Five years of passions, adventures and suspense !
By Joan Mac Trevor, Ciné Télé Revue, 1989	Home   Cette page en Français

Already five years that the American televiewers of NBC live at the rhythm of the palpitating adventures of Santa Barbara. Came from the tortuous imagination of Jerry and Bridget Dobson, famous writers of soap-opera in the United States, the show did not know from its beginnings the awaited audience. Indeed, the Americans, saturated of soaps, like Dallas and Dynasty, first sulked it. But the incredible success won by Santa Barbara in Europe and especially in France (aired on TF1), enabled it to be saved and caused a renewed interest on the other side of the Atlantic. Since, Santa Barbara impassions each afternoon millions of televiewers and is not ready to end.

However, the show changed. In five years, the actors followed one another at an incredible rhythm. Some of them continue since the beginning, whereas a lot of already left it. Others have just arrived and hope to stay there a long time, although a multitude of actors made fast appearances in some episodes. The couples meet and separate during the seasons. It frequently happens that the character fades on the actor, that fiction joins reality. Often, moreover, their private life merges with the one of their character, the writers using the events of their existence to include them in the story of Santa Barbara. Thus, each day, televiewers follow a little, through their favorite show, the everyday life of the stars : their anguishes, their loves, their disappointment, their happiness...

When the show starts on July 30, 1984, on the American network NBC, four families are opposed : on one hand the powerful Capwells are opposed to the rich Lockridges and on the other hand, the Perkins, less well-off and the Andrades, from Mexican origin, make counterweight to the Capwells-Lockridges fight. The intrigue of the first season turns around Joe Perkins, then played by sweet Dane Witherspoon. Accused of the murder of Channing Jr, elder son of C.C. Capwell, whereas he is innocent, Joe Perkins will do everything to go out of prison and to reconquer the heart of the woman he loves, Kelly Capwell (one of the two daughters of C.C. Capwell). Kelly's brother, Ted (Todd McKee) falls in love with Laken Lockridge. Like Romeo and Juliette, their love is thwarted by the fight between their two families.

This first year ends with a spectacular earthquake, effective process to maintain the televiewer faithful until the following season and to remove the disturbing characters, not very popular or quite simply the actors at the end of their contract or too financially greedy. Thus at the re-openinng of 1985, no more Dane Witherspoon. His character always exists, but it is played by Mark Arnold. This replacement is very badly perceived by the faithful ones of the show. They greatly express their dissatisfaction and Joe Perkins is finally killed during the second season. In spite of his popularity, Dane Witherspoon had been thanked for mutual incompatibility. He had had the awkwardness to dispute with the director and one of the dialogists.

However, that does not prevent Kelly and Joe to love each other... backstage. Indeed, thanks to Santa Barbara, Dane and Robin fell in love one with the other at of their first scenes. A real love that the writers exploited by creating the story of love between Kelly and Joe. However, the famous show will also be one of the causes of their rupture, in spring 1988, a few weeks before their wedding, awaited feverishly by all the team of the show. Dane Witherspoon, whose career of actor stagnates since his departure from Santa Barbara, did not support any more the glory and the popularity that the show brought to Robin Wright.

During this second year, the tensions and the actors we know today start to take place. Sophia Capwell, C.C.'s ex-wife, who everyone believes disappeared, returns suddenly, disguised as a man. The role of Lionel Lockridge, the son of the Lockridge clan, is worthed and the writers invent a connection between him and Sophia. Gina DeMott, replaced meanwhile by sexy Robin Mattson, tries to get married to the rich C.C., by claiming that she is pregnant. As for Mason, his tortured character becomes more and more extensive.

But the star-couple disappeared, it was necessary to create another to focus the attention of the televiewer. It is at this time that starts the very long and upsetting love story between Eden Capwell (Kelly's sister) and Cruz Castillo, a police officer friend of the family. But already, their love is complicated. At the end of the second season, Eden marries Kirk (played by Joseph Bottoms, a new recruit), his lawyer, out of spite, because Cruz suspects her of an attempt of attack on her father. 1986 sees the arrival on TV of a new Santana, the very sexy Margaret Michaels, ex-model and who will be replaced later by Gina Gallego.

Change of actor, therefore new intrigue. Santana reappears after an unexplained absence and marries Cruz, whom she already knew, whereas she appeared under the features of Ava Lazar. Cruz accepts to marry her to help her to recover the son she had with Channing Jr, Brandon, adopted by Gina DeMott. Gina for her part, more volcanic than ever in the skin of Robin Mattson, succeeds in being married by C.C. Capwell. But Mason, who sees in Brandon a rival for his heritage, proposes a strange exchange to her :  to make her a child (because Gina is not pregnant as opposed to what she claims) to win the control on the behalf of Brandon's heritage.

Incontestably, this third season marks the beginning of the increasing popularity of the couple Eden-Cruz. Even separated, they fascinate the public, especially the French one. Many fans write to the production to claim the reunification of Eden and Cruz. The following year, the wish of the televiewers is realized : they love each other again, but their love must still face many obstacles. Some new characters make their appearance : Hayley, Gina's niece, played by Stacy Edwards, with who Ted falls passionately in love; Pamela Capwell Conrad, the first wife of C.C. (Shirley Ann Field and then Marj Dusay); Jeffrey Conrad, her son (Ross Kettle); Victoria (Kristen Meadows), an old love of Cruz, pregnant of her son but who will marry Mason; Julia Wainwright, the sister of Augusta Lockridge, a lawyer who will make turn the head of the same Mason.

Thus, the writers refind the process of the intrigue with love triangle, that the televiewers like so much. This type of intrigue was already largely used in Santa Barbara, which even became the specialist of it. The first season of the show was based on the triangle Kelly Capwell, Joe Perkins and Peter Flint. There was then C.C. Capwell, Gina DeMott and Sophia Capwell, then, the suspense between Eden, Cruz and Kirk. And finally, the perfect triangle Victoria, Julia and Mason. Nothing astonishing thus so that the show is also the champion of the weddings. In addition to Mason and Victoria, C.C. Capwell remarries Sophia, while Kelly, who always tries to forget Joe Perkins, marries Jeffrey Conrad. However, there is no wedding for romantic Eden yet. Her love with the beautiful Cruz are rather tumultuous. But in front of the insistence of the French public, the producers will finally yield and unite them for life.

The year 1988, in the United States, will be marked by this wedding. Cruz and Eden are finally married, at the great joy of the fans. A sumptuous wedding, ostentatious, with incredible dresses, in a superb property. Other good news : Kelly is waiting for a baby, the first of the history of Santa Barbara. It is also her gift of good-bye to the show. Indeed, the beautiful Robin Wright left definitively her character at the end of season 1988, to only devote herself to her very promising career in cinema. She made noticed beginnings, in 1987, in the movie The Princess Bride, which won a certain success in the United States. The role of Kelly Capwell however did not disappear from the show. She appears, for a time, under the features of Kimberly McArthur before being played by Carrington Garland, in the last episodes shot in the United States.

This fourth season will also see the departure of Nicolas Coster, who plays Lionel Lockridge. He did not renewed his contract, after four years in the show. "It is very hard to play in Santa Barbara. We work every day of the week and this, during almost all the year. The evening, when I come back home, I must still study my text for the following day. It was not possible to keep this rhythm longer" explains the sympathetic Nicolas Coster.

An actor goes away, others arrive. In 1988, lot of young actors made their beginnings in the famous show and thus caused new complicated stories : T.J., played by the beautiful Chip Mayer, tries to kill Kelly; Father Michael (Frank Runyeon) dates Julia Wainwright; Dr. Scott Clark (Vincent Irizarry) falls in love with Gina, who marries Keith Timmons, the district attorney played by Justin Deas. In real life, Vincent Irizarry met the woman of his life on the stage of Santa Barbara in the person of Signy Coleman, who played the role of Celeste DiNapoli. The couple is waiting for a baby. They married on last 23 July. In the show, they loved each other, their story of love on screen joined reality.

On the other hand, for the tortuous Mason, everything goes wrong. He divorces Victoria. But Julia, the woman he loves, says to him no the day of their wedding, because she has surprised him the day before in the arms of Gina. In the new episodes, shot recently in the United States, Mason Capwell marries Gina DeMott, the ex-wife of his father. But during the ceremony, somebody shoots Mason, who falls, in coma. Things will be better for him, because, some episodes further, he marries the love of his heart Julia Wainwright. It is the 21th wedding of Santa Barbara and the 3rd for Mason.

Eden, for her part, has just had a baby, a girl, Adriana, with her husband Cruz. In fact, Marcy Walker was really pregnant. She gave birth to the little Taylor on last 3 February. The desire of founding a family came to her while shooting the scenes of the wedding with Cruz. "The scenes were so romantic with A Martinez" explains the pretty Marcy, "when I left him, I found myself in the arms of my own husband, Stephen. I then thought of founding a real family so that the fiction joins reality." But the sweet Eden is not at the end of her misfortunes: her baby is kidnapped and taken to Paris. Eden, Cruz and Kelly go to her search. Six episodes were shot in the town. A way for the producers to thank the extreme fidelity of French public and of to give pleasure to its actors who fell all in love with Paris. However, the French televiewers will not see these episodes before two years.

Two years, it is thus the time it remains to the European fans to benefit from Lane Davies. Indeed, this impassioned of Shakespeare chose not to renew his contract next season. "Five years in the skin of another, it is too much", he explains. "On last 30 June, it was finished. The producers insisted, but I do not want to continue any more. I need holidays." Also finished for the seductive Todd McKee. After five long years, he decided to stop.

From the original team still remain : Louise Sorel, A Martinez, Marcy Walker, Dame Judith Anderson and Judith McConnell. The other characters, either disappeared during the seasons and due to the caprices of the writers and producers, or had several faces. It is the case of C.C. Capwell : this central character knew not less than five interpreters. The first, Lloyd Bochner, died of a heart attack (He is actually always alive !, NRDL). The second, Peter Mark Richman, has been quickly thanked, he did suit for the role. The third, Paul Burke, left from himself, claiming that the dialogues were too stupid. The fourth, Charles Bateman, did not stay for a long time, replaced by current Jed Allan. Santana Andrade also exhausted several actresses : Ava Lazar, Margaret Michaels and today Gina Gallego. As for Kelly Capwell, since the departure of Robin Wright, two ravishing actresses with long fair hair already lent their face to her : Kimberly McArthur and Carrington Garland.

The writers of Santa Barbara, never without new ideas, have more than one turn in head. The departure of two of the main actors, Lane Davies and Todd McKee, will certainly not stop them. On the contrary, that will surely excite their great imagination. For five years, the televiewers have accepted all their improbabilities : earthquakes, sudden reappearances, amnesias, the more complicated love intrigues... There is no doubt that this time again, they will find the miraculous formula which will impassion the millions of admirers throughout the whole world.