In 1990 Donna Mills tried to raise fund to produce the mini-series, 'A Pride of Royals', about an American Naval Commander who fell in love with a Russian ballerina. Donna disclosed, "We'll film it in Russia in a co-production with the Soviet Union. They'll provide services such as hotels, transportation, the cameras, the horses and equipment. They're very anxious to do that sort of thing.
"It's based on a novel by Justin Scott about an attempt by King George V of England and Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany to get Czar Nicholas II out of Russia before the Communist Revolution. It's a real adventure story. The only American in it will be a Naval Commander. He falls in love with a Russian ballerina. I don't think it will go to a network. They're not very big on costume drama."
On network television between 1980 and 1989, "I was known as a vamp primarily from 'Knots Landing'. I think most people know me from 'Knots'. The series has given me exposure. The fact that they ever cast me was amazing. They described Abby as earthy, voluptuous, sexy." David Jacobs acknowledged, "Even as I met her, I didn't see it there."
Donna continued, "The producers liked the idea of casting against type. The Abby I created was much more of a sophisticated person and much more intelligent. They conceived her as this little tart who moved into the cul-de-sac. But she wasn't just a sleep-around. Women don't feel threatened by me. I'm not some big-busted gal sashaying around, showing a lot of cleavage. That was a unique character. She was really good in that genre. It's much more fun to play a character who makes things happen. It's much more fun to be the causer of problems than the causee."
In the 1984-85 season of 'Knots Landing', Abby took over the running of the money-earning cable TV news station, Pacific World Cable, a subsidiary of the money-losing Pacific West Publications which Gary Ewing bought through his Ewing Enterprises in the 1983-84 season after inherited 10% of Ewing Oil. To highlight the importance of journalism, viewers were shown scenes between Abby who ran the station and journalist Ben Gibson who ran the news department.
Abby to Ben: Do you need more help, is that it? Look I'm putting Joshua's spot on 5 times a week now. The revenue from that is available to you. Don't worry about the budget. Joshua's show is making more money than we ever thought it would. We use those funds. I don't really need the profit from this station anymore. You take it - every penny of profit and put it back into the news department. I mean it. Whatever this station earn you can pour it back into the news, no limit, the more money you make the more money you'll have for journalism. Let's even start going for some competition Ben: the Peabody, the Pulitzer.
Joshua Rush was initially brought on to do commentary toward the end of Reverend Kathrun's show. However after looking "at the jump in subscriber's interest when your segment come on, nearly double," Abby told Joshua, "Look at the numbers, the time is right (to replace Reverend Kathrun)." In Latin, "Kath" was said to mean "pure". In one scene between Abby and Joshua:
Joshua Rush: That's funny (referring to the changes in the script).
Abby: It's just a different approach to your idea. Humor can be a very effective tool.
Joshua: Where did you learn to edit like this?
Abby: I was an English major.
Joshua: I'm impressed. What did you mean by this here (pointing at the page)?
Abby: Aah, well I thought if you held back the fact that this letter was written by an 11-year-old to the very end, it might have more impact.
Joshua: Nice surprise!
Abby: Surprise can be an effective tool too.
Joshua: You're a surprise.
Donna Mills told the press, "I know many actresses say that they had to fight for a certain part, but in my case it is absolutely the truth. I love the fact that Abby is three-dimensional, and I fight with the writers to keep her that way. Despite her obvious greed and self-adoration, I think of Abby as being a good mother, very protective. Of course, she's not a Ladies Home Journal type of mother but a good mother, nevertheless.
"Having created her and played her all this time, there's a great deal of me in Abby. I don't necessarily do things exactly the way she does because she's a character and can get away with more than a real person. But my personality is very much a part of her. It's important that the writers keep coming up with interesting and nasty things for Abby to do. If they don’t, then things start to happen to her rather than her making things happen to others. She likes power more than money. She likes the power of being in control.
"I'm not a TV watcher. I love to read biographies and see movies about real people, as long as the material is good. I watch myself if I know I'm going to be on, but usually by myself with the covers over my head. When you play a part, you have a certain image of yourself in your head, but on the screen, 9 times out of 10, you don't look the way you expected. It's jarring. Also, a show is sometimes cut in unexpected ways.
"I do watch. I try to learn. But it’s never easy. It’s never fun – ‘Oh, there I am!' The nighttime serials are so much bigger. They allow you to do more, go more places, open up. I like that. An actor gets to act in that kind of show, much more than in police shows, where all you do is run, jump, shoot and have car chases. That's not acting. It's all technical and, for an actor, boring."
"Having created her and played her all this time, there's a great deal of me in Abby. I don't necessarily do things exactly the way she does because she's a character and can get away with more than a real person. But my personality is very much a part of her. It's important that the writers keep coming up with interesting and nasty things for Abby to do. If they don’t, then things start to happen to her rather than her making things happen to others. She likes power more than money. She likes the power of being in control.
"I'm not a TV watcher. I love to read biographies and see movies about real people, as long as the material is good. I watch myself if I know I'm going to be on, but usually by myself with the covers over my head. When you play a part, you have a certain image of yourself in your head, but on the screen, 9 times out of 10, you don't look the way you expected. It's jarring. Also, a show is sometimes cut in unexpected ways.
"I do watch. I try to learn. But it’s never easy. It’s never fun – ‘Oh, there I am!' The nighttime serials are so much bigger. They allow you to do more, go more places, open up. I like that. An actor gets to act in that kind of show, much more than in police shows, where all you do is run, jump, shoot and have car chases. That's not acting. It's all technical and, for an actor, boring."
Viewers were also shown scenes discussing ratings such as when Abby told Joshua, "Your viewership was levelling off over the past few weeks. It's down in several cities. Don't get me wrong the ratings are still good but they're not climbing anymore. I think you've peaked Joshua." As "ratings are slipping", singer Cathy Geary was brought in "to sing more on the show."
Viewers were told how a news department operated. In one scene Ben told Cathy, "Can I get you to look at something for me? This is a spreadsheet. This indicates production expenses against revenues. See the figure at the bottom? That indicates the profit that we make off Joshua's show. I don't know if you know but we have the 2nd largest non-network news gathering organization in the whole country.
"It costs money to do the news. If you look at this figure, it indicates the profit we get when you sing on Joshua's show. Now to put it bluntly, with those profits I can have 2 investigative reporters. I can beef up the bureau in Washington. I can open an office in Latin America. (Joshua) understands your importance to this show. I just want to let you decide."
Viewers were told how a news department operated. In one scene Ben told Cathy, "Can I get you to look at something for me? This is a spreadsheet. This indicates production expenses against revenues. See the figure at the bottom? That indicates the profit that we make off Joshua's show. I don't know if you know but we have the 2nd largest non-network news gathering organization in the whole country.
"It costs money to do the news. If you look at this figure, it indicates the profit we get when you sing on Joshua's show. Now to put it bluntly, with those profits I can have 2 investigative reporters. I can beef up the bureau in Washington. I can open an office in Latin America. (Joshua) understands your importance to this show. I just want to let you decide."
In the 1984-85 season, the 'Knots Landing' crew went to Newport, around Oregon coast to film scenes for the Lotus Point resort storyline. Lotus Point was the real-life Salishan Lodge. In one episode, Gary told Abby he projected a break even point in 10 years (say around 1994) for the Lotus Point resort which replaced hotels with individual cabins powered by solar. At a Lorimar Productions launch, Michele Lee, holding onto a chicken-ke-bob, told the press, "You people take salmon so casually. We pay $16 a pound for the stuff. Have you noticed? Every time I'm interviewed I manage to stand at a different table of food."
The Empire Valley land development project storyline was also introduced in the 1984-85 season. In one scene, Paul Galveston told Senator Greg Sumner, "Empire Valley is going to be ready for you soon. I want you now." When Greg turned down Paul's offer, he was reminded, "I know, Greg Sumner always get what he wants to go under his own steam – to a degree! You've gone as far as you can go. What I've got is better than the Senate, bigger than the Presidency."
In the 1985-86 season, the Empire Valley storyline wrapped. In one scene Greg asked John Coblentz, "Aren’t you the guy who used to teach that one of the things that separates us from the dictators and tyrants of this world is the value we place on human life?" John Coblentz answered, "Yes, that was theory. But this is fact. And the fact is, what we are doing here is a very important and necessary effort to maintain our way of life. Reality, my dear Gregory, is very often different from theory."
In 1989, Donna Mills played a dual role - one a redhead and one a blond in the movie, 'The Lady Forgets'. Donna recalled, "The producer of course, said to me, 'We can schedule it so we can do a couple of days all red and a couple of days all blond, so you can dye your hair. Guys don't know. You can make it red easy enough, but to bring it back to blond would be disaster. I said, 'No, you're going to have to buy me a wig.'"
In the 1985-86 season, the Empire Valley storyline wrapped. In one scene Greg asked John Coblentz, "Aren’t you the guy who used to teach that one of the things that separates us from the dictators and tyrants of this world is the value we place on human life?" John Coblentz answered, "Yes, that was theory. But this is fact. And the fact is, what we are doing here is a very important and necessary effort to maintain our way of life. Reality, my dear Gregory, is very often different from theory."
In 1989, Donna Mills played a dual role - one a redhead and one a blond in the movie, 'The Lady Forgets'. Donna recalled, "The producer of course, said to me, 'We can schedule it so we can do a couple of days all red and a couple of days all blond, so you can dye your hair. Guys don't know. You can make it red easy enough, but to bring it back to blond would be disaster. I said, 'No, you're going to have to buy me a wig.'"
