EricMontreal22

Ava going to Heaven seemed like a miniscule version fo Vicki on OLT's trip. LOL Still year, I was watching live then and Agnes fairly brief period was largely *great*--i think for a while it was my fave soap.

Well I did read in the 87 Schemering encyclopedia that the Jonathan Maitland character started off as apparantly very interesting and then suddenly went the campy devil route, so... Ellis prob did write the ep--it was just that Ava seemed SOO early Erica in it that I thought it was AGnes--I heard that it was under her breif return after Marland that she really became an Erica clone.

I was always confused as to why Curtis burned down pins--I didn't get to watch everyday back then so... Still I really liked the whole Curtis in a cage bit--it was weird but was played well. I did love Egypt's return (even if she also was very Pine Valley--specifically Lyman's original Opal)

Oh I wanna see that *cry* lol

I thought Linden Ashby was playing Curtis in this episode?

I think Marland was out in 1984. I have a book published from summer of 1984 talking about the beginning of the Jonathan Maitland storyline which Nixon penned. This 1986 episode came off as a Ralph Ellis episode based on the Spider plotline.

When was Ellis headwriter? Yeah Marland apparantly lasted just under a year. I 'd love to see some of that Maitland story--surely the first time Agnes dealt with the supernatural.

You're right it was Linden (God I suck at recognizing who played what in Loving lol)... I think I liked him more than th eoriginal Curtis (who I believe came back in 94 when AGnes Nixon wrote the bizarre story of Dante (played by the guy who plays Carlo Hesser) and his "pet" who was Curtis in a cage. Loved it

Apparantly Meg Mundy played it first for the pilot (and maybe some episodes) then Augusta Dabney from 83-91 and she returned 94-95, with inbetween Celeste playing from 91-92 and Pat Barry from 93-94

It's a treat to see ANY Loving episodes from the 80s--I didn't knwo the show or ever find old eps from before 91. I hope some more eps show up online. All I've seen are the pilot film, that 1984 episode, and this one

Was Agnes Nixon writing in Fall 1986? I know Marland was out mid 85... THe show already feels quite diff form that firs tyear episode.

I always LOVED the Alden mansion set. Was that when the great Celeste Holm (from Oklahoma on Broadway etc etc) was playing the matriarch, Isabelle? I can't recognize her or not lol) *edit* my bad, that was the equally great AUgust Dabney, who i think returned to the role later on--man for a ten year long soap Loving had a LOT of recasts--I AM pretty sure that the Curtis Alden at the time was playe dby the GREAT Broadway actor Burke Moses -- also known for being in ATWT. Burke is prob best known for being the first stage Gaston in Beauty and the Beast but he's also done a lot of Sondheim musicals the Kiss me Kate revival, etc

Roya as Ava certainly was even MORE like an Erica Kane clone than Lisa Peluso--I see why many found it beyond obvious when AGnes created the role.

In the Melrose Place thread you said you found all shows like it shallow and unwatchable (and yes I'm badly misquoting you ). I kinda agree with you but have a love hate thing for them--but Central Park West, when i was 14 was the first one I actively started watching when it began--and I was upset when ti never caught on lol (I wonder if it woulda been a bigger hit on Fox than Models Inc and lasted longer?)

Uuuh, I forgot: I despise Raquel Welch to this day.

HAahah I oddly love her. EVen after she helped ruin one of my fave novels ever, Myra Breckinridge (though I admit her and the movie are so awful they're pretty much camp) But she wasn't needed on the show...

Sylph I thought you hated these kinds of prime time soaps--or is it only when Spelling is involved?

I'd actually love to buy this on DVD--I LOVED it, though I remember actually being more into it before it was overhauled--not sure if it was cuz I liked it better or if it was just that I never got back into it...

Thanks so much for that link! It's hard to find Loving on youtube (particularly cuz typing in Loving and Soap Opera brings up tons of clips from other soaps) so I never caught that! SO interesting to see a different AVa than I'm used to--shame there are no end credits with the writers

I know it's unfair to blame a soap for another soap's cancelation, but one reason I think I never gave this show a chance was I loved Loving so much, and thought the last half year of City (when the ratings were the only ratrings on ABC to start CLIMBING) was SOO good.

Ian was tied to Patrick Thornhart on OLTL right? Which I always found random as I don't think Patrick made an appearance. I think COle or Marty should make a mention of having a vampire in the family on OLTL

I don't think anything from Where the HEart Is exists online--i've searched for a while

LOL. I once met some a girl called Eden -- named after the Santa Barbara heroine.

I very briefly dated a Lance who told me once that his mom named him after a Y&R character--I guess that was it. Our running joke was at least she didn't name him SNapper

I sorta garee with both points. I did liek the actor who played Eliot (then again I liked a coupel fo the Pierce's too) but maybe not with Brooke--still his community center, the fact he was a priest, etc, were all interestiung elements that the show was missing--even though Agnes Nixon would have to list it as a failure on her part you could still see she played a part--if that makes sense

That Youtube ep is from the end of the Labine/Avila era when they were about to move to their own soap, RH--aren't they even in the credits? I agree it's a terrific episode. Sadly from reading a LOT I think this was the only era of Love of Life at least since the 50s and early 60s that would interest me much--(is RH even on SoapNet anymore? I wish I could watch it at 5am )

Of course it was the writing award Labine/Avila won for their 2 year long stint at WHere the HEart Is that got them transfered to Love of Life andother CBS show when it was canceled.

And I always thought Elizabeth Page was a decent writer (her 1999 stint at AMC as co head with Agnes Nixonw as certainly better than when Jean passanante replaced her for some reason) but knowing she wrote the Caitlins has lowere dmy view of her as well

I actually really liked the Brooke/Eliot stuff though I know I'm in the HUGE minority. Although it was a big bomb, it did really feel like Agnes writing to me (maybe not an example of her at her best, but...) Wow that Linda Dano thing was a mess.

(The Alex/Anna thign was almost as confusing as Proteus later on, though I did grow to love Finola, she never really played two roles well. But Dog Boy was solely Passanate I think...) Still you wonder what Agnes was thinkign when Libidizone is going on and we're still gettign amazing Bianca scenes--liek did she just try her best to ignore the rest of the show? lol

I have a good tape library of when Agnes returned as headwriter. Becca came on (as did Greens) when it was still written as Agnes Nixon headwriter solely. Soon after it was Nixon and Elizabeth Page. Then soon it was Nixon, Liz Page and Jean Passanante, in that order. And then by September, I think it was just Agnes and Passanante.

I still do fault Agnes for Becca as one of her misfires...--But I agree the actor has to be there too (and I'm not sur--maybe Page, a talented lady, was writing to Agnes' stories too, though, besides Bianca's, some cute sidestories, like Marian being jealous of the Queen's tea and trying to wheedle her way in seemed classic Agnes)

I'll try then--give me time i'm new to all this

Loyal--that was shortly before Monty returned for her not well received new era at GH right?

David MElanie does sound a mess... I guess the next young love story was the much more successful (and where I started watching) Hayley/Brian one? It's interesting, really since the start AMC always seemed to try to have a young star crossed love story startign with Tara/Phil/Chuck--but many haven't been as successful, althoug Nina/Cliff were prob the benchmark. I'm not even sure if lately AMC has *tried* to have any... When Agnes Nixon returned in 1999 as writer she created Scott/Becka/Greenlee, with Greenlee obviously int eh Erica roll. The thing is I think Nixon made a (rare) mistake--heroines like Tara simply don't work on soaps with modern audiences, and Becka was SOOO amazingly boring I don't know anyone who liked her.

E

I believe Jill Farren Phelps (who obviously liked DePriest since she hired her at AW) was a consultant for ABC Daytime for about a year before she was given OLTL, and at the time it came out that she was just one of many consultants ABC had lined up that could easily take over as EP or HW at one of the shows at a moment's notice. Since ABC was apparently bringing on anyone and everyone they could I guess DePriest seemed valuable to them since she had worked on all 3 shows.

Wasn't Lemay a consultant too (and apparantly helped Jill write OLTL when they were between HWriters for like a year...) I love Lemay but he seemed kinda off by then--i also remember his comments about how The City simply didn't work at all, somethign I always disagreed with

*edited* now I've read the replies *blush*

LoyalToAMC, thanks so much for your great memory and recollections--that makes sense. I wonder if Behr knew DePriest from somewhere else or just her reputation after DAYS? What was the David-Melanie story? From the tapes I have I did love the Nico/Cecily stuff (who woulda thougth he'd now play my hated Sonny on GH). It was funny when I was watching live and Cecily came back, around 1995 and they did that cheesy internet dating story with her and Charlie Brent, who when Lawson played I hated anyway--I NEVER got the appeal of Cecily. Talk about a character return that's not needed and botched.

So then it was Washam (back?) Agnes, McTavish and Broderick for the 20th anniversary? I knwo that in the Soap Encyclopedia for the 1992 Emmys (so the 91 season) Broderick is listed as part of Guiding Light's nominated writing team.

All My Shadows--that's crazy that UCLA has those--so they have EVERY soap from Marc 1971 in their library? Is it an example of you can go and if you have a valid reason view them at the library--or are they not available at all?

I know as a theatre fan rights for videotaped things are very iffy--the Lincoln Centre archives in New York have filmed virtually every Broadway production from the late 70s on but because they did them cheaply without paying the creative team, cast, etc, because they were done for archival purposes. They can never be released on DVD or video (unless some expensive and crazy new deal was formed with the remainding members of the show) and can't be circulated but if you have a valid reason (ie you're writing an important article or thesis on a show) you can go and view it at the site.

I know somethign that aire don TV is different but the Museum of TV and Radio has a TON of old TV things that can't be circulated as well (probably, I never thought of this, many soaps). It's a rights thing. If UCLA has the stuff they prob don't haev thew rigths to circulate it and gettign DVD rights would be very hard unless P&G or CBS or whoever agreed to it--it wouldn't be as hard as with the theatre example I mentioned where it's next to impossible, but...

Still man I'd love to see a small string of episodes of AMC, OLTL, unseen soaps like Heart, etc from 1971...

*edit* I see this is moved to Cnaceled Soaps where it should be--sorry about that. I just hope people will think to LOOk here, most threads seem to die...*

Wow I was just thinking about starting a thread last week to discuss the work of Margaret DePriest since she certainly made the rounds in daytime but is hardly ever mentioned here!

When I think of her I immediately think of the brutal death of Frankie Frame on AW (and that whole serial killer story in general which sucked....did anyone not know it was peripheral Fax Newman!?) and Sunset Beach, but I guess she wasn't all bad.

Eric do you know what stuff she wrote during her stint at AMC? Was she there for the awful Cobbler Island/Silver Kane/Dr. Damon Lazzare story? That was probably one of the first times I thought about tuning out of AMC.

Well DePriest ripped the serial killer storyline off of one she wrote for Days I think (the AW one...) I find her an interesting writer though not flawless of course--and for me she was the best of the major Sunset Beach writers (though I didn't follow that show very closely, just when I was home).

You know with AMC it's so hard to know who wrote when--some peopel will tell you Agnes Nixon wrote all of McTavish's first run at AMC for instance Similarly in the mid 80s many episode si have list the headwriter as Lorraine Broderick on the end credits but officially I believe Agnes was the overall HW.

I read DePriest was brought in during the late 80s--maybe around 88-89? breifely--after the strike? I'm not sure why but I think it was a time Agnes focus was more elsewhere (maybe one of the times she briefly returned ot focus on Loving?) I know many felt AMC wasn't as good around then despite some highlights (really until 1990 or so with Erica's father the clown)

M DePriest had some weird relationship with ABC--she didn't HW any of their shows for long but someone there liked her as she was brought in a few times to help shows--when OLTL's ratings finally were slipping under Rauch when Michael Schnessel's writing was becoming completley campy, M DePriest was brought in (Wikipedia says only from Oct 90 to Feb 91) to turn things around. I believe the show was pretty bad then--wasn't there a rap group? and some new family she tried to introduce who were quickly gone--but the show was refocused under her and then soon Malone (and then in early 92 finally Griffith who really made Malone's work, work) came in who always seemed to be the end game.

I also heard that in the late 90s or so DePriest was a consultant for ABC daytime at least for a while--again which strikes me as slightly odd.

And Anon I want to see those 7 episodes!!

In honour of the show's upcomign 25th birthday, good old Snark poste don Youtube a classic 1984 episode by Doug Marland. I believe this is the same episode that was up last year by WashesWhiter before he was banned from Youtube and it disappeared

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-ZBYPOJcmQ