Jdee43

It was interesting seeing Margaret DePriest turn up as an actor on The Doctors in December 1967 through March 1968 in the small role of an adoption agency official. She was also a head writer for a few shows in the 70s, including The Doctors in 1976. Her stints on Another World were terrible though, as were most of her time after on other shows.

Being satisfied with mediocrity. Forgetting the show's history and what made it special. The decline in special acting talent and the prominence of hair models. The episode that was posted from 4/3/92, with Dennis, Jamie, Marley, etc -- to those who remember the history of the show, those characters, and the better actors who portrayed them -- it's painful.

It's too bad we can't see those episodes with Ann Williams and the rest of that cast, from 1963-1967. I take it those episodes, like the ones from 1980-1982, are either lost, or are owned by NBC and are not covered in Retro's licensing agreement, which is only for the episodes owned by Colgate-Palmolive, 1967-1980. The Retro website won't load on my Samsung smart TV anymore. I'm stuck with trying to watch the episodes on my computer.

It's not the format that feels old; I love the longer, character based scenes; that's what these shows should be about. It's the content, the stories. For example, having a female character go from being a public spokesmodel for a cosmetic firm to pitching hay in a barn and becoming a private cook is not exactly the zeitgeist of 2024. Mulcahey trying to shoehorn characters into his old plots feels lazy. Trying to turn Drew into Guiding Light's Ross is ridiculous. Having Willow have an affair with him is equally ridiculous; the actress doesn't have the skill to pull that dark, total change of character off convincingly. The best thing to do with these characters is to write them off, but since apparently the producers wouldn't let him do that, we're left with these half-hearted attempts to write for them. Mulcahey is just dusting off his old scripts. Is that because the producers wouldn't let him do more, or is that because he's burned out? I guess we'll never know.

I loved Elizabeth MacRae in everything I've seen her in, mostly Gunsmoke, The Fugitive, Gomer Pyle, and the movie The Conversation. She was great. She was in so much more; I'm looking forward to finding and watching more of her work.

Mulcahey is a legend, and the dialogue and show is better. But sad to say his overall material on GH just feels old and recycled. He is in fact recycling stuff he did on other shows, especially on Guiding Light. His sensibility feels circa 1992. He needed a co-HW not only to keep things moving, but to keep things fresh. Perhaps it was just too late in life for him to take the job. Again, the show just feels old.

Without calling them Mason and Julia, those scenes with Lane and Nancy should have been written las if they were playing Mason and Julia. Who would care at this point? What was great about them was the bickering and how they'd get under each other's skin. There was a little of that the first day, but not enough!!

The last two episodes felt really bloated. It's obviously another case of their making 2 episodes from 1. Are they doing that because of the BTS drama, to stall for time as they try to figure things out? Way too much drawing things out, and very poor editing. Shocking they didn't show Tracy's reaction to Gregory's death. Instead they have scenes of Police Commissioner Anna subtly pushing beaten up Dex not to press charges against Sonny, making them both look like buffoons; completely ridiculous. It was nice seeing Nancy and Lane going back and forth though! The memories 🥲 They still have it!

They probably should have recast Jackie for this. Or have they ever tried getting Demi Moore back? Or does the budget not allow for either?

Has there been any dialogue about what happened to Jackie Templeton?

As a young kid watching, I always thought Marcy Walker and A Martinez were the same age. I had no idea she was in her mid to late 20s on this show, and that there was a 13 year age difference between her and A! They did a great job making her seem older! The show is definitely more watchable in January 1985! Finally there are real stakes, real drama, and real pay-offs! Poor Peter! Just as his being a gigolo came out of the nowhere, so his turning into a serial killer. There is no setup or preparation. After being off for 2 weeks, he finally reappears on episode 114 (1/7/84) with his doctor telling him his injuries might have affected his brain. He then starts to acts all strange, as he has never acted before. It's pretty obvious the writing has changed, but at least it's changed in a more interesting direction! It's interesting, being on the air for 6 months, there are no contract cast members who are police officers or doctors! How many soaps can you say that about? It almost seems like an oversight, especially with there being no police! Here the show has a long time murder mystery and a new serial killing spree, and those investigating it are no names!

Genie Francis was the heart of the show from the late 70s to early 80s, and then again in the early to mid 90s. Her absences, poor writing, and Tony Geary's changed attitude, being totally over Luke and Laura, changed all that starting around 1997. Perhaps the show would have been better off in the long run if they had killed off Laura for real at the end of 1996. It would have avoided 20+ years of poor stories and poor treatment of her. It's amazing how poorly the writers handled the dissolution of Luke and Laura; sure they were one of the most popular couples of all time, but all the more reason for the writers to step up and give them a solid, heartfelt break-up. That never happened. Laura's character was ruined as a result. Isn't Laura being mayor a little bit of a homage to the history of the show? Luke was mayor of Port Charles back in 1983; now it's Laura's turn.

About time! Hopefully this is the end of GH bringing on primetime stars from the late 70s and 80s and giving them fatal diseases that we see play out over months with little entertainment value. First Max Gail, and then Gregory Harrison. Giving them a fatal disease is so short sighted, especially if they turn out to have chemistry with the cast, which shouldn't be surprising since those guys were and still are really solid!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1980/08/04/soap-dud/d452abcd-9001-41ad-b76a-1fef74514172/ Soap Dud NBC's Latest Soap Dud The Unsexy Serial: 'Texas' Is a 'Dallas' Daytime Clone By Tom Shales August 3, 1980 It could take years for Iris Carrington to get what's coming to her. NBC certainly hopes it will, since Iris and her tangled web form the nexus of "Texas," the network's mucho publicized but recklessly uninteresting new soap opera. It premieres today at 3 on Channel 4 and the only afternoonish experience it is the next-best thing to is a nap. Perhaps most surprisingly, "Texas" is sexless. Those who've been hearing about how the soaps have turned steamy and how their casts of characters have become virtual rabbits in the hutch will be disappointed. "Texas, spun off from "Another World," which precedes it, is P&G, for squeaky-clean Procter & Gamble, the sponsor and producer. "The first part of "Texas" is brought to you by Oxydol" says the announcer, and oh boy, is it ever. You'd think there would be at least a hint of wiggly-wag in Chapter One, in order to get people hooked, but "Texas" turns out to sleepy time Down South. The program does represent a step or two in the evolution of soaps. It's an hour long, some of it was shot in locations other than a TV studio, and the locale of the story is not a mythical Pleasant Valley or Somersault but the specifically identified city of Houston, Tex. However, this daring breakthrough is mitigated by the fact that no one in the case of the first show has a Texas accent and the whole mess might as well be taking place in Lompoc, Hohokus or Biarritz. Beverlee McKinsey, who gets star billing, plays the central role of Iris Carrington, a character transplanted, like many in "Texas," from Another World." Iris is in seat B-o on an airplane taking her back to Bay City when the pilot announces the plane is being turned around for "personal" reasons. That powerful millionaire Alex Wheeler wants Iris back in Houston so he can romance her aboard the very yacht where first they met 25 years ago. And yacht's yacht? Not by a long shacht. It takes Iris the whole hour to get from the airport to the yacht in Wheeler's limo. Would she care for some champagne? No she would not. Meanwhile, back at World Oil, Wheeler's company, there's still some doubt about the mysterious suicide of Mike Marshall, which followed the mysterious death of Sheik Zaydi. That rotten Ryan Connor telephones Princess Yasmine back in Tankier in Act Three, but she doesn't come to the phone until Act Five. The princess, she does not want to speak of murder. She says, from what looks like a room in a Ramada Inn, "Let's talk about something else, okay? How's everyone in Texas?" Texas? Texas? Oh yes, this is supposed to be taking place in Texas. Of course if the CBS hit "Dallas" were called "Portland," then this show would be "Oregon." And if "Dallas" were "Butte," then this would be "Montana." And if "Dallas" were "Flushing," then this would be er, "Long Island"? Obviously it isn't worth thinking about, which is why TV executives are giving it so much thought. It's an omelet designed only for very small brain pans. Meanwhile, Clipper Curtis and Terry Dekker are in the executive suite sipping, what else, champagne. And that simpering pair of googly-eyed sprites, Dawn Marshall and Dennis Carrington, are in the meadow literally picking daisies. "This is the summer of our lives, Dawn," says Dennis. There doesn't seem to be any champagne around. "Texas" is filled with flashbacks to earlier days -- most of them having occurred in "Another World" -- and with such sparkling dialogue as Wheeler's pep talk to himself: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained; full speed ahead!" Full speed is never attained by the deathly "Texas" collection of nebbishy nabobs and half-baked potato heads. Really, people who try to intellectualize their own interest in soaps are like people who try to intellectualize sex, gambling or sleep, three activities that are far more functional than watching nothing happen on shows like this. "Texas" isn't even as big as all indoors.

I wonder if Maurice had any hand in getting Mulcahey dismissed. Is Maurice really cool playing a bad guy that everyone has contempt for? Perhaps Mulcahey's mistake was not getting a consulting producer's credit or something to guarantee that his ideas would end up on screen, like Guza did when he returned under JFP. Guza was a good writer, but late Guza was not appropriate for a soap opera. By the time he left, the heart of GH was dead. The hollow mess he left as his legacy is one of the reasons the show of today sucks so bad. In the 00s, all Guza was doing was trying to copy successful prime time shows: The Sopranos, Scrubs, 24.

A sad day for the show and a sad day for the genre. This seemed like the last chance to see quality writing on GH, the last chance for a creative renaissance. Now I guess it's back to plot-driven amateurish dreck for however much longer the show is on the air.

This episode was complete fast forward material for me. Nothing exciting, nothing interesting. I couldn't care less about the marrying couple. Like others, I prefer the 2020 temp for BL; the temp had a spark and much better chemistry.

In a few interviews, A Martinez has said that the producers, encouraged by Jill Farren Phelps, gave him and Marcy three episodes to show that they had the chemistry to be paired. He and Marcy worked together on their performance, and one of the things they wanted to do was get on the ground. I guess A Martinez was talking about episodes 109-111. Of the three, the third episode stands out, episode 111 from 1/2/85. It's the only time they get on the ground. It's thanks to Cruz tackling her, trying to get something she stole from him. In the episode, Cruz gets to push her, manhandle her, twist her wrist, call her names, kiss her, and treat her like crap after. I guess this is what the producers needed to see to be sold on the pairing.. Interesting start for the show's signature couple. Also interesting is that the couple had a precursor. The producers wanted to tell a story about a blonde woman and a Hispanic male from the very beginning. One of the early print ads for the show was Jade and Danny kissing. Jade and Danny never took off, a casualty of bad acting and the poor teen storylines. Obviously, the producers still wanted to do this story; with their deciding to do it with Cruz and Eden, Jade and Danny get dumped. The last time their story is featured is episode 110 (12/31/84).

Under the old writers, whatever conflicts there were were very poorly done, so contrived and artificial. I appreciate the new writers trying to set up conflicts that feel more organic and real. The thing is, they are taking too much time setting things up; things need to start hitting the fan already. The writing has gotten more intelligent, but the overall show is still boring. If there are trying to bring back the intelligent dialogue of Santa Barbara, maybe they can bring back a little of that show's fast pace too. I really do hope the new writers have stories of their own to tell, or are allowed to tell stories of their own, and are not just there to flesh out the stale vision of the producers who just want to do more of the same.

Looks like quite an event! Might anyone have asked if anyone had footage of old episodes, especially from the 60s and 70s? Conceivably, actors and crew members from those eras might have gotten some footage and still have it.

I think NBC made a big mistake getting rid of all their game shows in the early 1990s. NBC had an amazing line-up of game shows in the 1960s, and probably the best line-up of game shows in the 1980s as well. They should have tried to maintain at least one of them through the years, like CBS did with The Price Is Right. My favorite NBC game show was Concentration. It was on the network from 1958-1973, and then 1987-1991, with reruns through 1993. Maybe NBC should have tried to keep Concentration going? Or imagine if they took the time to keep Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy on their network? Maybe there would still be a NBC Daytime today!

I'm all for it, but didn't they try to do Lane & Nancy on GH back in 2003, 2004? Why did it not work then?

There are so many characters having career changes on this show since the new writers took over that it's become something of a joke. And none of it involves the hospital! Just because weak characters have new jobs isn't going to make them work!!

I hope this is true! Do you have a source for this? Bright Promise is not listed in the CBS Syndication Bible https://synbible.cbstvd.com/index_series

She was great! The two weeks she did of Match Game 77 show up periodically on BUZZR and GSN.