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# 139 <6.12> False Front  The red Volvo 242 DL sedan (compare # 055 for details) is parked in front of the entrance of the Tuscany Valley Medical Center again (red arrow). The end of this clip was used in # 136 already; the segment has more footage at the beginning this time though.Uncredited extra SHARRI ZAK appears as the gray-haired Tuscany Valley socialite with the pony tail again (yellow arrow); this episode in her day job outfit as a nurse (compare # 053) again, heading towards her gray car Cadillac Seville in the foreground. Compare # 202 for biographical details about this rôle and a list of appearances throughout the series. For details about the extra, compare # 009. As it can be seen when Maggie calls Vickie from the hospital, the phone number of the Gioberti House is 855-6322. The area code is (707). Despite the usual habit of the movie industry to use the "555" prefix for on-screen telephone numbers (compare # 005), the production company used a real prefix in the current episode. Early script drafts suggested that Gwen Fuller be in the meeting with Angela and her attorney, Frank McIntyre, in the Falcon Crest Victorian Mansion study to discuss the amount of damages Angela has to pay for the decontamination in the toxic waste case. Gwen was removed from the scene in rewrites.   Since the renovation after the earthquake (but visible for the first time in this episode), a new painting has been hanging on the wall above the fireplace in the Agretti Residence master bedroom. The artwork is "Houses of Parliament", a 1903 version of one of many similar pictures from a series of Impressionist style paintings (oil on canvas) by CLAUDE MONET (1840 – 1926), featuring a view from MONET's window or a terrace at St. Thomas' Hospital in London overlooking the Thames towards the Palace of Westminster.As with most artwork in the series, it remains unanswered throughout the series if they are originals or if they are meant to be reproductions. The original of the aforementioned artwork is located at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.   Mistake: In the scene with Melissa and Eric, the close-ups are from various takes that were combined in the editing process. This becomes apparent because Eric's left hand is in different positions in subsequent frames.This is a mistake caused by the particular close-up filming technique — check # 001 (Chase and Maggie at the Gioberti Family Cemetery) for details.
 In the scene at the Del Oro nightclub, KIM NOVAK wears a black gown, which is not from LORIMAR's wardrobe department. The gown belongs to the actress and was worn by her at several occasions, one of which was the 51st Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on April 9, 1979.This scene is filmed at the bar at the Warner Center Marriott Hotel in Woodland Hills, CA. Also see # 137 for another use of this hotel as a filming location. Fictional entity: Chase is interviewed by a reporter from the KRFJ TV station. The channel identification starting with the letter "K" indicates that the station is west of the Mississippi. Just as a side note, channel identifications east of the Mississippi begin with the letter "W" in the U.S. Before writer BILL SCHMIDT came up with Chase's TV interview, his early script draft suggested that Maggie be bored to tears by the TV program she is watching, "LA Law". In its first season (1986-87), this legal drama was a direct competitor to "Falcon Crest" since its regular weekly episodes after the pilot were running on NBC on Friday at 10 PM — against the vineyard drama on CBS at the same time. BILL SCHMIDT's reference in the script was an allusion to "LA Law" not being successful in the beginning. In fact, the legal drama's ratings was struggling, wich is why NBC moved it to its 9 PM timeslot on Thursday, beginning 12/04/1987, where it finally became a more successful show. Early script drafts planned for Dan to come to the Gioberti House to ask Maggie where Vickie is. This was changed to the telephone scene in rewrites.  The eastern view of office building 5 (housing the writers' offices in those days) on the backlot of CBS-MTM STUDIOS (now RADFORD STUDIO CENTER) portrays Gwen Fuller's hotel in San Francisco.This building is used frequently in the series for multiple purposes. Refer to # 082 for the use of the back of the building. Other views of the building will be used in future episodes, including the front as the Tuscany Sheriff's Department in # 173, as the Tuscany Interstate Bank in season 8, as the Meridian Children's Shelter in East Bay in # 208 and as a Tuscany office building in # 225. 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.
Richard introduces Melissa to Manny Snider, the guy who did the dirty work for Lance in the past, such as setting fire to "Chase's office" — probably rather the destruction of the accountant's office (# 053) — and sabotaging the Agretti Stavros Winery. Improvisation: DAVID SELBY's comment when, after Richard blackmailing Lance, Hendricks and the other bankers reenter his New Globe office, is not scripted, but an ad-lib allusion to "The Little Red Caboose", a children's book by MARIAN POTTER with illustrations by TIBOR GERGELY, first published by Little Golden Book in 1953.
Early script drafts suggested that Meredith pay a man to make an anonymous phone call about Erin to Richard's office. In a later scene (act 4), Meredith feigns being shocked about another phony phone call to Richard's home and fearing for her safety, slithering her way into Richard's bed to get consolation. In rewrites, the whole storyline was changed to Meredith's doctored tapes with Erin's voice; the "relationship" between Richard and Meredith was dropped.  The Tuscany Valley country road Maggie drives along on her way into the town of Tuscany is Coombsville Road in Napa, CA, filmed from the corner at First Avenue, the camera facing east.For her drive back, see below. Inside joke: On a radio show about the election, the real Sonoma County — one of the filming areas — is mentioned. The person competing with Chase in the County Board of Supervisors election is Clark Farrell, a character only mentioned, but never featured in an episode. Jack North, the future sheriff, is mentioned on the radio already. He was named Jack Kelly in early script drafts, but the name was changed to avoid any confusion with the real-life actor with the same name known from "Bret Maverick" and other TV shows.
 Mistake: The shots of Maggie's drive to Chase's campaign headquarters are from different shooting times, combined in the editing process. This becomes apparent because there are no cars parked on the street in the exteriors (filmed at 3rd Street and Main Street in Napa, CA) whereas lots of cars are parked on the street in Maggie's close-up.In the usual process of making a movie or a TV show, scenes are shot at least twice — as a wide angle shot and in close-up, which bears the risk of inconsistencies. Compare # 001 (Chase and Maggie at the Gioberti Family Cemetery) for the advantages and disadvantages of this shooting procedure. Inside joke: On the radio show about the election, "Republican JEFF LINTON and Democrat SHIRLEY LEEDS" are mentioned as local politicians. This alludes to LORIMAR program executive JEFF LINTON and CBS program executive SHIRLEY LEEDS, who was LORIMAR's network liaison for the series.
  The filming location used as Chase's Tuscany campaign headquarters, the former Plaza Hotel a.k.a. Alexandria Hotel (nowadays Alexandria Plaza Building), is situated near the courthouse in Napa. When Maggie arrives in her Mercedes-Benz S, the Hall of Justice of the County Court building complex can be seen in the background.
Early in the segment, Coombsville Road (screen grab 1) is shown, the camera placed at the corner of First Avenue, facing south. Maggie's Mercedes-Benz S drives in western direction. Film-wise, this is actually the continuation of her drive into town (see above). The following frames are from Wild Horse Valley Road, quite near where Green Valley Road goes off. The car is filmed in one direction (screen capture 2 — driving west / camera facing east) at first and then in the opposite direction (screen grab 3 — driving east / camera facing west). The road with the trees with big trunks (screen grab 4) is actually First Avenue, approximately half way between where Heinke Drive goes off and Coombsville Road (car driving south, camera facing north). The drive continues chronologically film-wise, Maggie making a left — in real life, from First Avenue into Coombsville Road, now in the opposite direction (east) as compared to the segment in screen capture 1. N.B.: No phone booth is visible at this corner yet in order to create the illusion of a different road from the one in the final frames. The scene's final frames — both from Maggie's POV from her driver's seat and her arrival at the phone booth — are from Coombsville Road again, the car driving west now though, shortly before where First Avenue goes off. In these frames, the prop phone booth is in place now.
  The filming site for the scene with Kit and Stafford is the vista point near Battery Spencer on Conzelman Road, which offers a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge. At the beginning of the scene, Kirby Cove Beach is visible in the background. The interiors of the garage on the Falcon Crest grounds are portrayed by a corner in the transportation department at the CBS-MTM STUDIOS (nowadays RADFORD STUDIO CENTER) again; this was already the case in # 125.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.  On the Ford LN-Series truck of Falcon Crest (first visible in # 125), the lettering "Falcon Crest Wineries" is legible. It seems odd that "Wineries" is written in plural although it is usually referred to as "Falcon Crest Winery"; just compare the logo, for instance, which is visible at the delivery entrance in # 149 and 150 and in the vat room later in seasons 8 and 9. Inside joke: On the chalkboard in Dan's Del Oro office where the week's important functions at the hotel are listed, some notes contain crew members' names:On Thursday, a meeting with BILL BELT, who is actually the show's assistant property master, is listed (yellow arrow). Another note for Thursday (dinner) refers to DAVE SCOTT, who also works for the series (second assistant camera; red arrow). A note for Saturday refers to the wedding of FRANK DiPANNI, who is a member of the show's swing gang (green arrow). In early script drafts, the scene with Vickie and Dan's first passionate lovemaking at the Del Oro was staged in the grand ballroom, which had just been decorated for a formal dinner. The beginning of the scene also included Gerard, the restaurant's chef, a rôle that never appeared in the final version. While Vickie and Dan are arguing (before making love), she unleashes plates, glasses and silverware from the tables. This was changed in rewrites and moved to the Del Oro lobby and Dan's office behind the reception.
This is the last episode to be filmed in the Wine Country this season. The rest of the season will be entirely filmed in and around Los Angeles. ← Previous episode... → Next episode... |
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