Reverend Ruthledge

I remember Lisa was certain Lucinda had killed Whit and tried to go about proving it. It was actually the first thing I remember from ATWT. The first scene I ever saw of ATWT was Lisa snooping in Lucinda's closet for evidence (if I remember correctly).

It was Joe.

Interesting. Thanks for posting it. There's an urban legend that there's a scene from 1975 out there somewhere but I don't believe it.

I couldn't stand Peter Simon but, OVERALL, his portrayal of Ed was more true to the character of Ed than Mart Hulswitt's. I'm not saying Mart's Ed wasn't the most likable and Mart wasn't a great actor. I'm just saying, when you look at the character of Ed from the beginning to the end, Mart's Ed was somewhat of an anomaly. Ed, the character, was dour, humorless and pretty much a prick most of his existence as a character.

In Helen Wagner's defense, the one comment Barbara Rodell recounted made me wonder if Barbara was perhaps being too sensitive. The comment that Helen said was that she hopes they kill off Joyce because she hated the character. A comment every fan makes about certain characters they hate. Granted, not the best comment to make around the actor who plays the part and would be out of a job. And Helen was a fellow actor and not just a "fan" of the show. However, it could have been just a comment about the character and nothing personal. Then again, who knows what the other comments were, if any. Barbara hinted that it was about more than just that one comment. I think Mart Hulswit told a story about Charita Bauer not liking the child actor who played Freddy Bauer and making a statement about wishing he'd get killed off. Or something along those lines. Someone with a better memory would have to verify that. I think it was Mart Hulswit's interview with Alan Locher but it could have been someone else's interview. That comment seems even more directed at the actor instead of the character. Mart, or whoever it was, told the story and Alan quickly brushed past it and changed the subject as he is wont to do. I was surprised that Alan let Barbara talk about the backstage feud with Helen so freely.

Fascinating interview. Thank you for posting.

No.

Hey there. Yes, I did. A lot. But it wasn't The Guiding Light as it was from 1937-1982. It was a different show.

Yep. A lot of people think Ellen Wheeler killed the show. I would argue that the REAL show died in 1984.

I think them wanting to get rid of the Bauers was the biggest factor on why Hope was written out. Also, the times were changing and Hope was very much a late 70s type of character. Everything was moving into the brash, sensationalistic 80s and Hope would have seemed out of place. They could have brought her back and reinvented her like they did with Amanda (who was very much the same sort of late 70s-type character) but thank God they didn't!

I didn't hate them. I found them vaguely interesting but it could have been my age. I doubt I would find them as likable in 2024.

You are correct.

That's correct.

Yes. Julie tried to pass the second baby off as Alex Bowden's because getting pregnant again with another baby of Mike's made her feel more trapped. And she got pregnant because Mike raped her as she was trying to get away from him. After losing her baby, Julie never recovered. It began her suicidal ideation. She tried to jump out of the hospital window and shortly after she went into a catatonic state. George got amnesia by chasing after Jane when he was upset with her and getting hit by a car. He fell in love with her after he got amnesia and Jane was afraid he'd get his memory back and remember that he hated, not loved, her. He got his memory back eventually but it didn't change the way he felt. They eventually got married.

Thanks. Such a fascinating storyline. Julie was full of naivety and romantic ideas when she was in love with Mike and he just used her for sex. When she got pregnant and the Bauers pressured him into marriage because of it, the reality of the situation turned Julie bitter and disillusioned in time. Ironically, Mike did eventually fall in love with Julie over this same time but, by then, things had switched around and Julie no longer loved Mike and felt trapped in the marriage which is what eventually led to her mental breakdown and suicide. What she wanted, she eventually got but didn't want it anymore because it wasn't the way she had wanted it originally. Such an interesting look at the different types of love, the effect of time, and self-delusions.

Now that you say it, I remember that. I forgot about it, I guess, because it seemed like a throwaway mention and was quickly forgotten (I'm surprised it continued for two episodes). At least they mentioned it! Thanks for that, All My Shadows.

I read that the original concept of the show was to feature four different types of marriages; a stable, long-term marriage (the Fairgates), a tumultuous marriage (the Averys), a reconciled marriage (the Ewings) and a young, new marriage (the Wards). That was supposed to be the focus and I would assume that concept was pre-Dallas so I'm not sure if Gary and Val were supposed to originally be the "reconciled" couple or not. Or if that couple was originally supposed to be new to the neighborhood or already established. I'm not sure how much Dallas changed things for KL.

All of my favorite shows devolved into an inexplicable obsession with one character that I didn't find particularly interesting (GL with Reva, ATWT with Carly, AW with Rachel, KL with Paige). I just didn't get the reason why any of those women had to eat their shows. I guess they appealed to some but my interest in each of those shows waned when that switch from ensemble to one-woman focused happened. Someone with more historical information might know better but I think Knots Landing Motors just falls into the abyss never to mentioned again around the 5th or 6th season once the focus shifted onto more glamorous things. I think the problem is that the Wards fitted more with the original concept of the show and not how it played out.

Yes. Another of my favorite JR lines was when he was having dinner at Gary and Val's and all the neighbors were over and Val was upset about JR being there. Someone noticed she wasn't eating anything and asked her about it. She said, "I'm not hungry" as she glared at JR. JR says, "Valene, you better eat up while there's food on the table. You never know when your luck's going to run out".

I remember JR calling it "Crude Porn" and "Cornpone" when he was over at Valene's house. I found that amusing. I always enjoyed JR and Valene's scenes together.

Interesting. Martha and Jim Frazier were credited as the first African-American soap characters but it looks like Mrs. Matson preceded them.

That was great. Really reaffirmed my love of the genre. A lot of these people interviewed "got" the genre. Unfortunately, they've gone the way of the dodo. Thanks for sharing! Can any of you classic soap fans identify the soap at 31:05? Was that Martha Frazier and Guiding Light?

ATWT was a lot more slow-moving and conservative than GL. They were very different. I loved early ATWT but found early GL more compelling. ATWT could be a bit dry and conservative. I like that sometimes in a soap if done well (which ATWT was) but it is harder to get into for a newbie. Different strokes for different folks. My personal preference for ATWT was 1985-1993 but a close second would be 1967-1973. Again, everybody's different but those are the two time periods that I would consider the best. Unfortunately, there's next to nothing saved from the 1967-1973 period. The good news is that there is A LOT to be seen of the 1985-1993 period.

Abby may have been the villain of the show but she was still down-to-earth and multi-faceted. JR and Alexis were cartoonish, one-dimensional and campy. Those kind of OTT characters got all the attention. Abby was more understated. But KL was such a different show than Dynasty or Dallas. They were very flashy shows which produce pop culture phenomena. KL just wasn't that type of show. Don't get me wrong, Dynasty and Dallas were entertaining and I liked watching them. However, I just think KL was a far superior show and it was because it was more relatable and more of an ensemble with not just one character stealing the spotlight.

It was Nancy Addison playing Kit but it was Melinda Fee playing Charlotte at this time.