j swift

From Rachel to Victoria and Felicia most women in Bay City tempered their inner bitch for the love of a good man. It is my least liked soap trope, (and not specific to AW necessarily), but I don't think most writers feel that a female character can sustain if she is unlikable. Speaking of Rachel, and where she lived with Ada, I recall watching an episode from the early 1980's when Mac and Rachel were fighting over custody of the kids. Ada visited Rachel in an apartment to discuss the supervised visitation issues that were being fought for in the divorce. At that time, Rachel was living in an apartment and I wondered how long that set lasted as her abode?

Totally agree. I remember watching Rachel and Mac's double wedding with Blaine and Sandy, and Felicia was very unsympathetic. She was bullying Julia and making catty remarks. Very unlike how she was later written.

Not to go too far into the weeds on the AW analogy, but the Bayview Courts apartments on Another World was another attempt at trying to tie twentysomething characters together based on living in a communal space rather than within a family unit (very Melrose Place). However, even in the 90's, it would have been rare for a rich woman like Sydney Chase to live in the same building as an editor's assistant like Ally. And I don't know many municipal building officials would allow a permit for a new drop-in clinic to be next door to a dive bar. In retrospect, perhaps the writers of The City thought too small by having everyone live within feet of each other rather than using the entirety of Greenwich Village, or the borough of Manhattan, as a backdrop?

Does that mean Lindsay Hartley doesn't really read scripts in her hot tub with then-boyfriend Jason Shane Scott in a speedo?

I just randomly remembered that Dorian's sister Melinda and her ex-lover David Rinaldi (not Vickers) were both pianists. I don't recall any mention made of the coincidence, and given that David/Cassie were retconed into Dorian history it was probably not planned. However, it would have been an interesting introduction if Dorian mentioned that she met David through her sister. Melinda was hospitalized in the asylum in 1981, and David was introduced in 1983, but I guess given the changes in writers and producers it was a lifetime apart.

then, of course this happened I'm guessing PFS aced every executive interview to get the job, and then couldn't manage the office politics, because I've never heard of anyone who had such short tenures at so many shows...

The Feds always make hyperbolic statements like those about Jen. Selling bad customer listings is not the same as stealing and seems difficult to prove. A simple re-watch of Glengarry Glen Ross would demonstrate how companies buy bad listings all the time to try to make sales. Someone would have to be able to show receipts that Jen knew the lists were faulty and sold them anyway. However, the fact that she and her assistant were actually arrested is shocking! Andy noted that they are currently filming. So, it will be a schadenfreude-fest to watch the reactions of the other women to Jen's situation.

It could never truly be the worst because that distinction will forever be held by Guiding Light's final theme "Only Love" with the horrible lyric Everybody wants truth Everybody wants hope Everybody clings to sex like soap on a rope

I like the mid century pencil illustrations the best, even though the shading makes it look like every actress could cut a steak with those sharp cheekbones

At first Anderson seemed to be a construction firm, but then it morphed into a manufacturing industry. Kellam Chandler, (Liz's father, Marlena's rapist), took over the company after Bob's death when Mary struggled to maintain the company with Chris from the intrusion of her stepmother. Chris developed a solar energy thing-a-ma-jig, Kellam tried to steal it. Chris stole it back. I think Chris was always a lawyer, but he was more interested in entrepreneurship, like owning the gym and later Shenanigans. Kellam was backing Don's political career in order to get him out of town and leave Marlena vulnerable. Soon afterward he was shot by his son Todd. Presumably, Todd and Liz inherited the company. Given Todd's drug addiction and Liz's singing career neither was interested in running the company. Not to mention that the terrible head writer of that story was fired. However, given the takeover, Bob's family inherited the profits from the sale of Anderson, (which is why Alex tried to marry Mary), but they no longer owned the plant. Mary's death at the hands of the Salem strangler ended that line of inheritance, with the exception of Melissa. So, it would seem that there is not much left of the company to be brought back. The real shame is loss of Bob Anderson's house set. It was mid century perfection. Micky lived there for a while while raising Melissa. Then the set went unused. But, I still recall that cantilevered staircase and the horizontal wood paneling. So cool!

I enjoyed these so much that I decided to make a game. - Who's that supposed to be? Name the soap, the character(s), and the actor for each picture. Try to submit your answers using the spoiler button (it looks like an eye), so that there's no cheating. I've added the soap using the spoiler button if you need a hint. #1 - We'll start easy with a classic Sandy Dvore image from #2 may look like a comic book but it's from #3 from the same ad #4 I included both members of this couple because she is unrecognizable to me in illustrated form #5 The other part of this couple would have given it away too easily #6 She's dressed for bed, not a black tie event #7 Looks like a generic image of a soap actor, but the character was so popular that he was on more than one show #8 - Does the headpiece give it away (or the eyebrows)? #9 a classic TV Guide caricature (hint not Falcon Crest) #10 To be fair, the covers of these novelizations were probably intentionally obscure in order to avoid paying the actors for their images. So, bonus points if you can guess which characters they are trying to portray. The winner gets a trip to Roman and Diana's Greek Wedding (time machine, airfare, and hotel not included).

While looking at the TV Guide ad for Capitol that I posted in the Capitol thread, I fell into a google-hole of soap print ads It was interesting to look at how CBS ads changed with the decades (Can you match the names with their images in the GL ad, and was India the only woman in the history of soaps who wanted to look older than her age?) NBC ads went from earnest (what does it mean to be "half in love"?) to amusing When I think of NBC I think of their classic illustrated ads - like this Cecile ad from the 90s (where the unrealistic perspective of the compact really annoys me), but check out the copy on the DAYS ad for a sizzling half sibling romance I also enjoyed the classic NBC contest ads (Would you rather attend Felicia, Sally, or Kayla's wedding? & Are they trying to trick us by showing the DAYS bride as a brunette?) ABC changed over the years but seemed to be influenced by the NBC illustrations Some illustrators may not have been as talented as others which lead to these odd images - Does RH Jill have a sidegig as Sandy in Grease? What's with Siobhan's large hand? And why is SFT Suzy marrying Grant Show from RH? Dynasty's odd illustrations matched the oddity of the Two Krystal's plot (was Krystal being played by a ventriloquist dummy?) And Kim Zimmer must have been pleased when CBS switched from illustration to photos

For the 39th anniversary of the primetime premiere of Capitol I thought it would be fun to revisit the TV Guide artwork for the CBS ad. In comparison to Photoshop work in modern ads, this looks like hieroglyphics. But, here's challenge: If this was the cover of a novelization of the script of Capitol who do you think they were trying to depict? I'm going with Tyler and Julie as the central couple, Sam & Myrna in the upper left, and Mark & Paula in the upper right. The woman running in sunglasses (and Ice skates?) may have been Clarissa (in the premiere scene where she is almost run over by Trey's limo while jogging) And the woman in the bottom right would be Sloane (if she was played by Susan Keith).

This may be too generous given @RavenWhitney's assessment of the writer, but I thought the names were meant to represent the duality of their sibling relationship, Beth-the-virgin and Liz-the-sexy one, etc... It was akin to a character with multiple personalities but played by separate actresses.

I wonder if we are catching up on screen to the point that production was shut down earlier in the year and if there will be any noticeable changes?

I hadn't watched that show since Christina Ferrare was fired, (or the early days when Steve Garvey's second wife named Cyndi was a regular), so I was shocked to read that up until now it was being produced two hours a day, five days a week! It was reminiscent of a time when Hallmark wanted to have a daytime lineup which included Martha Stewart, her food editor, and that show about training your pets. I miss that kind of DIY, use-a-sheet-for-a-window-curtain, kind of content in the morning. As tacky as most of it was, at least there was entertainment in the attempt at original ideas. It reminds me of the endless parade of Canadian decorators sponge painting on HGTV in its heyday.

The will is such "soap opera logic", no probate court would allow someone to bequeath their estate and then state how it could be spent. Once Edward got his inheritance, his father had no rights over his bastard grandchildren and their fortunes; they're not the royal family. Also, ELQ was always Edward's company, not the family's business, so his cousins were not likely to benefit, or suffer, from the profits of those endeavors. My favorite "soap logic" errors are when adults are written as if they immediately have rights to inherit a family fortune as soon as they find that one of their long lost parents were rich. Doris Duke left a chunk of her estate to a woman who she adopted as an adult that she felt was a reincarnation of her dead daughter and Leona Helmsley left a fortune to her dog. Proving that in real life rich people don't owe you money just because you share DNA.

I am constantly amused when I find out that actors are using their middle name as their stage name. As pointed out in that article John James's father and brother had the last name Anderson. Now, maybe it was John's stepfather, but still I never stop to think when someone has a first name for a surname that it is fake (e.g. Lea Michelle & Chuck Todd) It is a good thing that Lynda and JMR went into soap reporting and not psychic predictions because from assuring us not to worry that Paper Dolls will return, to their hopes for the future of Berringers, they sucked at prognostication. Whether it was 1985 or 1991, Jack Wagner's contract seems to always be an issue. Would You Rather? (1984 edition) - Attend Ann Flood and Forrest Compton's finale party for Edge of Night, Search for Tomorrow's holiday gala with surprise couple Lisa Peluso and Perry Stephens, GL's Christmas party where Grant Alexander wore his "trademark" tux and an anonymous source remarked that he's a "weird bird, hot one minute, cold the next", or Bob Mackie's birthday bash for Brad Maule?

Between Alexandra, Celia, and Lorena, (not to mention Quentin, Betsy, Hal, and Herbert), the Q's were much more welcoming of distant cousins than they were of their own daughter Tracy. Edward invested in the spa, paid for both of Celia's weddings, and gave Alexandra a top job at the family business, while Tracy had to withhold his heart meds just to get some scraps. It also begs the question of why all of these rando's would come to Port Charles rather than the family's historic home on Long Island, where Tracy and Alan were raised?

I don't think Celia and Alexandra were siblings. The writing was very careful to point out that Celia was a second cousin. I assume because they didn't want viewers to be confused when she had an affair with her new found relative Jimmy Lee. Since everyone was so helpful with my first set of questions, I have a few more: Was Crane Tolliver Lila's first husband, or was he just trying to blackmail the Q's about Lila's first husband? BTW I always confabulate GH Crane Tolliver with OLTL Talbot Huddleston; two creepy older killers with weird names. Susan Moore, and later Lorena, were obsessed by the idea that Lila or Edward could have been bigamists, but (other than embarrassment), why would it matter if they were together for more than three decades and their children's inheritance was determined by their wills, not their prior marriages? I get that Lorena could have been Monica's cousin, but given Monica's backstory as a neglected orphan who found a substitute mother in Gail Baldwin, would she and Lorena really have any shared history? Did Jimmy Lee always know that Beatrice was his mother? Because, why was he from the sticks while she was wondering around in Europe?

We've moved quickly from the end of 1984 to the beginning of 1985 First on the docket, we get confirmation of the Tina casting shenanigans at OLTL I find it amusing that she dyed her hair and now I really want to see those scenes Meanwhile, weeks after this odd party We got this news Of course, spoiler alert, Maule survives at least two attempts to kill off Tony before he finally bit the big one on GH And then there were 13...

Upon reflection, the Brooke/Erica rivalry almost arose out of thin air. Early on when Brooke was involved with Dan, Benny, and then Tom, I don't remember any significant interactions between the two women. Erica never pined for Tom, and given Phoebe's disdain for Mona, she and Brooke rarely socialized. It wasn't until Brooke hooked up with Adam that Erica began the narrative about how Brooke took all of Erica's leftovers. Then, Brooke's relationship with Jack cemented their animosity. It feels like various writers used Brooke to remind Erica that either Adam or Jack were the loves of her life. Erica was usually willing to toss any guy aside, until she knew someone else wanted them. Certainly Brooke never did anything to Erica to deserve her scorn. They just happened to have the same taste in men.

I'm reading summaries of 1983-1984 on Soaps of Yesterday's Tumblr, but I was wondering if anyone has a link to more information, or just a good memory, regarding the Tale of Two Grants. I know Grant came to PC with Celia (a distant Quartermaine cousin). During the Prometheus Disk plot it was revealed that he was actually an undercover Russian agent. Then, the real Grant Putnam comes to PC, and they start calling the other one Grant Andrews. Putnam is secretly a psychotic maniac. He kidnapped Celia. Scorpio and Grant Andrews save her, Putnam is arrested. He goes off to a mental hospital for a few years, then escapes, kills Philomena, and kidnaps Anna with his huge dog. Here's my questions: Did Celia first meet Putnam or Andrews? How long before the move to PC did Andrews take over Putnam's identity? Given that Putnam was responsible for his brother's death as a teen, did Andrews know that Putnam was a maniac when he assumed his identity? Why was Andrews allowed to stay in PC after everyone found out he was a spy? Didn't Andrews have another name besides Grant? (Was it an 80's thing that everyone decided his real name was too hard to say or spell?) Was it plastic surgery or did they just happen to look alike? How was Celia related to Alexandra Quatermaine? (and why did all of the Q cousins come to Port Charles rather than the family's home in Long Island where Edward and his brother were raised?) It seems clear that Putnam was an afterthought used to keep the popular actor on the canvas, but it created a lot of plotholes to fill.

I think of Maria as more of a good girl yin to Erica's bad girl yang; much like Tara was with Phil. But, she did inspire the iconic "St. Maria of Wildwood with her push up bra tending to the sick and needy" in Erica's Woman of the Year Speech. Barbara and Brooke felt like rivals on an equal playing field. They were accomplished ladies who posed a real threat to Erica's happiness. Whereas Krystal was the kind of gal men would settle for when they could no longer handle Erica's needs. After all, Barbara was present for another of Erica's most iconic fights when they spewed the word bitch to each other more times than have ever been heard in daytime tv. BTW in Pine Valley or Llandview if someone offers you the Woman of Year trophy, you should definitely decline the honor because it was always the worst night of that woman's year.