j swift

Of course not I recall being so excited for Doug Marland's return to the soap. When OG Lily (Martha) appeared singing at a nightclub in Malta it was thrilling to think of the possibilities of how that character had changed. As I recall, we saw Lily appear and she sang a song but, as an audience, we knew that something had evolved in Lily. Then, there was the odd knowledge as a fan that Marland passed just as those early scenes were airing and it gave those episodes even more impact. My other favorite memory is the reveal of Doug Cummings's liar. The build up was done so well because it was a low key issue at first. Kim had a fan and she would mention it or get a gift and then other characters would just move on with the story. However, the cliffhanger reveal of Doug's room filled with pictures of Kim, while hearing her recording of My Funny Valentine, was so creepy that it has stuck with me. Finally, when John Dixon humiliated Lisa while her face was shown in closeup on the screens in her own club. Soaps by nature rarely allow male characters much catharsis but seeing John erupt was amazing. His list of grievances and his tone allowed us to support John's moment of triumph and still feel sorry for Lisa. As I recall, Bob's compassion toward Lisa was a high point of that episode.

If we had a thumbs up or a like option I would use it but absent that I'll just thank you for filling in the holes in my memory.

The Lord family owned a paper mill/generic manufacturing plant (Lord-Manning), a large estate (Llandfair), a newspaper (The Banner) and a tv station (WLAN) which is how Viki got her cash. She rarely married guys with any money, (even Clint didn't have control of his family's fortune during their marriage when he worked as a reporter for the Banner), I don't think any of her marriages caused a loss in liquidity. Tony and Meredith died and Todd and Tina weren't in the will so they got a cash buy out and Viki got the rest. Thus, if The Banner operated at a loss she was fine because she was diversified. Viki had to buy Dorian out of Llandfair which is how she became initially wealthy. Then, she had kids by David Rinaldi and Mr. Santi, who both had access to lots of ill gotten gains. Also, her familial wealth is always a question because she had that wealthy aunt who was retconed in along with Paul. Plus, she had some of that Mendorra money from her time as an ambassador and Todd bought Inquirer and turned it into The Sun newspaper from her. . So, while I don't think she was ever a billionaire, I didn't worry about whether or not she could make a mortgage payment and afford to keep two sisters in sanitariums. I question how good ol' Asa kept his fortune. Not only did he wed lots of wives who drained the coffers with expensive divorces but he had secret wives who had to be kept on islands and in gothic mansions; and that takes money. Neither Bo nor Clint was ever trained in the oil business. Bo was in the army, then on the ranch, then he ran a country record company, he had a brief foray into factory work, some tv producing and eventually took the natural leap into chief of police. Clint studied journalism at a prestigious university and worked as a reporter until his mid-40's. Somehow both boys learned the oil business while working in the London office? Because London is known for it's oil business? Meanwhile, Chuck was trained in the company and passed over for promotion due to nepotism; a classic mistake in maintaining inherited wealth. Finally, Buchanan Industries seemed to constrict to just being an oil company in later years and sold off the music, fashion, and ranching divisions to open offices in expensive European capitols; not a great business plan.

I wonder if Bethany's personal brand is being hurt by the negative impression that she is leaving upon this season? While I never understood the appeal of Bethany as a guru/advisor/maven, her publishing is based mostly on giving advice. However, every episode this season includes a scene where she cannot read the tone of the room correctly. I know the viewers have the benefit of editing and background music but, she cannot correctly identify the feelings of her friends. Even the nutcracker incident was not about manners but recognizing that Dorinda was embarrassed in the front of the rest of the party when Bethanny was so effusive to the delivery guy and ignored Dorinda's effort. And it seems to go beyond personal relationships because she has at least worked with most of the women for years. The choice of Sonja-the-mute as a talking board at the spa should have been her first clue that things were not going well. So, my question remains, who would go to her for advice if she knows so little about her own relationships? Also, does anyone believe that Luann has ever read one of her artfully displayed books? I like the Sonja deer shoe but I understand Dorinda's point about making a business from your ex-husband's name. I wish Dorinda would remind her friends that she has been divorced and she has been widowed and she understands the difference.

I recall the pilot because (like many on this board have mentioned) Grant Wilson's Biff was a bit of a hunk. Grant Wilson had been in the movie Foxes with Jodie Foster and I developed a crush on him when the movie played in an endless loop on cable. My memory is that in the first scenes of the first episode Biff picks up Shelly, they copulate in the motel and Biff is shown in black briefs. We then learn that Biff has a girlfriend (Francie) but she does not satisfy him sexually. This coincides with the arrival of Josh, which is why Biff used the name Josh to disguise his identity from Shelly. I recall the frustration that there was copious female nudity but sparse guy stuff so I stopped watching. I think Jack Wagner played Clint and he showed some tush in a scene with an older woman which is why he was not that upset when his girlfriend made out with with his friend's aunt by the pool. Jack Wagner, Grant Wilson and, Larry Poindexter were not as muscular as the soap hunks of today but the show was provocative. Finally, I recall that Grant Wilson was married to the actress who played Susan Moore (Jason Quatermaine's mother) on GH.

I went back and read the SOD synopsis. Liz recreated the bust from a skull, it was then stolen from the police lab. Liz remembered/admitted to Preacher that she was in the same hospital as Laurie Karr, after being beaten as a sex worker. Liz and Laurie had a third friend who was killed and buried; it was her skull that was later found. The dead woman had been killed by a nefarious guy at the hospital who was also drugging Laurie Karr. Once the guy was caught, Laurie recovered and returned home in the final week of the show to Nancy and Mike's house. Obviously the plot was rushed by the cancellation because the plot holes are enormous. First, how long was the friend dead that all that was left was a skull? Second, why wouldn't Liz mention Laurie being in danger right away when she came to town and met the Karr's? Also, if Liz wasn't working on the reconstruction and recognized the face, how would the police have figured out the identity of the murder victim? I had mixed up my memories of the characters of Shelly and Liz because they functioned similarly in the story but, Shelly left Montecello to work with Gavin in Hollywood just as Liz arrived in town.

It's funny, I was getting confused about the dates of the story because they were talking about New Years Eve in a February issue, then I remembered that SOD was weeks behind what was being shown on screen until around 1985. I remember some longer issues when they were catching up to the current, then there were covers touting that they were now covering the current week. Reading older issues, SOD really lost something in the catch up. The 1984 synopsis was complete, a little cheeky, and easy to follow. The synopses were obviously being written by people watching the show, rather than by using writer breakdowns as they did post-1985. So, you get short asides about the charater's tone or their costume. It is very similar to recap culture today on Vulture or other internet sites. Today I occasionally buy SOD, but I can no longer relay on it to keep up with stories like I did in the 80's when I bought it every Tuesday with a box of red licorice. However, on tumblr I was able to read the entire history of Rituals and it read like a novel rather than just highlights of the week.

I was just reading the same synopsis. Poor Stacy, her whole family is leaving Corinth just as Lorna has stolen Tony. Also, I never realized Tony was introduced as Jack's roommate from boarding school or that he was adopted. I wonder if there was ever a plan to find Tony's parents? Was he a prototype for Rick; who I always conflate with him? Maybe you confused Duke with Dirk Snyder, who broke into the Slaters and Lorna tried to get information from him to save Jack, but Tony needed to rescue her; just like he rescued her from the drug party at Duke's? Finally, I just watched JAN play a drug dealer on Booker, the 21 Jump Street, Richard Greco spin-off extravaganza. He makes a better hero or a louse (like on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) that a straight up villain.

Didn't Santa Barbara start in August of 1984? If so, were these characters on just for a couple of episodes? Do you have any dates so I can go back to read SOD synopses on Tumblr?

Who was Duke Rochelle and how long was John Allen Nelson on Loving? I just watched an Edge of Night from June 1984 and Nelson's character Jack just came to Montecello from the college that he attended with Jody and was planning on remodeling the country club with Mitzi. I think SB started later in the year. So, when was he on Loving? Was he a love interest for Lorna? Are there any scenes on YT?

I have a Diana Taylor question. I watcher her during Heather's LSD trip and she was very sweet and understanding. Then, I watched the episodes before her murder and she was much more conniving and sexualized while in a triangle with Jeff and Anne. What was Diana like when she first arrived at General Hospital and was the age difference an issue in her marriage to Peter?

Do you recall how the skull she was recreating paid off in the story? I know it wasn't Lionel Richie from the Hello video, but it looked like it.

The sidelining of Jody didn't hold true to the character. First, in '84 there was a college story which ended with Jody transferring to Montecello U in order to be closer to Miles and Preacher. Second, Liz Corell wound up with Preacher under the guise that they were better suited because they both loved adventure and came from damaged backgrounds. However, Jody was totally into adventure and usually willing to help solve a murder or go undercover at a videodisco, and Jody's background was much more f@#$ed up than Liz's. I agree that the recast was wooden and lacked the joie d'vivre of the original; also she was too tall. However, I recall seeing Kerry Emmerson on those floor mop commercials for years after EON so her woodenness paid off. I don't recall what the pay off for the skull that Liz was recreating in the final months? BTW, props to EON for still giving characters a specialization right up until the end everyone had an ability to help solve a mystery.

so here's what's weird about this In Lemay's book Eight Years in Another World he mentions seeing Doug Watson on Broadway and thinking that he would be perfect as Mac. I remembered it specifically because it lead me to researching Watson's theatrical career. Lemay never mentions the original Mac. However, he noted the roles that Rachel, Liz, and Iris would eventually play were part of his initial pitch for the character. The original conception of Mac was that he would change the character of Rachel into a romantic heroine. He created the character once he was free of having to consult with Irna Phillips, who wanted to maintain Rachel as a villain. Thus, if Emhardy came across as an unlikely partner for Rachel that is probably why he was axed. It's been discussed elsewhere that part of the fun of that memoir is the author's open disdain for many of the actors. His stories about the older actors on the show and their reliance on cue cards is legendary. His anachronistic envy of Henry Slesar's two mimeograph machines and arguing with Irna Phillips about modern values still makes me laugh. He wrote about how P&G asked him to watch the show to see if he wanted to write for AW and he was appalled, (from a playwright's perspective) at Pat Randolph's plot. Pat was being poisoned by her jealous maid and Lemay was gauled to learn that her father and brother were both doctors but Pat had not contacted them nor had they commented on her symptoms. His dilemma was whether or not to tell P&G that he thought the plot line was dumb. When I read that story I was hooked on his writing. It would have made a great series a few years ago when every network was knocking off Mad Men because most of the drama comes from him having to pitch stories both to the network and the ad executives/producers; as well as the sheer number of scripts that had to be written every week.

Bobbie is an odd duck. She is usually referenced for her more stable times in Port Charles like when she was in charge of The Brownstone or when she was married to Tony. However, I appreciated her edge when she was with Damian and Stefan. I think unlike Monica, we never saw an evolution of Bobbie, she didn't change she just reacted to her circumstances. She aged into a grandmother. However, there was never any insight into why she torpedoed her relationships with stable men in order to be with con artists like Brock. I still adore a scheming 70's Bobbie scene with Scotty; or later with Noah. Remember when Bobbie, Anne and Heather all wore those navy blue nurses capes with their uniforms when they were out of the hospital? I just saw part of when Heather set Anne up for Diana's murder and she is running around in this cape and it made me laugh.

Monica has had a remarkable arc as a character. It would be hard to imagine that the woman who couldn't commit to Jeff or Dawn's father, taunted Leslie over her chemistry with Rick, and cheated on Alan would eventually adopt two children and then grieve the loss of three out of four of those kids on her own; although her grief over Dawn and Emily is mentioned less frequently than the loss of AJ. She went from very selfish and mean to demonstrate extreme compassion. Some writer could have made the connection between Monica's upbringing in an orphanage and her ability to parent Jason and Emily but I don't recall anyone doing so. I know more recent writers have had Monica tell Jason or Drew about parenting an adopted child when Sam was pregnant but I don't think she talked about her own childhood. Also, looking back her relationship with Gail as a mentor was so much more cleaver than making her a long lost daughter; especially because she was married to the long lost son of Steve Hardy.

Mac Cory was a man with sophisticated taste. Notably, when he moved to Bay City he bought an old stately house but then commissioned Robert Delaney to design the very contemporary Cory Publishing Compound. I don't recall why Mac moved his company to Bay City or why Robert gravitated toward such modern designs. However, I appreciated the details both types of architecture, and how his home and office were a reflection of an older man who was always attracted to fresh new ideas; like Rachel. Looking back at the office sets in the 90's, around the time of Iris's return, all of the midcentury charm of the company was gone The offices where Willis, Gwen and, Pat worked looked like they were in a compound and the 90's office looked like a generic highrise. As I recall the original offices were all on one floor around a central courtyard; hence the name Cory Compound. I hate to be a curmudgeon but I think they even stopped referring to it as a compound once Amanda went to work there. Was there a gap in time between when Robert was on Summerset and when he moved to Bay City and was it ever explained what Robert did during that time?

I'm interested in your thoughts on Willis. I recall him going from petulant with a chip on his shoulder to stubborn but charismatic. However, I always attributed it to his awesome pairing with Gwen. But, I guess he was aged up in the recast and I'd be curious to know how his portrayal changed?

I follow a Classic Soap Digest News Tumblr, and they reported on the development of Dark Mansions often in the Breaking News Section. There were a number of recastings prior to filming and I think it was the first project that Grant Aleksander was cast in once he left GL. The pilot was on YT and a kind assessment would be to say that it did not hold up well to the passage of time.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, nobody wants a nursery with a huge a skylight, that room is where they should have put Jimmy Lee so he could work on his tan.

I just have a couple of random soap memories (RSM's) that I hope other fans can help me fill in the details. In 1984 EON had a literal cliffhanger in the episode before the break for the Summer Olympics. Preacher, Jody, Raven, and Sky were in a car chase that wound up on a cliff on the beach. Clips of the car chase were then inserted into the opening montage. As I recall, the car chase had something to do with either the Van Dyne mystery or Preacher's father but I also recall that it was not the denouement of the story and it wound up being very inconsequential. They got into the chase in Mexico (probably shot on location in The Hamptons) and they all wound up okay and returned to Montecello. Please reply if you can recall any of the other details of that cliffhanger. Also, does anyone recall if EON had a similar cliffhanger for other daytime Olympic coverage (obviously they didn't need it for 1980 in Moscow)? That one stands out because they replayed the heck out of those scenes in the promos. Also, I grew up in Los Angeles where all the soaps are on an hour early (GH at 2, EON at 3, etc) but in the 80's was EON pre-empted monthly for the ABC Afterschool Special? I don't recall how that scheduling worked or its effect on story continuity. Finally, did the Correlli family really name one daughter Beth and the other one Liz? Aren't they both derived from the same name?

I understand killing Nadine from a story perspective. She had an almost perfect arc as a character. She was introduced as very unlikable, then she did a really bad thing and then, she got a redemption through her reconnecting with Buzz which set her up as a martyr when she was killed. Considering that she was always a supporting character it is remarkable that she got a full redemption, that is rare for female characters in general and seems like a herculean writer's task for a character who conspired to keep a baby from his mother and was giving gold-digger advice to her daughter. On the other hand, Peter(was that the baby's name?) was a great candidate for SORASing.

Well there were a lot of issues with casting of Jennifer Smith over the years; remember when Roseanne played role?

I thought Chris Rich was H-O-T as Sandy but, I wonder he got a perm to be curly like Luke Spencer and the other soap dudes of the early 80's? I saw him in a cafe with his family about three years ago and his hair did not seem as curly.

An interesting side note is that Tinsley's father divorced Dale a few years before his death. I have no idea how she wound up with her ex-husband's ashes but, a short Google sesh reveals that Dale did not inherit any of the family properties. So, Sonja's gossip about Tinsley being financed by her boyfriend may not be too off base. That being said, if the Coupn King didn't run for the hills after last's call to OB-GYN while wearing a pretend wedding dress than I don't know what.