Concerned about her "superbitch" image, Joan Collins spoke to the press at the end of the 1981-82 TV season of 'Dynasty', "Everywhere I turn I hear knives coming out. I can almost feel a trickle of blood from between my shoulder blades. And it's crazy. I can understand people having a ruthless and cruel image of me from films like 'The Bitch' (1979) or 'The Stud' (1978). But that's years ago.
"Here I am in Beverly Hills cooking my daughter's (Katie) supper and playing Scrabble with friends. Yet I'm supposed to be living it up every night. I want to shatter these illusions. I'm really a loving mother and a faithful wife. I'm no more that lady having Vermouth spilled over her by Leonard Rossiter than I am the character I'm playing at the moment. I seem to have this image of a sort of scarlet woman over here (in the US)."
In 1978, Joan Collins' autobiography, 'Past Imperfect', was published. In the book, Joan Collins chose to discuss about Katie because "I want to help other parents in a similar situation. I said if God gave Katie back to me, nothing in the world would ever be more important. No one seems interested in the fact that I did 25 charity shows in the previous 12 months (in 1981), and for four years I've supported financially a child in Biafra."
On 'Dynasty', "Alexis (47 in 1982) really is quite a girl. Blake married her at 17 (around 1952) and taught her everything she knew. Then he caught her playing around and threw her out (in 1965) without any hesitation. When she's brought back (in 1981) into the family scene by an accident, she tries to steal him away from Krystle, whom he has since married. You could also say she has family problems. Her daughter Fallon has become a nympho and her son Steven, because of lack of attention, has gone gay. There's lots of sex and innuendo (on 'Dynasty'). It's all very naughty without being nude. Blake even rapes Krystle at one point."
In a conversation with her stepdaughter, Sean Derek, recounted in June 1985, Linda Evans expressed, "Some people have a tendency to think about the power and the stardom from their personal perspectives. They assume that power makes you more important than them in some way. Unfortunately, society is geared towards putting more importance on those who make the bigger money and have a certain authoritarian position. That's something that always offended me to some degree.
"Just because I do a job that's highly rewarding doesn't mean that my feelings are more important than anyone else's. It just makes me more fortunate. Also, I came to realize after working on 'Big Valley' (1965-69) that this is not going to last forever. I'm honest enough with myself to know that it all changes. One day you're the greatest thing since sliced bread then pretty soon someone new comes along and they're the greatest thing since sliced bread.
"The problem is that sometimes, with all the attention and available power, people begin to believe that they really are more important and deserving than others. I certainly admit that it makes me happy when people enjoy my work. But I also realize that for a time I'm in a wonderful position with incredible opportunities doing things that people dream about."
On 'Dynasty', Nolan Miller spawned a new kind of woman in popular culture - women with a sense of empowerment - with the help of shoulder pads. Gina Silverstein of 'Costume Designers Guild' reported in 2011, "Miller's shoulder pads went beyond helping to define the silhouette as they had during World War II. His masculine shapes progressively became a symbol of women's attempt to break the glass ceiling to get ahead. The cultural effect at the time was virtually unparalleled.
"Miller says he especially knew he had hit upon something when he saw thirteen-year-old girls dressing up like Alexis and Paris couture houses mimicking his designs. Creating international fashion trends can be risky, though, and this was no exception. While the shoulder pads were huge in every sense of the word and undoubtedly helped to bring about financial opportunities with the launch of 'The Dynasty Collection' for the masses, Miller's costume designing could easily have been eclipsed by it.
"Fortunately, his exceptional talent and passion for costume design created a legacy that has outlasted any fashion trend. While Miller worked with average budgets for most of the Aaron Spelling shows, 'Dynasty' was in a league of its own. 'It spoiled me a great deal because I don't think there will ever be another television show with a budget like that for clothes,' he says. '(Spelling) wanted everyone to look good and he understood that it cost money.'
"Miller's weekly expenditures reached $35,000 and when there was a special episode such as a wedding, he spent more. In 1985, at the height of 'Dynasty's' popularity, the 'Moldavian Massacre' season finale was watched by 60 million viewers. With a budget of $150,000, Miller created costume grandeur among the chaos. The episode centered on Blake and Alexis’ daughter, Amanda, played by Catherine Oxenberg, who was in Moldavia marrying its crown prince.
"Miller designed an exquisite wedding dress for Oxenberg of heavy Italian silk satin with hand embroidered ivory and white flowers and pearls. After terrorists interrupt the ceremony with a hail of bullets, the entire cast lay on the floor of the chapel, including the bride-to-be. It was a cliff-hanger that 'Entertainment Weekly' recently named as one of the most unforgettable in the history of prime-time dramas. Despite the carnage, knock-off versions of Miller’s dress appeared in weddings everywhere that summer. The year before, in 1984, Miller launched his own women’s apparel line, 'The Dynasty Collection', based in part on the costumes he had been designing for Collins and Evans."
"Here I am in Beverly Hills cooking my daughter's (Katie) supper and playing Scrabble with friends. Yet I'm supposed to be living it up every night. I want to shatter these illusions. I'm really a loving mother and a faithful wife. I'm no more that lady having Vermouth spilled over her by Leonard Rossiter than I am the character I'm playing at the moment. I seem to have this image of a sort of scarlet woman over here (in the US)."
In 1978, Joan Collins' autobiography, 'Past Imperfect', was published. In the book, Joan Collins chose to discuss about Katie because "I want to help other parents in a similar situation. I said if God gave Katie back to me, nothing in the world would ever be more important. No one seems interested in the fact that I did 25 charity shows in the previous 12 months (in 1981), and for four years I've supported financially a child in Biafra."
On 'Dynasty', "Alexis (47 in 1982) really is quite a girl. Blake married her at 17 (around 1952) and taught her everything she knew. Then he caught her playing around and threw her out (in 1965) without any hesitation. When she's brought back (in 1981) into the family scene by an accident, she tries to steal him away from Krystle, whom he has since married. You could also say she has family problems. Her daughter Fallon has become a nympho and her son Steven, because of lack of attention, has gone gay. There's lots of sex and innuendo (on 'Dynasty'). It's all very naughty without being nude. Blake even rapes Krystle at one point."
In a conversation with her stepdaughter, Sean Derek, recounted in June 1985, Linda Evans expressed, "Some people have a tendency to think about the power and the stardom from their personal perspectives. They assume that power makes you more important than them in some way. Unfortunately, society is geared towards putting more importance on those who make the bigger money and have a certain authoritarian position. That's something that always offended me to some degree.
"Just because I do a job that's highly rewarding doesn't mean that my feelings are more important than anyone else's. It just makes me more fortunate. Also, I came to realize after working on 'Big Valley' (1965-69) that this is not going to last forever. I'm honest enough with myself to know that it all changes. One day you're the greatest thing since sliced bread then pretty soon someone new comes along and they're the greatest thing since sliced bread.
"The problem is that sometimes, with all the attention and available power, people begin to believe that they really are more important and deserving than others. I certainly admit that it makes me happy when people enjoy my work. But I also realize that for a time I'm in a wonderful position with incredible opportunities doing things that people dream about."
On 'Dynasty', Nolan Miller spawned a new kind of woman in popular culture - women with a sense of empowerment - with the help of shoulder pads. Gina Silverstein of 'Costume Designers Guild' reported in 2011, "Miller's shoulder pads went beyond helping to define the silhouette as they had during World War II. His masculine shapes progressively became a symbol of women's attempt to break the glass ceiling to get ahead. The cultural effect at the time was virtually unparalleled.
"Miller says he especially knew he had hit upon something when he saw thirteen-year-old girls dressing up like Alexis and Paris couture houses mimicking his designs. Creating international fashion trends can be risky, though, and this was no exception. While the shoulder pads were huge in every sense of the word and undoubtedly helped to bring about financial opportunities with the launch of 'The Dynasty Collection' for the masses, Miller's costume designing could easily have been eclipsed by it.
"Fortunately, his exceptional talent and passion for costume design created a legacy that has outlasted any fashion trend. While Miller worked with average budgets for most of the Aaron Spelling shows, 'Dynasty' was in a league of its own. 'It spoiled me a great deal because I don't think there will ever be another television show with a budget like that for clothes,' he says. '(Spelling) wanted everyone to look good and he understood that it cost money.'
"Miller's weekly expenditures reached $35,000 and when there was a special episode such as a wedding, he spent more. In 1985, at the height of 'Dynasty's' popularity, the 'Moldavian Massacre' season finale was watched by 60 million viewers. With a budget of $150,000, Miller created costume grandeur among the chaos. The episode centered on Blake and Alexis’ daughter, Amanda, played by Catherine Oxenberg, who was in Moldavia marrying its crown prince.
"Miller designed an exquisite wedding dress for Oxenberg of heavy Italian silk satin with hand embroidered ivory and white flowers and pearls. After terrorists interrupt the ceremony with a hail of bullets, the entire cast lay on the floor of the chapel, including the bride-to-be. It was a cliff-hanger that 'Entertainment Weekly' recently named as one of the most unforgettable in the history of prime-time dramas. Despite the carnage, knock-off versions of Miller’s dress appeared in weddings everywhere that summer. The year before, in 1984, Miller launched his own women’s apparel line, 'The Dynasty Collection', based in part on the costumes he had been designing for Collins and Evans."
