Jane Wyman Movies
Born Sarah Jane Fulks, Jane Wyman tried to break into films as a child but was unsuccessful despite encouragement from her mother. A decade later, she began her show business career as a radio singer, using the name Jane Durrell. In 1936, she began appearing in films as a chorus girl and bit player. Eventually, she moved into secondary roles and occasional leads, usually playing brassy blondes in comic relief. She broke out of this mold with her performance in The Lost Weekend (1945), in which she demonstrated her talents as a serious actress; this led to better roles as a major star. For her work in The Yearling (1946), she received a Best Actress Oscar nomination, then won an Oscar for her portrayal of a deaf-mute rape victim in Johnny Belinda (1948). She went on to star in many films, demonstrating her versatility in both comedies and tearjerkers. She was twice more nominated for Oscars, for The Blue Veil (1951) and Magnificent Obsession (1954). After 1956, her screen work was infrequent. She returned from retirement in the early '80s to play a regular role on the TV series Falcon Crest. From 1940 to 1948, she was married to Ronald Reagan; their daughter, Maureen Reagan, was a singer-actress. After a long period of inactivity, Wyman died at age 93 in early September 2007. ~ All Movie Guide- 1949
A Kiss in the Dark opens with a shot of Jane Wyman in a two-piece bathing suit. Alas, the dictates of cinematic construction demand that some sort of plot must follow this promising beginning. Wyman plays model Polly Haines, one of several mildly eccentric tenants in an apartment building owned by neurotic concert pianist Eric Phillips (David Niven). Requiring absolute peace and quiet, Eric intends to evict his tenants and thereby have the building all to himself. Soon, however, he is won over by the apartment dwellers, who in their own various ways are as high-strung as the musician. He also falls in love with Polly, just as expected. The supporting cast of Kiss in the Dark is peopled by such expert farceurs as Victor Moore, Broderick Crawford, Wayne Morris, Joseph Buloff, and Curt Bois. Making her final screen appearance is Maria Ouspenskaya as the building's resident "earth mother." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Niven, Jane Wyman, (more)
- 1987
Often trailers and coming attractions are of as much or more interest to viewers than the actual movie. Included here are some of the trailers and coming attractions seen in the Academy Award-winning Best Pictures from 1927's Wings to 1959's Ben Hur, also including The Bridge on the River Kwai, On the Waterfront, The Greatest Show on Earth, The Lost Weekend and others. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
One of director Douglas Sirk's best and most successful romantic soapers of the 1950s, All That Heaven Allows is predicated on a May-December romance. The difference here is that the woman, attractive widow Cary Scott (Jane Wyman), is considerably older than the man, handsome gardener-landscaper Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson). Sirk builds up sympathy for Cary by showing how empty her life has been since her husband's death, even suggesting that the marriage itself was no picnic. Throwing conventionial behavior to the winds and facing social ostracism, Cary pursues her romance with Ron, who is unjustly perceived as a fortune-hunter by Cary's friends and family--especially her priggish son Ned (William Reynolds). Amusingly, Conrad Nagel was to have had a much larger part as Harvey, an elderly widower who carries a torch for Cary, but his role was trimmed down during previews when audiences disapproved of an implicit romance between a sixtyish man and a fortysomething woman! All That Heaven Allows was remade by unabashed Douglas Sirk admirer Rainer Werner Fassbinder as Ali--Fear Eats the Soul (1974), in which the age gap between hero and heroine was even wider. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, (more)
- 1935
Paramount Pictures decided in 1935 to create a new romantic team, thus cast singing stars Carl Brisson and Mary Ellis in the frothy operetta All the King's Horses. Brisson does the "Prisoner of Zenda" bit as a movie star who is forced by circumstances to impersonate a look-alike king. Ms. Ellis is the highborn lady who seems to be fooled by the ruse. The plots roll merrily onward while various and sundry musical-comedy character actors (including Edward Everett Horton and Eugene Pallette) fuss and fume in the background. Danish singer Carl Brisson had created a minor sensation by introducing "Cocktails for Two" in Paramount's Murder at the Vanities (34), but the studio's attempts to turn him into a Scandinavian Maurice Chevalier were unsuccessful. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carl Brisson, Mary Ellis, (more)
- 1940
An Angel from Texas was the fourth of five film versions of the venerable George S. Kaufman stage farce The Butter and Egg Man. The plot remains basically the same, with a wealthy but incredibly naïve young sprout coming to the rescue of a near-bankrupt Broadway musical. This time around, Eddie Albert stars as bumptuous Texan Mr. Colman, who uses his mother's life savings to finance the New York stage debut of his hometown sweetheart Lydia (Rosemary Lane). Fast-talking producers McClure (Wayne Morris) and Allen (Ronald Reagan) persuade Colman to invest his money in their upcoming production, a turgid drama that has all the earmarks of a quick failure. But through a series of wacky complications, many of them engineered by Allen's level-headed wife Marge (played by Reagan's real-life spouse Jane Wyman) the show is transformed into a Hellzapoppin-style surprise hit. Amusingly, reviewers in 1940 referred to Ronald Reagan's comedy style as "conservative"! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Albert, Rosemary Lane, (more)
- 1936
Anything Goes is a fun-filled but hardly faithful adaptation of the same-named Cole Porter Broadway musical, with additional songs by Hoagy Carmichael, among many many others. Set on a luxury liner, the story gets under way when Moonface Mullins (Charlie Ruggles), Public Enemy No. 13, slips on board disguised as a bishop. As he weaves in and out of the story, Billy Crocker (Bing Crosby) romances Hope Harcourt (Ida Lupino), titled Englishman Evelyn Oakleigh (Arthur Treacher) also pursues Hope, and brassy entertainer Reno Sweeney (Ethel Merman) chases after Sir Evelyn. Critics in 1934 complained that the original Broadway production's Victor Moore was replaced by Charlie Ruggles, but none could fault Ethel Merman's rendition of "I Get a Kick Out of You", nor her duet with Bing Crosby, "You're the Top" (the only two songs retained from the Porter score!) Anything Goes was remade in 1956, again with Bing Crosby, and again with little fidelity to the original (this remake required MCA Television to retitle the 1936 version as Tops is the Limit). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bing Crosby, Ethel Merman, (more)
- 1941
Rather than play famous outlaw Cole Younger in this film, Warner Bros. contract star Humphrey Bogart chose suspension. Ronald Reagan was considered, and so were James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson, and George Raft, but, happily, the role eventually went to the more age-appropriate Dennis Morgan, a former band singer. Like MGM's Billy the Kid, also from 1941, Bad Men of Missouri emerged as a complete whitewash of the title outlaws. Returning from fighting on the Confederate side in the Civil War, the Younger brothers -- Cole (Morgan), Bob (Wayne Morris), and Jim (Arthur Kennedy) -- find their money no longer viable currency and their homestead about to be usurped by carpetbagger William Merrick (Victor Jory). Standing up to Merrick and his chief henchman, Greg Bilson (Howard DaSilva), old Hank Younger (Russell Simpson) is shot dead, and, in frustration, the sons take up train and bank robbing, eventually joining the even more notorious James brothers, Jesse (Alan Baxter) and Frank. Of course, the celluloid Youngers steal only from the rich to give to the displaced poor. When they are finally caught in Minnesota, the citizenry of Missouri, viewing the Youngers as local heroes, take up a petition for their immediate release. Despite the many historical inaccuracies, Bad Men of Missouri makes for exciting, fast-paced Western entertainment; quite the opposite, in fact, of MGM's staid, overly glamorous depiction of Billy the Kid. Filmed at Sonora, CA, and cast with veterans such as Erville Alderson, Sam McDaniel (who replaced Willie Best in the role of the Younger's devoted servant), and a very funny Walter Catlett, the film premiered in Harrisonville, MO, the birthplace of the Younger brothers and the town where the elder Younger had once been elected mayor. Jane Wyman appears as the nominal heroine, the upstanding girlfriend of Jim Younger, and the film marked the screen debut of Faye Emerson as Cole Younger's ill-fated fiancée. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Morgan, Jane Wyman, (more)
An Indiana family embarks on their dream vacation to France. The Willard family, led by Harry (Fred MacMurray) and Katie (Jane Wyman), bring their three children along to experience a slice of continental culture abroad. Amy (Deborah Walley) is the lovestruck teenager whose brother Elliott (Tommy Kirk) is easily as eager for love. Younger brother Skipper (Kevin Corcoran) is the mischievous moppet who is always getting lost. Elliott is mesmerized by a pretty French maid, Amy is wooed by a wealthy teen, and Katie fends off the advances of an amorous playboy. From Paris to Monte Carlo, the Willard family experiences culture shock firsthand and realizes quickly they are not back home in Indiana. This Walt Disney production, while focusing on less childlike themes than in other films, still managed to take in five million dollars in its initial domestic release. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred MacMurray, Jane Wyman, (more)
- 1938
In this lively comedy, three young hell-raisers enroll in the Virginia Military Institute and have a hard time staying out of trouble. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Priscilla Lane, Wayne Morris, (more)
- 1940
This comedy is the sequel of Brother Rat. The film begins with the three original protagonists after their graduation from the Virginia Military Institute. One of them has just applied for a job as the academy's baseball coach and the others come to assist him. Mayhem ensues; especially after the two well-meaning friends steal the would-be coach's baby and put it aboard a plane headed for Peru. The babe finally comes back and the ensuing publicity gets the coach his dream job. Meanwhile, the other two finally get the girls of their dreams. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Albert, Wayne Morris, (more)
- 1936
Previously (and uncomfortably) co-starred in Polly at the Circus, Marion Davies and Clark Gable were reteamed in Cain and Mabel, reportedly on the demand of Davies' "sponsor" William Randolph Hearst. The story concerns a hash slinger-turned-Broadway-star named Mabel O'Dare (Davies, endearingly miscast) whose career is in the hands of hotshot publicist Reilly (Roscoe Karns). To stir up interest in Mabel's latest musical show, Karns cooks up a phony romance between his client and boxing champ Larry Cain (Gable) -- even though Mabel and Cain have already developed a healthy dislike for one another. Unfortunately, Karns' brainstorm turns out to be a drizzle: Mabel's show is a flop, and Cain begins losing in the ring. By the time Cain and Mabel have fallen in love for real, both parties have had to virtually abandon their careers as proof that it is for real. Most of the comedy setpieces in the film fall flat, save for a terrific bit near the end: Told that "The show must go on!," a disconsolate Mabel asks "Why?" -- and no one can come up with a good answer! This is the film in which a studio stagehand allegedly pops up during one of the production numbers, but don't kill yourself looking for him. PS: The handsome actor billed as David Carlyle later enjoyed a substantial screen career as Robert Paige. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marion Davies, Clark Gable, (more)
- 1947
A mysterious crook by the name of "The Poet" is robbing Wells Fargo stages and creating havoc in the Old West. The sheriff is having no luck discovering the desperado's identity; when he comes across James Wylie (Dennis Morgan), a gambler who is running from the law in Carson City, he blackmails him into going undercover and tracking the outlaw down. Wylie takes the next coach out, joined by two tantalizing women, Ann (Jane Wyman) and Emily (Janis Paige). Emily is just a saloon singer (which affords her the chance to croon "I'm So in Love" and "Going Back to Old Cheyenne"), but it turns out that Ann is more unusual -- she's the wife of The Poet. The two team up to track him down (encountering The Sundance Kid and his gang along the way) -- and discover that they make a pretty good team. A popular TV series of the same name was loosely based upon the movie; starring Clint Walker, it ran for 7 years starting in 1955. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Alvin, Bruce Bennett, (more)
- 1934
Paramount Pictures' annual college musical of 1934 is a pip, as they used to say. Jack Oakie plays Finnegan, a conceited gridiron hero whose prowess on the football field is exceeded only by his appreciation of the ladies. But his strutting manner and accompanying overbearing ego have alienated his one-time best friend Larry Stacey (Lanny Ross), a serious, more scholarly type who deeply resents the adulation heaped on Finnegan. Things go wrong for Finnegan after he graduates, as he pins his hopes on a job offer from a business firm that folds soon after. He finally shows up at Stacey's department store, where Larry -- the owner's son -- has taken over as general manager; and Larry, finally having the advantage over Finnegan, seeks to humiliate him in the course of helping him out with a menial job. But as it turns out, Larry is no sterling success either -- he's turned his father's once-thriving department store into a haven catering only to the very rich, of whom there were precious few in the midst of the Great Depression; Larry is also such a self-involved prig in his own way, wallowing in self-pity where Finnegan wallows in self-adulation, that he scarcely notices that his own secretary (Helen Mack) is almost dying in her unrequited love for him. In order to save his business, Larry's father, J. P. Stacey (eorge Barbier), turns to Finnegan, the football hero who used to sell 60,000 tickets a week on the playing field -- Finnegan understands ballyhoo, and what the public wants, and is put in charge of the store, and also becomes captain of a football team fielded by the store. Soon the place is jumping, especially when Finnegan brings back his old college team waterboy Joe (Joe Penner) and his duck mascot Goo-Goo, and fetching blonde cheerleader/singer Mimi (Lyda Roberti). Larry is reduced to running a department in the store and finally decides its time to step up and take on Finnegan head-to-head, joining the store's football team. But there's treachery and dirty tricks afoot -- in between a bright score by Mack Gordon and Harry Revel -- when Stacey's takes on a team fielded by their arch-rival store, Whimple's, in a bitter grudge-match fueled by the two owners' mutual dislike for each other. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Penner, Lanny Ross, (more)
- 1944
In this mystery, a detective and his secretary go on vacation and end up solving a murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Jerome Cowan, (more)
- 1954
An early television rarity of the wild off-the-cuff clowning by Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1993
Jane Wyman guest stars as Elizabeth Quinn, the wealthy Bostonian mother of Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn (Jane Seymour). Summoned to Colorado Springs by Sully (Joe Lando), the snobbish Elizabeth makes no secret of her disapproval of her daughter's profession and surroundings. The gap between mother and daughter is widened when Elizabeth refuses to provide the funds to transform an abandoned boarding house into a permanent medical clinic -- even after young Robert E. (Henry G. Sanders) is severely injured in a fire. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Lando, Chad Allen, (more)
- 1933
Joe E. Brown plays Elmer Kane, a rookie ballplayer with the Chicago Cubs whose ego is matched only by his appetite. Because he is not only vain but naive, Elmer's teammates take great delight in pulling practical jokes on him. Still, he is so valuable a player that the Cubs management hides the letters from his hometown sweetheart Nellie (Patricia Ellis), so that Elmer won't bolt the team and head for home. When Nellie comes to visit Elmer, she finds him in an innocent but compromising situation with a glamorous actress (Claire Dodd). She turns her back on him, and disconsolate Elmer tries to forget his troubles at a crooked gambling house. Elmer incurs an enormous gambling debt, which the casino's owner is willing to forget if Elmer will only throw the deciding World Series game. Elmer brawls with the gambler and lands in jail, where he learns of a particularly cruel practical joke that had previously been played on him. Out of spite, he refuses to play in the Big Game, and thanks to a jailhouse visit by the gamblers, it looks as though Elmer has taken a bribe. But when he shows up to play (after patching things up with Nellie), Elmer proves that he's been true-blue all along. Based on the Broadway play by Ring Lardner and George M. Cohan, Elmer the Great betrays its stage origins in its static early scenes, but builds confidently to a terrific climax during a rain-soaked ball game. This enjoyable film was the second in Joe E. Brown's "baseball trilogy" (see also Fireman Save My Child and Alibi Ike). Elmer the Great was remade in 1939 as Cowboy Quarterback, with Bert Wheeler in Joe E. Brown's part and with football substituting for baseball. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe E. Brown, Patricia Ellis, (more)
- 1981
Angela Channing (Jane Wyman), the formidable and much-feared owner of Napa Valley's Falcon Crest winery; and Angela's nephew Chase Gioberti (Robert Foxworth), the son of her late brother Jason, from whom he has inherited 50 acres of Channing property. Arriving in California to assume control of his land--and to rescue the Tuscany Valley from the iron grip of Angela, who controls the local water rights--Chase brings along his wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan) and his children Cole (William R. Moses) and Victoria (Jamie Rose). With gimlet-eyed determination, Angela begins formulating plans to chase Chase all the way back to New York, using every trick in the book up to and including pitting young Cole against her father. She also relies upon the legal chicanery at the disposal of her somewhat less than ethical attorney, Phillip Erikson (Mel Ferrer) All that is holding Angela back from declaring all out war on Chase is the fact that she has innumerable skeletons in her closet, beginning with the complicity of her own daughter Emma (Margaret Ladd) in Jason's "accidental" death. Meanwhile, Angela's indolent playboy grandson Lance (Lorenzo Lamas), eager to prove his worth to the Channing family by going after Chase himself, succeeds in only pulling off stupid stunts like sabotaging the Gioberti pump house. In the course of events during the first season, Victoria Gioberti falls in love with ranchhand Mario (Mario Marcellino), incurring the wrath of her parents in the process. Rebelling against her mom and dad, Victoria runs off to the streets of San Francisco, where the sharkish Lance introduces her to a producer of porno films. Later on, Lance lands a job at the "San Francisco Globe", a newspaper managed by Angela's ex-husband Douglas (David Selby). In this capacity, Lance enters into a relationship with Melissa Agretti (Ana Alicia), a romance engineered by Angela in hopes of gaining control of the competing Agretti winery. Though Melissa and Lance can't stand each other (he's still messing around with former girlfriend Lori Chapman, played this season by Cindy Morgan), she accepts his proposal, pursuing a hidden agenda of her own. When word comes that Melissa is pregnant, Angela assumes that Lance is the father--but he isn't. Meanwhile, Lance's father Tony Cumson (John Saxon), who deserted both his son and his wife (and Angela's sister) Julia (Abby Dalton) years earlier, adds to the existing aura of tension and hostility by suddenly resurfacing. Also working at the "Globe" is Chase's wife Maggie, who begins digging into the mystery of Jason Channing's death at the behest of her boss, Douglas Channing (Stephen Elliott)_. Just before the coroner's inquest, Douglas himself dies, while the only other person who may hold the key to the mystery, Angela's daughter Emma, is kept under sedation and out of the jury's reach. During all this intrigue, Lana Turner is introduced as Chase's mother Jacqueline Perrault, who seems to have all the "dirt" on Angela and her questionable business practices. As the season ends, the findings of the inquest result in Chase gaining control of Falcon Crest, though he generously (and to his later regret) allows Angela to retain ownership of half of the business; and upon the death of his father, Douglas Channing's illegitimate son Richard (David Selby) takes over the "Globe" lock, stock, and scandal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Robert Foxworth, (more)
- 1982
Much of the action in Season Two of Falcon Crest is precipitated by the murder of Carlo Agretti (Carlos Romero) the father of Melissa Agretti (Ana Alicia), the ambitious wife of Lance Cumson (Lorenzo Lamas)--who in turn is the playboy grandson of ruthless Tuscany Valley winery owner Angela Channing (Jane Wyman). The marriage between Lance and Melissa had been engineered by Angela as a power play against her nephew Chase (Robert Foxworth), who owns half of Angela's thriving Falcon Crest winery, and who has joined the Tuscany Board of Supervisors as a means of lessening Angela's financial hold on the valley. In this endeavor, he is assisted by his mother, Jacqueline Perrault (Lana Turner), and by the owner of the muckraking "San Francisco Globe", Richard Channing (David Selby), the illegitimate son of Angela's ex-husband Douglas Channing. But while Chase's opposition to Angela is altruistic in tone, Richard is motivated by greed and an all-consuming lust for power. Recognizing the double threat of Richard and Chase's, Angela's unscrupulous attorney Phillip Erikson (Mel Ferrer) does everything in his power to discredit both men. Meanwhile, Lance cheats on Melissa with his girlfriend Lori, played this season by Maggie Cooper; this so aggravates Melissa that she delivers her baby son Joseph prematurely. Elsewhere, Chase's daughter Victoria falls in love with Nick Hogan (Roy Thinnes), another member of the Board of Supervisors whom Angela has pressured to thwart Chase's plans. In other developments, Chase's son Cole (William R. Moses) is arrested on suspicion of murdering Carlo Agretti, but a series of mysterious accidents befalling various cast members makes it quite clear that the actual killer is still at large. In the tradition of the "Who Shot J.R.?" story arc on Dallas, the cast of Falcon Crest was kept in the dark as to the identity of Carlo's murderer; several possible ending were filmed, with virtually every person in the show being revealed as the culprit. Only in the season's cliffhanger finale is the truth revealed (much to the surprise of the "guilty" actor, who didn't know the outcome of the mystery until the night the episode was telecast!)--at which point both Chase and Jacqueline are shot down and left for dead! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Lana Turner, (more)
- 1983
Season Two of Falcon Crest ended as Julia Cumson (Abby Dalton), the demented sister of ruthless Tuscany Valley winery owner Angela Channing (Jane Wyman) and the mother of Angela's playboy grandson Lance (Lorenzo Lamas), revealed herself to be the murderer of Lance's father-in-law Carlo Agretti--and in the process, gunned down Angela's nephew and chief nemesis Chase Gioberti (Robert Foxworth), as well as Chase's mother Jacqueline. Though Chase recovers from his wounds, Jacqueline dies and Julia is carted off first to prison and then a mental insistution--but not before Carlo's daughter Melissa (Ana Alicia) and Chase's half-brother Richard (David Selby) try to manipulate poor Julia into destroying Angela's reputation in the courtroom. As Chase is nursed back to health by Jacqueline's nephew Dr. Michael Ransom (Cliff Robertson), Angela tries to take advantage of the situation by having Chase declared mentally incompetent so she can gain full control of the Falcon Crest winery. To this end, she enlist the aid of an unscrupulous physician named Dr. Lantry (Ron Rifkin)--who, own his own, schemes to kill Chase so that he can blackmail Angela. Once Lantry commits suicide, Angela is off the hook, while Dr. Ransom, exercising his power as executor of Jacqueline's will, keeps the ruthless Richard in line by stipulating that Chase will give Richard half of Jacqueline's fortune only if Chase regards his half-brother as being totally trustworthy! Elsewhere, Lance tries to return to his wife Melissa, who refuses to have anything to do with him, holding him responsible for her father's death and their son Joseph's fragile medical condition. Actually, Joseph is not Lance's son, but instead the offspring of Chase Roberti's son Cole (William R. Moses), who after his affair with Melissa entered into marriage with Linda Caproni (Mary Kate McGheehan), the daughter of an immigrant's-rights activist who has long despised Angela and her family. Meanwhile, Chase's wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan) has an awkward reunion with her sister Terry Hartford (Laura Johnson), an unregenerate prostitute who hopes to claim her share of Maggie's newfound wealth; before long, Terry has not only wormed her way into the Gioberti household, but she is also making the moves on the virtuous Dr. Ransom. Angela decides to use Terry's sordid history as leverage against Cole when the latter tries to gain custody of baby Joseph. As it turns out, Melissa is more than willing to relinquish Joseph to Angela's custody in exchange for a piece of Falcon Crest--a bit of chicanery that drives Lance to near-madness! Near the end of the season, the "Cartel" story arc that will dominate Season Four is introduced, as Richard enters into an extremely shady series of business transactions in order to build a racetrack on Angela's land. Also, Chase enters into a battle with Richard to save the local wineries; articles published in Richard's newspaper expose the connection between the dreaded Cartel and the late Jacqueline; Maggie develops a brain tumor; and a scheme is hatched to assassinate Richard at the opening of his racetrack. In the cliffhanger finale, Julia escapes from the institution, taking baby Joseph hostage; Angela is poised to enter into a marriage of convenience with her unscrupulous lawyer Phillip Erikson (Mel Ferrer); and several of the principal characters face extermination in an "accidental" plane crash. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Cliff Robertson, (more)
- 1984
Season Four of Falcon Crest is dominated by a storyline involving "The Cartel", a widespread criminal organization headed by war criminal Gustav Riebmann (J. Paul Freeman)--who turns out to have been the former lover of Jacqueline Perrault, the late mother of Tuscany Valley winery owner Chase Roberti (Robert Foxworth) and Chase's half-brother, ruthless newspaper owner Richard Channing (Doug Selby). While the upright Chase has no connection with The Cartel, Richard had spent the previous season conspiring with Riebmann to construct a race track on land owned by Chase's business partner, aunt, and principal antagonist Angela Channing (Jane Wyman). Angela holds Chase responsible for the death of her lawyer and fiancé Phillip Erikson, but Richard knows that the Cartel did the dirty work, and his knowledge may very well lead to his own demise. In other developments this season, Angela manages to take control of Richard's newspaper, the "San Francisco Globe", appointing her playboy grandson Lance (Lorenzo Lamas) as editor. When someone tries to murder Angela, Richard attempts to frame Lance for the crime. And later on, Richard assumes one-third control of Angela's Falcon Crest winery with the help of Angela's vengeful Italian half-sister, Francesca Gioberti (Gina Lollobrigida). This being Falcon Crest, Francesca is not content with merely grabbing up a portion of Falcon Crest; she has a long-standing grudge against the Channing family, and won't be satisfied until everyone in the clan is left twisting slowly in the wind! With all this going on, it is amazing that any time is left over for another of the season's principal plot strands, this one involving the breakup of Lance's marriage to Melissa Agretti (Ana Alicia) and the dissolution of the union between Cole Gioberti (William R. Moses) and Linda Caproni (Mary Kate McGheehan)--leading inexorably to the wedding of Cole and Melissa (who, after all, ARE the parents of Angela's great-grandson Joseph). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Gina Lollobrigida, (more)
- 1985
Season Five of Falcon Crest finds ruthless winery owner Angela Channing (Jane Wyman) once again under siege, this time from Cassandra Wilder (Anne Archer), who intends to destroy Angela and her business to avenge past wrongs committed by Angela against the Wilder family. Facing financial ruin, Angela summons her old flame Peter Stavros (Cesar Romero) to help her get back on her feet. Peter has no sooner gotten to work than he is abducted by his own daughter Sofia (Julie Carmen), who wants to get her hands on the Channing fortue herself. Eventually, Angela marries Peter--but only to prevent him from assuming full control of her beloved Falcon Crest (and to keep an eye on Peter's son Eric [John Callahan], who may have his own avaricious agenda). Meanwhile, newspaper owner Richard Channing (Doug Selby), the illegitimate son of Angela's late husband Douglas, continues to build up his financial nest eggs by skimming profits from the Tuscany Downs Racetrack that he'd constructed a few seasons earlier in order to spite Angela (and which involved him up to his neck with the sinister "Cartel"). Figuring out what Richard is up to, Terry Hartford (Laura Johnson), the ex-prostitute sister-in-law of Richard's longtime nemesis (and half-brother) Chase Gioberti (Robert Foxworth), blackmails Channing into marriage. And speaking of prostitutes, Season Five brings forth a fascinating new recurring character: Richard's female attorney Jordan Roberts (Morgan Fairchild, a schizophrenic who transforms into a hooker named "Monica" on a nightly basis! Elsewhere, Chase's wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan), exercising the prerogative of many a previous soap-opera heroine, suddenly develops amnesia, and while in this state pens a "roman a clef" about the people she knows. When the book is accepted for publication, Maggie is introduced to literary publicist Jeff Wainwright (Edward Albert)--who spends the rest of the season obsessively stalking her. Also, in their efforts to have another baby, Chase and Maggie's son Cole (William R. Moses) and his wife Melissa (Ana Alicia) engage the services of Melissa's sister Robin (Barbara Howard) as surrogate mother; going far beyond the requirements of her job, Robin sleeps with Cole, then insists upon keeping the baby. And in other developments, Melissa's ex-husband Lance (Lorenzo Lamas) falls for pop singer Apollonia (played by Patricia Kotero, who actually adopted "Apollonia" as a stage name), a fact that disgusts his grandmother Angela only slightly less than the romance between Angela's daughter Emma (Margaret Ladd) and ambitious truck driver Dwayne Cooley (Daniel Greene). In the season's traditional cliffhanger finale, all of the Tuscany Valley and the people therein--including the entire Knots Landing cast--is imperiled by a devastating earthquake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Cesar Romero, (more)
- 1986
Although the earthquake that ended Season Five of Falcon Crest resulted in only minimal damage (aside from a few quick exits by certain supporting characters), there is still plenty of "shaking" as the series enters its sixth season. For starters, unscrupulous newspaper owner Richard Channing (David Selby), in his never-ending efforts to discredit Falcon Crest winery owners Angela Channing (Jane Wyman) and Chase Gioberti (Robert Foxworth), hires a crafy female private eye named Erin Jones (Jill Jacobson). Quickly revealing herself to be as dishonest as the day is long, Erin proceeds to frame Richard for attempted murder, tries to kill Chase and endeavors to blow up Jeff Wainwright (Edward Albert), the obsessive publicist of Chase's first-time-novelist wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan). Eventually, Chase is forced to ship Erin off to a prison in Borneo, but she manages to resurface as a popular singer--and, incidentally, to kidnap Chase and Maggie's new baby Kevin! While Erin is out of circulation, her sister Meredith (Jane Badler) proves equally adept as a destructive troublemaker. In other developments, Angela's daughter Emma (Margaret Ladd) gets mixed up with Vince Karlotti (Marjoe Gortner), a phony spiritualist. Kim Novak joins the cast as a woman claiming to be Skylar, long-lost daughter of Angela's husband Peter (Cesar Romero), but who is ultimately revealed to be Kit Marlowe, a fugitive from an international criminal gang run by billionaire Roland Saunders (Robert Stack)--whose subsequent murder by poisoned cigar is at first blamed on Peter. Later on, Peter divorces Angela, but not before revealing that her arch-rival Richard Channing is actually her son, whom she thought had died at birth. And covetous truck driver Dan Fixx (Brett Cullen) arrives on the scene, determined to replace Angela's grandson Lance (Lorenzo Lamas) as sole heir of Falcon Crest. Also, after an absence of three years, Chase's rebellious daughter Victoria returns to the series, with Dana Sparks taking over from the original Victoria, Jamie Rose. In the obligatory season-ending cliffhanger, Chase Gioberti exits the series in spectacular fashion as he tries to rescue his new baby Kevin from the ubiquitous Erin Jones. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Cesar Romero, (more)
- 1987
Falcon Crest enters its seventh season minus longtime series regular Robert Foxworth, whose character, Chase Gioberti, had perished while saving his infant son from the sinister machinations of a crooked private eye. As a result, Chase's aunt and reluctant business partner Angela Channing (Jane Wyman) regains her late nephew's share of the prosperous Falcon Crest winery. Meanwhile, ruthless newspaper publisher Richard Channing (David Selby), previously assumed to be the illegitimate son of Angela's ex-husband Douglas but now revealed as Angela's biological son, enters into yet another unholy business arrangement with the Underworld, this time represented by "The Thirteen", a covert organization, headed by a man named Rosemont (Roscoe Lee Browne), which seeks to ruin the world's economy for its own profit. This does not rest well with Richard's new wife, Chase's widow Maggie (Susan Sullivan), who has every reason to suspect that Richard's new business associates are up to no good. And in a separate development, having rejoined the cast of Falcon Crest after a three-year absence during the previous season, Chase and Maggie's troubled daughter Victoria (Jamie Rose) is promptly kidnapped by an Eastern European white slavery ring. Elsewhere, in her ongoing efforts to obtain Richard's share of Falcon Crest, Angela tries to persuade her prodigal nephew Lance (Lorenzo Lamas) to return home, but Lance wants no part of either Angela or his ex-wife Melissa (Ana Alicia), who has by now aligned herself with Dan Fixx (Brett Cullen), Lance's would-be successor as heir to the Channing millions. Meanwhile, Angela conspires with a movie special-effects artist to rid herself of Melissa by convincing the girl that her house is haunted! Perhaps as a form of divine punishment for this and her many other misdeeds, Angela must resign herself to the fact that her daughter Emma (Margaret Ladd) is currently running a call-girl business, and intends to make a movie about her new career. As the season rushes to its cliffhanger finale, Richard virtually signs his own death warrant by offering to testify against "The Thirteen" before the senate, striking a deal with his would-be assassin to sacrifice his life in exchange for the safety of Angela and her family. And after Melissa digs up hitherto unknown legal papers proving that she and she alone owns Falcon Crest, Angela is tossed out on the street! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, David Selby, (more)
- 1988
Picking up where Season Seven of Falcon Crest left off, Season Eight finds the scheming Melissa (Ana Alicia), former wife of powerful vintner Angela Channing's grandson Lance (Lorenzo Lamas), assuming full charge of the Falcon Crest winery, unceremoniously evicting Angela (Jane Wyman) from the premises. Unfortunately for Melissa, her triumph will prove to be short-lived: after losing both her child and her lover, she goes bonkers, setting fire to Falcon Crest and perishing in the conflagration. But while Melissa is definitely out of the picture, Angela's son Richard Channing (David Selby), presumed killed by the sinister organization "The Thirteen" at the end of the previous season, is actually still alive. As for "The Thirteen", the entire group is assassinated en masse by the unhinged Senator Ryder (Charles Frank), who also tries to bump off Richard before he is himself dispatched by Richard's wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan). Meanwhile, Angela's efforts to regain control of her financial empire are blocked by Pilar Ortega (Kristian Alfonso), the daughter of Falcon Crest's foreman Cesar Ortega (Castulo Guera). Pilar has married Lance, who is now in league with Richard to industrialize the Tuscany valley's wine fields with the help of a phony humanitarian organization run by "The Consortium" (apparently his brush with death vis-à-vis "The Thirteen" has not taught Richard a thing) In a further effort to take over Angela's business, Richard kidnaps Angela and subjects her to a "haunting" from the late Melissa (actually a lookalike)--and when she escapes his clutches, Richard claims the incident never happened and suggests that Angela has gone crazy. But before Richard can be named conservator of his mother's estate, Angela suddenly weds Frank Agretti (Rod Taylor), a relative of the departed Melissa. Astonishingly, this hasty action proves that Angela is in her right mind, and ultimately leads to Richard's arrest! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Rod Taylor, (more)
