Chris 2

I wonder why Parade had someone who so obviously hated TV interview the star of Peyton Place.

I remember thinking how cheap the Frisco/Felicia wedding looked, done on a set with no location shootinng. I never liked Frisco as a police officer. I thought he was more interesting as an outsider, à la Luke, who got caught up in these capers. Does anyone know the story behind Tristan Rogers’ departure from the show in late 1985 after the Asian Quarter storyline? They sent Holly to Australia ahead of Robert’s departure in September 1985 and then he followed her a few months later. But then Robert came back to visit for the Mr Big storyline in 1986 and then returned permanently in 1987 with news of Holly’s death. It felt like his departure was never meant to be permanent, but instead Rogers got some time off and the audience got some distance from the popular Robert/Holly coupling.

I was gonna say that Jane was offered the male-centered spinoff of Charlie’s Angels, but that was Barbara lol.

Van Patten was one of the good ones. He never gave up hope that Diana Hyland would go into remission and return to the show, and he and Pat stopped by to see her after Mass one Sunday. That’s when she passed away and that’s why he and Pat brought Father Bob. It came out years later than the whole story about Betty Buckley not being able to do the reunion because of her commitment to “Frantic” was just a PR cover. The producers did negotiate with Buckley to return, but they went round and round with her representatives over salary and billing. Finally, Lorimar just walked away from the negotiation table and hired Mary Frann. For the second reunion they did two years later, they apparently didn’t even offer Buckley the part.

That Laurelton story was a dog. I don’t care about Laurelton; I care about Port Charles. And if I were to care about Laurelton, it wouldn’t be because of Bobbie’s spoiled stepdaughter by a marriage to a huge a-hole. Why she is still on the show is a mystery. This is a weird era for GH. Anna is a dynamic character, but they decide to saddle her with Buzz, a nondescript character who is 20 years older? Don Galloway was a supporting actor in a primetime series from over 10 years earlier. Was he that much of a “get”? Tony and Tania are a snooze - she should have disappeared from the show after the Grant Putnam/Andrews story concluded. The Webbers have also been destroyed by casually throwing away Lesley, the heart of the family. Rick and Ginny are each too low-key to be a compelling couple, and have no chemistry. And little Mike is annoying as hell. Go live with Derek and get the hell off our screen. Derek and Lorena are another weird couple - paired up because they had nothing else to do with Lorena. I’m comparing these episodes to those from five years earlier, when we had Luke and Laura (the super couple), the Webbers (a solid foundation), the Quartermaines (comic relief), and younger romantic leads like Jeff, Joe, Anne, and Bobbie. These episodes feel unfocused, with a good number of castoff characters who should have been written out long ago. The show needs a good housecleaning.

Honestly, I think she thought the medium was beneath her and it wouldn’t have mattered which serial she was on. I’ve seen her interviewed many times over the years, and she doesn’t exactly scream “down to earth”.

I think the first season is as close to Hamner’s vision as you’re going to get. It’s after that that it truly became a serial (the first season had standalone stories with an overarching season-long arc. And it’s a very good season. Not as flashy as the other Lorimar serials, but solid.

Nitpick: it’s Jimmy Monahan. He’s the son of Digger’s sister, Maggie Monahan. Pamela used the name Monahan when she was in hiding after her car accident in 1987.

No, it would have gone the way of CBS’ other P&G soaps, “Guiding Light” and “As the World Turns.”

Agreed. I remember someone suggesting that Bobby should have stayed dead and the second half of the series should have focused on JR’s redemption arc. I think that would have been better than what we got (the show’s credibility shot so we could have a lone decent season when Bobby came back). JR wouldn’t have had to be a pushover but he could have come to appreciate his family and business partners more and treat them better. And perhaps team up with partner Pam against a new villain on the show.

I understand the feeling about the characters not changing. But it’s hard to dispute that the Sue Ellen of the later seasons (a successful business woman) isn’t radically different than the one we met at the beginning, when she was an abused, social climbing alcoholic. JR also is no longer coming out on top by the end, and kind of becomes a loser who is beaten frequently and becomes more and more desperate with increasingly ridiculous schemes. And has regrets; check out the scene where he decides not to bother his estranged wife Cally, pregnant with his child, when she’s happy in her new life. That never would have happened earlier.

Daniel Hugh Kelly is a leading man types which is what was needed for Frank Ryan. Andrew Robinson isn’t, and I knew as soon as he showed up that he wouldn’t work as Frank. Interesting observation about Catherine Hicks and Randall Edwards. I agree - they wouldn’t have worked together.

I don’t get why she went through the glass. They could also use some thicker glass lol. Also, Peter Simon was a handsome man when he was younger.

Would Ellie have really said “Oh my stars”? I don’t see her writing a book either. Remember how pissed off she got at Donna when she wrote her book?

I recall that Hillary Bailey Smith was considered a successful recast as Margo on ATWT pretty much immediately.

Humiliating your employees, particularly in front of each other, is awful.

Agreed that cutting the Nazi treasure storyline short ultimately wrecked it. Yeah it was farfetched but it was fun and better than the stuff that came after.

I wouldn’t call her a regular. She wasn’t listed in the opening credits or even after the episode title at the beginning of the episode. She was listed with the guest stars in the closing credits.

Go watch Beck’s episode of “Fantasy Island” when they were testing it out as a Sunday show aimed at younger viewers, airing in an earlier time period. Beck played Cindy, Rourke’s assistant. She was so artificial it was painful to watch her scenes. And she didn’t appear in the second Sunday special, not surprisingly.

It was a big deal for WCVB to air the show at 11:30. This was after Loving took the 1230 slot and ABC moved RH to noon. WCVB hadn’t cleared any ABC daytime program during the 11-noon slot for years. And WCVB did not air it on a one-day tape delay as was standard at the time. Instead, ABC fed RH to WCVB 30 minutes ahead of the rest of the affiliates.

Interesting that the unaired pilot dove right into the action, rather than setting up the series with the Giobertis coming to the valley. And Clu Gulager is somehow as unlikeable as Chase as Robert Foxworth was.

Agreed on Tina Louise. She’s actual a fine character actor and they could have used Julie on a recurring basis. Marc Singer (Matt) was definitely a dud. Bobby’s old friend, properly cast, could have been a love interest for Pam. But they didn’t want her to be single for more than 30 second - hence the return of The Pornstache. Barbara Eden would have made a greater impact in an earlier season.

Uncle Lenny helped conceive the Angelica Nero arc because he was still consulting with the show. But he said later he only wanted it to be 8 episodes long. And there was talk in the trades at the time that they offered the part to Diana Ross (“Call me Miss Nero!”)

Hamner loved the concept of a family escaping the big bad city to return to their small town roots. Before he passed away, he pitched a show called “Foundations” where a man moves his family from the city back to his hometown to take over the family apple orchard business. Sound familiar?

100%. I think Louise Shaffer had limited range, from what I can see of her work on RH and SFT. She didn’t need to be around as long as she was.