Behind The Screen (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Behind The Screen is a short-lived late-night weekly serial which aired on CBS
(Fridays, 11:30 PM EST) from October 9, 1981 to January 8, 1982. It was created by David Jacobs
(Dallas
, Knots Landing
} for CBS, which wanted to experiment with late night programming as a counterpoint to ABC and NBC's more successful efforts at that time of night. Drawing upon his experience with the prime-time serials, Behind The Screen was a dramatization of the goings-on at a fictional TV soap opera called Generations. This was not the first attempt to explore the concept of a "soap within a soap" as radio soaps had used the idea as far as back as the 1940s (A Woman To Remember), and Ryan's Hope
had used the idea for a story in the early 1980s.
It premiered as an hour-long special, and regular episodes were 30 minutes. The show focused on the beautiful young star of Generations, Janie-Claire Willow (Janine Turner
), who was a pawn in a power struggle between her wheelchair-using mother Zina (Joanne Linville), her powerful agent Evan (Mel Ferrer
), and her show's leading man, Brian (Michael Sabatino
). The show's early pacing was a bit meandering and had problems finding an audience. The show seemed to be finding its focus, helped by stronger writing by Ronnie Wencker-Konner, when it was canceled after only 3 months on the air. The last episode concerned a backstage party where starlet Joyce Daniels was poisoned. Suspicion quickly fell on Lynette Porter (Debbi Morgan
). In a bit of levity, Michele Lee
(a star on Jacobs' Knots Landing) appeared as herself, playing a guest at the party; when questioned by police, she was mistakenly identified by the cops as Mary Tyler Moore
.
The lasting effect of the show lays in the wonderful cast. Mel Ferrer and Joanne Linville added a touch of class to the proceedings, and other cast members made impact on other shows. Janine Turner gained notice when she appeared as a Laura lookalike on General Hospital
and eventually found fame in movies and on the quirky series Northern Exposure
. Michael Sabatino appeared on Knots Landing as the unhinged Chip Roberts and later appeared on several daytime soaps. After Behind The Screen, Debbi Morgan was cast as Angie Baxter on All My Children
. Coincidentally, she later appeared on a different soap actually called Generations as Chantal.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
(Fridays, 11:30 PM EST) from October 9, 1981 to January 8, 1982. It was created by David Jacobs
David Jacobs (writer)
David Jacobs in Baltimore, Maryland is a writer for television, most memorable for being the creator of the two dramas Dallas and Knots Landing....
(Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
, Knots Landing
Knots Landing
Knots Landing is an American primetime television soap opera that aired from December 27, 1979 to May 13, 1993 on CBS. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in California, the show centered on the lives of four married couples living in a cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle...
} for CBS, which wanted to experiment with late night programming as a counterpoint to ABC and NBC's more successful efforts at that time of night. Drawing upon his experience with the prime-time serials, Behind The Screen was a dramatization of the goings-on at a fictional TV soap opera called Generations. This was not the first attempt to explore the concept of a "soap within a soap" as radio soaps had used the idea as far as back as the 1940s (A Woman To Remember), and Ryan's Hope
Ryan's Hope
Ryan's Hope is an American soap opera, revolving around 13 years of trials and tribulations within a large Irish American family in the Riverside district of New York City. It aired from July 7, 1975 to January 13, 1989 on ABC...
had used the idea for a story in the early 1980s.
It premiered as an hour-long special, and regular episodes were 30 minutes. The show focused on the beautiful young star of Generations, Janie-Claire Willow (Janine Turner
Janine Turner
Janine Turner is an American actress who starred on the prime time television show Northern Exposure from 1990 to 1995. From 2000 to 2002, she appeared on the Lifetime original series Strong Medicine...
), who was a pawn in a power struggle between her wheelchair-using mother Zina (Joanne Linville), her powerful agent Evan (Mel Ferrer
Mel Ferrer
Mel Ferrer was an American actor, film director and film producer.-Early life:Ferrer was born Melchor Gastón Ferrer in Elberon, New Jersey, of Catalan and Irish descent. His father, Dr. José María Ferrer , was born in Cuba, was an authority on pneumonia and served as chief of staff of St....
), and her show's leading man, Brian (Michael Sabatino
Michael Sabatino
Michael Sabatino is an American actor.-Private life:Sabatino attended the University of California, Irvine, where he set a school record for the pole vault of 17½ feet....
). The show's early pacing was a bit meandering and had problems finding an audience. The show seemed to be finding its focus, helped by stronger writing by Ronnie Wencker-Konner, when it was canceled after only 3 months on the air. The last episode concerned a backstage party where starlet Joyce Daniels was poisoned. Suspicion quickly fell on Lynette Porter (Debbi Morgan
Debbi Morgan
Deborah "Debbi" Morgan is an American film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Dr. Angie Hubbard on the ABC soap opera All My Children, and for her role as The Seer in the fourth and fifth seasons of Charmed.Morgan joined the cast of The Young and the Restless as...
). In a bit of levity, Michele Lee
Michele Lee
Michele Lee is an American singer, dancer, actress, producer, director and frequent game show panelist of the 1970s. She is best-known for her role as Karen Cooper Fairgate MacKenzie on the 1980s prime-time soap opera, Knots Landing...
(a star on Jacobs' Knots Landing) appeared as herself, playing a guest at the party; when questioned by police, she was mistakenly identified by the cops as Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms. Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis, and for her earlier role as...
.
The lasting effect of the show lays in the wonderful cast. Mel Ferrer and Joanne Linville added a touch of class to the proceedings, and other cast members made impact on other shows. Janine Turner gained notice when she appeared as a Laura lookalike on General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
and eventually found fame in movies and on the quirky series Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure is an American television series that ran on CBS from 1990 to 1995, with a total of 110 episodes.-Overview:The series was given a pair of consecutive Peabody Awards: in 1991–92 for the show's "depict[ion] in a comedic and often poetic way, [of] the cultural clash between a...
. Michael Sabatino appeared on Knots Landing as the unhinged Chip Roberts and later appeared on several daytime soaps. After Behind The Screen, Debbi Morgan was cast as Angie Baxter on All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
. Coincidentally, she later appeared on a different soap actually called Generations as Chantal.
Cast
- Evan Hammer ... Mel FerrerMel FerrerMel Ferrer was an American actor, film director and film producer.-Early life:Ferrer was born Melchor Gastón Ferrer in Elberon, New Jersey, of Catalan and Irish descent. His father, Dr. José María Ferrer , was born in Cuba, was an authority on pneumonia and served as chief of staff of St....
- Janie-Claire Willow ... Janine TurnerJanine TurnerJanine Turner is an American actress who starred on the prime time television show Northern Exposure from 1990 to 1995. From 2000 to 2002, she appeared on the Lifetime original series Strong Medicine...
- Zina Willow ... Joanne Linville
- Jordan Willow ... Scott Mulhern
- Brian Holmby ... Michael SabatinoMichael SabatinoMichael Sabatino is an American actor.-Private life:Sabatino attended the University of California, Irvine, where he set a school record for the pole vault of 17½ feet....
- Gerry Holmby ... Joshua Bryant
- Dory Holmby ... Loyita Chapel
- Karl Madison ... Mark PinterMark PinterMark Pinter is an American actor probably best known for his numerous roles in daytime soap operas.-Education:Pinter received his Master of Fine Arts from the Hilberry Repertory Theatre of Wayne State University.-Acting:...
- Angela Aries ... Claudette Nevins
- Joyce Daniels ... Erica Yohn
- Lynette Porter ... Debbi MorganDebbi MorganDeborah "Debbi" Morgan is an American film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Dr. Angie Hubbard on the ABC soap opera All My Children, and for her role as The Seer in the fourth and fifth seasons of Charmed.Morgan joined the cast of The Young and the Restless as...
- Bobby Danzig ... Bruce FairbairnBruce FairbairnBruce Earl Fairbairn was a Canadian musician and international record producer from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was active as a producer from 1976 to 1999 and is considered one of the best of his era...