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PBS presentation of "Pioneers of Television"
(Season 3)
PBS “Pioneers of Television”, season 3, will revisit old shows and stars
using original interviews, clips and dramatic re-creations revealing
intriguing behind-the-scenes stories and fascinating facts.
Season 3 will discover more about “Funny Ladies”,
“Primetime Soaps”, “Superheroes” and “Miniseries”.
At the season’s presentation, Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward
met for the first time in thirty years; they both took part,
together with Bryan Brown (Rachel Ward's husband and Luke O'Neill
in "The Thorn Birds"), in a discussion panel on miniseries,
the topic that PBS will explore in episode 4 and broadcast
February 5, 2013.
"... Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward from the 1983s ABC miniseries
“The Thorn Birds” reunited on stage for the first time in decades on Sunday
night in Beverly Hills. The two, who played Father Ralph de Bricassart
and the woman who got between him and the church – Meggie Cleary –
hadn’t seen each other in years, having just one short encounter in
an airport at all beyond filming the show.
“We did run into each other very briefly in an airport in Thailand,”
Richard said at the “Pioneers of Television” Season 3 presentation during
the PBS portion of the Television Critics Association summer tour in Beverly Hills.
“We were working on the same project, but we didn’t have scenes together.
Rachel was just leaving town and I was just coming in and we met in the airport
for about 10 minutes and it was so great to see you.”
“It feels like I’m still in ‘The Thorn Birds,’ because I was always waiting
for Richard,” Rachel laughed.
Looking at his co-star, Richard leaned in and said he was pleased
to be reunited with the woman he made television history with.
(“The Thorn Birds” is the second highest rated miniseries ever —
after “Roots” — and its audience during the 10-hour miniseries brought
in more than 35 million viewers an episode, per TV By the Numbers.)
“I’m absolutely thrilled [to be together again] and it just seems like not
much has changed. You look more beautiful than ever, by the way,” Richard said.
“It’s scary, isn’t it?” Rachel replied. “It just feels like moments ago.”
Decades ago, when the show was being filmed, there had been reports
of drama on the set – at one point Richard broke his hand — but on Sunday,
the actor set the record straight on what really happened. “I was so in
love with her and I loved working with Rachel so much, I couldn’t believe
that there was any talk about us not getting along,” he said.
“I’d never heard that before,” Rachel said.
“There was, there was, and it was totally made up,” Richard said. “I did break
my hand at one point. I was having a lot of trouble remembering my line,
and it was a scene with, I think, Barbara [Stanwyck] and Jean Simmons,
the [camera] dolly … had seats and I thought they were soft and
I [slammed my hand down, and said] ‘Oh sh**,’ and broke this bone.
What a fool. What a stupid thing to do, but we carried on, the show went on,
but that part was true.”
Rachel admitted that some bad reviews by television critics of her
performance in the much-beloved miniseries actually prompted her to
leave acting as a profession, moving instead behind the camera.
The former actress, who married her “The Thorn Birds” on-screen husband,
Luke O’Neill, played by actor Bryan Brown, said she “didn’t have the
self-confidence” to continue acting."
© Jolie Lash for Access Hollywood
“Pioneers of Television” Season 3, episode 4, titled "Miniseries"
was broadcast on PBS February 5, 2013
watch the episode here
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Richard Chamberlain greets Cloris Leachman
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Photo Rahoul Ghose for PBS
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“I did break my hand at one point. I was having a lot of trouble remembering
my line,and it was a scene with, I think, Barbara [Stanwyck] and Jean Simmons,
the [camera] dolly … had seats and I thought they were soft and
I [slammed my hand down, and said] ‘Oh sh**,’ and broke this bone..."
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Photo Rahoul Ghose for PBS
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Photo Rahoul Ghose for PBS
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"While some of the presentation was sidetracked by Leachman's
insistence on interrupting and pulling focus to herself (something she's
done on TCA panels before), it wound up featuring some sweet
exchanges between Chamberlain and Ward (who have barely seen
each other in the 30 years since they made the series) and some
straight talk from Gossett [Roots] about how frustrating
he continues to find television's lack of diversity. "This industry
is sensitive enough to change, and they're doing that on
purpose," he said. "It's changing even as we speak. But the
influence and the effect that it has when every lead is Caucasian
male or female does work on the minds of our children. So as
soon as we possibly can correct that, the better.""
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Cloris Leachman undoing Bryan Brown's shirt!
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Chamberlain denied that the negative reviews
held any truth.
"I thought you were wonderful,"
Photo Rahoul Ghose for PBS
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Photo Rahoul Ghose for PBS
Photo Rahoul Ghose for PBS
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Photo Rahoul Ghose for PBS
On occasion of their reunion for the PBS presentation of
"Pioneers of Television", season 3, Richard Chamberlain,
Rachel Ward and Bryan Brown granted two interviews that
can be found on "Interviews, Page One" in two separate entries
click here
Photo session in Tinsel Town
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