DRW50

That's an odd comment about Alicia's brother. I remember him as being a good kid.

I didn't know Nina or Cricket sang. There are some 80s Y&R episodes up on Youtube, I'll have to look for the stuff with Amy and Paul. I really like the stuff he had in the 80s with Andy and Lauren and Diane. When I started watching it was mostly just Paul with Lynn and Mary, which was fine, but I think I like the earlier material better. Victor respecting a woman's intelligence...you can tell that was a long time ago.

I know what you mean about Tiger. When they kept saying "Koty" I kept thinking this was a character I didn't know. Then I realized it was Dakota. And when I see "Noel Gallagher" I think of Oasis From what Philece said, she didn't like the role of Lacey, so I wonder if she might have been written out around the same time Kin was leaving. I didn't realize Monte played Blanche's brother! Is it me or is it crazy that a woman with an inoperable brain tumor would be a surrogate mother? I don't mean to be offensive, perhaps this has happened in real life, but wouldn't you at least see her medical records? The Gallaghers didn't know any of this and she just went along for nine months hiding a brain tumor? Then she starts dreaming of a life with Mike. Is this some sign of her tumor? Thanks for telling me more about the pilot and the actors cast. I didn't know Barbara Crampton was involved in this. I guess this wasn't long after she was killed off DAYS. Do you think Corday helped her get the job? Then MBE went from this to DAYS. The pilot does sound racy. I wonder if they would have been better off trying this on Showtime or HBO. I have another somewhere from April I'll type up when I find it.

Thanks for answering my questions. I just can't picture Jill/Victor, because of the way Victor treats women, but I will have to look for more of them to see how they were. I didn't feel like Stephanie Williams fit in at OLTL (but then they were phasing out their black characters and she was taking over from the great Valerie Pettiford), but I wish I could see more of her at Y&R, as Amy seems to be the precursor to Y&R having heroines like Olivia. What was her story with Paul? Just friendship I guess. It seems like Y&R got rid of a lot of the people in Paul's orbit in the late 80s. I can't remember if they played up the Nathan/Paul friendship later on or not. I've seen the concert episode where they are upset about the teen mother who disappeared, but haven't seen any concert episodes yet. By the end it was, what, Gina, Danny, Lauren, Traci...? I guess probably Faren too? He left in 1986 for a while. I'm not sure how long. They had a goodbye party and everything - if I can find the photos I'll post them. I guess he wanted to try his luck elsewhere. They mention a TV movie he was in for CBS which apparently didn't do very well, or was given a bad timeslot.

I don't remember Jill/Victor, only reading about it. I guess I wasn't watching much at the time. I think the idea is interesting but she's definitely not Victor's type. I was going to ask what you all thought of the rock concert stuff in the 80s, the "rock" out to prevent drugs/teen pregnancy/etc. And also what you thought of the character Stephanie Williams played. Do you wish she'd been used more? She said once that Eric Braeden and Terry Lester, among others, went to the producers with story ideas involving her, and the producers wouldn't go along. I never knew until I read some Digests from 1986 that Terry Lester quit the show for a while. Did you miss him? Do you think that decreased his standing at the show and was a reason why he was given less to do after his return?

Yes, it was biweekly. How long did Rituals go past the initial deal? Thanks for filling in those gaps. Did you see the pilot? I'm also surprised they had that much promiscuity.

August 27. September 10.

I was going to just type the recaps out, as scanning takes up room in my Photobucket account and I don't want to go over my limit, but then I realized that my next 4 recaps are all consecutive and might be better off scanned and read right after the other, instead of the wall of text. These also come right after the 2 July recaps. I'm sorry about the choppy cropping. July 30. August 13.

Thanks. I wondered because I had read that actor was tough to work with in his Western days. So did they drop the Lisa/Diana rivalry after Fulton left?

Bianca's best friend when they were teens. She had an affair with Ricky and when Bianca found out, Natalie left town. Natalie returned near the end of the 90s and made up with Natalie and Ricky, and married Pat's son in law, the dumb and petty, but sometimes nice, Barry Evans. After a few years she had enough and began having affairs, first with Barry's half-brother (one of those who shows up suddenly out of nowhere), then with Ricky. She was going to leave town with Ricky and the baby she had with Barry, but Janine, not wanting to lose Ricky, made sure the truth came out, and Natalie left town alone. She returned for some visits, and then to try to prove Janine had killed Barry. She left town for good sometimes in 2004.

Thanks for sharing that. I have always felt that Blazo didn't get a chance as Pat. He played Pat as thoughtful, scared - which Pat should have been at that time - but still had Pat's humor and charm. They gave him underwhelming stories, first the reunion with the VERY frosty Karen Gowdy version of Faith, and then the story with Nancy, where, as they even pointed out in a scene, the two actors looked like siblings. I wish they'd kept him around instead of having that shockingly bad recast, followed by banishing Pat for two years.

No Thomas Law left because Kirkwood has a cunning plan to destroy the Beales (since they were going so well before he showed up...).

Thanks for finding that. I'm sure some will say that the BBC forced her to say this and she's not coming back, and so on, but I don't see why she'd go along with that. I hate that the baby switch controversy means any actor who goes is going because of this.

From the July 1979 TV Dawn to Dusk & Daytime Stars (Ideal Publishing), an interview with John Blazo.

From the July 2, 1985 Digest. I know Philece and Gregg worked closely on DAYS but still a bit odd that he showed up for this. Perhaps they wanted to tempt the winner into giving up the money in exchange for some time with Gregg. Not a bad offer...

I had forgotten how much I loved that theme. It's very soothing (I don't remember that girl at all). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKwgY7BUUPo&feature=related

I wouldn't mind seeing Ricky/Natalie one more time (I don't want to see Ricky/Sam again). I think Ricky would work as a supporting character, and a part of the community - a lot of fans sneer at this as "dead wood" but it's important. You're right about Carol. I do hope she stays. It just kind of feels like all signs are pointing otherwise.

If this is true then it really annoys me, even if it doesn't surprise me, that the paper tried to tie this to the baby swap, when I doubt her decision had anything to do with it. I guess Lindsey will probably be gone by next year, but the idea of Carol being on the show without Bianca would be strange...it could work with good writing, but that's always hard to come by with soaps today. More than ever Eastenders needs a few faces from the past, and also stronger male characters.

Thanks. That interview was a lot of fun. Poor Linda Ortiz.

I have some more synopses I'm going to type up, if you can read them and give your thoughts. I really enjoy hearing what you have to say. I'm shocked at the part of the book you mention with the woman who is pregnant with her father's child. I can't see that making it to the air. The only time that was done on a soap was with Angel on ATWT, and that was through years of rape. Do you know if Noel was initially a bad girl, and was then redeemed? I can't tell based on that promo. Do you know when Dakota was recast? I wish I could see Tina Louise - I thought she was very good on Dallas. You're right about the Digest article. It's very honest, and also very fair-minded. I miss that type of writing in soap magazines. Here's a 1979 interview with Charlene Keel.

What a hideous dress on lovely Heather. The wardrobe at this time was a mess. Kirk compensates by barely wearing anything at all.

I hope she isn't leaving, for one reason because I'm tired of the EE IS DOOMED!!! stuff, and also because I have finally started enjoying her character again after being put off by that poor introduction Santer gave her.

July 16 synopsis from Digest. Overcoming Stubbins's objections, Mike and Stalworth manage to load the crates of ammunition - including the one in which Mark is hidden - onto a waiting truck. Suddenly, members of the Crusaders emerge from their hideout, announcing that Mark has escaped. As Stubbins opens the boxes, he discovers Mark. Although the extremists want to kill the kidnapped boy, Stalworth argues that Field has kept his end of the bargain by pulling out of the race for governor and selling his newspaper interests to a right wing group. In the meantime, the FBI agents who surround the barn move into firing range. But Stubbins, unswayed by Stalworth's pleas, announces that the punishment for betrayal is death! The self-appointed leader shoots a fleeing Stalworth in the back. The Siege is Over Stubbins is about to execute Mike and Mark when the FBI agents order the Crusaders to drop their weapons, and Tom outfires Stubbins in a gun battle. The radicals are quickly captured and an exhausted Mark is returned to his parents. To show his gratitude, C.J. plans a substantial promotion for Tom, who surprises Diandra by being less than enthusiastic about Field's offer. With the threat to his son's life removed, C.J. calls a press conference and announces his candidacy for governor. Field then buys out all of Carter's stockholders, a scheme he would be unable to accomplish without Michelle's reluctant assistance. Everything seems to be going C.J.'s way until Carter confronts him at the Hunt Club and warns him that his candidacy might be threatened by "some items" from his past - unless he backs off from Chapin Industries... As Brady's preoccupation with the race and Tiger continues, he and Koty drift further apart. Trying to make up with her, Brady takes Dakota to dinner and invites her to attend the Charleston stakes with him. She surprises him by accepting, but only if he'll agree to separate rooms. Relieved to know that Mark is safe, Julia is shocked to learn that Clay Travis has returned to town. She attempts to meet him secretly, but Lucky follows her to the motel where Clay is staying and breaks into the room when Travis starts to get abusive. In the meantime, Julia learns that Clay pretended to be dead as a means of escaping from the police. Paying a late night visit to Christina, Clay accuses her of framing him for Eddie's murder, but she quickly convinces him that Carter is a better target for blackmail. Turning on the charm, Christina claims she's always been attracted to Travis, admitting that she encouraged Carter to pay him off the first time. Convinced he has her as an ally, Travis leaves, but Christina immediately rushes over to the Willows to warn her ex-husband... Following Mark's safe recovery, Mike returns to his artistic pursuits. Completely involved with the commission for C.J., Gallagher has a hard time thinking of anything else. But now that all the excitement is over, Lacey's more determined than ever to follow up on the surrogate mother idea. In Al Carson's office, the Gallaghers listen intently as he explains the screening process for the program. There are no guarantees that a surrogate mother won't change her mind about giving up the baby, Carson cautions. "I think we need more time to think it over," he tells his disappointed wife. Julia is still stunned by the discovery that Clay is alive. Unsure of how she feels about her ex-lover, Julia turns to Lucky for support. Once again, the good friends are drawn together, much to everyone's increasing concern. After a showdown with her father, Julia agrees with Lucky that they have to face the truth. "I care a whole lot about you," Julia says softly. "And I care a whole lot about you," Lucky replies. "More than as just a friend?" Julia manages to ask. "Much more," Lucky finishes. Both Carter and Christina react to Clay's return from the dead by trying everything to force him out of town. Following some not so subtle pressure from Chapin, the D.A. makes sure that two police officers pay a visit to Travis, warning him to leave Wingfield. Undaunted, Clay insists he's not going anywhere until he settles all his scores. Fairly confident that Clay wont be a threat, Carter turns his attention to his pursuit of his beguiling ex-sister-in-law. For her part, Lisa's enjoying her little game. After checking in with Chris, Lisa assures her older sister that everything is working out just fine. Smiling, Chris reflects that pretty soon they'll have Carter just where they want him. Thanks to her sessions with Dr. Coleman, Noel realizes that she has to do something more with her life. Convinced that she must become more independent, Noel breaks it to Jeff that she doesn't want to see him as much anymore. Hurt and angry, Jeff uses his girlfriend's rejection as an excuse to throw in with Keifer, whose latest money-making scam involves bribing three jockeys to make sure Saratoga King wins the big Charleston race. Even though he's selling out his own uncle, Jeff agrees to put up $100,000. Later, it's a neck to neck race, until Tiger gets bottled up - as planned - and loses the race by a nose! Following Tiger's defeat, Brady is even more devastated when Koty announces that she tried to seduce Jeff! Witnessing her lover's pain, Koty agonizes over he lie, reminding herself that it will save him future pain. Meanwhile, Carter puts his own plan into action. Field rigged the race, he tells Youngblood. Outraged, the trainer publicly accuses C.J. of the deed. "And you killed my daughter," Youngblood adds, choking with emotion. Hearing this, C.J. freezes, as Chapin looks on in triumph....

I hope she doesn't leave again. I thought the reason she came back was because there wasn't work elsewhere. Unless she means returning briefly from maternity leave to help with the story they had to curtail.