JAS0N47

Who knew my love of Days & stats in 1990 would lead to this 30 years later! The most fun was when the show contacted me to find out an episode that Kathie Lee Gifford was in so they could play a clip of her on Today for the 50th anniversary in 2015. Since they knew most of my records were already computerized, it would be quicker to check with me than them having to comb through their paper records from the 1970's. When I started this back in 1990, never dreamed I'd be helping two of the longest-running shows on the air find an Episode # to air as a clip!

Yeah, she refused to go on contract for 2 years. In an interview she did once, I think she said it was even longer until the 1970's, but from the production paperwork, it proves she went on contract around the end of 1968, once she was about to give birth to Mike. I guess they finally locked her once she gave birth to a Horton and they wanted to make sure she stuck around. But she immediately left the show in 1975 once they had to have everyone sign a new contract because the show was expanding to an hour. I do remember posting a letter about Bill using too many people and that he'd have to cut back due to the budget. There was also that interesting note where he wanted to bring Marie back in late 1969 but he was told that could not happen because that would activate Marie Cheatham's contract again somehow. So he had to wait until 1970 to bring Marie back so she could stay recurring and not on a guaranteed contract. I guess that's how they enticed Mac to join a soap in 1965, by guaranteeing him a lot of episodes.

Here's Melinda with Jack Coleman (aka Salem Strangler):

MELINDA FEE IN LOVING MEMORY OCTOBER 7, 1942-MARCH 24, 2020 (Mary Anderson, 1981-1982) Melinda Fee, who played Mary Anderson on "Days of Our Lives" from 1981-1982 has passed away at the age of 77. She died on March 24. Her death had not been reported at the time, but was confirmed in the memorial list of the new issue of SAG-AFTRA Magazine. On "Days", her character Mary was murdered by the Salem Strangler. Fee had roles on "Love of Life", "Guiding Light", "The Young & the Restless" and "Santa Barbara." She was also a regular on the primetime series "The Invisible Man." She stopped acting in 1991 and one of her last appearances was on "Beverly Hills, 90210." She had been married to Steven Harrison since 1985.

50 YEARS AGO TOMORROW...BILL HAYES FIRST APPEARS ON CONTRACT... Here's a look at the first contract status report featuring Bill Hayes (Doug). Hayes, who made his "Days" debut on February 18, 1970 as recurring, made the switch to contract status on May 28, 1970, exactly 50 years ago tomorrow. As fans can see, Macdonald Carey (Tom) was guaranteed 45 episodes for this 13-week cycle, almost double everyone else in the cast!

When I had research done many years ago on some of the 1966 scripts, I tried to get some info on minor characters as well, so I do have info on Sam! 137...5/20/66: Cast: Tom, Mickey, Susan, Diane, Rusty, Sam Wilson. Sets: Hospital Room & Corridor, Mickey’s Office, Tom’s Office (University), Restaurant Booth, Diane’s Living Room. Mickey tells Diane that he can not set date for divorce proceedings, and Susie and Diane become further estranged. Sam Wilson Info: (Tom is just finishing taking Sam Wilson’s blood pressure. As he unwraps the arm pad, Sam looks up at him anxiously from his hospital bed. Sam, is young, robust.) Rusty and Tom are discussing whether surgery is warranted. Wilson is a baseball player and a possible gastrointerostomy would end his career. Tom think it's adhesians from a pervious appendectomy.

She was a Story Consultant in the credits from August 1987-March 1988. If you ever want to check out writer credits, just search their name on the staff database page! http://www.jason47.com/days/staffdatabase.html

Bill Bell was a story consultant with Days through 1978. I believe that was the deal he made to get out of his contract at Days. He stayed on as head writer until 1975, and then stayed another three years as story consultant overseeing the head writers. SOAP FAN SOLVES MYSTERY OF BETTY WHITE'S THIRD CHARACTER...AND FIGURES OUT "ANOTHER WORLD" SCENE WAS TAPED AT "DAYS" STUDIO... As many "Days" fans know, Betty White appeared on "Days" as several roles (a teacher and nurse) for an NBC promotional contest back in 1988. I had posted many years ago about a mystery third character named Brenda that Betty is listed as playing on the "Days" parking clearance list. Soap fan Albert just emailed me this week and solved the mystery! Betty actually played the role of Brenda on "Another World." Since she was based in California, NBC had her tape her AW scenes (which were a phone call to Mac Cory) at the "Days" studio. Trent Dolan is listed as Mac on the "Days" parking clearance, but Albert has surmised he was just standing-in as the character to read the lines to Betty for Mac's portion of the phone call. Douglass Watson, the actor who played Mac on AW, would have then taped his portion of the Brenda/Mac phone call in New York where "AW" taped.

She's the mother of a little boy named George Blandish. I guess one of them is a patient perhaps. 1464...8/23/71: Cast: Alice, Mickey, Susan, Laura, Linda, Greg, Eric, Eric's Mother, Mr. Slattery, George Blandish/Little Boy, Sara Blandish/Boy's Mother. Sets: Mickey Horton Den & Entranceway, Greg’s Office at Clinic, Clinic Reception Room, Phone for Susan (Limbo), Coat Scene (Limbo), Mickey’s Office, Mickey’s Outer Office.

I have a Sybil Edwins listed for 12/22/87. I do have Rosemary Lord listed on the cast chart file (not published). I guess I never added her to the website cast list. I will do so now. Thanks!

Sure! I never tracked down a photo of him. Although that was years ago. Maybe Google has one of him now. But thanks for posting one of him! He did two episodes of "Days": 12/27/79 and 1/2/80. Per the Soap Digest recap, Mr. Pearson's daughter died and Samantha received her kidney. He won the guest Emmy for that. Hey Jam, we posted at the exact same second!!

No posts here since 2014, however, if anyone is interested, I did seem to scoop that Ellen has cut back to just 137 episodes this year (an average of 4 a week) (down from her usual 170-ish a year), and will be using 33+ guest hosts throughout the season. Her first guest host last week was listed as 17138G (the guest host episodes are always numbered after the # of episodes she does in a season). I posted the scoop last week on my FB page, but no one seems to have picked it up and spread it elsewhere. I guess some TV reporter will eventually post something if anyone realizes it, or if the Ellen show ever makes an announcement that as part of her new 3-year deal, it seems she's cutting back to just hosting 4 episodes a week. So, once the news finally does get more traction, you can say you heard it here first at SON! Up until Thursday, there was a chance the Episode # was just an error (and should have been 17168G), however, this week's guest host episode was # 17139G, so that assures it to be correct.

I was crossing my fingers that they'd have the full cast credits, but alas, it happened to be an episode where they didn't run them. As for the Mary's, here's the info: Karin Wolfe (Mary Anderson) recurring 7/12/72-9/11/73, 4/1/74-3/5/75 Carla Borelli (Mary Anderson) recurring 5/15/75-12/10/75 Barbara Stanger (Mary Anderson) (recurring 1/2/76-3/29/76); contract 4/14/76-4/20/79 (recurring 5/11/79-10/29/80) Susan Keller (Mary Anderson) contract 11/3/80-11/20/80 Melinda Fee (Mary Anderson) contract 1/12/81-3/1/82

Thanks for adding my name so I'd see this post, DRW50. Much appreciated!

Thanks for the info. I'll add him to the list then on my site.

There's a U/5 named Tex on 9/14/83 and then he's back as a principal on 10/1/83 and 11/11/83. As with many roles from the 1980's, I don't have info on who played the role. There is a Billie Chadwick involved in the Liz storyline around the same time. She appears in just 1 of the 3 episodes that Tex appears in (10/1/83), so perhaps Tex is her brother? My video collection of every episode starts just two episodes later, on 11/15/83, so I wouldn't be able to check if he's a visual match for Adam Gregor. Where did you get that info?

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF MACDONALD CAREY BEING CAST AS TOM HORTON ON "DAYS"... This week marks the 50th anniversary of Macdonald Carey being cast to play Dr. Tom Horton on "Days of Our Lives." Variety announced the casting news on page 7 of its June 14, 1965 issue: Mac Carey To Star In Screen Gems' 'Lives' For NBC-TV Macdonald Carey has been inked to star in Screen Gems' daytime series, "Days Of Our Lives", for NBC-TV. Co-created by Ted Corday and Irna Phillips, pilot is to start July 18 in NBC's Burbank studios. Corday is Screen Gems' director of daytime programming. Carey will play a professor of internal medicine.

Not necessarily. The Irna Phillips lawsuit in the 1970's states that the trio initially created the program in 1961. The proposal is undated, but it could have been written in 1961, so then the birthdates would have been adjusted to later years when Days was eventually picked up as a series 4 years later.

I just checked the "Days" proposal, and in it, Addie is said to have been born in 1926, and Mickey is "two years her junior", so he was originally born in 1928. Although those dates may have been changed through the years. But in the first statements ever written about Mickey, he was born in 1928.

To be fair though, John was 34 when Days started in 1965, so he was 49 as the 70's came to a close.

You're welcome! Yes, those are the episodes taped those dates, they aired a few weeks later. Janene was played by three actresses. She was a model who briefly dated Bill Horton. Mary Wilcox (Janene Whitney) 6/6/69-10/29/69 Pat Hornung (Janene Whitney) 11/5/69-3/19/70 Joan Van Ark (Janene Whitney) 4/27/70-9/11/70

She had a busy week that week, but as to the order of the list. It's all of the contract actors (Mac Carey through Bill Hayes) followed by whoever works each day on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. That's why the yet-uncast U/5 Guard (working Wednesday) is listed above Mike Farrell (working Friday), who had been with the show since 1968.

FROM THE VAULT: 45 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK: WORK SCHEDULE FOR 4/13/70-4/17/70

Yes, I just interviewed Simone Pascal (her name back then) last year and mentioned to her that she had the first line ever on Days. You can read the full interview here: http://www.jason47.com/days/interviewsimonepascal.html

BLAST FROM THE PAST: 1969 "FAN" LETTER UPSET WITH JULIE... Here's a Days fan letter published in an Omaha, Nebraska newspaper from July 27, 1969. The fan was quite upset that Julie won custody of baby David! (If it helps any, Mrs. Greenfield, Julie did end up marrying the architect, Scott Banning) BLAST FROM THE PAST: DECEMBER 1968 INTERVIEW WITH EXECUTIVE PRODUCER BETTY CORDAY...