Mitch64

Yea, it was weird as I felt Long wrote the Reardons better than Marland did..(besides Nola) other writers brought Bea back but then Long got rid of her..so it seems to be all on Long. I think Bea forming a friendship with Hawk would have been fun and then Sarah comes back (I would have made Sarah harder and trasheir then they made her....a "hiya doll" kind of woman.) Speaking of Hawk and Nola, during McTavish's time the one of the only time they wrote Nola fun was when she was conspiring to get the Spaulding greenhouse for Van and Matt's wedding. Hawk was suing Alex for some goofy reason and Nola tells Alex if she agrees to let them use the space, she will get Hawk to drop the law suit so she trips Hawk so he dumps something on Alex's expensive coat...so they call it even...goofy little scene but fun use of Hawk and Nola and what could have been if they kept people around to add color and even if they were not in BIG storylines.

Loved that time on AW, the only time I watched it..Felicia, Cass, Wallingford and the Jackee characters made this weird little oddball family, bouncing off of Cecile..I loved that episode with the truck and the gorilla (thought they shouldn't have brought her back for the finale but...) Felicia was fun and kooky and up for any kind of Lucy caper...then I watched years later and Felicia was a drunk (and not a fun one) ruined it all..then later she was in a boring romance with a guy that was played for drama not laughs and...where did my Felicia go? Reva Shayne...high points the Slut of Springfield and married to that old coot H.B....I also liked her without Josh, when she got a job and was trying to make ends meet and was hanging out with Fletcher..Reva at that time was more real, she had friends (sure, most of them guys) family a job, she could do it all, comedy, drama, sexiness, camp, and still be down to earth. Low point..post resurrection and Rauch years, she no longer drove story, things happened to her, she was plot point, and had no purpose besides "Always" ..(her kids, anyone else took a back seat to Always...) she actually came back more to her original incarnation during the Wheeler/Peapack years..(despite the stupid miracle baby when she was well past 50)

Agree on the first...but Miss Sally? GL had enough problems keeping older actors around, Bea Reardon with her multitude of children and grandchildren and anchoring a longstanding SF touchstone, the Boardinghouse would make more sense...(especially as they could have used her as the intro to many new younger characters who would live in the Boardinghouse when they first came to town.) I do agree with them butchering Alex (was Pam Long on vacation when they wrote that...) as standing by while Sally kicks it, they also threw in Alan who suggested that Alex actually physically did something to killl her and was happy about it. I think Miss Sally could have been one of those characters who flowed in and out of town when the plot needs her or there is a family event. I always found it so weird when close friends and family members would leave town never to be seen or hear from again. Having characters jump back for short arcs would make things seem more realistic and also entertaining fro the audience,.,

Lucy Johnson wasn't around for most of MADD...and that is what I am referring to. MADD was brought on and guaranteed a golden parachute if she would slowly get them out of the business...death by small cuts. P & G post MADD never looked like a company that cared about their product and keeping it going (look at your beloved AW's final episode, the charge was no flashbacks, no going to the past...so they had a gorilla.) If PG wanted to grow that particular arm of the business they were totally inept at it. I loved how Zaz made Roger a feral man who tamed himself somewhat and had a good man deep..deep..deep down inside. One of my fave scenes..and I think this was all Zaz...McTavish totally made tough girl Bridget into a pathetic looser, chasing after a man who didn't love her (with the clear implication she wants hot enough for him...) and jealous of skinny Dinah..who McTavish always let get the upper hand. So much so they had Bridget actually pondering plastic surgery...(poor actress..) and I thought they were going to go into a storyline about body dismorphia but no, this is McTrash. So Roger and Bridget are talking on a park bench for some reason and she has a magazine and is talking about getting work done, and the writing has Roger saying "Oh, you don't need that" as he was trying to get her to ally with him against Dart, but Zaz just had this fatherly read to the line where Roger was really saying "Really Bridget, don't ever let anyone make you feel like crap about yourself," you could just read it in his face and his tone. Small little thing but someone like RR would have played what was written on the page but Zaz gave it that twist.

That makes no sense..PG wanted to get out of soaps for years...why would they say, "Don't cancel us" when they wanted to [!@#$%^&*] can the shows, AND they could blame CBS. Regardless, I wish they would have just said, "Give us a year and we will wrap both up" and did so with class and respect. I think trading the shows cancellation for Peacock is a no brainer..except for those people who would loose their jobs. Also, since they mentioned Marj just taking over..she was much better at the beginning..maybe they were still writing for Bev...and she had a different energy but she was good..for a while.

Yes, as others mentioned, he wanted Bridget and David to be together...but they shot it down. Which is weird, McTavish wrote a scene where David told Bridget he loved her (recast David so it doesn't count) and Bridget just blew it off because McTavish regressed her into chasing after Hart and being intimidated by Dinah...Bridget, even if she didn't return the feelings would never blow off David's feelings like that. It is sad as at that time they brought back Nola (who he originally wrote for under Marland) and he was great with Bridget and of course the Coopers, and got Ed and Ross and Holly and Roger. If only they brought him back post JFP. Anderson was brought on with great fanfare by JFP and was supposed to be a "GL historian" which may be but he never got to write that as JFP was in control of the writers room and must have brought him on as she could control him. I would love to see an interview with him.

Ha..thanks! I still like the idea someone up thread came up with, "What are the Marlena clones up to?" and would love for them to do a very special episode once in a while to check in on them..is it too meta to ask to have one clone be an "actress of a certain age" on a online soap..seeing her reading a script and screaming "WHAT...I'M the killer..who writes this CRAP"

Hmmm, you really wanted Alice Horton choked to death on a donut..and felt that the original cast member matrairch was.."not essential?" (Though I heard Doug and at least Alice was "killed" after he had to change the storyline.) Everyone talks about what a genius the guy was but I thought his Days (at that time) was a piece of cr@p and watched it like an Ed Wood movie (though I will never regret watching it when Marlena fell off the terrace and bounced off of an awning and landed on a SCREAMING Sammi..if only it had killed her. So I would love to see what the original story was and how it would end. (his pet, Marlena a serial killer..I don't think so..) Sorry, went a bit off topic..."how bout those Marlena clones??"

GL was going through a ROUGH time at that time..coming off being nearly perfect soap (IMO) Curlee left and JFP was rumored to say "NOW we can do it MY way!" So, I think she of course had a LOT of time spent in the writers room. I also heard he didn't want to or like being head writer so this is surprising.

Agreed...hopefully it is like Marland and Long's runs...I new instantely when Long was back and when Marland took over ATWT I knew that something had suddenly changed. It will be interesting to see someone with an individual "good" style back.

I think there is the rub...people jump in to watch a car crash..uh, out of the ordinary storyline, and then jump ship..meanwhile, the audience that has been there for years leaves as they feel the storyline has compromised the show (hence they grafted the mob and dumb island storyline and they couldn't get out of them...a lot of loyal viewers left, and they were stuck with the Mob/San Crud/Kimmer is the best actress EVER and I will write in if she is off two days in a row.." crowd. I know..I jumped in to see what all the fuss was with the Salem Stalker on Days, and I stayed to watch the car wreck play out as I had no vested interest, and then they got to Melaswen and the reveal didn't make any sense..I left.

Okay..teacher..: ) As a GL viewer who never really watched GH...(I always knew what was going on but really lost track of it when that mumbling mob guy took over...) I am going to tune in to check out what Mulcahey does...he is the last of the old P & G writers still around and the times he was working on GL (Marland/Nola, etc and Curlee era...) was great. I know his head writing stint there wasn't that great but his scripts were great...its kind of like finding out Marland was going to write ATWT and Long was coming back to GL..hopefully you will immediately see his influence on the show.

To each their own, (hey, no shame....I loved Brent/Marion and Nursery Rhyme Stalker and everyone seems to HATE those..) but did you stick around?

Didn't Zimmer in her book say there was an actress with "big balls" who became a dark cloud...and alluded to it being Ehlers? The funny thing is, you could see it on screen, Harley went from the feisty everywoman to acting like a brittle shrew on screen, even as the head writer tried to make her the woman everyman on earth would fall in love with. I hope she got over whatever it was she was going through at the time.

At least they actually let Holden wonder why Lily seemed to be into "anal" all of a sudden ( Holden says to Rose..."I didn't think you were into that" after sex.) Agreed how they can have look alike look exactly alike...at least have Lucinda say, "Oh my Lily, you have gained a bit of weight in your hips..and your hair looks like it could use a rinse darling!" ATWT"s original "clone" storyline was the Willows (gothically written during Marland's early temp run) where she looked exactly like her fiancé of the moment's dead wife...didnt she get to play the corpse Lisa finds...(How it wasn't rotting away...) This far in and no one mentions Reva's clone? Dumbest storyline ever, and I think Donna says how much Rauch/MADD fought for their shows but they sure lost this. It all started as Kimmer wanted to play "Cassie" so they did face tape on her and there was no way Kimmer as attractive as she is, was going play someone that much younger...so they roll the face tape out for Cleva. I don't know why they would not do a YR and have Reva's double to be a "Marge" waitress, I think Zimmer would have had more fun with that..though I wish they had Josh doing business in a town called Madison and he sees Nola Aldrich, a look alike (and town slut too) and have her impersonate Reva..I think Zimmer was at her best with Nola. Then MADD/Rauch who loved to rely on a formula, brought back Annie as Teri Demarco..another stupid plastic surgery story, she had a different body, voice, everything...and she got it with no scars in like six months. I wanted the show to surprise us with the reveal that it Teri was really Teri, sent to SF to f*ck around with a few people, and the reveal would be CW playing Annie again for a few episodes before she finally gets killed. Oh, and didn't JFP have Howie, an exact twin of Ross?

I don't remember her subbing for Bev at all. The run of this took place during the beginning of the end of Sonni/Solita and it was Bev crashing on the island (with that bore Fletcher) and Bev on the island the whole time that I remember. Are there any videos out there of her and would she have been better then Marj? Phantom of the Opera was big then...but yea he couldn't have walked into town but Alex didn't know what he looked like so he didn't need to wear that mask..(and that dumb voice..however, it was not as bad as RR trying to do a Japanese accent when trying to trick Roger into believing he was someone else. Of all the dumbass storylines Rauch threw at us to keep asskisser Kimmer on screen...why was Kyle ignored...I would have much rather have that than the Isle of the Damned..especially if it did turn out that Marah was really his..something more "real soap" for Java to deal with.

I think that was the house that Ed lived in with Holly..I remember it (and I was a kid) that Hope didn't want to live in the big cold mansion, so they moved into a smaller house that I am sure was still impressive, and it shared backyards with the Bauers. Rita became entranced with the Spaulding lifestyle at that time (I remember, Alan gave them some crystal glasses or something for Christmas and Rita was seen starring at them in fascination..which is weird, its not like doctor's wives are poor. I think Roger's return was more Curlee...but I don't think she was that into gothic either. Oh, if only someone post 1985 mentioned Thornway Road...(I would have had Nola mention the old place ..with Bridget saying "Oh, Thornway Road has a bunch of gas stations and nail salons on it" with Nola looking disgusted. ) I agree, I have no idea why Nola and Quint weren't involved in the Cabin Mystery...like Nola would keep her nose out of that....though I have no idea how Quint could have survived to be a long term character.

Agreed...I really liked Derwin as Mallet and thought he brought a masculine vibe to his role as a cop (unlike say cheesy Rusty who tried to act like a tough guy but seemed more into hair mousse, and we won't even mention Frank as a cop..) but it was the writers who should have written to his strengths, which was banter and he was better at quiet scenes then DRAMA...its like MOL, who was really good in nice big brother, friend, lightly humorous scenes but as soon as he had to be mad, or romantic he failed (I won't even mention his later, "comedy" scenes...) There should be all types of characters on soaps and yea, leave the heavy lifting to the actors who can do it. I love that they kept the Spanish influence with the arch and the brick work, while making it look warm and friendly which the Bauer kitchen should be. Do New York producers like Wheeler and Gautman ever use their kitchens..cause in the midwest that is where most people hang out but it seems the shows would rather show a cop station then a kitchen. I actually think the Bauer living room with the fireplace is neck and neck with the Carriage House as longest running set. The Spaulding mansion has a convoluted history..Alan moved from Chicago there (later retro written that it was where Alan and Alex grew up under Brandon's thumb..) and had his various wives until he married Hope and in typical Marland fashion...did not like the mansion and wanted to live in a smaller house, so they moved to one that just happened to be behind Ed's house which allowed Alan and Rita to pass through the adjoining gate for some nooners. They then moved back to the mansion (so Rita would have further to go in her Walk of Shame in the afternoon?) which was retro written to be the house adjoining the Bauer's (and the SF CC.) The Wexler mansion did have the carriage house on the property, which humpy Ben lived in and painted in his shorty shorts and got all the SF ladies including Amanda hot and bothered (though he always looked like he would rather spend the night with Kelly Nelson...and vice versa..) Amanda escaped the Wexler mansion but during Long/Kobe redecorated the gothic house to look nicer (obviously they had a story planned for her but it went nowhere..) I always wanted Poser's Amanda to move back in, since part of her story was chasing after Ross, how convenient to be next door to drive Blake crazy..("I just had to drop off some papers..is Ross home?")

LOL...why does he not have a shirt on when on the field???Oh, cause there is a camera there! I never thought they had chemistry, despite the show pushing them...(she always seemed to tower over him for some reason...) But again, I think Wright would have been fun as a trashy ex stripper using her Lewis connections and willing to push anyone out of the way, but her pretty princess routine didn't work. When Dinah came back during Wheeler and Reva, Cassie and Blake took turns berating her about Hart, when they had her in that weird jail cell that seemed to be the center of the room (and I loved the Dinah actress just acting as if the was bored with their ranting) I also forgot why Blake would be there..oh, yea, that is her brother.

Good God what is that Bordello set with the bed in the back???? Olivia's???I hated Main Street and that idiot Wheeler wasting money on creating it...the hospital could easily be the epicenter of all the action as in the old days, as it would save money. Beth could work as a rape crisis counselor( I know. but that is what should have eventually happened) Olivia could have been appointed the Hospital Administrator....you have that, Spaudling office, Company, Towers, and a few home sets (Bauer Kitchen, Spaulding Den, Ross's house, which could double for official mayor city business) your good. What is with that cop station???I never knew why soaps insist on having cops when they do it so poorly, but then, it still makes me laugh that the dumbest character on the show, Frank, was the chief of police. The Towers club does look good there, and I did like the Company set until the end...(remember when Laibson turned the neighborhood family run pub into a "club" looking set...and Rauch just turned it back and no mention was made from the characters.

I wonder why Hilliard got fired? I thought he was too small for Hart but he came off as more midwestern farm boy then dem and dose Grillo (who may have gotten cast as a Midwestern farm boy in gay porn, but maybe that is what they were going for...) I love this facade...I wonder where it really is? I think a house for a big family but Tom Reardon had to make some good money to afford this place. I hate what Rauch did to the Reardon's, got rid of Bridget, made Nola a sad stalker, getting rid of JFP's Reardon kitchen set with looked like an old house kitchen (complete with worn wallpaper...) so they forced Nola into a sad little room with a kitchenette..and the worst, having the Coopers taking over Company and apparently the Boarding House..EEEWWWWW!

The show lost so much with the years Nancy and Chris were sidelined (the Dobsons would trot them out to have one line and then disappear..) I would have loved to see judgey Nancy looking down at Margo, and Chris being more open to her as his own sister was screwing Ellen's very married dad. They actually had DM still on contract when Margo worked for Tom and they missed an opportunity to have him be grandfatherly to her and run interference with her and Tom. Margo could be..abrasive at that time, so it would have been cool to see a softer side with Chris. Though we NEVER got to see Lisa's reaction to Tom being with John's daughter...especially since Margo and Lisa would both be stubborn, but they made Lisa such a silly flighty thing then. Yes, it was not long...at first Andy was freaked out by having to deal with "old" people (as no one on soaps besides the core seems to have grandparents..) and Nancy was still being played as her strong willed no nonsense self (except of course with Lisa, who could have blown Judge Lowell on Main Street and Nancy would be mad at people for being mean to a girl with a zest for life.) Someone had posted they thought it was Taggert???

Agreed...Sheffer's cartoon Babs was pathetic compared to how Marland wrote her. I remember a scene after Chris died..Babs was on the outs with the family since she lied about screwing Tom, etc, but of course, she is included during the grieving and she quietly goes over to Andy, who was close to Chris and having a hard time and tells him, "Its okay to cry." Made things more real and you could really get into it when she pulled a bitch move, as opposed to her silly antics later on.

Thanks...I think that PG was not happy with what they were doing...which was recycling (poorly) their GL storylines...John/Dee/Brad vs. Roger/Holly/Ed marital rape storyline...James/Barbara vs. Alan/Hope powerful amoral outsider with core family daughter. Helen Wagner quit at this time...etc... they did not do what they did with GL, preserve the core family while giving the show a shot in the arm with new families and "contemporary" topics. Unfortunately the replacement writers were even worse. I would like to know how MEB got the prickly Bridget (who, God love her..seemed to be a pain in the a** sometimes.) to agree to come back.

Very cool! Lemay was with SFT? I know he was consulting on ATWT pre Marland...(during the Bob/Kim wedding, and I have a feeling that is why Nancy had her snap back during that time..I know Lemay was always freaked out about a matriarch and I think original recipe Nancy was right up his alley with her controlling ways...) Did not know Mulcahey was on Search either, would love to hear what he says about MEB..I think the Dobson's second stint worked better because of her, but it still was not ATWT..(though I would love to hear about her Fulton's tug of war.)