tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2675393718702467550.post5189378542974925376..comments2019-08-11T10:01:26.564-07:00Comments on Hill Place: The Single-Handed Destruction of "Falcon Crest" by Kristian Alfonso's Pilar OrtegaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2675393718702467550.post-6990025641710098272018-02-06T18:42:50.486-08:002018-02-06T18:42:50.486-08:00Wow. I always knew that Kristian Alfonso's do...Wow. I always knew that Kristian Alfonso's doomed stint on the final season of FC was disliked, but man. First off, I'm surprised that there was anyone left after Season 8 who had this much of a fiendish interest left in the show. FC is my favorite prime-time soap of all-time, but that's bc I limit my critic to the first 6 seasons (or 2/3s of it). The first 3 season were genius. The 4th jumped the shark with the Nazi treasure crap storyline, and the 5th and 6th were quite good, but for me, much of the end of FC perished in SF Bay with Chase. I'll be the first to defend Ana Alicia's value to the series. She was a brilliant casting choice, and there's no doubting that FC without Melissa simply should not have been. I stop short at criticizing Kristian Alfonso, who is by all accounts a fine soap actress, even if she was regrettably out of her depth in prime time. I see this less as her fault, though, and more of a scriptural problem. The writing simply wasn't there. Blame the writers--not the venerable Ms. Alfonso, who clearly has more than enough charm and skill to basically play one of the most enduring heroines of Daytime TV, for, oh, 3 1/2 decades. I get the outrage; I do. I'm simply suggesting that it's a bit misplaced. Not even Gregory Harrison, whose character at least had a scintilla of depth, could save FC from itself. It was simply its time to go.PVnNOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03013266044613431388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2675393718702467550.post-45870301426734736042017-11-15T10:33:20.256-08:002017-11-15T10:33:20.256-08:00I loved Falcon Crest in its early years, and while...I loved Falcon Crest in its early years, and while I agree the Ortega family's introduction didn't help the show, I am not sure it was the prime reason for the show's decline. I do agree, though, Filerman & Marchetta can be blamed for much of the show's destruction. But whether I fully agree or not, I really admire all the research and insight your article provides and really enjoyed reading it!robparsons1988https://www.blogger.com/profile/08743047220070604526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2675393718702467550.post-27131630795229238212017-11-15T10:28:38.816-08:002017-11-15T10:28:38.816-08:00In all honesty, I have to disagree with this being...In all honesty, I have to disagree with this being a Kristian Alfonso bash-fest. A Pilar Ortega bash, yes, but Ms Alfonso could only work with the material given her and it was lame because the writers & production team didn't have a good plan for her story-line.robparsons1988https://www.blogger.com/profile/08743047220070604526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2675393718702467550.post-11786113209514781712015-08-30T13:30:24.606-07:002015-08-30T13:30:24.606-07:00Don't forget Alfonso went to melrose place!Don't forget Alfonso went to melrose place!caseyedwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11427533465291202121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2675393718702467550.post-21979578792804595382013-12-11T09:20:54.879-08:002013-12-11T09:20:54.879-08:00Congrats, you flame-baited me into a Reply.
Jeff ...Congrats, you flame-baited me into a Reply.<br /><br />Jeff Freilich was probably why Falcon Crest had a few seasons extra past his tenure and why they evoked such strong emotions as those expressed here.<br /><br />Sure, Falcon Crest was a pretty good soap beforehand, but those earlier seasons seem pretty bland compared to 1986-88...where Angela became a 3-dimensional character with personality and softness to balance out her rough exterior. <br /><br />Those fight scenes between Angela & Richard were the best; along with the eventual acceptance of him being her son and showing some genuine love for another by the close of the 1988 cliffhanger. Those scenes are no doubt some of Falcon Crest's finest moments ever. <br /><br />Jeff Freilich brought big production to Falcon Crest, perhaps he did kill its budget during the 1987-88 world-tripping season; but he sure made it memorable. He doesn't need to have seen previous seasons; the writers are the ones who must know the history and be responsible for character/story continuity. Jeff shook Falcon Crest a new one, and we were glued to the set each and every one of his weeks. Even Soap Opera Digest awarded Falcon Crest for best soap and best cliffhangers during his seasons. And post-Freilich, Soap Opera Digest called FC the most ruined soap. Both say a lot about a great many things about the show.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2675393718702467550.post-76005571931214966352013-11-01T21:44:44.943-07:002013-11-01T21:44:44.943-07:00Jeff Freilich was a hack. He was proud to have nev...Jeff Freilich was a hack. He was proud to have never seen any of the 5 seasons produced before he joined. His episodes were cheesy, campy, and unwatchable. They were right to fire him.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2675393718702467550.post-21844648611428019402013-10-07T03:59:52.328-07:002013-10-07T03:59:52.328-07:00Oh looky here, another Kristian Alfonso bash fest....Oh looky here, another Kristian Alfonso bash fest. Am I missing something here? Was KA a member of the FC powers that be? Was she among the writing staff? <br /><br />Do you really have nothing better to do with your time than to dig up this Falcon Crest crap just to slam an actress for simply doing her job? How sad.<br /><br />Falcon Crest ended eons ago. GET OVER IT.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2675393718702467550.post-52066604517157832252013-08-12T15:57:04.301-07:002013-08-12T15:57:04.301-07:00I disagree about the S7 cliffhanger being the most...I disagree about the S7 cliffhanger being the most artfully crafted of any of the shows at the time. The S3 plane crash was much more thrilling because everyone was on the plane (except for Cole and Melissa)! That cliffhanger ranked right up there with "Who Shot J.R.?" The best of the best.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2675393718702467550.post-18917807160134363162013-08-11T16:32:34.289-07:002013-08-11T16:32:34.289-07:00Nicely written, and I especially like the analogy ...Nicely written, and I especially like the analogy of Pilar being the "Cousin Oliver" of Falcon Crest. I was working for Lorimar during the last part of the 6th all of the 7th and most of the 8th seasons and was dismayed to see the direction the show was heading. Our department saw a lot of the scripts and budgets long before other departments, so we knew weeks, even months, in advance when major changes were in the works. The changes that took place in Season 8 were largely motivated by money. Jeff Freilich left behind some of the most expensively produced episodes in Falcon Crest's history, especially those he directed. He was a television director trying to make 48-minute epic motion pictures. That's why Filerman was called off his lazy ass and put to work. He had been collecting $25K-$30K per episode to do absolutely nothing. But for all their supposed cost saving tactics, Season 8 ended up being even more expensive than either of the two season before it because they had to continue paying Ana-Alicia, among other things. And things became worse in Season 9, as Jane Wyman and Susan Sullivan both were paid their full salaries for the entire season, even though Susan appeared (alive) in only one episode and Jane in just a handful of episodes. And with yet another change in production staff, I really believe CBS had already decided to cancel Falcon Crest before Season 9 even premiered. Your blog entry should definitely be regarded as a lesson in all things you covered, especially the right and wrong ways to terminate existing characters and introduce new characters in a long running and successful television series. Though it's 25 years after the fact, have you considered publishing this piece for a wider audience, say the film school crowd? You should, as the subject matter is still relevant even by today's standards. I have rambled and, therefore, I will now be quiet. Good job.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2675393718702467550.post-52144172168283982642013-08-11T06:43:10.087-07:002013-08-11T06:43:10.087-07:00I could not agree with you more. I could not agree with you more. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2675393718702467550.post-49853242420630279182013-08-11T05:51:39.575-07:002013-08-11T05:51:39.575-07:00Wow. Although for me seasons 8 and 9 were as good ...Wow. Although for me seasons 8 and 9 were as good as all of those that preceded them (but for the choking fact that Ana-Alicia was gone), this is a wonderful and well-researched and a cheeringly passionate piece of writing. Thank you so much.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2675393718702467550.post-13753730536715764262013-07-30T18:57:13.124-07:002013-07-30T18:57:13.124-07:00I really appreciate this thoughtful and well-writt...I really appreciate this thoughtful and well-written entry. I too was a high school-age devotee of the show and was so excited at its prospects after the finale of season 7 (in my opinion, the most artfully crafted cliffhanger of any of the big 80s prime-time soaps). What actually followed in season 8 was a travesty. It is no wonder why Susan Sullivan chose to leave the show after the train wreck left by Filerman and Marchetta.TampAGShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02825028575324989720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2675393718702467550.post-31989781800107880712013-06-18T12:26:04.394-07:002013-06-18T12:26:04.394-07:00What a great essay about how Falcon Crest died, I ...What a great essay about how Falcon Crest died, I feel the same exact way. 1988-89 should have been another crackerjack season, with the eponymous battle for Falcon Crest between Angela and Melissa. It could have, and should have, been an awesome, awesome storyline. Both Jane Wyman nad Ana-Alicia were in their finest forms ever. <br /><br />According to Jeff Freilich, a big part of what happened to Falcon Crest was that the budgets were slashed, especially for an older show (in it's 8th season). <br /><br />My heart was broken, with the way things turned out. Such a horrible, missed opportunity for the show.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2675393718702467550.post-38171197989577305992013-06-02T14:20:17.367-07:002013-06-02T14:20:17.367-07:00This is another interesting essay, Hill Place. I w...This is another interesting essay, Hill Place. I was a fan of Ana Alicia and agree that it was a major mistake to kill off her character. The information you shared about her contract is fascinating.<br /><br />I didn't watch "Falcon Crest" during the 1988-89 season, but it sounds to me as if the writers deserve most of the blame for trying to force the Pilar character on the audience. I'm not sure I'd put much blame on Kristian Alfonso. I also think it's worth noting that "Dallas," "Falcon Crest's" lead-in, was losing audience and that probably contributed to "Falcon Crest's" decline in the ratings too.<br /><br />I appreciated your comments about Chao-Li Chi, an actor I adored. When the issue of racial minorities on the prime-time soaps is raised, his contributions often gets overlooked. What a shame. If the show's goal in the late 1980s was to racially integrate the cast, I wonder if the producers ever considered expanding Chai-Li's family instead of adding the Ortegas? Perhaps Chao-Li could have had a troublemaking niece or nephew? If ever the series is revived, it would be nice to see some of Chao-Li's descendants as major characters.<br /><br />Thanks again for another thoughtful post.<br />Chris B.noreply@blogger.com