DRW50

I haven't gone back to watch Dusay's early run very often, but I do remember her as being smoother early on - less of sounding like a barnyard animal. She initially wears a very chic suit, IIRC, that Alex might have worn if she was a huge Michael Jackson fan. The work looks on Marj and that more laid-back style. It doesn't take long for the histrionics to kick in. You're not wrong about how dead the show often felt in those years. The actors and some of the dialogue writers, and the appropriate use of music here and there, helps, but only so far. By the time we got to early '94 I was completely numb.

I agree the scene is good. I also think this is a stronger take on Alex than we often got from Marj - there's some Myrna, yes, but Myrna was also very neurotic, the same way Marj often played Alex. Here Marj is trying to just play the colder, barely concealed disgust and contempt. I had forgotten until reading the Soapcentral profile on Alex that there were other scenes around this time like her browbeating poor Vicky that give glimpses into a stronger take on Alex that we did not get for most of her run. Still, I can't blame Marj for going to AMC, as that was a contract part, and she always seemed more at home as Vanessa, even if she had her moments as Alex. I do wonder if P&G were the ones keeping Bradley. Conboy had already started downgrading Jerry. Still, they never should have let him go. Thanks for the article. I didn't know 40% of daytime viewers are black women. Yet still no respect from the genre. Hopefully BtG will change that, as much as it can be changed. I didn't know Michele was from Chicago either. I've said before I like to think Irna is watching over the show... This is not true: “The Guiding Light” was the only radio soap to transition to TV.

I didn't see that. If that ever was the plan I imagine something has changed or the works have been gummed up. The Lulu and Lucky returns are about all they've done, and Lucky's return has felt like it was not wanted by the show (or a number of fans) from the start. I guess there's also Lois. And Tracy. Was that Varni?

I think at this point it may be just trying to hold onto whatever older viewers they have rather than expecting lapsed viewers to come back. There are older viewers who were watching GH long before there was a Sonny, I'm aware, but I wonder how many of the people who are seen as the current viewer base are still in that demo. Bringing Emma back may also be part of wanting to keep that base around, as to a certain generation of fans, the mid '90s will always be the ideal (Emma wasn't around then, but Robin was). You're right. I imagine a number of fans did quit because of Sonny. They may think focusing on those they still have is more important. Then you have the attempts to try to possibly bring back past viewers, which seem very half-hearted on the show's part, like Lucky's return. I don't think it helps that Lucky became such a meaningless character and JJ's last return was poor, but still, the lack of effort (beyond digitizing flashbacks) and the general lack of interest from viewers go hand-in-hand. Ideally this would be the time to start cutting back on Sonny, even if he never goes away. If writing scenes about how awesome he is means less of him, the tradeoff would be worth it.

I tend to agree. A lot of fans can't stand Sonny, me included, but he still has supporters, even on places like Twitter. And the show seems likely to double down on familiar faces who are so emmeshed in the framework the way Carly/Jason/Sonny are. You could argue they should focus on someone like Liz instead if that is the case, but there's a long history of taking her for granted. Sonny has always been seen as being on some kind of unshakeable ground, maybe aside from the end of Guza's run. This may also be part of Frank and co wanting to double down on what is intrinsic to GH (for better or worse) compared to BtG. As younger viewers or viewers more interested in diversity move on, we're going to get more of the same old faces.

Andie Harrison. You may remember the early '90s version of her (I generally preferred her, although that isn't saying a ton).

I saw that the 1978 ATWT which was only ever on Archive is now on Youtube.via a reuploader. I thought it would be fair of me to post the original link (you can find it on Youtube under Aug 2 1978 if you can't get Archive to work). I had forgotten they also have a 1980 episode up - I don't remember if I ever watched it. It's later into 1980 as Peter Reckell is around. As The World Turns 1978 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive As The World Turns : Obsolete Video Services : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive Thanks.

That's the whole question with Port Charles - has there ever been a great deal of indication most of the residents are opposed to "good" mobsters? I suppose if we go back to the '80s or early '90s, but even then, they sent Luke Spencer, a thug and mob associate, in as mayor. Most of the time the only characters who were opposed to the "good" mob were the characters who were meant to be seen as out of touch, like the Quartermaines. This might not as notable an issue if the main mobster our heroes all love wasn't so repulsive, but then the character was always repulsive, it's just now he doesn't have charisma. There's not a big moral leap from him sexually exploiting vulnerable girls and preying on vulnerable young men on a full-time basis to occasionally killing "bad" people amidst his many apparent acts of wonder and glory. But the spark isn't there, so now it's more of an issue to viewers (some viewers); to the characters, it's 1994 forever.

In today's TV climate, any new soap - any soap - is going to struggle, especially without the timeslots B&B and Y&R have (I am aware Bill Bell fought hard to get Y&R into a strong position [no comment on B&B]). That's one of the reasons I wish the networks were trying 30 minute soaps or 15 minute soaps, or more soaps that are stream only. Sadly, any time we get those, they last two years at most, aside from DAYS, which is a very special case. I do hope the show can survive, that any soap can, but expecting ratings gains or anything beyond hoping the erosion isn't too severe may be a big ask.

I have often forgotten Inside Edition is still on. Good for her. She was treated horribly at Today, for a situation that wasn't her fault (typical of that very cold, unpleasant show). I'm glad she has managed to have a steady career since that time. And she was a much better face for them than Bill O'Reilly ever was.

I'd add that many on the left are begging Trump to love them, and he just shits all over them, as he always has. They won't stop begging though. Nearly every group in America hates Democrats, and beyond that, hates anyone who is compassionate, anyone who genuinely cares beyond a sneer and a tired one-liner. At least conservatives are honest about it. The dead end left, and the "sensible" podcasters who are always chasing their past fame (like the Pod Save guys who were the worst of Obama's tenure, Jon Stewart, Ezra Klein, etc.) simultaneously tear the party apart yet expect them to do everything. That's why they are still yammering about Biden's age, or about Klein's jerkoff "abundance" book and how superior it is to Biden. And when Trump and all the malevolent forces around him stomp on us again, they say - do something, why aren't you doing something? The Pod Save bozos were throwing tantrums about why weren't Democrats helping get prisoners out of El Salvador? Why aren't they arresting Elon? What in the hell are they meant to do? Most of the left, and even the middle, hates us, and hates America, more than they want to improve anything. It doesn't make them feel morally superior, it means they might have to do something beyond tweeting and podcasting, so they don't want to hear it. There's no real hope remaining for this country. Much as voting is mocked, it does help, but we may not even have that right much longer - and I know many never did in the first place. Anyone who can leave, should. They don't deserve what is coming. The rest of us will just try to get by day to day, as it has always been, until there's nothing left.

Those are lovely stories. I always had a lot of respect for Waite through his work on the Waltons and NCIS, etc.

I wonder if he is also going to be extremely homophobic so she will look better in comparison. (maybe they can surprise and he's very pro-gay in between his crime sprees, just making her look even sadder)

He was a wonderful statesman, but honestly, I would guess the major reason is that the cast had been razed to such a shocking degree that by the time he started doing these, he was the longest running cast member! He often did Christmas greetings, and when legendary actors passed. And probably other occasions I am forgetting. I think this was the first:

That's neat. I imagine Bill knew so many legends.

Laura was fine with "good" mobsters for many years (with only a brief pause when she thought her son was burnt alive), so her fawning over Sonny or Heather isn't a huge shock. The main question I have is why viewers are meant to believe she should be mayor, or any kind of moral authority. Then again, we're meant to see Sonny as a moral authority, so why not!

This likely would have aired after the episode, presumably a week or so after the attack. These always aired at the ends of episodes, I think. Jerry ver Dorn had to do many more of them than he probably ever expected (starting when he had only been with the show about 5 or 6 years).

Thanks.

I knew of Kathleen - there were two other ladies in the ad too. Sorry for my not saying that before.

I suppose being all but shut down for weeks had an impact, but I agree they missed a trick. The P&G soaps probably would have said something.

You aren't wrong about Molly, per se, but so many on the show don't really have chemistry with other partners. I might still keep her due to Ric and Alexis. I don't know where they could go with Cody. I'm still not sure if they are planning anything with Lulu. Or maybe they could try him with Lois (I know she is just recurring). I might say bring in a new character (or, yes, Tracy). It feels like the character got screwed over with the Sasha retcons.

Thanks. I was trying to figure out who plays the Barron family maid, Emma. I would almost say it's of some historical interest, but I know many might say otherwise.

Thanks. What a mess. Thanks @Khan and @Contessa Donatella for your help. Thanks.

@dc11786 Thanks for your rundown, as always, especially as I still haven't gotten to those. I am glad Mandy had at least some type of exit, even if it was under such offensive circumstances. Hearing that Terri and Scott spoke about when they found Christ is fascinating because it makes me think of the article posted here where Winsor and Straub (I think) objected to the initial attempts at getting faith across, which were very preachy scenes of Terri and Scott talking about when they became born again. I wonder if those scenes were rewritten and used here.