JarrodMFiresofLove

I'm watching an episode of The Doctors that aired recently on Retro. It's from the 19th of October, 1976. Doug Marland is the headwriter and took over a month prior to this broadcast.

In a scene I just watched Dr. Matt Powers (James Pritchett) talks about taking his grandson Michael Paul to a place called Snyder's Farm to get a pumpkin for Halloween.

16 hours ago, TimWil said:

That’s very kind of you, thank you. I miss Geri every day. Watching her performance as Dr. Ann Larimer from the beginning thanks to Retro TV really has been amazing. When I did that play with her in the fall of 1977 (I played her son, she played a nightmare of a mother) I had only seen bits of Dr. Ann Larimer before then and she was clearly a villainess. I’m trying to remember why Doug Marland never created a character for her on ATWT but I think it was really down to the fact that the show was already chock a block with leading ladies. I want to say she was offered the short term role of a visiting socialite friend of Lucinda’s (someone named Adelaide?) but she ended up  turning it down. I doubt it had anything to do with Liz Hubbard. I seem to remember she liked Hubbard well enough but was never close with her like she was with Anna and Lauren (White).

Interesting. Yes, it's fun watching her as Ann Larimer in the episodes from 1976, where the character is now a lot more devious. She's done an incredible job with it and I can see why Marland liked writing for her. I think the Jennifer Richards trial on Guiding Light was one of the best storylines she had. Jennifer was a different sort of character, and that time around she had a chance to play a mother to two daughters. I love the sound of her voice.

12 hours ago, TimWil said:

I think she was only meant to be a temporary replacement because Jennifer Houlton was back a few weeks later, wasn’t she? It’s fun watching what I think are the final weeks of my fellow Adams Chronicles castmate David Elliott as Billy. These days he’s a master carpenter, he builds sets out in LA. I’ll definitely be fast-forwarding scenes of his replacement Shawn Campbell. When I’d see Campbell at auditions he gave me the creeps big-time. For one thing he always gave off a drug dealer/porn actor vibe. Blecch.

 

Ah, Paul Carr as Dr. Summers. I remember Geraldine (Court) loved working with him along with David O’Brien and Glenn Corbett. They shared a lot of laughs together. I’m looking forward to the scene where they were all behind the observation glass at the hospital watching little Stephanie Aldrich. Geri had me in stitches describing them failing miserably at avoiding laughter jags at the child actress whimpering “Steffie feeling bad!” while the sheet meant to cover part of her face kept sliding down.

 

Now that Anna Stuart’s gone I’ll cherish on YT what seemed to be the only scenes they shared on TD which was the aftermath of Toni giving birth. Anna Banana was Geri’s best friend right up to her death a few years ago.

Glad to see you posting again. I like how you keep Geraldine Court's memory alive. She was one of my very favorite actresses on Guiding Light. I wish Marland had created a character for her on As the World Turns. Her television career just seemed to taper off, and she was so good.

I just watched episode 4 of the online series. Actually I felt this was the best-written episode so far. It incorporated so many of the things that made OLTL a great soap.

Plenty of time for the vets. Key relationships in the spotlight (Viki vs. Dorian, Todd & Blair, Tea & Victor Jr). I also liked the subplot with Rama and her Indian husband Vimal who is back from his travels. These are all people who cannot function without one another. The best acting is probably on display in the scenes with Roger Howarth. He and Kassie De Paiva work so well together; he really hasn't had this kind of magic with any of this leading ladies on GH.

The episode also had some sex, with Tea and Victor Jr getting all passionate at the beginning, when they returned home from the hospital. We see the tattoo on his arm and he starts acting strange. So there's a bit of mystery going on. And he goes mad at the end tearing up a stuffed giraffe in the nursery, which is recorded on video. There's a very good scene in the middle of the episode where Tea goes over the loss of their child, which I thought captured the true pathos in their relationship quite well. It's too bad we couldn't have seen some clips from the GH episodes where Todd had delivered the baby and switched it.

Dorian & David are almost like a vaudeville comedy team. A lot of silly dialogue usually delivered by David in a screwball sort of way. Dorian over exaggerating and over dramatizing every little tragedy that comes her way. These two really are hilarious. The best line was when David wanted to whisk Dorian off to some island so she could rub suntan lotion all over him.

Viki and Jeffrey's scenes seem alright. It's a bit cute how he calls her boss all the time, but she seems to have warmed up to him a bit too fast. She only just hired him and he should still be proving himself as an employee. Viki's office set is truly magnificent, better than any previous Banner set on the ABC version of the show.

Cutter had reduced screen time in this episode, which was a good thing. He was over exposed in the first few episodes. It was nice to see the focus on the others for a change.

In the closing credits, there are 18 regular cast members listed. Rama's husband is listed with the recurring cast and day players, meaning he probably won't drive much story.

The sets are painstakingly detailed. I've just freeze-framed a shot in Tea's home. In this one shot we have 15 different items on the living room shelves, not to mention a collection of books. The kitchen counter off to the side has a toaster, coffee pot, set of cups and creamer. Everything is geometrically positioned. It's almost like the characters are walking through a painting.

The online versions were on Hulu and Hulu Plus according to a press release I found. Basically Prospect Park was a glorified production company (in music and television). Despite creating The Online Network (which was kind of without function), they never put their episodes of OLTL or AMC directly online, they let Hulu and iTunes do it for them. Suggesting they were quite ambitious but didn't have enough resources and had to farm the episodes out to other platforms for them to be seen by the audience. At least that is how I look at it. I am sure their business model was evolving.

One thing I'd forgotten was how the owners of Prospect Park originally started in music management, so it makes sense they were putting a lot of music-related stuff on OLTL. It works rather well during the club scenes. And it does give the show a fresh energy that hadn't been in the ABC version.

I agree that Ron's writing on GH was a mess. Too many crossovers, too many convoluted plots. Though Prospect Park was suing ABC for having killed off those characters, it really was all Ron's fault, but ABC let him do that. He had too much free reign on GH which some might say ultimately became his undoing. I think if Ron hadn't gone to GH and had gone directly into the online version of OLTL, it's safe to assume none of those crossovers would have happened. He liked doing back from the dead plots, so I am sure it was never his intention to keep Cole and Hope dead. Probably at some point we were supposed to see Star reunited with them, during some big ratings month. But Prospect Park's lawsuit got in the way of all that, so Star, Todd and John McBain were all quickly written off GH. Though ABC reclaimed the rights in December 2016 they haven't done anything with any of those characters, probably because it would be confusing to have Howarth switch roles again. But if they ever decide to kill off Franco, then I can definitely see them putting him back into the role of Todd Manning.

I ended up looking at the second and third online episodes. The second one is where Dani's in the hospital and everyone finds out Victor Jr. is alive and that Todd is back in Llanview. First, I think it's very revealing how Trevor St. John is not in the opening credits and everyone else is. So that tells me they didn't plan for him to actually stick around. I guess the idea was to do a triangle with Todd-Blair-Tea, otherwise Tea has no love interest after Victor Jr exits again.

Some of the writing is a little off to me in the scenes from the second episode. It's hard to figure out which one is the actual biological father of which child. Todd is acting like Dani's father, but I thought Victor Jr was her bio dad. And Todd was the bio dad of Star and Jack. Sam is included but only in scenes back at Dorian's home, so he seem less connected to these other kids. They don't even mention who his father is.

For someone new to OLTL, just joining the stories in the online version, the writing should be clearer, which kid is by which father. Good writing could have really mined that for extra drama, especially if the thesis was that parenting is more than blood, it's about a feeling of connection. In that case, Todd and Victor Jr's conflict, where they both are trying to reconnect and belong to their families again, would be so much more powerful.

I thought Viki's reunion with Todd at the hospital was very good but her reunion with Victor Jr. ironically fell flat. I wonder if that's because Erika Slezak might have felt closer to Howarth off camera than to St. John. But she should have played those scenes the same, since both of them were brothers to Viki. Actually since Victor Jr is the namesake of her own father, with whom she had a troubled history, Viki's relationship with Victor Jr should be a little dicier. So I think the writers didn't go deep enough and Slezak didn't go deep enough either in those scenes. I expected more emotional resonance as those reunions played out.

The third episode takes Viki to Dorian's home and we have more sniping. This is vastly entertaining but Robin Strasser seem to have trouble remembering some of her lines and she's shouting her dialogue again. I like how this storyline ties in with homeland security. But I think the writers are implying that Dorian can be brought down by scandal. She's a survivor. Plus why would she care what conservatives think, since she's an openly liberal politician (at least she was when Ron wrote the character). It should be more about her concern for the nation's security than about some silly scandal. Dorian is no stranger to scandal or controversy. That's old hat to her. Her beef with Viki should be that a newspaper expose could cause people to distrust the government on big issues like safety and create more havoc because of the ensuing paranoia. So I think the writers are getting the story a bit wrong.

Re: the newspaper stuff. Since this is an online show and characters are seen on their computers, then why isn't Viki switching her newspaper to an online edition? It seems out-dated that people are still finding actual newspapers on their front doorsteps. Or that we have all these shots of headlines on the front page. This information should be on their computer or phone screens, not on actual paper. I'm surprised the writers didn't bring The Banner more into the future.

Next I want to comment on the coffee shop set. This is the set I remember most from when I first watched these episodes in 2013. It actually feels like a real coffee shop. Must be something in how they designed it, the furniture they selected, the props they used (with real bags of coffee on the shelf). And how a coffee shop, instead of a restaurant, lends itself better to a smaller space. The first coffee shop scene involved Blair and Todd in episode 2, but in episode 3 we saw the coffee shop again when Nora stopped in and had a chat with Matthew.

I do wish they had featured or at least referenced some of the recurring characters from Ron's run. I keep expecting to see Ilene Kristen's character (Roxy). It feels like she should somehow be included. They could have had her run the coffee shop. Also, while I didn't care for Aubrey, I think Cutter should have at least referenced some of the characters he had his previous storylines with...otherwise he seems like some new guy with no prior relationships in Llanview.

And we haven't had Rama say much about her husband, though I think he must turn up later because the actor is listed in the IMDb credits for the show. Meanwhile Viki and Clint have not once mentioned Jessica. A new viewer would think Natalie is their only child. And that they don't have any sons, either. The writers seem to be pushing Viki's relationship with Todd and Viki's new relationship with Jeffrey King, or her ongoing conflicts with Dorian. But she has other relatives and outside concerns. They're neglecting some of that and it makes Viki less multi-dimensional than she was on the ABC series.

One thing I think the online version is missing is a park or town square. Maybe that's added later? Most soaps have this type of set where people can randomly bump into each other. It's silly to expect that everyone would go to the club all the time. There should be a small park outside the coffee shop. Or some outdoor scenes shot in an actual park somewhere. There needs to be a place where people can casually cross paths without having to go to the club or the hospital all the time.

On Prospect Park's wiki page it says part of their lawsuit against ABC alleged that a OLTL character had been killed off on GH. Which character was killed off?

For the 2013 series I assume that Roger Howarth filmed his role of Todd while on a break from GH, right? In the second episode Viki asks him about his life in Port Charles. But when Prospect Park halts production of the series, did Howarth go back to playing Todd on GH...or is that when he started playing Franco? Was his last performance as Todd on the 2013 series of OLTL?

Did GH ever say what happened to Todd and Star, when they were written out because of the lawsuit with Prospect Park? I guess what I am trying to figure out is where Todd would be today...is he supposed to be living in Llanview again or is he off somewhere else, or are his whereabouts unknown?

Erika Slezak's hair seems a bit orange in the online episodes. I don't remember her hair having an orange hue in the 2012 episodes. I thought she was more blonde. Maybe she changed her hair color during the time off. It certainly differentiates her from the rest of the other women on the show.

17 minutes ago, EricMontreal22 said:

Yeah it's bizarre how relatively professional and good they looked even compared to network soaps nowadays. 

Here was the taping schedule.  Obviously they never did do another batch after this:
"She reveals that All My Children will film episodes at Stamford, Connecticut from late February. The former ABC daytime soap will film for two weeks before taking a break during which One Life to Live will film episodes at the studios. After five weeks OLTL will take a break and AMC will resume filming.

A source told Soaps in Depth “They’ll be alternating back and forth until each show has completed 17 weeks of taping. Everyone is looking forward to seeing each other again.” It is unknown what will happen production wise once each soap has completed 17 weeks of taping; whether they will both go on hiatus or move to new studios."

Actors did mention that the hours were significantly longer (also, because of limited space for sets, Erika S mentioned that she had to stay the full day, though saying she didn't mind as it made the cast closer--I guess she had had a deal where they would shoot ALL of her material in the morning of the days she came in and then she could go home) however, they also got those five week breaks to pursue other projects.

Actually I believe a 30 minute soap now in the *daytime* (which has even more commercial time than primetime) comes to 19 minutes of programming--I know hour soaps clock in just around 38.  So yeah, as some mentioned at the time, you don't really get all that much less per episode. 

I def think they were ahead of their time.  I know they were ultimately done in by PP's poor business stuff, but i really think if they had happened even just a year later they may have lasted longer--and someone like Netflix might have been more keen to pick them up.

Interesting stuff. Yeah, what surprised me when I watched the first episode today was that it felt like something made in 2018. It hadn't aged much at all. The technology they're using was all the best stuff, the fashions seem very classic, and the sets are exquisitely designed.

David doing his own reality show doesn't seem dated either, since reality shows are still popular. I'd forgotten Dorian had become a junior senator. Some of the things Ron Carlivati had started at the end of the ABC run were nicely continued. But they also brought in a new character like Jeffrey King, so they weren't entirely relying on all of what Ron did.

26 minutes ago, Taoboi said:

Okay...you convinced me. I started to rewatch a little bit myself. Still waay too easy to draw me in.

It would be fun if we (a group of us) went through the 2013 online episodes together. To go over what worked and didn't work. I will probably watch the second one tomorrow and will come back on here to comment, sharing my impressions.

I'm glad the topic has turned to Jean Rouverol. In another thread, the one on soap writing, I spoke about Robert J. Shaw and how one of my professors was a former actress who was partially mentored by Shaw in the daytime format. The professor I was referring to was Jean. I didn't mention her by name because I wasn't sure if people on here knew about her.

There are a lot of things I can say about her as a teacher, friend and as a person who knew soap writing inside-out. I took her class twice. The first time was the spring of my freshman year (for credit). And the second time was the spring of my senior year. The second class would have been cancelled because not enough people signed up for it (can you imagine that?!)...I didn't want to see her class get dropped so I asked if I could sit in again, auditing the course without credit, and I was allowed to do that...so she now had enough students that semester and the class wasn't dropped.

Though she covered a lot of the same material both times, I had matured a lot during those three years in between and gained more from the second experience. Plus she had different guest speakers. She was well connected after all those years in Hollywood, and she brought a diverse group of fellow soap writers in to talk to the class. It was a 16-week course. Her lessons were always designed towards specific exercises each week, so I was able to refine certain skills in the second course, things I had struggled with in my writing as a freshman.

As I said there is so much I could share about what she taught us and what the guest speakers told us. She was so efficient and ultra-organized. When a guest speaker came in we all took notes. And then the following week she gave us a copy of her notes (on what the guest speakers said) to ensure that we had gotten everything the speakers told us. She was very detail-oriented and trained us to be that way too.

I had to laugh when I read a comment in another thread where someone said a writer on "Loving" complained about Agnes Nixon marking up his scripts like a stern schoolmarm. Jean did that that, too...I still have pages of things I submitted to her that were handed back to me with the markings and suggestions in the margin. She was very direct with her feedback, but we had to know what was working and not working in our writing...and we valued the schoolmarm approach. She was so lovely and nice that even when she took us to task for mistakes we kept making, it was easy to take the criticism, because we knew how much she cared and how it was her goal to make us become more professional and skilled.

I should add that while it was a soap-writing course, she didn't always focus on soaps. Ninety percent of the course was about that. But the other ten percent of the time she would tell us about other forms of writing she did, and other aspects of her long and storied career, including her days as an actress. She was definitely a renaissance woman, there's no other way to describe her but she was very down to earth too, and easy to relate to on so many levels. A very remarkable person.

I forgot to mention how much I liked the opening credits for the online version of OLTL. Seeing them all dance was cute, including older couples like Clint & Viki.

There is also some product placement-- the apple laptops that appear in some scenes, but it's not very obtrusive.

Re: the filming schedule...in the first episode there were several night time scenes done on location (in Connecticut). I'm not sure if they continue the outdoor filming in the later episodes.

1 hour ago, EricMontreal22 said:

I think from the premier I woulda largely agreed with you on all fronts.  I can't say more because some of those thoughts about what worked and didn't vastly changed over the 40 episodes (well this is maybe a small spoiler but for example I forgot Rama was even in it...)

Interesting, Eric. If I remember correctly I watched the first ten episodes back in 2013. I got busy with other things and stopped watching. So when I get to the eleventh episode it should all be "new" to me. I'm looking forward to watching how it evolves. Plus I'm eager to see Ron Raines in the later episodes, since I was a fan of his on GL.

This doesn't feel as experimental as it did five years ago. In some ways I think it was ahead of its time. I love how there are almost 28 full minutes. A half hour show on network television would have been around 22 minutes to allow for all the commercials. So I feel like we're able to go more in-depth, have more scenes and variety with those extra minutes. This is how the British soap EastEnders is, since it's funded by tax dollars and does not have to worry about advertisements.

Another thing is how professional it seems. When GL changed its production model in 2007, it became very amateurish. But the online version of OLTL smartly combines in-studio filming with outdoor filming and doesn't make it look cheap. A lot of care and money went into these episodes. It's really a shame it didn't last beyond 40 episodes.

I just watched the first online episode of OLTL. I remember watching this with great excitement in 2013...can't believe it was five years ago already.

Some things really work in this online version and a few things fall short of the mark.

Pros:

#1...I like how the vets are used equally with the younger ones. They all seem to be included in some meaningful way.

#2...it's great seeing Roger Howarth as Todd. Todd was the character he was born to play. I also like seeing Trevor St. John as Victor Jr. since I never bought him as NuTodd. The actresses playing Blair and Tea are perfect in their roles.

#3...the sets are not cheaply put together; they're filled with furniture, knickknacks and paintings-- like real homes should look.

#4...the show still manages to retain its diversity. Rama, the Indian gal, seems front and center; and the relationship between Destiny & Matthew is still important; the new character Jeffrey King seems interesting, etc.

#5...there's a lot going on, the scenes vary in length and don't drag, the club music is also very good.

#6...I love the on-location filming, with Todd pulling up in the limo; Victor Jr. roaming around in a hooded jacket; shots of a river, etc.

#7...there's good comic relief...the scene with David (Tuc Watkins) doing his John Travolta impression outside the club was hysterical.

#8...Dorian and Viki's relationship is still important to the show

#9...they got rid of a lot of the deadwood that was on ABC at the end (in 2012) and kept characters that had potential, like Rama and Cutter (Josh Kelly).

#10...the lighting and clothes are perfect

Cons

#1...I miss the first Destiny from the ABC version; I wish they hadn't recast with a skinnier actress; the original Destiny was more down to earth and less glamorous looking, which made her more relatable to the audience

#2...I think the scenes with the characters dancing at the club went on a bit too long; the energy is good, but just playing music and having them dance lacked drama; it wasn't until Todd showed up and Dani collapsed that the club scenes had any real dramatic edge.

#3...Some key characters are missing. It's odd to see Natalie without John McBain. Also having Blair & Todd on screen without Star seems weird.

#4...Dorian and David are a great comedy supercouple but I think the actors tend to ham it up too much. Plus Robin Strasser shouts her lines instead of emphasizing the dialogue in other ways. Her performances lack subtlety. Some camp is good, but these two really push it to the extreme sometimes, making their characters a bit too cartoonish.

#5...There was some profane language which wasn't a problem exactly. But it felt like they were saying some swear words because they could, instead of it just being part of a realistic conversation because people talk that way in real life.

36 minutes ago, slick jones said:

 

Please do, I'm sure I'm not the only one that would like to check those out.

 

Great. I just found the summaries on my computer. I actually have them back to March '85 when the Jarrett Morgan/Baxter McCandless storyline begins. That is also when Henry Slesar took over as the show's head writer. Here's the first week I have:

25th of February to 1st of March 1985
Trey realizes he's Scotty's father after Kelly admits she's the boy's mother. Hal suffers a heart attack before he and Kelly can leave town. Thomas begs Kelly not to leave since he wants to be part of her and Scotty's lives. Wally and Brenda decide not to have sex until after they're married. Cheetah agrees to move in with Nino. Thomas is suspicious when Zed talks about an ''old friend'' who's paralyzed. Paula plots to reconcile Senator Josh Harrington and Trey.

My notes: Lipton retconned Scotty's parentage at the end of '86, so we actually find out later that Sam is the boy's father and Trey's really his uncle. Viewers were not happy about it, but I can understand why Lipton did it-- because Kelly and Trey had run their course, and Kelly had more drama dealing with Sam as the boy's father. You can also see that Slesar is setting Thomas up with Kelly, though it takes two years for them to become an official couple, which doesn't occur until the show's last few episodes. Wally and Brenda are probably the show's most star-crossed pair. Zed's old friend is Jarrett/Baxter.

Great!  I have all the weekly plot summaries for Capitol from mid-85 to March 87, covering all of Henry Slesar and James Lipton's material. I may start posting them here for those who are interested...

4 hours ago, slick jones said:

Thanks, @Paul Raven I'll add them in.

 

CAPITOL    extended Mark Denning to 1987 per @JarrodMFiresofLove.

 

Thanks for all your hard work on this.

I'm adding plot descriptions to all Marland's episodes on the IMDb. If I make any errors let me know. You guys can be my proofreaders. Here's the first week:

***

Monday 20th of September, 1976

Althea tells Maggie there are rumors about Matt at the hospital; Matt meets with Mona and the other board members and is asked to take a temporary leave of absence; Nola and Paul discuss Matt's situation. Douglas Marland & Kathy Callaway.

Tuesday 21st of September 1976

Althea tells Penny about Matt; M.J. and Steve spend time together; Carolee has a lucid moment with her nurse; Stacy is panicky about Jason's possible return; Jerry learns about Luke's plans to charm rich women. Douglas Marland & Nancy Franklin.

Wednesday 22nd of September 1976

Matt's decided to quit and drafts a resignation letter; Steve tries to reach Jason in Italy; Mona discusses the board's actions with Steve, Stacy and Virginia; Penny types Matt's letter; Mike tries to comprehend why his father is quitting. Douglas Marland & Anne Howard Bailey.

Thursday 23rd of September 1976

Matt relaxes at home after resigning; Billy and Greta don't know what happened; Sara watches Nola get ready for work; Virginia tells the girls Matt resigned; Steve visits Ann then sees Matt and Billy; Ann learns of a treatment for Carolee. Douglas Marland & Robert Cessna.

Friday 24th of September 1976

Not broadcast on Retro.

1 minute ago, victoria foxton said:

Anna and Gerald played siblings Mark and Gina Dante on GH. 

Thanks. Gordon was 14 years older than Stuart in real life. But I guess he was playing younger on GH?

Ed Nelson who played Senator Mark Denning was on the show from 1982 to 1987, not 1986 as reported above. His character was killed off in mid-January 87 so he did appear in several episodes in '87.

46 minutes ago, robbwolff said:

Stuart joined GH in January 1977 as Dr. Gina Dante. She played the role for one year. After she left, she was very ill and didn’t work for three years. The late John Shearin is the next Mike. Very good actor.

 

No idea if the Conrad set continues to be used. And I’m not sure my memories of Eleanor in Paul Summers’ apartment are correct. That’s over 40 years ago. But I seem to recall seeing Eleanor and Wendy in that set. I remember the windows, which are so distinctive.

 

You’re right about the exits. Add to your list Liz and her sudden departure. And Jody Lee who just vanished after being so prominent.

Thanks for the info. Did Stuart work with Gerald Gordon on GH? I'm guessing they went to GH because of the Pollocks, right?

I would imagine viewers in September '76 were caught off guard by Toni's abrupt departure from TD. There was no foreshadowing at all. Her mother hadn't been mentioned in a long time. It all seemed to come up out of the blue...but I guess Marland didn't have advance notice and did the best he could.

Carolee Campbell's exit was strange. The way they wrote Carolee off was deplorable. And then keeping her in the credits from March to August was just bizarre, like they expected her to come back.

7 minutes ago, robbwolff said:

If I remember correctly (and it is a long time ago), Eleanor takes over Paul's apartment after he's written out. For some reason, I have memories of Eleanor in that set.

 

My understanding is that Toni is gone. Mike departs in December 1976 and then returns in April 1977. I read that they had planned to recast Toni but went in a different direction after Armand departed. Toni's departure was so abrupt...and lackluster. She was on the show for nearly six years and just disappears upstairs to pack. No final shots in the closing credits with her and Mike, Maggie, Matt, and Martha. It made me wonder if it was retribution for Anna Stuart being so vocal in the media about her displeasure with the show's writing and direction.

 

Hank departs in December, too, just as Mike leaves. Petronia played Jessie Rawlings I believe. I thought I read that TD planned an inter-racial story for her but it was nixed because of the negative reaction to the Valerie/David romance on Days. Petronia was fired after a year. There were a few other Black actresses on TD in later years. Carolyn Byrd was on around 1980 as Dr. Terri Foster. And her mother appears, too. Then, Chris Calloway was Ivie Gooding, who fell in love with Luke. And Larry Riley played Calvin Barnes.

Thanks. I had edited my previous comment because I thought I was going off on a tangent about black characters. But I'm glad you quoted me and answered. I think Count Stovall also has a role, according to cast info on the show's wiki page. Petronia Paley played the mother of a black family on Guiding Light in the mid-90s but they didn't last more than a year or two.

Hard to believe this was Anna Stuart's last episode. She was one of the show's most important secondary characters. She had paid her dues. Big mistake losing her and the character of Toni. Did she go on to another soap right away? She certainly fared better in the 80s and 90s on Another World. She's a great actress. The minute Alan left, Toni and Mike headed into dullsville. Armand's silly little on screen antics and his laughing while delivering lines couldn't save what they were being handed to play. DePriest damaged both characters. Hopefully the recast Mike is an improvement.

So it sounds like, by what you're saying, the Conrad set is no longer used, especially if Eleanor takes over Paul's place a bit later. Right now Marland seems content to focus everything on the hospital, the Aldriches, the Powers and the Dancys. I would imagine he stops using Althea's place since she no longer has a love life, and he probably stops using Martha's home if her screen time is reduced and she's written out, and especially if Toni and Mike are gone.

This show does not handle cast exits well. Laurie's exit was a non-event. Andy's exit was odd. Karen just disappeared without being mentioned anymore. Alan's exit was abysmal. Scott's exit was rushed. Now we have Toni's speedy goodbye.

2 hours ago, robbwolff said:

The Conrads are far from gone. Eleanor gets a new storyline this coming week and I believe is connected to the hospital. Wendy is recast in 1977.

 

Armand seems to have checked out to me. His acting is quite lackluster at times. I won't miss him when he leaves. I never bought him as Mike.

 

Martha'a days are numbered with Toni gone, Mike leaving in a few minutes, and the lab no longer being prominent. I wish Marland had rethought Martha's position at Hope Memorial. I've loved Sally Gracie's performances and will miss her terribly when Martha is eventually written out.

I should clarify that I like Eleanor and I'm looking forward to the story with her and Luke. But my earlier comment was about the Conrad set, which I don't really want to see. To me they were never successfully established as a prominent family. DePriest tried to shoehorn them into almost every episode and the episodes where the bulk of scenes took place in their living room just felt like another show, barely connected to Hope Memorial and the other families.

To me Eleanor and Wendy are supporting characters that should live in a hotel suite and turn up at the restaurant and occasionally at the hospital if they have medical-related business. On another site I stated that I felt if Eleanor had been Maggie's sister or Matt's cousin, then she and her daughter (and husband while he was on the show) could have been more integrated with a main family. But Eleanor's main connection is to Althea which always seems forced. If Eleanor had actually been related to one of the show's main tent pole characters then we could see her and Wendy logically involved in other storylines. It doesn't surprise me the Conrads didn't last beyond 1977.

Is this stuff with Toni's mother an exit story for Toni, or does she come back later? I haven't yet read any Soap Opera Digest synopses though I am tempted to do that so I can prepare for what Marland will be covering. I figure Martha's exit will be rather lackluster. As you say, the lab has not been prominent for a while, since Tom Barrett's death. Instead of making Mike a police officer, which was completely ridiculous, DePriest should have put Mike in the lab and had him take over Tom's position on staff. That would have caused Mike to interact with Toni when Alan was still in the picture, and it would have given Martha more to do.

I figure Martha's relationship with Ernie will just fall by the wayside, there probably won't be a marriage for them. They are basically filler, "C" plot material (not even a "B" plot).

Another character that has no purpose is Hank. Under the Pollocks, Hank and Laurie were an integrated black couple, involved in the hospital and connected to other main characters. The minute Jeff Young fired the actress who plays Laurie, we basically had Hank adrift, now functioning as the show's token black character with zero dimension. I expect his exit to be without much fanfare. Cenedella and DePriest were not invested him, and I can see Marland just deciding to cut losses  and get rid of him. After Hank leaves, are there any more minority characters in regular roles?

10 minutes ago, Soaplovers said:

 

I believe you about AHB... I watched her brief stint as head-writer of Days circa 1989 to early 1990.. and she was quickly fired with the show doing a PR explanation that her writing didn't match what they were looking for (claiming it going from action/romance to just plain action.).

 

However, she is a good script-writer based on what I saw of her stuff on the show.

 

From what I've read, Marland does have her and Paul running the hospital after Matt's resignation.. with Paul plotting to unseat Althea so at least she does get into the action before being fired.

 

And this 'Bob Cessna'.. not impressed with his script writing.. but soap writing is different than stage plays.. so that's probably why.

Glad Hubbard gets more to do in the weeks/months ahead.

I'm really loving the show again. It feels like it's gone back to The Doctors I know. Like it's found itself. I hope we never see the Conrad home again. DePriest was just so far afield with the Conrads. The show is at its best when we stick to the hospital, the Powers home and the Aldrich home. I think Marland understands how Billy and Greta link the main families. And I think it's completely on target focusing on the Steve-Billy conflict, since it's kind of reminiscent of the Matt-Mike conflict-- where we have a father who genuinely loves his son but is often at odds with him. Dave O'Brien's acting has greatly improved with this storyline. And putting M.J. into it has been good too. It just feels like the show is heading in the right direction now, and when Carolee finally gets back to Madison, there should be plenty of repercussions for everyone.

My favorite early episode of Marland's is the one where Ann brought the presents over for Erich and Stephanie. Such excellent irony, where Steve is thanking Ann for making the kids happy again, when we know Ann's doing all she can to block Carolee from returning-- so she's playing a role in their ongoing unhappiness. Marland's toned Ann down...she's not a cartoon villain now like she was under DePriest...she's more of a calculating schemer who is just trying to ensure she gets what she needs.

I still think Armand is miscast as Mike. His acting is fun to watch, he's clearly having fun with his costars. But he's not the right type to play Mike. They should have just had him play a new character. Or else made it that he turned out to be an impostor and thus someone else.

Glad we're still seeing Sam at the nurses station. How long does she stay on the show? I wonder if the actress was related to or married to someone in charge of the show. She seems to survive all the head writing changes.

Martha feels totally adrift. I sense that Marland doesn't quite know what to do with her and Ernie. They're just there in Tony and Mike's scenes. They need a small crisis of their own. Everyone else has drama except them.

8 minutes ago, robbwolff said:

Jada is the Carolee that was there when I watched The Doctors back in the 70s and 80s. So it's great to see her though I do miss Carolee Campbell. My husband told me his mom watched The Doctors and "hated the new Carolee." In the spring of 1977, a new character appears named Jeffie Rowland. Not sure how long he lasts but Jada Rowland's brother was named Jeffrey.

 

You're right about Althea no longer being an essential part of the puzzle. I think that's why Marland writes her out. In one interview, he was not pleased with Hubbard rewriting her dialogue.

Althea and Nick should've remarried and she should have exited with him. I suppose Hubbard was in the middle of a contract but there's nothing for her to do. Maybe they could have created another new love interest but Tom Barrett and Scott Conrad both fizzled. And it was clear that Althea only belonged with Nick.

When the announcer said the "role of Carolee is now being played by Jada Rowland," he pronounced it "Jadda." I always thought it was "Jayda." So I was glad to learn how to say it correctly.

9 minutes ago, robbwolff said:

Cool insight about the name of the board member Beatrice. Nancy Franklin started writing for TD under Margaret DePriest. Her name has been in the credits for a least a month or two.

Thanks for the correction. Probably when she started the decision had just been made to get rid of DePriest and start writing the characters in a new direction.

Retro did not air the episode for the 24th of September 1976. Must be lost. But I didn't feel we missed anything.

What does everyone think about Jada Rowland? I have to admit i miss Carolee Campbell terribly but I have instantly fallen in love with Rowland. I love how expressive her eyes are. She reminds me of a silent film actress. Maybe it's because she has no real dialogue yet and the only thing she has to work with is her face. But she seems so delicate and fragile, it totally fits Carolee being in this weakened condition.

On another note I feel that Liz Hubbard is just marking time. Since Gerald Gordon's exit, there is no real storyline for Althea. She's just playing support to Matt and Maggie now. Althea feels like a spare part, no longer an essential piece of the ongoing drama.

The best actress has to be Meg Mundy. Those scenes where Paul was hoodwinking Mona into suggesting that he be Matt's replacement were so well played. She really captures Mona's vulnerability and daresay stupidity around Paul. Then in a subsequent episode when she learns Jason is coming to Madison, she's all maternal and take charge. Such a wide range of possibilities for the character and Mundy taps into all of it.