DRW50

12/73 Daytime TV

I had that one in mind for you; so glad you got to read it.

11/73 Daytime TV

It's nice that at the time CBS was still willing to give the show a chance. Many networks were cancel happy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfM6t1E9OkA I guess this is before Emily started flashing her cleavage 24/7.

Trivia note (although most of us know this anyway): The pretty production assistant Charlotte Savitz went on to produce the last few years of AW.

Fred looks a little like Ed ZImmerman there. I'm glad Irna Phillips and Theo Goetz got to be a part of this. Is it me or does Tony Converse look a little like Jim Henson?

November 1973 Daytime TV.

Ratings for the two weeks ended June 25, 1972. 11.8 ATWT 35% 10.4 DAYS 34% 9.9 GH 33% 9.5 Doctors 33% 9.1 AW 31% 8.7 Search 32% 8.5 GL 29% 8.2 LIAMST 28% 8.0 EON 28% 7.9 OLTL 27%

was escorted by her husband, Lee Foley, a former stage director and now in the furniture business. Robert Milli brought his charming wife, the former Mary Jane Mulligan. Stefan Schnabel explained he came alone because his wife had already moved out to their Lake Como, Italy cottage for the summer. Theo Goetz said his wife Rhea didn't come because she has a fear of heights - and the party was being held in on the 40th floor. Barbara Rodell came with her husband, Cy Epstein. Charita Bauer looked sweet in a lovely blue dress. Elissa Leeds arrived without her mother, and everybody tried to mother her. Nancy Addison showed up with her husband, actor Clinton Dunn. Lynn Deerfield came with husband, Paul Mates. Darryl Hickman, former actor, now a CBS executive to daytime serials, came to the shindig with his beautiful wife, actress Pamela Lincoln. Melinda Fee drew all eyes when she appeared in an Arabian-style hooded cocoa-brown evening dress. Michael Durrell and his pretty blonde companion, Charlotte Savitz, Guiding Light production assistant, kept busy greeting friends. Don Stewart escorted lovely nurse Sue Tremble, who acted as consultant during recent medical scenes on GL. Michael Zaslow came early and left early because he was then doubling into the Broadway stage musical Fiddler on the Roof. Erik Howell had to leave early, too, because he's also appearing in the musical, The Fantasticks. Lucy Rittenberg, story editor of GL, and associate with it in various capacities the past 20 years; directors Nick Havings and John Litvack; the bearded, dashing producer, Harry R. Eggart; associate producer Leslie Rosinoff and her husband were very much present, of course. There was a live orchestra, and plenty of drinks, and a dashing buffet of hot food. The climax was the bringing out of the huge anniversary cake, and brief speeches by executives, emceed by producer Harry Eggart, and then the cutting of the cake while the cast was gathered around the cake table. The party started at 6 p.m. and was supposed to end at 9, but people lingered for one last drink and the last hug and one last word, and then the final goodbyes: "See you at the 21st anniversary!"

November 1972 Daytime TV.

I didn't realize he was there for so long. I thought Anne was long gone by then.

What was this, 2008?

Thanks. I guess he'd been off the show for a while by then.

Shane looks like Eileen Fulton. Not the best ad for a premiere. I wish we'd seen more of Anita Morris.

Who was Henry Benedict? I think she was on GL up to about early 1967 at least. I wonder if he's the one who wrote out so many characters.

The return of Jefferson Hutchins Smith would definitely add spice to Rose and Jake's romance. As an attorney, Jake could serve on the parole board could serve on the parole board that would have to rule on Hutch's release from prison; or Hutch could simply escape from jail again. He'd hide in the basement of Kelly's Diner, eating all the special Passover foods that Rose has stored there, hoping to surprise Jake with. Or what if Hutch disguised himself as a priest - Rose's cousin perhaps? - to avoid the cops? He'd try to prevent Rose and Jake's marriage, using trumped-up religious reasons, while really trying to win back Rose for himself. Hot Stuff! Sometimes storylines get cancelled because the two actors don't click, but even when the chemistry sizzles, problems occur. Scorpio and Holly were hot stuff from day one - on occasion perhaps a little too hot. A sauna-room scene between the passionate police commissioner and his cool-as-a-cucumber bride had to be censored when Holly's towel nearly slipped too low, and occasionally lives have to be cut from Scorpio's dialogue because of inadvertent sexual references. On primetime TV, love scenes can be far racier, of course, but daytime has stricter rules. And speaking of primetime - racy or otherwise - whatever happened to all those plans to spin-off some of General Hospital's main characters in a nighttime series of their own? According to one version, Bobbie and D.L. Brock would move to New York and face life, love and tragedy in a swanky Manhattan high-rise; in another version, Blackie becomes a celebrated rock star and goes on tour with his band, his manager (Bryan Phillips), and his press secretary (Amy Vining). But the best spin-off idea of all just surfaced recently. It's a low-keyed comedy that stars Slick Jones, Bert Ramsey and Emma Lutz who all band together after leaving the battle-scorched docks of Port Charles. This GH spin-off is called AfterLUKE and airs on Monday night right after The Scarecrow and Mrs. Spencer.

April 1984 Daytime TV

It doesn't seem quite like the gangster era to me because these men aren't just random hardmen dumped onto the square, as Johnny and Andy were, but I am not all that thrilled with the idea of Derek/Phil conflict. Phil always wins in the end, and Derek would be more interesting with his family. I'm just sorry John Bardon can't be a part of any of this.

I was reading a Daytime TV from April 1984 which talked about GH's dropped story plans, and story ideas they still had. One idea they still had was that if Jane Elliott returned, they were going to say Tracy had become a prostitute, and that Alan, wanting to hire a hooker, would inadvertently end up hiring her.

Kimberly Ross met Judi Evans and Krista Tesreau when they were all auditioning for GL, leading to a friendship between the three. Kimberly auditioned for Mindy.

I guess that tells you how much I've watched the show lately. I liked the potential setup with Max, Vanessa, Darren, Jodie. It all ended so badly.

January 1993 Digest. Carolyn Hinsey reviews DAYS. "Dazed" By the New DAYS OF OUR LIVES DAYS OF OUR LIVES is in a critical period right now, and much of its success will depend on the audience's willingness to move forward along with the show. We're betting the end result will be well worth any growing pains along the way. For years, DAYS has capitalized on the appeal of super couples. Duos like Doug and Julie, Roman and Marlena (the first time), Bo and Hope, Patch and Kayla and Kim and Shane have won the show fiercely loyal fans. But DAYS paid a price for this approach. By counting on the star quality of couples to win over viewers, it sacrificed mature, sophisticated storytelling and complex characters. One wicked wife after another came back from the dead to temporarily break up super couples; in the Brady family alone, Bo, Kayla, Roman and former "Brady" John suffered through this phenomenon. Sure proof that simpleminded super couples are on the way out is the manner in which DAYS is handling the BO/Carly love story. In the old DAYS, the beloved Bo and Carly (played to perfection by Robert Kelker-Kelly and Crystal Chappell) would have gone through one crisis after another, reuniting over and over. This time, DAYS is relying on strong storytelling, not audience infatuation with a super couple, to keep viewers coming back for more. Formerly, Lawrence Alamain (Michael Sabatino) would have served as nothing more than a wrench in the romance of Bo and Carly. Now, Lawrence has been transformed into a riveting leading man, and DAYS is moving all the characters forward by making Lawrence a viable match for Carly. The revelation Lawrence made to Carly about Nicky during her wedding to Bo was a fitting climax for the well-told tale, and a good catalyst for the Bo/Carly breakup. Not that Bo will be left in the cold - many of our readers have been writing in for weeks encouraging a Bo/Billie (Lisa Rinna) romance. The fact that viewers are already behind these new couples and not clamoring for a Bo/Carly reunion indicates the success of DAYS's redirection. Bo and Carly worked, and DAYS improved on them; the show is also changing what hasn't been working. Marlena and Roman were wildly successful as a couple once, but they sure don't work now. Fans got very used to the charismatic Drake Hogestyn playing Roman for five years. Now, thanks to months of "So what?" stories, Wayne Northrop just doesn't seem like Roman anymore. The actor's natural appeal wasn't written into the character the way it was the previous go-round. Roman even seems to be straining with his own family members, like calling Bo "little brother" all the time. We get it: They're brothers. The biggest problem with the implausible resurfacing of Roman and Marlena stems from the fact that DAYS never deal with the implications of Roman's seven-year imprisonment. He just moved back to his house (and job!) like he had returned from a cruise. How did Roman feel about his wife and kids accepting another man in his place? Was he angry that John Black got promoted to police captain, a title he never achieved? And most importantly...when did Roman get new clothes? Or pay his taxes? Imagine the paperwork - gone seven years! And while we're on a roll, when did Roman catch up on current events? The whole thing was preposterous. Thankfully, that's changing. Just before Marlena was thrown into the pit, she and Roman had their best scene together all year. They got their anger out on the table after months of dancing around each other. More scenes like this will go a long way toward developing them as a couple again. Equally rewarding were the scenes in the pit between John and Marlena. By finally addressing the fact that their relationship is unresolved (it wasn't as if they'd fallen out of love when she returned to Roman and he married Isabella), DAYS has opened the door for a compelling triangle. And there's nary a presumed-dead evil wife in sight. While the adult characters are getting on track, DAYS's teen characters need considerable retooling. Carrie Brady came back to Salem a real spoiled brat: She tried to seduce Lawrence, played head games with her "friend," Molly, and bickered constantly with Roman and Marlena. Then, overnight, Carrie became the Patty Duke of the '90s, hosting dinners and flirting conquettishly with Austin (Patrick Muldoon, with whom the previous Carrie, Tracy Middendorf, had zero chemistry). This was a plot that were nowhere - fast - as Carrie moved in with Jesse, who immediately stopped buying drugs and started buying groceries. And then disappeared. The new character of Tim is a washout, and that whole Johnny Angel gambling story is a big snore. The return of Christy Clark to the role of Carrie suggests DAYS is addressing the problem, but the show still needs a dynamic teen group with believable ties to the older characters. Hopefully, the rapid aging of the Brady twins, Sammi and Eric, will accomplish just that. If DAYS is smart, scripts will finally explore the fact that the twins have suffered from multiple abandonments: the loss of their father and then their mother (who were both held captive in the Tiberon Islands); next, wannabe-dad John Black's instant ouster from the Brady house upon Roman I's return; and finally, the recent death of Isabella, who was the closest thing to a mother that they've ever had. A little reality on this front would go a long way toward making us care. Adolescence, in general, is an age of anger. These two kids, having endured so much, have every reason to wind up in juvenile hall. On other fronts, DAYS has already proven that it can effectively weave young characters into the fabric of the show. Look at Jack and Jennifer: They're young, but they have interesting, humorous interaction with just about everyone in Salem. Matthew Ashford and Melissa Reeves have one of the best on-screen chemistries going, and DAYS is wise to capitalize on their acting talent (and popularity). Jack and Jenn's "Mr. Mom" storyline is an original for daytime, as many real-life couples are facing the same dilemma: Who cares for the baby when the wife earns more money? Kudos to DAYS for finding an interesting, timely story that hasn't been done. (Unfortunately, this story is being hampered by cheap soap opera ploys like Bill Horton entering their new house and saying, 'I hope I did the right thing...Jack and Jenn must never learn what happened in this house.") Speaking of cheap soap opera ploys, I was all set to trash Kimberly's multiple personality storyline, which has been done to death on daytime (Viki/Niki on ONE LIFE TO LIVE, Sharly/Sharlene on ANOTHER WORLD, Mason/Sonny on SANTA BARBARA, Sonny/Solita on GUIDING LIGHT, to name just a few!) But after taking a good look at Patsy Pease playing Kim, Clare and Lacey, I have to give credit where credit is due. From the moment alter ego Lacey emerged, Pease shined in one of the most tired plots in the history of daytime. She did her best acting work to date playing three very believable, different, people. Greatly aided by Richard Burgi in the thankless role of Philip Collier, Kim's fiance and Clare's nemesis, Pease's scenes were among the best on the show. One character who did not get enough scenes is Julie. Susan Seaforth Hayes has aged better than any other actress on daytime, and after 25 years in Salem, she deserved better than to sit around greeting strangers and saying, "Welcome to Wings." Where was the torrid love triangle with Victor and Vivian (the incomparable Louise Sorel, who deserves as much storyline as DAYS can feed her)? Hays was too talented and too much of a Salem staple to be wasted like this. And now she's leaving. Sigh. DAYS is lucky to have such loyal fans, and the show undoubtedly wants to hang on to every one of them while reaching for a larger audience. Breaking out of the stale super couple mold may jolt some veteran viewers; the show will have to provide solid storytelling to keep its longtime fans loyal. But think of what DAYS can do now that it isn't devoted to churning out what became a juvenile, repetitive formula. It's an exciting time to be watching DAYS - the show is finally growing up.