DRW50

I know the actor that played Johnny talked about how horribly confusing the Valere story was...which seemed to be a theme for this era of GL (Robert Newman said the same about the mammoth Sonni/Solita saga). I'm not sure if Johnny ever had any stories that were worth watching. What I've seen of the cancer story is overheated, and what was done to Roxie was just tacky. Pam Long said the story should have had more of him doubting his faith, but the strike ended it. It seems like a lot of GL at this time was so free-floating, which may have worked for strong personalities like Alex, Reva, Alan, HB, etc. but quieter people seemed to sink. I can see why Maeve Kinkead quit - she'd had nothing to do for years and I think even getting the Dinah story was tough. I do like the stuff with Mindy going out to investigate and getting into danger. It's stupid, but fun. I really missed that side of Mindy when they began beating her down in the early 90's. The December 22 and 23 episodes of 1987 are on Youtube, if that was Christmas. Reva-centric Christmas 1987 clips are also up. Amanda never came back around this time, did she? A long time ago I read that she did, but I've never seen it anywhere else.

I wonder if they had a very different idea of Rusty than later writers. He seems to be much more fiery here. Later on I remember him being very solemn all the time.

T-Paw is TKO! http://tpmdc.talking...ace.php?ref=fpa To think, years and years of shaping his political career around a would-be Presidential run, to the point of crippling Minnesota (and also inadvertently helping to cause a lot of GOP electoral failures in the state during those years). Blatant flip-flopping on major issues like global warming. Hardline social conservatism at all costs. And for what? Being an afterthought of an afterthought. This after years of gushing media attention from places like The Fix. So long. I'm sure Minnesota Republicans might want to help get Al Franken re-elected in 2014.

Nice photos. I hadn't seen the one of Ralph. I think he was back around 1991. I don't know the point of that either. Didn't they say he was Earl's brother? This may have already been mentioned, but I was looking through some synopses of mid or late September or early October 1993, and was surprised at some part about Duncan going to Montega to try to find Hans, and Sabrina warns Duncan of Hans' approach, and this ending in a big fight between the two of them and Hans over a gun, and explosives are about to go off, and there's a fire, and so on. I had no idea or had forgotten that Sabrina was on the show again after her appearance at Andy/Courtney's wedding. Was this boring Claire Beckman again, or was this another actress? Does anyone know? The way they throw Duncan/Sabrina together like this I wonder if Marland planned to pair them or put them in a triangle with Jess. I can't see him ever doing that horrible story with Shannon's return.

I guess Sammy was fond of LOL to the end - he appeared in that news piece on the show's cancelation. After that it may have been down to who asked him to appear. He said he watched a ton of the soaps. It was probably the first time, although Johnny Carson had been on The Doctors in the early or mid-60's, as himself (was that before he hit it really big?).

November 1978 Digest.

November 1978 Digest.

November 1975 Daytime TV.

November 1971 Daytime TV (sorry about the bad scanning!)

Tom Fuccello initially tried out for the part of Mark on Love is a Many Splendored Thing back when David Birney was cast. He kept on trying for the role until he was finally cast a few years later.

A 1982 SOD mentions that John Conboy wanted Margaret Mason for a role on the upcoming soap Capitol. I wonder what that role would have been.

I love the Alex one-liners in this clip. They are fast and furious. I think my favorite is "Is Reva marrying another Lewis again?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCADNwYjzUU

Sometimes I think the 15 minute format was the ideal for soaps, as it meant a lot of different shows on the air and the ability to pack the most drama in a limited time. A lot of the 15 minute GL episodes I've seen are just about perfect, aside from some weak acting. I always wonder what it was like to be watching when Kathy was killed off. In the early 50s episodes I've seen, she was annoying, but she'd calmed down by her last years. By the end she had even decided to stop hating Meta. There was a moving, understated scene where her husband offered to carry her, as he often did, and instead, she told him she wanted to be in her wheelchair - finally accepting her fate (even if she still didn't know she could be paralyzed for life). I've been watching some of the trucking story of late 1986 or early 1987 that a Reva fan has been putting up. Have you ever seen that story? Who was writing GL then? I can't remember. It's odd seeing so much activity at the trucking company. I guess this was they heyday of the Lewis/Shayne domination. The story itself doesn't do a lot for me, although I like seeing spunky Mindy. For all the "Four Musketeers" stuff, Mindy seemed to spend a lot of time away from most of them.

Do we know why it took so long for GL to go from 15 to 30 minutes? Surely this wasn't an Irna issue, since she pioneered 30 minute soaps in the first place.

I think Perry can easily outpace Bachmann and very possibly eclipse Romney, who has been running in his own bubble. Did you watch the debate?

From the March 1973 Afternoon TV.

That was probably a smart move for Debbi, considering the last years of LA Law. Jane Elliot as Tracy's long lost twin Tammy!

How bizarre that Sherry would even audition as Mindy. I wonder if Finola and Jane would have played Anna and Tracy.

After the unsuccessful audition as Tina, Tonja Walker auditioned for a Caroline recast on B&B (she didn't seem too thrilled with that experience) and then for the role of Ceara on AMC (she thought she had a good chance before she realized they only really wanted Genie Francis).

Is the story with the woman trying to kill Raven the one in the dark house? This is a promo of part of it, when she was trying to kill April. I think that was the Clown Puppet Murder story, which is a hell of a lot of fun to watch. Clown puppets have never been so scary. And it's the only soap mystery I can think of where a big break was found in a porn magazine.

Daytime TV January 1973 mentions the top radio serials of 25 years before. Aunt Jenny - 8.3 Ma Perkins - 8.2 Our Gal, Sunday - 7.9 Right to Happiness - 7.7 Big Sister - 7.7 (I think - it's hard to read) Romance of Helen Trent - 7.6 When a Girl Marries - 7.4 Portia Faces Life - 7.4 Pepper Young's Family - 7.2 Young Widder Brown - 7.1

I know AW continued to have some theater actors but you're right it did seem to end when Rauch left.

From the April 1979 TV Dawn to Dusk/Daytime Stars