vetsoapfan

The relationship was very loving and nurturing. I don't think were was any conflict with Chris. If there had been, I'm sure I would have remembered it.

Bringing back John Dixon at the end was a nice touch, but both Penny and Ellen Stewart should have been there as well. And Goutman needed to put his hubris aside and have Martha Byrne play Lilly in the final episodes. (I was never a Lilly/Byrne fan, per se, but it was the right thing to do for the fans.) Even if she might have declined, TPTB should have at least asked Prinz to appear at Grandpa Hughes' funeral. It was uncomfortable not having either Penny or Irma Kopecke there. Dr. Bon acknowledged that Irma was off grieving with her own family, but I do not recall is Penny's absence was explained.

I think Courtney's salary must have been quite high, like Reinholt's. In 1975, they were huge superstars of the medium, and ABC was eager to acquire their services. In Jeff Giles' book, Erika Slezak remarks that other, longer-running actors on OLTL tried hard to get their meager salaries increased, to be more on a par with what Courtney and Reinholt were getting, but the network was dismissive of their demands. Courtney was getting enough of a salary to afford a limo to drive her to the studio every day. At the time, an article in Rona Barrett's Daytimers claimed that that raised the eyebrows of other, lesser-paid actors, who had to take the bus or train to the studio. My memory is hazy on this, but I seem to recall Reinholt saying he made $35,000.00 a year on OLTL. I know he had been up to a whopping $70,000.00 a year on AW. With inflation, 1975's $70.000.00 would be the equivalent of $329,032.53 today. Even $35,000.00 would be $164,516.26 now. I could struggle by on that. The footage is from 1976, I believe, when Viki was in the hospital after giving birth to Kevin. That episode is available on youtube.

Prinz felt confined and trapped on ATWT, and ended up loathing her job. When she quit in 1968, she vowed that the only way she would ever go back was if her father were in a Nazi death camp, and she had to return to the show in order to free him. Pretty harsh. Years later, she softened a bit and admitted in the press that she cared about her fellow actors, and that Penny Hughes had been a warm, good human being. I was shocked, but thrilled, to see that by the mid 1980s, she had lost the animosity against the show and agreed to appear from time to time. I adored Penny. I wanted her to return for the series' final weeks. Her presence would have been a poignant way send off to the long-running show; much more important than having Katie, Janet, and all the other abrasive/unimportant newbies parading across our screens, wasting time. With Helen Wagner gone, Prinz was the show's only living original cast member. I would have liked for her to be the one to utter the show's final words to Dr. Bob, "Good night, dear."

Of course, simply disagreeing with someone does not make him wrong. Jarrod is not inaccurate because of anyone else's reaction to what he posts. He's just WRONG, period. :)

Right. For decades I "spent" the holidays with the Hughes, Stewart, Bauer, Matthews, Martin, Karr, Lord and Wolek families; with Jo and Stu, aqnd so many other soap "friends" whom none of us will ever have the pleasure of watching again. It's certainly enough to make one nostalgic.

I am afraid that you are humiliating yourself. I point this out carefully, because you do not seem to have the resources to see it for yourself.Less gratuitous antagonism and more restraint might be the better way to go.

Yes, that is right. Going back to at least the 1960s, consultants on the soaps have been paid quite handsomely for offering their opinions and advice, even though TPTB who run the shows on a daily basis have not necessarily followed through and used their ideas or input. Irna Phillips, William J. Bell, Harding Lemay and other giants of the industry have consulted on various soaps but had their ideas dismissed or reworked by the daily show runners. If these legendary talents can be "ignored," any other consultants could surely be, as well.

I remember that commercial! TK was such a likable actress.

I've love to rewatcvh OLTL from 1968 to 1983, and then Michael Malone's homophobia story,, but anything after that, ehhh.

OMG, yes, I'd have a hard time choosing between Smith and Riemelt if it ever came down to that.

@Bright Eyes, don't get me wrong, Brian Hallisay is a nice-looking man, but no o one can equal the cuteness of my baby, Brian J. Smith! 💓

The Sense8 boys were so hot.

@Soapsuds, I agree: Cohen is gorgeous, and makes himself all the more appealing by devoting his life to anti-bullying campaigns.

There are some times when you know IMMEDIATELY that a new character or actor is not going to work out, and I think most folks in the audience and in the studio felt that way about Lacey. She was just awful; uncharismatic, a terrible actress, devoid of chemistry with anyone. Long was right to axe her. Long was also right to see that the so-called "fake Bauers" had been a mistake, and so eliminating Johnny's parents and Lacey from the canvas did not have any negative impact on the show. Unfortunately, the 1980s were rife with characters who did not work out, and who came and went very quickly, although you are right: Lacey's disappearance was probably one of the fastest on record, LOL.

She just said that by the time she left the show was number one. She did not specify time slot, so it came across as if she meant that TD had become the number one soap.

Right. Lakin's run was impressive, and she helped increase the ratings significantly, but TD never reached number one under her pen.

As always, John Kelly Genovese hit the nail right on its head.

Thank you for the link. That was a great interview. My only quibble: Lakin claimed that The Doctors "was number one" when she left the series, which simply was not true. In the 1966-67 season, the series ranked 8/13 soaps, with a rating of 7.6. After she took over, the 1967-68 period saw TD climb to 5/12, with a rating of 9.7. That was a fast and impressive rise, but the show was not number one. In 1968-69, it was 6/14 and 9.3. While I personally adored the time Lakin spent writing for Hope Memorial, there were always other series with higher ratings.

They certainly worked well together, having similar styles. I enjoyed Lakin's work on Peyton Place, The Mod Squad and The Rookies in particular. Edelstein's brief run as How to Survive a Marriage's second head writer was phenomenal!

Edelstein certainly was versatile. He was also credited as a director during the earliest episodes I watched from the end of 1967. His name is "now" (February 1968) nowhere to be seen, and he's not credited as a story editor, producer, or director. Fortunately, we know he returns. Personally, I think the Lakin/Edelstein material is the best of The Doctors' run. I know the Pollocks brought the show its highest ratings, but it is so adult, nuanced and character-driven under Lakin and Edelstein, I am going to miss those aspects once the more plot-driven Pollacks take the reigns. Both Lakin and Edelstein did great work for primetime television, but I wish they had stuck around around daytime longer.

I just recently began watching TD, starting from the earliest available eps of December, 1967. Along with Rita Lakin as HW, Rick Edelstein was credited as "Story Editor" at that time. The "story editor" credit has since disappeared however, along with Edelstein's name. I noticed RE's name was missing around the time Liz Wilson and Nick Bellini broke up and Liz was held captive in a seedy hotel room by that weirdo from across the hall. I'm now in early 1968, and RL's is the only writer ever listed, although as Paul Raven has pointed out, Edelstein should be back working on the show in a few months.

Thank you very much. If the episodes available start in 1979, that means viewers can enjoy about four years' worth of the great Henry Slesar's material before Lee Sheldon takes over.