LINDA EVANS

"The first wave of 'baby boomers' – a generation born in the aftermath of World War II (after 1945) – is turning 40 this year (in 1986), embracing a mixture of idealistic attitudes and materialistic lifestyles," John Leighty of United Press International reported in March 1986. Linda Evans played a part in "our national awakening to the beauty and sexiness of women over 40." Back in 1981, Jay Bernstein announced, "I went to Linda a number of years ago and told her she could be the woman of the '70s. She was my first choice. She said, 'Thanks, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I just want to go home to John (Derek)'. Farrah (Fawcett) was the woman of the '70s. She made being 30 seemed the perfect age. The perfect age for a woman in this decade (the 1980s) will be about 40, and Linda will be the perfect 40." 

John Leighty continued, "With more disposable income than others who have turned 40 in the past, the baby boomers consist of hippies turned yuppies, campus protesters turned politicians, and anti-establishment types turned entrepreneurs...The generation that listened to Bob Dylan (now 44), the Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger is 42) and Joan Baez (43), has also carried with it an idealism that has hatched alternative ways of looking at families, home and work." 

Linda admitted in 1981, "For a long time I wasn't sure about acting. I was confused. I never really sought a career; I thought of it as something transitional in my life. I was into being anonymous. I gave very few interviews and did hardly any personal appearances. I wasn't interested in being anybody – known or otherwise." Linda also mentioned, "John (Derek) didn't want me to work. He wanted me to quit 'Big Valley'. I went to the producer and asked to quit, but they wouldn't let me out. John kept hoping they'd cancel the show. I think John would rather all of us (including Bo Derek) had stayed home." 

In April 1980, Richard Kenyon of the Milwaukee Journal reported, "Today (in 1980), the nation is divided – by age, experience and philosophy. There is no consensus on values, and no fluid flow of values from one generation to the next. Divided by experience, too, many of those born before 1945, referred to as the 'Depression Kids', knew poverty, unemployment and the struggle to 'make it'. Many of those born after 1945 grew up having it; they are affluent and well-educated. 

"In terms of philosophy, most of those born before 1945 followed certain societal rules – you obeyed your elders, your bosses, your priests, ministers and teachers. In short, you recognized and respected all the fine distinctions of the established hierarchies and levels of authority. Many of those born after 1945 do not. For many of those born before 1945, God was in Heaven, Satan was in Hell, father was at work and mother was at home. Those roles are uncertain today (in 1980). The idea of who and what is God is undergoing major revision. Satan, for many people, is being discarded, ignored and forgotten. 

"The roles of men and women are being revolutionized. This breakdown in traditional values has come as the Industrial Age seems to be coming to an end. In this time of turning, of the transition to a new kind of civilization, values seem confused. But they seem to be taking identifiable shape. A consensus is growing as a new way of life dawns. People are asking similar questions. Movements of all kinds are coalescing, although not easily. 

"Those who hold to the old values don't understand the affection others have for the new. Those who want to bring about change and usher in a new culture are opposed by the generation that controls the systems and has most of the power. That clearly was the case in the 1960s, when the rift between the generations was most severe as it blasted into history unannounced. The mid-'60s were the time when the first wave of Baby Boomers separated from their Depression Kid parents and their values. The new generation has the future ahead of them – one threatened by a growing world population, deteriorating environment and nuclear holocaust. But most of the power is held by the previous generation. And all the rules are those of the previous generation." 

Speaking from the Bonaventure Hotel in 1983 where she attended the Linda Evans Celebrity Tennis Tournament, Linda recalled, "A few years ago I was walking through the kitchen toward the back door. My maid was ironing and watching TV in her room, and I heard this familiar voice. I stopped and looked at the screen and couldn't believe my eyes. It was me – in 'Big Valley'. I think I had a lot of baby fat then (1965-69), even though I've always been thin. But I was sort of rounder and very shy and I think that came across, too. A lot of me has changed. It's funny to have so much film on yourself. I suppose it would be strange to all of us to go back 22 years and look at ourselves for a minute at a place in time and see how we were." 

On 'Dynasty', Linda played Krystle. Creator Esther Shapiro elaborated, "Krystle comes from a middle-class background. She marries a rich, older man. She has to run a mansion, deal with servants. There are stepchildren almost her age who resent her. She has to decide whether to have a child while there's still time. One day Linda came to me and said, 'This is out of my own life.'" Linda added, "It's a little scary sometimes. A script will come in and I'll see something in it and I'll say, 'My God, that happened to me.' There are so many instances where the script has paralleled my life." 

Tony Shepherd observed, "Esther Shapiro, who created the show, feels the audience wants to see strong men and strong women who respect men. All the characters have a flaw, including Alexis." Linda remarked, "There are many things that Krystle should change about Blake. But she loves him so she sticks it out, hoping for a change." Linda also conceded, "I think as an actress we always take parts of ourselves and sometimes if there's something we can identify in ourselves or our friends we put it into the part."

As Krystle, "it was the process of becoming stronger as a woman in her 30s and sharing that with people through television that appealed to me about the character. To say it's never too late to grow up and to learn and change and get wiser. When you become conscious of what's happening to you, what your life is all about – well, then you can begin to change it…For years I didn't recognize my own potential. Whether it was choosing my acting roles or making a dinner reservation at a restaurant, I always relied on other people's opinions. Now (in 1986), I handle my own decisions, and if I fall, well, that's the breaks." 

By 1984, 'Dynasty' "has become a phenomenon. It's not anything you even know how to experience until it happens to you. What's happened more recently (back in 1984), though, is something I really wasn't prepared for – how successful the show has become all over the world. There's no privacy in terms of traveling. Paparazzi follow you everywhere." 

'Dynasty', Linda believed, "It is entertainment but I think it is informative in that it reflects families and internal situations within families. I know most people don't live like the Carringtons, but the main dramas in 'Dynasty' are all about relationships: fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, people who divorced and their relationship with each other. And we have situations on the show that I think reflect society today (in 1984) – homosexuality, mental illness, divorce. In order to entertain, you can't have it everyday life. You get everyday life at home."

At the start of 1981, Linda confessed, "I just hoped to take care of myself for a while with the money, however long it lasted. When we finished that first season, I went off to shoot a 'Love Boat' in Australia...We filmed in Australia and the Fijis. It was wonderful. They were paying us to take a cruise...I got a telegram that we'd been picked up and I started to cry. I really thought they wouldn't want us back...The first year, we were opposite 'M*A*S*H' for 13 weeks and we practically went off the air. It wasn't until the 3rd year (1983) that we really began building a strong audience." At one time, "I don't know if I'll have to go back to being a secretary. They don't tell us. We get the scripts in the morning and it's always a surprise at the things we have to do. It's probably just as well that they don’t tell us." 

Linda acknowledged, "I really was not prepared for the amount of success all over the world that it has become. It has been amazing to experience it. To think it could be successful and to experience it is a totally different thing. How can I describe something that changed my life? My car is paid for. My house is paid for. I travel. I have the freedom to do what I want to do whenever I want to do it. What would I possibly complain about?" 

In 1986, Linda spent 6½ weeks in Alice Springs, Australia to film the TV mini-series, 'The Last Frontier'. She recounted, "It was hard to come back and do 'Dynasty' again. Especially getting dressed up and into makeup. I thought it was Halloween, but they said that wasn't even as much makeup as I had before I left. It's (Alice Springs) a small town and coming off 9 months of 'Dynasty' I'd forgotten what it was like to be in a small town. I hadn't thought of going that far or working that hard, but I wanted to do it. I'd spent the last 2 vacations from 'Dynasty' just relaxing and traveling. They (McElroy & McElroy) outlined all the problems, the heat, the dust, the flies, the isolation. I said, 'Are you trying to talk me out of it?'" 'The Last Frontier' was written by Michael Laurence and John Misto and directed by Simon Wincer.