Efulton

Agree with all of this!

I was really hoping we would get a break from Chad and the dominance of the DiMera's. I like Conner Floyd but he should be playing Jeremy Horton not Chad.

AW 1977 - Burt McGowan arriving at Ada’s house to tell her Gil had died. AW 1977-78 - I have flashes of the Sven Peterson story. He killed Rocky Olsen and I believe young Denis and Jamie found his body. Maybe in the boathouse. Sven then kidnapped Rachel and kept her captive in a building on the Cory property I think. I was 5 years old and the story was terrifying. The next time I saw Roberts Blossom (Sven) onscreen was as Kevin ‘s scary neighbour in Home Alone. He played scary very well.

Completely agree. This is a huge blunder. At least I now have an extra hour in my day. I have watched my last episode for a while at least.

I thought Sorel left because she was disgusted with the Dobson’s writing Augusta fantasizing about her sister’s rapist. The assumption is that she is speaking about Rauch here? We Love Soaps: One of the things that has been hard for me as a soap viewer over the past decade or so is to constantly see these decisions being made that we don’t agree with. Louise Sorel: You just don’t know what’s going on. A lot of politicking. In my case, [pause] I know what the reason was. Let’s say it was not a professional reason. And I don’t respect that. If you really come to blows with somebody, and they’re doing awful things then that’s whatever. But this had nothing to do with the show.

I am not sure if Chris refused to play a recast Willis which was the original plan but he did say he preferred to play a new character so they created Jason for him.

Denise Alexander was very clear that she quit Another World because she was tired of the commute from LA her home and NYC. She also praised Victoria Wyndham and Linda Dano as the lead actresses of the show in her exit interview.

I really enjoyed the first half of season 9. It was dark but Emma, Angela, Lance and Richard were front and center. Pilar and Frank were finally interesting. Charley, Michael and Genele came in and caused a lot of drama. It was even sexier. I also liked the new into theme music. Then the second half of the season went to hell.

Scroll to page 2 and there it is.

There already is a Flamingo Road thread.

I had forgotten that several Days stars came out strong against Melissa. Good for them!

I’m pretty sure Billy is leaving because at Y&R he will get more episodes per week, more money per episode, a slower production schedule, a new role to tackle and a bigger audience.

I did not expect Peter Reckell to be the one to break my heart today. Incredible scenes with Bo and his family.

I never thought Days would be the soap that I look forward to each day and have it take me on an emotional roller coaster. Proving that good writing will bring fans back.

Kathleen & Carl’s returns were one the best stories Swajeski told. Yes the writing was slanted in Frankie’s favour but Julie Osburn originally only signed a short contract. She did extend her stay and was well integrated into the show. They wanted her to resign again and it looked like they were going to pair Kathleen with Grant but she wanted to return to California.

Kathleen was not a villainess when she first appeared but she was also not a typical heroine. She was keeping secrets from MJ and Ben about her last job, was ambitious and definitely had an edge. That’s why she fit so well with Felicia and Cass. They still had some shades of grey at that point

i am now watching December 1980 episodes and I am enjoying what is happening. Most people in this thread have said they think Texas did not have a chance in Hell of succeeding but I don’t agree. While I agree that it got off to a rocky start and the competition was fierce by the end of 1980 it was hitting its stride. I believe that if Paul Rauch and the Corringtons had been left alone they could have brought Texas to the middle of the ratings pack of the other soaps. There was years of story to be told for - Iris / Dennis / Paige / Elliot - Samantha / Justin / Reena / Max - Courtney / Jeb / Elena - Billy Joe / Nita / Ricky. I would have kept Terry and moved her into the Ryan / Ginny / Barret story. Writing out Dawn, Clipper, Kevin and Bart was smart as those characters were boring. I would have eventually brought back a recast Dawn who was stronger to cause problems for Iris and Paige. Replacing Robert Gerringer as Striker was a head scratcher. I’ve liked Gerringer since Dark Shadows and don’t understand what the point of that move was. Recasting Max because an executive’s wife could not tell Max and Justin apart was also a stupid move. Chandler Hill Harben may not have been the greatest actor of all time but he had fire and sex appeal. I also would have killed off Alex but would have had Iris wreak havoc in Houston with her new money and power. I would have kept Maggie. She was a great talk to for many of the younger characters. I’m looking forward to the introduction of Grant, Judith, Mark & Brette Wheeler, Ruby and Lurlene and especially Hitopah. I’m curious to see if I enjoy the Pamela Long / Gail Kobe era. It is what I remember most. I suspect that I will enjoy the writing but not the new characters they introduce who are not connected to the core families.

I’ve spent a lot of time at the bedside of dying family members. These hospital scenes feel very real. The entire Days team is doing incredible work.

If Billy Flynn is Cane I will now have an extra hour in my day. Cane is not needed back on the canvas. Recast or not. Billy should be playing Scott Grainger, Brooks Prentiss or a new Brooks or Foster.

It is such a joy to watch Days again. Gone is the silliness and the show I watched off and on since 1985 is back. The writers are doing incredibly well considering the mess they had to fix. They were also challenged with 3 huge tasks - killing John, correctly the misstep that was Bo's return and crafting a 60th anniversary celebration. I think we are in for a rewarding ride over the next year.

I knew Giovanni Mazza was talented but damn that kid is a star in the making.

I enjoyed Santa Barbara from the beginning. Mainly because it was so fresh and different than the P&G soaps I was used to watching. But there is no denying that it did not hit its stride until 1985. The writing, casting and production all finally came together. Unfortunately backstage drama then slowly destroyed the show and for me from 1988 onward it was a completely different show than the one I was a fan of.

According to the French Santa Barbara site the Andrades had a house in the early episodes. I thought I remembered scenes in their home. The Andrade house

I liked the original 4 family set up. The families were all different from each other and were intertwined. They should have been given equal airtime. I felt that Lockridges were perfectly cast with the exception of Laken. She should have been quickly recast. I liked all 4 of the actors cast as the Andrades and wish they would have been given better writing. I really thought Ava Lazar (Santana) would have been one of the breakout stars if she had not been replaced. My only issue with the casting of the Perkins family was Robert Alan Browne as John and as much as I liked Mark Arnold he was the wrong actor to recast Joe Perkins. And of course it was ridiculous how badly they screwed up the casting of CC. The other Capwells were well cast.

On the French Santa Barbara site Ismael Carlo did not hold back about how he felt about the Dobsons. http://santabarbara-online.com/index2.htm How did you start in Santa Barbara ? My recollection is that I auditioned for the role. After a couple of weeks of contract negotiations I was told that all was in order and that I would start work in a couple of weeks or so. But that's when the sh*t hit the fan. In her high petulant way she (Bridget Dobson) commenced to tell me how all her South American workers were beholding to her. How she treated them, "like children". I said to her, "I'm not a child". She got upset and started to cry. I told her that if she did not want me on the show, all she had to do was break the contract and pay me. It never happened. The Dobsons, who were the producers, where a pair of what you would call in your country aristocrats in their minds. I almost quit just before I started. But like any actor at the time I stuck it out all because of the work. I don't think I will ever sell my soul again. I was also able to perform with the lead actor and director in a production of his: Romeo & Juliet. I played Papa Capulet.