Franko

Bob's last special, explicitly promoted as his last, aired in November 1996. By that point, he was averaging 1-2 specials a year, usually a Christmas one and a birthday one. There was a special in 2003 to celebrate his turning 100, but that was just a straight best of.

I'm seeing a little Geraldine Page in that last photo.

The Decline and Fall of the Monty Empire Week 13 (March 24-28, 1986) Bryan, seeing Claudia and Lorena at Kelly's: "Hi. What are you doing here?" Lorena: "Lookin' for a couple of sailors, Bryan. Get out of here, you're screwin' up our action." I haven't yet finished my work week, so this weekend's post is going to be a little lazy, mostly stray observations rather than breaking things up by the stories. -- Overall, this was a strong week. Yes, Laurelton took up most of the airtime, but the stories were intertwined pretty well. It's things like a hearing of the GH board over disciplining Patrick nearly resulting in Alan and Edward coming closer to the truth about Sean and Monica, or Ginny's tough love attitude with Mike being one of the reasons Tony says he's glad to not have kids at exactly the moment Tania's going to tell him she's pregnant. Only one story sticks out like a sore thumb. -- Monday's episode included the unintentional comedy of what felt like Felicia talking-navigating-pushing Terry through the five stages of grief while Terry mourns Jennifer. -- Anna's smart enough to play the long game, but I think she could have gloated a little about how if it wasn't for her grace in not revealing his pressure to wrap up the Brownstone-Laurelton case, and how the delay got Jennifer killed, Mayor Morgan could have been humiliated. -- Felicia quickly begging Frisco to get married, and have a baby, and have a regular family made me wonder how Kristina Wagner would have done as Honey in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? -- The Brownstone will probably never be as fascinating as it is now. As the week goes on, it's pretty much everyone against Patrick -- like I said, you'd think Bobbie would be more sympathetic considering she was falsely accused of murder the year before -- but to me it feels like there's two camps. We've got the splintered Laurelton four and the united Jones including Felicia. By virtue of her family ties, Bobbie should probably be another Laurelton splinter, but she and Jake seem slightly above the fray. -- Jimmy Lee has decided that Celia walking out on him was really about greed. According to JL, Celia didn't want to share her renewed fortune. Seeing him in that compromising position with Pilar just gave Celia an excuse to split. It doesn't jibe with what we saw on screen, but then again, we were kept at a distance from Celia during her final episodes. Anyway, the point of Jimmy Lee's rationalization is so that there's still more weight to Monica's crisis over whether she can stay a Quartermaine. -- In the long run, Lorena made the right choice with Derek, but I can't blame her for making ABSOLUTELY SURE that there was no more chance of hooking up with Jimmy Lee. The guy's so tan, he's almost the color of a raisin. -- Different times: Alan coming into Monica's room without her consent and while she's half asleep, followed by her kicking him out, being played for comedy. -- I'm quite positive that had Jack Wagner not left in 1987, there would have been a Frisco & Felicia kid that year or in 1988. This caused me to consider the ripple effect and wonder if in that timeline, B.J. still lives and Maxie doesn't exist. If the F&F kid's a boy, does Lucas still exist? -- Just to clarify, Tania does tell Tony, and he is thrilled to become a dad. It's all just so, so sad in hindsight. -- Thursday's episode has a nice, non-comedy use of Amy, sharing information about the parking situation at GH and acting as a sort of secretary for Anna. -- I get that Jake's sticking up for his client, Patrick, but he hit below the belt with Anna on Thursday. Questioning her abilities as a mother and breadwinner is bad enough, but then things get even more personal. Jake "And you haven't got a man in your bed. I don't believe I said that, but I'm not sorry. Because I care for you, Anna, and I hate to see you become what you're becoming." Anna didn't say anything especially notable when she let Jake have it, but I'm glad she let him have it. Seriously, when this story is over, Anna deserves to tell a whole bunch of people to kiss her British bum. -- Okay, here's the sore thumb moment. It's Bryan and Claudia's half-minute of marital bliss, then continued angst, all happening at the spa. It almost feels like filler after Jimmy Lee rebuffs Lorena, then Ginny gives an update on Mike. Claudia learns that Bryan went with Mike to a basketball game (Derek's also using the tough love approach), and she's happy ... until Debbie comes over and reveals she went with the guys. Apparently Debbie's going to hang around until at least the summer. I can't wait to see what other storylines she, Bryan, and Claudia will be dropped into. -- Friday's episode ends with Anna's surprise arrest of Kevin. It turns out that Red Flynn happened to see Kevin and Jennifer arguing at the airport. I assume Lucy's going to get mentioned for the first time next week. Before that, GH teases Lucy's eventual storyline when a nurse suggests that her friend who went out with Patrick write a tell-all.

I love it. It sums up who Alan and Monica were at that stage in their lives. My go-to for the couple on the whole is this exchange from 2007 when they realize neither killed Rick. Monica: "I'm relieved. You're no prize, but you're all I've got, and I didn't want to lose you." Alan: "I love you too, darling."

Not to hijack the thread, but I've been thinking about a long-term screen duo that I don't believe had any drama, Stuart Damon and Leslie Charleson. I wonder if it helped that as the years went on, they knew they could let anything out every couple of years when it was time for Alan and Monica to have another epic fight.

Not to mention Hervé Villechaize leaving Fantasy Island.

@Maxim, @DRW50, @EricMontreal22, @yrfan1983 Speaking of "I'm Still Here," this supercut was just posted. Well ... points for ambition. It's not the curator's fault, it just feels like there's 24 distinct tempos to deal with. The idea of seeing the singers' younger selves juxtaposed with their performance is evocative, though.

Speaking of GH's dropped plots, let's go with Audrey not having Alzheimer's.

The photographer was in two episodes, March 27-28, 1986.

Live and In Person was an ambitious but ultimately unpopular variety special.

Thanks for the tag, @slick jones. I was wondering if you can help me. Did you ever look up Vance Jefferis, who played Matt McAllister on OLTL (and has been my avatar for the last year)? I ask because I'm wondering if he did some dayplayer work on GH in March 1986 as the photographer who nearly got Patrick fired.

Just chiming in to note a few things before this weekend's mega post on March 24-28, 1986: I'm certain that Bobbie's past won't be revealed to Jake/revisited by the show until the end of 1987. It will be interesting to see how it's presented. You'd think that Bobbie would be even a little sympathetic towards Patrick, considering she was falsely accused of murder the year before. I'm surprised Jake hasn't thrown that back at her.

Alas, DOOL probably doesn't even have the budget for Ryan to have a stint as long as Betty White's was back in '88.

Sally's Agent: "Do you want to make more money? Sure, we all do! So go out for these projects offered to you."

Thanks, @slick jones. I've always wondered what the B in "Ms. B. Haven" stands for.

Somewhere in the multiverse, there's a timeline where Ryan played Eric.

Hart would insist the secretaries come to work on The Day After. I did a double take when we got to Peter Evans, convinced he was either Peter Scolari or Dack Rambo with an assumed name. If the Season 3 opening caught on, would they have updated the jokes under everyone's credit?

When it came to The Cosby Show, you actually merged the two Wilma Bern actresses. Eileen Heckart and Elaine Stritch both happened to have done the sitcom, and both acted opposite Keshia Knight Pulliam. Eileen played Rudy's friend, who wasn't taking her medication. Elaine played Rudy's teacher.

It's really astounding just how dull this stretch is. Dull and repetitive. We've got Laurelton taking up most of the oxygen, and then we've got the slow burn of Sean and the Qs and the extra slow burn of Frisco & Felicia. Martha Scott's grown on me. I came around to Jennifer once it turned out that she genuinely did love Terry. Right before Martha joined GH, she reprised her Dallas role as Sue Ellen's mother. The actual discovery of Jennifer's corpse is a bit silly: Frisco and Sam are preparing to hide in a culvert located near the airport. Sam's worried about snakes, so Frisco goes in first. Offscreen, he discovers a body, then still offscreen, he discovers it's Jennifer. Part of me wonders if they dared to ask Martha about playing the body. I haven't yet watched next week's episodes, but I'll bet a cookie that David Doyle will play Ted's scenes like he loved Jennifer but never got to tell her.

Week 12, Part II -- Conclusion Sean: "Felicia, you know, business is just like life, only a little more intense. You want to learn the corporate (gamesmanship), don't you? Are you a gambler?" Sean Swindles the Quartermaines: The rollercoaster's still ascending, and now Felicia's involved. Edward and Alan want to buy her supposed stock in Donely-Cassadine. On Thursday, Alan makes his final offer: 20 times the market value of Felicia's stock. "Father, forgive me." I'm just glad Felicia's doing something other than being jealous over Sam. Meanwhile, Sean and Monica aren't particularly discreet. They spend St. Patrick's Day seeing Port Charles' (offscreen) parade and then sharing drinks at an Irish pub ... while being seated one table over from Tony and Tania. Later in the week, at that same pub, Monica tells Sean that she doesn't "want to give up everything I have just this easily." Prior to that, Monica tells Sean that she wants him. I really, really like how Leslie Charleson delivered that part of the line, as an intense whisper. Frisco and Felicia: Frisco finds Jennifer's body while he and Sam are participating in an overnight trip to demonstrate the PCPD cadets' survival skills. I don't doubt the legitimacy of what they're doing, but at this point, I just want Frisco and Sam to be full-fledged cops already and for us to finally move past Felicia's jealousy. Sean deserves all the money he'll get just for giving Felicia something else to do with herself. For the record, Felicia trusts Frisco, and even though he wakes up (fully-clothed) next to Sam, he still murmurs Felicia's name. Mike's Paternity: Derek's the odd man out twice this week. He's not sharing a residence with Mike, and he has to watch Rick and Ginny share a loving hug at the studio. And after Derek gave Ginny the sensible advice to not appear so desperate for Mike's love. Back to the Webber parents ... Wednesday's episode includes the two having date night at home while Mike sees a basketball game. Rick and Ginny reflect how in their case, love came after marriage. Buzz: "It's kind of tough sharing my only godddaughter with two other guys." Anna: "Well, Robin doesn't have any favorites. You know that. Each and every one of you are very special to her. And you're special to me." Buzz: "As one of Robin's godfathers?" Anna, after a pause: "Yes." Buzz: "I wonder, do you ever think of me as anything more than that?" Relationship Roundup: Anna and Buzz: For crying out loud, Buzz ... say "I love you" already! Actually, it's already too late for this couple that never was. When Sean and Monica visit the pub on Monday, he asks about "Duke." We're still several weeks away from Ian Buchanan's arrival, but the winds are changing. Dan and Ruby: They make a date to see the St. Patrick's Day parade. Okay, so Ruby turned down Dan's marriage proposal a few years earlier -- I hope she didn't completely shut the door to romance, if not companionship. If this was a modern storyline, it would be pretty clear the two are friends with benefits. Bryan and Claudia: She and Lorena catch him at Kelly's with Debbie. And then none of them are seen again for the rest of the week. For all we know, Claudia went home and hacked Bryan to bits. Seriously, GH, even if you're not going to go the distance with this D story, at least have the decency not to drag it out. Tony and Tania: The married Jones spend their St. Patrick's Day tossing popcorn and catching it in their mouths at the pub. Gosh, I hope Tania's not yet pregnant.

The Decline and Fall of the Monty Empire Week 12 (March 17-21, 1986) -- Part I Ginny: "The top story this hour: Laurelton, South Carolina, resident Jennifer Talbot, (who) has been a frequent visitor to Port Charles, has been reported missing. ... Currently, a 13-state search is underway for the woman ..." Laurelton: Luckily for GH's writers and producers, there were no preemptions this week. Terry awakens Monday to realize Jennifer's gone -- Martha Scott makes no live apparances this week -- and Frisco ends Friday's episode having found Jennifer's corpse. The problem is, once you realize that the body reveal is meant to provide a big moment, it's easy to be annoyed at all the time in between. Characters in Port Charles and Laurelton gradually deduce what the audience has known almost all along. Jennifer never made it back to Laurelton. Kevin appears to have an alibi, but Patrick, who says he drove Jennifer to the airport, doesn't. As I mentioned before, flying was different in the '80s. It's not that far-fetched to assume that the airport didn't have surveilance cameras to reveal whether or not Jennifer actually came inside. Speaking of 1986 vs. 2026, Ginny and Derek agreeing that updates on Jennifer should be allowed to interrupt programming. That stands out in light of the fact that NBC broke into the Olympics with news about Nancy Guthrie. I know it's not apples to apples, and Terry's not a national TV personality, but the insight into news values caught my attention. I guess it comes down to Port Charles being as big or as small of a city as GH needs it to be. Kevin and Terry's sexual problem comes up once this week, in Monday's episode. The couple apparently complete the act, but Terry doesn't get any pleasure, and Kevin knows she faked it. I wonder if and when Terry had a genuine orgasm. Maybe it will be next year with Dusty? Tuesday's episode includes a belated mention of D.L., plus Terry's mother. Terry says her mom was always too unhappy to really give her any attention. Terry's the only one who mentions D.L., meaning he's only referred to as "Daddy." As she tells Bobbie & Jake, D.L. never felt he fit in with Terry's family, meaning the only one there for her was Jennifer. Halfway through the week, Ted and Sheriff Broder decide that they've got to work with Anna, who'd been waiting to hear from Jennifer. While it's nice to see Anna and the sheriff finally on the same side -- and let's hear it for Burt, who makes it clear how disgusted he is with how Broder's been treating Anna -- the bumpkin spoils things on Friday by being too overzealous in questioning Patrick. For that matter, I understand Patrick's at his wits end over yet again being unfairly accused, but at this point, it's as tedious to watch as the latest rounds of Terry being near-catatonic with worry or Felicia being jealous of Sam. Thursday's episode concludes with Anna getting the word that the Brownstone-Laurelton case will be officially reopened only if they find Jennifer's body. You would think this would help the pace of Friday's episode, but I don't think it did. Friday is notable for tension between Bobbie and Patrick ... and yet he kept living in the Brownstone for another two years. I know they've got the hospital and Terry as reasons to rebuild their friendship, and in retrospect, they're both leading the way in the efforts to look out for Terry, but c'mon, Pat, maybe it would have been better to eventually put some space between you and your suspicious landlady. Side note: While I mostly agree with this 1986 SOD review about how unfortunate it is that Tony and Tania's time was devoted to "(babysitting) the brownstone bunch," there was a nice synchronicity with Tania joining Bobbie for her latest questioning with Anna and Sheriff Broder, then Tony doing the same with Patrick. Also, seemingly out of the blue, Guy Mack has a nice moment when Patrick is unexpectedly touched by the memory of Jennifer genuinely thanking him for the ride to the airport. Not long after, Frisco finds Jennifer's body.

Thanks for the tag, @DRW50 . These mixtape uploads are always fascinating.

While we're on the subject, the Princess Greta storyline belongs to a time that feels farther away in the past than it actually is ... those rebuilding years for the British Royal Family, when Diana's death was a recent memory, William was being presented as the international dream guy, and Andrew & Fergie were seen as quirky eccentrics* rather than the scum of the earth. *Quirky, greedy eccentrics. Sorry, just going down memory lane.

Tying these two together, and paging @JAS0N47 -- Were all those guest stars supposed to be royalty from various countries other than Greta's, or were they the nobility and/or non-reigning royals of Greta's country?

David James Carroll: "My eyes are up here." Franko: "And my eyes are down there."