DRW50

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a274143/partridge-chryed-should-stay-united.html

I'm not sure how she reacted. I can't remember if he's ever cheated on her when they've actually been together. They usually broke up and he would be with other women.

The episode was disjointed, but I thought it was pretty good. I liked seeing so many different characters and the moments with the hen do were very entertaining. Pat cares about Peggy but she always feels sorry for Janine so it was nice to see her stand up to Peggy for some home truths. They did a good job of showing the contempt the other women feel for Janine without making Janine too panto in her reactions. I also liked the reactions from Denise and Carol. The stuff with Pat and the stripper was fun, and so was Pat lifting up the sheet and not realizing Ryan was naked. It's always nice to see Pat this way. I didn't quite believe the reaction from Dot to Ryan but I did enjoy that scene. Apparently it was Daran Little's idea, and the guy who plays Ryan agreed to show his ass. I think I was more surprised, pleasantly, at how much time they showed his bulge. Eastenders isn't exactly known for hot guys so the ones they have might as well show it off. People still like to say Eastenders is miserable but I think they've made an effort in recent months to improve the comedy and have it more integrated into the drama and be more diverse, and not just the HA HA HA garbage they used to give Minty and Garry. I'm really liking what they've done with Sam these last few days. Loved that scene with Peggy and Sam in Peggy's bedroom. Daniella seems to be able to play the toughness mixed with the obvious vulnerability and pathetic nature. I wish they could keep her around a while longer, I think she works as someone for Bianca and R&R to bounce off of. Stacey still seems so isolated, which made the cliffhanger with Dot a bit abrupt, but I'm glad we're getting to see more effects of her being off her meds. Big Mo as always seems to not be bothered by anything in Stacey's life...

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s12/emmerdale/news/a274115/dales-stars-promise-slow-burn-affair-plot.html http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s12/emmerdale/interviews/a273727/rokhsaneh-ghawam-shahidi-leyla-harding-emmerdale.html http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s12/emmerdale/news/a274189/shaw-fans-tell-me-off-over-storyline.html

Thanks for letting me know. I will have to watch these while I can. I wonder if P&G is just giving up entirely on showing their soaps

I wonder if people liked Beth/Lujack because Beth was tougher and this was a contrast to her relationship with Phillip, where she often had to suffer. Judi Evans, to me, has often come across as a tough actress, yet she so often has had to play weepy characters...

Did any of his recurring characters become popular? There's also such a sneering attitude towards soap fans, they often assume soap fans are stupid and that soaps themselves are stupid.

What did you think of Nancy Barrett?

I'm glad someone enjoyed it It's all kind of Bob Hartley meets Charles Nelson Reilly, although the tuxedo is dapper (even with that HUGE bow tie).

I think I remember reading someone from GL had died but didn't connect a name to a face until now. That was the role Kevin Bacon later played wasn't it. That Bauer family tree looks great.

If you want a flashback or to try to remember some old characters, someone put up part of a 1996 episode.

First part of a Larry Haines interview.

Petronia Paley's character was one of those introduced around 77 or 78, right? Did she ever do anything? I know Petronia was cast on AW a few years later. Do you think any of the stories like the one about Carolee's kidnapping and rape might have been too much for viewers? What seems impressive about the non-traditional soaps back then is they still knew how to write in the soap format. There was none of the "look at how different I am, screw you viewers" you get today.

Thanks for telling us more about these actors. Lori March was pretty important on Secret Storm wasn't she? How long was she on Another Life? I didn't know they ever had any stories on this show where characters went to hell. I guess they took it more seriously than Passions did... Was Nancy Lawson also "saved" later on?

She - Gram Parsons (and Emmylou Harris!)

They should have kept some of the departures quiet, as now the deaths seem fairly predictable. And so many characters now are so isolated it's going to seem like a stunt to kill them off, they may not even get much of a funeral or a reaction, like poor Amy. A stunt only works if people can care. And if they have Steph die then it's just a copout in a story which already seems hollow. These odd "Coronation Street Adidas" videos -- I think this is that dull Joanne from Freshers in this clip, at 1:24. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YgQGdwyihg&feature=related

The hypnotism clips are where I first got interested in Another Life. You're right, that woman is fantastic. The Assassination Game story I'd never heard of. It sounds odd. I know that type of thing does happen though. I think in a California high school recently some students were playing a game where some pretended to be Nazis and others were supposed to be Jews. There was a big controversy over this.

courage up and said to him that we enjoyed doing theatre and working in the chorus of New Girl in Town but what would someone do to get on television? He was so nice. He said that he would give us the names of three people who knew him and he would recommend us." Anna pauses - remembering the excitement of the moment. "The first man I saw was very nice and couldn't be politer. The second man I went to see was the rudest thing I've ever met in my life. He asked me what I did and I told him I toured with Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, and now I was in New Girl in Town. 'Well, what television have you done?' he asked. 'Well, none,' said I. 'That's why I'm here talking to you.' 'Well don't waste my time,' said he. 'If you haven't done anything leave your picture and goodbye.' I went to the third one and he dealt mostly with radio. He said most of the radio parts are very limited and the old times are getting all the speaking roles." The lively entertainer began to laugh as she repeated his next words. "'But tell me can you bark?' Well, I said I used to do animal noises when I was a kid. I meowed and did other crazy sounds in one of those offices in the middle of a room where the walls don't go all the way to the ceiling. When I walked out of the offices everybody was looking at me like I was some kind of a weird person. Well, the long and the short of it was I got to meow on a radio program and the guy who was rude about three months later gave me a call. From that came seven shots on the Edge of Night. The rude one had gone and picked my picture out. And that is how I got my first television experience." The bubbly performer's young life was far removed from the glitter and glamour of stage and screen. Ann comes from New England stock, her family having lived in Middlebury, Vermont, where her dad ran a horse farm. (To this day Ann has a deep love of horses, and is an accomplished sportswoman who has entered many riding contests including the Golden Bridge Hounds competition.) Ms. Williams attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C. on a scholarship. In her junior year, however, she was adventuresome enough to try her hand at acting - and left school to join Damn Yankees' chorus line. A few years later, she met her husband, Robert Welch. Today, the couple has three children - Amanda, 8, Elizabeth, 5, and Daniel, 3. "The most important thing is when your big break comes, you better be ready to deliver," Ann adds. "I don't think anybody sits by a pool waiting for the phone to ring and gets any where. All the time I stayed in New Girl in Town, for a year and a half, I used that money to go to school and to study. I was in beginnings ballet class for 13 years, cause every time I got a little bit better something would happen and I would have to drop out. But it's very, very important to be prepared and to do the best you can and if it is meant to be, it will be." The name "Shirley MacLaine" comes up in conversation, another "hoofer" who made it big from the chorus line. "I went to high school and jr. high school with Shirley," the Search star says. "She was in Swanson Jr. High School ahead of me and her brother [actor Warren Beatty] was a couple of years behind me. I never paid any attention to him. He was one of those little guys much younger than myself. And she was the nicest girl in high school. She was our champion basketball player. I was a guard and she was a forward. What can I tell you? And when I first met George Abbott we were chatting and he mentioned something about Pajama Game. I didn't know who he was and I said 'Oh gee, Mr. Abbott, do you know about Shirley MacLaine?' He said, 'Do I know her? I directed the play.' I was so embarrassed." Reflecting on her hard won success and how it affects friends and relatives, Ann said, "Well, I think that when I'm with them, they don't even think about me being on television. I hope. I don't think any of my friends think of me as anyone other than Ann. I'm certainly no different than anyone else next door. I'm very blessed. I have a wonderful family. I have a happy life and a career I enjoy and a husband who loves me for doing everything that I do. I'm a very lucky lady. I don't want to give any of them up." "I've been on Search for Tomorrow for nine years. I've been doing daytime TV since 1960 pretty continuously. For a woman with a family, it's the best job in the whole world because I'm blessed with understanding producers. They know that I don't want to be away from my family five days a week. The writers kind of see that I'm in there two days a week or maybe three but not every day so I'm home more than I'm at work. But speaking professionally, I'm able to keep the instrument alive. I can keep it tuned up so that if something comes along I'm ready for it." It's here, however, that the actress draws the line between her soap work and her real life. She sees little in common with her TV counterpart. "I don't think I'm much like Eunice at all except that I hope that I'm a nice person and she is a nice person." Although Ann is delighted with her TV work, the pull of Broadway's theater - the arena that gave her that "first break" - still tugs at her heart. "If something is really worth doing (on Broadway), I definitely would like to do it. If it is something that would make me grow a little bit as a human being as well as an actress, then by all means I'd certainly not say 'no.' But if it's not too easy to find those roles." She softly added, "I don't think of myself as a celebrity. I'm constantly shocked when people ask for my autograph. I keep looking behind me to see who they are asking." Another though hits her. "I look very different at home. I get all scroungy with pig tails and don't wear any make-up. I'm just one of those girls who comes in and does the shopping. When I talk, the lady in the line behind me will say, 'You're Eunice...I recognized your voice. I thought you looked familiar.' It's really funny when that happens." As a closing thought, the gracious performer confided her innermost feelings about the intoxicating rise to fame and stardom. "I feel that I'm very blessed in this life and I guess I'm a little fatalistic. I feel that whatever happens happens, it really happens for the best. I know it's a difficult thing to believe at times. I lost a baby one time. It would have been my second child. It's almost that any trial you are given on this earth is almost a blessing because the way you cope with it and the way you deal with it kind of gives you brownie points in heaven. It's probably a naive thing, but I find it very reassuring. One never looks for tragedy, but the way one deals with it can be a good thing. It matures you and you learn to appreciate the blessings that you have much more." With an attitude like that it's easy to see why Ann Williams has risen to the very top. She's star material all the way.

And several of those soaps lasted several years. It's a shame that there was never any more movement in this area. I honestly think today a syndicated soap could be a hit. Not like some huge phenom but a solid moneymaker.

I did enjoy the clips of Phillip's revenge on Alan. There were some really unique and strong moments, like when Phillip was all alone in the ballroom and we heard voices or sort of saw things around him. I was thinking more about his relationship with Chelsea or the story with Rick and Meredith. I had wondered if that was successful. I do see what you're saying and I agree with a lot of it. The stuff with Beth's return does seem intriguing. I know some fans felt that Beth Chamberlin did not come alive in the role until later on when Beth went "bad", but in a lot of ways I think I preferred Beth as a heroine, no matter who played her. Judi's Beth seemed much stronger, but Chamberlin seemed OK. I also liked her as Lorelei, but I think a lot of the other stories she had where Beth was written as neurotic or crazy were kind of a mess.

That's all fascinating, and so well told. Miriam is the one who left town eventually, and her father was still a schemer? I love the way you tell the story. I wish I could see all that. And the way they do the titles is very groundbreaking. Do you think if the show had been great from the start it might have had a longer run or do you think considering that it was a Christian soap which might have alienated believers and non-believers, and also syndicated/on CBN instead of on a network, it ran probably as long as it could have?

From the 11/75 TV Dawn to Dusk (Ideal Publishing Corp.), photos and Ann Williams interview. I will type up the interview later.

From the 10/76 SOD, fashion layout with Tony Craig and Pat Conwell. I will type out the article later. SOD Publishing Inc.

saynotoursoap, do you think they built Lujack up because they knew Grant Aleksander was leaving? What did you think of John Bolger? I don't think the tough guy and music stuff worked that well but I think his relationships with Beth and Alexandra worked well. I see what you mean about not recasting Beth but I think she might have been able to have left town and then been recast in a few years. But I did love Blake, so perhaps it was for the best. Didn't the show kind of flounder for material with Phillip when GA returned. Someone in The Doctors thread was asking about opinions on the writing of Cherrill and Levin, if you had any answers for their question.

<gap> "been doing quite a job on Broadway as well as in his new role on the serial, and fans are becoming extremely tuned-in to Everett's beautiful voice and handsome good looks. One of the fairest young faces on Guiding Light is Fran Myers (Peggy Fletcher. We were happy to tell you a couple months ago that Fran married Roger Newman (ex-Ken Norris on the same show) in a quiet ceremony in Las Vegas this May. But it was this June that Fran and Roger took a trip of a lifetime abroad the oceanliner Queen Elizabeth 2 to London. Even if the honeymoon was a little delayed, it was well worth it because they had a fantastic time. "The food on that boat was incredible!" Franny said with a beaming smile. Unfortunately, they were at the tail end of a hurricane, so the one-deck activities were probably a bit limited. But the food made up for it all. In London, the new Mrs. and Mrs. Newman went to visit most of Roger's family who reside there. The only show they had time to see was Harvey, with Jimmy Stewart. And then it was on to Paris - and you guessed it - more food! Franny did an admirable job of remaining thin as a reed through all that deliciousness. But Fran was not the only Guiding Lighter who married this year. Michael Zaslow (Roger Thorpe) took the same happy, giant step this past June 7th. Michael married a lovely writer named Susan Hufford. She is a tremendously talented woman who writes Gothic novels. One of her books (she is working on her fourth one at the moment) is called Midnight Sailing) and is on the bookshelves right now. Mike told us that it was an absolutely lovely wedding, with many of his fellow cast members in attendance. He and Susan were married on the property of their new home in Connecticut, and now this self same house is taking a good deal of Michael's spare time. He's working on a new addition and is loving every minute of it. Another great love that Michael Zaslow has is for writing music, and he gives a good deal of himself to that as well. Two very nice people who are a little young to get married but are having a lot of fun anyway - are T.J. Hargrave (T.J.) and Shane Nickerson (Billy Fletcher). T.J. has been very busy with baseball and television commercials and Shane has been busily "moonlighting" in the Broadway show Pippin. Several folks in the cast had their fun outside New York City this summer. Wonderful Stefan Schnabel (Dr. Steve Jackson) once again went to his beautiful home in Lake Como. Mart Hulswit (Dr. Ed Bauer) took his delightful family to New England and Jordan Clarke (Dr. Tim Ryan) made many an excursion to his private little place in New Hampshire. Well, it seems that that takes care of the travel plans of most of "Cedars Hospital"! Actually, there are two more doctors who had things close to home to keep them busy. Dr. Joe Werner, who in real life is Tony Call, doubtlessly hit the links many times. Tony is a very avid golfer, and recently he and his lovely and talented wife, Elizabeth, joined Franny and Roger Newman in Shawnee, Pennsylvania, for a golfing weekend. Dr. Sarah McIntyre, who in real life is lovely Millette Alexander, was very happy to be staying close to her farm in upstate New York. "I love to be right where I am in spring and summer and fall. It's the winter when I like to get away." Millete confessed. Her beautiful farm is getting bigger now that they are adding lots of new animals. Millette has three of the most terrific children who are actively involved with things all the time. Her daughter Jenny is active in the Little League, her son Will went on a Y.M.C.A trip to Mexico with a friend, and Adam is developing a rock group that is having its first "gig" soon. It was very difficult to get any clue to the drama showcase that Lynne Adams (Leslie Bauer) is doing at the moment. It seems that Lynne is a little shy about her friends coming to see her, but it would be our guess that she is doing a super job. All the rain that we have been having this summer has been doing terrible things to Barbara Berjer's (Barbara Norris Thorpe) garden, but on a day when the sun actually did shine recently, you might have spotted Robert Milli (Adam Thorpe) at Great Adventure Amusement Park in New Jersey. Bob says that he and his wife Mary Jane took their two children, Brian, 6, and Liza, 3 and a half, to this fabulous park and had a ball. The kids were just in heaven. In his spare time, Bob, like Tony Call, can be found on the golf course, or doing a lot of photography. There is a member of the cast of The Guiding Light who has completed all three of the major activities that her co-stars have individually done. This year, Lynn Deerfield (Holly Norris Bauer) took a terrific trip to the South of France, co-hosted a daytime talk show, and got married. On Valentine's Day, Lynn Deerfield became the wife of ABC newsman Bill Beutel and recently they took a smashing trip to France. Not too long ago, she got to join her husband as the co-host of A.M. America and had a terrific time. Now this is one very active woman! Oh, yes - Lynn was also happy to announce that her mother has remarried. She is now Mrs. "Duke" Moskowitz. Congratulations, Lynn Deerfield and Mrs. Moskowitz! A very happy way to end an article is with the introduction of a new and very handsome young member of The Guiding Light team. He is Barney McFadden, who is playing the role of Andy Norris. Barney is a very talented young guy who hails from New York City. Prior to his role of Andy, he had been doing regional theatre and understudied the role in the Broadway show Abelard and Heloise. Barney is tremendously interested in biology and related subjects and has studied horticulture in Napa Vally California. One of his great loves is wood carving, and unlike just about everyone on The Guiding Light, he is single! - Ronni Warren Ashcroft