DRW50

Thanks @YTG for all of your tireless work. 2009 or somewhere in there is where I first found the show through here and Youtube. I'm glad so much of the show is available, even if those first months of episodes are (no pun intended) a holy grail. I've appreciated the interviews on your comments. I especially appreciated the interview with Dorothy Stinnette. I never knew of the private group but I'm glad for a show that only ran a few years, so many of the cast stayed close for as long as they did.

Another reminder of how popular Dallas was in the UK.

I wonder if he was a strike casualty.

Thanks. Never saw that.

Welcome back @DramatistDreamer . Not sure if you've seen them but there have been a number of mid '80s episodes that have popped up this year.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/aug/17/terence-stamp-the-mesmerisingly-seductive-dark-prince-of-british-cinema I first knew of Terence Stamp in Priscilla, as it was a big deal when it came out, an international sensation. I first truly saw him, as @Faulkner posted in their clips, in Far From the Madding Crowd, one of the first times I saw a number of the amazing talents in that film. He was breathtaking as the dashing soldier who helps propel the fantasy life of Julie Christie compared to the sturdy Alan Bates as the reality. What a lucky lady Julie was for that film. It took me a while to realize he was General Zod, one of the best comic book movie supervillains. I'll always associate him with Teorema, where he is utterly perfect as the detached yet incredibly intense deity-like figure who gives a rich family the gift and the curse of enlightenment.

Thank you for all the tributes I'd never see otherwise. I never even knew Michelle and Tristan were that close. You can definitely feel that it's a real bond. @Vee That was very kind of Steve. That second photo is beautiful.

Thanks. Rest in peace to Tom. I never even knew he was Robert Urich's brother.

@Vee Thanks. That's a great scene. Pamela is so regal. I'm amazed, although I shouldn't be given the industry, that she never got any icy matriarch roles onscreen. I hope she got those chances on the stage. The lack of use for Addie in those last few years was a big disappointment. I remember the theories about Miles (didn't he just disappear - I don't know now). I can believe it was Frons. I can also see him hating Tina's return (which was a mess and a very odd choice to do it during Erika's vacation, but he probably did make it worse). I could see him being one of the reasons we got so much Jessica and Tess. I'm glad they never regressed Addie either. I had really wanted them to bring Melinda back too, rather than killing her off.

Thank you for sharing. There's a great story in the comments from someone who mentioned sneaking onto the set with a cover story (this was in the late '80s) and how friendly he, Finola and Lynn Herring were. As they mentioned, that was crazy and would never happen today. During Tristan's 1995 cameo and Tristan also made a few appearances from 2012-2014.

@YTG Thanks! Maybe Mary Jean can get on Beyond the Gates. I know it's a pipe dream but I'd love to see someone interview her about those first months of episodes that are unavailable.

Thanks @FrenchFan Still crazy to me how fast they aged Dan. I wish I could see more of Penny and Ellen by this point in their time on the show. I wonder if Penny changed any in her 12 years under Rosemary.

Really enjoying your reviews of this era @Vee as I keep meaning to watch more myself. And thank you for answering my question several pages back about the good period of the "Cartini" era.

Jonelle Allen talks about Generations starting at 28 minutes.

Not too sure which thread this should go in but it's a new interview with Michael Damian.

@Vee Thanks for finding that. It does feel inevitable, if you are on GH at that time and so bitterly anti-mob, you're either going to die or become a mobster yourself. I'm sure Dominic would have done a great job but I'm not sorry the story never happened.

RIP Dan Ziskie. Dan Ziskie Dead: 'House Of Cards', 'Treme' Actor Was 80

Rewatching Robert's final scenes now and they really are lovely. They don't have any of the co-stars who were most important to Robert's legacy, but you can still feel the respect for him in how Sasha is with him, and the moment where he thanks Jason, which on paper I might have rolled my eyes at as Jason propping, feels like another way to remember his greatest legacy - Robin.

Even through the various eras of GH, whenever Tristan appeared, he still had that strength of character and the twinkle in his eye. His only appearance for about 15 years was being a figment of Robin's imagination when she was struggling with whether to tell Stone she had HIV, and he handled that moment with such grace, never making it about him. He came back to a messy return a decade after that cameo, and still had charm to spare. The Bell soaps never seemed to know what to do with him, but whatever was going on in Port Charles, he still felt at home, so much so that it's easy to forget just how unique Robert was when he arrived, the angst-ridden hospital show that had been lurching toward mobsters now having a charming international spy. Robert went through three love interests in a decade and all of them were popular with viewers. Robert had a child via backstory, always a dicey story choice, and viewers took her into their hearts in large part due to him, creating a key building block for GH's future. He was more important to GH than myself and others, at times including the show itself, ever appreciated. I'm glad that he at least got to have a sendoff, and such a sweet final scene. It's something I can't take for granted when I remember the treatment of some soap legends in their last years.

Knowing that the actors and fans are grieving Leslie Charleson, Denise Alexander, now Tristan Rogers, and we haven't even said goodbye to their character yet...it's a reminder of how long ago that late '70s/early '80s glory age was for them and for fans, but still sometimes just feels like a moment away. I know that's the consequence of a show being on the air this long, but it's a heartbreaker. I can't imagine what they are going through. Or the fans who have been there all these decades, loving Robert, arguing over Anna or Holly or Katherine as his soulmate, willing him to come back in all those years away.

I think if she didn't for Freddie she may never be. I am glad she didn't return for this as I didn't need to see another rape revisitation (and the show had two other rape stories going on at the same time in 2023). Little Mo was great those first few years but the second rape was a terrible choice, as Louise Berridge to her credit acknowledged. You're right. I think I mostly liked Elaine Lordan and those dour EE can appeal to me. I liked Garry too, in those first years. The Beppe story (then given to her ex because the actor quit rather than finish out his plot) was going nowhere. Then that stillbirth story she had was so bleak, worsened by us knowing about all of Lordan's real life troubles that led her to be written out.

Lynne was my favorite of the sisters, along with Kat. I know she was a misery though.

@detroitpiston Luckily we have our answer for Sharon now. And you have a good point about the black cast at the moment. I do like Patrick's involvement in the mugging but the focus is more on Oscar. @BetterForgotten Thanks for sharing the high quality version. I can't remember the last of these trailers but this is a great throwback. The way they film the opening with Kat putting her lippy on, cutting to Zoe in the rain, reminds me of late '90s/early '00s styles in movies or ads, which is a great tribute to the 25th anniversary for the Slaters. I love those types of moments for Kat in general. It would be cliche to call them Elsie Tanner moments but that's how I think of them. I also like how unnerving the sunshine Walford is instead of just having a light and dark contrast. Seeing Patrick there does make me wonder if Anthony will have a notable involvement in Zoe's return. With the abrupt ending, I was left wanting more, which is always a plus. Great song choice too. I've heard "Dedicated to the One I Love," a million times, but it never gets old.

I wish I could remember the quote Claire Labine gave about half-hour soaps. I think she was right on the money. Some days I even prefer 15 minute soaps, as I think the GL and Search available from the mid '60s had perfected the format. Some writers could excel in the hour format, like Marland (and probably Bill Bell, among others), as they used the time for more introspection, but you have to have a strong core to do so. I haven't been able to see most of AW's first years at an hour, but from synopses and Lemay's book I get the impression they just decided to start amping up the melodrama until they could barely take it much further. One of the reasons shows like AMC seemed to do fine moving to an hour was because of that strong core and also because they had a number of quirky, entertaining characters, like Erica or Phoebe (and a few years later, Opal). They also had many strongly defined characters. When I try to watch AW episodes from 1980 the longstanding cast members are still worth watching, but the show itself is so drab due to many of the newer arrivals and the general malaise. Even people who are great on other soaps. Of the newer hires Richard Bekins, Laura Malone and Susan Keith are among the few who don't get caught in drudgery. I don't know if AW really manages to make the hour format easier to get through until Cass, Felicia, Donna, etc. arrive.