DRW50

That might be what I remember from his book. I guess Lemay just wrote the younger characters through their parents or the older characters in the story - Marianne repeating Pat's stories, Blaine as a young Rachel. Not the worst idea but probably helps explain why the younger set was so wan by the end of the decade. (and why characters like Joey never seemed to have the stories that suited them) Eddie is the best. He's always quick to respond to e-mails too.

@Vee That was beautifully written - maybe your best of the recaps. I haven't really gone to rush to fill in the gaps of the Dallas periods I missed, but you do make this sound compelling.

Wasn't he a darker character under Fitzpatrick (scheming against Steve or trying to get Alice, and a toxic relationship with Angie)? I'm trying to remember if Lemay said anything about the change in his book.

I definitely would have gotten rid of Frank over Jerry. I wonder if that was a money issue. Lillian I am mostly surprised lasted through the '90s. When Beth returned she did have more of a role.

I was wondering about the first Angie Perrini and Barbara Weaver too.

Going on from what @DramatistDreamer was saying in the AW thread about cast uploading clips/episodes, I was reminded again that somebody about a decade ago uploaded the closing credits of an episode (was it from 1976?) they found in a relative's house as they were a cast member or something along those lines. Sadly, I don't think they ever put up the rest of the episode.

I think this is the first time I've seen John Fitzpatrick as Willis. In synopses he was such a heel that it's good to see him in the flesh to know how he was able to win people over. I never really got from synopses how close Pat and her kids were to the Frames - I just assumed they were all in bubbles, like soaps in recent decades (or like the Bell soaps often were). Thank you for posting, and for everything you help with at AWHP. Without that site I don't think I would love AW as much as I do. It was my gateway, all the way back in the mid/late '90s, and I've never stopped reading it. I think it's a big reason why we still all discuss AW so much, more than we discuss shows that are currently on the air.

That's what I meant, yes. Thanks. I do remember Munker being more of a day-to-day mood actress on ATWT (that role still could have gone so many places). The family conversations hold up so much better than scenes of people worrying about a serial killer. I'd forgotten about Leah. By that point I wasn't even watching the show. And this at the same time as Daisy had not aged in a decade. Mike and Pat being reunited is a great idea. Remembering how Michael Malone had to give an interview saying they weren't interested in writing for older characters (which was clearly NBC/P&G mandated), and older meant Sharlene or John, if someone had asked about bringing back Pat, an executive might have keeled over.

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She's right - the climate in America today makes it likely he could come back in no time at all. What hurts him is that he has simply aged out of his market. His attempt at moving to earthy country or whatever the hell Man in the Woods was flopped. His comeback into R&B also flopped. He's just not that special to anyone outside of his oldies circuit, and he doesn't have any respect from artists coming up. He is a has been. I won't be that shocked if he ends up going the Pat Boone route, just with a falsetto.

Ruth Warrick interview starting at about 40 minutes. I love how the first half is her talking about Citizen Kane and the second half is her blasting George Bush, basically saying he needs to GTFO, and then "joking" that if she gets run over on the way home people will know why.

This must be the oldest surviving footage of Jacquie Courtney in her first run as Alice. Considering how fed-up Courtney was by this point I have to respect how professional she still is even here. I must say that everyone seems so casual knowing that Mary Matthews died not too long before this. I don't expect weeping and wailing, but aside from Pat mentioning Jim possibly moving in, there is little grief or reflection. I wonder if this is down to Lemay's issues with character and actress. I really do enjoy the way Marianne and Michael snap at each other in these clips. Very believable. I can see why both were recast for more serious stories, but these types of moments are what make soaps seem more real. I do wonder how Munker would have done with the story of Pat killing her boyfriend - it doesn't seem out of her range. Sometimes I forget that Michael and Marianne were only born onscreen five years before these clips. That Irna rapid aging strikes again. I wonder if that is another reason they didn't have the longevity they could have - even Matt and Amanda had longer periods as kids than that.

@Alan Thanks! She does still sound the same. You may want to put this in the soap stars where are they now thread.

In some ways I think that shift is what kept AW on for its last 15 years, but when I see these clips I remember they only got that way because of how degraded and bland the show's family units were by the early '80s. By the '80s the main family unit left wasp probably the Corys, but even with likeable performers, they were still a rich family who didn't have the more believable bonds and history we might have had with an extended Matthews history.

Thanks. That helps explain about Roberts. I can definitely see Johnston having more of a core appeal. I didn't realize until now that Brown played in The Ritz after this - presumably his character was gay. Ironic... He's another Michael who has few credits post-AW. @Paul Raven You'd think some future writer would have seen that there was so much potential in bringing back Pat and her kids. I guess the further they could go with AW history was bringing back direct ties to the Frames. And Iris. And even those were likely only due to Lemay's brief return.

Glad to hear there is some Miss Susan around and someone is buying the AMC or ATWT episodes he has. I can't afford any of that so I'm just happy if it's around rather than rotting away.

Hopefully they won't get lost and we can see them someday.

He's on AW through December of 1975 - so about six months. I'd forgotten about all that. Thanks. Munker lasted for two and a half years so I wonder just what he decided she wasn't strong enough for. I sometimes wonder if he didn't care for younger actors that had charisma as the glimpses I saw of the replacement Marianne (Adrienne Wallace) seemed much more earnest but not overly memorable, similar to Susan Harney. It seemed like the show never knew what to do with Ted anyway, but it's insane to me to fire the Eric Roberts of that era, who was charisma and fire galore. I wish we could see some of his work on the show. Maybe we will someday. I can definitely see why they wouldn't necessarily want this Michael to play a deeper story, although he works well with the family and seems very believable to me.

I felt like he worked well enough as the core of the character. Groome had more energy but the life had mostly been taken out of Pat by that point anyway. I can imagine it was tough for viewers, but if the show had made any real effort, he could have lasted longer.

I know it's been said Jacquie Courtney had some, and Laurie Heineman said she bought an episode, but I assume all of that is long gone. Anything we get is such a shock and a treasure.

That's Christopher J. Brown as Michael in the clips, right? Is that the first time we've ever seen him in resurfaced footage? He seems OK to me, although if they had planned to give Michael more story, I suppose I can understand the recast. This is the first I've seen of most of these actors of this era (not counting Pat/John/Liz). Nice to see Stephen Yates. Weird to think Marianne was later involved with Jamie Frame, but not while he was in the part. It's funny to think I brought this period for the Randolphs up not that long ago and we were talking about it. Almost feels like we willed the videos into existence. If only it was that easy.

@TheyStartedOnSoaps What a wonderful find! Thank you!

Morgan Fairchild being very gracious after Sandra Bernhard apologized for being cold toward her on the Roseanne set (and both mentioning how unpleasant the set was in general - not a big surprise, sadly). https://deadline.com/2024/06/morgan-fairchild-reacts-sandra-bernhard-apology-roseanne-set-difficult-1235981082/

I don't think Loving ever had a good intro, although I do like the songs. The City's has a unique feel, at least, but is one of the most harshly dated soap openings of all time, along with the last AW opening and the final EON and Search openings.