DRW50

I like this scene. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdFzKkdD58g&feature=related

I wonder how viewers at the time felt about Bert's funeral. I remember reading a script of the day, which was about Rick's addiction, as you mentioned. They didn't bring back any relatives - were they even mentioned? - and Richard van Vleet, who barely interacted with Charita Bauer, was playing Ed at the time. It seems like they didn't even really want to have a service.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-wQWmKobGY&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h92xvwzw-Q&feature=autoplay&list=ULmObL1xPUzW4&index=22&playnext=1

That's what drew me into the P&G soaps. It was so comforting to watch Bob make a Thanksgiving toast, and then in the summer, to see everyone out having a barbecue, with friends dropping by. There were no ugly feuds that couldn't be overlooked for those special days. It was a nice escape. This is the type of thing soaps became so ashamed of.

I liked Jamil. He was a good background character, the actor had potential, and it was a nice balance to the nightmarish caricatures that make up most of the show now. Just another failure from Marquess and Phillips.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnxLk51aBfg

Yes, whimsy is a good word. There's a certain lightness which is there even with very dark material (like everything with Josh/Iva/Lily - Lily ran away for a few months of fun). The lightness seems to have faded by the early 90's, and even the moments of hope are much more melancholy. Most of the characters have aged, lost some of their old cheesiness (like Duncan), and the younger characters like Courtney, Andy, and Paul, have their own struggles. The show also seems to become more and more earnest. There's also more of a very harrowing type of emotional torment, which you can see in this nightmare/fantasy/flashback of Darryl's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPhZ9pvY0PQ&feature=related This clip has the type of melancholy that I notice more and more in the early 90's stuff. Barclay and Angel Lange talk about moving on with their lives. They will, but you know they will never entirely be whole... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppu1HmfVcTY&feature=related

I always loved how the AWHP writeup for her went on about how she got commendations every time she was terrible at her job. At the time I found Stenovitch very cold and hard to care about, although that was down to bad writing as well. I liked her more when they brought Anna Holbrook back for a few days.

The biggest problem with Josie is she was nothing inside. Just a generic ingenue. The actresses who played her could never do anything about that and I don't know if they had the talent (although Amy Carlson has been OK in some other roles).

Thanks. It's funny I just watched those last week. I've been trying to make my way through ATWT from the earliest years on Youtube to up to about 1994 or 1995. I don't have the stomach for a lot of the show after that.

Thanks. I've never known how to do that. I just end up posting the link and then the video shows up.

You've probably already seen this but it's the only Kim/Susan scene I can really find. I also get a strange thrill out of this scene as it's one of those where Bob is an a$$hole to Lisa! Usually he's very very patient with her. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VceFx_CQqF8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P146v7U1kEw

The new credits for Hollyoaks. They have added some trashy shots - I don't really get the point of Ethan, whose stories consist of stringing along teenage girls, in that type of shot (and his hair sucks).

I think that if Loving had been on track it could have rode out the 90's - and perhaps lasted as long as PC (2003 or so). More and more I feel like if they'd stuck with the Loving concept instead of going wholesale into The City, which initially struggled so much to generate story, then they might have maintained a ratings increase. The last year or so of Loving had a lot of strong story. The City did not. I guess they benefited from the strength of ABC in the 80's and early 90's but sometimes I wonder if the show was ever THAT much of a mess onscreen, considering it did last for 12 years.

Oh. I'd forgotten they were dating at this time. It's just odd to me (the character relationship I mean, not the actors dating). I can never remember how long it was before John found out and if that affected his relationship with Iva. I never really thought of Larry Brygmann as the type of actor to be dating so many co-stars. At the time of the Aaron paternity story, was there anyone you sided with or didn't side with? At the time I remember always sympathizing with Iva, but then I didn't watch every day. Doesn't it seem like there's a big change, stylistically, in ATWT starting around 1991 or so?

As I make my way through the few 1991 episodes on Youtube I haven't seen, some of them have John and Iva. This is one of those relationships which, while not bad, doesn't ever quite make sense to me, because they are both low-key characters who have outbursts only when pushed and who both have sarcastic senses of humor (if Iva had a sense of humor). I think this pairing just suppresses both characters. I get the idea of the two of Lucinda/Iva conflict over John, but Iva's not really that type of character. I wonder why they didn't consider a John/Lisa pairing at this time, leading to a triangle with Lucinda. This was hinted at in 1996 but never happened. I love the part where Lily greets "my two mothers," and Lucinda says, somewhat acidly, that it's SO wonderful Lily is able to say this to them. I also love that Barbara now has to get advice from Margo about how to deal with paternity lies to Hal's family. That's the type of irony ATWT did so well, and so naturally, not clumsy or obvious. Marland set up decades of story by giving Barbara a child with the man Frannie loved. How sad that it amounted to less than nothing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjAjdabcRSE&feature=related

I always wondered about that. I felt like there was a very strong feminist pro-life view at RH - the only time a woman on the show had an abortion it was presented as selfish and irresponsible (Kimberly).

The scenes with the family welcoming Clint back are so moving, just pure emotion...something soaps are ashamed of now. I really love all those old scenes with Clint and his family. And Herb and Dorian. Herb really got Dorian and helped her from being too much of a caricature.

An SOD from November 1988 reviews Loving. Loving: The Bland and the Beautiful? By Christopher Schemering To paraphrase an old saying, it ain't kosher to kick somebody (or in this case, something) when they're down. LOVING has limped along for more than five years, and has been close to the bottom of the ratings barrel during its entire run. Is it a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth? Could it be bad luck? Is it an innocuous serial which neither provokes nor offends anyone? Have dull story lines failed to capture the audience's imagination? It's probably a combination of all of the above. LOVING, which premiered on June 26, 1983 with a two-hour Sunday night special, seemed to be a winner at the starting gate. It had many things going for it: the show was created by TV-legend Agnes Nixon (ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE) and AS THE WORLD TURNS's current head writer, Douglas Marland, (who had scripted GENERAL HOSPITAL during its miraculous comeback in the 1978-79 season, and who won two Emmys for Outstanding Writing for GUIDING LIGHT). It was also produced by veteran Joseph Stuart, who had guided OLTL through many of its most memorable moments. The soap began pleasingly enough with a variety of stories, families, and characters. There were the Forbes, Alden, Donovan and Vochek clans. There was the bitterness of Vietnam veteran Mike Donovan (splendidly played by James Kiberd), who couldn't shake his resentment of how Vietnam vets were treated in this country after the war was over (Included was beautiful location footage taped at the Vietnam Veteran Wall in Washington, DC, which resulted in more emotionally packed set pieces). There was Lily Slater (played by the then-underrated Jennifer Ashe; now Meg, ATWT), who was sexually abused by her father, Garth. His death led into a better-than-average murder mystery. And, there was handsome Father Jim Vochek (Peter Davies), who struggled with his committment to the priesthood. Frankly, all of this was refreshing, considering almost all the serials of the day were totally entrenched in espionage stories. LOVING was clicking in every department except one: the romantic aspects of the show - the loving. The romantic pairings lacked chemistry and there were so many hackneyed love triangles that one thought the plots were retreads from the soaps of the fifties. Jack Forbes fell in love with Stacey Donovan but married Ava Rescott, an Erica clone, after she became pregnant with his child. (Remember Ava, after suffering a miscarriage, stuffed her maternity outfits with pillows for months to hold on to Jack. A low point.) Stacey hooked up with Tony Perelli, but he impregnated Lorna Forbes, and their engagement was off. Stacey should have stood on the corner handing out birth control information. (Her sister-in-law, Noreen, was supposedly a nurse involved in AIDS research. The show was certainly giving out mixed messages.) During this mish mash, Douglas Marland bailed out and the show got even worse. Almost every pivotal role was recast, sometimes three times, causing untold continuity problems. The audience was always kept off-balance. Then came the decision to write out most of the original cast, and entire families disappeared from Corinth. After five years there are only four original cast members left: Peter Davies's Jim, Perry Stephens's Jack, Lauren-Marie Taylor's Stacey, and Wesley Addy's Cabot Alden. The romances became a s monotonous as the leading men, who all looked and acted alike. It was a preppie nightmare. The single exception was a rather sweet, star-crossed romance between poor Steve Sowolsky and wealthy Trisha Alden. Their relationship was thwarted by the dull machinations of the unimaginative villainess Cecelia Thompson (played by three different actresses). More savvy in the scheming department was Trisha's mom, the truly odious Gwyneth, who went after Steve's father, Harry. The elder Sowolsky fell madly in love with Ann Alden. The story line, which included betrayal, bitch wit, and wonderful character development, ended when actor Ed Moore left the show to pursue other interests. John R. Johnston also exited, so Steve died. All that recasting business was replaced by an appalling revolving door of characters and stories. This overload - especially in a half-hour show - caused more confusion. During the past two seasons there have been write-in and write-outs of: the Beecham family (Linc, Rebekka, Zona, Judd); Zach Conway, Kelly Conway, Rob Carpenter, Lotty Bates, Eban Japes, Nick Dinatos, Tony Benedict, Jenny Baylor and April Hathaway. Jacqueline Courtney was brought in to play Diane Winston, a madam in a bordello. It was a story with possibilities, but it was abruptly dropped. The characters of Marty Edison and Alan Howard were embroiled in a dreary fatal attraction story before their exits. At least the most recent fatal attraction plot, involving Jack, Stacey and Lily, had its moments, perpetuated future story and character development, and gave three talented performers - especially Perry Stephens - some dicey scenery to chew on. Ironically, the show vastly improved during the writers' strike. There were tightly woven stories ,such as the Clay Alden/Alex Masters "unmasking," a plot with the potential to blow half of Corinth's inhabitants out of the water. There was finally some realistic dramatic ambivalence between Shana and Jim Vochek in their four-year romance. The new sexual tension was far more provocative than falling back on such hoary devices as years of straddling the fence (the priesthood versus marriage issue), amnesia, miscarriage, spies, and a nasty spat with the devil himself. The Jack/Stacy/Rick triangle was equally pleasing. The introduction of the delightful Linda Cook as Egypt Jones (an Opal Gardner clone) certianly perked things up. Louise Stubbs as her best friend and sassy, one-woman Greek chorus, Minnie Madden, is a riot. Minnie's dance with Kate Rescott to a Frank Sinatra record was one of the most enjoyable moments of the year. One hopes Minnie is not used as the token black on the show. (Wouldn't it be wonderful if Lt. Art Hindman were her estranged son?) Randolph Mantooth's Clay/Alex and Mark Pinter's Dan Hollister have also broken out of the blandness of the former leading men, but variations in costuming would certainly help. We are living in the world of the one-hour soap opera. RYAN'S HOPE and THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL have recognized this by adapting themselves to the hour format within the limitations of the half-hour soap. They might open with a few teasers, but then wisely juxtapose quick scenes with long scenes, which allows for depth and resonance. Both shows often present very effective commercial-to-commercial scenes. LOVING would be wise to adapt this technique. The show is too choppy and the audience has little to savor. The constant interruptions when Ava spoke movingly about her miscarriage and the guilt she felt killed the flow of Roya Megnot's beautifully delivered performance. LOVING might have recently discovered some snap and crackle, but still no pop. Stop the recasting and the revolving door of new characters, the short-short story lines, the playing-it-safe characters and stories. Take some risks. You're headed in the right direction, but if a show can't have confidence in itself, no one else can.

It's so sad seeing the last of Herb, and back when there actually was a Buchanan/Lord family, instead of Viki and a bunch of idiots and people who fled town and never went back. It's also nice to see more of Angela Holiday. I don't know why they wrote her out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkvL1pGo66w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUiNAIBQAXA&feature=autoplay&list=ULv3NdznqZrJA&index=24&playnext=1

I'd never noticed it either. I agree that Dorian changed a lot during Elaine's tenure, and some of the changes stuck. I just wish Elaine had had more daytime opportunities after OLTL, and that OLTL had managed to find a place for her.

Here is the cast for the new series of E20. Why are they casting Mercy's sister when Mercy is being written out? This tells me again that getting rid of Mercy was a mistake. http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/s86/eastenders-e20/news/a326279/eastenders-unveils-new-e20-cast-members.html http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/s86/eastenders-e20/scoop/a326288/eastenders-e20-guide-to-the-new-characters.html

From SOD's end of year 1990 issue.