amybrickwallace

Agreed. I loved the March 5th episode, using just five principals - Matt/Mike in Act I, Althea/Nick/Penny in Act II and the three doctors tying the ends together. The episode begins with Matt on the phone with a board member about the possibility of a nuclear scanner for the lab and ends with Nick's gleeful reaction in the lab to the prospective new "toy". Both kids leave unhappy - leaving their (bio) parents unhappy. The parents agree with each other; Nick agrees with the kids. Then Nick acts like a big kid himself, raving on about the scanner to - no one (as both Althea and Matt left when his back was turned) until the tall, boyish orderly with dark hair comes into the lab with supplies. Then, over the credits, Nick - desperate for ANYONE to gush to about the scanner - corners him. Even without audible dialogue, the scene is hilarious. Nick looks like both a gleeful kid on Christmas and a mad scientist. This episode is a prime example of the structure of the story that I love so much. ALL scripted shows, daytime AND primetime, should be built together so beautifully. It weaves characters in and out just like a play.

Thanks, Carl and SFK!!!

Great minds, DramatistDreamer!! Plus, "Barracuda" is a great song by a great band.

I couldn't agree more about your assessment of BL/LB and their respective takes on the role of Maggie. If I had to describe LB's portrayal in one word it would be WARM. Peter Burnell's Mike is like a live-action Peanuts character. He has the melancholy of Charlie Brown with the warmth of Linus (and the hair of Schroeder). This is not an insult at all - I think Charles Schultz put more heart and soul into the dialogues (and monologues) of his animated characters than the majority of soap writers in the history of the genre had/have.

Applcin, where are you now in the reruns?

Thanks. It's kind of ironic, as she initially began her run as Maggie on TD as a temp, and wound up playing the role until the show's end, nearly a decade and a half. I know Beverlee McKinsey was absent from GL this time due to her husband's passing, but how long had she been on the show before that happened? It couldn't have been too long.

How many episodes did Lydia Bruce do on GL? I only saw one.

Thank you, Paul Raven and saynotoursoap. I checked out Ellen Holly's book from the library several years ago and I remembered that story, and wondered if the two EPs were one and the same. Thanks again for confirming. How long did he last at the helm of TD? Thanks also for the information about when they went to stills - and it only lasted a few short months due to the cancellation. When was the cancellation made public? How far into Lydia's run as Maggie was she given co-star status? Almost a year from her debut (she first appeared in May 1968 and we're now in March 1969) and Maggie is still listed with the supporting cast.

Great promo of La Liz - and quite different than the sweet and gentle Dr. Althea Davis we are seeing in the Retro TV reruns!! Lucinda Walsh was a barracuda...and I mean that in the very best way!!

I love Sandra Ferguson (now Sandra Robinson) and have always enjoyed her many hairstyles/colors over the years. I think she was a much better actress than many people gave her credit for.

Thank you, saynotoursoap. I have heard the "pop-flavored" arrangement but agree that the orchestrated version is gorgeous (though the slow, piano-driven rendition used under the credits in the late 70s is very pretty, too). A few more questions: When does Lydia Bruce get moved up to co-star status in the credits? As of right now (March 1969), she is still listed with the supporting players. When did the show stop using the live-action footage for the credits and go with screen caps instead? It had to be sometime after March 1979. Regarding Joe Stuart, was he the EP of OLTL when Ellen Holly was paired with an actor that she (and everyone else in the cast) despised? She begged and pleaded him NOT to hire this guy, he did it anyway, and she cried?

There sure were a LOT of soap stars who guested on MSW. I won't say who they are so you can be surprised, but there are some real good ones.

Carl, I sent the picture of Lewis Arlt with Anne Wyndham to Anne's husband, George. He loved it. Thanks again for posting the article!!

I think they definitely should have brought him back. As mentioned before, he was the DEFINITIVE Mike Powers. When did the theme music change? I've heard a snippet of the theme used in the 70s on saynotoursoap's channel soap trailer. It's beautiful. Who composed it?

I had never thought of it that way, but you make an excellent point. They could have kept Kate and not write in the pregnancy.

Poor Barbara indeed. Someone at Y&R needs to call her and bring her back as Leanna Love - STAT!!

I don't know how they got along off-camera but Matt and Nick's friendship is one of the most delightful parts of the show. (The scene with them in Matt's hotel room getting drunk and then putting on each other's sports jackets over the credits is one of my favorites. Priceless!!) You're in for a treat when Matt becomes Nick's best man and they are getting ready for the wedding. There are some real gems in those scenes. September 1968 is a lot of fun, but things really get cooking in October and November. I won't spoil it for you but there are tons of fun scenes coming up!!! Likewise, the Althea/Maggie friendship is one of the best I have ever seen in either daytime OR primetime. Amazingly, whether it was Bethel or Lydia playing Maggie, both had the incredible best friend chemistry with Liz Hubbard (and Bethel and Liz stayed good friends even after Bethel left and headed west). As for Peter Burnell - saynotoursoap used the perfect word to describe his performances - soulful. He looked young for his age but his Mike was such an old soul. Still, he was often immature. I find it hard to fathom that both Peter Burnell and Armand Assante played Mike. While Armand Assante may have had more of a physical resemblance to James Pritchett, I just can't see anyone else capturing the essence of the character as Peter Burnell did. (The only other "Mike" I've seen was the last one - Stephen Burleigh - in the final episodes from 1982 posted.)

I know - she just was ethereally beautiful. I had no problem whatsoever believing that Jill would have all those men eating out of her hand.

Not to mention Matt Crane's 48th (!!) Speaking of, are he and Robin Christopher are still married?

How great is that? I would love to read a biography of Nancy, especially one written by her husband (who, working in the news industry, would have the best help at his disposal to make it happen). I look forward to its release. Back to Kate, I wish she had touched more on her time at RH (but that's just the soap fan in me) - but how she told how Claire Labine kept her on the show after divulging her unwed pregnancy and even writing it into Mary's story was great. Knowing how much agony she was going through by putting the baby up for adoption and still putting her heart and soul into Mary's excitement about bringing baby Ryan home...I don't know how she did it. Incredible. Being from Cleveland, I know she's been featured over the past decade and a half or so on the local news and at charity functions having to do with her work in Alzheimer's research, because that's what her mother had. But she (or more likely, whoever was in charge of proofreading the manuscript) made a big spelling error by calling the county Cleveland is located in CAYAHOGA County...it's CUYAHOGA. Other than that, it was very interesting learning about her childhood in Iowa - and heartbreaking what happened to her sister. I also never knew that Kate had once been raped - how awful. But I believe all that has made her into an extremely strong woman. I wish her nothing but the best from here on in.

OLTL #1 Fan and YRBB - ROFL!!!!!

That makes three of us. We're now entering March of 1969 and the Aldrich baby has yet to show up.

Speaking of which, I finished reading Kate's book. I found it interesting that several times she referred to both of her husbands by their last names, just as her Mary would call Jack "Fenelli".

I know this sounds mean but I found Julie Ronnie to be one of the original cast's least charismatic performers. Why they kept her and got rid of Dane Witherspoon and Ava Lazar is a mystery.

She did come back in 1993 for Ada's memorial. Was she there for Mac's?