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# 094 <4.26> The Decline...
 
 
(revised 03/11/2024)
 
 


 
 
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Script | Credits | Filming Locations
 
 

 
 

The car driving through Chinatown in San Francisco in the opening scene is an ocher 1973 Ford Ranchero 500.

 
The outdoor scenes of the Chinatown street in San Francisco where Lance is hiding are filmed on Hennesy Street and parts of Tenement Street on THE BURBANK STUDIOS backlot. Despite minor changes (e.g. street lights, windows and the different positions of fire escapes), the façades basically still look the same nowadays.
The night scene, by the way, shows the same place where Chase, Cole and Julia were looking for Charles Fong in # 036 (compare there).
As CBS-MTM STUDIOS (now RADFORD STUDIO CENTER) have no similar exterior sets, it was necessary to return to WARNER BROS. for these scenes in the current episode and in # 095.
 
Director's mistake: On the public phone in the Chinatown building, Lance only dials seven digits to call Falcon Crest — only the phone number without an area code. The Tuscany Valley area code, however, is different from the one of San Francisco, which the director apparently forgot in stage directions.
It is equally odd that a public phone is installed on the fourth floor of an apartment / business building.
 
According to what Lance dials, the phone number of the Falcon Crest Victorian Mansion is 555-2599. The area code is (707).
 
Chase's share of Falcon Crest is worth $ 25 million. So the total value of Falcon Crest at that time must be $ 75 million. This is most likely a realistic market value compared to the bids in # 079.
 
Early script drafts suggested another scene about the Helios Food deal: A discussion between Chase, Maggie, Cole and Connie in the Gioberti House living room — right before the scene with Angela, Greg, Richard and Chase in the Falcon Crest Victorian Mansion study.
 

The establishing shot of San Francisco — a view down east on California Street from the corner of Sansome Street — is previously unused footage, which comes from the location shooting of season 2.

 
Fictional entity: An issue of another newspaper, The Oakland Star, is featured.
 

Cameraman's mistake: In the wide angle shot of the Gioberti House kitchen, the camera is pulled too far back from the set. For that reason, it becomes apparent the exterior wall behind the oven and cupboard is missing. The set has movable walls to accommodate any production requirements.

 
Chase's nickname for Angela is the "Wicked Witch of the West" — as Maggie likes to call her (see # 031).
 
The Tuscany street where Melissa and Pamela meet is east of office building 5 on the CBS-MTM STUDIOS (now RADFORD STUDIO CENTER) backlot. See # 082 for the heavy use of this building for various purposes.
LORIMAR's original blueprints of this set and many others are available for DFCF members in the Show – Production Office – Filming Locations – Movie Studios – Exterior Sets section.
 

In Chinatown, the usual light yellow Ford Pinto Runabout, a well known picture car, drives by in the background; compare # 001 for details.

 
Uncredited stand-in GORDON HODGINS appears as an extra again — this time in his usual rôle as a Tuscany Valley gentleman in front of the KRDC building in San Francisco.
Compare # 182 for a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about GORDON HODGINS, compare # 001.
 
Fictional entity: Hinman, Boyer & Michaelson Investment Bankers are introduced.
 
According to earlier script drafts, the name of Connie's ex-lover, Larry Michaelson, was originally intended to be George Michaelson.
 
Newspaper vendor Li-Chung's original name was Li-Chao in early script drafts. The writers, however, came to the conclusion that their initial intention of an allusion to "Chao-Li" was too flat a joke.
 

Uncredited extra GARY MOERKE appears as the gray-haired Tuscany Valley gentleman again — as usual, at his place of work as the Tuscany Downs Turf Club bartender.
Compare # 215 for a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 072.

 
Uncredited extra PAUL VAN appears in his usual rôle as the mustached Tuscany Valley doctor again — this time as a patron at the bar at the Tuscany Downs Turf Club.
Compare # 227 for biographical details about PAUL VAN's primary minor rôle and a list of all his appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 001.
 

The San Francisco bar where Pamela offers Greg information about Richard is actually Michael's Los Feliz Restaurant in Los Angeles.
The place used to be the Los Feliz branch of the legendary restaurant chain The Brown Derby between 1940 and 1960.

 
All interior shots of Greg's ranch house in this episode are no sets, but real rooms in HARRY CHANDLER's old in Los Feliz home, the filming location used as the Gianinni House in # 087 and 090 and one of the Falcon Crest Victorian Mansion bedrooms in # 090 (compare there). Greg's study will also be seen again in # 096.
 
Stock footage from Spring Mountain in St. Helena, CA is used to establish scenes at the Falcon Crest Winery Building.
Post-production mistake: Old clips from different years were used, which can be noticed because the first establishing shot (from 1981) shows the old lettering "Falcon Crest Winery" on the stained glass window in the front entrance whereas the second clip (from 1983) shows the lettering "Falcon Crest" only; besides there are trees on either side of the front door in the later clip. For the change of the lettering in the stained glass window, refer to # 046. For a similar mistake, see # 082.
 
As in # 091, office building 5 on the CBS-MTM STUDIOS (now RADFORD STUDIO CENTER) backlot is used again as an exterior part of the Falcon Crest Winery Building complex. This time, a nearby parking lot can be seen — which is near the fence at CBS-MTM (see # 082 for details).
LORIMAR's original blueprints of this set and many others are available for DFCF members in the Show – Production Office – Filming Locations – Movie Studios – Exterior Sets section.
 

License plate number of Larry Michaelson's blue-gray 1985 Cadillac Sedan DeVille: 1LUU675.

 
The Falcon Crest forklift is a Hyster H-Series model. Falcon Crest apparently has various forklifts (compare # 023).
From the standpoint of the production process, it is pretty obvious that the real forklift of Spring Mountain was used in the scenes filmed at the winery whereas a forklift owned by CBS-MTM STUDIOS (now RADFORD STUDIO CENTER) is used in scenes shot on the studio lot.
 

License plate number of Lorraine's black 1983 Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider Veloce convertible (type 115.41): 2BQI284.

 
 

 
 
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