vetsoapfan

@DRW50 , sadly, 1996 was a poorly-written year for ATWT. Stern and Black were not a good fit for the show. Lorraine Broderick was somewhat better in 1998, but she was so much better at AMC.

Thanks, @slick jones . Seeing that photo of the Ryan's Hope cast with Daniel Hugh Kelly as Frank, Sarah Felder as Siobhan, Kathleen Tolan as Mary and John Blazo as Patrick made me cringe, remembering how poorly miscast Tolan and Blazo were...and how Felder and Kelly were the perfect actors for Siobhan and Frank. Soap casting can be so schizophrenic!

I love reading these in-depth, beautifully-written synopses. They jog long-atrophied brain cells and memories. I wasn't a major fan of the crime/murder-type plots on TGL; I always preferred the more realistic character-development and interpersonal-relationship conflicts which were more relatable to real life. And historical inaccuracies, no matter how small they may have seemed to others (Papa: "I have two daughters, you and Meta") grated on my nerves to no end. Killing Bill Bauer was pointless and ultimately harmful to the show. He still had story to tell which was simply tossed aside for other material which was, IMHO, less interesting to watch. Years later, TPTB brought him back alive, and had another chance to mine the character's rich history...but they killed him off AGAIN. Idiots. Still, overall, TGL felt like itself in 1969. And I was gratified to see Meta popping up and even being nominally involved in a plot via her past history with Alice. This was not the show's finest year, perhaps, but it was recognizable and enjoyable overall. I'm happy to relive the memories via this thread.

Thanks, @slick jones !😊

I always appreciate when you tag me about curios which I would otherwise miss. Thanks, @DRW50 .

I don't specifically recall this, after 60 years, but I was audiotaping various soaps most days because I was not home during the day.

Ooooh, them's courtin' words, Sir!😌

Thanks, as always, for the tags, @slick jones !😉

I adored JC, felt she had that "je ne sais quoi" star magnetism, and was a strong actress. BUT Maggie Ashley was a poorly-conceived caricature with a pointless "British accent" and cliche mannerisms which made her impossible (IMHO) to play well.

Thank you so much for the alerts to me, both in this thread and the AMC one. The 1970s were great years for both shows, and any episode from that decade is a welcome treat to rewatch. (That being said, I mainly cringed through the Maggie Ashley plot.)

Theo James, I presume. I've found these images in a few different places floating around the web. I reckon they are AI (what isn't these days?), but I must admit they're pretty steamy. Indulging in fantasy is a harmless sport,😊

KATY KEENE was such an astonishing, erudite masterpiece! No doubt these scribes will raise the bar of the AMC film franchise to the heights of...Agnes Nixon, herself!

Perfectly said. The sophomoric, one-dimensional, low-brow camp is just painful to watch anyway, but particularly on once-literate and adult soaps which had originally been grounded in reality and brilliantly written. Certain "writers" seem determined to write (or only capable of writing) drivel aimed at the mindset of gum-chewing, 12-year old drop-outs who move their lips when they read...and still can't make out the two-syllable words.

Vomit. This is the equivalent of rotten eggs being served for breakfast at a Bed & Breakfast.

Having an aged and unfamiliar face playing Serena is not helped by Scotty remaining off camera. Why should we care about yet another newbie middle-aged face hanging around Port Charles, when she is rudderless and not anchored to anyone we actually care about?