As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[DramatistDreamer]

Yeah @cassadine1991, when Craig initially went to Montega to find her (those episodes are interesting with Sierra concealing her identity dressed as a boy until Craig discovered that she was a woman) to the time she initially came to Oakdale, TPTB had her talk with an accent,

 

I'm glad she evebtually dropped that accent though because it was a bit awkward at times.  Marland should've just said that her father gave her an American tutor to make sure that she spoke perfect English as he know that her mother was American and habored hopes that her mother would return to Montega and reunite with Sierra one day (or something like that) but I guess the whole disguising herself as a Montegan boy might not have worked out with any sort of logic.

 

 

Recently, I've been trying to watch 1994 episodes and although there are some interesting scenes and characters, the storylines are as boring AF!  Is there any murder mystery or something to look forward to?  It's such a notable drop in continuity and quality from previous years.  I don't know if it is the way I'm watching episodes but the storylines seem so choppy.

[cassadine1991]

I wonder they didn't ask Finn Carter back as Sierra in 2000, instead of recasting with Mary Beth Evans 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Good question, although part of me is thankful that they never bothered to try to get her back because I don't believe she and Hunt Block ever would've worked together well (she liked to play the subtleties and he was way too hammy) and the writing at that stage had occasional moments of entertainment but was beyond messy.  I generally like Mary Beth Evans but with her and Hunt in the role, I could pretend that they were playing two characters formerly known as Sierra and Craig.  

 

Also, up until a few years ago, wasn't she still occasionally doing appearances on primetime TV shows?

 

 

I do miss Finn Carter.  I'd even watch one of those wretched web series if she were to make an appearance on one.  I'd love for Hillary Bailey to produce something where she can work with Scott Bryce again and they convince Finn to appear as well.  It doesn't look as if Gregg Marx ever wants to act again but maybe if they let him sing?

 

[Soapsuds]

I believe she had just given birth to her daughter and thus why she couldn't reprise the role. I didn't know she was married to Steven Webber. They were both on ATWT at the time.

[John]

Goutman probably didnt want the originals. He recast Craig (3 Times), Sierra, Meg and Dusty. Maybe the originals would have done it but after how Goutman treated Scott Bryce & Martha Byrne I wouldnt go back. Im still shocked Larry Brygman came back for the last month

Edited May 18, 2016 by John

[DramatistDreamer]

@John    I wouldn't be surprised if Bryggman did it out of regard for Liz Hubbard and the show's history.

 

@Soapsuds, Yeah, the list of significant others and marriages between actors from ATWT is pretty interesting.  I knew about Finn and Steven, the one that kind of surprised me was Bill Shanks and Ashley Crow.

Edited May 18, 2016 by DramatistDreamer

[Soapsuds]

@DramatistDreamer  Bill Shanks is such a hunk!  I didn't know that he was married to Ashley Crow….thats another surprise for me…LOL.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

 

They're divorced now though, like many of the ATWT alums who were once married.  I'd say that must've been some interesting time, the 80s.

Edited May 18, 2016 by DramatistDreamer

[Soapsuds]

[Soapsuds]

Even back in early 86 they were starting the Hal/Margo/Tom triangle…..who in the world would have chosen Hal over Gregg Marx's Tom? No contest.

 

[Scrapple]

You have to go where the chemistry leads you. HBS and Ben Hendrickson worked SO well together. (So did HBS and Gregg Marx , for that matter). It was only after Scott Holmes came on (who had NO chemistry with HBS) that I really wanted Margo an Hal together. 

Weren't Marx and Hendrickson gay in real life? If so, it's a testament to their acting abilities that the Tom/Margo/Hal triangle worked so well. 

[P.J.]

I think the only Tom that Hal would lose to (theorectically) is Gregg Marx. Deas (in his less hammy days) might be a draw. But it's definitely Hal over Scott Holmes' version of Tom. Personally, I liked Hal/Babs way more than Hal/Margo, and I never really got a sexual vibe from Hal/Margo, period. She used him. And if HBS hadn't ended up preggers, I doubt they'd have done the deed, period.

[DramatistDreamer]

Marland was very good at improvisational writing.  I think it was a Catch-22 for him, particularly in the 80s.  He wrote some very compelling work for a number of actors, some of whom would leave their roles for various reasons and he had to write in response to what he had.  At some point, it was probably becoming clear that Marx wanted out and Marland had to adjust the writing for that reality.  

 

Based on the fact that he had put Hal as a third (or was it 4th?) party in the earlier story between Barbara/Tom/Margo, it must have seemed natural to put Hal and Margo together (even temporarily) much later when it became obvious that Marx would not be returning the next year- had it been the other way around, had Marx decided to stay- NO way would Hal and Margo have consummated their attraction, let alone have Margo get pregnant with Hal's baby.  

 

HBS and BH had great chemistry and could even tilt it toward romance but Gregg and Hillary were smokin' HOT and as good a writer as Marland was, even he could never truly write a believable storyline with HBS' Margo choosing Hal over Marx's Tom.  As it was, Margo started seeing Hal because she needed a shoulder to lean on when she felt betrayed by the affair that she believed took place between Tom and Barbara.  Margo and Tom even reconciled before it was revealed to them that Barbara lied about the whole thing.  So even thinking that Tom cheated, Margo eventually chose Tom.  Even when they were supposedly going through a divorce, they still conceived a child (which ended in miscarriage).  It was after Marx left that the writing decided to play up this inescapble attraction that Margo and Hal were said to have for each other.  Every Tom and Margo afterward operated on that premise until the writers ultimately dropped it.

Edited May 20, 2016 by DramatistDreamer

[All My Shadows]

They did, for the 50th anniversary episodes in 2006. The music wasn't exactly the same, but they probably did the best they could with a piece of music that was played live 35-50 years earlier.

I always thought the 80s theme was overrated as hell. They went from the grand, majestic, sweeping 70s theme to that?

[DramatistDreamer]

I grew up on the 80s theme, so I admit to having a fondness for it but was it was 2nd best compared to the previous one.  I would rather either one of those than the cornfield one with music best suited to a Crest toothpaste commercial.