Flamingo Road

:See also Flamingo Road (1949 film).

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Flamingo Road was NBC's first attempt to jump into the 1980s primetime soap opera craze. It was first seen as a TV movie on May 12, 1980, and as a series on January 6, 1981, after a rebroadcast of the pilot on December 29, 1980. The show was based on the 1949 movie starring Joan Crawford, which was, in turn, based on the novel by Robert Wilder. It was created to be NBC's idea of competition against CBS's Dallas and Knots Landing, nighttime dramas that were inspired by the daily soap operas that aired in the afternoon.

Related Topics:
NBC - 1980s - Soap opera - TV movie - May 12 - 1980 - January 6 - 1981 - December 29 - 1949 - Joan Crawford - Robert Wilder - CBS - Dallas - Knots Landing

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The series took place in the fictional town of Truro, Florida, which was situated on the inside of corner of the panhandle. Action revolved around the various characters of the show, most of whom had ties to the very wealthy Weldon family, who resided on the high-priced Flamingo Road: Claude, who gained his fortune through the paper industry; Eudora, his naive wife; Constance, their believed to be adopted daughter, and Skipper, their son who was in his early 20s. Fielding Carlyle was Constance's husband, whilst Lane Ballou was his frequent mistress. Lane worked for bar owner Lute-Mae Sanders, Constance's biological mother (Claude was her biological father, but no one knew it). At Lute-Mae's Lane became good friends with Sam Curtis, a construction magnate. Other important members in the cast were Titus Semple, the ruthless sheriff, and Elmo Tyson, editor of the Truro Clarion and Eudora's high school sweetheart.

Related Topics:
Truro - Florida

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Though the show was semi popular throughout 1981, it soon succumbed to being scheduled against ABC's hit romance/mystery Hart to Hart. NBC pulled the plug on the show in Spring 1982, though reruns aired in the timeslot until mid summer of that year. Several of its stars went on to become famous for other works, including Morgan Fairchild, Mark Harmon, John Beck, and Woody Brown. Others were already relatively known when the series debut, such as Howard Duff, Stella Stevens, and Barbara Rush.

Related Topics:
1981 - ABC - Hart to Hart - NBC - 1982 - Morgan Fairchild - Mark Harmon - John Beck - Woody Brown - Howard Duff - Stella Stevens - Barbara Rush

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