DRW50

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ9PglsNPMg

hearts. It is with a bit of sadness for us all that Sally has left the show, but because she's got an anxious husband living in California, she had no choice. When Sally married Ron Harper (ex-Bill Prescott - Where The Heart Is) it was assumed that since he was to star in Planet of the Apes, she would then be joining him in Hollywood. But her contract had not yet expired and producers kept hoping that Ron would return to New York if the show was not a success. Well, Planet of the Apes was cancelled but Ron still did not want to return to New York. Talking with Sally days before she headed out to her new life, she said, "I feel that the time is right for me to be out in California. In a sense, I will have to start all over again out there because no one knows me, but it won't be so bad. At least I have Ron, and we have a home, and I've got some friends." Discussing her experiences on the soap opera, Sally said, "It's all been positive. I've grown so much on that show...and they've allowed me to discover my own acting talents. Prior to joining the soap opera I had been a musical comedy performer and I wasn't quite sure of my acting range, but doing Love of Life changed all that for me. I never really considered myself an actress before; now iI do. In some ways it's as if I've been at school. "The show has changed somewhat since my first days. So many people have come and gone. The atmosphere has become much looser and we're all very friendly...though we don't socialize all that much after hours. Larry Auerbach, our director, has remained the constant force on our show. "Keith Charles, Jane Hoffman and I were known as "The Three Musketeers" because we were the show's rebels, always clowning around and having a good time. "I don't think it should be too difficult to do nighttime TV. I used to watch when Ron was doing Planet of the Apes and they had so much more time to do their work. On a soap opera there is always so much pressure to get the job done, whereas, with prime time, they seem to waste so much time." Thinking back on it, Sally remembers her first day before the cameras on Love of Life. "I was really nervous," she explained, "but I didn't show it. Jonathan Moore said he had never seen anyone as calm. Of course, the next day I broke out in a herpes sore from all of the tension which has left a scar on me till this day." Sally had come to Love of Live having just come back from a two week vacation in Europe. She had been starring for several years in the off-Broadway hit, Dames at Sea, and when that show closed she set off for the Continent. She wasn't back two weeks when the producers called her in on Love of Life, "so I really don't know what it's like not to be working. This will be a whole new experience for me - quite an adjustment. "I remember when I was out in California, Ron would leave at six in the morning and I would be left in the apartment not knowing what to do with myself. "Ron has gotten himself very involved with a trucking company and seems to be investing a lot of his time in that business. He hasn't by any means given up acting, it's just that he sort of has this business on the side." Foremost on Sally's mind before leaving was getting her teeth in order (after all she is going to Hollywood), and selling her car. She said she really wasn't feeling anything except that a chapter of her life was indeed over and she looked forward to seeing what the new chapter would be like. If anything, she was more numb than emotional. Of course, by her leaving, she has also led the way for Keith Charles and Jane Hoffman, her co-stars, to be written off the show. There was a farewell party for the three of them on one of their last days on the show. Jane was given a lovely necklace as a gift; Keith was given a a golf club, and Sally was given a box which jokingly contained the ashes of Dan Phillips. The party was capped with champagne and cake. For Sally, several years of her life are over, but producers, knowing her talents and popularity, have left her character's role open, and she may reappear at any time. Perhaps, she will return, or perhaps, she'll stay in Hollywood. Whatever the outcome, one thing is for sure: three thousand miles away, in Hollywood, at 11:30 in the morning, the former daytime actress can just flick on a switch and be transported back to another time and another place. And so can we all. Good luck Sally. We'll miss you very much. M.J. BEVANS

January 1968 TV Radio Mirror

Thanks. I hadn't seen that before. June 1975 TV Radio Mirror

June 1975 TV Radio Mirror

Do you know what happened to Carolyn?

Thanks so much for reading. When I saw this I thought of you immediately. The article is great too. I wonder if Irna based Carolyn's mother on herself. The mother seems a bit ahead of her time for radio soaps. The suicide story does too. I will have to hear Charita on this. I guess this was somewhat similar to Bert in this period - scheming and naughty, but still human. This show does sound fascinating.

As another gay teenager kills himself, Rick Santorum tries to tell us that he is facing the same bullying, since, you know, SNL (that bastion of pro-gay views) made fun of him. http://www.americablog.com/2011/10/poor-taste-award-santorum-compares.html

Thank you so much. You've told us a lot about this show.

April 1977 Daytime TV - photo of Malcolm Groome movie Getting Together, where he "confronts the radical idea of group marriage."

The Secret Storm one I noticed mostly because he focuses so much on Myra's problem and seems to have little interest in whether Peter actually has a problem, aside from Peter siding with his kids over his wife. I can definitely see him saying what you said about GL and ATWT! If I find any more of these I'll be sure to let you know. EON always seemed to have pretty strong female characters.

Sorry about that. I thought it was written later because they mention her in the cult story, which was 3-4 years after she was with Jack.

I wasn't paying a lot of attention while typing it out but it is pretty sad, although typical of the era (and generally typical of many years to come). The part about having grandparents help raise your child means they have two daddies is nonsensical. I posted one in the Secret Storm thread, and there are two in the Clear Horizon and Young Doctor Malone threads. They aren't as ridiculous as some of this one, but still an interesting read.

I'm so sorry Ben

Thank you for reading. I knew you'd want to see that.

Neither did I. I didn't even get it was her at first, since the hair and the nose are from a lifetime ago. It's a good little ad though, I wish she'd done more.

Susan Lucci pitches Diet Dr. Pepper at about 3:40 into this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNnwmyt2pQw

Why does a man marry a woman much younger than himself? The healthy reasons are based on love. Neurotic reasons make love less important than the satisfaction of one's needs...an attempt to recapture his youth, a need to assert his masculinity and build up his ego...In the case of a second marriage, a man might choose a girl because she reminds him of his first bride - or because the loss of his wife suddenly makes him feel very old and only a lively young female can make him feel different. A wide difference in ages doesn't necessarily mean the marriage is doomed to fail. If love exists, if the older partner has the physical stamina to keep up with the younger - if the relationship satisfies mutual needs - the couple can certainly make it work. However, when one or both have children by a previous marriage, complications may occur. To understand Peter and Myra, we must first know how they came to find one another. Peter had lost his first wife - whom he loved deeply - through a tragic accident. He was left with three children: Amy, a teenager; Jerry, a bachelor in his mid-twenties; and Susan, nearing thirty and not too happily married...Myra, on the other hand, had never been wed and was well on her way to spinsterhood. A highly sensitive schoolteacher, she met Peter after having been of great help to his daughter Amy. The path to matrimony wasn't easy for Peter and Myra. There were continual delays and difficulties, most important of which was Myra's reluctance to finalize her marriage to Peter because she still felt a strong attraction to another man. When the latter tried to seduce her, she finally turned from him completely - but she required psychoanalytic treatment to help her do so. Peter offered her security. He was an established businessman - who could have married his late wife's older sister. In choosing Myra, he turned his back on a woman who had found favor with his children, and took as a wife a woman who was comparatively a stranger to them. When a man remarries, he evaluated his second wife sexually, socially and domestically - and if his earlier marriage was successful, he'll undoubtedly seek someone who reminds him of the loved one he lost. Perhaps Peter knew his sister-in-law too well...which is why he spurned her for Myra, who challenged his masculinity. But Myra appears to be a terribly disturbed young woman who hasn't yet resolved her social and sexual problems. Perhaps this is why she found Peter attractive. He is older, stronger, and offers her a ready-made family - meaning, to her, that he will make fewer demands of her sexually. His children, however, may be embarrassed by Peter's marriage because, in their young minds, they may consider their father's behavior foolish and "over-sexed"! Peter's marriage to Myra created problems in the family from the start. Amy is fond of Myra. Older brother Jerry can take her or leave her, but would rather leave her. Big sister Susan - almost as old as her new mother - cannot accept her at all. And Myra, so untrue of herself, is unable to demonstrate any real warmth to win Susan over. Susan and Myra cannot get along because they are rivals. To Myra, who looks upon Peter as a "fatherly" person offering refuge and affection, Susan becomes an interloper. To Susan, who demands her dad's total attention, any consideration on his part toward his second wife becomes unbearable. Here we have, in essence, the reason why a man must consider the needs of his children when he remarries. He must, in fact, consider three needs: His own, his wife-to-be's and his children's. When he marries a younger woman, he must expect that a daughter almost the same age will vie with his new wife for his attention. As troubles multiply, Peter is invariably thrust into the middle. Like many other men, he tries to act "neutral," refusing to take sides. But this very refusal seems to place him on the side of his children and against his wife. He's so understanding of his offspring, he leans over backward in order to "play fair" with them. But is he being fair to his wife? And, in the long run, is he being fair to his children? Peter is not being fair to anybody. And he is not offering emotional support of the proper sort to either side. By not taking a stand, he allows his children to take unfair advantage of Myra and helps to wreck his marriage. Although his first loyalty must be to his children, he must nevertheless play fair with his wife. It seems likely that Peter experienced his "great love" with his first wife, and thus may expect more of Myra as a companion and housekeeper than as a sweetheart. But Myra has not had her "great love." She not only demands the security offered by a man of means but also craves the romance a love wold give. Her attitude may be unreal - but her needs are very real to her. Once again, Myra has been forced to seek professional help. Earlier, her minister had sent her to a psychoanalyst. Now it's her family doctor who does so. And, this time, she consults a female analyst. But, in spite of treatment, her relationship with Peter continues to deteriorate. She becomes interested in another man, lets herself become involved in an affair with him. Psychiatric treatment doesn't deter her, Peter becomes ineffectual in winning her back, the marriage seems doomed. Is "single blessedness" better? Myra's need for psychoanalytic treatment makes sense. The only thing that doesn't is her need to seek a referral from her family doctor, inasmuch as she had undergone such treatment previously. One gets the impression that Myra is really trying to avoid getting help, seeking an extra-marital affair to avoid coming to grips with the problems and - unconsciously, perhaps - trying to break up her marriage in order to return to her previous state of single blessedness. Marriage may have demanded more of Myra than she could handle! If Myra doesn't truly want such help, her previous analytic treatment could not have been successful and the later one would be doomed to failure, too. Such treatment must be responded to on an emotional (not an intellectual) level, if it is to be helpful. It makes little difference whether the analyst be male or female. The important thing is whether the patient really wants help. Myra may be the sort of person who just "goes through the motions," not really wanting to change at all. She may be unhappy, but her personality structure may make it possible for her to live with herself. She may always suffer - but she may suffer less as a single person than as a wife....Peter, however, might be able to help both himself and his family by seeking psychiatric treatment. He would find out what he truly desires, both for himself and for his children, and thus be able to choose more wisely if he decides to leave Myra and find a new wife. The story of Peter Ames is, unfortunately, the story of many men in real life who suddenly lose their wives and then marry women years younger than themselves. "The Secret Storm" is refreshing, in that it acknowledges the weaknesses in human beings. So sit back, enjoy the story and try to learn something from it. But remember that Peter and Myra are only make believe, after all. Next month, we'll take a look at another favorite TV drama and try to make it meaningful in your own life.

Mary Fickett fans may enjoy this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbPe9TU9w2M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALiMbjT9b4g

question which we will attempt to probe this month, analyzing the story's perennial appeal - and relating its developments to those you might encounter in your own life. As usual, my setting of the TV scene will be in regular type (like this) and Dr. Wolk's professional comments will be in italics (as follow): Psychologically, a strong male personality as the leading character of a TV series has a very different effect on the woman watching than does a female lead. Instead of identifying with Mike, she fantasizes about him; he becomes the man of her dreams, a husband-substitute, a father-substitute, an all-wise, all-powerful, perfect kind of man who lets her escape from the "inferior man she married. Mike is not only virile and successful, but also gentle and full of feeling when he has to be. The fact that he's a widower makes it easier for the female viewer to admire and desire him without feeling guilty about taking him away from his wife. His housewife fan does identify with the various women whom Mike admires. And he arouses both sympathy (for his plight) and admiration (for not compromising his masculinity while looking after his little girl). So Mike becomes a symbol of everything a woman wants in a man and his status as a widower makes him even more attractive. But widowers are faced with very special kinds of problems that, to some extent, must be judged by the circumstances that brought about their bereavement. Mike Karr lost his wife, Sara - with whom he was blissfully happy - many months ago, through highly dramatic circumstances. Their beloved daughter, Laurie Ann, had become infected by a strange illness which affected her brain. One late afternoon, the mixed-up little girl scrambled out of bed, wandered downstairs...and walked out the front door. Busy in the kitchen, her mother wasn't aware of Laurie Ann's disappearance until she went to her room. Finding the bed empty, Sara rushed downstairs, noticed the open door and raced outside - just in time to see a speeding car bearing down on her daughter. She managed to reach her before the car did, shoved her out of harm's way...and lost her own life. Mike could not even pause to give way to grief, in peace, because Laurie Ann had been badly bruised and was in danger unless she receive immediate surgery. Immediately, Mike had to find the one specialist who could perform the delicate operation to save his child. The loss of a loved one, especially under such sudden and tragic circumstances, makes a tremendous impact on the surviving spouse. If Mike had been the kind of man who was overly-dependent on his wife, the emergency he faced with his daughter might have been more than he could have coped with at such a time. Being a widower is quite different form being deprived of one's wife's company because she may have to be absent form home for some other reason. Temporary separation, even for long periods, always keeps shining the prospect of future togetherness. But a death makes such separation final. Mike's immediate adjustment to the situation, in terms of his coming to grips with the problem of finding medical treatment for his little girl, shows him capable of meeting the worst that life offers - with vigor and decisiveness. A less stable man might have resented Laurie Ann for "causing" his wife's death. But such resentment would have overlooked the reality of the situation and only been a cover-up for that husband's guilt - based on a deep, unconscious dislike of his wife and the hidden wish that she would die. If Mike were this sort of man, he might try to conceal his anger at the child by becoming over-protective - treating her "too good" and smothering her with love to make up for his real feelings of hostility. Such feelings lie behind the over-protectiveness many mothers show their children. Most widowers find boys easier to raise than girls because they understand them better. And younger children, of course, find it easier to forget the mother and accept a substitute in the form of a nurse, relative or second wife. But, in order to do best by himself and his children, every widower must realize the need to get back into circulation socially, overcome his momentary feelings of helplessness and not hesitate to demonstrate his affection for his youngsters - without going overboard. A means of escape Sara's death was a terrible blow to Mike, for their marriage had been one of those rare near-perfect alliances. His only escape was his work. An ex-cop - a self-made man who is now a successful criminal lawyer - Mike was able to throw himself completely into his work to help overcome his loneliness. Every man needs an escape hatch at such times, but losing oneself in one's work can be unhealthy if that becomes the only escape. The quality of one's work, one's judgment - one's attitude to the work itself - could become distorted when work alone is used to overcome the loss of a mate. It is healthier neither to forget one's wife, nor to build a shrine to her. The widower must retain a decent respect for his wife's memory but accept the tragic situation and slowly but surely seek out other companionship, for his own good and the good of his children. He must socialize, develop new acquaintances and re-construct his life. above all, he must be careful to avoid comparing with his late wife every new female friend he meets. Sara's last words to Mike were, "As long as you have Laurie Ann, I'll never be far away." So Mike drew closer to his little girl, who became the image of her mother whom he loved so dearly. Mike has always been close to his in-laws, Winston and Mattie Grimsley, and even shared the chairmanship of the local Citizens Crime Committee with Mr. Grimsley, who is a highly successful businessman. Not long after Sara's death, her folks moved into Mike's house to help him in his own emotional adjustment to his loss and to aid in the rearing of little Laurie Ann. Since Winston Grimsley himself had been a widower before marrying Sara's mother, he presumably had a special insight into what Mike was going through. But is this the best solution for a widower? Would a nursemaid be preferable to grandparents, in raising the children? Could in-laws create new problems for both himself and his children? The last words of Mike's wife do not play fair with him or their child; they tend to trap Mike, to make him feel disloyal if he dares to find another woman and rebuild his life. Such deathbed utterances make for effective drama but seldom take place in real life - fortunately, since they only make things more difficult for the survivor. The trouble with having grandparents help raise the children is that the youngsters would, in effect, have two "daddies": Their real father and their grandfather. This could dilute the real father's rightful authority, to the detriment of the children. Choosing to have the in-laws move in, or moving in with them, can serve to make the widower - or widow - guilty and uncomfortable about dating, thus making it doubly hard to "start all over" as every widower or widow must. A nursemaid, as a temporary mother-substitute, is usually preferable but must b e extremely well-chosen. It could be very upsetting to a youngster if she stays on only long enough to attach herself to the child, then is replaced by another mother-substitute. No widower should expect anyone to take on certain responsibilities which are his own: Raising his kids with full awareness of the facts of the situation, taking time to play with them, not subjecting them indiscriminately to one lady-friend after another. A good marriage to someone new, at the earliest possible moment after a decent period of mourning, is the nicest thing that could happen to a motherless youngster - and to a lonely widower. Far from being disloyal, such a man is being honest, grown-up and considerate of his motherless child. When Mike met Nancy Pollack, he was attracted to her almost at once - not simply because she was good to look at, but because she got along famously with Laurie Ann. He liked the way she spoke to his small daughter, and he respected her ideas on how to raise children. Still, when Nancy locates a new house for Mike and he comes to inspect it, he finds himself uncomfortable in the new surroundings. Somehow he can't bring himself to break away from the old house which, to him, symbolizes his beloved Sara and represents everything he found right and bright in life. Although he feels great affection for Nancy, Mike shrinks from the prospect of matrimony. He shows his feeling for her in other ways - offering to defend her younger brother in court against a drunken driving charge, lending emotional support to help Nancy cope with the constant problems of her teen-age sister because her mother, a college dean, is often away from home. Nancy also stands by Mike when he decides to become a candidate for District Attorney - although her father, editor of the city's leading newspaper, is forced to abide by his publisher's decision to support Mike's opponent. Too eager to marry? Nancy may or may not be right for Mike. Being good to his child is not enough; she must be good to him. Sometime s a woman is so eager to marry that she pretends to be what she isn't - winning over the widower's youngsters in order to win herself a husband. That's why a man with children must re-marry cautiously, wisely, in order to be sure that the woman of his choice is completely sincere. Mike must also consider the possibility that his fondness for Nancy might be based merely on the importance he feels at being able to help her with her own personal problems, such as those concerning her family. The fact that her father is forced to go against him, while Nancy sides with him, places Mike in a very difficult position. Such conflicting loyalties could turn him away from her unless he is mature and clear-headed enough to realize that she is not responsible for her father's action. The suspicion that Mike still carries a bit of immaturity within him rises from his reluctance to give up the ghost of his late wife and the possibility that he is hiding behind her memory to avoid making a new home for himself and his daughter - preferring the dream of the past to the reality of the present. No widower should expect his second wife to be a duplicate of his first - or demand, as some widowers do, that the second wife possess qualities which the first lacked totally. He must accept her as herself, neither comparing her not idealizing her. Losing a wife - or a husband - requires the utmost in maturity and emotional stability in order to survive such a tragedy successfully and with as little damage to one's youngsters as possible. This is Mike Karr's problem and, of course, he copes with it in highly dramatic fashion, for this is TV's way. In real life, the losses are usually larger and the gains smaller. Few real-life attorneys become as emotionally involved with either clients or kin as does Mike. But perhaps this is a good thing for a man who's been recently bereaved...or is it too much of a good thing? When a widower such as Mike becomes emotionally involved with so many, it may be because he is reaching out for the warmth and love that he needs so desperately. Driven by so great a need, it would make little difference whether he seeks out clients, kin, or anyone else. Professional and social contacts help to restore a man' confidence in himself and his faith in the future. A widow has an even harder time of adjusting than does a widower. For one thing, she may have money problems. For another, she must wait to be sought out by an admirer, rather than do the pursuing herself, and must be careful that any attentions paid her aren't based purely on her sex-appeal, with no intention of marriage. Children make her problem more difficult. Widows, even more so than widowers, are dependent on friends, relatives and co-workers to help them broaden their social contacts and meet prospective new spouses, Mike Karr's TV adventures only sketchily indicate the less dramatic but deeper aspects of widowhood: The awful loneliness, the helplessness, the despair accompanying the loss of a loved one. You, the TV viewer, may share the trials and tribulations of Mike and Nancy and all the others in the program - but bear in mind that such dramatic license as they enjoy, in a brief episode daily, cannot be yours. You will always suffer more in the same predicament...because you must live with your sorrows twenty-four hours a day - throughout a full lifetime. But, by analyzing such TV favorites psychologically, we hope to give you some insight into your own behavior patterns so that you'll be able to handle personal problems better when they arise. Next month, we'll look in on another popular daytime drama...deal with another area of human relations...and try to make the stories and characters meaningful in your own life.

December 1962 TV Radio Mirror

October 1962 TV Radio Mirror

This is from the October 1969 Afternoon TV with Larry Storm and Lynn Benesh on the cover; Paul Raven posted the cover earlier in the thread.