DRW50

I can see what you mean about Vicky - she never should have been put into a Diana Fairgate personality. Jamie Rose did not suit it and she seemed very ill at ease. A banter relationship might have worked better. I think Susan Sullivan was one of the best parts of the show so I'm not sure what it would have been like without her. I don't know if the show initially planned for Julia to be a killer, but there's something very weird about her from the start. I wonder if they might have been better off casting Abby Dalton as Emma. I did like Emma though, although I can see why you didn't.

He looks very good for his mid-80s. I see what you mean, Kahn, although I think that the show had its moments. To me the biggest obstacle was Chase, I thought he was a bit too self-righteous and earnest to be the male lead. I mostly enjoyed seeing Angela's schemes, and then later when Melissa came along.

Oh. I thought he was dead.

I love Doctor Who too, have for a long time. Not so much all the pseudo-intellectual stuff from some fans, or from the behind the scenes people who ran the show into the ground in the 80s, but I love a lot of eras, especially Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee, early/mid-Baker. I like Matt Smith a lot too, not all that crazy about Amy though. If you want more Who music you should try to find some of the Doctor Who Proms stuff if it's on Youtube or wherever.

Thanks for sharing your memories. I have a few other articles from around this time, interviews with cast members like Diana Walker. I will share soon when I get my scanner going again.

Poor Emma That is not a good look at all. Susan Sullivan looks fine it's just the hair and dress mostly, and she looks nervous for some reason. Is that Jaime Rose sitting above Abby Dalton? Jaime looks OK. Who is that between Selby and Lamas?

Thanks. The evil twin stuff sounds ahead of its time for soaps. I mostly have 70s stuff but will post what I can. Thanks again for sharing your memories. When you saw Diane Ladd at the time did you think she might become a star? There are also some mentions around this time, 71-72, of Marjorie Gateson thanking fans for sending her cards and letters and such after her stroke and talking about how she hoped to be able to work again at some point. I guess she never did.

He was in one of those dramas which sort of is a bit steamy but also purports to be a serious drama about relationships and marriages. I think it was called Between the Sheets. UK TV seems to be better at marrying sexuality and serious drama than a lot of US TV -- I guess HBO tried with Tell Me You Love Me. I enjoy DS too, especially because there's a more balanced view there now whereas a few years ago it was mostly just about how terrible the Dingles were. Emmerdale fans seem to stay out of the soap wars too and less of the "how awesome is my show compared to yours." I think I'd be happier if Emmerdale gave more stories to the vets and also if a few stories were a little less aimless and miserable. Unfortunately Emmerdale might be wary of having comedy because people associate Emmerdale comedy with Marlon.

Thanks. So how was that story? It sounds very scary.

I don't think Moira or Adam are that bad of actors but I do agree that Moira is a very unpleasant character. Affair stories can be tired but in this case it would work, if the buildup is there. The guy who plays John Barton is very hot (he even did graphic sex scenes in TV shows before Emmerdale so he'd probably be willing to go along with a fairly risque story) and also a good actor. I hope you post more about the show. I've kind of lost some enjoyment so don't have much to say.

Ana Alicia looks like she hates that outfit.

Why was the cast photo only five people (and that awful Vicki and her even worse hairstyle)?

Thank you for sharing more of your memories with us. Your posts are one of the reasons I started trying to find more on this show. The descriptions of the stunts sound great. I wish we could see them. It shows that you don't need a big budget to make an impact. That's great you got to talk to Rigsby. Do you remember the other actor who played Northcate? I have some other stuff and when I'm able to scan more I'll post.

Thanks, saynotoursoap. I really appreciate the detailed descriptions. You've probably already answered these questions before, but do you think they should have killed Billy off, and do you think the stories they were telling at the end of the show had potential? Which new characters had potential? I know Hillary Bailey had just started as Kit (who was Mike at that time, I keep forgetting). I'm glad to know that Mona's maid was actually a fairly known character.

Thanks. It's interesting to learn that James Douglas played such a nefarious role, since James and Eliot were straight arrow. So how long were Natalie and Alec's Billy around? I guess Luke and Natalie didn't end up together since the show at the end hinted he'd be with Ivie. It turns out I have the next one of the Sept/Oct 82 so if you don't have it I'll type it up.

Who played Philip? Was he sort of replacing Billy on the show? How gradual was Billy's turn to being a heel anyway?

I really like that song too. I tend to associate it with the "Just Be Thankful for What You Got" song. Diggin the scene with the gangsta lean...

So would I. I know Stanley went nuts and didn't he secretly tape Janet and Ed or something? I haven't seen a lot of your posts -- who were your GL favorites?

No I didn't know that about Dennis Cooney. I wish I could see some of his soap work. Yeah, a few pages back, some of the posters talked about the scenes where the brothers fought and their mother, Frances Sternhagen, fell on a pitchfork. I also read something about a story with someone looking in a mirror and seeing something about themselves, do you remember that? The interview is with the first Ian, it looks like. IMDB says he also played Owen. Were there twins? January 1972 TV Dawn to Dusk (Ideal Publishing Inc).

Is that Oh Lord in a good or bad way Did you say you were watching at this time? I have one from mid or late October if I can find it but I don't think I have the next one. Was Mona's maid a character viewers knew or was she one of those servants who only appeared when it was time to die?

Thanks for sharing your memories. I remember reading about Barbara Rodell being on SS. I didn't realize it was this role. How odd that they chose to kill the characters off. I guess Diana Millay must have played Kitty sometime in the early 60s? Was it before DS? I know Joel Crothers left DS for SS. I know that Somerset was the show that supposedly made him into a popular leading man but I'd like to see his work on SS. Were you watching during the time that they had the priest or artificial insemination stories? I don't know if you're interested but I have an interview with the guy who played Ian Northcaite. I will type it up later tonight or tomorrow. Apparently he had been out of acting for some time and had been a director, but some of the crew at the show thought he looked like the part.

At the time did the "falling up the stairs" thing annoy you or is that one of those things which became fan lore later on? One of those old magazines has Jane House talking about when she was a stripper in Lenny (which is the reason Irna hated her), and how she was so nervous when her father came to see the play, because he's a British ambassador, but then he told her he liked the play.

Natalie is ready to do business with Billy, trading a necklace she stole from him for the "option-to-buy" paper on The Medicine Man. Billy laughs, saying she'll "have to 'work' for it." Natalie plays along, sexily, "I want it, I want it so bad." Aroused, Billy is caught off-guard as Natalie flees, with the paper in hand! Billy then swears revenge, "once and for all," on Natalie. Mike, meanwhile, finds Kit's fiery personality very attractive. Kit, calling herself a "radical Florence Nightingale," warns Mike that unless things improve at Hope, a nurses' strike could result. Mike had no idea things were so bad for the nurses, being preoccupied with yet another case of the "mystery bug." Stan, an orderly, complained of dizziness, then collapsed. "We might have an epidemic on our hands!" Mike fears. Adrienne is ecstatic. A "special" friend, Jean-Marc will come soon. Philip is intrigued when she admits that her life wouldn't be the same without him. "What is he," Philip asks, "a modern day Merlin?" Adrienne says only that Jean-Marc has "found a way to 'enhance' his clients' metabolisms." Losing the "option" paper to Natalie, Billy fears what'll happen when Philip finds out, since he plans to "get The Medicine Man." Philip thinks his scheme will be "like taking candy from a baby" since he "holds the 'options.'" At Hope, Althea agrees to keep the secret of Matt's illness if he goes to Boston and gets the bone marrow transplant. Matt reluctantly agrees, leaving Althea as acting chief of staff. Meanwhile, another fever victim is admitted. "Who is it?" Mike asks. A scared Carolee replies, "Mrs. Sturgess, Mona's housekeeper!" On the heels of this, an earlier fever victim lapses into a coma seconds before Luke rushes into the hospital carrying Natalie, unconscious and feverish! Where Is Matt? Maggie learns that Matt has simply vanished from Hope, and confronts Althea. "There's something I'm not being told," she says. "What is this new thing between you and Matt?" Althea responds angrily, "Nothing! I'm telling you Matt left town on a life and death matter." Before Maggie can pursue it, Mike rushes in. "One of the fever victims, Mrs. DeMarco, is dead!" he exclaims. Maggie begins researching treatment for what seems to be a growing epidemic. Jean-Marc arrives and Adrienne tells him she's falling in love, with a young man. Jean-Marc is shocked. How is that possible? "This could be very treacherous to you, and very dangerous," he warns. But Adrienne is determined to have Jeff, and promises to make it worth Jean-Marc's while to help her. Mona, critically ill, feels double-crossed and tells a shocked Billy he is a scoundrel, a thief and a liar, then drops the bombshell: "I've had it with you, Billy, I'm disinheriting you!" Hoping to save his life, Matt is getting a bone marrow transplant to combat aplastic anemia. Events at Hope, meanwhile, veer out of control. Mike learns that two of the fever victims are from Pride's Corner, a shabby part of Madison. A connection, perhaps? Later, Danny rushes to tell Mike to "come quick, it's Stan!" - an orderly in contact with other fever victims. "What's wrong?" Mike asks. "He's dead!" Danny answers tearfully. A bedridden Natalie tells Billy, "You'll be singing soprano" when Philip finds out that she has the "option" paper. Later, Natalie hands Philip the paper, in ashes! Philip is livid. "How did you get that?" he asks. "From Billy," says Natalie. "He's stuck it to you, right in the back!" Angry staffers demand Althea, who is chief of staff in Matt's absence, act now about the rash of mystery deaths. Before she answers, Kit rushes in and informs everyone that Mona's maid, Ruth Sturgess, just died! Mike is livid. "This is a state of emergency now!" he yells at Althea. What the hell is she going to do about it? Philip berates Billy about the loss of the "option" paper. He's through with Billy completely, and he intends to make him pay for what he's done. "Poke your nose in where it doesn't belong," says Philip, "and I'll see to it you won't be there to blow out the candles on your next birthday cake." Luke asks Mike if Natalie has the plague, Mike doesn't know yet. Luke goes to see Natalie, but not before Billy does, threatening to kill her for ruining things with Philip. Billy leaves before Luke comes, and Natalie, upset, can't breathe. As Luke holds her, she goes limp. "Natalie!" Luke begs, "you can't leave me! You can't die!" Much to Luke's relief, Natalie doesn't have the mysterious disease, but a stomach disorder. Meanwhile, word spreads that a nurse has died with the fever. Lt. Reed questions Steve about Mona, who is unconscious. Steve complains of being hot and tired. Carolee finds Steve is burning up with fever. "Oh no!" she screams, "you've caught the disease!" Althea and Maggie learn he has it. They are horrified, as Althea realizes it's an epidemic! She's got to order a quarantine! Frankie, one of the grave robbers, plans to get his sick partner, Dennis, out of Madison before they are caught. Dennis is too sick to leave and tells Frankie to save himself, then dies, another victim of the mysterious fever! Comforted by Carolee, Steve, now a patient, fears time is running out for the Aldrich family, with Mona, himself, and now Billy, sick with the fever. Jean-March, meanwhile, darkly assents his domination over Adrienne, saying, "I neither love nor hate you. You are a specimen, and I could make 'it' happen anytime I choose, merely by withholding the serum."