The Bold and the Beautiful
| The Bold and the Beautiful | |
|---|---|
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| Created by | William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Bradley Bell |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | March 23, 1987 |
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The Bold and the Beautiful (often called Bold or annotated to B&B) is an American television soap opera, created by Lee Phillip Bell and William J. Bell. The show debuted on March 23, 1987, and still screens in the United States on the CBS network.
The show has a number of unique characteristics that set it apart from other American soaps.
- The show has the largest foreign audience of all the American soaps [citation needed]; it is seen in almost 100 countries around the world by more than 300 million viewers.[citation needed] It is well known in Italy, where it airs under the title Beautiful, and in the Francophone world, where it airs under the titles Top models and Amour, gloire & beauté. It also has a huge fan base in Australia.
- It is the only American soap opera to simulcast in a Spanish language track for Hispanic viewers in the United States (under the title Belleza y poder).
- This is also the only soap of the nine programs currently airing on US television that runs for 30 minutes (the other shows run for an hour).
Background and history
The series focuses upon the Forrester family and its Los Angeles fashion empire, Forrester Creations. Spectra Couture (formerly Spectra Fashions) was Forrester's main rival, headed by Sally Spectra.
At the helm of Forrester is the very weak Eric, who is nothing without his strong wife Stephanie and his two sons, Ridge and Thorne. Daughter Kristen is seen less often, while daughters Bridget and Felicia are currently integral parts of the show but have little to do with Forrester Creations. Daughter Angela was born microcephalic and later died because of her condition. At Spectra, Sally was usually helped by her daughter Macy, and Sally's receptionist, Darla Einstein (Schae Harrison). Also seen often was fashion designer Clarke Garrison, who fathered C.J., Sally's son.
Sally, a larger-than-life character with outrageous clothes and a sizable red coiffure, helmed both comedic and dramatic storylines, with the help of ditzy receptionist Darla. Sally's competitions with Forrester Creations were both formidable (Sally successfully stole many Forrester family members to work for her), and laughable. Sally shares a relationship with Stephanie Forrester They are very good friends . Sally's daughter Macy (Bobbie Eakes), a singer, underwent many traumas, most notably becoming an alcoholic. Macy had an on-again-off-again marriage to Thorne Forrester, who was the true love of her life. She eventually lost Thorne to Brooke Logan, retriggering her alcoholism. Brooke tried to stop loony Macy from driving in anger and probably drunk, too but ended up as unwilling passenger in her car. Macy speeded the car up, and tried to kill both herself and Brooke. Macy lost control of the car. Brooke was rescued but, Macy was unable to escape and was presumed dead. It later came to light that she was saved by her father, Adam Alexander, and went into hiding with him abroad because Adam was wanted by the mob. After being discovered in Italy during a Forrester vs. Spectra "fashion showdown," Macy relocated back to Los Angeles where she reunited with Thorne Forrester. After a chain of events, Thorne and Macy divorced. Macy found interest in fellow recovering alcoholic and ex-husband of Bridget Forrester, Deacon Sharpe (Sean Kanan), and married him. Weeks later, Macy was gravely injured at a nightclub where she was headlining as a singer. Macy went into a coma and it was implied that her family pulled the plug off-camera.
In recent years, the Spectra family and friends have been supplanted by the introduction of the Marone family. Massimo Marone (Joseph Mascolo) is a billionaire shipping magnate who was a childhood friend of Stephanie Forrester. Stephanie and Massimo had a one-night-stand in college shortly before Stephanie first slept with Eric. After forty-something years, a medical crisis revealed that Eric could not be Ridge's biological father. Shortly thereafter, Jackie Payne, a former lover of Massimo, arrived on scene and announced that her adult son, Dominick (Nick) Payne, was also fathered by Massimo. Unlike Ridge, Nick changed his surname to Marone. Massimo and Jackie have had an on-again-off-again marriage.
Top row: Joseph Mascolo (ex-Massimo), Schae Harrison (ex-Darla), Winsor Harmon (Thorne)
Third row: Lesli Kay (Felicia) , Antonio Sabato, Jr. (ex-Dante), John McCook (Eric), Darlene Conley (Sally), Daniel McVicar(Clarke)
Second row: Lorenzo Lamas (Hector), Drew Tyler Bell (Thomas), Susan Flannery (Stephanie)
First row: Hunter Tylo (Taylor), Ronn Moss (Ridge), Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke), Ashley Jones (Bridget), Jack Wagner (Nick), Lesley-Anne Down(Jackie).
Another key plot element in the serial is the life of Brooke Logan. Brooke has been the heroine of the show during the entire history of the serial. Originally from a middle-class background, her love affair with Ridge Forrester set up much of the storyline beginning in the first season. Every so often, Ridge and Brooke reunite only to break up due to circumstances, and Ridge invariably finds comfort (in most cases, this would lead to marriage) with Dr. Taylor Hayes. Ridge's mother, Stephanie, preferred Taylor over Brooke, as she felt Brooke had "loose morals" (although Stephanie's fear of Brooke is due to Stephanie seeing a lot of her former self in Brooke).
Ridge and the Forresters voted Brooke out of Forrester Creations when Brooke gave Deacon's son 2% to help Rick and Amber keep the little boy. The Forresters took advantage and bought out Deacon's 2% which gave them the controlling interest. Ridge then proceeded to take over Spectra Fashions renaming it Logan Designs. Ridge took Brooke to Puerta Vista where they had a jungle book marriage. Unbeknownst to everyone Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown) was on the loose and kidnapped Ridge. Nick and Massimo arrived to save Ridge. There was a fight in the foundry where Sheila held Ridge captive. Ridge fell into a hot burning furnace where everyone thought he was dead. Nick and Brooke were in such devastating grief. Brooke went to the foundry and thinking she saw Ridge in the flames proceeded to follow him into the flames. Nick saved her life and in their horrible grief sought comfort with each other. All were overjoyed to learn that Ridge didn't die but Nick and Brooke were in shock. Nick wanted Brooke to keep silent but Brooke chose to tell Ridge the truth. Brooke learned she was pregnant and didn't know who the father was. The first test said it was Nick and then another test was done when Brooke had the baby after Nick learned from his mother that Deacon had performed a peternity test and Ridge was the father. Bridget returned from Copanhagen still harboring strong feelings for Ridge. Nick befriended her and they became involved. Nick believing his feelings for Brooke were over and Brooke was happy with Ridge asked Bridget to marry him. Knowing that Nick was still in love with Brooke proceeded with her relationship with Nick. When Bridget woke up to the fact that Nick and Brooke still had strong feelings for each other decided to inform Nick that the baby she was carrying was aborted. Nick so angry and hurt decided to leave but, Brooke stopped him by admitting she was in love with him. Nick was overjoyed to hear Brooke admit her feelings for him and planned a life together but, Bridget then informed the dual that she lied. Brooke broke it off with Nick informing he had to be with Bridget. Bridget lost the baby and then divorced Nick so he could be with the woman he loved, Brooke.
Brooke is the daughter of Beth Logan, Eric's former college girlfriend with whom he later had an affair while married to Stephanie. The fights between Stephanie and Brooke have played a key role in the drama since its inception. Following one of her break ups with Ridge, Eric married Brooke after first divorcing from Stephanie. Brooke gave birth to two of Eric's children. They divorced and Eric eventually reconciled with Stephanie and the two have since remarried, divorced again, and remarried again in January 2006. Likewise, Brooke and Ridge resumed their pattern of an on-again-off-again relationship in between Brooke's relationships with other men and Forrester family members and Ridge's multiple reunions with Taylor Hayes.
One infamous incident of conflict between Ridge, Taylor and Brooke occurred in 1994. En route to a psychiatrists' conference in Egypt, Taylor's plane crashed in Morocco and she was presumed dead. Taylor was whisked away to Prince Omar's palace and since she had amnesia, she was led to believe that she was named Laila and was to marry the virgin prince so he could claim his right to the Moroccan throne. At home, Ridge grieved for Taylor but realizing Brooke was about to marry James Warwick (Ian Buchanan), he pursued Brooke and stopped her ceremony to James. Brooke and Ridge (called Bridge by their fans) held a surprise wedding on the beach attended by both of their families. Taylor regained her memory and escaped the compound in Morocco, but she was too late. Ridge was once again conflicted, as he loved Brooke but their marriage was now invalid due to Taylor's presence. Ridge told Taylor he would divorce her and that he preferred Brooke over Taylor.
In 2002, when Taylor supposedly died after having been shot by Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown), Ridge and Brooke married again but not before Ridge and Brooke's daughter by Eric, Bridget, became sexually attracted to each other after it was discovered that Ridge's biological father was not Eric, but Massimo Marone (thus, Ridge and Bridget were not half-siblings after all).
In 2005, the audience learned Taylor's death had been staged by the prince and she was, in fact, very much alive. The Taylor/Ridge/Brooke triangle was revived but after divorcing Taylor again, Ridge found himself alone since Brooke had fallen in love with Ridge's half-brother, Nick, who was married to Bridget. Bridget and Nick divorced and Brooke and Nick finally married. Since Taylor was left alone after Ridge left her, she began to rely heavily on alcohol. While driving one night in the fog, Taylor's daughter, Phoebe, got a flat tire and pulled off to the side of the road to wait for Taylor to pick her up. Meanwhile, Taylor was drinking the final bottle of wine left in her home. After realizing that she had a problem with drinking, she dumped all the alcohol down the drain. While Phoebe was waiting for Taylor to pick her up, a mysterious man appeared and frightened Phoebe. In a panic, Phoebe called her Aunt Darla to help her, who lived nearby. Darla showed up and started changing Phoebe's tire, claiming that Sally had taught her how to do so. Upon removing the final nut from the tire, Darla fell back and landed up on the hood of Taylor's car. Darla was rushed to the hospital with many broken bones and a critical head injury. She died hours later.
In late 2006 actress Betty White began a limited engagement as Stephanie's mother, whom Stephanie had disowned thirty years prior.
Theme song and Title sequence
The theme song of B&B, "High Upon This Love," was written by Jack Allocco and David Kurtz. A saxophone is played by well known saxophonist Eric Marienthal. From November 1998 to July 1999 in the United States, a vocal version of the theme song performed by Dionne Warwick was played during the end credits.
The title sequence for the first seventeen years featured still photos of the show's current cast members interspersed with photos from fashion shoots. The sequence ends with a spool of pink fabric unrolling while the title "THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL" in black Huxley Vertical font zooms out the white area revealed by the roll (with the letters being from in a disarranged to a rearranged order). The theme tune was tweaked slightly through the years, and the cast photos were replaced occasionally.
On July 2, 2004, the theme was revamped to go along with a completely revamped title sequence, featuring a "B&B" monogram logo above the show's title and video headshots of the current contract players (accompanied by the character name and since 2005, the actor's name). Recurring actors are rarely added to the opening, with the exception of Daniel McVicar (Clarke Garrison) who is often added back in as a filler. All of the cast members are dressed in either black or gray in these opening shots. Four versions are used, the full open with the cast video headshots, a shortened open with the cast video headshots, and two without the cast video headshots. Three out of the four title sequences open with a mock magazine cover which morphs into a photo shoot. The fourth open has been added recently and is the shortest opener currently on B&B.
Current order of cast shots: Stephanie, Eric, Brooke, Ridge, Taylor, Dominick, Bridget, Felicia, Donna, Hector, Jacqueline, Shane, Phoebe, Harry Thorne, Sally.
Ratings History
When it debuted, The Bold and the Beautiful replaced Capitol in the CBS daytime lineup and also took its 8th place in the ratings. However, B&B aired at 1:30 p.m. ET following The Young and the Restless, while Capitol had aired an hour later at 2:30 pm ET. It is believed that B&B is not the 2nd most watched daytime serial. That title belongs to General Hospital.
1996-1997 Season (Household Ratings)
- The Young And The Restless 7.1
- Days Of Our Lives 5.8
- The Bold And The Beautiful 5.0
- General Hospital 4.8
- All My Children 4.7
- As The World Turns 4.4
- One Life To Live 4.0
- Guiding Light 4.0
- Another World 3.1
- Port Charles 2.6
- The City 2.0
- Sunset Beach 1.8
Week Of December 26-30, 2005 (Millions Of Viewers)
- Y&R 5,718,000 (A loss of about 800,000 vs late Dec. 2004)
- B&B 4,656,000
- ATWT 3,771,000
- GH 3,696,000
- DOOL 3,686,000
- OLTL 3,417,000
- AMC 3,362,000 (A loss of about 1.1 million)
- GL 3,137,000
- PSN 2,553,000 (A loss of about 700,000)
Criticisms
The show has enjoyed success by focusing on telling stories involving the core Forrester family, in particular sticking to a core group of characters: Eric, Stephanie, Ridge, Taylor, Brooke, Thorne, and Macy. However, the show has been criticized at times for not having a well-developed "B" storyline and for, at times, overexposing the core characters. Unlike other US soaps currently on the air, it is not uncommon for B&B to devote entire shows or even a week's worth of shows to a single storyline.
The show has also been criticized for the sometimes breakneck speed in which it changes storylines, in particular with changes in romantic pairings. It is important to note that although the show is sometimes criticized for rapid changes, several leading soap critics, including Carolyn Hinsey, have lauded the show for knowing when a story isn't working, and changing or ending the story as a result (such as the 2005 romantic story involving Bridget and Ridge). It is, however, disconcerting that storylines are sometimes dropped without any kind of resolution.
Finally, the relatively small cast has led to many romantic pairings and love triangles involving family members and in-laws. For example, as of 2006, one of the main stories on the shows involves half-brothers Ridge and Nick and sisters Brooke and Donna, while another one concerns a love triangle of Dante and half-sisters Bridget and Felicia. The character of Brooke has been famously married to several members of the same family: Besides currently being married to Nick, she has also had a long-running romance with Nick's half-brother Ridge, which has led to several marriages and a child. She was also previously married to Ridge's half-brother Thorne and Thorne's father Eric, with whom she also has two children. Finally, she had an affair with her daughter Bridget's husband Deacon, which resulted in yet another child. Notably, Nick was also recently married to Bridget for a while. A saving point for many viewers with respect to Brooke's romantic pairings has been Katherine Kelly Lang's notable chemistry with most of her male co-stars.
B&B and The Space-time Continuum
One interesting phenomenon that is observable in The Bold & the Beautiful (and indeed many other soaps) is the rapid aging of children relative to their parents (SORAS -- Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome), and the disporportionate youth of the parents relative to their adult children. In most soaps, pregnancy and the birth of children are integral to plotlines. After a while, however, young children are of little dramatic interest and often disappear from viewers' screens until such time as they can be re-integrated into the plot. An example of this is Eric and Brooke's son, Rick Forrester, who was born in the early 1990s but in 2006 appeared to be approximately 25 years old. While ages of adults are rarely discussed by the characters, it is clear that the parents do not age at the same rate as children. Additionally, the actors portraying Jackie, and Brooke's father, Stephen Logan, are clearly not old enough to have children the ages of Nick, and Brooke (i.e., mid-40s or older). In real life, John McCook (Eric) is only 7 years older than Ronn Moss (Ridge).
Cast
For a full list of cast members, past and present, see List of cast members of The Bold and the Beautiful.
Current Contract cast members
| Actor | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Darlene Conley | Sally Spectra | 1988-Present |
| William deVry | Storm Logan | (#3) 2006-Present |
| Lesley-Anne Down | Jacqueline Payne Marone | 2003-Present |
| Susan Flannery | Stephanie Forrester | Original cast; 1987-Present |
| Jennifer Gareis | Donna Logan | (#2) 2006-Present |
| Dax Griffin | Shane McGrath | 2006-Present |
| Winsor Harmon | Thorne Forrester | (#3) 1996-Present |
| Ashley Jones | Dr. Bridget Forrester | (#4) 2004-Present |
| Lesli Kay | Felicia Forrester | (#2) 2005-Present |
| Lorenzo Lamas | Hector Ramirez | 2004-Present |
| Katherine Kelly Lang | Brooke Logan | Original cast; 1987-Present |
| MacKenzie Mauzy | Phoebe Forrester | (#2) 2006-Present |
| John McCook | Eric Forrester | Original cast; 1987-Present |
| Alley Mills | Pamela Douglas | 2006-Present |
| Ronn Moss | Ridge Forrester | Original cast; 1987-Present |
| Hunter Tylo | Dr. Taylor Hayes Forrester | 1990-1994, 1994-2002, 2005-Present |
| Jack Wagner | Dominick Marone | 2003-Present |
Recurring cast members
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Drew Tyler Bell | Thomas Forrester |
| Shannon Bradley | Catherine |
| Harley Graham | Alexandria Forrester |
| Jacqueline Hahn | Dr. Caspary |
| Ben Hogestyn | Harry Jackson |
| Hal Linden | Jerry Kramer |
| Dan Martin | Lt. Bradley Baker |
| Daniel McVicar | Clarke Garrison |
| Amanda & Rachel Pace | Hope Logan |
| Trevor & Preston Shores | R.J. Forrester |
| Eric & Jacob Steinberger | Dino Damiano |
Coming & going cast members
| Actor | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Tracey E. Bregman | Lauren Fenmore Baldwin | Guest; January 19 to 20th |
| Kyle Lowder | Rick Forrester | (#3) Debuts January 25 [citation needed] |
Notable Celebrities that have appeared
- Stephanie Beacham as herself - appeared at the opening of Jackie M boutique (2004)
- Phyllis Diller as Gladys Pope - made recurring appearances from 1995 to 2004
- Patrick Duffy as Stephen Logan
- Fabio as himself - appeared in a dream sequence involving Sally (2002)
- Tippi Hedren as Helen Maclaine
- Alley Mills as Pamela Douglas - signed for a contract role as Stephanie's sister (2006)
- Usher as Raymond - a friend of Amber Moore (Adrienne Frantz) (1998)
- Betty White as Ann Douglas - signed for ten episodes as Stephanie's long-lost mother (2006)
- Bryan White as himself - appeared and sang "So Much For Pretending"
- Paul Williams as Bailey Masteson
Head Writing And Executive Producing Team
BB Executive Producers
- March 23, 1987 - 1996: William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell
- 1996 - Present: Bradley Bell
BB Head Writers
- March 23, 1987 - 1993: William J. Bell
- 1993 - 2002: Bradley Bell
- 2002-2004: B. Bell (Head); John F. Smith (Co-Head)
- 2004 - Present: B. Bell
BB Writing Team
- Oct. 2006-Present: Michael Minnis, Tracey Ann Kelly, Frederick Johnson, Rex M. Best, John Chambers, Elizabeth Snyder, Jerry Birn, Patrick Mulcahey, Charles Pratt Jr. (ghostwriter consultant), L. P. Bell (Long Term Story Adviser)
International
- In Australia, B&B airs at 4.30pm weekdays on Network Ten and is the most popular daytime soap. Episodes are ten weeks (two-and-a-half months) behind those being shown in the US.
- In Germany, B&B airs in double episodes and German synchronization from 11.15am to 12pm weekdays on ZDF.
- In Poland, B&B airs in double episodes from 4pm to 5pm weekdays on TVP1.
- In Italy, B&B airs from 1.40pm to 2.10pm weekdays on CANALE 5.
- In Serbia, B&B airs in double episodes from 6pm to 7pm weekdays on FOX.
Trivia
- The role of Stephanie Forrester was created for daytime legend Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie, DOOL). After Seaforth turned it down, the producers contacted Seaforth's former DAYS co-star Susan Flannery. Even though, Seaforth appeared in 2003 as Joanna Manning (Lauren`s mother) in one episode.
- The working draft of the show was entitled "Rags" and was to take place in Chicago.
- Susan Flannery and John McCook are both less than fifteen years older than their on-screen son, Ronn Moss.
- In an episode of Seinfeld, Kramer forgets to close Jerry's front door causing all of his belongings to be stolen because he got caught up watching The Bold and the Beautiful.
- In an episode of the Disney Channel original series Even Stevens, Ren could be seen watching an episode of spoof soap The Old and the Beautiful.
- Australian rock band The Drugs recorded a song called "The Bold and the Beautiful", a tribute of sorts to the series.
- Dax Griffin and Jennifer Gareis had dated previously. Dax also was with Jennifer's Y&R predecessor, Josie Davis (both played Grace Turner). He used to date Y&R actress, Amelia Heinle (Victoria) when they both starred on All My Children.
- Jennifer Gareis is 6 years older than Ashley Jones, even though Donna is supposed to be more than 20 years older than Bridget. Ashley is also 4 years older than Kyle Lowder, who plays her older brother, Rick, and was five years older than Lowder's predecessor, Justin Torkildsen.
- Jennifer Finnigan, Emily Harrison and Ashley Jones, all of whom have played Bridget Forrester, are at least 2 years older than than Justin Torkildsen, who played Bridget's older brother, Rick.
- Antonio Sabàto Jr.'s real-life father, Antonio Sabàto Sr., appeared as the character of Aldo Damiano, Dante's father, in 2006.
Awards
Emmy Awards
- 2004 "Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series" Jennifer Finnigan (Bridget Forrester)
- 2003 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Susan Flannery (Stephanie Forrester)
- 2003 "Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series" Jennifer Finnigan (Bridget Forrester)
- 2002 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Susan Flannery (Stephanie Forrester)
- 2002 "Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series" Jennifer Finnigan (Bridget Forrester Sharpe)
- 2001 "Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series" Justin Torkildsen (Rick Forrester)
- 2001 "Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series" Adrienne Frantz (Amber Moore Forrester)
- 2000 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Susan Flannery (Stephanie Forrester)
- 1997 "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" Ian Buchanan (Dr. James Warwick)
TV Soap Golden Boomerang Awards
- 2006 "Best Show" The Bold and the Beautiful
- 2006 "Best Actress" Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Logan Forrester)
- 2006 "Best Actor" Jack Wagner (Dominick Marone)
- 2006 "Best Younger Actress" Ashley Jones (Bridget Forrester)
- 2006 "Best Supporting Actor" Winsor Harmon (Thorne Forrester)
- 2006 "Best Supporting Actress" Lesley-Anne Down (Jacqueline Payne Marone)
See also
External links
- B&B's Spoiler
- The Bold and The Beautiful
- The Bold and The Beautiful Watch B&B for FREE
- Bold and The Beautiful Discussion Group
- B&B Yahoo Groups