BetterForgotten

The late 70’s/early 80’s might as well be described as ATWT’s lost years. Seems like P&G really struggled with how to move the show forward and they were really caught off guard by ATWT’s ratings erosion and the rise of the ABC soaps.

These Liz and Carly scenes discussing Bobbie would have been so much more effective if Frank splurged on showing some Liz/Bobbie flashbacks, especially when Liz was talking about how supportive Bobbie was to her when she needed someone. It’s such an easy thing to do as well since these characters were never recast.

From what I’ve seen of their Tom and Margo on ATWT, they appeared to be an early template for what the Dobsons envisioned for Mason and Julia.

GL seemed to have success with husband/wife teams for some reason - Soderberg/Sommer, Dobsons, and finally Curlee/Demorest.

Given how they wrote SaBa when they were permitted to return (as if nothing had changed much since they were locked out), I wonder how they would have written those GL characters again after their progression during the Curlee era. Holly, in particular, was a much different character by then and Roger was more of a conflicted anti-hero if anything.

And Holly!

She’s probably not kidding either - I get the sense Julia was who NLG wishes she could be in real life…

Jerry wrote a novel that was published in 2018. His website domain is pretty much dedicated to it: https://jeromedobson.com/

I said it before, but The Dobson’s appeared to need a really strong EP to collaborate with, to support them, and to ground their material. That’s why I think their creative marriage with Allen Potter was so successful on GL. They didn’t have the same caliber producers on ATWT, and yes, on their own creation, SaBa.

In honor of Bridget Dobson, it’s “that thing with the dead leaves!” they would try to write compelling material around! Any excuse to hear the “Ritoutnelle” theme is a good one IMHO though! But seriously, Bridget and Jerry’s GL stint should be studied as a masterclass on how to “revive and reinvent” an old soap while still maintaining its original integrity and heart.

In honor of Bridget Dobson, it’s “that thing with the dead leaves!” they would try to write compelling material around! Any excuse to hear the “Ritoutnelle” theme is a good one IMHO though!

Perhaps it was for the best after their experience with NBC on SaBa and what the P&G soaps were bring reduced to by the mid 90’s. I just don’t see them thriving in that atmosphere very well. I do know they still kept tabs with the daytime community into the 00’s. Bridget and Jerry visited the Y&R set, toured the set, and met with Lee Phillip Bell not long after WJB passed in 2005, I believe.

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Not much can be said that hasn’t already been said. Bridget was such a complicated woman whose personality was never unnoticed. Eccentric, troubled, yet deeply fascinating. So much of that channeled into her writing and the characters she created and had a hand in developing. Bridget and Jerome’s GL work still holds up incredibly well and I’ve been so grateful to discover some of it over the years. Though the good and the bad, you always know and feel when you’re watching material penned by the Donson’s. There’s a certain vibrancy they had that always trickled into their work. RIP and thank you for the hours of entertainment, Bridget!

I think had they had a talented/skilled producer like Allen Potter at ATWT (and eventually SB), that gelled with them but was also able to ground their ideas better, those latter stints might have been more cohesive and better executed.

GL was unquestionably Bridget and Jerry’s most consistent and best work by most accounts. Their era is such a highlight in GL’s vast history and one I’m always glad to discover more of. Bridget seemed like quite the eccentric character herself, and her life story a compelling narrative in itself. May she RIP and thanks to her for her many great contributions to this genre. And despite what Marland would later think of him, I think Allen Potter was an excellent EP who really brought GL into the modern age. He never gets any credit for his contributions either.

I have not seen an official source, but Michele Val Jean posted on Twitter that Bridget Dobson has passed away.

I have not seen an official source, but Michele Val Jean posted on Twitter that Bridget Dobson has passed away.

Always great to see you chiming in @Dan! 🙂

Kobe next went on to be involved in the early stages of B&B not long after - I wonder how she got associated with the Bell’s. I had heard she was particularly instrumental in helping with the casting of the young heroines (Johanna Johnson and KKL) there.

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I guess Lorie Brooks is the only one who managed to get one over Victor.

Despite my thoughts on Geary’s storyline and character preferences, I do think excluding him intentionally would be a miss. He was also very close to Jackie. It’s too bad that Sarah Joy Brown, the Carly Jackie interacted with the most and had the most chemistry with couldn’t be part of this somehow.

Thanks, @soapfan770! I hope you’re having a great holiday season as well!

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