DRW50

My issues with Lucy were her being brought in to replace Harley and just them trying too hard at spunkiness, quirkiness, what have you...if the show hadn't been so alienating to me at the time due to so many cast exits and focus on the wrong people, I probably would have been more receptive. I grew to accept her more during the Brent story as the character had more of a purpose, even if as is often the case on soaps that was done via assault. Julie I didn't mind as much because she was just a generic ingenue and I thought JS did an OK job - she was very good at sincerity, or so I thought at the time. I remember being involved with the Hart/Julie relationship the first time around. By the time she was with Dylan I'd started to lose some interest in the show. I probably should have been more annoyed as she replaced Sam, someone I liked, but I guess even then I must have known the show had written Sam into a corner.

Thanks. That's interesting even in this era some characters would hang on. I suppose Dick still being there was one reason why. It's surprising to see that Meta was already parked for most of 1955 as if Irna was already weary of the character. I suppose killing Joe off was a last resort, with the added hell of Kathy not being there to say goodbye to her father.

He said himself that he began bowing to pressure of melodrama in his last few years and wasn't happy with it.

Thanks. A shame that was never shown, like they showed a glimpse of Reva's funeral that had been preempted.

Texas seemed to have an extremely convoluted first year - how quickly did they revamp?

It may have, although she was still willing to go back for The City. I remember some interview with her after she went on as Tracy, and how she was suggesting lighting changes, etc. I would guess she may have wanted more behind the scenes but by that point the door was closed. Or she was just focusing on being a mother. She didn't seem to do anything between 1997 and 2003.

I remember some fans pointing out them sharing scenes recently, so this makes sense. I don't think Ric and Liz will ever truly be together again, but I hope they won't make him go psycho over his nephew dating Liz. Ric and Ava being together again at some point would not surprise me, especially as the Sidwell stuff can't go on and on...

Thanks. I'd never seen those first few. The Bertie scene is a flashback to the Casablanca fantasy, just now only showing the "here's looking at you, kid" part. It always makes me smile. I think they could have had one during the Nolaerobics story where she thought she was Jane Fonda. By that time, Nola already seemed so generic and depressed. A fantasy may also have made the story with the kid more interesting. Maybe something from Oliver Twist. There was also that depressing Nola fantasy not long after she returned where she thought she was in a spaghetti Western and gunned down some guy who was meant to be Quint.

I think there was a Dracula. Now, Voyager. Jane Eyre. Most are available on Youtube. There's another I remember in a clip of a story but I don't know if it is on its own where Nola is the only one in the fantasy.

I think some of the first, like Casablanca and Shipmates Forever, had Kelly. I think one or two just had Nola. Quint was in a number of them. I would have loved seeing them try your idea for a female fantasy sequence. JFP never did that type of episode for the female cast, no. She repeated this gimmick on AW, maybe on OLTL too. She never had enough interest in women outside of men to give them a showcase episode.

Thanks @Reverend Ruthledge Again I am surprised and intrigued at how much characters were going all over the country compared to many soaps which just stayed in one place. Maybe this is because Los Angeles was seen as a big city. I'd love to see that Kathy and Laura "catfight." Most of this year reads as Kathy and Dick being star-crossed lovers until near the end when they decide they should move on. I wonder if this is down to Irna deciding to have the triangle with Meta and Kathy, or if Marie and Dick were more popular with viewers than expected. One of the surviving episodes revolves around Elsie (a character who doesn't seem to be mentioned in later years). I had never heard of any of this drama about Bart and his son, which they do try to tie into Dick, but mostly seems like the same brutal anguish and "life sucks" mentality Irna would use throughout her career. Bart never getting to tell John that they were father and son - how depressing. I would be curious to see some of this just because so few major soap characters are named Bart. I guess Ruth Warrick must have been moving to ATWT by this point. I can't remember if she was still playing Janet. She seems like another character Irna was keeping but didn't have a real plan for.

Thanks!

Great to see you on here again @dc11786 . I will never stop wanting to see this show but until I do your summary is as good or better. I wonder if they ever got into their future plans for Bruce before the show wrapped up.

Another thing about Lahoma is I think Lahoma Vane Lucas is one of the best soap names of all time.

Missy and Bill is another story I'd be fascinated to actually watch, along with Susan's stories. I can see the Clarice and Lahoma link, even if Clarice seemed to be more of a B-character compared to her.

The way politics are now, Laura's probably not wrong.

Other than Rachel, who seems a little too one-note to me compared to Lemay's take on her, most of Nixon's run sounds more compelling to me just because I'm more drawn to many of those characters, especially that era of Liz, and Lahoma, and tragic Lee, etc.

Yes, it keeps gnawing at me.

Good points. It's definitely a huge what might have been, especially as Willis was drawn to Alice. Rachel's reaction to two Frame brothers loving Alice would have been volcanic. I imagine Lemay would have had Alice still become drawn to Willis, maybe if Steve has become too successful or the ties he has to Rachel over Jamie still gnaw at her. And Steve probably would have ended up being drawn to Rachel again in jealousy over Willis dating her.

Thanks as always @slick jones I also found one with Jed Allan I tagged you in.

That's lovely. Maybe they can have Vivica cross over to BtG for some guest spots.

Thanks @Paul Raven I remember James getting praise for some of the same when she took over AMC, but production values are not enough. I do find her fascinating in general.

This made me go look at some of the slides on AWHP, which I'd never noticed before. ANOTHER WORLD: PUBLICATIONS Susan Trustman has three, which shows how important she was to AW's early years. This one is gorgeous (even though I imagine it was in B&W on TV). It is so evocative of Missy's 1930s-flavored story and why she caught on with viewers. tvslide5.jpg (900×631) This is also striking but interests me mostly because I had no idea Willis Frame was ever a big enough character to get his own slide. He is with Rachel in the shot (although they are two different shots), which makes me wonder if the show had any plans for them if they hadn't had to recast Willis. tvslide6.jpg (737×585) This Mac/Rachel slide would make a great avatar. tvslide8.jpg (900×639)

At first, I thought you meant Steph Stokes and was happy. I imagine Steph will be back - isn't the actress on maternity leave?

Classy of Shemar to return when he is steadily working (isn't his show being rebooted/retooled?). I haven't heard as much about Vivica's career in recent years, but she is always hustling. She was even in a Cool Cat video. She was always gracious about her soap work even when she was at a career peak. I hope they won't have them return with some long-lost child who will be killed in a year.