Recipes for Life (19 page)

J
OHN
F
ORSYTHE WASN
’
T
actually the first Blake Carrington on
Dynasty
. In the original pilot, George Peppard played my husband. However, by the end of filming, there was so much discord between George, Aaron, and the network that they mutually agreed to release George from his contract.

After George left, Aaron looked to John Forsythe. They had worked together when John did the voice of Charlie on
Charlie’s Angels
. John had also just received critical acclaim for his riveting performance in . . .
And Justice For All
.

My first speaking part, with John Forsythe (when we were both brunette).

The stars had all lined up to give me the best star in the world to work with.

When we returned to Northern California to reshoot the pilot, it was wonderful to see John again (who, by the way, was responsible for giving me my first speaking part at age fifteen on a show he produced and starred in called
Bachelor Father)
. He was more handsome than ever. He walked up to me on the set and said, “My, little Linda Evenstad, how you have grown. How is your mother, Arleen?” I loved him for
remembering my mother. What a charmer. He made every day on
Dynasty
more memorable than the last; this continued for nine years. There was only one John Forsythe. I was so lucky to have him in my life.

Astaire couldn’t do it better.

D
URING THE COUNTLESS
hours of daily
Dynasty
drama, John never failed to make me laugh. Not only was he easy to love, but he was also a fine actor and a total professional. He was my cheerleader . . . well, that is when he wasn’t making me laugh in the middle of my close-up.

John had a brilliant sense of humor. When we would shoot elaborate and elegant dinner scenes, which meant hours of sitting around a table, we’d all start to fade or get restless, so John would invariably come up with something to snap us out of it and get us laughing. Whether it was telling one of his classic old jokes, or suddenly appearing off camera wearing my chandelier diamond earrings. As you can imagine, Bunky and John Forsythe were instant lifelong friends.

No wonder we were always fighting over this gorgeous guy.

One of my favorite memories of John’s wit happened during an interview we were giving together between filming. It was for a major national magazine and the reporter was very serious and professional. John responded in kind, keeping the gentleman spellbound with his usual eloquence, while guiding us across the set to where a classic, headless Greek statue rested at the end of a hallway.

When we reached the stone goddess, John paused, as if in deep contemplative reflection, and put his hand right on her breast. The reporter just stared, stunned. As the silence continued, the poor man started to squirm, obviously at a complete loss for words. John never faltered, but I nearly exploded from the laughter I was holding back.

The interviewer never mentioned it in his article. I still smile to this day when I think about it.

I
T SHOULD COME
as no surprise that John was married to an exceptionally wonderful and talented woman. The real surprise to most was that Julie was famous before John. They met while she was starring on Broadway in Cole Porter’s
Around the World
. She was a beautiful woman with an amazing singing voice. But like so many women of her generation, she gave up her career for her man.

I first met Julie when John and I started working on
Dynasty
. I knew immediately that we were going to become good friends. The three of us ended up traveling all over the world and always shared wonderful times together. Often we’d talk Julie into singing for us. Her voice was so beautiful and pure; she didn’t even need any accompaniment. Everyone loved hearing her, but what was most touching for me was to see how John always looked at her, with such great love and pride.

John Forsythe and his two wives.

Sometimes Bunky would travel with us and at the end of the evening we’d end up in one of our suites in our pajamas with Champagne and dessert. John would go off to bed saying he needed his beauty sleep, leaving his “angels” behind. Julie, Bunky, and I would stay up for hours sharing stories and laughing.

John and Julie were married in the early 1940s and shared a great, solid marriage until her unexpected death in 1994. I will miss her always.

Shortly after we lost Julie, I went to visit John in Santa Ynez at their ranch and their family cook of forty years, Toyoko, made one of Julie’s recipes for us. This is my version of it.

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, divided

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into 1-inch strips lengthwise

¼ cup grated Parmesan

¼ cup sesame seeds

1 cup breadcrumbs (preferably panko)

Kosher salt and pepper

2 eggs

2 tablespoons milk

½ cup all-purpose flour

Canola oil for frying

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter on low heat and pour into a large bowl. Add the chicken strips and turn to coat them fully. Set aside.

In a shallow dish, combine the cheese, sesame seeds, breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. In another shallow dish, beat the two eggs with the milk. On a plate, combine the flour with ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.

Heat ¼ inch of oil along with the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Dip a chicken strip in the flour, turning to coat both sides well. Then dip the strip in the egg wash, followed by the breadcrumbs, turning the strip to coat well each time.

Lay the breaded strip in the hot oil, and repeat with three to four more strips (you can dip two at a time to fill your skillet quickly).

Cook 4 to 5 minutes altogether, turning once, until golden brown. (If the strips are browning too fast, lower the heat.)

Remove the cooked chicken to a paper towel–lined plate and cook the remaining chicken. Serve at once.

W
HILE
I
WAS
doing
Dynasty
, I ended up doing several other shows because I realized how lucky I was to be offered the opportunity to work with legends like Bob Hope. I actually did three specials with Bob. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this remarkable man. I loved working with him and I was grateful he gave me the opportunity to do comedy.

The most outrageous skit I remember was in one of the earlier shows, and it wasn’t as much about the script as the stunt Bunky decided to pull. The skit was a spoof on the highly successful
Shogun,
the miniseries with my old friend Richard Chamberlain. Loni Anderson, Barbara Eden, and I were cast as Shogun Bob’s adoring geishas.