vetsoapfan

Yes, but I'm afraid those once-popular characters have disappeared into Forgotten History territory. I was (pleasantly) shocked to see that Lucille March was featured on the wall.

I legit haven't watched an entire episode of GH in decades, not since Claire Labine left as head scribe. I've seen clips and partial eps here and there, but nothing that satisfied me or made me want to tune back in regularly. That being said, I've actually sat down and watched the last few episodes (it helped a lot that so many vets were featured prominently). I'm shocked to admit that I was pleased with today's episode (January 11, 2024), and felt it was an honorable and touching send-off to a beloved actress and character. And it made me cry. A crusty curmudgeon like me, who hasn't shed a tear over a soap since Maureen Bauer (TGL), and BJ and Stone (GH) died in the 1990s! Hell has frozen over, LOL! Good job, GH.

Thank you. I couldn't spot him in the photos I've seen, but I'm glad he was there, considering the long history he shared with Bobbie.

Where's Scotty? I don't see him in the church.

Dear God in heaven...NOOOOOOOO! Hold back my hair; I'm gonna hurl!😖🫢🤢🤮 When Burton was actually trying to act, decades ago, he was at least adequate. He's been expressionless and robotic for many years, however, and his "stone-cold," unrepentant, mass-murdering and sociopathic character has long outlived his usefulness on the canvas. How many people have Jason and Sonny assassinated by now, anyway? (Serious question!) Why are these putrid slugs glorified as "anti-hero" leads of the show, who continually attract romantic desire of so many women? UGH!

I guess TPTB wanted to pimp the current pod-incarnation of the show, more than celebrate its extensive and rich history. That makes sense from a commercial standpoint, perhaps, but it's not emotionally satisfying to long-time fans.

Thanks. It sounds like the "special" focused on the recent years of the show; the Frank Valenti period. If I had sat through it and seen no Jessie or Audrey, no Lesley or Lee Baldwin, I would have been bitterly disappointed.

Were there any mentions or clips of the legendary stars and characters of yore, like John Beradino as Steve Hardy, Emily McLaughlin as Jessie Brewer, Rachel Ames as Audrey Hardy, Denise Alexander as Lesley Webber, etc.? Scotty Baldwin is the longest-running character still on GH; did Kin Shriner make an appearance? TIA.

As always, I appreciate the heads up. Good find! Thanks, @DRW50!

What? Additional rare, classic episodes of TGL, right after the TEON treasure was unearthed? Stuff I am overjoyed to see, which I don't already have in my collection? The soap gods' love is shining down upon us these days! Thanks @BoldRestless and @DRW50!

Way back when, a trader friend sent me three, 2-hour VHS tape of SFT from the summer of 1966. I'm trying to remember the total number of episodes I received. I believe she recorded nine on each tape, so a total of 27. I thought that was a huge amount. I don't recall any trader or fan referencing a whopping 40 episodes from that year (great as that would have been).

Bill Bell was still executive story consultant after Smith left, and into Marcus' tenure. He is the one who created the Trish-mental breakdown story, which Smith said she kept trying to put off for being too over-the-top. The ratings had dropped from in the 9s down to the 8s during BB's and PFS's last year working as a team.. After Smith was fired, she sued the network. Ann Marcus was continuing to use PFS's story (which had been created in coordination with William J. Bell.), but acknowledged in the press that if she did not wish to write what Bell suggested, she would just change things as she saw fit. There was a huge deterioration in the quality of the writing once Marcus took over. Comments in the press were not kind ("Never have I seen a show go downhill so quickly.") The ratings really dropped after PFS was axed and AM was in charge. They fell into the 6s. Thus began a revolving door of headwriters.

Again, ITA 100%. Although the writing for ATWT had wavered between tepid and poor for a solid decade before its demise, and although a plethora of inept production choices had been long been heaped upon the show, the core was still relatively intact and recognizable. ATWT miraculously escaped the enormous damage that had torn apart TGL (and which has destroyed Days of Our Lives). This miracle left Oakdale still salvageable in its final days. A capable producer and writer could have turned ATWT around relatively quickly, whereas I believe it would have taken a complete, extensive and lengthy overhaul to get TGL anywhere near "fighting shape" again.

To be brutally frank, I would say that TGL in its dying days added to the knowledge of how NEVER to produce a soap in this or any era; that canceling it, before steering it right into the toilet where it circled the drain before the inevitable flush, would honor the show's (and the overall genre's) integrity much more appropriately. JMHO.

ITA 100%. After Nancy Curlee left, TGL was severely decimated, and began a crippling downward spiral to its inevitable death. Its cancellation felt, to me, like a mercy killing.

It was disheartening to peruse the two recently-posted cast pictures and realize how many totally irrelevant, pointless characters were taking up space on the TGL's canvas, while so many beloved, essential-to-the-show's core were nowhere to be seen. I really am surprised this soap lasted as long as it did, after being on life-support for YEARS.

And with Jacquie Courtney passing away, I presume her kinescope archives went to her daughter. I wonder if she still has them and has ever had them digitized for safe-keeping.

Over on Facebook, there's a group entitled Vintage Soap Opera Episodes Trade. One of the administrators is a guy named Robert Forester, who announced he had gotten vintage videotapes from Rosemary Prinz (including the AMC pilot) to digitize. He has a list of his stuff for sale. I've never dealt with him (he doesn't send to Canada), but you can always try contacting him through that FB group.

I have no doubt that various actors, directors, etc., have kept copies of their favorite episodes over the years. In interviews, both Jacquie Courtney and Robin Strasser acknowledged having had kinescopes made of highlights from their days on AW. Just recently, the debut episode of AMC from 1970 appeared in soap-trading circles. We've seen footage of Gillian Spencer, Ellen Holly and Lillian Hayman from the early days of OLTL, so that era's material cannot be lost completely. I think the issue now is, getting the people who possess the buried treasure to share it with the rest of us.

I've held a grudge for decades against the unscrupulous "trader" whose unethical behavior originally made me lose out on the chance of getting this TEON treasure. I've longed to get my hands on it for so many years. No matter how many times I come to accept that no other gems from the past will ever be uncovered...they keep on coming!

OMFG!!!! This is a Christmas miracle! I have been looking for this episode for decades. I was in negotiations once to trade for it, but a dishonest individual circumvented the deal and ripped me off. I thought I had missed my chance forever, since I had not seen anyone, anywhere, offer this special broadcast for trade or sale in forever. Thank you sooooooo much for @ing me! Happy Holidays, everyone!

The problem was, however, that Bailey was a dreadful writer.

Locking out the Dobsons and retaining Anne Howard Bailey was just incomprehensible to me.

Shirley Anne Fields was excellent in My Beautiful Laundrette, a wonderful film starring Daniel Day Lewis, which I can highly recommend.

I remember him very well. May he RIP. Thanks for tagging me.