DRW50

She seems to have the Lucy facial expressions down, although is that a wig? Not a good one.

I wouldn't say the idea of the pairing made me sick, other than the likelihood of him being all judgmental and annoying. i do think that it was one of those stories which could have been better developed. I can see Ryan helping Jill during the "Who Shot Victor?" story, and Jill falling in love with him, but knowing this wouldn't happen, then dating Keith Dennison, and having a lot of tension with Tricia when Tricia got involved with Ryan. I think the story always should have been them never actually getting together, but maybe some feelings involved. As for this clip, it's funny, but also a little crass. I guess it does reflect Jill's view, in a way, but things like the closeup of his underwear bulge...I don't know, it seems desperate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmmVuDZIrqY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z-u-hkajEA

4/10/84 Digest. John Kelly Genovese reviews Loving. When word leaked out last year that Agnes Nixon and Douglas Marland had collaborated on a daytime serial which Joe Stuart was to produce, we knew we were in for a winner. Over the past few years, much of soapdom turned to hyped-up ersatz. The two notable exceptions were "All My Children", under the creative helm of Mrs. Nixon, and "Guiding Light," which was penned by Marland. Add to this team producer Stuart, a keen, sensitive perfectionist, and the result is a collaboration of rare creative dignity. And "Loving" has dignity. To round out the other vital facets of production are two imaginative, energetic young directors with glowing track records on other serials - Andy Weyman, previously of "Edge of Night," "Another World" and "Texas," and Bob Scinto, who squeezed unimaginable life out of the trite dying days of both "Love of Life" and "The Doctors." Boyd Dumrose was hired to design believable, often downright breathtaking sets. The early castings were dynamic for the most part. As "old money" family heads Cabot and Isabelle Alden, Wesley Addy and Augusta Dabney, display a grace and understated believability which is all too rare among TV patriarchs and matriarchs. Other standouts are Susan Walters, who has grown magnificently as scheming but scared young Lorna Forbes; Perry Stephens, who as hero Jack Forbes is emerging as possibly the best new male lead of the season; Pamela Blair and Tom Ligon as Rita Mae and Billy Bristow, the crackerbarrel southern couple dealing with Rita Mae's alternately riotous and touching search for an identity; and Marilyn McIntyre and James Kiberd's heartbreaking portrayals of Noreen and Mike Donovan, a "loving" couple torn apart by Mike's refusal to get professional help for Vietnam-induced nightmares and hallucinations. It is highly unfortunate, however, that the show saw fit to dismiss such sterling talent as Shannon Eubanks (Ann Forbes), Patricia Kalember (Merill Vochek), Jennifer Ashe (Lily Slater) and Ann Williams (June Slater), especially since they constituted the two front-burning storylines for the show's first six months. Many serials have splashy production values and exciting performers to hook viewers. "Loving" is especially lucky - it also happens to have an intelligent, satisfying story. Take Mike Donovan's nightmares. So many hacks have used shell shock as an excuse to bring presumed-dead heroes back as twisted evildoers. Nixon and Marland could easily have fallen into this trap. Instead, they carefully depicted the gradual breakup of Mike's basically happy marriage, and his imaginary confrontations with his dead Army buddy, even while he continued to function as brother, friend and policeman. The split-personality of incest victim Lily Slater (Jennifer Ashe) was admittedly melodramatic at times. How much longer could Lily's personality change every time Curtis (Christopher Marcantel) walked in the room? What saved the story, however - outside of some dynamite acting by Ms. Ashe and her on-screen parents, John Cunningham and Ann Williams - was the natural intensification of the Jack vs. Curtis conflict, Marland's skillful use of the two personalities in the murder of demented daddy Garth and the simple fact that this was one of the few split personality stories ever done in soaps which was sufficiently motivated. (Parental abuse is almost always the determining factor in split personality cases.) This is not to imply that "Loving" is all eerie psychodrama, however, for it lives up to its simple title very well. The explosive love affair of Merrill Vochek and Roger Forbes (John Shearin, Peter Brown) was not only realistically handled in terms of Roger's confusion between Merrill and wife Ann (played to perfection by the beautiful Eubanks) but it had an exciting ripple effect on every other character in the show through Merrill's engagement to childhood sweetheart Douglas Donovan (Bryan Cranston). The triangle involving Lorna, hardworking Tony Perelli (Richard McWilliams) and down-to-earth Stacey Donovan (Lauren-Marie Taylor) promises to be more fun than the majority of teen triangles on today's soaps. And the confusion of Father Jim Vochek (Peter Davies) upon unexpectedly meeting up with a former flame, Cabot's illegitimate daughter Shana Sloane (Susan Keith), is one of the most human and innovative sequences seen on daytime in years. In short, "Loving" is not only a tasty production, it is an honest, intricately woven story which evolves form a group of people who truly care about each other. Who could ask for anything more?

I wish they'd do that with Pat and Janine. It seems like Pat's exit has been very low key, especially compared to someone like Peggy. I wonder if this is due to a health reason. I'm surprised they've let Janine keep the money this long.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFBkgy2uhj8 Who were these characters?

Thanks. I had no idea GL was still doing this well by 1965.

Frances Foster They were right to not do a Matt/Dinah pairing, even though they tried several times. It would have just been trashy, although at least it may have caused them to abandon Vanessa/Matt (yay!). I didn't remember that Zaslow was still undiagnosed (or at least to the public) by mid-97. I still remember first hearing the change in his voice, and worrying, wondering what it was, and thinking, after a few weeks, that hey, maybe it was getting better, and then...ugh, it hurts to think about. I still can't believe what happened.

She was probably right, although I did enjoy Elaine in that role, even if she was mainly being debased. I would love to hear Robin's thoughts on the last years of Dorian...or maybe I wouldn't...

It seems like they never really played up Dorian's wealth when Elaine was in the role. She was more of a nuisance or just having some money to keep her comfortable, but never luxuriating in her money the way Robin's Dorian might have. Gottlieb talked about how the class lines on OLTL had become too blurred, and she did change that to an extent (for instance, poor trash LeAnn and rich cowboy Asa squaring off) but during her run Viki, Sloan, etc. often seemed more upper-middle class than really rich. Only when Robin came back, and Alex sunk her claws into Asa, did the money start to flow.

I like her a lot, and by her last few years on the show she was golden. I'd always prefer Robin in the role but I'd love to see Elaine too, if not as Dorian, then in another role.

8/28/84 Digest. John Kelly Genovese looks back. Low ratings aren't the only factor that can kill a soap. Network politics, along with demographics (age and income distribution of an audience) can play a major role in retaining or dropping a television series. Case in point: "Where the Heart Is," which premiered as a New York based, CBS-owned serial on September 8, 1969. The show was created by Lou Scofield (now deceased) and Margaret DePriest (currently co-head writer of "Days of Our Lives"). Its two heroines were Kate Hathaway (Diana van der Vlis),scion of a wealthy, proper family in the fictional town of Northcross, Connecticut, and her closest friend Christine Cameron (Delphi Harrington), a liberate freelance photographer who raised her fellow suburbanites' eyebrows by cohabitating with men long before this practice became fashionable. The show had a string of head writers during its 3 1/2 year run, including Pat Falken Smith (now of "Ryan's Hope") and Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer (creators of RH) - who won their first Writers' Guild Awards for their stunning work in the series' final year. Despite these changes, "Where the Heart Is" was always a refreshing mix of warm family drama, suburban neuroses, rampant sexuality, fast-moving crime tales, and some of the wittiest humor ever to hit daytime before or since. Once the show outgrew several painfully slow first months, its audience began to build as the unique characters and their conflicts attracted notice. The death of Judge Daniel Hathaway immediately preceded the premiere episode and set up the show's antagonisms. Ms. Hathaway had to face the return of her shallow younger sister, Allison (Louise Shaffer, now Stephanie Wyatt on "Search for Tomorrow"), and Allison's weak husband, Roy Archer (Stephen Joyce), who had previously jilted Kate. Kate and Allison's reserved older brother, English professor Julian Hathaway (James Mitchell, now AMC's sharp-tongued Palmer Cortlandt), was soon to discover that his much-younger second wife, Mary (Diana Walker), was being romantically pursued by his son, Michael (Gregory Abels). Michael had always blamed Julian's neglect of his mother, Elaine, for her suicide years ago. In turn, Michael was sought by Vicky Lucas (Robyn Millan), the scheming daughter of loudmouthed but well-meaning Ed Lucas (played longest by Joseph Mascolo, the infamous Stefano DiMera of DOOL), owner of the Starlite Lounge. Julian Hathaway initially disapproved of Christine, Kate's best friend, who was living with a married man named Tony Monroe (David Bailey). Two relatively sane characters in the proceedings were Ben Jessup (Daniel Keyes), the no-nonsense family lawyer, and Stella O'Brien (Bibi Osterwald), the Hathaways' "Hazel"-type maid who loved to play the bugle at family celebrations. This was heavy stuff, but it was only the beginning. Once Roy Archer was killed by a mugger (played by Knots Landing's William Devane) and Tony Monroe moved to Asia, Allison married Ben Jessup's ambitious, slippery son, Dr. Hugh Jessup (David Cryer), who in the meantime impregnated Christine. After their daughter Katrina was born, Hugh played house with Chris and the baby but became so bored that he cheated on Chris - with his own wife, Allison! Chris eventually became engaged to noble, ethical attorney John Rainey (Peter MacLean), whose viper of an ex, Adrienne (Priscilla Pointer, later of "Dallas") had made a Frankenstein of their daughter, Elizabeth (Tracy Brooks Swope). Michael married Vicky, who eventually flipped out and pushed Mary Hathaway down a flight of stairs. Vicky was institutionalized and Michael moved in with Elizabeth, who later became pregnant by Michael's father, Julian, during one of his many bouts with male menopause. Vicky returned to Northcross a few years later, totally cured, and reconciled with Michael. Kate married handsome, wealthy Steve Prescott (Larry Luckinbill, Ron Harper), who developed amnesia after being left for dead by criminals. He was given shelter by the reclusive Ellie Jardin (Zohra Lampert), who was duly killed by the thugs. Kate and Steve reconciled and adopted Ellie's son, Peter (Mike Bersell), who was emotionally impaired after blocking out a horrible memory: his evil maiden aunt, Margaret Jardin (Barbara Baxley, Rue McClanahan) had harbored incestuous yearnings toward Peter's father, and had killed him when he refused to leave Ellie. Peter was cured, but was eventually killed in a garage fire. Kate, racked with grief, had a brief bout with a split personality. On the surface, this appears depressing and sensationalized. What redeemed "Where The Heart Is" was its excellence in the other areas which make for an outstanding serial: near flawless acting and directing (in its later years); classy sets by Elmon Webb which reflected the show's southern New England setting; and scripts which tastefully blended humor with pathos. Labine and Mayer cut their eyeteeth in daytime during the final year of this series, and are still remembered for the sensitive, understated monologue they wrote for Kate with memories of her deceased father. As Diana van der Vlis' fellow performers later learned, this was written at the actress' request, as a catharsis after the passing of her own father. Then, just as "Where the Heart Is" finally appeared a winner in the daytime ratings race, CBS sent the axe falling on March 23, 1973. The network rightly sensed that "Heart's" replacement, "The Young and the Restless" would draw a far younger audience. Perhaps in its treatment of human relationships, "Where The Heart Is" was avant garde in the wrong areas. But it sure was fun while it lasted.

What was this story about? It seems very heavy and full of psychological damage. Marcy Walker gives a real lesson in this clip about how to play a heroine without being weak or sappy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caISDPJuPfI

What bothered you with the remake?

That's very interesting. I wonder what stories the Pollacks were involved in. Was this around the time of Matt Corby and Vanessa divorcing Bruce?

Christian Science. That's an odd hairdo - very Little Orphan Annie. There's a photo of her from around this time where she has a makeup mirror attached to her neck so she can look at her hair from the back. It's memorable, at least.

Beautiful monologue from Geraldine here around 8 minutes in. I can't get enough of Geraldine, or Margo, or Nola. Slesar seemed to have a knack for these older, damaged, struggling female characters. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2aGfsQxSUc&feature=autoplay&list=ULc4g0BpXtp28&lf=mfu_in_order&playnext=1

I tend to prefer the 80's, mostly because the characters are so vibrant, but the early 90's are very special. I miss that type of quiet strength - all the British soaps at that time have this quiet strength and power. Eastenders managed to provide such great story with characters who likely wouldn't have a chance today, like the Taverniers, or Michelle Fowler. Or something like the affair between Arthur and Mrs. Hewitt - no story would have that type of pacing now.

to do that, it would solve all the problems. Imagine, just one person, one individual, each one." Suddenly, there was a peaceful, serene look on Kathryn's face. I asked her if she considered herself to be a prayerful person. "I don't know," she replied. "Terms like that are kind of misleading, I think. I don't walk around saying prayers all the time, if that's what you mean. I also think it depends on what one thinks prayer is. The world's concept of a prayerful person, I think, is probably someone who does sit around praying all the time. That is not the way I go about my life. I think that sometimes trying to put principals into practice is being prayerful and if that's how you want to define it - then yes, I am prayerful." Smiling at Kathryn's way with words, I couldn't help commenting that she seemed to be a doer. "I'm trying to be," she answered. "I'm not saying I'm always able to do/i] but I'm certainly in there trying. I have a fan club now and it is a complete joy to me because the people who have joined the club are beginning to enjoy each other. They have started writing to each other and friendships are forming. They are communicating and growing and learning from one another and I think that's the best thing in the world. They are loving towards each other and towards me and it's really a sharing of ideas. It proves that people can communicate over distances if the need of the interest is there." "But, Kathryn," I said, "it's pretty hard to find people, particularly in this day and age, who will openly admit that they have found 'something' to guide their lives by and won't allow themselves to be distracted or detoured." "It's interesting that you should say 'openly admit,'" Kathryn answers. "it's not that I don't openly admit my feelings because I'm delighted to share whatever I can, but it's difficult during an interview to be specific about one's beliefs especially when it's something not too well known or understood. To discuss any particular group or sect or anything like that would be a total disservice." Since Kathryn was reluctant to discuss how she came by her philosophy and it's exact name, it did seem only fair to find out if she always had this inner peace and serenity, or if her new found philosophy was the cause of it all. "Oh, yes, this has definitely done it for me. I wasn't that way at all, although I certainly had a background of going to church and Sunday school, and I'm grateful that I had that. My parents always saw to it that I had that atmosphere around me. I'm sure it's the basis upon which I've been able to survive some things in life which were less than pleasant. There was also a time in life when I turned away from everything. I was very disillusioned and questioning and I went through quite a period of time that I didn't believe in God - I always did. There were just things I didn't understand, but never did I question that there is a God. I just chose not to be part of organized religion. "But, you go through things in life," continued Kathryn, "and sometimes you get to something that you're just not going through too well and it's then you turn back to your faith because nothing else really cuts the mustard. You're right down to the nitty gritty. It goes without saying that the peace of mind and inner peace I've found is an acquired thing over a period of time. Believe me, I didn't come that way. "I believe this inner peace even gives one a feeling of self confidence. I think most of us, if we're imagining that we can get through this human experience without any kind of help from anything, well, it pretty much cuts one off and makes one a little finite individual and that's pretty scary isn't it, to think of one's self that way? "Some people may think that relying on a superior being is a crutch but I don't see it that way at all. My understanding is that man is the spiritual reflection of God and it's this quality that we're supposed to demonstrate. Now I know things look really awful at times, but that's when you really have to hold firm and maintain your own serenity and have a pocket of it here and there. "Oh, sure, I get low at times but I don't stay there very long because I know it's not valid and I know I have way to lift myself out of it. So, one would be very foolish not to do so. I have no doubts. I no longer question. I feel that divine presence is ever present. I don't see God as being out there someplace, I understand God to be something that's infinitely present, always there for man to be expressing, to guide and to protect and love us. It takes the onus of muddling through everything without being alone. There are a lot of people in this world who do see things this way. Doing it and living it is what means something and that seems to be what will draw people's interests much more than words - deeds. They are far more impressive and far more meaningful." Does the way Kathryn feels about life and God inhibit her lifestyle or relationships with people in any way? "It doesn't keep me from doing things or keep me out of things that would be good for me. I'm certainly able to do things and whatever I feel is disinteresting is usually something that I'm not going to gain anything from anyway. With friends I don't feel the necessity to run around making people think the way I think. Most of my friends know how I think and feel and know that socially there are things I will or won't do. I'm accepted on that basis or they wouldn't be friends, would they? After all, they have a right to their beliefs and leanings." What are Kathryn's goals or hopes for the future? "I just hope to be a decent person, to try to grow as an individual. That's certainly a goal that I have. In life, I don't think anyone should have a sense of limitation as to what they can do or cannot do with their lives. I never try to limit my life by feeling thtat I've reached a certain point and can go no further. I don't have any specific goals that I'm striving for other than on a general basis: a goal of growth, of hoping to express wisdom and good qualities as an individual. Everytime I find myself thinking toward one particular point, it seems to me that that is a limitation. It closes your mind to everything else, so I just try to keep an open mind about what I'm doing and not imagine that I have to stay in one spot to maintain one little area of endeavor. That, perhaps, seems to be lacking in direction, and yet the direction of my life seems fairly consistent. It has encompassed a lot of different areas and I enjoy that. "If something is offered to me, I never hesitate to do it. I plough right in. If it's something I don't know how to do well, then I'll take the time to learn. It's just that simple. I do try. I used to really believe that when something is offered that's really interesting - you should go ahead and do it." And, that, my friends is the story of one beautiful lady. But remember one thing, please. She's not just beautiful to look at for watch on a television screen - she's beautiful to listen to, also. Kathryn Hays has now found inner peace and it shows in the serene look on her face. - R. MARION ROSE

Back when I used to be able to stomach the EE areas of the Digital Spy forum, one of my favorite posters there ranked the two-handers. I didn't realize there had been so many, and with random characters like Ricky and Phil. If anyone wants to see more Mandy, another 1992 episode with her has been uploaded.

I got a lot of hatred and hostility from Billy to Jill as soon as he came back to town. It seemed like that was the only real aspect of their relationship which was written for - that Jill was this harridan of a mother who'd let him down. I feel like the character of Billy has often just been a club for the show to beat Jill with, which I think has limited her story potential. If she'd had a son she had a more rounded relationship with there would have been even less need for Cane.

could he really be convincing in his worry about whether he would survive, if he knew the script was going to have him live? The writers for the soaps just think it's better to keep the actors in the dark because then they don't give anything away - whether in gesture or in nuance. Being identified with the character one portrays on a daytime drama is one of the disadvantages of being a star on such a show - as John Beradino points out. "I'm referred to constantly as Dr. Steve Hardy by viewers of the show I meet in the street," says John. "Very seldom do I encounter a viewer of the show that knows my real name." And then there are the gifts that the fans send to their favorites on the series. Many are cheap and useless - but not all of them. A lady in Georgia once sent Emily a very expensive and obviously very old silver tea service. The actress wrote back insisting that the gift was much too valuable for her to accept. The elderly fan replied that the tea service had been in her family many, many years and that she wanted Emily to have it. It was her way of saying thanks for the years of enjoyment she'd gotten from the show. Then there are those who, for one reason or another, come to the decision that General Hospital really is for real. A man from Bakersfield, California, recently wrote the producers saying that his father, an elderly invalid, "has a fixation that the show is about true people and events and once in a while he feels he needs to get out and warn one of the characters of some impending danger...He gets so excited about the need to warn them that I'm afraid he might have another stroke that could prove fatal. "Television is his only vice," continued the concerned son, "and we can't deny him from watching but (also) we can't convince him that it is just a play. "He has said that if we could get a script of some of the coming programs he would be convinced that it was just a story. The producers of General Hospital broke a hard and fast rule and sent the man a script of an upcoming segment. The approximately one hundred people involved in turning out some 260 segments of General Hospital each year are deadly serious about their work. They have to be. When Emily McLaughlin arises at five A.M. each working morning in her San Fernando Valley home and begins preparing her first cup of coffee, several crew members are already at work eleven miles away at the ABC Hollywood studios, preparing for taping that day's segment of the program. When the actors, the directors, audio and video engineers, the costume designer and various other personnel arrive on the sound stage to begin work at seven in the morning, the crew has already dressed the set; everything is ready for the first rehearsal of the day. The first run through, lasting from seven until eight-thirty, is rather casual. "It's when the actors have their fun and it gives them a chance to get loosened up," says Al Rabin, one of the three directors who works on the show. "They work out all the kinks in the first run through. When we tape this afternoon we'll have the script down to perfection." It's very rare that one of the actors blows a line on this show in the final taping. But, of course, they're just about as a professional group of performers as you'll find working anywhere." True. And the same can be said of the crew. But there is a lot of horseplay during that first rehearsal. One recent morning John Beradino, as Dr. Steve Hardy, was required by the script to try to convince Jessie Brewer to have more tests done to determine what the spot on her lungs might be. Jessie then brings up the subject of cancer. John replies that Nurse Jessie is "a woman, never smokes and therefore the possibility of cancer is extremely remote." The cast and crew broke up. Emily McLaughlin is General Hospital's resident chain-smoker. A few minutes later Denise Alexander, as Dr. Leslie Williams, and Peter Hanson, who has played the Lee Baldwin character since 1965, are sitting at the table in the restaurant set, discussing his wife's recent stroke. The script calls for them to order wine and ponder the problem of what one might feed the snake Baldwin's son is bringing home from camp. Denise makes a face and looks as if she might be ill. More laughter. It's still only seven-forty in the morning. At eight-thirty the cast and crew of General Hospital take their lunch break. Lunch at ABC at that time of the morning, when most people are just arriving at work, is really breakfast. The crew has time to linger over their coffee and rolls but the cast has to gulp their "lunch" and get back to the set. They have to be in makeup by nine-thirty. Director Al Rabin makes a few script changes during the nine-thirty run through. There will be several such changes made before the morning is over - and the script is pared down to split -second timing. General Hospital, produced by Jim Banks, was created by the husband and wife writing team of Frank and Doris Hursley, who live in Chicago. The Hursleys still plot all segments of the show but their daughter now does much of the actual writing. The show made its debut April 1, 1963. Two members of the original cast, John Beradino and Emily McLaughlin, who, along with newcomer Denise Alexander, might be considered the "stars" of the show, have been with it since the beginning. Roy Thinnes was the original Dr. Phil Brewer, now played by Martin West, who joined the show in 1968. Lucille Wall signed on in July, 1963, only thirteen weeks after the show's debut. In the beginning Jim Banks directed every segment - five a week - and McLaughlin, Beradino and Wall appeared in each and every one. "It was anywhere from six to ten hours a day, five days a week that we all worked then,"" recalls Kiley Masterson, associate producer of General Hospital. "I really don't know how we - and especially the actors - did it." The actors agree. "It was pure hell," says Emily McLaughlin, who now is required to be on the set only three days a week. The daytime drama stars may have as many fans and get more fan mail than stars of prime time programs but they seldom have time to join in the Hollywood social whirl. "You soon learn that you have to pass on most party invitations," says Denise Alexander. "When you have to be on the set at seven in the morning and ready to work you just don't have time for a lot of social activity." A member of the crew recalls that there have been actors who came on the show from series where they shot only one thirty-minute and an hour-segment a week who just couldn't cut it. "Our actors have to work at least three times as hard as do actors on nighttime series," says Rabin. "And they have to be prepared. Once they get in place and that camera starts rolling, nothing short of an act of God stops it. Many actors, and we've had some of them on General Hospital, just can't take the pressure. Or they refused to discipline themselves to the work. Our actors are dedicated to the show and they have to be. Our time schedule doesn't permit much temperament and it is impossible for us to tolerate an actor that hasn't prepared himself. Fortunately we're seldom faced with that problem." By the time of the eleven o'clock run through - their fourth of the day - the actors have themselves completely in character. It's been almost five long hours since Emily McLaughlin left her home in Van Nuys; she's no longer the actress who lives there is a large house on a tree-shaded street. She's now Jessie Brewer, Nurse, General Hospital. From here on it's serious business. The horsing around on the set has ceased; the onstage crew now speak in whispers and stay out of the way of the actors. The actors are ready. Up in the control booth the crew can now relax a bit. When the subject of the spot on Jessie Brewer's lung comes up again someone starts singing a parody - "The Shadow on Your Lung" to the tune of "The Shadow of Your Smile." Now it's laughter time for the people behind the camera. Fortunately the actors can't hear them. "It's all so very heavy and serious," a crew member said, referring to the story, "and we work under such tension that we have to poke a little fun at it now and then. Otherwise we'd go bananas." The audio engineer goes a bit bananas when, during the twelve o'clock dress rehearsal, Emily McLaughlin walks on set in a white party dress to confront Lucille Wall in pink stripes that also looks white on camera. But only for a moment. A twist of half a dozen or so dials and Lucille's dress is the pink it should be and he's also reduced the glare from Emily's gown. Those nurses uniforms that look so crisp and white on television, by the way, are beige. A dingy glareless beige. Virtually none of the actors are on the set during the thirty minutes between dress rehearsal and the actual taping of the show at one o'clock, nor is there any of the banter between cast and crew. At zero hour everyone is in place and scene by scene the show is taped like clockwork in exactly thirty minutes and exactly as it will be shown. There have been times when an actor blew a line and the scene had to be reshot and edited into the segment. But it doesn't happen very often. As Al Rabin said, nothing short of an act of God stops that General Hospital camera once it starts rolling for the one o'clock taping. Not even a fire on the set. Recently, during a scene at the nurse's station, Rabin noticed that there was a fire in the wastepaper basket. The actors noticed it too but went right on with their lines. Rabin had the cameraman pull in for an unrehearsed closeup while a member of the crew ran onto the set, but off camera, grabbed the wastepaper basket and took it outside. It's one-forty-five, the actors have wiped some of the makeup off their faces and changed into street clothing. I've been with them since seven in the morning and I'm exhausted just watching them work. At this time on a primetime show everyone would relax, perhaps go out for a drink. But not on General Hospital or any of the other daytime dramas. Those who will appear in the show that is to be taped the next day have their new scripts in hand. They will rehearse until four in the afternoon and sometimes longer. I take my leave of them with a newfound respect and admiration. And with a sure knowledge of how viewers might come to think this ABC serial is all "really for real." - RAYMOND FRIDAY LOCKE

I wonder if they will mention Pat's old relationship with Mandy. I hope David will have some good scenes with Bianca and Carol. Any word on Diane? Even if they couldn't get Peggy or SImon, Diane should be there. Have you heard about the stories where ? Is all this happening at Christmas? Wow.

I thought Mackenzie had a lot of potential, when we first met her. I wanted to see more of her with Brock. I wanted to see her develop. I just didn't care about the teen love. I thought it made her so downbeat, and since Billy was aged so quickly after being offcamera for a few years, I couldn't buy his anger. It just seemed like tic-laden tantrums to me, at the time. I have never been crazy about what the Billy character represents. But I certainly know it was a very popular pairing and story at the time.

February 1976 TV Radio Mirror (this was not long before Kathryn's eye problems led her to leave for a while)