RavenWhitney

Cheryl Davis confirms she's writing more episodes (after doing two last year and today's episode). Sounds like she's now on contract.  Kirk Doering, writer's assistant for last 7 years, also writing scripts now. We also know from a previous post that Chris Dunn started as a break down writer in December so his scripts should start airing soon.  Wonder which writers are leaving? Are the Cullitons finally retiring?

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10160731270154384&set=a.10151868969509384

21 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

September 1981

4 'Light' actors fired NEW YORK - The soap opera youth mania has delivered a crushing blow to "Guiding Light." Several performers with long-running records have been given their walking papers. They include Barbara Berjer and Robert Mill! (Barbara and Adam Thorpe), Stefan Schnabel (Steve Jackson), and Mart Hulswit (Ed Bauer). Hulswit, a 12-year veteran of the serial, was not particularly dismayed or surprised by his out-of-work notice. "I've seen changes brewing for at least the past year," says Hulswit. "I was told that there is going to be a change in the show's format and focus for what the producers believe to be a better, more competitive product, one that's more successful in attracting a new, younger audience. To that end, the show is phasing down or moving out characters or actors most associated with the 'old show.' It's a bold move that will result in an entirely different 'Guiding Light' within the next year. "I don't feel negative. In 1969, after doing stage productions for Joe Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival, dozens of nighttime guest-starring roles, and several films, I chose to work in soaps in order to give my family financial security. During my years on the show, however, the work became a satisfying creative endeavor. Recently, I became aware that I was only remaining on the show for the money, because my character had become a mere figurehead. And that is not compatible with being an artist.

Doug Marland......

On 5/30/2022 at 10:13 AM, Broderick said:

Oh, the dialogue is HOWLINGLY bad; there's no sugar-coating that.  The decline begins in May of 1983, and it never improves for the remainder of the show's run.  In fact, the problem seems to worsen as the months pass.  (And I don't understand it to this day.  Lois Kibbee was scriptwriting for Henry Slesar, and while she never penned the clever dialogue that Steve Lehrman had, she was adequate.  She continued writing for a while under Lee Sheldon, but it's not the same.  The dialogue becomes amateurish and childlike almost overnight.)

The production components start an INSTANT decline.  Under Slesar's tenure, scenes typically ended with a very quick "cut-to-black", with a music cue that reverberates over the blank screen.  Immediately, they start doing these "slow fades" before the commercials, which force the actors to hold terror-stricken grimaces for additional (comical) seconds.  Episodes end with non-cliffhangers, such as Jody announcing that she might move in with Preacher. 

By late summer, Sheldon had adopted the annoying practice of cycling from one story to another within each episode, in a repetitive, predictable A-B-A-B-A-B fashion.  So if you cared what was happening with Schuyler and Raven but not about Preacher and Jody (and that was about the only two stories he had for months), you could easily tell when to go to the kitchen or the bathroom.  The scenes are quick and choppy, many of them completely thrown away, with no dialogue that moves the storyline forward.  

There's a cheesy, pseudo-comical aspect that begins immediately and worsens as the show progresses through 1984.  The "humor" isn't rooted in character; it's just lousy jokes and "situation comedy" such as the Whitneys pretending there are rats in their house.   

As I said earlier, if that's what ABC or P&G visualized as their goal, I'm glad Slesar wasn't forced to prostitute his talent to achieve it. He was better off leaping (or being tossed) from the sinking ship.  At least he landed in a lifeboat.        

Kibbee quit as a script writer in Jan or Feb 1984 I believe. I'm sure she couldn't stomach the amateur outlines and didn't want her name associated with the writing team.  P&G brought in David Snell (who had briefly scripted SFT), Marty Ross and Eric Rubinton (along with trial run for Donna Pizzi). Only Rubiton went on to write SFT and AW for a few years. 

The entire production staff was unemployed after 18 months. It seems odd to me that they would sabotage a head writer's work. Sheldon hadn't a clue how to write a soap, let alone EON.  His pacing was off. Dialogue was terrible.  Characterizations and backstory completely lacking.  I will agree that the casting during his brief reign of error was completely off (with respect to the new contract actors). Sandy Faison and Jennifer Taylor were terrible performers among the old guard actors who put their thin skills to shame.  The actress who played Shelly had potential and Sheldon could have easily made her Raven's half younger sister and planted her in the middle of many stories.  Instead, she was suicidal and cut after 6 months.  Chris Weatherhead was great as Alicia but her story sucked and she wasn't given a contract.

Sheldon hadn't a clue.  From Raven and Sky as Nick and Nora Charles to the final Raven story (to deal with the actresses pregnancy)....all stories were incredibly stupid. The final three storylines: Some crazed guy who's dad owned a mine kidnapped Raven because she looked like his dead wife, Michelle.  Beth the 35 year old virgin, marries Miles, after the Laurie Karr/Liz mystery which made no sense was resolved.  The final episode with the Alice in Wonderland twist was the final insult to viewers. So effin dumb.  

57 minutes ago, j swift said:

Am I reading this correctly?  There are (apparently untrue) stories that are oft quoted throughout the internet about the network or production asking Slesar to change his style but, the man himself said it was a surprise and he was given no direction or warning.

ABC wanted to keep Slesar but the show was operating on a shoe string budget and P&G wanted him out. I suspect it had a lot to do with salary. Lee Sheldon was 32 at the time he was hired as Henry's replacement. i'm sure Lee was paid a lot less than Henry. P&G was about money and bottom line and they had been losing money on licensing fees. In fact, when Henry was fired, and Lee took over, the show reduced its contract actors from 18-19 to 15 for the remainder of its run.  They moved to recurring Marianne Alda, cut Mark Arnold and others.  Henry was fired because of money problems.  If they wanted a change and could have paid big bucks, they would have hired veteran writers to transition the show.  They hired a newbie who destroyed the show. It was embarrassing. But the producers didn't help by changing up the title credits with the lame sunset and terrible music.  Henry was subsequently hired by ABC for 1 year at OLTL and he lasted 14 months on Capitol on CBS. He also consulted on AW at some point in late 80s but wasn't given screen credit for it. 

Here's the third episode Sharon Gabet (Raven) posted on her youtube channel. She was supposed to drop another episode last night but it's not up yet. This one is from Sept 1976. Don't miss Sharon's comments in the posts! She has lots to say in addition to being very funny.  She also posts on her FB page and has dropped some back stage gossip.  For example, in FB post she addresses P&G firing Henry Slesar.  

Sharon's comment to a fan on facebook:

Wow, Days gained 11000 viewers over the prior week for the culmination of the horrible Devil story. Was it worth it, Ken and Ron?

And what about Jeffrey Meek who played Quinn on SFT and briefly Craig on ATWT?  I believe he was married and divorced at one point...What a stud he was....and maybe still is...

Did Grayson McGough ever come out?  He played Cass's brother on AW and Dusty on ATWT.

I always wondered about David Forsyth. I think he kept it well hidden but I think he's also in the family

Hopefully, he loses the very bad accent like Kim Zimmer's Reva, or his scenes will be painful to watch.

I always felt that if Conboy had matched his lush production style with a Nancy Curlee or Pam Long (big romantic stories), the show would have been on fire. But his hubris in hiring hack Ellen Weston was his downfall.  He had no interest in cultivating quality stories and the network and P&G backed him up.  They simply should have told him NO when he suggested Weston.  They didn't need him.  

Marlon Brando watch out!

i love that Sharon's so honest about how awful Lee Sheldon's reign of error was (with some of her youtube posts)over those last, painful 18 months.  P&G execs were idiots.  Erwin Nicholson just must have given up trying to make it work once Lee was hired.  

Laughable.  The Joan Collins/Dynasty hats and glasses. Dumb. This was CBS coming in and forcing comatose Griffith to do a Sheila plot.

Off the rails. Awful.

1 hour ago, DRW50 said:

Watching one of the Marland-era GL episodes I don't think I watched at the time they were originally uploaded (although most of his run blurs for me as it goes along), and I stumbled on this weird scene at about 10 minutes where Kelly is marveling over Morgan's headshots and how "sexy" one is. Beyond finding that to be...an unfortunate reminder of just how ill-cast Jennifer Cook was as a model (even if she was very pretty in a TV actress way), I am also half-convinced that this is an old publicity shot of Kristen Vigard and they just stuck Jennifer's head on. This is the type of outfit she was more likely to wear. 

 

Like all the soaps at that time, Marland's GL was a reaction to whatever Monty was doing on GH.  Marland quit GH and went over to GL and did his Laura/Scotty story with Kelly and Morgan.  Marland would have never paired rapist Luke with Laura if he had stayed.  That debacle was Pat Falken Smith.  RIP Lisa Brown but I swear in every 80s GL clip of her she constantly stumbled over her lines.  Robert Newman, what a doll.

Ultimately, and this has always been the case with Days: the problem lies with Ken Corday. Ken either likes the crap Ron puts on, has no clue how to guide and limit the writers worst impulses and/or ceded power over the writers to NBC in order to keep the show on the air. I am inclined to believe it's a combo of the last two I listed.  Ron is off the rails and has gotten worse each year he's been with the show.  Basically, don't watch the show unless you want Saturday morning cartoon mentality for 10 year olds.

Ron hits a new low with the TR twist. 

Christopher Dunn rejoined the breakdown team in December 2021; his episodes will air this summer. Never thought I'd say this but maybe having a straight male in the room will help balance the extremely childish camp.

Renee Dumond aka Jamey Giddens lost Days another 110,000 viewers.  Or was it Leo/Craig or GioDevil? So much to choose from.  I'm sure ratings will abound this week with the next batch of stories unfolding for day players and recurring characters.  

On 3/4/2022 at 3:29 PM, Soapsuds said:

I know Ron (and to a lesser extend) Ryan Quan) are responsible for the stories, but the show has been so much worse (campier/nonsensical/embarrassingly immature) since Jamey Giddens joined the writing team. I have no proof of this: but the Renee Dumond thing feels like a Jamey thing to me.

So, EJ is bottom bunk!  Hmmmm. For now...

3 hours ago, allmc2008 said:

You do know the subject line is supposed to be brief, right?

We're not gonna be shady just fierce!

It's still possibly the worst opening in daytime soap history.  What is Valentini thinking?! It's like a deck of cards with wax figures. Forgettable theme. Makes no sense. F