juniorz1

I was going to ask if you agreed with what SOD said about Kelly being the most overexposed heroine of 1991.

That surprises me, since the Dobsons severely backburnered Kelly when they came on, so Carrington Garland had very little to do until she was unceremoniously fired. If they meant when Eileen Davidson took over in October or so, then DEFINITELY.

I still can't believe the Dobsons did that- easily the biggest blunder they ever made on SB.

That's Gina's daughter Lilly in the Christmas episode. At that time, she was known as "Lily Light" and was an evangelist conning Mason after Mary's death, taking advantage of his grief. She was later de-aged & brought back with Paula Irvine in the part in 1991. I actually really enjoyed Irvine's take on the role.

Brandon was born before SB aired, I believe in 1979 after Channing was shot.

Hayley was Gina's niece and Stacy Edwards was actually quite effective in the part. She could be very boring at times, but that's what the character called for. She was excellent when Hayley was raped and was surprisingly strong in her rivalries with Jane (Jane Sibbett) and Laken (Susan Marie Snyder). I liked the sweetness of Hayley's relationship with Ted- it's how Gina became fond of him (the only Capwell was) and that throughline continued until the show went off the air. Her death was certainly a sad one.

Summer Blake, Gina's sister, was killed off early on- I believe by the Carnation Killer, which turned out to be Peter Flint. Either that or the earthquake- not sure, as those were both before my time. The episode that hooked me in is when Gina (Linda Gibboney at the time) pulled the plug on CC's life support & framed Eden to take the fall.

I LOVED that Gina and the tape storyline. That tape drove story for quite a while- and to think that it was mainly thought up as a way to write Robin Wright off the show (temporarily) so she could film "The Princess Bride." Gina was such a great character, especially with Mattson in the part. She was tough, funny, vulnerable, and could be such a mean bitch. Hayley was sort of like her conciense & it took away from Gina's character when she was no longer there.

Start posting those SB articles & goodies you have Carl! LOL

I guess, but that didn't make me miss her any less. She was a needed presence and, even if she was only back for a short time, she left a huge void in the canvas that was never filled.

Cat, I just finished re-watching the "meeting" episode & it was pure awesomeness! Loved every minute of it, much as I did the first time I saw it. The only weak point for me is Judi Evans' Paulina vs Jensen Buchanan's Marley- I didn't mind Buchanan's Marley but all I can do is imagine how much better those scenes would have been with Timmins & Heche, especially since Timmins would have probably actually looked sexy in the outfit. It reminds me of the eps where the recasting took place- in the first ep, you had Cali Timmings looking slinky & sexy in that orange dress. The next day, Judi Evans was wearing the same dress and the sex appeal was all gone. Not just because of the way she looked, but the way she carried herself & "wore" that dress.

The Swajeski era was a golden period & was very, very underrated at the time. I wish she received a Best Writing Emmy for it because she deserved it- she got 1 or 2 nominations, but never the win (it's a double-edged sword because I believe SB was the soap that beat them out).

Now Cat, I take it you haven't gotten to the episode yet where they go through with this & half the town, including Felicia & Donna I believe, are in on poisoning him. Another masterpiece episode.

OMG they did a film noir episode in February 1992...

"Cass-a-nova"

I really like Cass as a character.

I LOVED that episode- their first Valentine's Day special ep, "The Case of the Stolen Heart." Any time a soap does a stand alone episode, I always compare it to this episode, a standard that AW set that no other soap has lived up to since. Had it been produced in the 2000s, they would have won an Emmy for that episode.

OMG. Juniorz, that is spooky. I just finished watching that episode yesterday night. Here it is (it won't let me embed):

Another World (10/23/1991)

OMG! Thank you! I was SO looking forward to that episode coming up on SoapNet, though I knew it would signify the beginning of the end of Kathleen's run. Why, I'll never understand, since there were so many ways they could have gone with her. They could have paired her with Mitch, Jamie, or John Hudson. There were tons of possibilities for her.

Kathleen was the BOMB. She essentially said what I thought -- here are the manly men thumping their chests and tryin' to protect their wimminfolk. She felt she had every right to be there. I went into this epi with some trepidation, thinking it would be some GH-style "we gotta take the law in our own hands" macho mess. Instead, it turned out to be a meditation about what happens when people cross the line and think they are above the law.

In spite of being a guy myself, I enjoy it when a woman gets like that on a soap without coming off like Jane Feminist. Kathleen did just that, which is why she reminded me of such past spunky heroines as SB's Eden, SFT's Sonny, and DAYS's Hope. For some reason, NBC does spunky heroines better than any other network, CBS does the best bitches, and ABC does the best reformed hookers.

Here is the LAYDEH! LAYDEH KILLAH! shoot where Frankie jumps on Kathleen as Carl's bomb goes off. Again, more cheesey video tomfoolery with convent girl Jenna donning some fishnets and what looks like a black leather g-string bathing suit.

LOL, OMG, RPG punching his fist through a glass door.

Another World (09/24/91)

I still haven't figured out what the heck investigative journalist Kathleen was doing in the video playing a femme fatale. Oh well.

Oddly enough, when I read that you mentioned that episode yesterday, I was able to hunt it down & re-watch it. HATED Jensen's Vicky- she didn't even have the chem with Frankie that Anne's Vicky had. The video, in hindsight, was super-cheesy & hilarious- how funny that the image of Dean punching through the glass stuck out in my mind as well. It also cracked me up when they zoom in on RPG's eye for like 30 seconds, until you see Jenna dancing in it. Nice circa-91 special effect for a music video lol.

It surprises me, though, Cat that you can't see the hype about Cali Timmins' Paulina. There's just something so slinky, sneaky, and yet vulnerable, you wanna root for her kinda girl about her. I always felt that there was tons going on under the surface with her Paulina, which is why it should have come as no surprise that she shot Jake. Too bad Evans got to play out much of the ramifications of that reveal. On top of everything else, Timmins had the most bangin, smokin chemistry with Tom Eplin, a big part of the reason why I could never understand, to this day, the hype behind the supposedly smoldering chemistry Judi Evans had with him. I just didn't see it, especially in comparison to Timmins.

There is a horrendously unflattering photo of Alla Korot in that outfit, being carried by RPG. Just awful.

I guess they had Kathleen as a femme fatale to remind us of her role in breaking up the dream couple.

I know Sam was with Amanda but how odd to include him in some takedown of Carl. Perhaps RKK's Sam, but what were the later, wimpy versions of Sam going to do? Cry on him?

They never should have brought Sam back.

I kinda felt that way about Kathleen's role in the video as well Carl. I mean, "the lady in red?"

I kind of liked Brian Green's Sam, though he did become wimpier. It was Daniel Markel's version I really couldn't stand.

And MichaelGL- I completely agree- never before or since have I seen anniversary shows done as well as AW's 25th. I enjoyed their 30th anniversary episodes very much as well, but the ones done in 89 were marvelous. Not only did they bring back a slew of old characters, many of which I'd never met before, but they actually wrote them and gave them something to do besides just show up to the party & have a reunion.

While Gwen may have changed as a character (I hadn't seen her first run so I didn't know), I thought her anger toward Rachel made tons of sense. And especially her scenes with Evan- I really felt she brought out a tenderness in Charles Grant and he really came into his own then. I've seen Grant in quite a few other roles, including on other soaps, but to me, never was he as effective nor as perfectly cast as he was as Evan Bates (Frame) on AW.

This is my reaction to any character Ricky Paull Goldin plays generally. The irony is that Dean is less annoying IMO than Gus on GL or Jake on AMC. And that's with that awful mullet. RPG is more sensual as Dean (and slightly more -- how can I put this? -- metrosexual) than he was/is as Gus or Jake. Yes, that "I Dream of Jenna" song is horrific. But WAIT until you get to September 1991 because they film a video for his song "Ladykiller" and it is the funniest thing ever shot. It is so bad, it's good. PLEASE watch it before AW is taken off YouTube -- you will not regret it. Also, RPG and AK's chemistry is off the charts. They do kiss on the grass at night in early October and, I'm not even kidding, it was so tender and hot that I was fanning myself. And, like I said, I am not an RPG fan.

OMG! I LOVED the Ladykiller episode! I remember being on the edge of my seat the whole time, right up until Frankie figures out how Carl is going to off Kathleen & runs & grabs her off that box, jumping away from the explosion. Pure awesomeness!

Have you gotten to the episode where the men of town have a board room-like meeting about doing away with Carl & Kathleen shows up & insists on being a part of it? (If so, can you tell me around when it happened? LOL) I just LOVED Kathleen in that episode, reminded me of my beloved Eden Capwell Castillo, who I had just lost a couple months before......well, really 5 or 6 months, since she never got to be Eden after plunging off that cliff into the water.

Annie found love with Jude, played by Sean Kanan. I still remember them doing it to Santana's "Smooth" before the song became popular. But Meh. It should have been Tim & Annie together in the end. Why SUN never went there I'll never understand (best chemistry ever). They even would have had a great couple name- Tannie! (please no Sarah Buxton jokes)

I loved both Santa Barbara and Sunset Beach and, while there were some similarities in terms of Guza having worked on both shows, the SB thing and the fact that they shot on the same NBC studio space, that was where the similarities ended, IMO. I always found both shows different and judged them as such. SuBe had the Spelling imprint all over it!

I agree, though I won't deny that it bothered me to no end that NBC canned SB in 1993 only to bring on a soap a few years later with the same initials, set in a beach town in California, with a rich upper class family & a well-to-do Latino family with the sexy brother being a cop (!) to boot.

But the similarities really end there. Look no further than Margarita Cordova as SB's Rosa and Margarita Cordova as SUN's Carmen as evidence of that.

I loved both Santa Barbara and Sunset Beach and, while there were some similarities in terms of Guza having worked on both shows, the SB thing and the fact that they shot on the same NBC studio space, that was where the similarities ended, IMO. I always found both shows different and judged them as such. SuBe had the Spelling imprint all over it!

I agree, though I won't deny that it bothered me to no end that NBC canned SB in 1993 only to bring on a soap a few years later with the same initials, set in a beach town in California, with a rich upper class family & a well-to-do Latino family with the sexy brother being a cop (!) to boot.

But the similarities really end there. Look no further than Margarita Cordova as SB's Rosa and Margarita Cordova as SUN's Carmen as evidence of that.

They didn't do well in any of the 3 years. They couldn't even pass their premiere week ratings, where as Passions beat their premiere week ratings in 18 months.

That's because many major affiliates didn't carry SUN (St Louis, Detroit to name a couple)in the beginning and the ones that did moved it to 2AM oblivion not long after. I'm pretty sure SUN aired in St Louis for not much longer than 1 full year before being banished to the post Last Call with Adam Curry slot. Passions was had 90 some odd percent coverage from jump.

Ava Lazar was GORGEOUS and the only Santana for me. Margaret Michaels' version was way too boring and Gina Gallego was so not... glamourous I never accepted anybody else until Wanda DeJesus took over. Why do you think she was an bad recast?

I think I'll just let Gina show you why she was the definitive Santana.

Ava Lazar was GORGEOUS and the only Santana for me. Margaret Michaels' version was way too boring and Gina Gallego was so not... glamourous I never accepted anybody else until Wanda DeJesus took over. Why do you think she was an bad recast?

SB was a great show until it became too dark after Eden's rape and all the cast changes ruined the show. By 1989 it was clear that SB was in trouble.

Wanda was just WRONG in the part IMO. I will say that by the time I started watching in 85, Gina Gallego was playing Santana already. I have since seen episodes with Lazar & with Michaels. Lazar was beautiful but her acting was.....limited. Michaels was a nonentity. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't stand Gallego's Santana, but that only meant she was doing her job. She played all of those insecure qualities I mentioned so well. So when abrasive Wanda DeJesus came on in 1991 or 92, dressed in her ethnic dresses & acting like a Latin princess, I found the character unrecognizable. She's a decent actress I guess, but just not right for the part. Really, the directors should have been reining her in from jump.

Do you agree with those who think JFP ruined the show?

Absolutely not because it's not true. JFP was there as a producer in SB's formative years & then became executive producer when the Dobsons were ousted. JFP 'got' SB and maintained the spirit, intelligence, and humor that was always there with her. John Conboy came on in 1990 & he began the ruination of Santa Barbara. Though I didn't like that he re-did the Capwell mansion, the set that was left after the renovation was still gorgeous. The show actually looked quite rich & gorgeous, but the writing went to sh!t. Truly, it was Paul Rauch that ruined the show- that man did not 'get' Santa Barbara AT ALL. Then Pam Long came on as headwriter in 1992 & brought Zimmer with her and THAT'S when it was ruined to the point of no return (which it never did).

Was she responsible for Megan Richardson and her son? The DiNapolli sisters? The horrible sick Cain- Ming Li story? The Donnellys? Ethan and Laura? During that period Santa Barbara was a mess.

She was. I didn't care for Megan & Greg, but I LOVED Lisa DiNapoli. Emily DiNapoli was ok too, but Celeste DiNapoli (Signy Coleman) SUCKED! I actually liked Heather Donnely & her father Arthur too. Michael, on the other hand, I could have done without. Ethan Asher was a bad idea designed to keep Leigh McCloskey, who played Eden's rapist Zack. Why they felt the need to do that I have no idead. But I enjoyed loony Laura Asher and her rivalry with Gina.

You want characters who sucked & a period that was a MESS? Try NuWarren (Jack Wagner), Jodie Walker, Sawyer Walker, BJ Walker, Aurora DiAngelis,Micah DiAngelis, Rafe Castillo, Katrina Ruyker, nuKelly (Eileen Davidson), Connor McCabe, Skyler Gates, nuSantana (Wanda DeJesus), Ken & Andie.....those characters were AWFUL! The only semi-interesting storyline in SB's final year was Ted's affair with Angela. The rest was utter sh!t.

I think John Conboy ruined the show for good. Among others I hated the Eden-Kelly feud (the Capwell girls were clearly not Lori and Leslie Brooks), the new sets (why would someone destroy the wonderful Capwell mansion sets?), it was a joke alltogether.

I'd agree with the John Conboy assessment, but I really liked the Eden/Kelly feud over Robert. It made sense that Kelly would eventually begin to resent Eden, since she was clearly CC's favorite & got the most attention from the family. But really, Kelly had a leg to stand on there because she truly loved Robert & he her, but Eden wanted her cake & to eat it too. She was married to & loved Cruz, but she was almost toying with Robert & always interfering in his relationship with Kelly. Plus, that's where Carrington Garland truly came into her own as the character. I'd always liked her, but she really came alive during that storyline. The only real complaint I've ever had with the Dobsons' leadership on SB was their hasty decision to fire Carrington Garland & bring on Eileen Davidson as Kelly. She was just awful & completely miscast, though it didn't help matters that TPTB decided to pair her with Cruz.

I don't know the exact times she was there, I think it was 1989-1991 or so. She did the Eden's rape story.

She did do the rape storyline, but you have the dates of her being EP wrong- she was EP from 1987-1990, then it was Conboy from 1990-1991, and finally Paul Rauch from 1991-1993.

Please tell me Santana wasn't on there long. That acting makes her more like Satana. And that CC, yikes.

She didn't. That was the original Santana, Ava Lazar. I'm pretty sure she only lasted a few months before being replaced with Margaret Michaels, who wasn't much better and only lasted a couple months in 1985. SB didn't get it right until they brought Gina Gallego on in 1985. She wasn't as beautiful as the first two but she played a very flawed, needy, and insecure Santana to the hilt. She was the definitive Santana & probably the reason Wanda DeJesus was such an AWFUL recast in 1992. Jed Allan said in his book what a diva DeJesus was on set & the two did not get along.

As for CC, SB was in a tough bind in the beginning because the original actor cast as CC, Lloyd Bochner, had to bow out at the last minute for health reasons I believe. The actor in the first episode was Peter Mark Richman, who wasn't at all memorable in the part. He was replaced within a month or two by Paul Burke, who was FAR WORSE. If you want a good laugh, find a Paul Burke Santa Barbara episode on youtube. It was like CC was being played by a game show host. Burke didn't last long either & Charles Bateman was brought in. He was okay, but didn't possess the power needed for the role of CC- he was too soft. Jed Allan wasn't brought on until 1986, and there's some mention that the two were at a party together & Bateman found out Allan had been hired as CC before finding out he himself was fired. In his book, Allan says Bateman took it like a gentleman & a professional.

I don't know much about Santana or SB for that matter but just watching that again made me think of how utterly soapy it all was, first of all a name like SANTANA, all that '80s California glam, Dame Judith Anderson in the vintage Rolls complete with riding crop and funky cello, what it must have been like to watch this first episode "live" that day...

Dame Judith was AMAZING in her supporting role. SB was daytime's Dynasty in the 80s- I still remember how gorgeous some of the sets were, especially the Capwell mansion. The sets today do not compare.

As for the Lane Davies mention, I believe there's an interview you can find on lane-davies.net where he says, in so many words, that the first couple years of SB were carried by himself, A Martinez, Marcy Walker, Louise Sorel, and Nicholas Coster. Those 5 held the ship together and it wasn't until late 1985-early 1986 where the show finally found its footing & had a strong cast in place. From late 85- early 90, though, Santa Barbara was sophisticated, witty, delicious soap fan heaven.

double post

I'm LOVING all the Cali Timmins love in this thread. She's one of my faves- I absolutely adored her as Paulina on AW. As popular as she became with the fans, I never accepted Judi Evans as Paulina- Timmins was pitch perfect in the part and to me, could never be replaced. Her chemistry with Tom Eplin was EXPLOSIVE! His chemistry with Evans never touched it.

It makes me remember how hard the summer of 91 was on me as a soap fan. My 3 fave AW heroines at the time- Cali Timmins (Paulina), Anne Heche (Vicky/Marley), and Julie Osburn (Kathleen) all left within months of each other- hell, Timmins & Heche left within mere weeks of one another. Plus, Marcy Walker left Santa Barbara in a horrible exit storyline. The only saving grace for me that summer was in August, when Deidre Hall returned to Days of our Lives.

Damn, what could have been, and they went with Amelia fucin' Heinle?

Thanks for posting all these, Gilbert!

I thought the same thing when I read that. Genzel would have been Ah-friggin-MAZING as Victoria- I've always liked her acting & really enjoyed her take on Skye on AMC. Just imagine going toe to toe with Eric Braeden & MTS.

What could have been is right!

Yeah, I think the late Harriet Hall (whose Brooke I've never seen though I understand there's an episode of her on YouTube) is more in the category of an Elizabeth Savage as Gwyn on LOV or Elaine Princi as Dorian on OLTL even, full-on recasts who lasted a scant few years and were ultimately replaced by the actresses they replaced.

Ooh, I LOVED Elizabeth Savage as Gwyn. While that role will always belong to Christine Tudor Newman, I remember really liking Savage's take on the part.

And I never knew that Roya Megnot returned to Loving to pinch hit for Lisa Peluso. Somehow, I don't think that would have worked, considering how much the character changed when Peluso began playing her.

Thanks so much for posting this article. And it is an absolute crime that Lane Davies was never given an Emmy for his portrayal of Mason Capwell, let alone nominated.

It was definitely Elizabeth Savage- I had remembered her last name started with an S. And while I loved me some Tudor-Newman, Savage's Gwyn was just as fierce. I didn't consider her a pod at all.

Christine Tudor was phenom as Gwen on Loving. I also remember her being recast for a period of time with a red head and she was actually quite good as well. Anyone remember her name?

Thanks so much for posting the link. Definitely enjoyed it!

Thanks so much for the Marcy news!!! Any link to an archive of the interview?

Beautifully stated Cat. ICAM with your assessment!

Yeah it was but that whole Cruz/Eden/Robert/Kelly quad was great writing/acting by all involved. I preferred Carrington Garland's Kelly to all the others after Robin left.

ICAM! Yes it was out of character but that entire storyline was so well done that I didn't care. This is where Carrington truly came into her own as Kelly. Easily the best Kelly recast of them all- I liked her almost as much as Robin.

Derek was part of the 4 orphan storyline which included Craig Hunt (John Callahan), Stephen Slay (John O'Hurley) and Zack (can't remember his last name but Eden's gyno and rapist *shudders*). They were out to avenge the death of Cassie (who wasn't actually dead) who they thought was killed by Mason Capwell.

His name was Zack Kelton, but he was long gone before that storyline. The actor, Leigh McCloskey, had returned to the show at that point as D.A. Ethan Asher, who was the fourth orphan.