vetsoapfan

No, actually, I haven't checked out the channel yet. I appreciate the heads-up!

That is so interesting. I love the rare times when soaps do stuff like that. Unfortunately, it draws a blank for me. I do not remember anything like it, and the hefty scrapbooks I kept chronicling the show's history does not include any information about Mark Lenard making a return engagement to the show. I wish there were a definitive way we could find out the answers to your questions.

Thank you @Franko and @DRW50 . I always love seeing curio pieces like this, but would probably miss them if kind folks did not post them and alert me to them!

Ernest, who was the first member of the family to be introduced in 1964 was also the last to go. He remained in Bay City after everyone else had left (or, in the case of his brother, died). When his romance with Janet Matthews fizzled, he also left town.

YES!👍

@Tisy-Lish bringing up "urban myths" is spot on. It's long been purported that Agnes Nixon came aboard and killed off all the Gregorys in a plane crash. That doesn't correspond at all with what I remember. Ernest, Karen (and I presume the Gregory parents) left town, and the only one who died was Alex, but in a car crash. Not a plane crash. And P&G didn't stop Pamela Long and Gail Kobe from slaughtering the Bauers on TGL or Mary Ellis Bunim from dropping tent-pole characters Nancy and Chris Hughes from ATWT, so if TPTB wanted the Matthews family gone, they would have been dispatched.

Actually, that's a good point. While it's long been reported as fact that the Gregorys were meant to "replace" the Matthewses, it makes more sense that they were substitutes for the Baxters. At no time were the Matthews family members backburned or decimated. And if P&G wanted them gone, Nixon would not have continued keeping them center-stage.

@Khan , IIRC, the first of the family to arrive was Ernest Gregory, in 1964. He must be have a creation of Irna Phillips'. He was involved with Janet Matthews (Jim's sister). Ernest's brother Alex and Alex's wife Karen both popped in 1965, so they would be Lipton's additions. Ernest and Alex had parents, both of whom came and went very quickly, also during Lipton's tenure in 1965. I can't think of anyone else (but, as always...it's been 50 years, LOL). I believe there were five Gregory family members, four created by Lipton. And the entire clan was forgotten once Agnes Nixon began writing the show. Alex died, Karen and Ernest moved away, and the men's parents just disappeared as far as I know. It's hard to guess today what Lipton's intentions were. Maybe P&G felt the Matthews family wasn't enough a draw and therefore mandated the introduction of another one. Anyway, none of these interlopers made much of an impact; they became forgotten in the dust-bin of history.

Good question. I think (my memory is hazy here) Lipton only lasted for a short time; maybe half a year(?) or so in 1965. Aside from expanding the Gregory family, I don't think he had any major, lasting effect on the show. The Gregorys were dispatched rapidly when Nixon took over.

In her life story interview, published in Afternoon TV, Jacquie Courtney acknowledged that her job was in serious danger early on, as Irna Phillips was unhappy with the overly-bubbly way JC was playing Alice. Irna devised a story about the character going away to summer camp and perishing when it burned to the ground. It was only thanks to the intervention of a director, who strenuously demanded she tone it down, that Jacquie stopped overacting and began playing Alice in a more naturalistic, somber fashion. Irna noticed the change, approached the actress at the studio, and embraced her. "My Alice! Forget the summer camp! Forget the fire!" Jacquie credited that director with saving her job.

Yes, and to be honest, Jacquie Courtney (whom I later came to adore, of course) originally played Alice as an overly-expressive teenager, like the bubbly teen girls in Bye Bye Birdie. It was a common sight to see in the media during the 1960s, perhaps, but apparently Irna didn't care the persona. It was only after JC toned down her portrayal that Irna dropped her plan of killing Alice off in a fire. (Irna was so sadistic!🙄) I think TPTB accepted that every writer/creator will have hits and misses. While some of her soaps only became successful after she left (AW and Love is a Many Splendoured Thing), or failed early on, ATWT and TGL continued to be monster hits and make a lot of money. The Right to Happiness and The Road to Life were also successful, long-running soaps. Considering so many shows fail to catch on at all, P&G probably thought it was wise to gamble on Irna, whose track record showed that she could hit soap opera gold. I agree that Susan was never the focus of hot stories which caught on and ignited a lot of passion from the audience. Pat and Missy, and later Alice, were the attention-getting heroines of the 1960s. IIRC, Susan returned to Bay City shortly before Bill and Missy left for California in 1969. (Bill later died off-camera in 1970.) It didn't take long for Liz and Susan to butt heads. Particularly when played by Audra Lindley, however, Aunt Liz was wont to berate and scream at everyone; it wasn't just Susan.

Yes. Several actors were fired abruptly during the first year. I would have scared of the axe too.

As @Tisy-Lish acknowledged, there were three other actresses who played Susan before Milgrim. Fran Sharon (who is best known for playing Cookie Pollack on The Edge of Night) was first. I thought she was okay, but she came and went very quickly. The second Susan was an actress named Roni Dengel. I don't remember much about her, and she also disappeared in the blink of an eye. IIRC, both Sharon and Dengel stayed on the show for about a month or two each in 1964 before being fired. I think Irna Phillips must not have been thrilled with them. The character was off the canvas for about five years before being recast again with Lisa Cameron in 1969. This was my favorite Susan. She was in the role for about 2.5 years before leaving Bay City. I found Cameron likeable, and it certainly helped that she stuck around long enough for the audience to get to know and warm up to her. When I think of Susan, it's Lisa Cameron who comes to mind.

If I ever get through the mountains of books, audiobooks, old-time radio dramas, TV series and films which are waiting for me to read, listen to and watch them, I'll consider it.🙂

I agree about the similar tone both shows shared. I didn't realize that Gordon Russell had died quite so early. What a shame. While he doesn't engender the love awarded to other master soap writers, he did some wonderful work on OLTL. That would have been wonderful, but alas, money is always a factor in daytime.