juniorz1

Also, why did TPTB recast the gorgeous and talented Sherry Mathis with Louan Gideon as Liza in the last year? I remember really liking Mathis in the part and never could warm to Gideon. I still don't get it.

I watched SFT with my grandmother when I was very young and then started watching it some on my own, circa 1982-1986. I always LOVED Sunny Adamson- she still remains one of my favorite soap heroines of all time and Marcia McCabe is forever endeared to me as an actress. I fell in love with Hogan & Sunny and hated that Patty & Quinn came on in those last couple years and they were instead paired with them, respectively (Hogan/Patty, Quinn/Sunny). I particularly hated the Patty & Hogan pairing and was deeply saddened that the show ended with Hogan's wedding to her, while I always believed he belonged with Sunny. I know I can't be the only viewer who felt that way, either. But my question is this: I remember clearly that Hogan & Sunny worked together closely, I think as P.I.s or something to that effect, and that they often flirted. But were they ever paired as a full-fledged romantic couple or were they always just friends and coworkers? And if they were, why did they break up? Did the show ever address any jealousy on either Hogan's or Sunny's part in respect to their new pairings? I'd appreciate some answers and thanks in advance!

Is this the clip you're talking about?

Awww, two of my favorite 80s guilty pleasures pictured- the divine Callan While and uber-sexy Peter Love (ex-Ric Castillo, Santa Barbara).

I thought it was on youtube & I indeed found it. Here, check it out. Joanna Cassidy also stars.

That pilot did air, yes. Funny thing was the show was cancelled before they even showed the pilot, I believe the morning of the day it was to air. Those were the days of networks airing pilots regardless of whether they bacame a series. As much as I didn't want Marcy to leave SB at the time & as relieved as I was, it's unfortunate that the show didn't get picked up. IMO, the pilot was quite good & it could have turned into a solid show, especially had it been placed on Monday nights as the article implies. Marcy's series that got picked up the following year, 'Palace Guard,' wasn't nearly as good and I didn't like how similar her character was to Eden, though I admit watching it every Friday it aired.

I'm a HUGE Marcy Walker fan (clearly! ) and never have been a big GL fan, save for Leonard Stabb's run as Hart. Can someone tell me why she didn't click on the show? Was it the writing, the character, Walker's performance? I tuned in some back then just for her but couldn't get into it because they kept pairing her with men who were, IMO, too old for her. I didn't care for her with Robert Newman's Josh (except for my own delicious revenge factor since we got stuck with Zimmer at SB in an almost-pairing with A Martinez) and I HATED her with Alan.

Yes, hopefully by tomorrow. Had job interviews all day today & some drama earlier in the week. I know I'm slow going, but I'm trying to get back into the rhythm of writing. It's been 3 years, so it's taking me a little time. Once I start delving deaper into the stories & get things moving, it will start coming easier, but these mini-eps/recaps/refresher courses are a necessary evil.

They certainly had a tough time keeping & developing characters and yes, certainly moreso than other soaps. Not to continue pimping my fanfic or anything, but one thing I did & am continuing to do with 'RTSB' is using the core characters that SB should have stuck with all along. Yes, we (mostly) always had the Capwells (CC, Sophia, Ted, Mason, Eden, Kelly, & Ted) and Cruz, Gina and Julia, but pretty much everyone else was interchangable & constantly in & out. Characters (that I'm using) like Keith, Mary, Mark McCormick, Augusta, Pamela, Elena, Warren, Santana, Kirk, Pearl and Lily should have been permanent fixtures. I'd also argue that Brick, Hayley, and Laken should have been kept around, but SB never quite knew what to do with them whenever they were there, which is probably why I haven't permanently been able to utitlize them. Pamela & Elena were definitely the most glaring missed opportunities. Pamela was so built up by the time that she came on that there were TONS of things they could have done with her. Instead, they brought her on as a surprise witness in Cruz's trial, after having already killed off her wicked daughter Elena, and then threw her into the Who the hell Cares? Hal Clark (Scott's father) murder mystery. Y&R never would have made such a mistake- years of story could have been mined out of Pamela & Elena alone. Look no further than the 1991 dinner party sequence that I posted on youtube as proof of that- glorious episodes!!! I'd make the same argument with Augusta, but Louise Sorel left of her own volition in 1986. She admittedly didn't understand daytime at that time (it was her first soap role) and when Augusta was backburnered, she took exception with it & decided to leave, not really realizing that the story would eventually come back to her. But I ended up LOVING all of Augusta's surprise reappearnces in town. I remember about pissing my pants when she was revealed as Anthony Tonnell's widow- the show really made you think it was just going to be some new character there for the purpose of a few weeks of story & that black veil came up & lo & behold- AUGUSTA!!! Back in the days when soaps still had the element of surprise. Obviously humor was a strength- SB did sophisticated wit & banter like no other. But that's just it- the dialogue on the show was just brilliant, even in the most dramatic of scenes. I've always felt that SB won so many writing Emmys because of their knack for crisp dialogue. They even won in 1991, when the show was well past its prime. From Mason's drunken Shakespearean sonnets to Eden & Cruz's vivid & honest descriptions of feelings & love to the outrageous lines utterred by Gina, Augusta, Pearl, Keith, and Lionel to the brilliance of Julia Wainright, they did dialogue like no soap before or since. And the thing about SB's humor is this- they were laughing with their audience, not at them (RE:SUN, PAS, and the pathetic soaps of today). Another MAJOR strength that is not often mentioned is their courtroom sequences. SB did trials like no other. Witness the youtube clips I've posted of Cruz's trial as proof of that. When you have lawyers as smart as Julia going against others as smart but equally outrageous as Keith and Mason, not only did you have intelligently argued cases, but two interesting and contrasting points of view. I don't think there was ever a trial on SB where I absolutely, positively knew the verdict after the closing arguments, which is unusual for a soap. They also didn't have cheap stunts like most soaps do- HUGE revelations on witness stands, pregnancy pads revealed in court, etc... I was glued to my set any time SB had a storyline set in the courtroom. They did courtroom drama & intrigue just as well as, if not better than, shows like "LA Law," "The Practice," and "Law & Order."

Yes, Hayley accidentally caused the explosion at Brick's restaurant, Johnny's Place, that caused Amy Perkins death. Amy was never too prominently featured a character and, while I first got started watching SB in 1985, by 1986, Amy was barely seen so I didn't know her very well before she died. IIRC, though, she was the last surviving member of the Perkins family, one of SB's original core family. Since then, I have received DVDs from readers of "Return to Santa Barbara" and listeners to my old BTR talk show, "Talkin Santa Barbara!" that featured Amy. She was a pretty strong character and a played by a good actress too. She had that Demi Moore-esque raspy voice that I rather enjoy in many actresses. I'd have to sort of agree with your mom, as those were two of my favorite heroines on the soap. Eden's death was without a doubt, undeniably the final nail in SB's coffin. I'll never forgive the writers & producers for not even giving our Eden an exit. Marcy's last storyline was the split personality- we were treated to mostly Lisa in the end, with Eden struggling to come through. I believe Eden fell off the cliff in May 1991. Marcy came back in June with a God-awful brown wig as another personality, Suzanne Collier. It was ridiculous that neither Cruz nor Sophia recognized her when it was so clearly Eden. Her final scenes were played as another personality, that of her brother Channing, as she recreated Channing's shooting, the storyline that SB was founded on. It was just awful that what we thought at the time were her final scenes were her shooting her mother as Channing. No Eden resurfacing, no good bye to Cruz, nothing. They did have a scene of her about a month later- it was uncredited & not in the soap mags that she'd be back. Cruz had found the real Suzanne & Eden was seen in the window watching them. Tears running down her face, she lipped the words "Good bye Cruz. I love you." She proceeded to leave her wedding ring on the window sill, which Cruz found & went after her. It wasn't much, but I was thankful for that one final glimpse of my beloved Eden & for her sorta good bye to Cruz. Flame was the hotness. Her leather dominatrix wardrobe was the bomb as was her outta control hair. Roberta Bizeau just oozed sex & the character wasn't the same when she was recast (can't even remember the other actress's name). She was a true original. I remember Michael Logan suggested Bizeau when Y&R was recasting Phyllis. She would have been perfect, far better than the AWFUL Sandra Nelson. Who knows if fans would have even wanted Stafford back had Bizeau been cast.

Cat, I ya, but it's been irking me- Sofia Coppola is the famous director of "Lost in Translation." Alicia Coppola plays Lorna. And I too LOVE her. Thank GOD they brought her on as Heche was leaving. Lorna was the new Vicky for me. It's part of the reason I never could get into Robin Christopher as an actress until I saw her on OLTL- she was a terrible, inept recast for Coppola as Lorna. I understood the producers thinking, considering her work as Skye, but it just didn't work. IMO, Coppola was downright iconic in the role. I have no idea what happened with Osburn but for the life of me, I'll never understand why they let her go. She was such a gem as Kathleen & a real bright spot on the show at the time. Was Frankie & Frankie/Cass really that popular? Oh and by the way, it's 12:06 AM and I'm watching an AW episode on youtube. ***fingers crossed***

And he ACTED like Coster's son. His voice, his inflections, his mannersims, My GOD! He was perfectly cast & I cannot fathom why they let him go. Jack Wagner was utter sh!t when he came on. I sort of liked him initially- the rivalry with Mason, his pairing with Angela (Nina Arveson WAS & IS a goddess- why is she not on soaps today!?!). But then, they put him with BJ & it all went to hell.

GREAT post sungrey. Please, post in this thread more often! If I'm not mistaken, Stacey Edwards (Hayley) was one of the early victims of focus groups. She was never my favorite character, but she easily could have been a run of the mill milquetoast victim. But Edwards gave her some strength that wasn't necessarily in the writing so the credit solely belongs to her. She wasn't my fave, but I was very sad the day she was hit by that car. And she was AWESOME in that rape storyline. I also agree that killing off Harley Jane Kozak's Mary was a HUGE blunder. She was a fabulous actress and for my money (and this says ALOT coming from me), she rivaled Marcy's Eden as one of the great heroines on the show at the time. However, I truly think Mason still may have ended up paired with Julia and I think it would have been a DYNAMITE triangle that could have played out for years. It's probably why I'm currently writing that triangle in my SON blog, Return to Santa Barbara (shameless plug). Much unlike the sh!t Julia/Mason/Tori triangle we ended up with. It cracks me up to this day when I see in print that that triangle was one of the greats because the there was no clear choice & both had rooting value. Um, no, not in this viewer's (and I believe MANY others') eyes. Tori was a terrible character, always so desperate & clingy, first with Cruz and then with Mason. It didn't help that Kristen Meadows was just an okay actresss. One other thing I always found unbelievable is how many mags rated her as one of the most beautiful actresses in soaps. She even made it over Marcy, Judith, Nancy, Jane Rogers, and many other classic SB beauties in SOD's (formerly) annual Soaps Most Beautiful Actresses issue. Check out Harley Jane's powerhouse final performance. One of the great classic death scenes of all time

Actually, from what I've read, the straw that broke the camel's back was the casting of a very pivotal role, Pamela Capwell. The Dobsons wanted Marj Dusay, while Bailey & I believe Pratt, fought for Samantha Eggar. Eggar was cast but never made it to air- she couldn't handle the amount of lines and work that went into a daytime drama. But then they went with Shirley Anne Field, who I personally really liked in the role. She was what I always imagined Pamela to be. Ironically enough, Field also had problems with the workload & memorization of the lines so after all that, Marj Dusay was brought on to play Pamela. And, I may be wrong here, but I believe the Dobsons were already gone by that point.

Oh wow, thank GOD that didn't happen. She would have made an awful Gina & from what I hear, was a real PILL to work with, especially on DAYS. Totally disagree with that- I think she would have been all wrong for the role. I actually could see her more as Vicky.

The next mini-episode will be up tomorrow!

Yayy! Glad you're going to see the stories play out & hopefully, get to know our other readers here, since you read the story after I had already stopped posting episodes. We're all a fun bunch. By the way, if anyone is good at making youtube vids, please PM me. I really want to have an official opening for RTSB with the actors' faces, ala Y&R. Actually, probably 4 versions, each featuring different characters in the cast.

I'm trying to get back into the swing of writing, so, to get my feet wet, I'm going to try to post shorter episodes every day this week, reacquainting everyone with the characters and their stories. I'm going to try to feature each storyline in an episode this week to remind everyone where we're at. After that, next week, I'll go back to posting longer, more involved episodes as before. I figure this is a good way to get me back into the swing of things and, at the same time, whet the appetite of the readers for each of the stories I have going on. Plus, I think we all need to be reminded of where we're at and who these characters are, especially the ones that I've created myself that were not part of the original show. Hope you all enjoy them!

Joann Walsh- Kim Rhodes Dr. Edmund Lavery- Charles Keating Ashton Lavery- Clive Robertson Christine Gorrow (Edmund's maid)- Gretchen Oehler (EXT: London, England) -Edmund is completely shocked to see his Ashton and, more importantly, Kelly at his door. He tries to keep his composure as he invites them inside. He walks them to the living room and sits them down on the couch. "Why Kelly, you are even more beautiful than my son described you. I believe he was holding out on me." "Well thank you, Dr. Lavery. I'm so happy to finally meet you, it's just unfortunate you couldn't be at our wedding. Not that anyone could- it was so sudden, even my own family wasn't able to attend." "I'm sure your father was disappointed not to get to walk his beautiful daughter down the aisle," Edmund smiles, looking at Ashton. "I know I would be if it were my daughter's wedding." "Yes, well he's been able to do it the first few times. But disappointed would be an understatement, if you knew my father...." Kelly pauses. "Ashton mentioned to me that you lived in Santa Barbara many years ago. Did you know my father, perhaps? He's quite prominent in society there." Edmund smiles his sneering smile once again, but before he's able to answer, Christine enters the room with a tray of drinks. "Oh, Dr. L- Mrs. L wanted me to let you know that she's finished packing for your...." "Christine! May I speak with you outside please," Edmund interrupts. "Won't you excuse me for a moment." As the door shuts, Kelly looks at Ashton. "Mrs. Lavery? You didn't tell me your father had remarried- when did that happen?" "That's what I'd like to know," Ashton mutters. Edmund hurries Christine down the hall and admonishes her. "You twit! You could have ruined everything! If Kelly finds out.....my God, if Ashton even found out...they were NOT supposed to know about our Mrs. Lavery." "Well how the heck was I supposed to know? She's all packed and ready for your trip..." "I know, I know, I heard you the first time. There's been a change of plans." Edmund instructs Christine to take Loretta (Sophia) to another room in the far east wing and ready a room for Ashton & Kelly on this side of the house. He tells her that it's imperative that Loretta not see Ashton or Kelly and that he cannot chance them running into her or even hearing her. He tells her to serve her some herbal tea and put in the special ingredient to make her sleepy. When Christine once again asks about their trip, he tells her to explain to Loretta that they'll be leaving the next morning instead and that the west wing is being painted tonight, which is why they'll be staying on the east side of the house. They hear Loretta (Sophia) making her way down the hall upstairs & approaching the staircase. Edmund orders Christine to stop her and get her to the other side of the castle immediately. "I've worked and waited too long to let Kelly Capwell spoil this for me. I will NOT let another Capwell take Loretta from me again." (EXT: Capwell Enterprises) -Gina sits at her desk, speaking to distributors about her latest Gina Jeans line. She demands that they be patient, that the collection is going to be her biggest one yet and will be worth the wait. They insist on meeting with her that day and she tells them that she's overloaded with work on getting the line out and that they'll have to be patient with her. When they start threatening to yank Capwell Enterprises' account with them, she relents and tells them she'll meet them for lunch at the Oasis in an hour. As she hangs up the phone, she notices Joann is standing in her office. "Don't you know how to knock? I'm a little busy here, in case you couldn't tell. Now, if you don't mind...." "Feeling a little overwhelmed, Gina?" "Nothing I couldn't handle, if people in this office were doing their jobs. Why were the distributors not told that the collection was moved from summer to November? Why were my fabrics not ordered? And why the hell haven't I seen Angela in days? She's supposed to be working with me on this..." "Angela is needed at the hotel at the moment, didn't Kathleen tell you? She's taken over for Kelly during her trip to London." "Nobody told me ANYTHING! How am I supposed to have this collection ready in just a few weeks if she's not here to do her job? Who's replacing her?" "No one is replacing her, Gina, you're just going to have to make do like the rest of us are in her absence." "Make do? I'm designing an ENTIRE COLLECTION! Now I'm meeting with distributors, ordering fabrics, checking inventory...What's next? I'll be in charge of the advertising, marketing, and PR as well?" "PR? That's a laugh Gina. Do you honestly think we'd be so foolish as to allow you to do anything related to public relations? We want this collection to be a success as much as you do. But with the economy the way that it is, we all have added much to our load. You're just going to have to be a big girl and deal with it like the rest of us, k?" "Deal with it?" Gina stands up. "How about you deal with this you smug little bit..." Before she can go after Joann, Kathleen enters the office and informs Gina that Keith is there to see her. "Doesn't anyone in this damn office know how to knock? Send him in." Kathleen turns around and waves Keith in as Joann walks toward the door. Joann acknowledges Keith as she passes him in the entranceway. Gina yells at her as she leaves. "Don't think for a second I'm through with you, Jo-Anna Wintour!" Keith laughs at her ferocity. "Do you have these clever nicknames for every woman in town?" "Just the ones I hate......which is most of them," she deadpans, "Speaking of which, what is taking so long with Morticia? I thought you'd have surely started blackmailing her your little porn of her & CC by now." "Patience my little banana muffin, patience. We have to wait until the time is right...." "What time? What difference does time make Keith? You wanna know what I think? I think you're stalling. I think you like this idea of having your cake and eating it too- you get to make me crazy and go home & make love to the Real Frigid Housewife of Santa Barbara...." Keith tries to calm her down, but to no avail. She insists that he start the blackmailing process and start it now. Otherwise, she tells him, she will. "Actually, that's what I was here to talk to you about. I have a present for you." He hands her a perfectly wrapped thin square. She holds it and looks at him, annoyed. "Well......go ahead butterscotch........open it....." "It doesn't look like jewelry..." "It isn't. It's much better than jewelry. And far more valuable." Excited and entice, she tears it open, but is disappointed to see it's just a DVD. "I suppose this is your little porno..." "Our little porno, my pet, the one that's going to make us millions! Surprise! I won't be the one blackmailing Lizzie-Bit- I've bestowed the honor on you my love. So.....what do you say....." "Keith Timmons..........what do I say?.......I say this crappy day just got a whole lot.......RICHER!" She runs up to him and passionately kisses him. They explode into laughter as the camera zooms in on their devilish faces. THE END.............FOR TODAY!!!

RETURN TO SANTA BARBARA RETURNS TONIGHT!!!! :D

I disagree with your assessment of Carrington's Kelly Elsa, with all due respect. I did not find her to be a Mini-Eden at all- she was still very much Princess Kelly to me, CC's "kitten." And, while I know it's an unpopular opinion, I LOVED Kelly's rivalry with Eden at that time, partly because I was very anti-Robert/Eden. Eden wanted to have her cake & eat it too with Robert & Cruz and I thought Kelly's venom was justified. It helped that Carrington was surprisingly adept at playing bitchy. Kelly developed her backbone again under Garland, which was lost in the McArthur transition. I'll always adore her and liked her every bit as much as I did Robin Wright in the part. To answer your question Carl, no, I have yet to find one single fan (literally) that liked the Kelly/Cruz pairing. It was just all kinds of wrong & Davidson shared ZERO chemistry with A Martinez, despite what she may have gone around telling the press. Plus, Eileen just wasn't right for the part. I wish the clip were on youtube because I won't be able to do it justice but when Cruz left town to go on the run & make it seem like he killed Frank Goodman to spare insta-daughter BJ, Kelly met him at the airport runway & begged him to stay. As his plane began taking off, Kelly ran down the runway screeching, crying, and screaming "CRUUUUUZZZZ! NOOOOO!! PLEASSSSE! CRUUUZZZ" and Davidson was a hot mess. I don't know how she was on Y&R back in the day, but when she was on SB, Eileen was not only a terrible Kelly, but a terrible, TERRIBLE actress. That sequence just epitomized her awfulness.

http://santabarbara-online.com/Kellyn4-67.jpg

SOD got it wrong then, IMO. 1990 was the year that Garland became a breakout star IMO! I'll never understand the soap press & their unimaginative, overly critical take on CG's Kelly. She was pretty much UNIVERSALLY LOVED by the fans! Not an easy task, since Robin Wright was so identified with the role. And then, Eileen Davidson comes on & I cannot tell you how many magazines literally said "Kelly's IQ just JUMPED 50 points!" Yea, that's when Kelly suddenly became obsessed with Cruz, polyester pantsuits, black thick yet plucked(!?) eyebrows, ridiculous hats that belonged on a 15 year old with no sense of style, HUGE hoop earrings, polka dots, greasy hair, and a hard, oily, tanned face. I remember the Dobsons saying that part of the reason for the recast was because Kelly had been married 4 times at that point & they wanted it to show more on her face. If they meant oily buildup, hard lines, thicker eyebrows, bigger teeth, bright red lips, and a beauty mark large enough to considered Queen of the Mole People, then well done. Yes, I HATED Eileen then and it took me a LONNNNNNNG time to come around to her. And I'm tellin ya, Eileen is FAR more beautiful in 2010 than she was in 1991 and she's AGED 19 years! They say blondes don't age gracefully......well, apparently, bottle blondes do!

I LOVED Brainard & thought he did a great job making Ted his own. I actually preferred his version. His chemistry with Nina Arveson was the main thing that kept me watching during SB's final year. And of course, they didn't end up together. Thanks Rauch & Long.