness. Sorry, it's hard to discuss comments that aren't on the board. I should probably look them up and post them.
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Ok. But you can't call it bitterness either since LP was discussing Alexandra's unhappiness, however, I may have misinterpreted your post in the first place.
Yeah, if you can find the quote on line that would be great. I know the 1993 Frid and Parker Q&A was transcribed but I would have better luck trying to find a transsiberian yak than that Q&A in my files right now.
Nancy
I'm not sure it's so much bitterness as bewilderment as to why someone would want off a very popular soap. Actors want to work and certainly many actors enjoy fame if they achieve it.
Nancy, I wouldn't call it bewilderment because she explains her unhappiness. Sorry, it's hard to discuss comments that aren't on the board. I should probably look them up and post them.
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Nancy, I wouldn't be surprised if the source of this WAS a Fest Q&A! Anyway, it's an excerpt from America on the Rerun: TV Shows that Never Die (David Story, May 1993)
Lara Parker: I didn't think that Victoria Winters should have been as aloof as she was. Alexandra had this distance, this cool, and was just ravishing. When she wanted to get off the show she stopped combing her hair and wearing makeup and she still photographed so beautifully. She didn't need to do anything. She was a socialite basically, that was her posture. She had come from a lot of money. The show was beneath her. Even in the beginning she wanted more-- she did not want to be there. By the time I came on the show she wanted to get off more than anything and she finally did by getting pregnant. She didn't want to be an actress. She had thought she wanted to be an actress but it didn't do for her the things that it really does for people who really want to act. She was a very real actress but she didn't bring a lot of energy to it, but again it worked for her character because Victoria Winters was supposed to be reactive-- she was the protagonist-- she was the one that it was happening to.
She was the audience's eyes. We saw it all through her eyes. She didn't have to be strong-- she just had to be the bridge that carried us into the show. And her lack of energy-- which drove the directors mad-- didn't really do any harm because she seemed so real. The rest of us seemed larger than life but she seemed very placid and natural. I think she did her best at that point but she moped around like a person who had to do this and who didn't want to be there and she hated working with Roger Davis. I sort of always wanted to be her friend and was slightly intimidated by her wealth and her social position. Then she went on to have quite an interesting experience, larger than fiction.
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I wonder if Alexandra Moltke's refusal to wear makeup – assuming that it occurred – had something to do with unusual skin sensitivity related to pregnancy problems.
I like Betsy Durkin's Victoria Winters. She brought energy to the role. Mine isn't a useful opinion, though, because I rarely have much use for Moltke's Victoria. But to continue anyway...Durkin was dressed in clothes designed for Moltke and she looked bad in them, but that could have been changed. She looked terrible with Jeff Clark, but Jeff Clark was not an indispensable character.
In one of the DVD interviews, I believe that Durkin said she was asked to return as Vicky, but she was doing something else at the time. I assume that that was when Carolyn Groves was hired briefly for the role. Of course I didn't like Groves's Victoria; it was too much like Moltke's.
As for Maggie, I figure that if she hadn't become the governess at Collinwood, she would have been central to some other plot or subplot, because Kathryn Leigh Scott is a go-getter.
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I would agree with this. Maggie really wouldn't have played any part in either the Chris Jennings or Quentin storyline. I think she would have been phased out by 1897 and KLS would have been gone from DS by then.
The one, in my opinion, who did clean up was TLATKLS. If she didn't become the new governess, just what was left for her character? Pop was gone; she didn't return to slinging hash at the diner, her boyfriend was history, she just sat at home doing what? Watching As the World Turns? Couldn't do much with that. I'm just thinking that she might've ended up being the one dumped if New Vicki continued plodding on.
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Alexandra Moltke did look ravishing on camera as Victoria, and her understated performance provides a much-needed contrast to the goings-on, particularly as the show went WAY over the top during the 1968 storyline (which I happen to love).
Something Nancy wrote above made me think that for most of the people who worked on the show, their work was their livelihood, and that was something of a bottom line for them; whatever they tried to do artisticially with their work on DS, it was also a regular paycheck in a profession where regular paychecks can be scarce as hen's teeth. Something in one fan's memoir of the last day of taping in '71 made me realize with a shock that Louis Edmonds was really worried about what he was going to do for a living since the show was ending. I think the aspect of it that he particularly enjoyed, at the time, was the flexibility to go out and do other projects and yet still be on board as a regular of the show.
But for Alexandra (and to some extent, I think, for Jonathan), there wasn't that hunger, that dependence upon making the career work financially. Their fellow cast members would hardly have been human if they hadn't somewhat resented or been intimidated by the thought of a person with an independent income choosing to do the show as an experience--and then choosing to walk away from same.
While sorting stuff out of one of my boxes Sunday evening, I came across a line in the Grayson Gazette issue from late Summer 1970 stating that Clarice Blackburn had been offered the role of Mrs J in hoDS, but she had refused it. I'd always thought that she simply had other work to do during the tight window of the hoDS shooting schedule. It's interesting to think that from this report, she may simply have chosen not to do the movie. I think she only appeared in one or two episodes during Leviathan (although one of those shows is a humdinger!).
G.
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i'm on the fence about kathryn leigh scott being "phased out" at some point.
there is something of a disconnect between kls the actress and her importance on the show and the character of maggie evans.while it is true that if maggie had never taken over as collinwood governess her importance in the "present" might have been limited(it often was)kls the actress' association with josette was so strong that she would have continued to figure prominently in the time travel storylines.
and of course this all depends on what her contract looked like.
ironically while i can picture victoria continuing on as collinwood governess in the present i can't picture alexandra factoring into many of the time travel storylines after 1795.the opposite goes for kls.she had more of a role to play in the past.
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another thought...
because i love the show and am also so fond of alexandra's portrayal of vicki it makes me sad to know that she "hated" being on the show.
but her "socialite" status makes her seem a bit like a spoiled brat in this regard.while a stuggling young actress would have been happy to have regular work...let alone a leading role on one of television's biggest hits...because alexandra didn't need the paycheck she could afford to walk away.
still she was a grown woman who signed a contract.she may have disliked roger davis.she may have been unhappy with her storyline.but she could have been more of a trooper for the sake of her co-workers and fans.
at any rate her feelings about the whole thing must have softened up at some point since she's contributed to several of the d.s. related books and is narrating the new dvd collections.
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From what I have been able to gather over the years, very few of the players on DS actually HAD contracts... of any description. KLS in the original edition of her Scrapbook Memories mentions that when she left the show, she'd been working without a contract for quite some time. Grayson always described herself as signing a contract for 13 weeks initially but once that ran out they may have just let things run along because shortly thereafter her husband was writing for the show. I guess it might have depended in part on how aggressive her agent was with DCP at that point.
Towards the end of the show, Keith Prentice was quoted in one of the teen mags as having signed a five year contract which seems out of character for Dan Curtis. I wonder how much he got when the show was canceled. Probably not much. KLS wryly wrote in that first book: "In general, we were not over-paid for working on Dark Shadows."
G.
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From what I have been able to gather over the years, very few of the players on DS actually HAD contracts... of any description. KLS in the original edition of her Scrapbook Memories mentions that when she left the show, she'd been working without a contract for quite some time. Grayson always described herself as signing a contract for 13 weeks initially but once that ran out they may have just let things run along because shortly thereafter her husband was writing for the show. I guess it might have depended in part on how aggressive her agent was with DCP at that point.
It's nuts to work without a contract or something in writing. I don't care how well you know your employer, how much you like your employer. Memories can play tricks on what was ever agreed to and money commitments. It's not about trust. One reason for a contract where actors and producers are concerned is so you have proof for your union records. When I was hired to work for Jonathan Frid and his production company, I was a big fan of his work - no question. The biggest. But believe me, I had it in writing as to what the financial arrangements were going to be and what was expected of me. I trust people in general but I do not trust memory.
Towards the end of the show, Keith Prentice was quoted in one of the teen mags as having signed a five year contract which seems out of character for Dan Curtis.
If a performer wants a contract, DC has no choice but to give one.
I wonder how much he got when the show was canceled.
Normally, if a show gets cancelled before a contract is finished, the actor gets paid for whatever is left on the contract. If there is four weeks left but the show is done, the actor gets paid that four weeks. If production is interrupted (such as the writers strike now) the contract has provisions whereby the actors may get some pay but not their entire pay.
The actors on DS were paid scale or a little above it, not much more than that. To make more money, the actors did interviews or went on publicity junkets which paid very well. Frid (forgive me constantly referring to him but that's the one example I know the most about) made great money on the weekend PR tours but they go so crazy and time-consuming he stopped doing them altogether, well paying ventures or not.
Nancy
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another thought...
because i love the show and am also so fond of alexandra's portrayal of vicki it makes me sad to know that she "hated" being on the show.
I can understand that. It's disappointing when you are a big fan of an actor on the show and learn that actor didn't enjoy all or some part of the experience.
but her "socialite" status makes her seem a bit like a spoiled brat in this regard.while a stuggling young actress would have been happy to have regular work...let alone a leading role on one of television's biggest hits...because alexandra didn't need the paycheck she could afford to walk away.
If you don't need the money, that;s fine but a contract is a contract. I can understand wanting out of that contract when pregnant but evidently Alexandra wanted out even before she was pregnant.
still she was a grown woman who signed a contract.she may have disliked roger davis.she may have been unhappy with her storyline.but she could have been more of a trooper for the sake of her co-workers and fans.
I agree. A contact is a contract and unless your working environment makes it difficult for you to perform your obligations, you stick with the contract. And you behave like a professional.
at any rate her feelings about the whole thing must have softened up at some point since she's contributed to several of the d.s. related books and is narrating the new dvd collections.
Time can heal, lol. I also think the situation is different now - she's not on the set and working with people or a script she didn't care for.
Nancy
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Something Nancy wrote above made me think that for most of the people who worked on the show, their work was their livelihood, and that was something of a bottom line for them; whatever they tried to do artisticially with their work on DS, it was also a regular paycheck in a profession where regular paychecks can be scarce as hen's teeth. Something in one fan's memoir of the last day of taping in '71 made me realize with a shock that Louis Edmonds was really worried about what he was going to do for a living since the show was ending. I think the aspect of it that he particularly enjoyed, at the time, was the flexibility to go out and do other projects and yet still be on board as a regular of the show.
If I recall correctly, Louis Edmonds had a tough time finding work after DS was over at least for awhile, didn't he? It's depressing and worrisome to wonder how long your money will hold out. Frid took on the 13 week gig as it would give him unexpected money for his planned move to California where he planned on teaching drama. He held onto the gig as it was money. As Frid has said in many interviews, he would never starve if he didn't work but if you are an adult you are expected to do something to earn your keep and have some self-respect.
hardly have been human if they hadn't somewhat resented or been intimidated by the thought of a person with an independent income choosing to do the show as an experience--and then choosing to walk away from same.
I agree with you.
Nancy
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moltke wanted out because she felt her character was kind of .... well, shallow.
the wrote her so wrong, which made me not like the character at ALL. she should have been a little more darker, because supposedly she was a "collins" and she would have fit right in with the clan. they made her a simpleton at times and a fool.
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I think AM would have played Rachael Drummund in 1897, but like you said, I can't picture her as anyone other then Victoria. I doubt they would have sent Vicky to 1897 instead of Barnabas.
ironically while i can picture victoria continuing on as collinwood governess in the present i can't picture alexandra factoring into many of the time travel storylines after 1795.the opposite goes for kls.she had more of a role to play in the past.
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TLATKLS had and has her own fan base and I'm sure Dan would have demanded the writers find something for Maggie to do even if Alex had stayed on the show as Vicki. Presumably Maggie would have gone back to work at the diner and further intrigue would have resulted from there. It's kind of sad that the diner pretty much disappeared after Laura's story.
G.
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Presumably Maggie would have gone back to work at the diner and further intrigue would have resulted from there. It's kind of sad that the diner pretty much disappeared after Laura's story.
So true, G. Both Maggie and Susie could sure whip up a mean chicken salad sandwich on toasted marble rye at the Diner. Once Mags moved into Collinwood, she was at the mercy of Mrs. Johnson's choice morsels. No more hot coffee brewing... just witches' caldrons.
On the topic, I think I'll go watch the last Alexandra Moltke episodes and the first Betsy Durkin episodes back-to-back, and then make my decision on style and circumstance. If Maggie hadn't become governess, maybe she and Barnabas would have started dating, or she and Willie would have had a raunchy fling, or her memory of "the past" did return (again) - keeping her involved in the goings-on at Collinwood, if peripherally.
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nostalgia can bring with it a rosy glow...
in her interviews on the new dvd collections alexandra speaks in glowing tones of how unique and creative dark shadows was.she also speaks very highly of her co-stars.joan bennett like a "second mother".nancy barrett a bridesmaid at her wedding.louis edmonds a "drawing room comedy".very high praise for jonathan frid and john karlen and mitch ryan and thayer david and clarice blackburn.after she left the series she speaks of missing the "camaraderie".
so it's too bad that(roger davis aside)she couldn't have found in that a way to make her time on the show a more positive experience for herself at the time.
i agree with gothick about the diner set...i miss it too once it departs.funny but that set is the first place barnabas meets maggie and whenever i go back and re-watch that scene it's strange to see him sitting there when we come to associate him with much more gothic environments.i would like to have seen maggie go back to work at the diner too.i like that "sassy waitress" element of her persona that gets lost over time.
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I think maggie was a piviotal character and would have had a story line. for one, i think she should have gotten involved with willie, and have barnabas dead set against that relaitonship and also have julia in the middle of it.
and speaking of unhappy alexandria, she didn't seem to be the only one who was unhappy. if you listen to frid's interviews on the dvd sets, he seemed to look down his nose at barnabas and the fans. at one point he called one woman stupid. granted this was not his forte, but please don't forget the fans were the ones who put you were.
when you here them talk it seems that they were one big happy family, but sometimes i get the feeling that there were problems. lara parker seemed to take her self to seriously, and i've seen outtakes of her scenes where she just gets annoyed. but hey, they all did have chemistry, and the show worked, so, really, i don't know what my point is other than moltke was not the only unhappy one on the show. she's done good for herself and she does do the interviews and gets along these days with the other cast members, so, what's the big deal. she's even admitted how unhappy she was.
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nostalgia can bring with it a rosy glow...
in her interviews on the new dvd collections alexandra speaks in glowing tones of how unique and creative dark shadows was.she also speaks very highly of her co-stars.joan bennett like a "second mother".nancy barrett a bridesmaid at her wedding.louis edmonds a "drawing room comedy".very high praise for jonathan frid and john karlen and mitch ryan and thayer david and clarice blackburn.after she left the series she speaks of missing the "camaraderie".
so it's too bad that(roger davis aside)she couldn't have found in that a way to make her time on the show a more positive experience for herself at the time.
Doesn't she also say that a few months into her pregnancy, while still on the show, she was already having a difficult time of it and had to lie down a lot? I think that would make combing your hair and having your eyes made up a low priority, regardless of how you feel about your job. Anyway, I hope Lara Parker's comments didn't color your view of Alexandra too much; the latter was on the series for nearly a year and a half before the former participated in a single taping, and that's a long time of enduring a grueling schedule and an environment that's high pressure. But was the show really "beneath her" (LP's words)? Perhaps, though it doesn't sound that way to me when I listen to Alexandra talk about her time on the series. She admits that she found fulfillment in motherhood, but so what? When a woman gives up her career to stay home with her baby, I think of it as merely a choice (that, unfortunately, not everyone has the financial means to make) and I don't assume it means the woman looked down on her job, though some see it that way, even today. [hall2_undecided]
I wonder if LP would still say those things about her now, especially after watching her speak glowingly about her [important] projects behind the camera.
[5323] <-- feminist soapbox [hall2_cheesy]
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I didn't get the sense from any comments by the DS actors that Alexandra thought working on DS was "beneath" her. The role wasn't fulfilling for her anymore. Nancy Barrett commented once that what did creep Alexandra out was what she perceived as fan "over reverence" for the show. That would explain her not wanting to attend festivals, that plus not liking big crowds much. Alexandra took the DS appearances through venues that made her more comfortable. I don't think there is any question she appreciates her fans or what the show represents now.
Nancy
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I think AM and KLS characters changed. They were not as feisty as they used to be. The show kind of turned into the Barnabas Collins show and his problems. They had rolls that became less than what they were. NB I think was the only actress that got to do some real challenging things. Maybe these things worked together, AM wanting out and the change in the character.
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I didn't get the sense from any comments by the DS actors that Alexandra thought working on DS was "beneath" her.
Well, Lara Parker certainly seemed to think so - and the quote Midnite shared with us said as much in as many words:
"She didn't need to do anything. She was a socialite basically, that was her posture. She had come from a lot of money. The show was beneath her." Though, of course, that was simply LP's perception of Alexandra's feeling, which may have shared little to absolutely no resemblance whatsoever to how Alexandra herself actually felt. That can be the trouble with stating a perception - it can often be colored by the perceivee's own bias.
because i love the show and am also so fond of alexandra's portrayal of vicki it makes me sad to know that she "hated" being on the show.
And that feeling of sadness is why I've often said that it was probably a blessing that Alexandra was finally allowed to leave. As I've said, by the time she left Vicki had become a mere shadow (pun fully intended) of her former self and was basically a doormat for every villain to torment. Vicki had lost nearly all the spark that had made her so interesting during DS' first year. And let's face it, taking the dissatisfaction with how one's role had degraded and combining it with having to work so closely alongside RD nearly every day could have been enough to make almost any actor want to jump out of their skin. [hall2_wink] Almost any remarks Alexandra might have made at the time of her departure would have been perfectly understandable.
The one thing that I do find ironic is that once Betsy Durkin took over Vicki, Vicki suddenly displayed a great deal of the backbone that Vicki had once had and Alexandra had not been given to play for the longest time...
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Well, Lara Parker certainly seemed to think so - and the quote Midnite shared with us said as much in as many words:
"She didn't need to do anything. She was a socialite basically, that was her posture. She had come from a lot of money. The show was beneath her." Though, of course, that was simply LP's perception of Alexandra's feeling, which may have shared little to absolutely no resemblance whatsoever to how Alexandra herself actually felt. That can be the trouble with stating a perception - it can often be colored by the perceivee's own bias.
Ah, yes, MB. I stand (or sit) corrected. I'll rephrase it and say that other than LP's comment, I haven't gotten the impression other DS felt that way. If they did, they didn't say. I should also say that LP is the one most likely to make a negative comment about a colleague, apart from RD. The other performers, I'm happy to say, do not seem inclined to making public negative comments about co-workers.
People who come from can automatically incur the wrath of those who have to struggle. However, it doesn't make them any less human and they don't lose their right to be dissatisified with a work situation. I feel it is appropriate, if a pregnancy is difficult, that an actor be allowed out of her contract because that is a health issue. I don't think it's okay to quit a contract simply because you are unhappy with what you are doing.
Nancy
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it's true that for whatever reason the writer's decided that of the three "ingenue" actresses nancy barrett's characters were allowed to be "flawed"...and for a particularly scrumptous period in 1967 carolyn was a royal b*tch!
where as alexandra and kathryn always played the goody-two-shoes.
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it's true that for whatever reason the writer's decided that of the three "ingenue" actresses nancy barrett's characters were allowed to be "flawed"...and for a particularly scrumptous period in 1967 carolyn was a royal b*tch!
where as alexandra and kathryn always played the goody-two-shoes.
i always felt that carolyn's character seemed to have the right to be the bytch she was. it was part of her dark unhappy character. it worked well with her spoiled-ness and her sense of entitlement. carolyn was one of the best charcters in my opinion. i loved her darkness.
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I should also say that LP is the one most likely to make a negative comment about a colleague, apart from RD. The other performers, I'm happy to say, do not seem inclined to making public negative comments about co-workers.
Oh, I don't know that that's actually the case. When it comes to their co-workers, other DS stars may not make negative comments in interviews or on the Fest stage, but they have made them in public in, say, the Fest ballroom - and loud enough to be completely within earshot of fans. When it comes to two other stars who shall remain nameless, I know this for a fact because I've heard their comments with my own ears - and not simply in isolated incidents. Though be that as it may, and as disappointed as I may have been to hear such comments coming from them, it simply proves one thing: the DS stars are only too human, and they sometimes have petty jealousies just like the majority of everyone else (and they're not always as discrete as they probably should be about them).
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And I dont doubt your experience, MB. I was only relating my own experience. [hall2_wink]
Nancy
Oh, I don't know that that's actually the case. When it comes to their co-workers, other DS stars may not make negative comments in interviews or on the Fest stage, but they have made them in public in, say, the Fest ballroom - and loud enough to be completely within earshot of fans. When it comes to two other stars who shall remain nameless, I know this for a fact because I've heard their comments with my own ears - and not simply in isolated incidents. Though be that as it may, and as disappointed as I may have been to hear such comments coming from them, it simply proves one thing: the DS stars are only too human, and they sometimes have petty jealousies just like the majority of everyone else (and they're not always as discrete as they probably should be about them).
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mscbryk...I *think* (hmm) that KLS's character was somewhat 'flawed' also; the dysfunctional family....
Also, I would've enjoyed seeing KLS in Nancy Barrett's role in the Leviathan arc. Perhaps not marrying Mr. ChIPs, but at least I can see her going to & helping out at the antique shop.
imho,
Patti
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patti,
you're right about maggie...she was indeed "flawed"(especially in 1966 when she was collinsport's town gossip).
but at heart maggie was essentially a "good girl" as was vicki.carolyn got to be downright nasty which they never really did.
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I like Betsy Durkin's Victoria Winters. She brought energy to the role. Mine isn't a useful opinion, though, because I rarely have much use for Moltke's Victoria.
Of course I didn't like Groves's Victoria; it was too much like Moltke's.
I feel the opposite....while I didn't dislike Betsy Durkin, I thought Carolyn Groves was a better replacement precisely because she was a lot like Alexandra's Vicki.
Anyway, I am glad someone likes Betsy though. From what I've heard she is very nice and gracious in real life. But Alexandra will always be my favorite Vicki, even when she was reduced from the fiesty young girl at the beginning to the show to the clueless, helpless victim she became.
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Also, I loved the female buddy chemistry between Alexandra and Kathryn. Sorry to say, I didn't see any of it between Kathryn and Betsy when Betsy took over as Vicki.