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Show It is rather amusing at mg advanced age he offered, to become a se.v symbol health club, Blake brings new meaning to the word romance. He show ers Krystie with presents. He flies her to San Francisco for dinner. And no matter what kind of tough day he's had. Blake lights the fire himself and hauls out the champagne. In a time when men are said to be incapable of commitment to anything outside of themselves, commitment is what Blake is all about to work, to family, to his w'ife, to marriage. Even feminists might find him appealing. When Krystie announced that mansion knocking around the with the servants all day left her unfulfilled, Blake put her in charge of public relations forhisbusinessempire. Working women dont threaten Blake. He is a secure man. Never mind that he is ruthless in business, that he tries to control and manipulate the lives of his children, that he's homophobic. His flaws him more attractive. Is it any wonder that Blake Carrington is my fantasy? The person responsible, of course, is John Forsythe. He took a mustache-twirlincartoon-charactvillain and transformed him into the most interesting, complicated, sexy man on television. Knowing that fantasies met head-o- n often disappoint. I was both excited and nervous the day I had breakfast with John Forsythe. Arriving early at the dinSands Hotel. I ing room of the Bel-A- ir watched as the actor, his head bent just a bit. tried to make his way to the table as inconspicuously as possible. Forget it. Every woman in the place watched his every move. Ah, I thought. Im not the only one. America has a new sex symbol, and he's 66 years old. "It is rather amusing at my advanced age." he offered, "to become a sex symbol." As he sipped his juice, he talked about the origin of Blake Carrington. "In the beginning." said Forsythe, the writers had a vision of Blake that was very close to J.R. J.R. Ewing of Dallas . and 1 absolutely rebelled. Larry Hagman had done such a wonderful job. Why imitate him? I decided I was going to make Blake much more human. I know a lot of tycoons w ho are very close to w hat Blake Carrington is. Absolutely ruthless when it comes to the marketplace and yet the warmest, nicest fellows around their families. And they are very, very good friends to be w ith. "I'm a different guy than Blake Carrington. I'm softer than he is. and I mustn't 48-roo- m only-mak- g. er PARADE MAGAZINE JULY 15, 1984 PAGE 5 let my own feelings get in the way of how this man should be. It's hard, be- cause there are real contradictions." Take politics. Carrington would vote for Ronald Reagan: Forsythe supported Gary' Hart. "I like what he has to say." the actor declared. "I made two fundraising appearances for him." Take homosexuality. When Blake discovered that his son was gay. he got into a shoving match with the boys male lover (accidentally killing him). "Having been in the acting business as long as I have." said Forsythe, "and having been associated with as many homosexuals as I have . . . well, in our business, we don't draw the line. All we care about is talent. I think homosexuality is an alternative lifestyle." As for being a father: "In real life, Forsythe said, "I love my family very much and am enormously proud of my children a son and two daughters, but I don't have the insane control over them that Blake has over his family." Yet this attractive man does have things in common with his attractive character. "1 appreciate women," said Forsythe. "I don't feel threatened by the rise of women in our society. I've been a proponent of the ERA for a very long time." And he is devoted to Julie, his wife of 40 years. "I don't have the resources at my command that Carrington has." he said, but I think, within my framework, that I'm a fairly romantic guy." Later, when I talked with Julie Forsythe, I decided to check that out. She agreed sort of. "John will write a poem and send roses on anniversaries. But at the end of the day. he comes home in his jeans and old shirt, still wearing his makeup. He w ashes it off. gets into his robe, has a vodka on the rocks, and we watch the news. She laughed. "Not exactly like at the Carrington mansion." "Julie is extraordinary," Forsythe said warmly. "A long time ago. she made the decision not to continue her acting career and to devote herself to me and the children, and she's done an excellent job. A playful smile crossed Forsythe's face. "Julie guards over me with a careful eye. watching the food I eat so I s don't get too fat. so I can continue to bring home the bacon. She I fills me full of vita- mins so I can stay on the set as long as I do. But seriously." he said, not becoming the least bit serious. "I'm such a delightful, easy man to get along with. What can I say? Julie married very well." The waiter arrived to refill the coffee. Forsythe had not had a chance to touch his oatmeal, which had grown cold. "Thats OK." he assured the waiter. "Cold oatmeal is no stranger to me." He leaned toward me. "My mother was an extraordinary woman, loved by many, many people, but she was the worst cook who ever lived." He made a noise: "Ccccccrrrrrrkkkkkk. Sounds from my childhood." he explained. "The scraping of burnt toast. The happiest days of mv youth were spent in restaurants." John Forsythe has been a part of our consciousness for a long time. "1 have what someone called "durability.' " he said. "I accept that as a compliment." Bom John Lincoln Freund in Penns Grove. N.J.. he dropped out of the University of North Carolina to pursue a career in sports broadcasting (he spent summers announcing the games at Eb-be- ts Field, home of the old Brooklyn I 1 was and still am.' Dodgers). confided, "an absolute sports nut." His announcing led to jobs on radio soaps like Helen Trent and Stella Dallas. In 1939. he made his theatrical debut, and he hasn't stopped since. Forsythe has moved effortlessly and freely from the stage Mister Roberts, Teahouse of the August Moon) to film The Trouble With Harry, Topaz) to television Bachelor Father, To Rome With Love). In addition, he was the voice of the hedonistic Charlie on Charlie's Angels, is the spokesman for. Michelob beer and for the last 12 years has been host and narrator of a wildlife show called The World of Survival. "I never took voice lessons." said Forsythe, "but I've taken a lot of singing lessons. And each of the teachers said to me, 'John, save your money.' All the same, I have wanted more than anything else to be in a musical, to be surrounded by 100 beautiful girls with pink knees while I sang. "There are some actors." he went on thoughtfully, like athletes, who do things with such seeming ease that they're never given proper credit for what they do. I don't think I'm a soaring Marlon Brando, Laurence Olivier. George C. Scott, but I do think I'm a better actor than I've been given credit for. Consistency and longevity are two very important factors in any athlete's career. If a continued |