Thursday 16 November 1989 saw the 'Life' in the newly restored art deco surroundings of the St. James Club on Sunset Boulevard - a building once home to the stars of the thirties - to surprise a devastating young English actress who had first caused a sensation with Marlon Brando in The Nightcomers and was now Sable Colby in Dynasty: Stephanie Beacham.

Charlton Heston - her screen husband in The Colbys - caused a few heart tremors among the team when he telephoned to say, sadly, he could not make the studio 'live' because he was on location that night. His schedule, suddenly, had been switched - a frequent occurrence in Tinsel Town. But he would film a message for Stephanie for us from his home before he left.

We had a wonderful line-up of guests greeting Stephanie in London - Susan Hampshire, Nyree Dawn Porter, Robert Powell, Susannah York and the whole cast of the hit TV programme Tenko.

But for the actress who had flown to Hollywood 'with one change of underwear in her bag' to seize the chance to play sable Colby, we really needed a big Hollywood name to finish the proceedings.

We set out in pursuit of the diffident star with whom she had just made Napoleon and Josephine, Anthony Perkins. Our young lady researcher convinced him that he should appear, which he did, much to Stephanie's appreciation.

Stephanie's codename was 'Powder'.

Source: This Is Your Life by Roy Bottomley 1993