The February 28 episode was released on DVD
EXCLUSIVE: SoapClassics Releases New AS THE WORLD TURNS DVD: The James Stenbeck Story
Episode 1. Last Bus to Nowhere. February 28, 1980
James Stenbeck tracks down Barbara Ryan in Oakdale.
Barbara Ryan had a scandal in her past. Before coming back to Oakdale, she had given birth to a secret love child, the result of a torrid affair with a mysterious man named James Stenbeck. Barbara had given the baby to friends to raise as their own, without ever telling her lover she had a child..
Settling in Oakdale in 1978, Barbara began to pick up the pieces of her life. She became engaged to a local lawyer, Tom Hughes, and was eventually reunited with her infant son, Paul. She seemed destined for a quiet, happy life until James Stenbeck caught up with her.
In this episode, Barbara boards a bus in an attempt to elude Stenbeck. But he corners her, and forces her to confront the fact that she will never be truly free of her past. (NOTE: Herrera and Zenk traveled to Santo Domingo in 1980 to shoot flashback scenes which aired in this and other episodes. This is the same trip the Roger/Holly GUIDING LIGHT scenes were shot--both were overseen by GL producer Allen M. Potter.)
Another episode of ATWT on DVD. The May 2 episode.
Episode 2. The Bride Decides. May 2, 1980
Log: Barbara Ryan Chooses James Stenbeck Over Tom Hughes
Barbara Ryan was torn between her present and her past. She had agreed to marry the conventional and dependable Tom Hughes, but had fallen back in love with the passionate and seductive James Stenbeck. Forced to make a decision, she ultimately left Tom at the altar, and agreed instead to marry James.
In this episode, James and Barbara try to start a new life together, but tension quickly arises between the couple and the Hughes family. (NOTE: This is DAYS OF OUR LIVES star Peter Reckell's first episode.)
Principal Cast: Anthony Herrera, Colleen Zenk, Don MacLaughlin, Helen Wagner, Eileen Fulton, Peter Brouwer, Don Hastings, Kathryn Hays, Julie Ridley and Peter Reckell.