Between 1981 and 1990, 'Dallas' and 'Falcon Crest' could be seen back-to-back on television on Friday nights normally between 9:00p.m. and 11:00p.m. (Eastern Standard Time).
Of 'Dallas', David Jacobs shared, "Dallas popped into my mind because it is a city of larger-than-life characters, rawness, wealth and a cowboy-like grit that prevails there. I'm an Easterner and had never been to Dallas. So I wrote the script first...I wrote whatever illusions and stereotypes I had in mind and included some research. When Larry (Hagman) signed to star he told me he was a native of Fort Worth and that I had got most things right."
Of his shows, Earl Hamner responded, "I drew the characters in 'The Waltons' out of my own life. I researched a lot more for 'Falcon Crest', but I just created people, and the fine casts of both series went on from there...Someone once said to me, 'How can you do 'Falcon Crest' after 'The Waltons?' and I said, 'Everybody has a good side and a bad side', and this was coming from my wicked side." Susan Sullivan concurred, "That's what art is. It's many things on the top and lots of really dark and interesting things underneath and that's sort of the essence of Earl. This southern gentleman on the top. But a murky sexuality underneath."
Jane Wyman described her role, "I think the closest I ever came to this kind of character before was Aunt Polly in 'Pollyanna'. Aunt Polly was a matriarch of sorts and always held the family together. And that's what Angie does. She’s a multi-faceted character who treats everybody differently." Of the comparison made between Angela Channing and J.R. Ewing, Earl reasoned, "They might both be villains in a way but J.R. is motivated by greed, whereas Angela is a keeper of the flame. She is motivated by family. She is not evil. She does evil to protect her family holdings. J.R. is evil and does evil for greed."
In July 1982, Spring Mountain Winery launched the Falcon Crest label on the market. Wine tasting was said comprised of "Swirl, sip, swish, chew, gurgle and spit." The chewing and gurgling was said for tasting of the wine.
Michael Robbins founded Spring Mountain Winery in 1968 recounted in 1984, "For the first 3 years of Spring Mountain, I was the only employee. That’s how I learned. That’s my contribution to some of the people I have working with me now. They have the technical knowledge and I have the experience."
