Sable Colby
Sabella "Sable" Scott Colby is a fictional character from the ABC television series Dynasty and its spin-off The Colbys, both created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. Portrayed by Stephanie Beacham, the character was introduced on Dynasty in the November 1985 two-part episode "The Titans" as the socialite wife of wealthy California CEO Jason Colby. Beacham was subsequently a series regular on The Colbys for two seasons from 1985 to 1987. She reappeared as Sable on Dynasty for its ninth and final season from 1988 to 1989.
Development and casting
In March 1985, ABC announced that its rumored Dynasty spin-off, The Colbys, had been greenlighted, to debut the following season. Charlton Heston was cast as patriarch Jason Colby in July 1985, and it was reported that The Colbys versions of Dynasty rivals Krystle Carrington and Alexis Colby would be named Anthea and Sable. Faye Dunaway, Angie Dickinson, Elizabeth Ashley, and Diana Rigg all turned down the role of Jason's wife Sable. Producers started auditioning British actresses to play one of the sisters as the equivalent of Collins's Alexis. According to Kate O'Mara, she and Stephanie Beacham were the final two choices to play Sable, but O'Mara was already under contract with a stage play in London. O'Mara later played Caress Morell, the sister of Collins' character Alexis, on Dynasty. In August 1985, producers cast Beacham, "a household name" in the UK who had starred in the title role of the ITV drama Connie.On vacation after playing a ruthless businesswoman on Connie, Beacham almost passed on the request that she return to London to screen test for The Colbys. She was compelled to return when her housesitter locked the keys in her home. Beacham tested on a Friday, was flown to Los Angeles a week later, and was in wardrobe the next day. She noted of her audition, "I said whatever rubbish I could remember and camped it up". Beacham later explained that her main reason for doing The Colbys was her pay, which was an estimated $20,000 per episode. Beacham said that she and Heston were "a very lovely team", and that "What was really flattering actually was that the crew always used to gather around to watch the first run-through of our scenes, not just because they had to." Beacham is completely deaf in her right ear and has only 70 percent hearing in her left, and she compensates by positioning herself to the right of other actors in as many scenes as possible.
Appearances
Beacham debuted as Sable in the Dynasty episodes "The Titans - Part 1" and "The Titans - Part 2", which aired back-to-back on November 13, 1985. She subsequently appeared as a series regular on The Colbys, which ran for two seasons from November 20, 1985, to March 26, 1987. Beacham later played Sable in the ninth and final season of Dynasty from 1988 to 1989. Sable did not appear in the 1991 miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion.Characterization
Jasper Rees of The Telegraph wrote in 2016 that "Stephanie Beacham will forever be known as blow-dried, shoulder-padded vamp Sable Colby". Barbara Holsopple of The Pittsburgh Press called Sable "scheming" and "smarmy", noting that Jason's wife is ruffled by his sister Constance Colby's bestowal of her company shares on her nephew Jeff rather than to Jason and Sable's three children. David Wallace of People described Sable as "wily", and recounted how Sable deals with Constance by first trying to have her declared incompetent and then by sabotaging her horse's saddle. Dynasty co-creator Esther Shapiro said of Beacham, "We loved her patrician quality. Despite Sable's seamy side, you understand why a major tycoon would stay married to her." Wallace dubbed Beacham "the show's real fire", and wrote that she "might just be the one to show Joan Collins the real meaning of she-deviltry." In February 1986, Beacham said that a confrontation between Sable and her cousin Alexis might be "jolly good fun." Beacham commented in 2012 that she and Collins "felt we represented the Eighties."Beacham said of Sable, "When she gets cross, frightful things can happen...I've allowed Sable to get more and more neurotic...she's such a terror." Beacham agreed it could be a challenge playing someone with so much emotion, but called Sable "a nearly three-dimensional human being".
Storylines
''Dynasty'' season six
The Colbys of Los Angeles come to Denver to celebrate a new business venture with oil tycoon Blake Carrington in the 1985 Dynasty episodes "The Titans - Parts 1 and 2". Sable is married to mogul Jason Colby, and the mother of their three children: Miles, Monica, and Bliss.''The Colbys'' season one
In the series premiere, "The Celebration", the Colbys return to Los Angeles and Sable is upset that Jason's sister Constance has given her shares to her nephew Jeff rather than Sable and Jason's three children. A dismissive Jason tells Sable to stay out of it, but she makes a failed attempt to convince Constance that she has made a mistake. Sable is getting worried that no one has heard from Miles, and also tells Monica that it is unlikely Jason will ever treat her like he would a man. In "Conspiracy of Silence", the Colbys are surprised when Miles comes home married to Randall, who they now know is an amnesiac Fallon Carrington. Sable is delighted that her son has married an heiress. She is reunited with her estranged sister Francesca, Jeff's mother with Jason's deceased brother Philip, but makes it clear she hopes Frankie will not stay in town long. Hoping to tie Fallon to Miles, Sable suggests to Fallon that she have a baby as soon as possible in "Moment of Truth". Sable accuses Frankie of conspiring with Constance to benefit Jeff. Frankie intends to leave town, but is convinced to stay by Jason, with whom she had an affair many years ago. Sable comes across Jason's medical report and is shocked to learn that he is dying, unaware that his doctor has told him the diagnosis was a mistake. Sable apologizes to Frankie in "Family Album", hoping she will talk Constance about the shares she gave Jeff. Sable is told that the only way to reverse Constance's decision is to have her declared incompetent. When Constance dismisses Sable a final time, Sable goes to Jason with false concern about Constance's mental state. Sable is sure that Zach's interest in her is only a means to get to Jason, but she begins to soften to him. Sable continues her plan to make Constance appear senile in "Shadow of the Past". Sable loosens Constance's saddle, but is horrified when Frankie takes the horse and is almost injured. Constance, however, starts doubting herself.In "A House Divided", Jason confides in Frankie that Sable has become very greedy and selfish, but Frankie encourages him to work on his marriage. Sable learns of Constance's secret boyfriend Hutch Corrigan, and mistakenly comes to believe that he is a con man extorting money from her. Zach continues to pursue Sable, but she keeps him at arm's length. Sable tells a horrified Jason that she has taken the first steps to have Constance declared mentally incompetent. Sable tries to justify her actions to Jason in "The Reunion", but he does not like how she has changed and vows to fight her on Constance's behalf. Fallon has regained her memory, and Sable is unhappy when Miles offers to annul their marriage. Sable tells Constance that she can avoid a trial by simply undoing her gift to Jeff, but Constance refuses. Sable asks Frankie to take Jeff and to leave town so that she can save Miles's marriage and her own. Learning of Sable's lawsuit, Jeff goes to Constance and offers to return the shares in "Fallen Idol", but she refuses. Sable goes to Zach's apartment to view a painting and resists his advances. Sable apologizes to Frankie for her hostility, and though Jason is willing to give his marriage a second chance, he changes his mind when Sable refuses to drop her lawsuit. In "The Letter", Zach buys an expensive painting for Sable, who refuses to be bought but is drawn into a kiss. Sable accidentally hits Constance with her car, and then finds a letter Constance tried to destroy that suggests Jeff may not have been fathered by Philip. Though Constance only has a concussion, Sable is filled with remorse in "The Turning Point". She drops her lawsuit against Constance and tries to reconcile with Jason, who says it is too late.
Sable rejects the painting from Zach. She is shocked when a drunken Miles mentions Jason and Frankie's attraction to each other. Sable tries to stop Jason from divorcing her by threatening to expose Frankie's indiscretions, but Jason is unmoved. Sable reveals the letter concerning Jeff's paternity in "Thursday's Child", but Frankie reassures Jeff he is Philip's son. Sable is angry that Zach has been manipulating her family, but she cannot deny her attraction to him. In "The Pact", Sable threatens to use the letter against Frankie unless Jeff gives up Fallon. Jason agrees not to divorce Sable if she stops trying to prove in court that Jeff is not a Colby. In "Fallon's Choice", Constance discovers that Sable gaslighted her to make her seem confused. When Fallon chooses Jeff over Miles, Sable gives the letter to Miles, who intends to use it against Jeff in court. Jason blames Sable for showing the letter to Miles in "The Trial", and neither he nor Constance can convince Miles to drop the case. Sable calls out Frankie as a slut in public. In "Burden of Proof", Sable is shocked to hear Jason claim to be Jeff's father in court, and vows to never forgive him. Zach comforts Sable. She and Jason agree to divorce in "My Father's House", and she rejects Frankie's attempt at a reconciliation. Sable wants the house in the divorce, and though Jason is willing, Constance refuses to sell her half to him. Despite everything that Jason has done to her, Sable cannot sleep with Zach. She spends a platonic night as his penthouse, where Miles is shocked to find her. Sable is "The Outcast" horrified by the idea of Jeff and Fallon's wedding, which Jason insists she plan. Sable explains her being at Zach's place to Miles, and then clashes with Fallon over wedding arrangements. Constance's private investigator records a conversation in which Zach professes to Sable his desire to sleep with her. Sable enrages Jason when she attacks Frankie again.
In "The Wedding", Sable asks both Zach and Miles not to attend Jeff and Fallon's nuptials, but both men ignore her. Sable has hope for her marriage when it is clear Jason is still attracted to her. Sable is desperate when Miles is arrested for murder, and seeks comfort with Jason in "The Honeymoon". Knowing it will irk Sable, Constance invites Frankie to move into the pool house. Frankie, already angry with Sable, accepts. Sable is horrified when Miles tells her that he blacked out and does not know whether he committed the murder or not. Sable tells Zach in "Double Jeopardy" that she hopes to reconcile with Jason. Sable tries to mend fences with Constance, who does not believe Sable is being genuine. Sable overhears Frankie telling Constance that she is now divorced. In "A Family Affair", Sable remains unable to convince Constance of her good intentions, but manages to ingratiate herself to Jason by offering concern for Jeff, who has also been arrested for murder. Witnessing the chemistry between Jason and Frankie, Sable makes Frankie believe that she and Jason have reconciled and spent the night together, and does not admit that she is aware of Frankie's divorce. Believing Jason still loves Sable, Frankie is surprised when he proposes to her. Leaving for Greece to investigate Jeff's case, Jason and Frankie are joined by Sable, who has invited herself along for moral support. Sable tortures Frankie with details of her renewed relationship with Jason in "The Reckoning". Sable is terrified when it seems like Miles has jumped bail, and when he reappears she makes it clear she is willing to lie in court to give him an alibi. Fearful that when Jason divorces Sable she will ally with Zach against the Colbys, Constance gives Jason the tape of Sable and Zach. In "Anniversary Waltz", Miles turns down Sable's offer to perjure herself on his behalf. Faced with a surprise anniversary party planned by Sable, Jason presents the tape to her and says he loves Frankie. Jason confronts Zach, who he suspects framed Jeff and Miles, and they fight for Zach's gun. Sable arrives and is shot. In "Checkmate", Jason is overcome with guilt when he learns that a hospitalized Sable may lose her sight. Zach tells Jason that he loves Sable, but she has never been unfaithful. When the news comes that Sable will recover, a remorseful Jason tells her she will always be special to him, and gives her the tape. Sable takes this, and her belief that Jason confronted Zach over her, as a profession of Jason's love. She is distraught when he tells her he is going to the Dominican Republic to get a divorce. Sable chases after Jason to stop him but trips and falls down the stairs. Hurt and angry, she tells the district attorney that Jason attacked her. Jason is arrested.