DRW50

It's a mixed bag for me because I don't think most of that was framed as being about Tony in the end. I think Labine was the last writer who cared about him. If he had had a different fate after Guza's return I would probably rank him higher on their scale of importance.

The main difference for me between AJ and Mac in that period was that while AJ wasn't a lead, he also had distinct traits that did set up story for him and those around him. His feelings for Keesha, his inept business activities, how he impacted Jason, Ned and his parents, etc. Mac was mostly just there, often to react to others or to be a boyfriend. I was torn on where to put Tony, but I feel like the show mostly stopped writing for him after Labine left and then his story mostly became about what drove plot for other characters. I feel like Jax was at heart a B character and Ingo a B actor, but the show wanted him to be an A (for a while, anyway - not after Vanessa's '03 departure).

He was the perfect fit for Guza and JFP as like them (especially Guza) he saw himself as being above soaps and his delusions were much higher than his actual talent level. I wonder if they actually thought he was going to bring a ratings boost. They even hired his mother. Just a horrible man for a horrible era.

Feels like a case where some up high just love Alley Mills and don't want to lose her (probably also why she stayed on B&B so long). Nothing against Alley Mills, but Heather isn't worth it. I would say Mulcahey, but I don't think he alone would have that power.

Yes. I think she wrote the end of that story, and then was starting to pair Sonni/Roger when Michelle Forbes left. I think she did a good job with Harley too but I'm not sure how she felt about her.

I do wonder if she enjoyed writing for Sonni/Solita, or if she just saw her as a plot-mover. I know some fans felt she enjoyed writing for Holly too but we probably don't have enough evidence to decide. You're right that Alex is a tougher role to play, or was in those years, anyway, before JFP arrived. Beverlee did so much to get all the nuances going.

To me the characters are even called out on the show at times for this, it's just the actresses carry the flaws off.

I probably would have ranked it as: A-tier: Robert (until he was gone), Sonny, Luke, Jason (post-accident) etc. B-tier: Ned, AJ C-tier: Mac somewhere around or maybe above Tony or Alan (Jason was probably here pre-accident) You could probably clump those together though.

I'm not sure it matters. The biggest sex symbol in GH history was Tony Geary, who never spent all the time in the gym. JJY always looked great but was still never seen as being above a C-level by the show. Dex, Drew and Curtis are all disliked or non-entities for many viewers, and Jason was never popular with viewers because of his shirtless scenes - it was mostly down to his leading ladies and the idea pushed through Guza of how soulful he was. I don't think Michael has ever been a compelling character. He was a suffocating plot device, and then under DG became a big overexposed ham, and under Duell has mostly just been there. If we're talking cosmetics, I'd say give him a new hairstyle. I don't really care about his body. If not for his being one of the only living Quartermaines, I would have killed him off many years ago. They probably should have done so and just sent Morgan packing rather than killing him.

ATWT did look better but I never really noticed because I just thought the material was so bad. I remember toward the end they had James Rehborn in a location shoot as a homophobic relative of Reid's, or something - I don't know, maybe I've mixed it all up. I tended to prefer Reva away from Josh because I thought he was so sanctimonious and cold. I do think Beverlee deserved those Emmys more than Kim, but after she repeatedly lost at AW to women from her own show it felt like they were sending her a message.

I've never read the book, and I'd say both characters, especially Mary, were often strident and judgmental. The actresses, at least when Kate played Mary, balanced the writing, but it was always there to me. I think Jill was a difficult character to write because she was aspirational but we also never stopped hearing about how sad and lonely she was. Anyway, I don't know if this was ever posted here before. It's a few minutes of a live recording from September 18, 1979.

I think this episode has already been up in some other form, as those early scenes in particular I remember, but then, bless his heart, Marland-era episodes do bleed together so maybe I'm wrong. @DramatistDreamer

ATWT never had a new model and it only lasted about a year longer. I wish both shows were still on - I'd bring both back if The Gates does OK - but they were lucky to have survived as long as they did, especially GL.

Do you mean she made Gus worse? I know he was around several years before her arrival. I never had a great deal of interest in him whoever was producer at the time. I didn't have a big problem with Otalia, other than the obvious censorship and how much the whole "groundbreaking" element and feverish fan support obscured all the contrivances in the story. I think other than Billy/Vanessa and maybe Dinah/Mallett I was just not interested in any couples on the show by the time I tuned back in, so I didn't have as much resentment as fans who stuck it out all through the '00s might have. I tend to agree with @VelekaCarruthers that the fatal damage was done in the mid '90s, and also that ATWT had a worse writing staff...not that it justifies the terrible choices made under Wheeler. Still, I believed at the time she ended the show better than many could have, even with the various flaws, and every soap finale since hasn't proved me wrong.

Thank you for the info and photos. I'm glad as many people turned out as did. That love and loyalty is what kept AW on the air for those last 20 years and what keeps it alive today. Broke my heart when I remembered Anne Heche couldn't be there.

Now that I've seen this clip again, I can have another marvel at the choice to have wind effects for realism but no indication that Jack standing right next to a window and shattering it to pieces might cause him some physical harm.

https://televisionau.com/2024/05/obituary-brian-wenzel.html Beyond his bigger roles, including A Country Practice, Wenzel briefly appeared on Neighbours in 1995. Gordon Orchard (Flakey the Clown) | Neighbours Soap Opera Wiki | Fandom

https://televisionau.com/2024/05/obituary-brian-wenzel.html

@slick jones Thanks for keeping us in the know. Similar to AWHP and AW, I learned so much about the show from that site. It's so unfair on Mark.

There are probably more clips (I'm not sure) but I didn't want to clog the thread. Memories of first watching a decade ago is probably overhyping them, but I think Monty's era, at least in that period, was able to have a certain rawness in those moments to make the docks seem dangerous, whereas later on I just felt like they turned a fog machine on and put a few crates in the background.

The channel uploaded a whole week of this show.

I totally understand why - I feel that way when I watch the late '70s or even through a good portion of the '80s. The scenes of Paddy Kelly being stabbed are disturbing and almost feel like something that could happen in real life, with the atmosphere and dread. By the '90s, especially the late '90s, everything starts seeming too fake for me. Admittedly, it probably looks like cinema verite compared to what we have now.

Thanks for the responses. Blaze is a very dated name for current performers - she should change it. I'd say 2002 is generous. I remember some fans joking in the late '90s about how the docks got more airtime than the hospital.

Is her real name Blaze? Is Natalia a big Lolita Davidovich fan?

This doesn't show up, but it's another overrated hack who rode Obama's coattails announcing his podcast with the loathsome Kellyanne Conway.