Matt

Lynn Benisch (Meredith Lord Wolek on OLTL) makes an appearance in today's 2nd episode as the last of Polly's nieces, Bonnie!

I've grown to simply love snarky, slimey (and now sympathetic) Nathan Bunker. House Jameson (who plays the part) is simply brilliant in the role, imo, and was actually once a rather well known actor thanks to his role as Sam Aldrich, the father on the sit-com "The Aldrich Family" which he played on both radio & tv from 1939-1953. In fact, for a brief period, GL's own Charita Bauer played his daughter. Prior to "The Doctors", he played the patriarch of the ill-fated Gregory family on "Another World."

Carolee Campbell played Carolee Simpson until 1976 when she left the show. There was a brief period when the character was off screen (and explained in storyline, which I'm not sure if I should spoiler) before Jada Rowland took over in the second half of the year.

February 1972

For those looking to purchase a long, extended version of The Doctors theme song from the period on RetroTV...

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_13?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-music&field-keywords=dramatic+world+without+end&sprefix=dramatic+worl%2Caps%2C503

This was a soap loaded episode. In addition to the performers amybrickwallace mentioned, Hunter von Leer (Larry Joe, GH), Bibi Osterwald (Stella, Where the Heart Is), and Melissa Converse also appear. In case you do not recognize the name, Melissa Converse was better known by her first married name, Melissa Murphy. She was the beautiful blonde who played Jo's daughter Patti on Search for Tomorrow in 1966 and 1967.

THAT'S who that is!!! For YEARS I've been trying to figure out why Melissa Converse looked so familiar to me. I've got about a full month of SFT from the summer of 1966 on video tape & Melissa Murphy is playing Patti (quite well, too, I might add). Those episodes are REALLY good & I really connected with Murphy's Patti and always wondered why I'd never seen her in anything else. But it turns out I have! lol I never made the connection between Converse & Murphy because none of Melissa Murphy's credits are listed under Melissa Converse or vice versa.

based on an ebay listing for a collection Rita Lakin scripts for The Doctors (which has since sold. the original Buy it Now price was $950 lol) the following episode numbers & air dates can be confirmed...

PRODUCTION #1302 (11/29/67)

PRODUCTION #1304 (12/1/67)

PRODUCTION #1477 (7/17/68)

PRODUCTION #1571 (12/16/68)

PRODUCTION #1572 (12/17/68)

PRODUCTION #1573 (12/18/68)

PRODUCTION #1574 (12/19/68)

PRODUCTION #1575 (12/20/68)

PRODUCTION #1576 (12/23/68)

PRODUCTION #1577 (12/24/68)

PRODUCTION #1578 (12/25/68)

PRODUCTION #1579 (12/26/68)

PRODUCTION #1580 (12/27/68)

So don't think I didn't follow along with my script for the second episode and BOY were there some changes. The entire first act (which consisted of Nick & Maggie discussing/recapping the hear) was cut. You can see where the show was supposed to lead into it via the opening which had Maggie exiting the elevator & walking towards Nick at the desk where he's on the phone. Nick never again appears in this episode. Also, nearly NO ONE on this show is word-perfect according to the script. Both Elizabeth Hubbard & James Pritchett paraphrase the hell out of their lines. House Jameson, however, is probably the closest. He only changes a word here and there, but it's almost totally word for word.

DAMN, but James Pritchett gave an Emmy worthy performance during Matt's monologue. Matt took that hospital board to CHURCH. I sat totally enthralled the entire time he spoke. Utterly mesmerizing.

The explanation that all Friday shows end in either 5 or 0 makes perfect sense to me considering my own OCD. lol However, the date is still off. Taking into account the January 1st preemption, the Friday, February 23rd, episode should've aired on RetroTV tomorrow at noon. This tells me that there had to have been one other preemption sometime during the months of January or February.

I'm at a confusing OCD quandary. Ever since the first episode on Retro, I've been keeping track of both episode number and original airdate. Thanks to the screencap of the slate for that first episode that Retro posted, we know the first episode was #1305 with an airdate of December 4, 1967. The only pre-emption that I'm aware of is for January 1, 1968 (based on Jason47's DAYS pre-emption list, since I feel it's safe to assume that if DAYS is pre-empted, then The Doctors will be, too, since it immediately follows). By my calculations, Friday's 2 episodes should be #1363 (2/23/68, Friday) & #1364 (2/26/68, Monday). HOWEVER, I have a script for The Doctors in my collection (which I believe I transcribed once in this thread some many pages back) that gives a Production #1365, but an AIR date of 2/23/68 (Friday). Something isn't lining up and it's annoying the crap out of me. The script concerns the board hearing with Matt & Althea's testimony (a very strongly scripted monologue by Matt). I'm just not quite sure what to make of the conflicting info.

Oh, and according to the script's cover page, the episode that was to air on 2/23/68 was taped on 2/21/68 - only TWO days before.

Oh, and this monologue of Matt's is like 4 pages long in the script and ends the episode.

1970 cast list from Daytime TV Yearbook

Lydia Bruce as Dr. M. Powers

Peter Burnell as Michael Powers

Carolee Campbell as Miss Simpson

Zaida Coles as Anna Ford

C.C. Courtney as Jody Lee Bronson

Jami Fields as Penny Davis

Gerald Gordon as Dr. Nick Bellini

Sally Gracie as Martha Allen

David O'Brien as Dr. Steve Aldrich

James Pritchett as Dr. Matt Powers

Greta Rae as Ginny

Frances Sternhagen as Phyllis Corrigan

Robert Salvio as Gary Corrigan

I just noticed that Greta Rae was also credited in the cast crawl of #1348 (2/2/68) as Nurse Richardson

I've been informed on another board that veteran TV/film actor Joel Fabiani is playing Liz's nextdoor neighbor, Joe Finch.

Long running character Martha Allen, played by Sally Gracie, makes her first appearance today in episode #1345 (1/30/68) as Nick's new lab assistant.

Because a show titled "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" just screams crime-mystery.... smdh

I loved the fact that Maggie gave Karen a full on side eye all throughout her espousal of a woman's responsibility for the success of her marriage & duty to her husband.

Pleasantly surprised that they left in the original commercials for M&Ms & Colgate toothpaste at the end of today's 2nd episode before and after the production credits.

Penny's daughter, Amy, was adopted.

Greta is Maggie's daughter with her 2nd husband wealthy Kurt Van Allen (who, if I remember reading correctly, was rather nasty & died). Matt adopted Greta once he and Maggie finally married. Kurt's sister, Theodora, came to get custody of Greta because Greta inherited Kurt's fortune in trust and Matt/Maggie turned over all of Greta's inheritance to Theodora just to be rid of her. Years & years later, Theodora would factor into the storyline because she was dying and had willed her entire estate to a now grown Greta. This is while Alec Baldwin's Billy Aldrich was so determined to marry Greta - to get her hands on the money. His partner in crime, Natalie Bell, had been Theodora's nurse (I *think*) in California.

Carolee is older than Liz. Liz is only 18/19 (by my estimation) while, I think, Carolee is at least in her late 20s (maybe even 30ish). Carolee Campbell was 31 when these episodes were taped. Carolee marries (a couple of years from now) Dan Allison who already has a young son named Billy. When Dan dies (I won't spoil the story), Carolee gets Billy to raise, which she and Steven eventually do together. This is why Billy's full name is often given as Billy Allison Aldrich.

Liz was listening to "I've Got My Mojo Working" by Jimmy Smith on the radio today in the 2nd half hour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBFmFygqllc

I was laughing today when Steve (while on the phone) kept trying to touch the newly engaged nurse on the hand & she kept pulling away until she silently stuck her hand up in his face & flashed him her engagement ring to which is nonchalantly (and rather dryly) muttered "Very nice." lol

I still hold out hope that some of the shorter-lived 60s/70s soaps that were produced by non-P&G or the networks might survive out there somewhere (like Return to Peyton Place, which was a 20th Century Fox production, I think) in a warehouse waiting to be discovered. In my wildest dreams, Where the Heart Is is out there because I've always wanted to see it, but there is virtually NOTHING available and nothing readily accessible online. I want to see Rue McClanahan's character run down her brother because he wouldn't be in love with her.

Let me tell you what, if anyone had any doubts why they expanded Carolee Campbell's role, they shouldn't after that utterly spellbinding performance she gave when Carolee told Liz about her first kiss. She made me smile, warmed my heart, and then broke it all in one scene. IMO, seeing Carolee Campbell as Carolee Simpson has been one of the biggest revelations for me with these episodes. Also, I'm beginning to wonder if this is the very beginning of the role being expanded beyond that of regular background nurse because it does seem like she's being given more and more to do. And I do wonder if that scene where Steve and Carolee meet for the first time and he calls her by her first name is the first time viewers ever actually heard Miss Simpson's first name.

According to Jason47's page, DAYS (which immediately preceded The Doctors on the NBC schedule) was preempted on January 1, 1968 for football. I say that it is safe to assume that The Doctors was preempted as well, so Monday's first episode of 1968 should probably be the Tuesday, January 2, 1968, episode (#1325).

Noel (I think that's what Carolee called him) the orderly looks SO familiar. I know who he LOOKS like, but it can't be him because he was already on (and had been on for YEARS) a prime time sitcom at that point.