 |
Susan Dey as Grace Van Owen in the legal television drama "L.A. Law". Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090466/characters/nm0001138/ (May be subject to copyright) |
One minute she was playing the oldest daughter of a musical family, the next she was a crusading attorney, and in-between was one of the daughters in a naval family.
Recently, I have been watching the first season of “Love and War” on demand. Seeing Susan Dey playing opposite Jay Thomas reminded me just how long, and how many different shows, I have enjoyed her in.
Hello world…
Growing up, Susan Dey was synonymous with one name – Laurie Partridge. She was the eldest daughter of the musical group in the show “The Partridge Family”. I don’t have a lot of memories of that show, but I do remember her. She looked so young, and she played the keyboards for the band, I remember that. She also seemed to be a comedy foil for younger brother Danny.
Growing up, Susan Dey was synonymous with one name – Laurie Partridge. She was the eldest daughter of the musical group in the show “The Partridge Family”. I don’t have a lot of memories of that show, but I do remember her. She looked so young, and she played the keyboards for the band, I remember that. She also seemed to be a comedy foil for younger brother Danny.
“The Partridge Family” ran from 1970 to 1974, so my memories are from reruns. It is hard to imagine, but Susan Dey was just 18 years old when that show started.
Guest starring
Once “The Partridge Family” ended, Susan Dey kept on working in television and on the big screen.
Once “The Partridge Family” ended, Susan Dey kept on working in television and on the big screen.
She had guest spots in the 1970s in shows such as “The Rookies”; “Hawaii Five-O”; “S.W.A.T.”; “The Quest”; “The Streets of San Francisco”; “Barnaby Jones”; and more.
Dey would appear in movies such as “The Candidate” in 1972; “Skyjacked” in 1972; and “First Love” in 1977. I recall seeing commercials on Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial for “First Love”, because she co-starred with William Katt, who was then starring in “The Greatest American Hero”.
Dawn of the decade
Susan Dey appeared in a couple theatrical releases in the 1980s, “Looker” in 1981 and “Echo Park” in 1986. “Looker” also was on Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial, but I only saw a snippet of it and star Albert Finney. That same night I went to my friend Shawn’s birthday party in Coaldale, and his family had it on in another room. It must have been on earlier on cable, because when I got back to the farm, it was on there too, and when I saw Finney.
Susan Dey appeared in a couple theatrical releases in the 1980s, “Looker” in 1981 and “Echo Park” in 1986. “Looker” also was on Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial, but I only saw a snippet of it and star Albert Finney. That same night I went to my friend Shawn’s birthday party in Coaldale, and his family had it on in another room. It must have been on earlier on cable, because when I got back to the farm, it was on there too, and when I saw Finney.
She also appeared in two television movies, in which she co-stars with John Ritter, best known at the time for his role in “Three’s Company”, and I am pretty sure I saw them both. In “The Comeback Kid” in 1980, Ritter plays a minor league baseball player who finds renewed hope coaching an underprivileged baseball team. In “Sunset Limousine” in 1983, Ritter plays a limousine driver who wants to be a stand-up comedian. Dey plays Ritter’s love interest in both movies.
In the navy
Life really got busier for Susan Dey in 1983 as she made her return to network television. Once more she played the daughter in a career-oriented family. However, in “Emerald Point N.A.S.” the Mallory family’s business is the navy, not music like it was for the Partridges.
Life really got busier for Susan Dey in 1983 as she made her return to network television. Once more she played the daughter in a career-oriented family. However, in “Emerald Point N.A.S.” the Mallory family’s business is the navy, not music like it was for the Partridges.
Dey plays Celia Mallory Warren, a rebellious daughter, who is in an unhappy marriage to a Judge Advocate General lawyer played by Charles Frank. Unlike Laurie Partridge, who is pretty straight-laced and dare I say innocent, Celia was much more provocative. She divorced her husband and married a lieutenant played by Richard Dean Anderson, long before he became “McGyver”.
I recall even then thinking how Laurie Partridge had grown up. She looked like a woman, and was much more attractive and sensual. Plus it was the ‘80s so she had the frizzy hair, thick eye make-up and shoulder pads to accentuate everything.
“Emerald Point N.A.S.” aired on Channel 7 on the peasant vision dial, and I did watch it. That included the season-ending cliff higher that was never resolved, because the show was cancelled after the 1983-1984 season and 22 episodes.
It was too bad, because like “The Yellow Rose”, another star-studded night-time soap opera, “Emerald Point N.A.S.” had a lot of unrealized soap opera potential. The cast was loaded with talent including Dennis Weaver; Jill St. John; Maud Adams; Andrew Stevens; Sela Ward; Robert Vaughn; Richard Dean Anderson; Doran Clark; Charles Frank; and Jack Scalia. These actors may not all be stars but they were solid television actors.
Susan Dey didn’t have to wait too long for a role that not only lasted longer than Laurie Partridge but eclipsed her as well.
She was going to court.
She was going to court.
Legal eagle
“L.A. Law” debuted in 1986, when I was starting Grade 12, and ran until 1994. Susan Dey played Grace Van Owen, a deputy district attorney and later judge, from 1986 until 1992. She was absolutely brilliant in the role, playing it straight most of the time. When she did crack a joke it was even funnier.
“L.A. Law” debuted in 1986, when I was starting Grade 12, and ran until 1994. Susan Dey played Grace Van Owen, a deputy district attorney and later judge, from 1986 until 1992. She was absolutely brilliant in the role, playing it straight most of the time. When she did crack a joke it was even funnier.
The first example I can recall of this was when she was engaged, but obviously attracted to defence attorney Michael Kuzak, played by Harry Hamlin. I think she had already broken off her engagement, but it was cemented when he showed up to woo her in a gorilla suit. She played it equal parts awkward and annoyed.
She would get together with Kuzak, but they would break up, as happens in night-time drama. Ultimately, she ends up with Victor Sifuentes, another defence attorney, and they get married in the final episode of season five in 1991.
Sadly, I did not really get into “L.A. Law” until that fifth season, and only watching reruns in the summers of 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994. However, when I went back to college in 1999 to 2001, A&E reran the entire run of the show, and I was able to see every episode.
That’s when I truly saw how amazing Susan Dey was as Grace Van Owen.
For her efforts, she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama in 1987 and was nominated in 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991. She was also nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1987, 1988, and 1989.
The years after
Susan Dey kept on acting, jumping right back into series television in 1992 and “Love and War”. I finished watching that first season, then read on Wikipedia she was fired from the show becaue she had no chemistry with co-star Jay Thomas. After binge watching the show, I have to agree. It was like she was playing Grace Van Owen, but in a comedy. It just didn’t work.
Susan Dey kept on acting, jumping right back into series television in 1992 and “Love and War”. I finished watching that first season, then read on Wikipedia she was fired from the show becaue she had no chemistry with co-star Jay Thomas. After binge watching the show, I have to agree. It was like she was playing Grace Van Owen, but in a comedy. It just didn’t work.
She also appeared in some TV movies, and guest starred in the odd show, then reprised her role as Grace Van Owen in a reunion movie in 2002 called “L.A. Law: The Movie”.
Once more she was excellent in the role. Whatever chemistry she did not have with Jay Thomas, it was the exact opposite with Harry Hamlin, because they had some on-screen magic. In the show, Michael Kuzak is a self-described saloon keeper, called out of retirement by a former client on death row who literally has one last gasp. Facing a dead line – literally – Kuzak tries to summon up some of his old legal magic as he faces off against a tough but fair district attorney – Grace Van Owen. Slowly he pieces things together.
“Counsellor, you’re actually putting together the makings of a case,” Van Owen admits.
It was a great last act to their on-screen relationship, especially because they walk off together in the proverbial sunset.
Parting thoughts
Susan Dey is best known for two roles – Laurie Partridge and Grace Van Owen – and she was excellent in each one. So much so, she was not nominated for awards for both roles.
Susan Dey is best known for two roles – Laurie Partridge and Grace Van Owen – and she was excellent in each one. So much so, she was not nominated for awards for both roles.
I was too young to really see Laurie Partridge so, to me, Susan Dey will always be Grace Van Owen, a tough but fair lawyer with a compassionate side and a dead-pan sense of humour.
No comments:
Post a Comment