In September 1984, the song 'Missing You' by John Waite topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was reported frequent radio play in addition to John Waite making guest appearances on the TV series, 'Paper Dolls' contributed to the single becoming a hit. In an interview, John Waite remembered, "You can tell how shy I was at the time. I'm trying to sing this song and sort of look at the camera and then not look at the camera. I'm embarrassed, you know.
"I mean, it's okay being on stage, because you're in some sort of persona. But being filmed was a new experience for me on that level. I suppose it was kind of charming. But there was a million places I would rather be than being filmed at that point in my life. I sang the whole first verse, bridge, and chorus without stopping. Then I had to stop, I was so overwhelmed. I stood back from the mic and I couldn't speak. Then I just rolled the tape again and got on with it.
"I had no idea I was going to sing, 'Missing you, since you've been gone away, I ain't missing you no matter what my friends say.' I had no idea I was going to sing that, and when it came out, it floored me. I stood back from the mic, and I thought, 'F--k it. Number 1.' I just knew. I just knew in my heart that it was that good. I took the tape down to the guys in the studio who were mixing, thinking the record was finished. I knew it wasn't, since we didn't have 'Missing You.' I played it in the control room and everybody stopped talking. It had that effect on people from the word go. It was one of those songs that defined a decade, really. It was one of the biggest. I think it's been played about 9, 10 million times on American radio - it's a huge thing."
Of the 12 regular episodes of 'Paper Dolls', Donald Paul Roos wrote 3 episodes; Stephen Black and Henry Stern wrote 3; with the other 6 episodes each written by Jennifer Miller, Jeff Stuart, Michael L. Grace, Carol Saraceno and Jill Gordon. The pilot movie which was shown on Sunday was the 7th highest-rated program that week attracting 18.4% household ratings and 29% audience share. In the Tuesday time slot, 'Paper Dolls' household ratings varied between 9% and 14%.
After the first episode ratings, Leonard Goldberg reportedly told Lewis Erlicht of ABC to "put us on in December or put us on after 'Dynasty' for a few weeks. He said he wouldn’t even look at the early ratings." Of 'Dynasty', Esther Shapiro observed, "Older actors have back stories. They're older, they've lived, so they can have an exciting past that we can explore. When you're a writer you're writing your fantasies. You've got your little doll house. But we became producers because we wanted (artistic) control."
On 'Paper Dolls', Dack Rambo described his role, "I've always been Mr. Nice Guy. This is a refreshing change. J.R. and Alexis have no excuses for being evil. There's a reason for my character being ugly and nasty. I'm a victim of my father's neglect. I hate my father, I don’t care for my stepmother (Marjorie), I despise my brother-in-law (David Fenton who ran Tempus Sportswear), but I truly love Blair, my (half) sister." Wesley Harper was the vice president of Harper World Wide since 1973 as well as the president of its division, Harper Cosmetics. In 1969, Wesley met Colette Ferrier.
Lloyd Bridges elaborated, "I have love for my family though I do have trouble with one son. I was married before, and his mother (Virginia) – we were celebrating my coming into my own - and I had a few drinks and was driving and she was killed in a car accident (in 1951). He's held it against me ever since. He's jealous of my daughter (Blair), who worships me. And I'm in love with a well-off Philadelphia woman (Marjorie)…but not as much as I loved my first wife. I worked my way up from poor beginnings. My son runs one of my divisions – not too well, I think. When we talk about things it always gets emotional." Grant married Marjorie in 1952.
Question: Are there people like the Carringtons and the Colbys in the U.S.? Have you met them?
Joan Collins: Yes, very much so. I've also met them in France and in Rio and Italy and other places. The richest, the most successful, the most high-flying people in the world are quite like the Carringtons. I don't consider 'Dynasty' other than a gothic fairy story for the masses and I find it infinitely better for the masses than the amount of gratuitous and horrific violence, muggings, attacks, rapes, gun-fighting we have on our television screens.
Analyst Philip Burrell considered the 1984-85 TV season "the tightest 3-network ratings race in years. It's certainly true that networks have become more aware of demographics. And that, in a sense, is giving the advertiser what he wants. The advertiser has various (age) targets - 18 to 34s, 18 to 49s, teens, whatever. The networks are very much aware that when they are up against a hit like 'Dallas' or 'Magnum P.I.' on another channel, they can't win, so they must counterprogram - to at least get the females, for instance, to make their own program attractive to sponsors.
''The one major trend (that season) is the return to the accent on police action-adventure drama. Many NBC shows are the best examples of that. But the other networks are also returning to that form. It's NBC's way of arriving at a format, familiar to viewers, which has worked in the past. They went through their upscale, 'improving television' phase a few years ago and learned rather hard lessons. Then they went through an innovative phase last year with shows like 'Manimal' and 'Mr. Smith.'
"Now (in the 1984-85 season) they are returning to a familiar format that's been around as long as television - the police drama. I see a 100% increase in that form this season. The ratings are not artistic ratings, just chances for success. Shows will be priced accordingly. You can't buy all 'Dallas's' and 'Magnums,' because you'd be getting audiences well beyond your need. So the networks put together a package based on the demographics you want to reach. They'll throw in one top-rated show, for instance, and at least one lower-rated show to amortize the expense. Sometimes a bad show may be very efficient for your demographics - something that reaches a large teen audience and nothing else, for instance.''
After the first episode ratings, Leonard Goldberg reportedly told Lewis Erlicht of ABC to "put us on in December or put us on after 'Dynasty' for a few weeks. He said he wouldn’t even look at the early ratings." Of 'Dynasty', Esther Shapiro observed, "Older actors have back stories. They're older, they've lived, so they can have an exciting past that we can explore. When you're a writer you're writing your fantasies. You've got your little doll house. But we became producers because we wanted (artistic) control."
On 'Paper Dolls', Dack Rambo described his role, "I've always been Mr. Nice Guy. This is a refreshing change. J.R. and Alexis have no excuses for being evil. There's a reason for my character being ugly and nasty. I'm a victim of my father's neglect. I hate my father, I don’t care for my stepmother (Marjorie), I despise my brother-in-law (David Fenton who ran Tempus Sportswear), but I truly love Blair, my (half) sister." Wesley Harper was the vice president of Harper World Wide since 1973 as well as the president of its division, Harper Cosmetics. In 1969, Wesley met Colette Ferrier.
Lloyd Bridges elaborated, "I have love for my family though I do have trouble with one son. I was married before, and his mother (Virginia) – we were celebrating my coming into my own - and I had a few drinks and was driving and she was killed in a car accident (in 1951). He's held it against me ever since. He's jealous of my daughter (Blair), who worships me. And I'm in love with a well-off Philadelphia woman (Marjorie)…but not as much as I loved my first wife. I worked my way up from poor beginnings. My son runs one of my divisions – not too well, I think. When we talk about things it always gets emotional." Grant married Marjorie in 1952.
Question: Are there people like the Carringtons and the Colbys in the U.S.? Have you met them?
Joan Collins: Yes, very much so. I've also met them in France and in Rio and Italy and other places. The richest, the most successful, the most high-flying people in the world are quite like the Carringtons. I don't consider 'Dynasty' other than a gothic fairy story for the masses and I find it infinitely better for the masses than the amount of gratuitous and horrific violence, muggings, attacks, rapes, gun-fighting we have on our television screens.
Analyst Philip Burrell considered the 1984-85 TV season "the tightest 3-network ratings race in years. It's certainly true that networks have become more aware of demographics. And that, in a sense, is giving the advertiser what he wants. The advertiser has various (age) targets - 18 to 34s, 18 to 49s, teens, whatever. The networks are very much aware that when they are up against a hit like 'Dallas' or 'Magnum P.I.' on another channel, they can't win, so they must counterprogram - to at least get the females, for instance, to make their own program attractive to sponsors.
''The one major trend (that season) is the return to the accent on police action-adventure drama. Many NBC shows are the best examples of that. But the other networks are also returning to that form. It's NBC's way of arriving at a format, familiar to viewers, which has worked in the past. They went through their upscale, 'improving television' phase a few years ago and learned rather hard lessons. Then they went through an innovative phase last year with shows like 'Manimal' and 'Mr. Smith.'
"Now (in the 1984-85 season) they are returning to a familiar format that's been around as long as television - the police drama. I see a 100% increase in that form this season. The ratings are not artistic ratings, just chances for success. Shows will be priced accordingly. You can't buy all 'Dallas's' and 'Magnums,' because you'd be getting audiences well beyond your need. So the networks put together a package based on the demographics you want to reach. They'll throw in one top-rated show, for instance, and at least one lower-rated show to amortize the expense. Sometimes a bad show may be very efficient for your demographics - something that reaches a large teen audience and nothing else, for instance.''
