DRW50

February 1978 SOD.

Was that Scott's baby? I know some of the critics at the time felt the story was too strident.

A TV Radio Mirror from around the time of George Reinholt's initial exit from AW said that they'd asked Robert Gentry (Ed, GL, Ross, AMC, among many other roles) to replace him as Steve. That didn't happen, but a few years later he did play AW's Phillip Lyons.

That's fascinating. I hadn't heard much about this Clay character. I only knew Jennifer's father as Stephanie's husband. Jo was also shot at this point wasn't she? What did you think of Kathy's abortion story?

This sounds like a very bleak storyline. I guess these years weren't very happy for Jo, losing another husband, and her sister.

With the new redistricting plans the politics may change a lot. Here's an article on Brown's frustrations. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/21/us/politics/brown-says-california-gop-is-harder-to-work-with-decades-later.html?pagewanted=all

Rick Perry reaching out to birthers? http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/10/rick-perry-reaches-out-to-the-birthers.php?ref=fpa

From a May 1983 Digest.

From a May 1983 Digest.

I hope you post more. I'd love to hear more of your memories on Search.

Were the two stories connected in any way?

Becky found out when she got a phone call right before the wedding. It was a waste to kill her off and then an even bigger waste to get rid of Mick Cain.

You've probably already seen them but there are a few clips online of Adair as Jill. I think her Jill was quieter and more vulnerable.

Soap changes your approach. A soap sets up a pattern, a habit. I needed to develop a new kind of freshness for what I was doing. I felt the need to extend my boundaries, to widen my distance. Soap operas are very compressed. Working on a film is different because it demands more size and scope. As the movie progressed I got more comfortable with my work. Bill came to Young & Restless via Raquel Welch's Kansas City Bomber film. Sources at MGM have reported his work was excellent but much of it never found its way into the final product because, as some speculate, Raquel felt he was too overpowering in their scenes together. Viewing what was left we found that even what remained proved this point: Bill's only major scene with her was one of the highlights of the picture. "I still want to study in England, but I guess I'll just play it by ear. It's funny, but now that I have the opportunity to look ahead and I'm in a position to do so, I find I'm not looking as far ahead as I was when I was on the show and under contract. I was constantly looking forward to what was next. Now that I'm there I'm just playing it as it happens and seeing how things fall." Bogart Slept Here is more or less about an actor (much like Dustin Hoffman) who kicks around New York and Broadway for a long time and then gets discovered by a Hollywood movie producer (much like Mike Nichols who is directing the film and who discovered Hoffman for The Graduate). In the film Bill describes his role as follows, "I play an actor who meets the Hoffman character (he was to be played by Robert De Niro but at press time producers were considering James Caan for the lead), we test for the same role, we meet ad have a scene. I guess you can say the character is a young, employed New York actor." Before doing Young & Restless, Bill was a guest on most of the major nighttime shows like Streets of San Francisco and his approach three years later is somewhat different..."Sure I'll probably do them again, but they'll all be things I want to do, I won't just be working, working, working for the sake of it or for the money. I'll try and choose the right things and get the best mileage out of them." I asked Bill if he had any reservations about leaving the safety and security of Young & Restless. "No," he answered in loud tones. "I feel very positive, very good about the move. I think change is always helpful. You try and get as much information as you can and then act on it. Well, that's what I did and I feel very positive about my decision. I have no apprehensions, regrets, or second thoughts about it at all." However strong he feels about leaving Bill has a lot of gratitude for what he's learned the last three years. "I've certainly come away from the show with a lot more than I went into it with. Any actor who gets the opportunity of working or getting any experience doing a particular job is going to walk away with, hopefully, more than he went in with." Three years ago William was a young actor who had been in Hollywood six months. He was faced with a monumental decision for a newcomer. Should he accept a part on an as yet unaired soap opera named, of all things, The Young and the Restless? Or, should he opt for film and nighttime TV parts that carry more status in the industry? At that time I suggested that in no way could hurt his career. Now coming out of it we both reflected on that promise..."You did promise it would be an education and it was," remarked Bill. "However, what I learned from the soap needed modification when applied to film work. It needed a freshness and amplification that I didn't get from my soap training. The Veil afforded me the chance to experiment with these things and I find there isn't any problem adjusting. "Now, I feel that what's in front of me is the challenge and the freedom of whatever life and work has to offer. Getting new jobs or going to Europe is very intriguing, whether it's work, theater, regional theater, films or even another soap. I now have a chance to breathe, to experiment. "One thing that was great about the show was when people, whose work I admired said, 'Look, your work was really good, you have something to offer.' I was never allowed to get out and do other things while I was on the soap and I had a need for that. You can't do other things when you're tied up in a soap. The people in charge felt it important I only do the soap and that's one of the reasons I'm leaving." So Bill Espy will go out into the world of show business and make his way again. He has a good chance to accomplish everything he wants to do because he's trained and has good credits behind him. Also, lest we forget, he has a large following of loyal fans to bolster him at the box office. - TONY RIZZO

December 1975 TV Radio Mirror

Thanks. I know almost nothing about this film. It's great that you knew this. On paper Ed was what Latimore described, but I never really felt he played the role that way.

All Brad Bell ever did was ignore natural story opportunities. That's why he can only write about bad attempts at social issues, and relatives nailing each other. I thought the Becky story was good, and not campy, but they shouldn't have killed her off. That was also the last story Amber had which didn't suck.

I think he left before it was announced. Do you think if he'd stayed, and the show had gone on, that he could have survived without Eden?

So you think it was lack of interesting characters which made this more unsuited to the show than a dark story like Eden's rape.

Thanks. I started watching some of the story about BJ's abuse, and I thought Sydney Penny did a good job, although I didn't buy Kim Zimmer as her mother. At times it seemed like they were just reading off statistics, like the story lacked heart. The scenes when she revealed her abuse to Cruz and when Cruz confronted the guy (Frank, I think) were very strong.

Harley was at GL a few years after the Dobsons had left. I remember a clip where Mason had flashbacks of Mary which reminded him of his current flame, Victoria. I thought it was very forced, as they didn't seem that similar to me. Harley Jane Kozak had such screen presence and a certain charm and slightly devilish quality that enlivened heroine roles. I think that's why she ended up getting some decent roles in some of the most popular comedies of the late '80s and early '90s. I already asked this, I think, but anyway, I read that NLG was going to leave Santa Barbara as it hadn't been canceled, as she wasn't thrilled with her airtime or the haunted house story. Do you think she was right?

Well the Dobsons seemed pretty fond of her too. One of the reasons I haven't put a lot of articles in lately is I wasn't sure if you were going to be able to read them, as you haven't been on much lately. If there's anyone you're interested in then I will find something or try. I keep meaning to watch more episodes but there's so much soap stuff I mean to watch, right now I'm stuck on the A's (ATWT and Another Life).

It's Little House: The Corporate Years.