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# 144 <6.17> Topspin
 
 
(revised 03/11/2024)
 
 


 
 
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Script | Credits | Filming Locations
 
 

 
 
This episode was originally assigned to be directed by LARRY ELIKANN and later re-assigned to MICHAEL A. HOEY.
 
The recap for the previous episode shows the ending of a scene that was missing in the previous episode: Chase threatening Boyd with a gun and Boyd informing Chase that March Ridley plans to kill Dan. The scene in # 143 closed on Chase getting rid of the handcuffs. The scene in # 143 used to be longer, but had to be shortened to match the usual one-hour program schedule (including commercials); the "superfluous" footage was used for the recap.
 
Different takes: The moment when Garth gives Richard his heartful congratulations on having Michael back is presented in the recap in a different take from the one featured in the scene in the previous episode.
 
Season time frame:
This episode opens six weeks after # 143; as Chase explains, the trial against the Ridleys in Oklahoma is over. So it must be the second week of December 1986 now.
Lance and Dina have been having an affair for two months. Their relationship began in # 140, which must have been the second week of October 1986.
Maggie's lamaze class begins Wednesday night in the current episode. This must be Wednesday, 12/10/1986.
 

Product placement: Lance and Dina are having Perrier-Jouët Champagne (Fleur de Champagne).

 

The vehicle of an unidentified trucking company on the Gioberti Winery grounds is a white 1959 Ford F-Series Medium Duty Stake.

 

Kolinski has a black 1981 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit I.

 
The winery Tony works at is supposed to be the Gioberti Winery or at least part of it. It looks completely different from the scenes filmed at Stags' Leap in the previous season and was taken on the backlot of CBS-MTM STUDIOS (now RADFORD STUDIO CENTER). This exterior / interior set — actually the transportation department with a gas station, which already served multiple purposes in the series (compare # 113, 114 and 117) — will be used for the rest of this season.
It is supposed to be located on the Gioberti Winery property and is a back entrance for delivery or a nearby storage, not necessarily adjacent or next to the winery building (screen grabs from the later scene in this episode). It cannot be part of additional winery space Chase and Tony purchased in the course of their expansion because, in # 153, an establishing shot of the Gioberti Winery will be shown right before the use of that particular area in the subsequent scene.
At the end of season 7 and the beginning of season 8, by the way, the very same set is used as Cresant / Fixx / Tuscany Trucking (then without prop barrels in the background of course).
LORIMAR's original map of this part of the studio lot including the set dressing for this episode is available for DFCF members in the Show – Production Office – Filming Locations – Movie Studios – Exterior Sets section.
 

A pallet jack by the Clark company is used in the Kibbler Beverages warehouse. It is, by the way, the same equipment as seen in the Falcon Crest Winery Building in # 112 and in the Gioberti Winery in # 114.

 
Richard buys Kibbler Beverages (with its 14 subsidiaries) for $ 60 million.
Although Richard mentions countries of The Third World, including Afghansitan, as target markets, the exact market where Kibbler Beverages distributes the Falcon Crest wines (Angela is said to have signed a contract which has four years, six months and 14 days left to run) remains a mystery. It was pointed out in season 3 that Calvin Kleeger was the Falcon Crest distributor (a company controlled by Angela), and it was revealed in # 108 that Jack Steubling was the Falcon Crest west coast distributor.
Richard renames Kibbler Beverages to Channing Incorporated.
 
The establishing shot for the Helios Club in San Francisco actually shows the Pacific Center in downtown Los Angeles. The same location was used for a scene with Angela in # 042 (see there).
 
All Helios Club interiors are shot at the Variety Arts Building in downtown Los Angeles.
LORIMAR's drawings of this location including the set dressing for this episode are available for DFCF members in the Show – Production Office – Filming Locations – Local Locations section.
 
 

Melissa's motorbike is a black / red Harley-Davidson XL 1000 Sportster.

 
Peter's Del Oro suite is the same interior set used as Kit's suite (compare # 132) and Lance and Dina's suite (compare # 141). It was slightly changed in furniture and decoration and filmed extremely closely this time.
LORIMAR's original blueprints of this set and many others are available for DFCF members in the Show – Production Office – Filming Locations – Movie Studios – Interior Sets section.
The art department originally planned to create an office for Eric at the Del Oro for this episode, and the scene with Peter and Eric was supposed to be shot there; the blueprint was already drawn. The unit production manager, BOB ENRIETTO, however, thought it was too expensive to build a new set.
 
The filming location for Henri's, a Tuscany Valley restaurant, is what used to be the Club 385 on North La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood, CA. The Club was named after the building's street number, which, in those days, was attached to the building in a unique design. The building was demolished in 2013 when the whole block was redeveloped into a new mixed use property (commercial and residential).
 
The red Chippendale chairs at Henri's are the same props that were used to furnish both the Tuscany Valley restaurant where Richard saw Lance and Lorraine in # 093 and an area of Cyrano's in # 097 (compare there). They were also used to dress the San Francisco restaurant where Peter proposed to Angela in # 102 and the restaurant in the Tuscany Valley where Richard had lunch with Julia in # 123 (also compare there).
 
Uncredited extra SHARRI ZAK appears as the gray-haired Tuscany Valley socialite with the pony tail again; this episode having lunch at Henri's first. For further appearances in this episode, see below.
Compare # 202 for biographical details about this rôle and a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 009.
 

Product placement: Maggie and Richard are having Dreyer's ice cream.

 
The filming location for the flashback — Dan's memories of Suzanne and himself — is near the lagoon on the backlot of CBS-MTM STUDIOS (now RADFORD STUDIO CENTER), which was used for other purposes in # 089 (details see there in particular), 113, 124, 131 and 135.
LORIMAR's original map of this part of the studio lot including the set dressing for this episode is available for DFCF members in the Show – Production Office – Filming Locations – Movie Studios – Exterior Sets section.
The script, by the way, describes this flashback as "memories from 1977" and the later one as "1979" which, however, is wrong. As Dan moved from Tuscany to Oklahoma in 1980, as stated in # 131, both his memories are rather from that year. Fortunately, these mistakes in the script did not make it to the screen.
 

Uncredited extra DOUGLAS MAIDA appears as Dave in this episode again — this time, at the Helios Club, escorting a lady who is a member there.
Compare # 224 for biographical details about this minor rôle and a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 034.

 

Uncredited extra LARRY HUMBURGER appears as a Helios Club member in this episode. For another appearance in this episode, see below.
Compare # 227 for a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 078.

 
Uncredited extra PHYLLIS CLAYTON appears as the blonde short-haired Tuscany Valley socialite in this episode again — first, at the Helios Club. For her second appearance, see below.
Compare # 190 for a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 013.
 

PETER PAUL EASTMAN (uncredited extra) plays a white-haired gentleman, who appears at the Helios Club in this episode.
Compare # 221 for a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 021.

 
After her first appearance in this episode (see above), uncredited extra SHARRI ZAK appears as the gray-haired Tuscany Valley socialite with the pony tail again; now at the Helios Club. For further appearances in this episode, see below.
Compare # 202 for biographical details about this rôle and a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 009.
 

Uncredited extra KEN ALLEN appears in this episode again as Jay, the Tuscany Valley County Planning Commissioner — this time at the Helios Club.
Compare # 191 for a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 013.

 

Uncredited extra SHIRLEY ANTHONY appears as Dr. Lee Walkling again — at the Helios Club first. For another appearance in this episode, see below.
Compare # 207 for biographical details about this minor rôle and a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 016.

 

Uncredited extra KEVIN G. TRACEY appears as the thick-eyebrowed Tuscany Valley gentleman again; first, at the Helios Club. For a later appearance, see below.
Compare # 185 for a list of all his appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 001.

 
After her first appearance in this episode (see above), uncredited extra PHYLLIS CLAYTON participates as the blonde short-haired Tuscany Valley socialite again — now at the Comedy Jungle.
Compare # 190 for a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 013.
 

At the Helios Club, some movie posters are haning on the walls, including one of "Ben-Hur", the 1959 MGM classic. This was the real decoration of the filming location at the time, not props.

 
DAVID GUST, the tall, black-haired and mustached uncredited extra, who is best known for his rôle as an assistant district attorney (# 091, 092 and 154), but who also plays different characters in the series, portrays a worker at the Gioberti Winery in this episode (as he previously did in # 114). Not a wise decision to choose this extra because of his usual appearances as a Tuscany County A.D.A. — particularly considering that he will appear in that rôle again later in this episode (see below).
Compare # 187 for a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 063.
 

The Gioberti Winery's truck is a white Ford LN-Series. By the way, it is the same picture car that is usually visible in the garage at the Falcon Crest Winery (compare # 125 and 139).

 
Deleted scenes: The director's cut contained the following scenes in act 3, which were removed in post-production:
  • In the Falcon Crest Victorian Mansion living room, Emma is thumbing through an old family photo album she found on the attic. As Angela enters, Emma discovers a photo of Julia and herself as young girls with a doll she got from Angela for Christmas. She remembers how she used to pretend that the doll was her little baby. She also looks at a baby photo of Lance.
  • Chase comes to the Agretti Residence to pick up Joseph for an evening out in San Francisco. Melissa is reluctant at first because she fears Chase wants to find out if Joseph has been affected by her nervous breakdown. But she comes to the conclusion that it is better to give in to avoid that Chase becomes only more suspicious.
    The removal of this scene primarily occurred because the film was heavily scratched by a defective film magazine.
 
Real-life allusion: Vickie mentions CLAUDE RAINS, the actor best remembered for playing Captain Renault in "Casablanca".
 
CINDY MORGAN, who played Lori Chapman in season 1 (# 011), now guest-stars as Gabrielle Short.
Inside joke: HOWARD LAKIN named the character Short because ROBERT FOXWORTH had complained about the potential girlfriends for his character always being too tall.
 
Uncredited stand-in MARTHA MANOR appears as an extra again — this time in a brunette wig (similarly as in # 001) as a protester in front of the First Merchants Bank of Tuscany Valley.
Compare # 213 for a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about MARTHA MANOR, compare # 001.
 
This episode, a branch of the First Merchants Bank can be discovered in the building that houses the Tuscany County Administration Offices. The CBS-MTM (RADFORD STUDIO CENTER) Administration Building is used again (compare # 140).
LORIMAR's original map of this part of the studio lot including the set dressing for this episode is available for DFCF members in the Show – Production Office – Filming Locations – Movie Studios – Exterior Sets section.
 
According to this episode, Gabrielle Short's father was a good friend of Chase's when Chase first arrived in the valley. But the character was never seen nor mentioned in earlier years.
 
After his first appearance in this episode in a different part (see above), DAVID GUST, the tall, black-haired and mustached uncredited extra, who is best known for his rôle as an assistant district attorney (# 091, 092 and 154), but who also plays different characters in the series, appears a second time — now in his usual A.D.A. rôle, entering the Tuscany County Administration Offices.
Compare # 187 for a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 063.
 

The red Volvo 242 DL sedan (compare # 055 for details) — the very familiar prop — is driving along in the background near the Gioberti Winery.

 
The forklift at the Gioberti Winery (visible already in an extremely fuzzy drive-by in # 131) is a Hyster H-Series model. This forklift is owned by the transportation department of CBS-MTM STUDIOS (now RADFORD STUDIO CENTER) and was already used in # 094 as the forklift of the Falcon Crest Winery, in # 117 as the forklift on the truck parking lot in Tijuana / Mexico and in # 141 as the forklift near the warehouse in San Francisco where Erin and Meredith were shot.
 
Vickie and Dan go to a stand-up comedian theater called Comedy Jungle. It remains a mystery if it is situated in Tuscany or San Francisco.
The interiors are shot at the Variety Arts Building in downtown Los Angeles — a different room from the ones used as the Helios Club (see above).
LORIMAR's drawings of this location including the set dressing for this episode are available for DFCF members in the Show – Production Office – Filming Locations – Local Locations section.
 

After his first appearance in this episode (see above), uncredited extra LARRY HUMBURGER participates a second time — now as a patron at the Comedy Jungle.
Compare # 227 for a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 078.

 
After his first appearance in this episode (see above), uncredited extra KEVIN TRACEY particpates as the thick-eyebrowed Tuscany Valley gentleman again; now as a patron at the Comedy Club.
Compare # 185 for a list of all his appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 001.
 
After her first two appearances in this episode (see above), uncredited extra SHARRI ZAK appears as the gray-haired Tuscany Valley socialite with the pony tail again; now at the Comedy Club. For another appearance in this episode, see below.
Compare # 202 for biographical details about this rôle and a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 009.
 

After her first appearance in this episode (see above), uncredited extra SHIRLEY ANTHONY appears a second time as Dr. Lee Walkling — now as a patron at the Comedy Club.
Compare # 207 for biographical details about this minor rôle and a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 016.

 

The curly haired blonde played by uncredited extra BETTY JEANNE GLENNIE is in the Del Oro lobby in this episode.
Compare # 175 for biographical details about this minor rôle and a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 015.

 
After her first three appearances in this episode (see above), uncredited extra SHARRI ZAK appears as the gray-haired Tuscany Valley socialite again; now (with open hair) as a patron in the Del Oro lobby.
Compare # 202 for biographical details about this rôle and a list of appearances throughout the series.
For details about the extra, compare # 009.
 
 

 
 
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