‘Santa Barbara’ Celebrates 40 Years With Joyful Reunion & Stories (Photos)
On July 30, 1984, the new soap opera Santa Barbara premiered on NBC. The series centered around the wealthy Capwell family and the rival Lockridge family living in Santa Barbara, California. The show also followed two more ordinary families, the Andrades and the Perkins. In its run, it was nominated 30 times for Daytime Emmys and won 24 times and the series ended on Jan. 15, 1993.
Santa Barbara supercouple Marcy Walker (Eden Capwell) and A Martinez (Cruz Castillo) reunited and headlined the panel of over 28 actors from the show, with 18 creators, writers and producers taking the stage. Other headliners were Nancy Lee Grahn (Julia Wainwright), Lane Davies (Mason Capwell), Louise Sorel (Augusta Lockridge), Gordon Thomson (Mason Capwell) and Judith McConnell (Sophia Capwell). Show creator Jerome Dobson was also on hand with his daughter, Mary.
Credit: Mike Pingel
The event held at the Colony Theatre Company on Aug. 2, 2024, in Burbank, California, was explosive for Santa Barbara fans as cast and crew shared stories and memories. It was also a wonderfully personal, emotional and memory-making night for the cast and crew themselves. Reliving fun memories, the cast praised the writers of the show for making it the amazing show it was. The evening was a fundraiser for the Conasauga Shakespeare Coalition which is a nonprofit theater company based in Dalton, Georgia, and aims to deliver theater to audiences of all ages, with an emphasis on the timeless works of William Shakespeare.
‘Santa Barbara’ super reunion cast who were in attendance:
Carrington Garland (Kelly Capwell), Harley Jane Kozak (Mary), Ava Lazar (Santana), John Allen Nelson (Warren Lockridge), Kristen Meadows (Tori Lane), Steve Meadows (Peter Flint), Robert Newman (Kirk Cranston), Michael Brainard (Ted Capwell), Vincent Irizarry (Dr. Scott Clark), Richard Eden (Brick Wallace), Sherilyn Wolter (Elena Nikolas), Terri Garber (Suzanne Collier), Peter Love (Ric Castillo), Kathy Shower (Janice), Miranda Wilson (Sandra Mills), Gina Gallego (Santana Andrade), Valorie Armstrong (Marisa Perkins), Christina Brascia (Aurora DeAngelis), Ria Pavia (Elaine), Jane Rogers (Heather Donnelly) and Frank Runyeon (Michael)
>> Exclusive: Marcy Walker & A Martinez reunited at ‘Santa Barbara’s’ 40th Anniversary <<
Vincent Irizarry (Dr. Scott Clark)
Vincent Irizarry shared the Jane and Tarzan fantasy of the character. He shared that he was dressed as Tarzan, and there was an orangutan he had to hold that had a chafed butt. When he had to do the Tarzan yell, the orangutan wanted nothing to do with it and crawled up and sat on his head. They finally just had him do the yell off-camera.
Lane Davies (Mason Capwell) and Nancy Lee Grahn (Julia Wainwright)
Lane Davies made a funny observation about his marriage to his TV wife, Nancy responded with “We could not believe our wedding was nothing like all the other high-end weddings on the show. We got married by a judge when all the other supercouples were married in castles.”
Nancy Lee Grahn recalled the actors, writers and producers as a “fearless group” who created an amazing show that went for over nine years on TV. She also said, “Santa Barbara: soap for smart people!” which was met with cheers and claps from the audience.
Harley Jane Kozak (Mary Duvall)
Harley Jane Kozak shared the story about being hit and killed by the letter C. She was informed she was going to be killed off and asked how long she had to live. She was told: Tuesday. The cast chimed in to talk about how horrible the C looked on set, but it looked so much better on the small screen. Her character’s death was one of the show’s most memorable.
Marcy Walker (Eden Capwell Castillo) and A Martinez (Cruz Castillo)
The moderator asked the supercouple Marcy Walker and A Martinez where they thought their characters Eden and Cruz would be today. Walker said, “In my mind and heart, they would stay on that beach together. It was great love, and great lovers deserve a sunset.” Marcy then turned to A and told him how much she (as a person) loved him.
John Allen Nelson (Warren Lockridge)
John Allen Nelson, the show’s hunky star, shared about his audition for the show. He decided to look the part of the lifeguard, so he arrived at the auditions in a red speedo, a whistle and no shirt. His sexy hunkyness got him cast. John had just been hired for a waiter job in NYC, but his outfit got him the job, and he was soon flying out to L.A. to shoot the show.
Gordon Thomson (Mason Capwell)
“It was the best written show I ever did,” Gordon Thomson shared, expressing how much the show meant to him. He told the packed theater of fans that, throughout his long acting career, Santa Barbara was his favorite show he ever did.
Louise Sorel (Augusta Lockridge)
Louise Sorel wanted a bit of closure after all these years about a scene where her ruthless character was serving dinner and it was revealed she was serving her daughter’s pigeon as the main course. She was horrified about the scene since she is an animal lover and could not hurt an animal herself.
Steve Meadows (Peter Flint)
Steve Meadows shared that he was asked if he would like to be put into a coma and come out as the Carnation Killer. He said YES and was all in!
In Memoriam
The event closed with a video celebration of cast and crew who have passed away. Including one of the show’s creators, Bridget Dobson, who passed away earlier this year. Davies presented a reading as photos of her amazing life were shown on the screen and then thanked everyone for coming and told the audience about the Conasauga Shakespeare Coalition.
Best in Soaps
June 2017
A sudsy issue that celebrates all your favorite soaps and stars that have kept us hooked for years!
Buy This Issue