j swift

It is fun to think of all of the cultural references that went into the 1977 episodes. After PBS's Six Wives of Henry the Eighth was broadcast in 1970 it created a renewed interest in Tudor design and fashion, including the 1977 hit song Greensleeves about Anne Boleyn, which may have been reflected in Karen's wedding headpiece. Anne Morrow Lindbergh's diaries had been recently published causing a cultural discussion about the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, which may have had an influence on Viki's story. Also, 1976 saw the culmination of the Patty Hearst trial and in 1977 her case was commuted by President Carter that created a public interest in the insanity defense used by women of wealth and privilege which may have been reflected in Cathy Craig's involvement in the Rielly's kidnapping.

Wasn't Dorian's line about her portrait prophetic? It became such a signature part of the set design that it was interesting to note its origin and the fact that Victor "made" her get it painted. That portrait traveled more than Karen and Larry on their honeymoon. Karen's wedding veil was - a choice. I was surprised she could talk, let alone eat, with that thing tied under her chin. It is funny to think that her desire for sliding glass doors set the stage for her to become a prostitute and the events that would effect the rest of her life. I was also amused by the other fashion choices, with everyone wearing a hat and the number of bridesmaids, given that it was an at-home reception. Also, Vinny's line about the cake cutting being a chauvinistic tradition seemed out of character, given his history of chauvinism. BTW - who was the other little boy eating cake with Danny during the credits? Dr. Will Vernon was creepy. I'm sure that was not the intended subtext but his talk with Jenny, whom he knew was the object of his son's desire, gave me douche chills. When he asked her where she would be at 40, I wondered if that meant he was 40 years older than her or was he supposed to be in his 40's. Also, he seemed to have no concern for confidentiality given that he freely spoke about Cathy's therapy with Tony. Personally, the recasts are jarring. I kept having to remind myself of which one was Dorian, Karen, Tony, Jenny, Brad, Samantha, Cathy, and Will. I started watching when Samantha married Asa and they all looked much different at that point.

If memory serves me right, I think Cathy was younger than Viki and closer in age to Jenny. She was just over 18 when she went to rehab, which was in 1970. So, by 1977 she was in her mid-20s. However, she was a talented writer and very smart which may have made seem older (that and being played by actresses who were older than the character). She was a true 1970's neurotic and never became a real "hot mess" until she lost her baby and got into kidnapping. https://www.oocities.org/historypg/ar750323.html

I usually don't engage in discussions about ratings because I think they are often misconstrued by fans, and soap press, as the sole indication of a soap's viability. However, I wonder how much the erosion the Ryan's Hope fan base in 1985-1986 can be attributed to story versus the rise of Y&R as a competitor in the time slot? Obviously there were many factors both within the production and outside of the show, but it is hard not to believe that growth of Y&R had an impact. It could be argued that viewers would not have been as easily lured to CBS if RH told a compelling story. Yet, it would be reductive to believe that a change in the focus of the show was the major issue, when Y&R thrived after changing focus to new families within Genoa City.

Please help jog my memory. The brunette in this video had some relationship to Cassandra Rawlins and the never ending murder mystery surrounding her husband. Was she George's niece, stepdaughter or Cassandra's cousin? Did she simply disappear from Genoa City at the end of the story? Wasn't she somehow the key to Paul finding Cassandra's lover (also can't remember his name, but I think he was later cast as Mallet on GL)? My only memories of the character was that she spoke with a "Demi Moore type" rasp in her voice and she was very pretty. Spoiler Alert: I recall the resolve of the mystery had something to do with the gun being in ice and the trigger shot when it melted. I do not know if the gun device was an original idea or lifted from a film. I also remember that Cassandra was not convicted and went on to marry Brad, then died crossing the street in front of Gina's Place. However, the other details elude me.

Every time someone mentions Eight Year in Another World, I recall the anachronistically funny scene when he meets with Henry Sleasar and Lemay is so impressed that Sleasar has his own mimeograph machine. As well as the interesting discussion that before the writer's guild had domain over daytime, a head writer was given a budget that he could either use to hire a staff or keep it all and try to do most of the work on his own. It is a reminder of how difficult it must have been to produce a soap script in the 1970's. It makes the idea of re-writing seem so much more onerous. Which is another reason that his phone calls with Irna Phillips must have been so annoying. I still recall writing papers for school, before we all had personal computers, and paying a fortune to get someone to do my typing. Crafting five scripts a week for an entire cast and crew must have taken exponentially more manpower than is required today.

I don't know this story. May I ask you to fill in the details?

@dc11786that is a great resource, thank you for posting it! Interestingly in the SOD summaries Brady went to Yale (rather than Harvard as mentioned here) and Jeff went to Harvard. The mystery of why Brady was kicked off the equestrian team was due to drug use (although it never reoccurred as an issue for him once he met Koty). Funny how their family endowed a university but Patrick, Brady, and Jeff were specifically created as ivy-leaguers (no college admission scandals at the guy version of Hadden Hall, I guess). It is also notable that Carter is older than Taylor, but Taylor and her mother must have had overlapping pregnancies since Brady is a year younger than his aunt Julia. The fact that Mike was Eddie's half-brother makes his age being close to his nephew Tom's age more probable. But, one wonders how Koty, a 19-year-old (with a brain tumor), would qualify as a surrogate. And, at 27, Lacey seems young to be appointed the Dean of the woman's college. Also, it is amusing that a lack of mention of Christina and Sarah's sister Lisa, probably meant that she was not part of the original bible.

This all makes sense but I was referring to the clunky comparative made to people living individual lives. It is like writing, "not all people look good wearing yellow, but we all die sometime."

From my recent reading of the plot from SOD on tumblr Yes, Patrick was single and left $50,000 to Sarah in his will, which Noel later stole to give to Eddie the night she whacked him with a wrench, (and seems like a pittance considering her sister Christina inherited a diamond when Patrick's late wife died, just for being a good friend). Noel gave the money back to Sarah to fund the expansion of the motorlodge to include the new nightclub (a misguided idea by Tom that college students would want to go to a motel/disco). Why Patrick allowed Sarah to continue to be abused by Eddie, and the particulars of why Michelle was put up for adoption, but Carter was raised by the Chapin family butler, were never explored. Carter divorced Christina and married Marissa in Mexico. But, Christina used her knowledge that Carter was with Eddie when Sonny the mobster was killed to get him to rip up the divorce papers (somehow the act of ripping the paper invalidated the divorce). He later nullified his marriage to Marissa when he found out that he was a Chapin so that she would not have access to his new found wealth (even though he was specifically excluded from Patrick's will, somehow he gained controlling interest in the family's home and business). Then, a few months later when thier blackmailer was presumed dead, Carter and Christina divorced for good. From what I read here and elsewhere, Marissa disappears due to contract issues between the show and Patty Davis who played her, requiring one of the many Ritual recasts (she was President Reagan's daughter and a huge case of stunt casting). SOD specifically noted that Jeff was adopted, (although at times he was referred to as Christina's stepson, there was no mention of a first wife for Carter), thus clearing the path for his affair with Noel. However, it still doesn't resolve the fact that they grew up together as cousins, at least that GL cousin couple met as adults. For me, the lasting question was the fictional ages of the characters. Was Carter born before Taylor? Was Julia older than Brady? Why was Mike so close in age to his nephew Tom? The Hadden Hall faculty and staff was full of plot-convenient late in life children.

How are the Daytime Emmy's still a thing? I know they were back on CBS after being shuffled off network for years, then being hosted by singing "news" anchors, and finally being streamed on some obscure website. However, I'm sure there is more value in being named the Walmart Customer of the Month than a Daytime Emmy. I am willing to bet that more people read the posting on this discussion board about the best/worst of 2020 than will watch the Daytime Emmy ceremony this year.

It is funny that she is poised next Jen Shah. In every scene I think that Mary's clothes are so much edgier than her hair and makeup that she really needs a stylist. Not to be too snobby, but that is the difference between people who say that they love fashion versus those who actually just like shopping and acquisition of more things. Also, at the risk of being gouache, I don't understand Meredith's body. Either she gained some weight during her separation from Seth, and then lost it before filming the confessionals, or she has huge boob implants and a tiny waist and it looks in proportion in certain outfits. However, I appreciate her con that by saying less she has convinced the others ladies that she is more sophisticated, rather than the truth which is that she just has very few interesting ideas to talk about...

CC Capwell #1 has passed, not the best CC, but interesting that he was also a pharamacist Hollywood Reporter: #RIP Peter Mark Richman; pharmacist turned actor was in everything from 'A Hatful of Rain' on Broadway, 'Friendly Persuasion' and 'The Black Orchid' on the big screen and 'Dynasty' and 'Three's Company — as Chrissy's dad! — on TV. https://bit.ly/3qqGVrx https://twitter.com/MikeBarnes4/status/1349892934498324482?s=20

Can anyone explain the final line? "Each person's life is unique, but the rituals remain the same." That makes no sense and it is demonstrably untrue. My rituals include a morning ice coffee and a banana. Was Christina suggesting that it somehow universal? Why is a connection being made between individualism and rituals? I get that they were referencing the title, but that is a clunky line.

If Carter Robertson was the illegitimate son of Patrick Chapin, and Michelle Davenport was the illegitimate daughter of Patrick Chapin, then did they unknowingly have an incestuous affair and nobody mentioned it? I spent a very enjoyable afternoon reading the SOD synopsis on Tumblr. https://classicritualssod.tumblr.com/ The experience reminded me why I originally loved SOD. The synopses covered most of the story and I was able to get an adequate overview of the whole series. I admired how many plots got told within one year in a 30 minute format. Also, experiencing it by reading the cannon, I wasn't distracted by the multiple recasts and other production issues that plagued the legacy of the show. There were some dropped plots that were obviously due to changes in the head writers. Logan never had to judge Taylor's performance at the University (in fact, she barely worked at the Hadden Hall). Diandra's motives shift from selfish covetous bitch to caring wife throughout her pregnancy and I falsely predicted that her baby's daddy was her prior Latin boyfriend because they kept saying she was further along than she thought. The football team living in mansion never gets resolved. There was no follow up on Marissa's attempt to murder Carter by gas. How did the Chapin's recover financially after being bailed out by CJ Field's marriage to Taylor? Also, why did Mr. and Mrs. Chapin have such disparate wills without leaving any property to their surviving spouses? Tom Gallagher was like the Job of the show, from his girlfriend who committed suicide because she was raped by his father, to paralysis, radiation poisoning, and being mislead into raising his brother's son, that guy rarely experienced a moment of peace. The male parts are so stereotypical for an 80's soap, any younger guy can go undercover as either a white supremacist or a latin revolutionary, and every older guy has inexplicable sex appeal. I will never understand adult characters, like Carter, who change their last name when they find out that they are illegitimate; it takes a lot of work to change your name and it doesn't seem worth it (also, it was confusing when SOD suddenly calls him "Chapin" in the summaries). Did his wife and son also change their last name? Finally, SOD intermittently refers to Christina as "Chris" and Dakota as "Koty" which left me wondering if they went by both names on the show? I recommend a reading, each week is two-pages, and it was a great distraction from world events. 10 out of 10

Oy! Can we please return to discussing our memories of AW and dissecting the plots? If I have to read one more piece of supposition on the financial outlook of P&G, or the viability of syndication from people who are non-experts in entertainment business affairs, I am going to pull every hair out of my head!

It is amusing that certain criticisms (like Kirkland's Hope) get repeated over time and become part of the folklore of the show. I feel that the Dubujak clan were far more corrosive to the Ryan's cannon. Max's mobsters were described as international crime lords, and they were concerned with things like espionage and currency trading. In essence, the Dubujak's took the focus outside of the neighborhood of Riverside and extended the world of Ryan's Hope too far from the bar (both literally and figuratively because they blew it up). Whereas the Novotny mobsters were involved in gambling and racketeering which would actually affect the daily lives of the Ryan's. The Novak/Novotnys were far more of a threat to the vulnerable, or morally corruptible, members of the extended Ryan family, and their violent tactics seemed scarier since they had followed through on actually killing Mary. Max completely derailed the character of Siobhan, and turned her from woman with her own agency into a damsel in distress. I never enjoy a male character to whom everyone is drawn toward despite having no redeemable values. Then, by the time you introduce Max's crazy mother, first wife, and daughter with their inexplicably variable accents (aka the Hilaria Baldwins of the 1980's), and his returns from the dead, I think it subverted the core values of the show much more than the introduction of the Kirkland's.

Given that it is the 36th anniversary of the final episode, let's discuss our memories of the finale. Many cite the finale as the best soap ending in the genre, which is admittedly a lot to live up to upon repeat viewing. I just rewatched it and I was left as excited by the cliffhanger as I was upon my initial viewing. It is remarkable that they built entire new sets for Miles's Honeymoon Suite and Wonderland Lane as the show was ending. I always loved the EON score, so to hear the music cue at the end of episode sent chills up my spine. However, I was left with a few questions: Was Laurie Karr brought back once they knew the show was cancelled or were there larger plans for the character? Why wasn't she in the final episode? And how would Jody know who she was when Mike mentioned her at the wedding? Regardless of those nitpicks, I still enjoy the episode and I think it deserves its iconic status.

I've always been intrigued by the virtual inaccuracies of TV set design, but Southfork is a special case all unto itself. In the pilot and mini-series episodes, JR, Bobby and Jock each lived in attached casitas that made up the main house. However, by the time the show went to series they all wound up in one two-story house. There seemed to be an endless supply of en-suites because each couple had their own bedroom with attached bath (which I guess were the redecorated spaces from when the boys were teens on the ranch). As well as an en-suite for Lucy, and rooms for the eventual third generation of Ewings. We know that Ray lived in a separate tack-house close to the barn, but there is no mention of other servants quarters. In real life, the house would look like an ice cream cone, with the entry, formal living and dining room, and a kitchen on the ground floor and infinite bedrooms and baths upstairs. Additionally I was always intrigued by the cars. JR always drove cars with the license plate Ewing 3. I coveted Bobby's convertible Ewing 4 (although I question the historical accuracy of Texas oil men driving foreign cars). But, for some reason, Sue Ellen drove Ewing 2 until the final season when Miss Ellie drove her car with the license Ewing 2 to Carter McKay's ranch. Lucy was Ewing 5, and Pam was Ewing 6 (perhaps the divorce and change of plates was the precursor for her fatal run-in with a truck). However, they lived on a ranch that clearly only had a two car garage which meant that someone was always parking in the motor court next to the patio (maybe when your family is in oil, you don't worry about a little carbon monoxide getting in your breakfast?). After their marriages ended, Miss Ellie, Bobby, and JR all remarried, but stayed in the same house with their respective spouces that never complained about living with their in-laws. It may be that Southfork has a special place in my heart because it was my late father's misbegotten dream that someday my whole family would live together, an idea regularly opposed by my sister and myself, but he loved big family dinners (as long as it was catered).

It is the 41st anniversary of the premiere episode. Isn't odd to think back to a time when TV was watched by so many people at the same time that the number 1 show could be scheduled at 9PM on a Friday, the spinoff would premiere during a holiday week, and the reveal of Who Shot JR didn't even wait for sweeps week? I also find the tagline amusing because Knots was supposed to be about average people living in a cul-de-sac, but in reality, a house in Pacific Palisades (which Knots fictionalized) would be around 4 million dollars, whereas the real Southfork Ranch today is estimated at 5 million, so Gary and Val weren't exactly slumming it... https://twitter.com/TheDustinFitz/status/1343299474374979585?s=20

Years before she trying to get some sense into Rachel, Ada (Constance Ford) was letting Sandra Dee know who's the boss at Christmas Latest Tweets Twitter.mp4

Oh right, Joe carried the genetic issue (a Roseanne Rosanadana moment). Although the same point could be made that none of Joey, Kevin, or Duke's kids were affected by their father's DNA issues. So, I still doubt Larry's expertise on the issue.

Yeah, your comment inspired me to reflect on Ron's plotting. As much as I appreciated the central role given to Viki, most of the time she was reacting to events rather than driving the narrative. I would love to have seen how Viki navigated The Banner through the onset of online media. To watch her struggle with editing the reporting of internet sources and gossip trolls. It might have been more interesting than a third time through menopause or watching her feign interest over the fatherhood of Natalie's latest child. Although one has to credit Ron for creating Walker/Flynn, Victor Jr, and Todd, the first doppelganger of a long lost twin ever in the history of soaps. He later repeated the same hat trick on DOOL with Hattie. If Adrienne or Bonnie get a long lost twin then we'll have a trifecta.

You make an interesting point about the story telling in the later years. I was recently watching some late 1970's (maybe it was early 80's?) episodes around the time when Viki almost saw Karen turning tricks in the Llandview Hotel. In that episode, she mentored Pat about the politics of working in the newsroom with men. She talked to Tina about how to keep herself safe from predators. Then, she was at the hotel to have a professional lunch about her newspaper. Fast forward forty years and Viki never had an office set, she had no female friends, and she chased after damaged men who were rarely worth her time.

Cathy really was a piece of work. A victim of mental illness and trauma, who coped by becoming dependent on any guy who looked at her twice. She was always the third wheel in every love triangle, and tried to steal men from Vicky, Pat, and Karen. She was certainly no match for any of those iconic Llandview women. As a result she was in at least two relationships where her lover only stayed out of pity. That being said, I am surprised that Ron Carlivati never brought her back. He was such a fan of the Vicky antagonists (from Allison, to Tina, Echo, and Irene), that it seems natural for Cathy to try to get her hooks into Clint. Until I caught up on her history, I never realized that she was the reason Pat came to Llandview. I recall Pat being Vicky's close friend so it is weird that she was originally team-Cathy. The whole thing about how she escaped kidnapping charges is also an odd detail. Today, I guess she would have been diagnosed with a brain tumor (the rare type that causes people to plan child abductions). At the time the insanity defense was in the news, so I suspect that was motivation to use it as a device. However, while Cathy couldn't remember stealing Kevin after she was found, she had clearly planned the kidnapping and was conscious of her efforts to escape, which therefore negates her qualifying as insane. Obviously, the writer at the time thought enough of the character to devise a way to keep her on the canvas, but subsequent regimes were not as beholden to poor old Cathy. In hindsight, it was a cruel trick that Vicky's long lost daughter Megan shared a name with Cathy's late child. Vicky begged Larry not to tell Clint that baby Megan inherited her illness from him. However, Clint went to father tons of other kids who never developed the same genetic defect. He also shared DNA with Asa, Bo, Natalie, Joey, Cord, Kevin, and Jessica who never had babies with a similar illness, which makes me second guess Larry's prowess as a genetic specialist...