titan1978

If only the show had come close to living up to that luxe, sexy and dark theme. Even with the king of darkness himself, Guza writing, it just didn’t materialize. I think if someone like Ed Scott or Conboy or even JFP had been the on set EP that show would have had legs. Tomlin’s work always looks cheap. It had potential.

OMG! I wonder if those were the days when actors used some of their own wardrobe on daytime and he must really have liked that jacket and turtleneck! I love Brooke Bundy. But she’s clearly nothing like Diana in looks, style or temperament.

I’ve also seen several really compelling scenes of her and teenaged Laura where she references her past and how much she wanted to have a relationship with Laura that has nothing to do with Rick or Lesley, to help her with her troubles. I used to feel that way about Bobbie too. On paper this is someone that has a background of tragedy and even when she was after Scotty she was still a good nurse that worked hard to give herself a new life. To see people try to shame her in later years about her past as a sex worker and have her not be embarrassed, to be open and trusting and a loving character (who still sometimes had an edge) was great. They just don’t write them like they used to.

Wick Webber! I love that special. And Denise Alexander saying the slap was so satisfying because she slapped Monica instead of the other way around.

Alan loss the precision in his hands that he neede as a surgeon, and had to go into general practice because of it. He had been a gifted surgeon before the accident. So he lost a lot on a personal level considering how hard he worked to become a doctor, especially with Edward not approving of that. It also led to his drug addiction in the late 1990’s, as he was initially using the pills for pain from a surgery to reverse his old injury and get back to surgery if I am remembering correctly. I think that original Edward was always kind of snide and funny. He was the most catty character on the show. Then the rest kind of flowed from there. They used to have humor, but didn’t become a joke until Guza came back from Sunset Beach. Then it was just put them in scenes and have them argue over the same stuff over and over again. Alan and Monica often had very humorous fights, even in their early years.

I think it ratchets up the tension all the way up the stairs. She often said her mix was a little bit of Hitchcock, a little bit of Capra, and a dash of humor. The Hitchcock references are really high in this scene for sure.

Post Lesley Webber, the hospital seemed to have lost the drive it once had. Sure there were scenes there, but stories didn’t really revolve around it like they did again during Labine. You still had people like Monica, Alan, Rick (until 1986 ish), Bobbie and Tony working there. It wasn’t until they reintroduced Audrey and Steve’s son that I felt they invested at all in new hospital characters during the spy era of the show. And that was post Monty, and more about his relationship with Simone than revolving purely around the hospital.

That medicine room is an iconic set for folks that watched the earliest days of the show. My grandmother often talked about stories or scenes that involved the medicine room. Even my dad, who caught a show here or there as a kid but wasn’t really invested used to tease my sister and I about our GH habits and ask if Jesse was still crying in the pill room in the 1980’s when we watched it as kids.

All this talk about Mary O’Brien reminds me of this quote from one of Michael Logan’s interviews- Geary: There was this actress on our show named Mary O'Brien — she played Heather before they cast Robin Mattson — and she was having trouble crying in a scene. Gloria came out of the control room and said, "You've got to cry! We need you to cry!" Mary tried it again and Gloria came back out and said, 'You're still faking it! I want real tears!" After another three or four trips to the stage, Gloria finally went ballistic. "You must be the worst actress I've ever hired! I don't know what the hell was wrong with me! The whole scene is hinging on this! You are ruining General Hospital!" And she went on and on until Mary started to cry. Then Gloria said, "Yes! That's it! Shoot it!" And she walked off the set.

Clips like the one above just remind me how much your perspective sets the norms for being a soap viewer. When I think about GH, so much of the things I remember were from Monty on. Very little pre her. Even the nurses station is the round one that I think Monty started. And those things are so ingrained that it’s hard to imagine the days before. I can’t stand that Rick either. He’s just seems wrong to me. And I didn’t even see the show before 1983 that I can remember, and didn’t start actively viewing until Frisco pulled that hat off Felicia’s head. But he is still not Rick to me.

I was hoping you would comment and have details! I don’t know anything about their relationship before they were married. It seems like it was a short courtship. But he liked her enough to give her the house! Or was that to spite Edward? I’m now so curious about Alan and Monica’s early days. Before Alan (and really Lesley Charleson), Monica was pretty much between Rick and Jeff, correct?

Oh my mother hated Lesley back in the day. Hated her. She didn’t care for Audrey either. So it’s not just modern fans. I wasn’t really that fond of Robert. But when he came back during the contagion story, I was shocked how happy I was to have him back and how much I had truly missed him.

Might as well post my favorite scene involving Lesley. The good stuff starts around 6 minutes. It’s also a pretty great Monica scene too.

Alan being gone left a huge hole in the show. Not just as a Q or his relationship with Monica. His scenes as a doctor, and his ability as a character to go from caring doctor to manipulative bastard never felt false. Alan was all those things. The loss of Alan and the diminshing of the Q’s also let out all the tension in Jason. When he had that Jason Q past as a constant reminder at odds with Jason Morgan, it gave him more depth as a character.

And other than Holly, we were seeing all of them regularly about 3 years ago. Including Felicia and Mac. And the ratings were higher! And there was still room for the characters that are not popular but Valentini loves played by Michael Easton, Roger Howarth, Kiki, etc. And again, the ratings were higher! The only neglected vet we see much of these days is Monica, and good for her.

I liked Julian back then a lot. I thought he was cute, and I loved his dynamic with Cheryl. Their dad was fun too. But Olivia was he most dangerous. She was just sinister and obsessed.

The big deal is that he is the first gay American male in his sport to compete out of the closet. Not come out later, but at the height of his career so far. Gus is more my type, but I have nothing but pride for Adam.

Olivia Jerome was a great character.

I loved Scott Thompson Baker as Colton Shore. He was in a pairing with Felicia when Frisco was off the show, and was cousins with Lucy Coe. His mother Charlene helped Lucy with her schemes (played by he great Marie Cheatham).

I bet he wasn’t happy about it either! The anniversary might have been in 1983, but those clips were very 1980-1981 centric. Which I get, but spread the wealth a little.

Having Jill turn into her version of Katherine would have been amazing. Add to that sometimes her hearing Katherine’s voice. Not a ghost, but hearing her voice at times.

Interesting. For 1972 that’s pretty remarkable. Bill Bell and Agnes Nixon really liked to push the envelope didn’t they. Which is kind of incredible because on paper, they were as old school as you can get. I think if both of them were still writing shows today, there would be some interesting explorations going on.

Thanks for posting that Bill Bell article! Who were the two men that in his intention had a homosexual relationship on DAYS? I’ve never heard of this before. I really wish I could see scenes of Denise Alexander in scheming mode as Susan, and scenes of Flannery as Laura.

Really the first time I’ve seen Bond as Jill. I like her fine for this Jill, same with Adair (who I loved as Kate on DAYS). But I started watching the show after Brenda came back and was in full Dynasty mode. She was sexy, hard, cruel, campy, and a diva. Then Jess came on and matured what Brenda had been doing, refined it. Brought her own humor and less camp. Jill really is a different character before Brenda came back and after. Like night and day. As a viewer I really respond more to the version of Jill that Brenda and Jess play. These shows are fascinating. Because Y&R is really nothing like those two episodes by 1988. Nothing. The glamour and mystery and corporate intrigue and Cricket of it all are so far removed from this. Nikki is so different. Paul is so different. Even though I know it was sexy for its time and lushly produced, it still reads to me as old fashioned soap. I’m not slamming that at all. I see a kindred spirit and not evolution between Bill Bell here and Bill Bell on DAYS. But by the late 1980’s to around 1992, I think his style evolved a lot, as did the look of the entire show. That lush thing was turned up. The drama and intrigue was turned up. Not campy, just dialed up. I’ve posted before about finding many of Bill Bell’s characters kind of cold, aloof. That does not seem to be the case in his earlier show.

I really like this Patty, and it’s the only time I’ve not been annoyed by Mary. Paul was cute too. They were a great family addition.