DRW50

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.

This may be the story that Patsy Pease refused to play as she was pregnant at the time; IIRC she had a sense it could cause her baby to die (and she then did have a difficult delivery). Not the best segue, but...does this look like Maree Cheatham in this ad to anyone else?

Ugh. Never change, Dena.

If the dates on other episodes from 1953 are to be believed, the "dream" episode that has been up for many years was from March 27th, while an episode put up a year or two ago is from April 3rd. That means we have three episodes very close to each other, and maybe for the first time for these earlier years (until around 1966), two consecutive episodes.

That's a good point. I think we would hear of black performers playing doctors and nurses maybe starting in the late '50s, if even then, but it may have been the '60s. I suppose times had changed enough through the '40s that these servant roles were shown less (aside from Eddie Rochester Anderson, etc.). I know there's an episode of Secret Storm from several years later where Aunt Pauline or whoever else has a white, French comic relief maid. They could have done something with Louise in later years - bring her back as a rival to Jo for Patti's morality and loyalties, her money a temptation as Patti argues with Jo over whether you can do the good thing while being a millionaire...maybe Louise could have left her money and Patti would adjust to being the wealthiest woman in Henderson.

Thanks for the rundown. You sum up all the mistakes well. I guess she can still say it was more successful than her AMC or second GH run.

Ah. I just remembered the flashback episode but didn't remember them saying it was the foundation of the hospital. Thanks.

The Lando story was in summer 1993. I imagine Mary was hired a bit after that.

Thanks. It's a shame things didn't work out better for Larry. I've always had a soft spot for him, and he really did have to do just about everything in the acting business to get through, including softcore.

For a good while I didn't realize Tamara was back on DAYS either. I guess it is a credit to her that such an ill-conceived character - didn't she arrive as being obsessed with Steve? - has lasted for so many years.

@slick jones Thanks so much for sharing that here. I wouldn't have seen it otherwise. And thanks @GymnastGuy for uploading. The March 2 episode has a cast list, but those may already be in your credits. I was hoping the maid would be there, but she isn't. Does anyone know who played her? She does a good job with a very thankless role. It's the type of part which can be tough to watch (the 'best' variation may be Mamie on Y&R, yet somehow this may also be some of the biggest focus I've seen given to a black character on Search. There is...what, Angela Bassett for a short time, and Travis' friend? She did an especially good job in the scene with Patti, which could have felt a bit offputting without the sincerity she and Lynn Loring brought. I guess the talk some pages ago about Stu not being in the show at this time makes more sense - I can't see where Stu or Marge would fit in that setup. Hell, even Jo was barely in the episode. I can't remember who posted the old review about Keith's sister - @chrisml or @Paul Raven perhaps - but I never knew she had existed until then. And now I finally get to see her. I can see why she doesn't stay much longer, as she is clearly disgusted by her family. I knew Keith was meant to be weak, Irene domineering, but I didn't know he was that much of an [!@#$%^&*], partying with a female "friend" and somehow believing Jo was having a good old time with a guy while her mother was seriously ill. I will say this seems like such a dense setup, you'd never expect it all to end in death soon after, but I guess they did plan this all along? The scene where Jo gets the mail (I don't want to spoil it if you haven't seen it) is so campy and ridiculous, but Mary plays it very believably, as she always did. It's a real punch. This is the other early 1952 episode. I think I may have seen this one before but I may just be merging this with another with a similar focus. @vetsoapfan you have probably seen all these if you were there in the WOST days (I rarely got to watch much as I only had dial up) but I wanted to tag you anyway in case you don't have them. There's also an April 1953 episode up. Oh wow. It has Don Knotts. All this time I thought only one episode with Don existed. I thought Wilbur was a deaf/mute - wasn't expecting to hear him chattering away to other characters. Oh THIS is an experimental episode too, like the only other Don episode we've had available for years. Maybe the soap gods have decided the only way for Don's soap work to show up is if it's a weird installment? I said this when a 1953 episode popped up last year, but the production quality of the show at this time feels different than some of the other surviving soaps - they seem to take more chances with direction and at times even with the sets. Another reason why I wish people did not just remember this period of daytime as organ music and "oh John, oh Marsha." @hendersonite @FrenchFan @dc11786

Thanks @EricMontreal22 for the links and thank you to @GymnastGuy and Mike Poirier for sharing them. I am glad to see anything new of this era, clips or episodes. As for Agnes Nixon "stabbing Ryan's Hope in the back," I said my views on that at the time the video first went up and they haven't changed. I can see why a fan may feel that way, but Agnes did not owe Ryan's Hope anything. If anything, Ryan's Hope may never have gotten on the air if not for the successes of AMC and OLTL. Maybe as some form of collective apology we can write a new world where Agnes, clouded with guilt, returned to OLTL and helped the Labines manage to get better stories on when they wrote for the show in 1997.

Happy birthday to one of the best - where would many of our childhoods have been without Dr. Bob.

Thanks @soapfan770

The best part of the show was probably that Madeline Kahn hosted SNL again to promote it (although NYN was canceled by the time she hosted).

The show's treatment of Rachel had been degrading ever since she came back in the guise of Mari Morrow (?). She became a drug addict and some kind of dirty dancer. Then even with the recast to Sandra P. Grant, she was still pathetic, clinging to Drew, airing out dirty laundry on Tad's talk show. By the time of the Georgie story, there were extremely ugly scenes of Georgie berating her and beating her bloody with a telephone. I'm sure today people would say it is "woke," or whatever the [!@#$%^&*], but I did see her treatment as racist. But it's not up to me to say that.

I don't think either character has ever been well served, although Molly still has a shot. Kristina needs a long break. I don't know who came up with this idea. Frank's been there a long time now and they've never claimed this before, have they? Where is "the historian"? I used to say that the Sonny shoehorning is just the show's obsessions, but after reading Genie Francis' effusive praise for Maurice as an actor, I've realized a lot of people there really must believe this [!@#$%^&*].

I'd never heard of this until it started showing up on Youtube recently. I thought Christine Cromwell was that non-daughter of Viki's on OLTL who was bodied by Ursula. I wonder if CBS really did cancel the Equalizer out of spite, given that this situation went public and got so messy.

There definitely is a notable difference for me in ATWT 1985 before and after Marland took over - the show was in a strong place (still not perfect by any means) - most of those he wrote out were not a big loss, but there was also a certain freshness, individuality and spunk which just never would have gone with his style. You can see the biggest changes with characters like Nancy, Tom and Margo (and for some reason, Betsy and Kim seem to become less close), a heavier air he plasters with a bit of a rictus grin via campery and fantasy and hijinks (Meg, Shannon, and of course Lucinda at her most deliciously out of control). You still have some edges and outsiders too, but I never get the sense it's where his heart was and it is an odd fit for what surrounds the rest of the show (and indeed many of these elements become noticeably toned down after a year or so - beyond Meg and Shannon, see John going from a pariah to Lucinda's exasperated partner, Holden going from a dangerous stable boy to a perpetually sour business whiz, etc). I don't really think Bedsow Horgan's ATWT could have been sustained, whereas, even with a few dips, I do think Marland managed to sustain his ATWT run (admittedly I'm one of those fans who genuinely connects with the increasingly darker strains of his final years), but there are moments of pre Marland '85 ATWT where I do wish we'd gotten more of that element carried over. Thanks so much @Mona Kane Croft I wouldn't have even known a "new" ATWT episode was up if not for your post. We need what ATWT stood for and meant to us more than ever in today's world.

I do keep seeing people mention Sonny's heart condition. The timing is very convenient. It would be a very gross choice, maybe the grossest story I've seen along these lines since AMC had Zach kill Josh to give Kendall a heart, but I can't rule it out.

Maybe like Patricia Routledge's successful followup to Keeping Up Appearances (Hetty Wainthrop?). I had forgotten they paired Annie McGuire with DVD's show. Lazy choice.