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Connections between "Falcon Crest" and Other Productions
 
(revised 05/06/2024)
 
 
 
 
Besides generic stock footage from film libraries, TV productions and movies oftentimes make use of existing footage from other shows by purchasing a license from the copyright owner.
 
While footage from other productions used on "Falcon Crest" is listed under the respective episode in the Behind the Scenes section of this website, this paragraph gives an overview of footage from "Falcon Crest" that was recycled on other shows.
 
 
 
 
"Father Dowling Mysteries":
 
 
 
"The Undercover Nun Mystery" (# 29 <3.06>; original U.S. airdate: 11/01/1990, ABC) was an episode of "Father Dowling Mysteries" featuring establishing shots for a winery.
VIACOM, the production company, which is nowadays part of CBS, licensed footage originally filmed for "Falcon Crest". VICTORIA LaFORTUNE, by the way, was co-producer in this third season of the crime drama — she moved over from "Falcon Crest" after it had run its course.
 
The above screen grabs are shots filmed at Inglenook's former barrel building in Rutherford, CA during # 019 <2.01> of "Falcon Crest" (but first used in # 086 <4.18>) and of the cave at Spring Mountain's Winery Building in St. Helena, CA for "The Vintage Years", the original pilot of "Falcon Crest".
 
 
 
 
"Hart to Hart":
 
 
"On a Bed of Harts" (# 068 <4.01>; original U.S. airdate: 09/28/1982, ABC) was an episode of "Hart to Hart" filmed primarily on location in the Napa Valley, CA. The episode featured Stags' Leap Winery, the property that became most famous as the Gioberti Estate on "Falcon Crest".
While "Hart to Hart" shot a number of scenes for its episode at Stags' Leap itself, COLUMBIA PICTURES TELEVISION licensed one nightly establishing shot of Stags' Leap Manor from LORIMAR, which had originated while filming the early parts of season 1 of "Falcon Crest". LORIMAR took stock shots of various locations in the Napa Valley to use them in the remainder of the season; that establishing shot was first used in # 009 <1.09> of "Falcon Crest".
 
 
 
 
"King's Crossing":
 
 
 
"King's Crossing" was a short-lived LORIMAR production. Ten episodes were produced, but only seven actually aired on ABC between 01/16 and 02/27/1982. It was a retooled version of the previous LORIMAR nighttime drama "Secrets of Midland Heights" (which was LORENZO LAMAS' first LORIMAR show), but the development of "King's Crossing" finally left the serial completely unrelated from its predecessor although four cast members from "Secrets of Midland Heights" were rehired for "King's Crossing" as completely different characters.
 
The main title of "King's Crossing" opened on the panorama originally shot for the "Falcon Crest" predecessor, "The Vintage Years", from the deck of Sterling Vineyards in Calistoga, CA. The original use was for the main title of "The Vintage Years", the unaired pilot of "Falcon Crest", but the clip was later reused in various episodes of "Falcon Crest" as an act 1 opener.
In "King's Crossing", only a short part of the segment was recycled. The camera pan was played in reverse order though; from right to left whereas it was featured from left to right in "The Vintage Years". Also, the final part of the clip on "King's Crossing", when the camera zooms in on the mountains (which, photography-wise, would actually be the first shot — screen capture 2 — and then followed by a zoom-out to the panorama), was never used on "Falcon Crest" and its predecessor.
 
 
 
 
"Knots Landing":
 
 

  • # 112 <6.12> "Uncharted Territory":
     
     
    "Uncharted Territory" (# 112 <6.12>; original U.S. airdate: 12/27/1984, CBS) was an episode of "Knots Landing" featuring an establishing shot with a superimposed caption for the fictional town "Shula, Tennessee".
    "Knots Landing", of course, never filmed in Tennessee, but primarly in the Greater Los Angeles area. LORIMAR simply borrowed footage originally filmed for "Falcon Crest".
     
    The above screen grabs show the camera panning from the corner of East Napa Street towards 1st Street East in downtown Sonoma, CA, prominently featuring Mission Hardware and the Sebastiani Theatre (Caproni's Italian Bakery from "Falcon Crest"). This clip was actually filmed as an establishing shot of Market Street in Tuscany for "Falcon Crest" in the summer of 1984. However, this footage remained unused in the final version of "Falcon Crest". Although it has not been possible to verify its proposed use from production documents, it was most likely intended to be utilized as the establishing shot for HARRY BASCH's deleted farewell scene at Caproni's Italian Bakery in # 073 <4.05>; for details about this scene, check out our Behind the Scenes section.
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  • # 305 <13.02> "The Question Game":
     
    "The Question Game" (# 305 <13.02>; original U.S. airdate: 09/19/1991, CBS) was an episode of "Knots Landing" featuring an establishing shot of San Francisco. This shot of the Golden Gate Bridge was originally filmed for "Falcon Crest" and first used in "Dead End" (# 160 <7.05>; original U.S. airdate: 10/30/1987). For more details about this shot, consult the respective episode in the Behind the Scenes section of this website.
 
 
 
 
"Murder, She Wrote":
 
 
  • # 083 <4.17> "A Very Good Year for Murder":
     
     
    "A Very Good Year for Murder" (# 083 <4.17>; original U.S. airdate: 02/28/1988, CBS) was an episode of "Murder, She Wrote" featuring a wine-oriented storyline. As the episode was shot entirely in Greater Los Angeles, the producers needed vineyard stock shots to establish the setting.
     
    The above screen grabs are footage licensed from "Falcon Crest" for the use on this episode of "Murder, She Wrote". The segment was remastered for this purpose. The first three screen captures are from the episode opener while the fourth picture was used as an establishing shot during the episode.
    In the original order from "Falcon Crest", the fourth capture is actually the earliest frame in the segment. The view of these vineyards and the hill was originally shot for the "Falcon Crest" predecessor, "The Vintage Years" (compare the basic information listed above under "King's Crossing"). It was used for the main title of the unaired pilot, "The Vintage Years", and later reused in various episodes of "Falcon Crest" as an act 1 opener. The final frame of the whole segment (as featured in its original order on "Falcon Crest"; similar to the above screen capture 3) might be best remembered, however, from CLIFF ROBERTSON's closing credit all through season 3 and from the background picture on ANA-ALICIA's season 5 main title card.
    Ironically enough, this "Murder, She Wrote" episode featured guest cast members who also played before or after on "Falcon Crest": JOHN SAXON, KRISTIAN ALFONSO, BIBI BESCH and ROBERT O'REILLY.
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  • # 227 <11.08> "Crimson Harvest":
     
     
    "Crimson Harvest" (# 227 <11.08>; original U.S. airdate: 11/20/1994, CBS) was an episode of "Murder, She Wrote" featuring a vineyard-oriented storyline set in Sonoma, CA. Since the episode was filmed entirely in and around Los Angeles, the producers were in need for stock footage from the wine country they could edit in between scenes.
    The above screen grabs show scenes licensed from "Falcon Crest" for the use on this episode of "Murder, She Wrote". They were remastered for this purpose:
    The vineyard panorama (screen capture 1) is from the season 3 main title (between JANE WYMAN's and ROBERT FOXWORTH's cards) and shows a view over the growing fields of Stags' Leap Winery and Shafer Vineyards outside Napa, CA in western direction.
    The "field hand" sitting on a tractor between rows of grapevines (screen grab 2) is actually WILLIAM R. MOSES from a scene filmed at Stags' Leap for # 003 <1.03> of "Falcon Crest".
    The shot of a laborer cutting off some grapes from a vine (screen capture 3) was also filmed for "Falcon Crest" where it was first used towards the end of the second version of the season 9 main title.
    The view of vineyards and a hill (screen capture 4) was originally shot for the "Falcon Crest" predecessor, "The Vintage Years" (compare the above entry about "Murder, She Wrote" # 083 <4.17>).
 
 
 
 
"Quantum Leap":
 
 
  • # 41 <3.10> "A Little Miracle — December 24, 1962":
     
     
    "A Little Miracle — December 24, 1962" (# 41 <3.10>; original U.S.airdate: 12/21/1990, NBC) was an episode of "Quantum Leap" with an establishing shot of the Golden Gate Bridge and a white Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II.
     
    As the original concept for the season 5 main title of "Falcon Crest" was based on the visuals of season 1 through 4 (compare our Behind the Scenes section), the above footage is most likely the segment filmed by LORIMAR, which remained unused due to the change of the main title design. UNIVERSAL most likely obtained a license for the use of this footage on "Quantum Leap". In that show, the clip is used to establish a bridge in New York; the zoom and close-up of the car was used to obscure that it was actually the Golden Gate Bridge. This is pretty obvious though because of the unique design of the railing and street lights.
     
     
  • # 94 <5.19> "The Beast Within — November 6, 1972":
     
    "The Beast Within — November 6, 1972" (# 94 <5.19>; original U.S. airdate: 03/16/1993, NBC) was an episode of "Quantum Leap" with a nightly establishing shot of a home UNIVERSAL had licensed from LORIMAR.
     
    It was "superfluous" footage from "Falcon Crest" LORIMAR had taken in 1987 when they filmed stock footage for the house at Randolph Vineyards. This particular shot remained unused on "Falcon Crest". For the filming location, compare our Behind the Scenes section.