MarlandFan

My usual downloader had a problem as well, but this link worked for me: https://vidfly.ai/youtube-video-downloader/ I agree -- videos and entire channels can be taken down from YouTube without any notice. Knowing this, over the years I've downloaded every Marland-era episode (the only period I wish to keep) that I can find. Currently, I have just over 800. I'm glad I did this because many episodes have already disappeared from YouTube.

That other 6-10-91 episode is one that I posted a few years ago. When this new video appeared, I did some research and I realized that I had been incorrect -- I was a week off. Mine aired June 17. I've made the correction now. :)

Another 1991 episode not yet on YouTube. Thanks to VintageNoSpintage.

Yes, that (very beautifully written) scene between Kim and Seth is from the August 2, 1988 episode. Other than a "Story by Douglas Marland" in the end credits, there is no writing team listed (for obvious reasons -- no one wants to be known as a scab writer.) I once had a conversation with the writer BK Perlman who wrote for "Ryan's Hope" in the mid-80s. Prior to being hired as an RH writer in 1983 she had actually been a scab writer for RH during the 1981 writer's strike. (She, of course, used a different pseudonym during that time.) Later, when producers were looking to fill their writing staff in 1983, they remembered her and her work and officially hired her. I'm not certain if others in the writer's room were aware of her past?

For a short period in 1985/86, Marland positioned Heather, Frannie, Betsy, and Sierra as gal pals (same ages, most pursuing college degrees). It felt very natural and there was definite chemistry between all four. I wish those relationships had strengthened, but each character had her own storyline which eventually drove them away from that core group.

lol

My enthusiasm for ATWT had definitely waned by 1997 and this was the final nail in the coffin. Such disrespect to Allyson Rice.

Agreed. By the mid/late 1990s, all the heavy-hitter soap creators had retired or passed on (Bill Bell, Doug Marland, Agnes Nixon, Harding Lemay, Clare Labine). They were the handful of writers who could demand autonomy -- and get it. With them gone, the suits took over and subsequent headwriters had to get approval for every little plot and subplot.

I wholeheartedly agree about the Labine-era being the last great period on a soap. Which is sad since that was in the early 1990s.

I also bemoan the spotty episodes from Marland's early run on ATWT. But we're actually quite lucky: most of 1986 is pretty much available on YouTube -- except for the late-May episode when Frannie's memory returned while testifying on the witness stand during Kim's trial for killing Douglas Cummings. And the September episode where Kim gives birth to Chris. Those are the two Holy Grails for me. And while we don't have the immediate build-ups to the climax of the Sabrina storyline, most of 1987 is also available. Thank goodness for those ATWT fans with VCRs (still a rarity back then). Because of their efforts, we can still enjoy that classic period today.

I attended an ATWT panel at the Paley Center back in 1997 and the panel included most of the heavy hitters at that time (Hastings, Hays, Hubbard, Fulton, Byrne, and a few others). Hastings was funny and charming, Hubbard was stiff and reserved, Hays seemed uncomfortable and quiet -- and Fulton and Byrne were both excited, effusive, and happy to be there. I remember being very surprised that the very kind Kim (Hays) seemed dour in real life and that the scatterbrained diva Lisa (Fulton) was in fact very down-to-earth and friendly. And Martha (who was VERY pregnant and by far the youngest on the panel) was very warm, confident, and proud of her association with the show.

For some reason, the interviewer's questions were purposefully edited out, so any back-and-forth discussion between them was intentionally cut. Luckily, Martha always gives long, thoughtful answers, therefore there are long stretches of this interview that did not get chopped. But yes, it would have been nice to get a fuller understanding of the Goutman conflict. It sounds like Goutman turned the conflict into a personal fight/vendetta. I'm not sure of the reason why since Martha has always seemed very pleasant and professional (even in her current MAGA mode).

Agreed -- Marland's 1985 to 1987 period on ATWT was great. 1988 promised to be just as good, but the 5-month-long writers strike disrupted his storylines. Once he was able to regain control of the show in the fall of 1988 he also had to deal with some cast defections and it took him a solid 6 months to regain his momentum. As a result, much of 1989 is largely forgettable but it laid the groundwork for what I think was an exceptional 1990. Casey's illness and death, Andy's alcoholism, the fantastic Bob/Kim/Susan triangle and the very mature way Marland treated Bob and Kim's marital struggles. ATWT definitely deserved their Emmy for Best Show that year. 1991 to his death, the only two major story misfires were the infamously horrid Crawford murder mystery and the Royce/Neal introduction. Granted, Marland died just as the Royce/Neal story was gaining steam and maybe he could have course-corrected if he had lived, but from the outset it was anti-climactic and odd with every beat.

The sexiest 91 year old I've ever seen. Love him.

I loved the Kim/Bob/Susan triangle. It was the most realistic examination of a marriage-in-trouble that I had seen on a soap. For the story to work, I think Susan needed to be a three-dimensional character. Marland had to soften Susan to make it believable that Bob could have feelings for her. And for the triangle to work, all three had to be "real" people (and with the possibility of Bob going with Susan instead of returning to Kim.) Prior to the tryst with Bob, Susan was already being written as "kind-hearted" especially with her friendship with Casey and her AA sponsorship of Andy.

I agree -- Marland must have decided that if he wanted to keep John on the canvas, John needed to become more three-dimensional and more integrated into the Oakdale society. Under Marland, John developed a fairly strict moral code -- gone were the days of lies, deception, and self-serving machinations. He still interfered and lurked, but now his focus was on the well-being of his children. All of these changes gave the character a longer life on ATWT, but it also neutered him. Case in point: during Stenbeck's first return in 86/87, the John/Stenbeck rivalry was only briefly the focus. Initially, John made a fuss about his arch-enemy being alive and needing to pay for his crimes, but that conflict quickly disappeared and they almost never shared scenes together. It became a Stenbeck vs. Duncan storyline. Marland felt that John was too "normal" to be a part of an over-the-top high-adventure villain plotline.

I never understood why Marland broke up Lucinda and John. I get why Marland injected trouble and divorce into their storyline (soaps are all about drama), but he never brought them back together. After the divorce, there was never even a hint that Marland felt that they eventually belonged together. They were such a fun, dynamic couple -- was perhaps the permanent break because the actors had difficulties with each other? And TPTB decided to relieve the stress behind the scenes?

These are amazing. Great quality and some have never been up on YouTube. Thank you!

I'm not certain what Marland's initial plan was for the "new" Lily, but immediately upon Lily's return in 1990, he had her doing things that were totally out of character. She flirted HEAVILY with several men (Shaun, Linc, Colin). She took a sudden and intense interest in business (whereas from '85 to '89 she had shown absolute disdain for Walsh Enterprises). And finally, Lily was now conniving and duplicitous (something to do with Barbara and the sending of a note? Sorry - bad memory.) I remember all of these character changes being very jarring to me as a regular viewer. Marland may have meant for Linc to be Lily's eventual destination (another "rich girl"/"poor boy" story that Marland seemed to like) but I think Hensley's return changed everything. Marland immediately brought back the "good" Lily. Hensley was definitely "checked out" as you put it. He was a lazy actor as far as I was concerned. He always struggled to remember his lines and his emotional range was limited. He was one of the most handsome men to ever grace a TV screen -- but he took it for granted. He knew ATWT was always there for him as a safety net if other projects didn't work out. And he was a superstar without really having to work for it.

I liked Heather Rattray as Lily. She was more mature, more assertive, taller (lol), and ready for a new romance. With John Hensley gone from the show, Marland probably figured it was the end of "Holden and Lily" and was eager to explore a new direction for Lily. However, once Hensley returned, Marland must have realized he couldn't keep the two characters apart -- despite their lack of chemistry. I also liked Mary Ellen Stuart. Her relationship with brother Tom felt very natural. (I love how she was the only one to call Tom, "Tommy"). And she had a huge bond with step-brother/cousin Andy. Unfortunately, Stuart was saddled with two horrible stories (Sean's palimony suit and the Crawford murder mystery) and was paired with two men with whom she had zero chemistry. Sabrina was NEVER written well, so poor Clare Beckman had very little to work with. The character was basically brought back to help with Tonio's exit.

Great! I've been watching for this obit. I've noticed that soap actors don't get much attention in the NYTimes obits. Anthony Herrera -- one of the great soap villains -- did not get an obit. And neither did Elizabeth Hubbard -- which was shocking to me given her extensive stage and TV work prior to ATWT. It took them about two weeks to post an obit for Kathryn Hays. I think her "Star Trek" episode and marriage to Glenn Ford may have finally convinced the editors to include her. RIP Eileen!

Interestingly, as much as Hubbard was used during Marland's era, Hubbard still felt "under-used." She often spoke about her frustration as an actress that most of Lucinda's dialogue/scenes/machinations were in service to other characters' storylines; that Lucinda rarely had a story that was just about her.

I found the actor playing Hans to be very lightweight -- hardly the menace he needed to be. I agree 100% with Shannon's return: once they brought her back (and that incredible reveal/twist at the airport was truly a shock to me - well done!) they didn't know how to write for her. And the Devere storyline was a waste (poor Darnell Williams!). And -- yes -- Linc#2 was a disaster. What an unbelievable reversal of character. Linc#1 was a sweet, kind man (to a fault) and his change into a slimy, selfish cad was all plot-driven, not character-driven.

1993 was very watchable since the show was coasting on most of Marland's storyline projections. But I agree that 1994 began a sharp downward trend in quality. (The Hans-terrorist-storyline was the final straw for me.) Like you, I've often wondered what Marland would have done if he had written ATWT throughout the 1990s and how he would have adapted to the continual preemptions during the OJ trial in 94/95. Since he had exhausted most/all of the Snyder clan storylines by 1993, perhaps he would have quit the show? Since he'd been working on a new soap, I'm guessing that he would have focused on selling/producing that.

Maybe I'm not privy to the inside workings of the Emmys process, but the 1991 Emmys was for material which aired from March of 1990 to March of 1991. The Angel abuse storyline was in midstream in March of 1991, so I'm not certain if that story was a deciding factor for the program's win? 1990 was a banner year for ATWT: the climax of Andy's alcoholism story, Kim and Bob's marital problems and the Kim/Bob/Susan triangle, Casey's illness and Margo advocating for his right-to-die, Lucinda's lies and John's ending of their marriage. Other than the golden years of 1986-1987, I think 1990 was the highpoint of Marland's run. But in general, the Emmy's have always been an imperfect committee. It took them 13 years to realize the brilliance of Susan Flannery before she was finally nominated for B&B. Kathryn Hayes was never even nominated - ever! And for as much as he is regarded/remembered for his ATWT run, Marland never won for writing ATWT (and was nominated only 4 of the 9 years he was eligible).