Television
Television's Gold Standard Of Excellence
By Tommy Garrett
Mar 29, 2009 - 4:43:34 PM

HOLLYWOOD—This week’s Gold Standard goes to two performers whom I have admired for decades. No surprise the two Emmy-worthy actors are carrying their shows to new heights. Susan Flannery, who portrays Stephanie Forrester on CBS’s “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and Michael Park, who portrays Jack Snyder on the long running drama “As The World Turns,” are both solidly strong actors who do not over act or ever deliver a boring performance.

Susan Flannery the Queen Mother of the Forrester clan in Beverly Hills has faced so many dilemmas during her reign over the Forrester clan. But the woman who plays her is an easy-going, quiet professional actress who is so overly talented that sometimes her skills have to pour over to behind the camera of her hit show and other shows as well. Yes, Flannery a consummate professional actress is also a sought after director and consultant. Who wouldn’t want this beautiful actress with such great talent to show them how to play a scene? She plays everyone with the shocking brilliance that comes through her powerful blue eyes with grace and seeming ease.

This week Stephanie had the mother of all choices to make. Not since she had to choose whether to turn in her own son, Thorne, for shooting Ridge two decades ago, has Stephanie faced such a tough decision. Would she allow her son Ridge to protect his son Thomas from prosecution for setting the fire at the beach house to scare Rick or setting the bomb in Rick’s car to explode almost killing his step uncle or would she tell the truth and free her psycho sister Pam who lies in the Beverly Hills Jail being tormented not only by the fact that she’s not guilty of the crimes but also by Donna Logan her constant nemesis who shows up to torture and harass Pam for a crime she did not commit?

Susan Flannery was amazing with Ronn Moss in the scenes where Ridge demanded and even begged his mother to forget about her sister, whose life is all but over anyway and let his son, her grandson have a future ahead of him. For the rest of us, this isn’t something we’d have to think twice about. But for the dysfunctional Forrester family, this is almost a weekly occurrence: decisions, decisions. The only thing that was better than the storyline that Bradley Bell handed Ms. Flannery was her astounding performance while keeping fans at the edge of their seats and flying by the seat of her pants acting.

Susan Flannery has won multiple Emmys for her work on the soap as well as for her previous work as Laura Horton on “Days of Our Lives.” She sizzled onscreen with Robert Wagner in the big screen epic “The Towering Inferno,” but leave it to Susan to play Stephanie with all the power and prestige the beautiful actress has to offer. Without giving away the storyline, let’s say Susan Flannery played shock, horror and suffering this past week with the fortitude of Bette Davis and the grace of Loretta Young. Susan Flannery is all great things any actress would strive and pray to be.

Then there was Michael Park’s Jack Snyder. Jack’s nothing if not a good cop. But last week he had to do what no cop or father wants to do—arrest his teenage son, Parker, for theft. Jack was torn and you could see it on the face of the handsome star that portrays the standup policeman. Michael Park has become such an amazing actor on the series, and after years of working with Emmy Award-winning Maura West, now he is working with beautiful, talented and vibrant Julie Pinson. Pinson plays Mrs. Jack Snyder and she was none too pleased to see her husband not only arrest his son but his stepdaughter Liberty as well. Pinson and Park are just as captivating as a couple as any we’ve seen on the hit series over the past five plus decades. But Michael Park was able to play disappointment, resentment and rage in a way he’s not been given lately but he surely didn’t need any practice.

Whenever you see these two performers on your screen, you immediately pay attention. Susan Flannery’s commanding performance is the stuff of legends, and solid acting has become synonymous with Michael Park. Here’s hoping more of Stephanie and Jack are given to the viewers who can’t seem to get enough of either or of the actors who play them.