Photo of Carolyn Jones on "Capitol"

[catlover79]

She was one of the matriarchs of the two warring political families when the soap opera Capitol debuted in 1982. Sadly, her health took a sad, downward spiral and she passed away the next year. But in this photo, she looks simply stunning, doesn't she?

[Brian Damage]

Originally Posted by catlover79

She was one of the matriarchs of the two warring political families when the soap opera Capitol debuted in 1982. Sadly, her health took a sad, downward spiral and she passed away the next year. But in this photo, she looks simply stunning, doesn't she?

Very cool, thanks for posting Monika

What was her health problems that killed her?

[ansara1]

Great photo! Very interesting. I don't remember that series at all. What network was it on and when did it come on????

Originally Posted by catlover79

She was one of the matriarchs of the two warring political families when the soap opera Capitol debuted in 1982. Sadly, her health took a sad, downward spiral and she passed away the next year. But in this photo, she looks simply stunning, doesn't she?

[catlover79]

Carolyn Jones was diagnosed with colon cancer shortly after Capitol debuted in 1982. It quickly spread, and she passed on the following year. Replacing her in the role of the mighty Myrna Clegg was Marla Adams and then Marj Dusay.

Capitol was a half-hour soap which ran on CBS from 1982-87. It replaced Search For Tomorrow in the Tiffany Network's daytime lineup (SFT was picked up by NBC, and it limped along for another 4 1/2 years). Constance Towers (probably best known now as Helena Cassadine on GH on and off since 1997) played the other matriarch of the soap. The cast included such soap stalwarts as Catherine Hickland, Billy Warlock, Jess Harper and Nicholas Walker. Famous guest stars included Tammy Wynette, Lola Falana, Lana Wood and a very young Kelly Preston (then billed as Kelly Palzis). When Capitol went off the air in 1987, it was replaced by The Bold & The Beautiful, which is still on as of this writing.

For more, I recommend going to YouTube and watching the bio on Carolyn Jones, entitled "Morticia and More". Among those interviewed are John Astin and Lisa Loring.

[catlover79]

Here's an interview with Carolyn Jones I found on a Capitol fan site:

http://www.anzwers.org/free/capitol2...es/artcjct.htm

Carolyn Jones

Myrna Clegg skulks through the corridors of power looking for a chink here, a tear there, a weak point wherever she can find it. For Myrna, building her own spheres of influence means destroying someone - or something - along the way.

Is the lady immoral? Is she, perhaps, amoral? Is she an unsavory villain; evil, singularly sinister and unworthy of salvation?

Yes on all counts? "Definitely not," says Carolyn Jones, the striking blonde actress who plays the menacing Myrna on CBS's newest soap "Capitol."

Ms. Jones (who has sometimes been called the thinking person's actress because her performances not only appeal to the emotions but leave one feeling intellectually satisfied as well) is starring in her first soap opera. Her distinguished career has included theater, movies (she won an Oscar nomination in the Paddy Chayefesky film "The Bachelor Party") and television. Carolyn earned kudos for her work in such prestigious productions as "Playhouse 90" and then found viewer "immortality," thanks to her role as Morticia in "The Addams Family."

Although Myrna has been described as immoral, possibly even amoral, Jones declines fa describe the lady as either, nor does she think the woman is beyond redemption. "Immorality," says Carolyn, "implies a deliberate disregard of what we might call the conventions of polite society. If anything, Myrna truly believes that what she does she does with an approved framework of behavior. That's why she's not amoral, either. Myrna knows very well what's wrong and what's right. What makes Myrna such a fascinating personality is that she believes she's doing the right thing, for the right reasons, and for the right goals. Whether you agree with her or not, it's hard to argue about her behavior if the action proceeds from what someone 'knows' to be the truth. Myrna sincerely feels she knovs what the truth is.

But way down deep????. "That, is what makes the lady so fascinating," insists Carolyn. "She didn't always operate from this standard or set of standards. Over the years she may have persuaded herself to accept them as truths. But of course, there is the Myrna whom we might call 'the pre-rejection woman' and once in a while I try to show that basic foundation of her personality coming up to the surface before it's quickly pushed down again."

When "Capitol" first went on the air, viewers were shown an almost classic example of good vs. evil, light vs. dark, heroine vs. villainess in the Clarissa McCandless (Constance Towers)/Myrna Clegg confrontation. The personality of each woman was clearly and deliberately drawn so that there'd be no mistaking which woman was taking the high road and which was saaking along the low road toward their respect goals.

Chatting with John Conboy, I learned that even the names of the ladies were chosen to highlight the differences between them "Myrna Clegg lays there, doesn't it," the ex- ecutive producer said. "Clarissa McCandless, however, is very much an image of light." Carolyn agrees that the two women have been shown to be opposites. But she adds a significant observation: "Since nothing exists without its opposite – or, perhaps we should say – we would not be aware of anything if its opposite weren't also something to be experienced – then, perhaps, we can see Myrna and Clarissa as two sides of the same coin. Both are mothers who want the best for their children; both are women who have been in love – and as we now know – with the same man. Keep in mind, also, that at one time they were very close friends. Indeed, they cared for each other as sisters would; sharing thoughts and dreams and, of course," she smiles, "clothes! Myrna may have been the more submissive of the two, but for the most part, she adored Clarissa. And Clarissa certainly didn't flaunt her dominant status. Instead she always tried to help Myrna."

But today, because Clarissa married McCandless, the man Myrna loved, the two women are arch enemies. "Perhaps," Carolyn muses. "But essentially, what it's all come down to is the way each woman fights for her children. Through Trey – her adopted son – Myrna expects to become the mother of a future president of the United States. And of course, Clarissa believes Tyler, her son, should one day sit in the White House. "As I said, Myrna now believes that what she does is right – and she firmly believes that Trey would be better man for president; so why not do everything possible to help the better man win?"

Carolyn touched on one of the most interesting relationships of the human condition; that of the "best friends" period between two girls (who often become closer than sisters). "That's the tragedy of Myrna and Clarissa, don't you think? That they had the sort of friendship that should have allowed them both to overcome problems between them. But Myrna had, for so long, been the less popular of the two, one supposes that when she blossomed out she wasn't prepared to lose the man of her dreams to Clarissa. She thought of it as... well, perhaps the word is betrayal."

Will there ever be a time when a Myrna and a Clarissa could become friends again? "I think that could happen. Of course ... and wouldn't it be interesting to see how that occurs."

One reviewer pointed out the fact that Clarissa has friends but Myrna has allies. "Exactly what you would expect. After all, it was, she believes, her best friend who betrayed her. Friendships for Myrna mean potential pain," Carolyn notes.

Another reviewer observed Clarissa's many fermale friends; Myrna had none to speak of.

"Don't we all need friends?" Carolyn reflects. "It's true that in "Capitol" we can see how friendships or alliances, work and how power is achieved, lost, schemed for and so on. Myrna is determined to get and use power to achieve her own ends. Since, in Washington, as elsewhere, most of the power is held by men, then it has to be through men, and from men, that someone than Myrna feel she must operate. She appears to need only the sources and resources of power. But I'm sure, if thinghs had been different, she would also appreciate her friendships; with men and with women."

"In every others performing art - music. theater, other television shows, movies, dance – and in every other writing medium (she's the author of two suceessful books) there's a beginning, a middle and an end. In a soap, there's really only the ongoing performance. As in real life, no one really knows where he or she will turn up after a series of experiences. It's a constant process of change, yet with a need to sustain the character all through those changes she – or he," she smiles, "goes through.

"I feel extremely fortunate in playing one of the finest female roles on television today – nighttime or daytime. Myrna has so many layers to her! She's not all black; the way Clarissa is not all white. She's a very human human being. She's perfect for the soap medium, where you can take the time needed to allow her to reveal herself. As a matter of fact, one of the challenges of a soap is adjusting to the way a role is played. In the other media, you build towards that denouement; the ending. In a soap it's a continual unfolding, or unwrapping... The Amarillo, Texas-born actress is divorced from producer Aaron Spelling ("Love Boat," "Fantasy Island," etc.). But there's a very special man in her life now. Carolyn asks that she be permitted to keep this part of her life "as private as our business allows." An intelligent woman with a keen analytical mind, she enjoys learning and doesn't hesitate to question anything. "Any fact that can't stand up to analysis can't be considered a fact," Carolyn says.

Jones is proud of her American Indian ancestry and is involved in projects concerned with native Americans. She's also involved in a project in California that helps cancer victims and their families face the demands made by the disease, comes through the worst times, and then rebuild their lives afterwards.

And for those of you who wonder why Carolyn Jones is now a blonde, when she's been one of the most popular brunette actresses for years, the fact is – she didn't "dye" because she suddenly believed that blondes have more fun. Rather, Carolyn Jones, has always been a natural blonde who dyed her hair brown because she was once advised that with every aspiring actress going blonde, it's the dark-tressed beauty that will catch ihe attention of produers. Evidently, it worked.

[catlover79]

Here is a Carolyn Jones photo gallery on the same website from her brief time on the soap:

http://www.anzwers.org/free/capitol2002/Pages/cj.htm

[catlover79]

I read a book called Soap Opera Babylon (published in 1987) that briefly touched on an actress named Leslie Graves, who played Carolyn Jones' daughter on Capitol. Because Carolyn never had kids of her own, she tended to take her younger co-stars under her wing. Leslie Graves came to look upon Carolyn as a true mother figure and they became very, very close. Leslie even helped plan Carolyn's wedding in 1982!

When Carolyn died in 1983, Leslie was shattered and became clinically depressed - to the point where she had to take a medical leave from the soap to seek help. She returned to the set somewhat improved, but left the show for good when her contract was up in 1984.

Sadly, Leslie Graves began to get into drugs and died of an AIDS-related illness in 1995. She left behind and husband and two children. I couldn't find any photos of her and Carolyn together, but here's what I could find:

[catlover79]

Here are a couple of more Carolyn Jones Capitol photos: one with on-screen daughter Leslie Graves, and the other with on-screen rival Constance Towers. Enjoy!!

[TV_on_the_Porch]

She does look great in those photos, doesn't she? It just goes to show how much our perspective on such things shifts over time: at the age of 17 when I saw similar photos of Carolyn promoting Capitol I thought she had aged terribly. It's possible that I was using Barbara Eden (then in Harper Valley) as a yardstick and Barbara literally looked the same as she had in her 60s series and Carolyn, well, didn't.

[catlover79]

She was indeed beautiful. However, that's not her real hair in those photos. They were wigs, partly because she was losing her real hair due to chemo from her cancer treatments, and partly because what hair she had left was thin and blond, much like the other main female of the show, Constance Towers. It's such a shame that Carolyn is no longer with us. She left way too soon.

[MickeyMac]

I remember Capitol. I thought it was a weak soap. Couldnt get into it.

[catlover79]

I saw a few clips of the show on YouTube. I wasn't really impressed either, especially after watching shows like Ryan's Hope, Search For Tomorrow, and Santa Barbara.