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LETTERS
to the EDITOR
(Frequently Asked Questions)
"Dear
Dorothy..."
We
get a lot of letters written to us, asking a variety of questions.
Some of them are asked quite often. Since many of you probably
have the same questions, we wanted to provide the answers for
you. Want to write to our editor, Dorothy Jennings? Have a question
to ask? Contact Us.
Dear
Dorothy,
I
absolutely love the show, but when it ended, there were so many questions left unanswered. Are there any plans for another Dr. Quinn movie or a miniseries based on the show? I would love to know if Dr. Mike opened her hospital in Colorado Springs, if Robert E and Grace ever really had their baby, if Jake built that house for Teresa, and what happened to Preston and his Chateau. Will we ever find out the answers to these questions?
Sincerely,
"Perplexed and Frustrated"
Dear
"Perplexed and Frustrated":
Unfortunately, there will be no more movies or miniseries based on Dr. Quinn. CBS has the rights to the characters and the show so tightly held up, no one can do anything with it. Many cable networks have tried since 1998, all without any luck. There have been petitions and write-in campaigns. Nothing has proven successful beyond the 2 movies that aired in 1999 and 2001. The closest anyone has been able to do is secure syndicated rights in order to air the show on their channel, as GMC TV and INSP are doing. And that is likely all that will happen.
Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
I
discovered Dr. Quinn in reruns on several different networks.
But, now I can't find it anywhere. Is Dr. Quinn airing on TV anywhere now?
Sincerely,
"Quality TV Viewer"
Dear
"Quality TV Viewer":
Although
Hallmark stated they were going to make Dr. Quinn a staple on
their channel, they canceled the show late in 2005 and there
were no plans to return Dr. Quinn to TV. Then, in the summer of 2010, GMC TV begain airing the show. They've aired the 2 movies as well. Be sure to write GMC and thank them for showing Dr. Quinn. INSP is another network airing the show in the United States. Check their web sites for their schedule and programming information.
Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
What
happened to Erika Flores, the young actress who played the
original Colleen? All of a sudden, Jessica Bowman appeared.
First, you have a blonde Colleen who looks like her two brothers,
then there's a girl with red hair who looks more like Michaela's
niece than Brian and Matthew's sister. It's really confusing.
Can you explain?
Sincerely,
"Double-Take"
Dear
"Double-Take":
Since
Erika was a minor, she had a lot of decisions to make regarding
her future. When the time came for contract renewals, she wasn't
sure if she could commit for five years. Since Erika didn't
have any other options, she had to refuse. As a result, she
left the show, and Jessica Bowman became "Colleen Cooper." Here
is the official press release from producers of the show:
(February
7, 1996) Dear Viewers:
Over
the past several months we have received numerous letters
regarding the re-casting of "Colleen" on our show.
When this change occured, we released a statement to the affect
of, "Unwilling to commit to 5 years, Erika Flores is
leaving the series to pursue other interests." Well,
it's now over one year, and the fact remains that Erika Flores
left the show to pursue other interests. Now, what are those
other interests? I can tell you its primarily school. She's
auditioned for movies, but her primary focus, to our knowledge,
is school. Afterall, she's only 16 years old. The events leading
up to her decision to leave the show did include CBS's request
that she sign a 5-year contract. Erika did not want to commit
to that extended period of time, and CBS would not allow anything
but (all the series regulars, including Jane Seymour, are
required to sign a 5-year contract.) We, as producers of the
show, were able to convince CBS to double Erika's salary in
an attempt to keep her on the show. But she still was unwilling
to commit to 5 years. This being the case, we had no other
choice but to replace her. I hope that this will help clarify
your questions about Erika Flores. She remains a very close
friend of the show, often visiting the set for lunch, and
we wish her all the best in her future pursuits.
Tim
Johnson (Producer, "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman")
(c) 1996 CBS
Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
I
really enjoyed watching Dr. Quinn when it was on TV. Do
you know why it was canceled before it had a chance
to have a good farewell?
Sincerely,
"Inquiring Mind"
Dear
"Inquiring Mind":
"Why" is something CBS never fully explained, and
they skirted around the truth in order to make themselves sound
good. The reason they gave is the demographics who watched
Dr. Quinn were not the same age group they wanted to target.
They also said the show had slipped in ratings and wasn't worth
it to air anymore. But Dr. Quinn consistently won its time slot
every Saturday night, regardless of what else aired on the other
networks opposite it. Every show slips in ratings beginning
from the first season, and everyone from children to senior
citizens were watching Dr. Quinn. CBS simply didn't like a female-dominated
show on their network and pulled the plug one year before Beth
Sullivan and the cast wanted it to end. If they had allowed
the 7th season, Beth and the writers and the actors all intended
to wrap up everything and give the show a memorable ending.
That's why there's so much feedback and so many requests for
more movies.
Even
today, CBS says they get thousands of letters each year from
viewers asking for a return of Dr. Quinn. It's the largest protest
since Star Trek in the 1970's.
Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
I love the beautiful quilts and shawls used on the show in various episodes. Are there patterns available for purchase, or are the shawls and quilts themselves available?
Sincerely,
"Crochet Knitter"
Dear
"Crochet Knitter":
A lot of the shawls and quilts were on loan from prop departments around the city, and the others were custom-made for the individual cast members or extras. Unfortunately, there are no patterns available at this time.
Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
I
love to watch Dr. Quinn and want to collect the entire series,
but I live in Europe. Are there any plans for the DVD
sets to be released in Europe or other regions?
Sincerely,
"DQ Europe fan"
Dear
"DQ Europe Fan":
A&E
is only producing the DVD sets in region 1. Region 2
DVDs were made available by a UK company and can be found on various web sites on the Internet. Australia's Fishpond site also has the sets available to ship in-country. Since the web sites change so often, we don't list them here. Do a search for "Dr. Quinn Region 2 DVDs" to find the most current results.
Production
in other regions will have to be done by a company located there,
and we have no contact with them. If you can't view region 1
or 2 DVDs, you will have to try to contact companies in your
region who produce DVDs and see if they might be interested
in creating Dr. Quinn. Region-free players are able to play
the sets, so if you have one of those, you will most likely
be able to view the sets no matter the region where you live.
If
you are able to view region 1 DVDs, there are overseas shipping
vendors located at the Mercantile. Best wishes!
Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
I
missed the movies the first time they aired. Is there a place
where I can buy the movies, Revolutions and The Heart Within?
Sincerely,
"Movie Lover"
Dear
"Movie Lover":
A&E
released the two movies on DVD in the summer of 2006. They are also included in the DVD megaset and boxed set for the entire series. We
have links at our Mercantile.
Happy shopping!
Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
I
really love watching the episodes, but I am missing some of
the episodes and the movies. Is there a place where I can
buy the episodes on DVD or Blu-Ray or find copies from someone?
Sincerely,
"Episode Conossieur"
Dear
"Episode Conossieur":
A&E
has now produced the entire series of Dr. Quinn
on DVD, and orders can
be placed through the Mercantile.
All are uncut and commercial-free, coming in an attractive boxed
set. The DVD's feature bonus material from a variety of sources.
Unfortunately, you cannot order specific episodes from A&E.
For more information visit the Mercantile.
Columbia
House produced a set of 30 VHS tapes which featured 2 episodes
each, but they are out of print and only available via eBay
or other auction sites.
If
you are willing to settle for video copies from someone else,
you can visit our Trading
Post and post an ad there. There are always people willing
to make copies of their episodes from the TV. Finally, you can
always try the online auction sites. There are usually episodes
and tapes available for sale there. Good luck!
Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
I
really love some of the music from the town, is there a recording
of the music somewhere that we can purchase? I've heard
of others selling recordings, but are these other recordings
the "official" thing?
Sincerely,
"Music Lover"
Dear
"Music Lover":
There
was a recording produced and copies were even made ready to
sell; however, it was pulled from the shelf at the last-minute
due to contract disputes. No one thought it was going to be
released, but someone at Sonic Images got a hold of some of
them from the warehouse and sold them. There have been some
copies that have appeared on eBay, but that most likely won't
happen again, as eBay has blocked the sale of these unreleased
CD's. There are copies of the CD of William Olvis' music that
was produced, but no copies are available for retail sale. Hopefully,
CBS will release the rights for William Olvis to get the CD
out to the public, the way he wishes.
Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
I
loved watching Revolutions where Katie was kidnapped and The
Heart Within where Colleen graduated from medical college, but
I wish we could have seen Katie grow up. Are there any
more movies coming out or planned to be filmed?
Sincerely,
"Movie Buff"
Dear
"Movie Buff":
As
of right now, there are no plans for more movies to come out.
However, Jane and Joe have both said if they are asked, they'll
be there to do the movies. Considering the time that has passed
without any progress, it's unfortunate to say that it's become
highly unlikely at this point. Word has it that CBS was considering
direct-to-DVD movies in 2006 with Dr. Quinn hinted
as being included, but there has been no further word on that. Should
anything change, we'll announce it on the site.
Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
I
live in the UK. I have been watching the series for some years
now and loved watching the re-runs, but every channel that broadcast the show only ran to a certain point - Sully off
the cliff with O'Connor. Where did Sully go after he fell
from the cliff?
Sincerely,
"Confused"
Dear,
"Confused":
There are actually SIX seasons and 2 movies to the collection of Dr. Quinn. You
can read episode summaries of the sixth season by visiting the
Library and checking
out the Episode Guide.
It won't be the same as actually seeing it, but it should answer
most of your main questions. For others, feel free to use the
forum.
Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
Was
Jane Seymour pregnant at the same time as Michaela?
"Two
at a Time"
Dear,
"Two at a Time":
Yes.
Jane Seymour was actually pregnant before it was revealed on
the show that Michaela was pregnant. They began filming the
episodes for the 4th season, then realized they would need to
write in a pregnancy for Michaela. To accommodate Ms. Seymour,
the filming was overlapped one month before Jane took maternity
leave. Several episodes were filmed at the same time. This was
so all of Jane's scenes would be filmed before she left to have
her twins. She had them on November 30th, 1995, and wore heavy
padding afterward for the remaining episodes of the 4th season.
Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
Why
did Beth Sullivan choose Colorado Springs for the setting of
Dr. Quinn? Knowing that there were women intellectuals in
Colorado at that time, did she base Michaela loosely
on any 'real-life' women of that time and/or that place?
If so, who?
Sincerely,
"History Buff"
Dear,
"History Buff":
This
is from Beth, herself. "Actually, no. I picked Colorado
because I wanted her to be far enough from her world of Boston,
yet not on the farthest frontier with its different, less settled
challenges. However, in a general sense, I have always admired
greatly the spirit of the women of that era." The writers
did research to make the episodes realistic to the time period,
but they pulled their information from a variety of sources.
As a result, Dr. Quinn was a compilation of research and loosely
based on several people in American history. For real life pioneer
women doctors, there is Emily Stowe, from Canada, Dr. Mary Walker
(Civil War doctor) and Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) -- America's
first woman doctor was admitted to New York's Geneva College
as a joke in 1847. She overcame taunts and prejudice while at
medical school to earn her degree in 1849, graduating at the
top of her class. After American hospitals refused to hire her,
she opened a clinic in New York City where she was joined by
her sister Dr. Emily Blackwell and Dr. Maria E. Zakrzewska.
Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
I'd
love to be able to purchase some nice gifts for some of my friends.
Where can I find some unique Dr. Quinn related items?
Sincerely,
"Gift Scout"
Dear,
"Gift Scout":
You
can visit the Mercantile
and find videos, books, and a poster. Otherwise, do a search on sites like Amazon.com, ebay.com, or a straight Google search with the specifics of the types of gifts you'd like. Best wishes! Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
Is
there a way I can be notified when changes and updates
are made to the town?
Sincerely,
"Keeping Current"
Dear,
"Keeping Current":
Yes.
At one point, we ran a mailing list, but as any news has been rare lately, we discontinued that and instead post all relevant information right here on the web site. Whenever there's a substantial
update made or important news to be announced, it will appear on the front page of this site.
Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
I
was wondering if the first actress who played Señora
Teresa Morales got along with Jane Seymour? I felt
she didn't like her at all. Was there a problem with the lady
that played Teresa?
Sincerely,
"Curious"
Dear
"Curious":
As
a matter of fact, there was. Michelle Bonilla simply didn't
mold well with the rest of the cast. It's very important to have some level of chemistry with the actors and actresses
who portray characters in a show or movie, and Michelle didn't
fit the mold. As a result, Alex Meneses replaced Michelle in
season six.
Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
I
was wondering about Wolf. Who is his owner and does the same
dog play the role through the entire show? It seems to like
Sully.
Sincerely,
"Wolf Lover"
Dear
"Wolf Lover":
Wolf
was actually played by 2 different Malamute dogs. Two others
would stand in from time to time, but for the most part, Cody
and Chaz were the primary dogs. They belong to Dennis Grisco,
although Cody passed away around the time of the end of the
3rd season; thus the reason for the rabies episode where Brian's
dog, Pup, was shot. Cody was playing Wolf and Chaz was playing
Pup at that time, but from then on, Chaz assumed the role of
Wolf. Both dogs were trained to remain loyal, but not get overly
affectionate with the cast members. For Joe, they were trained
to stay with him and come when he called. Other than that, their
primary purpose was to remain visible, although not overly involved.
Regards,
the Editor
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Dear
Dorothy,
I
really love that song that Kid Cole (Johnny Cash) sang in the
episode, Thanksgiving. Is there somewhere I can
find the lyrics to it?
Sincerely,
"Country"
Dear
"Country":
Yes,
there is. You can find the lyrics by visiting the Episode
Guide and going to season
three to the summary for Thanksgiving. There
is a link to the
lyrics from that page of the guide which also provides
information on the only CD where this song is recorded and the
cover art of the CD. We will also have an audio clip of the
recording of this song in the coming months.
Regards,
the Editor
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