pdm1974

1 hour ago, j swift said:

Notably, the next year in 1990, when Terry Lester left the role as Mason, SOD reported rumors that Lane Davies might return.  According to SOD, Terry left the role after nobody in production approached his agent about renegotiating when his initial contract ran out. SB responded that they had simply overlooked the date at end of Mr. Lester's contract.  The next issue Gordan Thompson's hiring was announced.    

 

And, am I remembering correctly? Didn't they switch Masons between Lester and Thompson in the middle of an episode? I believe the episode started with Lester playing the role and then they switched about half way through.

https://youtu.be/UhaecIiMTkE

Just found the link where they did the switch mid-episode.

https://youtu.be/UhaecIiMTkE

2 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

 

I would have ended it with Eden falling off the cliff and her body not being found.  That way if her pilot didn't get picked up and/or didn't work out... she could have returned as being in a coma and/or reverted to the Lisa split personality and taken up being a jewel thief again.  And perhaps when A Martinez left the show, it was after receiving word that the Eden personality had taken hold and she was asking for him... and Cruz left Santa Barbara to go to Eden.. and once they reunited.. sent for the kids so that they could live happily ever after.

Her just simply going off the cliff would have been much better. Terri Garber's character came with way too much baggage to ever work. I know they tried to use the story to launch a new romance for Cruz, but it was just too soon.

3 hours ago, redontop4 said:

 

Bridget Dobson said in an interview shortly after being booted from the show that head writers Chuck Pratt and Anne Howard Bailey lobbied hard for Shirley Anne Field as Pamela while Bridget, at this point the sole (non-writing) executive producer, wanted Marj Dusay, who was fresh off of "Capitol." 

 

From a 1988 interview with Bridget:

 

"Jerry and I had conceived Pamela many years ago but NBC did not want us to bring on another forty-ish character. But we kept pushing because we know it could be hot stuff." Once the powers gave in, movie queen Samantha Eggar was signed, but quickly got cold feet when the rigors of daytime grind were fully explained to her. Fellow British actress Shirley Anne Field was cast instead. "She was Ann and Chuck's first choice," reports Bridget. "Marj Dusay was my choice but we cast Shirley Anne because we wanted the head writers to be excited. To me, Marj is a great beauty and seemed to be the kind of person that CC (Jed Allan) would have once been attracted to. Ann and Chuck's perceptions were not marginally different from mine - they were very different."

 

Ironically, Field wound up delivering a tepid, colorless performance and was given the heave-ho after three months. The replacement? Marj Dusay. Perhaps just as ironically, Dusay came on board as nothing short of brilliant with each icy line reading revealing encyclopedias full of character. Clearly, the plot possibilities were endless and the likelihood that the actress would emerge at the forefront of Santa Barbara - much as Elizabeth Hubbard rules supreme as Lucinda on As the World Turns - must have seemed delicious to loyal watchers. Guess again. Dusay was on the unemployment line before she knew what hit her and the dandy part was foolishly tossed into limbo.

 

Dusay lasted only until the summer of 1988, then returned for a week in March 1991.  When SB was canceled, she had this to say about the experience:

 

"I always thought Santa Barbara was a very good show and liked the work on it.  But when I went in it seemed to be just going to hell in a hand basket.  I truly believe they had their problems within the show, and they just more or less hired me to get rid of the character.  Pamela was the baby of the Dobsons, and when they had their struggle [with NBC, which resulted in their outster from the series they had created] somebody had to take it over, and by then the character couldn't go anyplace.  It evidently was so much politics, and if I had known that it would have helped me feel a lot better.  I thought Pamela was going to be a wonderful character, and she might have been had the Dobsons stayed.  It felt good to return, because there was something of real substance for me to play, and I was much more comfortable.  I liked the way the Dobsons brought Pamela back and where she was coming from.  It's a shame the show was canceled and I'm sorry for all my buddies there."

 

SB should have done much more with Pamela, but it sounds like the writers were not fans of the character and/or Dusay.  Of course, she and Jill Farren Phelps would reunite a few years later at GL when MD was cast as Alexandra Spaulding so apparently there was no ill will there.

Pamela easily could have been SB's version of Alexis Colby.

3 hours ago, redontop4 said:

 

 

It was a mess, mostly of the Dobsons' making. (A Martinez has said many times that he regrets agreeing to play the scenes where Cruz did not recognize his soul mate, Eden, in a wig and glasses.)  

I remember this being sooooo unbelievable. How could Cruz not recognize Eden with just a bad wig and glasses on? It was like Lois Lane not recognizing Clark Kent was Superman. There had to have been a different way the story could have been told.

While not my favorite storyline in the least, I thought both actresses were amazing in the clip, and I love the use of the show's history.

9 hours ago, sheilaforever said:

 

 

 

BTW: I just saw that the party FOR KRISTEN has one of the weirdest and gayest pieces of dialogue ever on B&B.

 

Amidst 9 other shirtless bachelors, a naked Storm says to Ridge: "There are some interesting men you invited to the party..." That's definitely what straight would be talking about at such an event. LMAO!

 

I remember being in middle school and seeing this scene! Even then, I thought....this is really odd.

25 minutes ago, slick jones said:

His name was Michael, but as far as I know, he was British and wealthy--possibly an actor.

 

Actor Ross Kettle (Jeffrey) was royalty on ATWT though, Lord Stewart Markham Cushing.

Lord Stewart Markham Cushing.

I love it! That's a VERY soapy name!

1 hour ago, slick jones said:

Was Pamela's husband Michael royalty?  I think he was wealthy, but having checked the SB homepage and my Santa Barbara notes there was no title attached. Sophia's husband was definitely royalty, he's often referred to, Count Armonti.  

 

 

They wanted Samantha Eggar for the role, but she backed out, that is why Shirley Ann Field was cast. Marj was cast after Capitol went off the air, as she was Myrna Clegg until the finale.

 

I can't remember Pamela's husband's backstory. I'm assuming he was supposed to be Jeffrey's father, too.

50 minutes ago, j swift said:

It is such a great "I told you so" story because part of the Dobsons' whole fight was around the casting of Pamela.  The legend is that they wanted Marj Dusay, but network wanted Shirley Anne Filed (for no apparent reason).  So, when they came back in 1991, after the lawsuit, Pamela was already off the canvas and the whole Mason/Sonny story did not get critical acclaim.  Then, they wrote the single episode to show the change in direction.  It is a testament to their script that it worked because Gordon Thompson had just assumed the role in November so there was very little history played on screen.  My only quibble is the ludicrous foreshadowing of Eden's breakdown.

And Pamela was such a wasted opportunity, too. She should have been a real powerhouse of a character. Marj Dusay would have been terrific to have in the role from the start, and the end result for the character might have been quite different.

I don't remember much from Terry Lester's time as Mason besides when Julia and he put Sasha in the freezer after finding her dead. I'll never forget seeing Sasha in the freezer with ice on her while the actress sung "Am I Blue?" in the background. It was that bit of dark humor that only SB could have done...and done well.

5 minutes ago, teplin said:

 

Indeed. I remember watching it and wishing that it was still Lane Davies playing Mason.

Yes, that would have been amazing to have Lane Davies play it. Although, I think Gordon Thompson played it well. If I remember correctly, the Dobsons had taken control again around this time, and they believed Mason had gotten far off track. So, they designed the episode to sort of reboot the character and remind the audience of his backstory. I remember watching the episode recently on YouTube and really enjoying it.

There was also a dropped interesting subplot that was launched at that time that never developed into anything. A few times Mason speaks about Rosa and her family having some of their land, which became quite profitable, stolen or bought by CC in a bad deal for the Andrades. Rosa mentions not wanting to dig up old history, but Mason assures her that her family will get justice. Then, after a few episodes it's never mentioned again. it could have been compelling if developed especially Santana returns not too long after. What if the Andrades all of a sudden came into some real money? It's a shame that Wanda DeJesus didn't get along with Jed Allan, or the rest of the cast. Santana was such a viable and interesting character.

6 hours ago, j swift said:

 

 

BTW, talk about good luck, both Sophia and Pamela were declared dead but really married European royalty? 

Very true! I should be so lucky.

Favorite specific episodes...

SB had so many excellent individual episodes...I was wondering which ones others remember.

My top one is the Capwell dinner when Mason brings Pamela. The dialogue was so sharp, the performances on mark, and I loved all the wonderful backstory of CC/Sophia/Pamela and how their relationship caused Mason so much pain as a child. We also get hints that Eden's losing it, and Pamela drops the bomb that Cassie is actually a Lockridge. Plus, we get the pure pain Mason feels when he realizes his mother is not mentally stable...and he's losing her all over again.

44 minutes ago, Efulton said:

 

Jason Frame told Nicole that he and her mother Elizabeth were friends when he worked for the Love's as a horse trainer. The Love children thought their mother had committed suicide.  However,  in 1988 they found out that Reginald killed her as Jason was blackmailing Reginald about it. I just watched these episodes on YouTube. 

 

 

Peter was the first to show up as an employee at Cory Publishing.  In the beginning he and Cass had a bit of rivalry over Sally Frame.  Then Donna, Perry, Nicole, Marley, Victoria and finally Reginald arrived in this order.

 

Here is Anna Stuart's first episode. She shows up at 32 mins.

 

So many of my favourite characters are in this episode.  It also the first episode where Peg Murray (Olga AMC) was filling in for Connie Ford as Ada.

 

 

1983 and d1984 were such good years for the show.  I rewatched what is available of these years on YouTube last year and they hold up very well.  It is so frustrating that it all went to Hell in 1985.

 

 

Thanks for the clarification.

It's great to see Anna Stuart's first episode.

Outside of Jake and Kathleen, the McKinnon's didn't seem to really pan out. It felt like they didn't know what to do with Mary once she reunited with Vince.

20 minutes ago, chrisml said:

I had a question about Roberta Bizeau's Flame. Why was she fired? I vaguely remember reading something about Roscoe Born sending a f.u. videotape to Rauch and that this caused Rauch to fire Bizeau in retaliation. Flame and Michael were just getting together and I believe Flame was also in Dash's orbit so the Dobsons had plans for her, but Born's actions got her fired since they were a couple.

I'm not sure what the reason for her firing (and the short-term recast that followed). She was easily one of the most dynamic actresses/characters the show had at the time. It was a big loss for the show!

2 minutes ago, BuckyB12 said:

I think Peter was first, coming in to work with Cass, and being set up with either Sally or Julia. Not sure how long after that until we met the rest of them - there may have been another writing change (there were a lot of them in the early to mid-80s).

AW went through tons of changes during the early 80s. It feels like many characters (and actors) came and went at lightning speed as they were trying to slow the ratings decline.

I can't remember what was said to happen to Donna, Nicole, and Peter's mother. Does anyone recall?

I feel like AW was trying to recreate Stefano on DAYS with Reginald.

21 minutes ago, slick jones said:

A terrible take-off of the original, but at least one alien is gay.....

I found it okay enough to give it a second view. I agree that having one of the aliens be gay was a nice twist and addition of diversity. 

5 minutes ago, BuckyB12 said:

 

 

Of course, by then we had already met Sandy, another unknown son, and soon after, Paulina, after Mac's death. Not only that, but when the Love family was first introduced, there were hints that Mac had been very close to their mother and that one of the four Love siblings might have been fathered by Mac. I think a change in writers caused that idea to be dropped (and of course, we didn't know then that Marley was Donna's daughter, or that there was a twin). 

Does anyone remember how the Love family was first introduced? Did it start with Donna?

I believe Iris was led to believe she adopted at one point, but then it was retconned and she was once again Mac's bio dad. I'm not sure if they ever explained that accent. Although, I do agree that Carmen Duncan was great at the beginning. The writing didn't serve her well later. Rachel and she should have remained strong rivals (such as OLTL's Viki and Dorian) throughout the show's run.

On ‎1‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 8:50 AM, DRW50 said:

 

I always thought Jake and Vicky were a mistake. They worked better as longtime friends.

While I did, overall, enjoy the last year of the show, it just wasn't the same with sooo many new characters and families.  I feel after the Dobson's last stint the show tried to go very "mainstream" and that took away what had made it so special and a cult favorite.

1 hour ago, Soaplovers said:

Didn't she also play a brief role on Passions in between her two OLTL stints that required her to be over the top?  I wonder if it was a combination of that plus her feeling she had to camp it up in order to adjust to 'modern day' soap acting that led to the change in how she played Dorian?

 

Her Dorian in the 80s, and than her Dorian from 93 to 2000 was a lot more subdued/subtle.. more like a snake that is friendly, but would strike if crossed.  And Robin Strasser is capable of playing subtle roles (She had a good chance to show that in the mini series Baby M in particular).

I do feel that her later years on OLTL had turned into more of a comic relief role. I do think she handled that change well, and I loved her relationship with David. But, she did lose some of that bite as a character. At that point, it was hard to really see her as a threat to Viki.

One part of the character that I always enjoyed was her role as matriarch to the Cramer women. Despite the over the topness, Dorian was fiercely protective of her "girls." I also loved that the show had a core family that was made up, almost, entirely of women.

On ‎1‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 8:28 AM, EONGLOLTL said:

 

 

Joseph Barbara and Hank Cheyne on AW also curled my toes!  

  

+1

Their furry chests were awesome!

8 hours ago, dc11786 said:

 

 

Also, Ava is now involved in this "Phantom of the Opera"-esque storyline involving the mystery owner of the store involving some rather involved dream sequences with people who do not appear to be James Carroll playing the role of Mr. Burnell. The Giff / Trisha pairing and Giff's insanity pop up almost instantly. The change in Giff is drastic and not subtle at all. The show quickly burns through plot: the custody situation for baby Christopher is resolved by Lynn Thigpeg in about 2 episodes, Gwyn and Clay married in June and have annulled the marriage in August, and the whole Selena story is over. 

 

Did the story with Ava and Mr. Burnell ever get resolved?

8 hours ago, Riverdalefan1 said:

Had the show got a 10th year I can’t imagine anyone headwriting the show except perhaps Ron Carlivati.

 

However, I would imagine Marlene Clark Poulter and Darrell Ray Thomas would have been promoted instead of moving to DAYS.

I feel year 9 just got so wacky and out of hand I'm not sure anyone could turn that ship around.

Passions did have some of my favorite dialogue of all time though...

Grace- "I haven't had thing to wear since the house got sucked into hell!"

Some of the actors should have gotten awards just for keeping straight faces.

On ‎1‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 1:52 AM, Wendy said:

 

Well, it certainly didn't help (IMO!) that Carmen Zapata was ushered off suddenly and replaced with Karmin Murcillo for Ric's daddy story. Why would anyone care that this sudden recast was lying about Ric's paternity? I get Carmen was de-aged for this story, but if you had to go through all sorts of hoops to sell it, maybe it wasn't meant to be told to begin with.

I agree, and it was sort of disorienting when Cruz's mother was suddenly 20 years younger. I don't remember the recast lasting past this story either.

I forgot how they eventually wrote Ric out. Did he just quietly leave town?

3 hours ago, dc11786 said:

I'll look for them and type them up. 

 

I know there are a lot of brief episode listings for the early episodes available in markets that the show aired in primetime. If I come across any of those that I've saved I'll try to post them as well. 

Thanks! That would be interesting to see!

1 minute ago, Franko said:

I'm glad you touched upon the parody aspect, because I want to throw it out to the other readers. Did Passions work as a parody? I say yes in the sense that it frequently had humor, but no in the sense that it didn't have something to balance it against. There's gotta be something, like a distinct sense of style (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman), excellent acting and genuine emotion (Soap at its best) or an apparent affection for the material (Carol Burnett's As the Stomach Turns sketches, Acorn Antiques).

I feel like the show didn't start of as a parody of soaps but as a supernatural soap that JER loved to write. But as the years went on, especially at the end, I feel he went all out parody. Remember Juanita who blamed Pilar for her whole family getting mowed down the cops? She was totally off the charts camp/telenovela. It was fun to watch but no way could you take it serious.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zQMfUf7dE8