Joan Van Ark announced in June 1986, "Four major players, myself included, are up for renegotiation this season (the 1985-86) on 'Knots Landing', so I know they'll be moving us closer and closer to the elevator, where the shaft cable will break and they'll freeze-frame on our 4 faces. That will be the last take of the season!" Donna Mills once said, "I'm never afraid the elevator is going to drop. I’m just afraid it's going to get stuck."
From 1980 to 1989, Donna could be seen playing Abby on the TV series 'Knots Landing'. "Abby has lots of color...I don't think you describe Abby as really crude and nasty…She's very naughty, but she does everything with a great sort of zest. She has a good time, and that's mainly what she's looking for. One thing I liked (is that) they (the producers) wanted to cast against type in casting Abby...and I guess I convinced them that they should cast (the part) as rather a sultry and sexy kind of person. You like her, and at the same time, you know that she's doing these rotten things...I don't want the viewer to hate her…It's a pleasure being the one who's stirring things up and knowing that viewers are really paying attention to you."
Ted Shackelford had said, "If people watch 'Knots Landing' and are entertained by it then I'm happy. The main thing I have to remember is I'm providing entertainment for the masses not creating art." Donna made the point, "For drama, you must have someone doing bad things and making havoc on the good people. Playing Abby is certainly fun because she is the villainess. But on a more serious note, women like Abby because she has some very positive qualities. She is independent, strong and career-oriented. She is very much her own person." Of his role, Ted made known, "I love the character of Gary. He's realistic, at least more so than his thoroughly good and bad brothers. J.R. can always be depended on to act in what the public considers the 'wrong' way; Bobby, the 'right'. Gary, however, is a mixture of the 2, and that's a character I can deal with."
Ted Shackelford had said, "If people watch 'Knots Landing' and are entertained by it then I'm happy. The main thing I have to remember is I'm providing entertainment for the masses not creating art." Donna made the point, "For drama, you must have someone doing bad things and making havoc on the good people. Playing Abby is certainly fun because she is the villainess. But on a more serious note, women like Abby because she has some very positive qualities. She is independent, strong and career-oriented. She is very much her own person." Of his role, Ted made known, "I love the character of Gary. He's realistic, at least more so than his thoroughly good and bad brothers. J.R. can always be depended on to act in what the public considers the 'wrong' way; Bobby, the 'right'. Gary, however, is a mixture of the 2, and that's a character I can deal with."
Kevin Dobson believed, "The show bridged generations. I firmly believe we'd still be running had the network executives not gotten scared when the cable channels began to eat into the network audience." Michele Lee added, "The ratings we had when we were canceled would signal a smash hit by today's (1997) standards. But costs go up faster than revenues." Kevin pointed out, "We've never had any peaks or valleys. We've always just been there. Those wild peaks can hurt a show because after all that excitement, there is always the inevitable let-down and decline." Donna observed, "Our show gets the least publicity of any CBS series. It is like a stepchild. Yet, there are loyal viewers who keep it alive." Ted noted, "Most of our stories are based on real incidents, and I think people appreciate this. Because they're at least semi-believable, the characters become real and the audience cares what happens to them each week."
Donna acknowledged in 1989, "Being on 'Knots' certainly offered security. It was a place to go – a steady job – and that's always nice for an actor...It is a challenge being out there with no 'Knots' to come back to the way I would after doing a TV film during hiatus. But I feel good about what I see are endless possibilities ahead." Ted admitted, "I love having to go in the morning. I love having a job. I adore the money they pay me, although every now and then I do get a little weary of the character."
Donna told followers, "In order to be successful you must have some talent, but that certainly doesn't guarantee success. You've also got to be a very hard worker. And a little luck doesn’t hurt...I was when I came here (to Hollywood) a respected actress so nobody ever came on to me as though I was the new girl in town, that type of thing. That's one of the reasons I'm glad I went to New York first before I came to California because I'd hate to be out here green. That's a tough way to go. I've always felt I was respected for what I did, and I've never felt that I was on the market with 42 other little starlets that are out here. A lot of those girls bring it on themselves because they're here for the glamor. They call themselves actresses, and all they're doing is going to parties."
Ted made the observation in 1983, "The wealth of the world literally stays at that hotel (the Carlyle Hotel in New York). It was the only job outside of acting that I ever had which I enjoyed. I was responsible for over 500 rooms. Each night the people would come to the hotel, I felt as if someone new was auditioning for this play I was in every evening. You can't imagine what it was like when Jackie Kennedy checked into the hotel! She was so impressive and so beautiful that the staff would be excited the entire evening just thinking about her. Here I was, struggling actor by day and at night George C. Scott was calling me, Mr Shackelford. Warren Beatty used to come to the hotel a lot. I got used to seeing him there all the time. One night I saw him enter the lobby and so I naturally reached for his key. I turned around to hand it to him and I froze. I couldn't move because hanging on his arm was Julie Christie."
Donna also shared, "I've never been poor, but I've certainly had to watch my pennies on different occasions in my life. So I'm very conservative with money. I was brought up with that idea. No matter how much money I've ever made, I've always saved a lot of it. And my business managers are quite pleased with me because they don't have to worry about me. I don't go off spending more than I have or more than I should. Of course it's fun to have more to spend, to be able to splurge a little bit every now and then. But no one will ever be able to accuse me of being a spendthrift."
In the 1982-83 season, Donna decided to buy a green Jaguar. Donna recounted, "I'd never cared a hoot about cars. As long as a car got me where I was going, it didn't matter a bit to me what kind it was. I've had okay cars but nothing special, ever. About the time I knew 'Knots Landing' would be a hit, and was asking myself what I would really like to have to celebrate that, I found myself spending a lot of time driving to and from the studio. And I suddenly thought, 'That's it! I'm going to have a very special car, a beautiful car, a Jaguar.'"
Donna told followers, "In order to be successful you must have some talent, but that certainly doesn't guarantee success. You've also got to be a very hard worker. And a little luck doesn’t hurt...I was when I came here (to Hollywood) a respected actress so nobody ever came on to me as though I was the new girl in town, that type of thing. That's one of the reasons I'm glad I went to New York first before I came to California because I'd hate to be out here green. That's a tough way to go. I've always felt I was respected for what I did, and I've never felt that I was on the market with 42 other little starlets that are out here. A lot of those girls bring it on themselves because they're here for the glamor. They call themselves actresses, and all they're doing is going to parties."
Ted made the observation in 1983, "The wealth of the world literally stays at that hotel (the Carlyle Hotel in New York). It was the only job outside of acting that I ever had which I enjoyed. I was responsible for over 500 rooms. Each night the people would come to the hotel, I felt as if someone new was auditioning for this play I was in every evening. You can't imagine what it was like when Jackie Kennedy checked into the hotel! She was so impressive and so beautiful that the staff would be excited the entire evening just thinking about her. Here I was, struggling actor by day and at night George C. Scott was calling me, Mr Shackelford. Warren Beatty used to come to the hotel a lot. I got used to seeing him there all the time. One night I saw him enter the lobby and so I naturally reached for his key. I turned around to hand it to him and I froze. I couldn't move because hanging on his arm was Julie Christie."
Donna also shared, "I've never been poor, but I've certainly had to watch my pennies on different occasions in my life. So I'm very conservative with money. I was brought up with that idea. No matter how much money I've ever made, I've always saved a lot of it. And my business managers are quite pleased with me because they don't have to worry about me. I don't go off spending more than I have or more than I should. Of course it's fun to have more to spend, to be able to splurge a little bit every now and then. But no one will ever be able to accuse me of being a spendthrift."
In the 1982-83 season, Donna decided to buy a green Jaguar. Donna recounted, "I'd never cared a hoot about cars. As long as a car got me where I was going, it didn't matter a bit to me what kind it was. I've had okay cars but nothing special, ever. About the time I knew 'Knots Landing' would be a hit, and was asking myself what I would really like to have to celebrate that, I found myself spending a lot of time driving to and from the studio. And I suddenly thought, 'That's it! I'm going to have a very special car, a beautiful car, a Jaguar.'"
