Santa Bárbara

Usually, I don't like soap operas, and I rarely watch them. But I was impressed by how enormously popular it was in Russia. It is a real cult there, and a big percentage of people watched it and talked about it. So, I watched it, too, when I was in Petersburg for some weeks, and I would say it was worth it. The stories are quite complex, and most of the various threads of the action are very interesting.

It is interesting how popular such a series can become abroad. In Russia, it is certainly much better-known than in the US. When I was in Russia, some liked it and others disliked it, but I don't think there is anyone who does not know it or has no opinion about it - which is just the more remarkable because the series is so sophisticated that watching several pieces is necessary for fully understanding it.

Santa Barbara remains the highlight not just of daytime TV, but of American television. Never before or since has such a plethora of extraordinary actors appeared on a series: Dame Judith Anderson, Robin Wright, Marcy Walker, A Martinez, Sydney Penny, Eric Close, Robin Mattson, Ally Walker, Kim Zimmer, Joseph Bottoms, John O' Hurley, Judith McConnell, Lane Davies, Harley Jane Kozak, Justin Deas. But besides the acting, Santa Barbara featured superlative writing and direction. Never before had there been a daytime comedy. Nor has there since. Totally unique in daytime history, SB was beyond brilliant.

Truly the most innovative and unique soap to ever hit the small screen. With the powerful talents of Nancy Lee Grahn, Lane Davies, Jed Allen, A Martinez, Marcy Walker and Stephen Nichols, Santa Barbara dared to do what other soaps wouldn't and couldn't. This show brought new meaning to the word "fresh"! It's demise was extremely premature and it is sorely missed!

I am simply overjoyed to see so much love for this unique and superior daytime soap! I have always loved this show (and I am NOT a daytime soap fan), and it seems to me that just about everyone who has seen it would agree that it was way above the cut. I came across it quite by accident and became addicted for years to come. Many people have mentioned how great the writing was, or how it managed to incorporate comedy into it regularly. The storylines were always intricate, thrilling and well thought-out. Some of the actors on this show were simply Oscar-worthy, and many have gone on to achieve considerable success in the industry, most notably Robin Wright Penn (She was always a natural). The relationship/repartee between Mason (Lane Davies) and Julia (Nancy Grahn) was pure, unadulterated genius. They were like "Moonlighting" meets Hepburn & Tracy. Gina (Robin Mattson) and Keith (Justin Deas) were simply outrageous! Never were two evil people so darn entertaining at every turn! Not only that, but Ms. Mattson managed to make Gina a character who you could sympathize with on same level, in spite of all her flaws. Her love for her son, Brandon, was NEVER in question, although her treatment of just about everyone else was deplorable! I should mention that the original Gina (Linda Gibboney) was simply outstanding, and I was shocked to see her go. It took me a while to warm up to Ms. Mattson, who gave the character a different twist, but in her capable and accomplished hands, I grew to love her portaryal. This show worked on so many levels. It definitely deserved the Emmys it won. In fact, it deserved many, many more. I would like to take a moment to comment on the real people behind the characters. I am an actor, writer, director, singer and producer. I used to watch this show when I was about 12 and 13 years old. As a young kid with stars in his eyes, I would write to all the actors, and so many of them were beyond accomodating. A Martinez, who played Cruz, used to write back to me every month. And, he didn't just drop a note. He would write complete letters, answering all my questions and responding to all my hopes and aspirations. He saw this young kid who looked up to him, and he embraced it. It is people like that who truly gave me inspiration to follow my dreams and goals. Another one who would always take the time to write me back was Jane Sibbett, who played Jane. These people really took the time to reach out to me and make me feel valued, and that has affected me into my adult years. I should point out that both of these actors work consisitently. Jane Sibbett was part of another superb show called "Herman's Head" for four years. I truly am happy for them. Finally, I had the pleasure of running into Judith McConnell, who played Sophia, at an audition recently. I couldn't resist telling her how much I loved the show. She was with her daughter, and her eyes just lit up. I can tell you, from speaking to her, that she loved doing the show as much as we loved watching it. They knew they had something special and extraordinary, and the years she spent on that show are very fond in her memory. Meeting her was a great experience, because I got to connect to her in a real way. She was very gracious and appreciative, and can I say she looks fabulous? She looks like she's still in her late thirties, and she's got to be about sixty! I wish every one who had a part in this show success, and I would be honored one day to work with just about any of them.

Santa Barbara got me through a tough period in the late 1980s. For a while there it was the only thing i really looked forward to. Mason's rich sarcasm, Gina I's uncontrollable facial expressions, Gina II's bone structure, Eden's dreamy egotism, Kelly's bad luck, the coincidences, the overheard conversations, the misunderstandings that went on for weeks at a time, the laughter, the tears, the sorrow and the pity, the daily dose of hyperbole, hysteria and melodrama, the little bit of insanity in a sanitized world, that was Santa Barbara. It's been gone from our screens for years, in Australia at least, where i used to watch it. But it lives on in the backwaters of my mind, often resurfacing, at odd times, giving me solace in times of extreme absurdity. Thank you, Santa Barbara, I will never forget you.