Franko

According to the family album, published in 1995 ... Tom Jr. and Addie were 34 in 1965. Mickey was 33 and Bill was 25. Marie was 23. Also, Julie was the first born grandchild, sometime around 1949-50. It sounds as though Steve, two years younger than her, was just slightly older than Sandy, who was born before Tommy "died" in '53 but never met her dad until her teens.

You just made me imagine Iris 2.0 as a Tina Brown/Anna Wintour/Devil Wears Prada type, which would certainly have been fun for her after the Chief and Red Swan business was taken care of.

Or Charlie Sheen insisting he was "winning" ...

Great work as usual, @beebs. Where to begin? While it's fun to imagine Ann Marcus attempting a kamikaze mission with the Donna story, I fear/suspect that she and the NBC brass were loving it in the moment. "Why, we can have sex and young people and intrigue, like they do on The Young and the Restless and All My Children!" It's fascinating to compare and contrast DOOL's struggles with the more successful modernizing going on under the Dobsons at GL and Marland at GH. Wow, Bob really had to be thick-headed. I'd sympathize with him if he wasn't the weakest link in the extended Anderson story. I don't suppose Mike's sexual curiosity re-emerged while cooped up in that pit with Chris? Did Margo wait at home, taking her mind off her troubles by happily planning her funeral? Goodbye, Janice (and, for your own sake, don't come back). I had no idea about Doug and Maggie. I wonder if anybody shipped them.

Throwing it out there: Solomon Horton (Tom's long-lost Jewish brother). Also, nobody informed the judge about Janice's accident? @Titus Andronicus, don't forget that less than a decade later, she'll come back and end up in a triangle with Mike and Bill before being killed by Harper Deveraux. The sad thing is, Maggie did end up opening doors and pouring coffee for a long time after her return. Lanna Saunders' comments about the missing Hortons at Bo and Hope's wedding reminds me of how GL fans (justifiably) won't cut the show slack for how they handled Bert and Maureen's funerals. Also, how about Sherri Anderson admitting Maggie's alcoholism was poorly received?!

Ah, thank you. Realistic of DOOL, to depict a long estrangement like that.

Catching up with both juicy posts ... 1975: -- It's always interesting to see the colder side of Alice Horton. Trying to remember ... was the estrangement with Julie because she conceived Doug's baby while still legally wed to Bob? (ETA: Nope, the baby was Bob's. My homegirl, Brooke, just made everyone think Julie was cheating.) -- I'd love to see that Brooke scene. Whether Brooke or Stephanie, she's always so fascinating. Another of the characters who shouldn't have been lost in 1980. 1978: -- Considering how negatively affected Doug and Julie were by SORASing, it's frankly a good thing they didn't have a kid of their own. -- I first accidentally misread the sentence and thought Linda's friendship with Maggie was being questioned. I didn't know Mickey and Linda were still on friendly terms, but I guess it helped that there was Melissa, plus being members of Salem society ... -- If she doesn't have one already, Donna's gonna end up with such an Electra complex ... -- Hooray, Stephanie is here. And I see Bob has a Make Salem Great Again platform.

It's interesting, though ... Steve Olson had temporarily returned to the show during the summer of '72. What on earth happened to make the writers decide to get rid of a relatively established potential young male lead and have a new one?

Looks like Eure began as Mike in June 1974, with the character reappearing after a six-month absence. Guthrie began as David in May 1975, with the character reappearing after a two-year absence.

Sexually confused, followed by mental anguish from "Dad" and eventually Mom, then a dying wife. If there's anyone entitled to a pity party in '70s Salem, it's Mike.

I should mention Mike and Margo had other, more normal looking wedding photos ... ... but the one I posted first was the one I first saw for them. I initially thought she was blind. Now, onto the recap: -- In case you didn't know, @beebs, Suzanne Rogers won a Daytime Emmy for her work in 1978-79. Things musta improved dramatically (pun intended). DOOL's other acting nominees were John Clarke, Jed Allan, Susan Seaforth Hayes and Frances Reid. Not only that, but the show, its direction and its writing (!) were all nominated. -- Donna's story will never stop sounding gross. -- "I Know My First Name Is Timmy: The Scotty Banning Story." -- Well, I guess Frances earned that Emmy nod with Alice counseling Margo.

My god, it sounds like an extended game of "Can you top this?" I'm waiting for Marlena to be kidnapped, then hit by a bus when fleeing. And the writers really needed to make up their minds about Donna, who's coming across as bipolar. Nah, Trish is making a sword-and-sandal movie, I think. Mike and Margo's wedding, of course, resulted in an unintentionally hilarious photo. If I was Rosemary Forsyth, I'd feel resentful that my formerly front-burner character is doing very little at the moment. At least Edward Malloy has hospital scenes.

Fascinating stuff as always, @beebs, even if the stories themselves range from tune in tomorrow (the Andersons, plus Neil and Chris) to Dear God, make it stop already! (Trish). We've said it before, but not properly utilizing Steve Olson/SS has to be one of DOOL's biggest missed opportunities. "When I'm done with her."? "When I'm done with her."! Jeez Louise, Mickey and Maggie could hardly be blamed for worrying about little Janice.

It sounds like she did. From the AWHP: Courtney left June 12, 1970 for a year's leave of absence, but she returned to pre-tape scenes that were spaced out over that time period. These appearances include: September 24 and 28, October 9, and November 2, 1970. She returned full time on July 7, 1971.

Thank you for getting that up, @Vee. I watched, and it was magical. Wolf was furious. "With all due respect, and we've known each other a long time -- you don't know what you're talking about." She also called Wolf out for repeating Andrew Yang's talking points. Her: "Thank you. Your sensitivity to our constituents ..." Him: "I am sensitive."

Shoot, I might have to reclaim this story for if/when I ever write a soap myself.

Thanks. I see it as a slow burner. Maggie has an extra drink or two at Christmas and New Year's, then other parties, then with dinner, then without dinner. It doesn't have to be a cliché if it's told honestly and relatably.

It's a stretch, but Judith Light was on the Dallas revival.

I spent my afternoon trying to come up with alternative story path for Maggie. Suppose she became an alcoholic because of her fish out of water situation. Here she is, feeling like she's coming up short as a wife, potential mother, member of Salem society, etc. A story about anxiety and low self-esteem tells itself in 2020, but it could have worked in the late '70s, too. Maggie could end up befriending every young woman in town (Trish, Margo, Donna, Melissa) with maybe a little jealousy about the liberation she was just a little too old for/isolated from, but also genuine friendship for her mentees. Maggie will still make mistakes (yes to the idea of a fling with Jay), but she's also learning to appreciate herself (and Mickey) along the way.

With a heartwarming visit from Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter for the Christmas episodes.

Which run are we talking about, Bev's or Carmen's? If it's the former, I've heard it said that the Iris and Alex Wheeler storyline wasn't that great (wasn't it intended as TEXAS' initial marquee storyline?). If it's the latter, @j swift was talking not too long ago about the oddity of Iris falling for everyday kinda guy Hank Kent (which I think was her last story before the mess with Carl).

Ha, so she's become Johnny Carson?

Ha, that's brilliant! Also, I know Biden's too much of a gentleman to do so, but in response to the "clown" question and if he gets blowback for not agreeing to do another debate, but he has the right to say, "M**********r tried to kill me!"

I've been in such an EVITA mood these past few days, but I'd argue we're actually in the last 10 minutes or so. (And, yes, I know, he'll never say any of this out loud, but ...)

Meanwhile, at the White House ...