dc11786

This is Monica and Tracy's final scene in 1993 before Tracy's exile from the Q Mansion and Port Charles. I really appreciate how Monica and Tracy could find a common ground at times during this period. It probably helps the Tracy is purposefully evasive about the reasons behind Edward declaration. Monica suggesting that the entire Q clan can be self-destructive is more poignant and reflective than hostile and aggressive as it might have been penned by the 2000s.

I think there were hard decisions to be made in late 2008/early 2009 especially since the show was on the verge of being cancelled. This was the time of the infamous "Days won't be around in 2010" line from Jeff Zuker or some other NBC honcho. I don't think there was any way to feasibly go forward with all those vets leading story. I am always curious if the show could had kept John and Marlena around in a more supporting role in this period (limited guarantees or recurring) if the audience would have accepted it. I've always felt them being gone for a bit made people more accepting of the more supporting role in those mid-2010 years. The super couple fans were definitely treated badly. The comments about just seeing their favorites at fan events and then writing those books with the gone characters. It wasn't respectful. Steve and Kayla's non-exit as well. I don't love the way it went down, but it also didn't have the impact people thought it would. The numbers actually went up in this period (2009) without the fired vets and mostly carried through by the baby swap storyline. It definitely seemed that a strong story with an emotional climax could maintain the viewers even without some fan favorites. That's not to say that John and Marlena couldn't have carried one of those stories, but the guarantees in that era were tight. Peter Reckell's PR person loved to go to SOD every time Reckell's guarantees were up and he was sidelined for a few weeks. The ratings may not have gone up substanitally, but enough that they staved off the original cancellation. I definitely feel this was a love it or hate it period and was part of a very tumultous couple years with highs and lows (you and I would probably disagree about which was which and probably already have lol). The 2011 reset of course was then undone by the 2012-2013 reset which was undone by the 2015 reset and so on and so on. I think Ron Carvilati's work did manage to save the show from yet another cancellation precipice and I would say that he used John and Marlena pretty significantly. I am not sure it was the only way to survive, but it did. Do you feel the same about Vivian's 2009 return?

I love beating a dead horse so I'm not offended. I don't know of any archive for this. I would love to rewatch 2008-2017 again to see how things evolved. I got a drive years ago that had most of this, but it would only work on certain devices which was a pain so I just stopped trying. Cody Longo was good as Nikolas. I know people hated Quinn as Vivian's son, but having a situation with Vivian having to deal with the boy she considered a son and the man who was her son would have been great. Since I suspect that the show was originally going to have Gabi get pregnant in 2011, slipping Longo's Nikolas into the role later filled by Nick Fallon as Gabi's faux baby daddy would have been interesting. Vivian's grandnephew raising the child of Kate's grandson would have just continued to fuel the drama especially with Melanie paired off with Gabi's brother, Dario.

I think the show desperately needed to broaden the canvas and there were too many sacred cow couples that had become limited by the more extremist members of their fan bases (wasn't there something in 2007 about Steve and Kayla sleeping on sheets that fans bought for John and Marlena?). It was definitely a divisive decision (cutitng the vets) that I can understand upset people, but, to me, Carly's return had little to do with the others being written out. Bo and Hope's story was leading to a breakup and Carly was the determined to be the final factor. Having her initial story tied to murdering Lawrence because of her desire to keep her long lost daughter safe worked for me though Salem's reaction to it was confusing. It gave Carly more purpose than just returning to be Bo's side chick. I do agree that Carly's return wasn't going to give the show a big ratings boost, but, by that point, the show could no longer afford to be a show driven by a few people. As someone who was tired of seeing yet another incarnation of Billie, I thought Carly's return was a breath of fresh air. Carly was integrated well as a member of the ensemble by utilizing the connections on the canvas. To me, bringing back Carly was the equivalent of bringing back Chloe or Nicole, a past character with some ties, but not too many incestuous connections that they couldn't be moved around a bit. There had been more time since she had left, but Chappell was hardly gone from the daytime universe for that entire time. The show needed more utility players. So many of the characters cut in the 2008-2009 purge were fairly set in their relationships. Tying her to Daniel and Melanie made sense in the context of what the show was doing at the time, which was building out relationships and families besides the few that had been hyper focused on for many years. I do think Daniel and Melanie were both divisive charactes because they were allowed to stay while so many vets were let go. Daniel, as a doctor, fit well into the medical community that was being reestablished even if his sexual exploits bordered on uncomfortable. Molly Burnett had energy, which was something I felt was lacking in so much of the younger set (though Shelly Hennig grew on me in her final months delivering that phenomenal wedding dress confessional to Nathan). Did all of Melanie's wacky antics land? No, but more did for me than didn't and giving her other connections (motherly Maggie, surrogate big brother Brady, friend Arianna) worked at establishi With all this said, I do think Carly and Bo 2.0 fizzled really quick, but I don't think it was ever intended to be endgame. I seem to recall by December 2009, they had hinted at Daniel being Melanie's father so it was clear where the story was going to go after Carly and Bo ended. I would agree though little was done with Carly / Bo, and Carly / Hope, in order to utilize the relationship. I would have had Hope on the hospital board making Carly's life miserable, but I am not sure if Alfonso would have allowed Hope to revisit that level of privilege that Hope use to have. I just really enjoyed that initial Bo / Carly stuff and Carly's connection with other characters on the canvas.

I thought Crystal Chappell's return was fine at "Days of our Lives." It wasn't perfection, but it fit in well with what Higley, Whitsell, and Tomlin were doing in that era. Opening with Carly killing a crazy haired Lawrence and acting like Carly was this common criminal was a very odd stance to take, but it was clearly meant to generate conflict and give Melanie reasons to be leary of Carly when she learned she was her mother later on. That slant did continue a bit, but I didn't think it hurt her overall placement on the show. The show had spent the better part of 2008-2009 building the rift between Hope and Bo over Bo's decision years prior to keep the secret that Chelsea had run over Zack with Bo's "go alone" tactics in several events (Theo's disappearance, the vision of Hope shooting Kayla, and Ciara's kidnapping) leading to the deconstruction of Hope and Bo's marriage. I thought Bo and Carly went to bed a bit too quickly, but I absolutely loved the scene of Carly showing up at Mickey and Maggie to share her condolences with Maggie after Mickey died only for Hope to open the door moments after Hope had learned Carly and Bo had hit the sheets. Carly and Bo 2.0 didn't feel like endgame, which may have been part of the problem. Once they got together, the story was more about Bo and Hope being kept apart and Carly slowly weaving her way back into Daniel and Melanie's lives than anything else. I guess not spending more time on Carly and Bo as an actual couple could have been considered a flop, but I just never thought they were going to go there permanently. I thought Carly's days were numbered when Melissa Reeves came back, but the pivot into the darker Carly (which probably was the intention all along) with the drug abuse and slowly becoming involved with Quinn Hudson, Vivian's long lost drug dealing pimp son, worked for me at the time. With more time between then and now, I can see how really bleak the canvas became, but I still would have rather seen what happened in 2011-2012 with Higley than anything that we got with MarDar (as I still believe we would have gotten a gay Will).

I really enjoy the Grace Driscoll story from the broad outline of it, but I am curious how the day to day dialogue was. Young didn't have terribly good luck with television, but there could be a number of reasons for that. Even with it being a mostly domestic story, there seems to be twinges of the criminal stuff that Young spent so much time doing in the earlier part of the decade. Grace's mother was Edna Driscoll. It's not stated in the summaries, but Linda Chalmers' rival is Debby Nelson, Miles' sister who married Linda's brother Craig Chalmers. Craig may have been one of Carolyn's post Miles Nelson love interests. I have some more consistent summaries for the last year and a half, but I thought it was good to end this batch with Lee and Carolyn's wedding. And it was getting late. The only other soap from the late 50s I've done this level of research on is "The Road of Life." Unfortunately, lots of papers are not consistent of what and when they would cover different shows so it can be very painstaking to uncover information since most searches will just turn up the radio schedule with the shoes listed in them. I may look into "Young Doctor Malone" at some point.

Here are some brief weekly descriptions (scattered) from 1956-March, 1959. It gives a broad sense of the plot. The early to mid-1950s has all the political intrigue followed by the scams of Jack Townsend and the insurance fraud ring. It only really improves when it is cancelled in late 1957 and returns in March, 1958, focusing on family and romantic intrigue. ----- January 3, 1956: Tells the story fo Carolyn Nelson, played by Claudia Morgan, a young widow facing the problem of supporting a teenaged Skippy. March 14, 1956: Widowed Carolyn Nelson continues her philanthropic work, unknowingly surrounded by forces of evil. August 29, 1956: Secretly working with the District Attorney’s Office, Carolyn Nelson continues her friendship with Jack Townsend until specific evidence against him can be collected by the prosecutor. Claudia Morgan stars as Carolyn Nelson. September 10, 1956: Jack Townsend falls prey to his own subtle game when he succumbs to the flattery of Carolyn Nelson, who is secretly working with the District Attorney to regain a huge sum of money Townsend obtained through fraud. Claudia Morgan stars as Carolyn, and Staats Cotsworth is featured as Jack Townsend. September 13, 1956: Swindler baited on Right to Happiness. September 18, 1956: Carolyn Nelson faces a court charge of mismanaging trust funds when Jack Townsend is arrested as a swindler. September 20, 1956: with the arrest of Jack Townsend as a swindler and the resulting exposure of his inability to repay a huge, unsecured loan from the Wayne Trust she administers, Carolyn Nelson realizes she faces a court charge of mismanaging the trust funds. Claudia Morgan stars as Carolyn. December 29, 1956: Lee MacDonald is faking an accident to learn of the ambulance chasing racket suffers injuries. February 23, 1957: Lee MacDonald, feigning injuries in an automobile accident in order to trap a ring of insurance claims shysters, suffers doubts after granting Carolyn Nelson, his secretary, permission to confide his secret in her 16-year-old son and David Lynch, a close friend on CBS Radio’s “Right to Happiness” at 2:05-2:15 PM EST. John Larkin and Claudia Morgan portray Lee MacDonald and Carolyn Nelson. March 2, 1957: Carolyn Nelson’s self-concern over secret involvement in the dangers of an insurance claims racket investigation pales when she dawn into a frightening dispute between Linda Chalmers and her sister-in-law, both old friends. March 8, 1957: On the first day during Lent on which World Day of Prayer is observed throughout the world, Right to Happiness brings a portion of the church service attended by the star of the series, Carolyn Nelson. July 14, 1957: The specialist hired by Carolyn Nelson to prove that Lee MacDonald is being victimized by insidious drug treatments at a nursing home reports he can find no organic deterioration but implies Lee is in great need of psychiatric therapy on CBS Radio’s “Right to Happiness” at 3:30 to 3:45 PM. Meanwhile, the insurance claims racketeers operating the rest home press MacDonald’s suit for $200,000 knowing his appearance in court will provide a dramatic exhibit of mental injury July 24, 1957: Seasoned racketeers on Right to Happiness August 7, 1957: Evidence left unguarded on Right to Happiness. August 21, 1957: Police cooperation given on Right to Happiness. September 18, 1957: Emotion upsets judgment on Right to Happiness. October 8, 1957: Helen Mason, nurse attending Lee MacDonald, reports overhearing a racketeer’s confession of drugging her patient, rushes the information to the authorities, and breaks the defense of a fraudulent insurance claims case. Ruth Newton is featured as the nurse in the series starring Claudia Morgan. October 9, 1957: Nurse becomes alert on Right to Happiness. November 14, 1957: Interest beyond duty on Right to Happiness. December 7, 1957: Lee MacDonald starts work on his novel in radio program “Right to Happiness,” here here over WMAZ at 2 pm daily. John Larkin is heard as Lee MacDonald. March 29, 1958: Monday, “Right to Happiness,” daytime dramatic serial starring Claudia Morgan returns to CBS five days a week. First heard in 1939, story dramatizes the life of Carolyn Nelson, young widow. Program will be heard Mondays through Fridays at 2:05 PM April 10, 1958: Bitter experience on Right to Happiness. July 23, 1958: Despite the days of anguish his sister caused by running off with his infant son, Craig Chalmers argues with his wife to be lenient when the child is returned. Craig is forced to a painful realization of his sister’s emotional instability. August 28, 1958: When teenaged Skip Nelson accuses his mother of snobbery, she realizes the depth of his infatuation for Grace Driscoll, brash newcomer with questionable associates. Carolyn’s quiet investigation of the girl’s family and friends confirms her qualms. September 3, 1958: To refute her teenage son’s accusation of snobbery over his firendship with Grace Driscoll, widow Carolyn Nelson gives a small party for him and invites the girl. Carolyn gambles on opening his eyes to the girl not acceptable as a member of his group. September 9, 1958: Hearing Grace Driscoll, 17-year old newcomer to Meridian, boast of her ability to influence Skip Nelson’s future, his mother investigates their friendship which is being fostered by the girl’s conniving parents. September 25, 1958: Carolyn Nelson, widowed mother of 17-year old Skip, is shocked ot hear he plans to leave school to take a full-time job and marry Grace Driscoll. She quietly persuades him to wait until he completes his senior year. Meanwhile, she strikes on a plan to make him aware of the financial responsibility he must be prepared to assume. October 1, 1958: In her attempts to break off her 17-year-old son Skip’s romance with Grace Driscoll, widow Carolyn Nelson wins unexpected support. The employer of Grace’s shiftless father makes a suggestion. October 20, 1958: Carolyn Nelson learns about the unsuccessful attempt of her teenage son and Grace Driscoll to be married by a justice of peace. THis justifies Carolyn’s giving the boy shocking facts about Grace’s dishonesty. October 27, 1958: Recent crisis occurred when the son of the heroine tried to elope with Grace Driscoll. The couple overlooked the fact that they needed a license. October 30, 1958: When 17-year-old Skip Nelson scoffs at the shocking facts about the dishonesty of the girl whom he tried to elope, his mother persuades him to delay the marriage until he has finished high school. November 12, 1958: Carolyn Nelson temporarily delays her 17-year-old son Skip’s elopement with Grace Driscoll by promising them a church wedding and reception if they postpone marriage for four weeks. December 10, 1958: Two weeks before her marriage to classmate Skip Nelson, Grace Driscoll is placed on probation for cheating in an honor system examination. Skip is shaken by the confirmation of his mother’s objection to Grace. December 18, 1958: As plans progress for the wedding of teenaged Skip Nelson and Grace Driscoll, his mother fights her misgivings about the girl’s honesty. Grace’s parents volunteer no help with reception or furnishing of an apartment. December 25, 1958: In a broadcast within a broadcast, Claudia Morgan, star of the daily “Right to Happiness" serial, introduces a reading of her favorite Christmas story, Henry Van Dyke’s “The Other Wise Men.” January 19, 1959: On the eve of her marriage to teenaged Skip Nelson, Grace Driscoll cannot find the money she has saved to pay for her wedding dress. She finally gets the dress. February 8, 1959: The night before his marriage to Grace Driscoll, 17-year old SKip Nelson is called to police court and hears that his bride-to-be has pleaded guilty to stealing the wedding dress she is planning to wear. February 21, 1959: Nursing regret over his broken romance with Grace Driscoll, 17-year-old Skip Nelson learns that she needs his help in a matter involving her ne’er-do-well father. Carolyn, Skip’s widowed mother, fears a renewal of the youngsters’ determination to get married. March 3, 1959: Though widowed Carolyn Nelson resents her son Skip’s love for Grace Daniels, she admires the young girl’s heroic effort to save her ne’er-do-well father from tragedy. By her kindness to Grace at this moment, Carolyn regains her son’s confidence. March 9, 1959: Lee MacDonald and widowed Carolyn Nelson decide to marry on Friday, the 13th, and break the news to her son. March 12, 1959: Friday: The hero Lee and the heroine Carolyn of John M. Young’s “Right to Happiness,” to be married at 10:05 am on KNX. Claudia Morgan has been Carolyn Nelson for 16 of the serial’s 20 years and Kevin McCarthy Lee MacDonald less than two years ago.

Regarding "The Right to Happiness," I imagine the televised radio adaptations of "One Man's Family," "Portia Faces Life," and "The Road of Life" in quick succession killed any hope of the show making it to TV. Phillips had stopped writing for the show in late 1942 so her connection to it was long gone. By the late 1950s, you also ran into the show's history presenting itself on the screen with Carolyn married to one man (Lee) while still cordial with her former sister-in-law Debbie (from her marriage to Miles) and raising her son Skip (by her marriage to Dwight). And, if they revealled to Skip he was born in prison (which I don't think he learned on radio), they would have to address her first marriage to Bill Walker. There was also "Young Doctor Malone" route of just resetting the show with Carolyn and new husband, while maintaining her son Skip. Late run "Right to Happiness" could have played on TV easy with its stories, but I imagine networks may have wanted more control of things like casting by that point. Also, radio shows were seen as dated after a while, even while shows like "Right to Happiness" were keeping up with the times by having Carolyn return to the workforce, Anne Braden becoming discontent at just being a housewife, and emphasizing the class conflict between Skip and lower class Grace Driscoll. I also have to wonder if the fact that those late run shows started to collect exclusive radio talent, that the possibility of transitioning the cast to television seemed too difficult.

In time for the 40th anniversary of the show's conclusion There is a second part. The first part has closed captions available. The second does not. The first scene features a music cue in the background that sounds like one of the final themes from "The Doctors." I was surprised to hear in the end of the first part that the C.J. has only won the primary against the incumbent, Governor Harrison, while I had read he had won the entire race. Given the September airdate, the primary made more sense. With the threatening note, I believe more that the shooting was intended to be the 4th quarter cliffhanger to convince stations to buy the show for the 1st quarter of the second year. I cannot imagine that the original plan was Christina. I also had never realized how long Christina's monologue is. It takes up a good chunk of what would have been the final half-hour episode.

I appreciate this episode in the most unusual way. I'm always interested in "The Catlins," but this was quite bad. I do think there were a few bright moments with Julie Ridley (who I think may have elevated her scene partner, Kent Whipple), but overall I felt I finally understood why it received the grief it did in the press in 1983. In comparison to CBN's "Another Life," this is quite amateurish. Even with the addition of Steve Lehrman (Henry Sleasar's script writer from EON) the show is still struggling to gain some footing. I see what Lehrman was attempting in the scenes with Lauren / Matt and Lauren / Beau as this was most likely the central story now the Powell Jackson is in jail (I'm assuming he was Robert Goode's killer or was involved in some plot that resulted in his death). There is an attempt to give layers to both the brothers by making Beau more impulsive and impetuous and Matt more logical and slightly pompous. Poor Christina Reguli, a beautiful woman, is stuck constantly getting verbally attacked (in the last episode, as Lauren, she learns she's pregnant as Matt's ex-wife Crissy arrived to wish her well on marriage to Beau). The script isn't subtle and the performances are broader than I would prefer. I thought the moments where Matt admitted he still cared for Lauren had potential and the general outline of the fight, a wedding celebration, was admirable, but the show needs a lot of work. There are no writer credits but the creative consultant is the defacto headwriter. Lehrman was hired after Sam Smiley was dismissed. Smiley wasn't credited in the July, 1983, episode. I believe creator/producer C.T. McIntrye was a pseudo interim headwriter. According to the creidts, Lehrman is joined by Joe Ranier as Dirk Stack, an executive at Catlin Enterprises, and Charles Hill (ex-TEXAS) as Woody Thorpe. Neither actor appear in this episode, but both are involved with Maggie Catlin Brown (Julie Ridley Williams). It would seem Roger Brown, Maggie's lawyer husband, seems to be on his way out the door. The Roger / Maggie material was probably the most reflective. Kent Whipple was very dry in his deliver, which was a pleasant change from a lot of the other performers. I thought Maggie and Roger reminscing about their law school days and the failure of their marriage was decent, but the dialogue definitely could have used some work. It was also nice to hear that Roger mention he was involved with Faith, who was played by Marion Guyot, who was the wife of Dan Albright (Matt). The Medger / Seth scenes set in what I assume was a very real production office of "The Catlins" standing in for the Southern Coastal Bank, I think that was the name of the Quinn's financial instituation, wasn't as effective as they thought it would be. Danny Nelson works better as comic relief in later episodes, and does well in some of the more emotional stuff involving his granddaughter in the Christmas, 1984, episodes I've seen. This is very hard to watch. It's curious to see that it is Seth Quinn who starts the hunt to ruin the Catlin family financially. His brother Cullen's drug operation is what eventually does him in. I thought it was smart to have Seth go after Powell Jackson, the unhinged psychiatrist seen holding Jennifer Catlin hostage in the late July, 1983, promos online. Using Powell to reveal new family secrets was an interesting choice. I feel like Lehrman directed the showed into a better place, it was just gonna take time.

@DRW50 I have never seen this episode. The only 1983 episode I have seen pop up is from a month or so before in July, 1983, right after Bo and Lauren’s wedding. I haven't watched it all yet, but this is the first time I’ve seen Brett Rice as Seth Quinn, Larry Jordan as Beau Catlin, and Kent Whipple as Roger Brown. Thanks @EricMontreal22

The interesting thing is that the show was at its most provocative, in my opinion, in the era where there were also no traditional broadcasting people leading the show. In November-December, 1981, between Bob Aaron's departure and Darryl Hummel's arrival, the show really approaches a lot of hot button issues that seems to dull quite a bit when the Barnes' arrive in late 1981. With that said, I do think there are issues that soaps would have been more fearful to approach even in the other periods. It was just interesting to consider how a lot of TPTB came from traditional soaps (Winsor, Aaron, Vinley, Hummel) and how that may have shaped the way the show evolved. I think the issue is also the lack of knowledge of some of these 1980s off-network soaps is so limited that people are probably coming across them in some found VHS/Beta footage and not knowing what it is or what it is worth. Soap operas were significant early original scripted ontent on cable television and, as such, I think might hold a little more interest than possibly traditional network fare to TV historians. Jerry Timms is an attractive guy. His charm often overshadows his ability, which works for a character like Gil. His Gil appears more low key compared to J. Michael Hunter's Gil who seems more sitcom like in some of the material I have seen with him. The story sounds like something out of the show itself. I imagine if only Timms had Timms agreed to repent like some of the televanglists caught in scandals later in the decade. There's something very wholesome about Jeanette Larson. She plays everything so earnestly without overdoing it (at least some of the early stuff in her relationship with Matt Williams' Ben that easily could have been overdone given the quick pace of the material). Her Lori has a great rapport with Chris Roland's Russ as well even after the breakup and such nice ease with both Renee Crawford and Susan Scannell. I'll be curious to see where things go with Debbie McLeod, who definitely bares a nice resemblance to Mary Jean Feton. I made it a little past 400 before taking a break. Amber Phillips just showed up at the construction office to solicit Gil for use of the construction site for a photo shoot. Amber bares a resemblance to Deena Greely, but Peggy Smithhart seems more energetic than Donna Denton. In addition, Amber has more built in conflict with her newly returned father (who I haven't seen her with yet). The setup is done quickly, but you can already see where the story is heading. Terry had a very nice showdown of sorts with Charles, who has recovered nicely from his heart attack and has dropped his interest in Jesus. Charles implies that Terry is foolish to give her energy to her faith and Terry makes the point of her faith as an investment stating that the bigger risk for Charles is not to believe. I thought it was a valid point without being as heavy handed as it could have been. Miriam is trapped in the gardening shed with her cat, Gabriel, and managed a brief escape thanks to Blue's incompetence. People are slowly becoming more and more concerned about Miriam's disappearance and Harold is pressing John Brubaker to do more. I do appreciate that they acknowledge that it is crazy that no ransom demand has been made so they are dismissing the idea of kidnapping. There was also a nice little bit of story crossover when Ben and Lori are out of town having dinner close to where Lori is hospitalized and Babs, who is on the run, pops up. To remind us that Babs in the wig is a disguise, Ben initially thinks it is Miriam, but Babs quickly dismisses them. Nancy has attempted to make a play for Dave Phillips, which at least makes some sense to me as Nancy would be searching for a new husband. Dave seems very unfazed by Nancy. The clear endgame is Dave and Terry already, which makes sense. The setup for Nancy and Vicki's revenge against Gil is slowly forming, and if it is what I think it is, I will say it will be the biggest disappoint in Vinley's run so far. I wish that they had just had Vicki #2 be a new character at this point. In Russ' story, Marianne has become increasingly interested in what it is that Vince Cardello does for work, which is pertinent because of Russ' decision to join his father's operation. Vince has a nice standoff between Russ and Vince over whether or not this triangle can end with all three parties still getting along; Vince says there will be no happy ending for all of them. I appreciate that Vince is now the unintentional interloper in Marianne and Russ' relationship, but I really would have loved for Carrie Weaver's busybody self to show up and make Marianne prefer Vince's mob life to Carrie's Lady MacBeth / Jocasta cosplay. I probably will start with this again in a week or two. I just needed a break because I feel like as I enter this era there is so much backstory that I need to be more aware.

@YTG Wow. This length of time you committed to this project is remarkable. I mean digitizing the episodes itself must have been super time consuming itself, but the pacing of acquiring the episodes is wild. Lori's assault is pretty powerful. I was actually speaking with a friend about the sequence on Saturday and the hints of racism that are embedded into the story of Monk and Fernandiz being accused of the attack due to their other crime. Jason Vinley's early work there is very remarkable considering the time period. The sequence of the chase between Blue and Lori is quite remarkable. A lot of the filmwork in that story is fairly strong. Blue watching Lori and Marianne play tennis through his dark shades is something out of a thriller. Hummel does a nice job capturing suspense in some of the episodes I've seen. Other beautifully shot suspense scenes include Dennis Frazer outside the Davidson home with Terry frightened on the other side (early 1982) and Gene Redlon racing to and through the airport to prevent Carla from running off with their son, Jimmy (spring 1982). These all seemed much stronger than the opening car accident and even the raid of the drug cargo ship in the fall of 1981. I am glad you found your way to this board. I did try to join that group weeks (months?) ago and got no response to my request. It is fine. I am not losing any sleep over it. You have provided some very interesting details. I believe Travis (who did the interviews) posted on this board briefly years ago. Earlier, he posted on danfling's soap opera board as he (at the time) shared an interest in the more obscure cable soaps like myself; I remember speaking with him about the number of episodes of "A New Day in Eden." The work the two of you have done is remarkable. My favorite of the interviews I have read is with Jason Vinley. Such insight into the process of the show, especially its creation from Vinley's perspective is delightful. I have read it at least a half dozen times at this point. Thanks for sharing where you started watching. I am curious have you been able to determine with what episodes were first shown in your country through archived newspapers listings. Sometimes they help and sometimes they don't. I am curious if the show was sold in its entirely internationally before the repackaging in 1984. Scott and Nora's deaths stand out. Scott's death may be the episode I have watched the most over the years because it's just so stark seeing Mary Jean Feton sobbing while covered in what is suppose to be Scott's blood on her cheek and uniform. I can't see any show ever getting that messy (literally) with a death. CBN still having the tapes is intriguing. This is something that I think is getting lost; material from the 1980s is getting old and deteriorating. I'll be curious to see if anything pops up of the early episodes. To be honest, the early episodes from Roy Winsor and Bob Aaron were a bit of a chore to get through and I admire some of Winsor's writing elsewhere. I have seen articles about the show being cancelled stating they would immediately pick up with reruns, which is quite interesting. Its a shame they couldnt find ways to financially make it work but its an interesting alternative though I will be curious to see how I feel about 1983-1984. What have been some of your favorite characters and/or stories?

@YTG Thanks for posting that Mary Jean Felton interview. Also, am I correct to assume you upload all the episodes to YouTube? Thanks! It’s how I’ve been able to enjoy the show.

This is from the opening of the Outback. This is the start of the Monday, July 22, 1991 episode. This would be very early Gerald Hopkins as A.J. His date is Nurse Sheila Contillion (Stacey Cortez). Sheila appeared in February 1991 and was initially a potential love interest for James Morrison's Joey Moscini. Joey was the Eckerts' cousin on the mother's side. Joey can be briefly seen in that sequence sitting at the same table as his cousin Jenny. Sheila and A.J. are the younger set for the second half of Monty's 1991 run with Brandon Hooper added as Dr. Eric Simpson. Riche keeps the younger set and adds Nikki Langton (who appeared in the final Monty episodes). Sheila's biggest moment is in the transition from Monty to Riche (January-Febraruy 1992) when Linda Grover (briefly one of the headwriters with Norma Monty) introduced a story involving Sheila's abusive stepfather, Pete Kaufmann. Sheila and Eric are a D-story for throughout the headwriterless period and into Maralyn Thoma / Bill Levinson's run. Sheila and Eric fade out in the later part of the fall of 1992 when Nikki ditches A.J. at the altar and A.J. ends up in rehab for his alcoholism. It's also why they slot Sean Kanan's A.J. into the Brenda / Jason / Jagger / Karen group because there was not much of an early 20 set left. Tracy is there with Paul Hornsby, who she would later marry. Michael Lynch played Connor Olivera, who I think they tested with a bunch of different ladies on the show (Dominique, Felicia, and I think some others). When Connor is set to be deported, he is revealed to be Sean Donnelly's son. Monty's second run is dominated by a very basic attempt to emulate "EastEnders" by having characters of different ethnicities present. Connor identified as Mexican; he was being deported back to Mexico before it was revealed his father was an American. Conner is around until October, 1992, but he is mostly doing stuff at the Outback and pining for Dominique. He appears to sing at Scott and Dominque's wedding in February, 1993 once Dominique learns she has the tumor and doesn't have long to live. I don't believe he is at her memorial later in the year.

Thanks @Search For Yesterday for posting this episode from July, 1988. It's clearly a strike episode even if you didn't check the credits. So many characters and stories going on in a single episode there is very little time for the material to breath. With that said, there are a few nice beats. Jim and Lily's conversation at the homeless shelter about her previous love for music and how it hurt her. This is another opportunity where the show delved into part of her past in a way that was very reflective. I think placing Lily in a space with a woman who had been abused (Mei Ling) and her son was a smart move. It was a nice reset for Lily, though she doesn't last much longer. Jim and Shana's reflection on Shana's miscarriage and how both had thought about what it would be like had the child lived as well as it's impact on Jim's faith were nice, but underdeloped. Ava's miscarriage happens so quickly its hard to really get a sense of purpose. The dream sequence with Jeff and Trisha was silly, but Noelle Beck played her anger well. I like Scott Feraco and his version of Jeff. All this "Image" stuff with Egypt isn't for me. I don't hate Gwyn / Jeff, but the material doesn't really pop the way you would hope. Ron Nummi plays Rick well. I'm now seeing how having Jack, the non-Alden raised as part of the family, against Rick, the Alden not raised by the family, had potential beyond just fighting over Stacey. I still don't like where Rick is in the fall with the material (already scheming) similar to Jeff (who quickly becomes unhinged with the quick recasts). Rick and Stacey's scenes were nice, and I'm not a huge Rick / Stacey fan. I think it dawned on me what my issue is with Egypt. She comes off as the latest in a long line of women of a similar type on this show, the Southern comic relief. It started with Rita Mae Bristow, and then it was Dolly Jones, then Lotty Bates, and now Egypt. Mostly all played by talented actresses, the type isn't for me. Rita Mae had the best potential when Marland paired her in a younger man relationship with Tony Perilli. https://archive.org/details/ABC-daytime-07-15-88/Loving+1988-07-15.mp4

Six minutes of late run episode (best guess is late 40s or early 50s) featuring just Lara Parker as Betty Franklin. Betty drops a lot of exposition about her background, which reveals that she had been born in Eden but moved to Atlanta. I think there is some nice romantic tension on Jim McMullen's part and, despite her claims she tanked romances, I don't think Lara Parker kills the mood. End credits are included. Only new name @slick jones is Michael Gates as Luke, who is most likely Luke Lombardi https://www.facebook.com/share/v/14FQZwzSDX4/

Some next day previews for an early May, 1984 episode. It is worth noting that we have previously seen an episode from this period (the complete episode featuring the poker game scenes) that is a few weeks later. Worth noting that Muriel Moore is still playing Annabelle in early May and that Matt Catlin is still around. He wasn't in the credits of the April 1984 episode I had. Starts around a minute in.

5 minutes of an episode. Most likely from October, 1984. I'll look into it to see if I can identify the exact episode @NadineC If you haven't seen it already, Tim Maier is featured prominently in two scenes. https://www.tiktok.com/@superdeformed/video/7522610768211201335

@Kane After I typed, it dawned on me that the fireplace was more than likely included in my "Trucker is Temu Steve" theory even going as far as putting Trucker and Trisha in a recreation of Steve and Trisha's home, though I wonder if anyone even remembered that the set had once belonged to Trisha and Steve. Also, during this period, Trucker bought the garage. A more astute writer could have really delved into those parallels and potentially laid the groundwork prior having Trisha push Trucker into buying the garage and redecorating the house with someone like Stacey noting how much it looks like her home with Steve. Slightly off topic, but I much preferred the more rustic hunting lodge layout of the original Tides in late 1991 than the modern contemporary 90s Ashley Furniture look of 1992. The original had such character and the redesign was very generic, which is funny because I thought the layout of Ava and Paul's house stood out. @DRW50 I've only seen the tailend of Ellis' "Search." I'd be curious if I saw any comparison if I watched what was available of his work on "The Doctors" in 1980. Something that Ellis had done well on "Search" was crafting a younger set so the failure of Ned / April is very disappointing. I initially disagreed with your assessment of Curtis being too complicated, but given further thought, I think you might be right in the sense that Curtis of 1987 had changed so much since the Curtis fo 1983. His edges had been dulled a bit, while Jack seemed to a bit sharper. It would have been interesting if it was Curtis and Lotty who took Lily in at the behest of Gwyn hoping that Curtis would choose the more socially prominent Lily despite everyone in Corinth knowing her own complicated past. Jack immediately assuming that Curtis' intentions are less than noble and revisiting Curtis and Lily's history with Curtis eventually confessing to Lotty that he feels he needs Lily's forgiveness because he felt he exploited her illness; even though he was unaware at the time. You could even have an early Gwyn taking Lily under her wing to build up her confidence. I believe that June Slater had died in the weeks preceding Lily's return. Jack and Stacey could have asked June to settle the estate and would have had Jack offer to help her sell the house. I think going through the things would have been a chance for Lily and Jack to relive the past in the sort of soft gothic tone that daytime occassionally does well with them revisiting the horrible history between Lily and her father and how Lily wants to move forward but seems so stunted by her past. Curtis would have picked up on the tension between Jack and Lily, but people would assume that Curtis was jealous. With enough people saying this, tension could build in Lotty and Curtis' marriage. I think I would even had a manipulative Gwyn (much earlier in the story) ask Lily to play piano at Curtis and Lotty's wedding at the mansion just to stir up the trouble. The only person who I think would agree with Curtis would be Ava, which would lead to Ava seeking out opportunities to catch Jack and Lily in the act in order to delight in Jack cheating on Stacey the way he cheated on her with Stacey. This would, in turn, would be fueled subtly by Gwyn who would think that Ava is beneath Clay. Curtis's marriage to Lotty would have unravelled by not only Lotty's insecurities about Curtis / Lily but because Gwyn kept nagging Lotty about how Eban Japes' wedding shootout ruined Trisha's wedding day. No longer able to stand it all, Lotty would be the one to discover the truth about Gwyn and Rick's connection and reveal it to everyone at Ava and Clay's rehearsal dinner or engagement party with the second act of Gwyn's story being who the father of Rick is. Curtis and Lotty would call it quits when Lorna, who would visit at Christmas, would invite her friend to come live with her abroad. Eventually, after the affair, I would have liked to see Lily try to rebuild her life. I would have her be more independent by finding a quieter job, like she did at the community/homeless shelter with Jim Vochek, but also returning to Alden University as a student to study psychology. Curtis, now single, would attempt to build a life outside the Alden realm through Harry's casino but become addicted to gambling while becoming involved with a newly single Stacey. Lily would learn about Curtis' gambling and try to help, while Jack fought to reunite with Stacey. The more I think about it, Rick as Mike's son would just add some really nice layers of tension and push for Mike's return which would build up the Donovan crew. I have to admit, a Mike and Gwyn dalliance in their youth would have been a rewrite, but if it was framed the right way (a one-night stand between a very drunk and frightened Mike shortly before being shipped out and Gwyn, Anne Alden's childhood pal, growing closer to her brother Clay and wanting nothing to do with her working class roots) it would be passable, but still evoke some (well earned) complaints. Cecilia's shooting may have been part of a redemption arc as she seems to be less of an interloper in those final weeks and more of a solid B- or C- character who is trying to carve out a new life for herself. Cece as Ava's pal, Kate's boarder, the Amourelle model, Steve's ex, and Rick's girlfriend positions her well on the canvas. I think she should have been given more time and been allowed to carry Steve's child to term. Thanks for sharing the flashback to Shana's miscarriage. If they were considering having Jim return to the Church, I could see how Shana's very over the top miscarriage could be framed as a major hurdle with some suggesting that Jim may have caused the accident to release himself from his marriage or Shana guilting Jim into staying after causing the loss. Instead, there is more spy garbage isn't there? Peter Davies is a very strong, quiet presence, which I think works better for a character like Shana as the one who got away and who would intimidate the weak willed men that Shana would attract as a strong woman dominating her male companions. Ava seems fairly self aware, and a bit over the top, in a lot of the material in this era in ways that are wonderful and occassionally cringe. Ava's justification when Clay offers the pre-nup being that she had walked away from Curtis and Jack without the family jewels was both on point and a wild way to approach the outrageous marital history of Ava. Her saying goodbye, again, to the boarding house feels right. In my ALT Loving of 1987, I would even have Ava buy the Slater home at a bargain price without even considering the role the murder and Garth's abuse played in the asking price with the Aldens being mortified by Ava's crude decision. Of course, I would have Gwyn be the first to arrive at Ava's housewarming to snicker.

Some of the scripts from this period are very well done compared to others I've seen around this time. There are layers to some of the material that I haven't seen before. The conversation you are referencing was very powerful and a deep insight to how Lily still saw herself as attracting the danger. The scenes with Jack and the detective were also thought provoking regarding Lily's intent with going to the bar. I didn't question Lily's intent myself, but I thought how what was going on could have blown up and led to an investigation where Jack and Lily's affair came to the surface. Nowadays, Lily and Jack would just have to go to a Coldplay concert. I also noticed that some of this Lily / Jack setup is repeated in 1991 for the Dinahlee / Jack story, which I don't know if it was intentional or not. Dinahlee stays with Jack and the kids when Stacey is out of town (most likely visiting someone) and that's how the "seduction" occurs. Someone else (I believe it was @Soaplovers) mentioned that they wish there had been a more equal playing field for Lily and Stacey rather than Stacey and Jack clearly being endgame. I think there was an opportunity to explore mental health issues with Stacey after the robbery. Part trauma from the event and part survivor's guilt, I could Stacey becoming increasingly unwound, which I think would have placed Lily in the position of either trying to help her friend and or take advantage of that situation. It would have been even more wild if Stacey had become paranoid and assumed Lily and Jack were having an affair, when it had been called off, and they were simply sneaking around figuring out how to best handle Stacey. Jack having to rectify whether to call out Stacey's paranoia or to acknowledge the possibiity that Stacey had been picking up on their closeness all along and needing to accept his part in Stacey's unravelling. At the end of Ralph Ellis' SFT run in 1982, he started to do some psychological games between Rusty Sentell and his daughter-in-law, Liza, which was never completely played out to its natural conclusion. It was fairly well done so I think Ellis could have pulled off something similar (maybe having Jack downplay his closeness with Lily). With that said, I find Stacey's madness in 1992-1993 one of my least favorite Stacey stories. Off topic, I had never seen the house Trisha and Steve shared, but it looks like it is similar to Ava and Paul's house in 1991-1992. I doubt its the same location in story, but the set seems to be very similar.

I got through most of the 1987 material that was recently uploaded. November into December is very strong in the way soaps use to be really good when ending a long going storyline. It's fascinating to watch nearly half the cast gather in the waiting room of Corinth Hospital while others are at home awaiting news because Steve was so integrated into the cast. It's not really surprising to think that so many threads are abandoned (Cecilia, Ned) in the immediate aftermath because of the strength of the character. Also, this affirms my belief that Trucker becomes the poor man's Steve without the strong ties across the canvas. I cannot see Trucker's funeral generating this much genuine feeling emotion. The bank robbery is well staged. Hindmann is dragged out as resident cop to handle the hostage negotiations. At this point, John Danelle is one of the longer running actors even if he's only recurring. The tension across the street in the makeshift headquarters is mostly good except for the moments that lean into the theatrics (Harry belting "Getting our people out of there!" breaks the tension in a way I don't hink was intended). Steve's stoicism paired well with Stacey's fears for her child. I was pleasantly surprised by all of the fake outs. When Steve covers Stacey and J.J., I figured one of the bank robbers were going to get up to shoot him again, but instead he just seemed unaware of the wound. Then, Steve is in the hospital and recovers before eventually succumbing. Watching live must have been a rollercoaster. I recognize that some of this is practical; the bank robbery needs to happen in November for sweeps and Johnson's contract isn't up until December. They certainly got their money's worth in the final days even having Johnson appear as a ghost to Trisha. I like Trisha and Steve, but their story becomes so overwrought with Steve's prison stint and Trisha's involvement with Nick Diantos. Maybe this all plays out better in the day to day, but the overall synopsis is usually pretty unappealing. I think a pregnant Cecilia having to cope with Steve being dead while cozied up to Rick Stewart would have propelled the story especially if Trisha decided she wanted access to Steve's child, which she really had no right to, but got the backing of the Aldens. It would have positioned Rick well and would have continued the story nicely without thrusting Trisha into a new romance. I appreciate how Steve's shooting is a true umbrella story that intersects with the B- and C- stories, even the ones I have little to know interest in. Jim recovering fragments of his memory during all of this was a calculated move that works well especially when Shana finds Jim praying for Steve in the church chapel. These two (Shana and Jim) are well positioned with Jim's memory returning just as Shana has learned she was pregnant. I think she miscarries this baby, right? Jimmy is born later, or is this the same pregnancy? I think this works better than what was going on with Shana and Jim's conflict over her return to Alden, at least in the little I've seen. I could see Jim fearing that Shana's return to the corporate world would have brought out a harder Shana, like the one who initially came to Corinth. To be fair, in October, 1987, Jim probably doesn't remember this version so we are left with the more generic conflict. I don't love what actually follows this for Jim and Shana, but the potential in December, 1987, is awesome. Similar, I have no horse in the race involving the Harry / Gwyn / Anne love triangle. Harry was introduced as a fairly repugnant man who had kidnapped and nearly raped Shana while also threatening to kill multiple people. I think it would have been worht exploring the bank robbers having a connection to someone else on the canvas. My initial thought was Cecilia, having one of the robbers living at the boarding house and Cece using him to make Rick jealous, but now I wonder if they shouldn't have tied the robbers to Harry and his criminal past. Something that would have given the story a little more legs. Callan White is adequate at showing Anne's internal torment at wanting to be there for Harry, but not being able to get past her own pain. Gwyn is too good for this as was evidenced by her July, 1987, scenes where Rick confronts her about being his mother, which showcase the emotional force that Christine Tudor is. Those scenes reminded me of Tudor-Newman's final performance as Gwyn confessing her crimes to Steffi while being raw emotionally. Gwyn's fear that she will be caught is delightful and the fact that no one even picked Tudor-Newman up for another role is criminal. I would even have settled for one of Goutman's villain on the months that were so common on the last half-decade of "As the World Turns." During Gwyn and Rick's confrontation, an alternate route for Rick's paternity formed in my mind when Gwyn suggested that Rick's father had died in the Vietnam War. I think it would have been messy as anything if the show had made Mike Donovan Rick's father instead of Clay. Rick as Mike's son by Gwyn would have impacted not only Gwyn and Rick, but would have drawn in Mike's former lovers Shana and Anne as well as his friend Jim and sister Stacey. Obviously, you couldn't do Stacey and Rick down the line (which is fine because most of Rick's story should have gone to Curtis anyway), but I think there was a way to easily enhance the Harry, Anne, and Gwyn material if it was Mike who oversaw the hostage crisis with Harry blaming Mike's tactics for what happened while Anne cozies up to Mike, while Rick seeks Shana's legal advice on tracking down his father as Jim starts to get more of his memory back. Gwyn having had Mike's child would have deepened the Shana and Anne relationship by giving them a true common enemy. Anyway, back to reality, I am not sure how I feel about flip flopping Cecilia out and Lily into the Amourelle model role, though Cece never was officially named to the position. If it was Curtis and Lily wanting Lily in the modeling role, I would be more interested. I could see Curtis wanting to tap into Lily's more integrated personality that once included a very promiscious side that he was drawn to (I would have killed Lotty off at Eban Japes' wedding shoot out). Curtis guiding Lily would have reignited the old conflict between Jack and Curtis, which would have made more sense and, again, added another chance for story interaction for Anne-Gwyn. Most of the Stacey - Jack - Lily material is also very strong. Something I really appreciated in the fragments we are getting is that the writers lean into Lily's childhood abuse in ways I didn't expect. It would be easy to write this story as an old flame comes back to rekindle what once was. There is more at stake for Lily than just that. As an abuse survivor, there have been very few times she has felt romantically safe with someone, which is one of the reasons she talks about with Jack. This is also why having Curtis more involved would have given a nice layer to all of this as Curtis also had a brief romantic history with Stacey. I could see Curtis being drawn to Lily and Lily being repulsed by Curtis because of her involvement with one of her alters (though I don't think he was aware what was going on when he was first with her). I think Curtis and Lily may have slept together in 1983, but I'm not sure Lily adn Jack did. This would be something that could have been explored much more. I don't mind Britt Helfer's Lily. She clearly isn't Jennifer Ashe, but she does seem to lean into the lost quality of Lily more than I expected. There is definitely an ongoing sense that we are suppose to be questioning how well Lily really is and I think Helfer, on occassion, presents that well. When Lily visits Stacey after the robbery, she has a very nice little speech about wanting something that she was trying to explain to Stacey which the clear subtext is she is referring to Jack and herself but covers by saying she is speaking about Trisha and Steve. It's fairly well done in my opinion. The crossover content in the Lily / Jack / Stacey situation with the Anne / Harry stuff is nicely done. Anne is clearly uneasy about how Jack has duped Stacey the way Harry has duped her and it seems to be present Anne as a crucible that should explode at any minute and reveal Jack's secret. I have to wonder if Anne ever compares Jack to Roger with the extramarital activity. In some of the smaller flashes, I can definitely see how Ralph Ellis is replaying his earlier material. I always thought that April Hathaway, teen prostitute, was more Agnes Nixon trying to retell the Donna Beck story, but the more I think about April's background, April is a younger Jenny Deacon from Ellis' "Search for Tomorrow." Jenny, like April, was a prostitute who has a child; Jenny gave her daughter up while April aborted her baby. In both cases, the child's father was dead. Steve Fletcher's Alan Howard is such an odd villain. None of it works for me. I have to wonder if Teri Polo's Kristen Larson was a poor imitation of Search's Kristen Carter. Not that we've seen a whole lot of her, but Polo's Kristen seems like a very underdeveloped character. The Ava / Clay parachuting plane crash seems to be a bit of a replay of Warren / Suzi / Brian's plane crash. Some of the dialogue seems very familiar, but maybe I'm wrong. I'm not thrilled with Ava and Clay as a couple. I think Ava coming into money and position through an older man is appealing. The scenes where Ava is with the society woman and is embarassed by Kate was something I would like to have seen more of. I did think Roya Megnot did very well at highlighting all the shades of Ava's personality with Steve's death by equally loving Steve "like a brother" and wanting to use her newfound clout to provide a hero's funeral for Steve, which felt like the perfect balance of Ava's love for Steve as well as her own selfish desire to be in the spoitlight and elevate her own family. Trisha calling it out is delicious, but having a competent Curtis around to stroke Ava's ego would have been even richer. It was nice to see Harry call out Ava because I can believe Ava growing up with Steve like a brother and aging into a position where she despised his lot in life. I think Ava even says something along the lines of I regret the things I didn't say to him, and I thought that was a very powerful line. I am also assuming part of Ava's emotional makeup in these sequences involves guilt as I imagine she is the one who stole the itinerary from Shana, or is that incorrect? Another Harry moment that was delightful was seeing hypocrite extraordinaire Jack Forbes rip into Harry for the way Harry was two-timing Jack's mother. I do hope that when the truth about Lily and Jack comes out, that Harry calls Jack out for the egotistical jerk he can be. While I can totally believe that Steve saving Jack's wife and son could be a life flashign moment for Jack, there still needs to be a lot of work done by Jack, which he doesn't seem interested in doing. Another couple random thoughts: Steve and Trisha's gun toting wedding guests are too much. I'm sure there are some that find Eban Japes humorous, but I find him such a base individual who doesn't really generate the interest the writers think he does. Cecilia getting shot just after her miscarriage seems to be overkill especially since it didn't stop Steve and Trisha's marriage. Cutting Eban and the Lotty / Curtis story was a smart move. Cutting the April / Ned story was even smarter. I do think there may have been a missed opportunity with Marty, the alcoholic. I believe June Slater died in March or April, 1987, after her years of drinking. It might have been worth having Lily intervene with the situation as a way of broadening Lily's involvement in the canvas as well as having Anne, in recovery, also attempting to help her. I'm genuinely surprised that Ned is still around in December. Perry started in February which means his contract would have had an out around the time Judith Hoag left. I can see keeping Ned at the garage if that was still going to be a thing, but all of Steve's secondary characters fall off almost immediately. I wonder if Ned even gets an exit scene. Kate's daughter Sherry having given birth at Ava's November wedding gives Sherry a good out for missing her cousin's funeral, even if it isn't specifically stated onscreen. I think Cabot and Isabelle leave for a bit after Cabot's trial. I wonder if this was one of the reasons they dropped Kelly as they were watching over her. Not that Kelly Conway was someone worth investing time and energy on, but she was the most connected of the 1987 younger set, though its Dave Hindman, the illiterate basketball player, who ends up last several years on and off on recurring. I'll be curious to see if anything else pops up.

I believe I may have mentioned these in the radio soap thread. They are also fairly significant because they cover the period where the show moved from Chicago to New York (or Hollywood?) and there is an entire cast change within the first 10 episodes. Some voices don’t change much but some do. I can’t remember off the top of my head if this is one of Irna Phillips’ last year as headwriter or very early Teichman. It’s worth noting that the Tom character has been SORASed as has Butch. Tom is Reginald Parson and Helen Gowan’s son in one of her typical “mother gives up child” stories more akin to Fredericka Lang/Ned Holden than Rose Kransky and her son, Chucky I think.

@slick jones I'm sure you had this in your notes and just didn't add it, but Sylvia O'Brien would also have the role of Patricia "Mother" McGhee, Johnny's mother, on "How to Survive a Marriage" in 1974.

Here is the next set of episode summaries covering June - September, 1990. I chose to end with September, for now, because we have several episodes from October / November as well as I have a possible missing episode in October I need to see if it exists or not. In addition, my information for October is very sparse. Episode 012 [Monday, June 4, 1990] Sue Thompson decides to go to Australia. Anton Vaughan is anxious about Vaughn’s, his new cafe, will not be ready for the big opening night. Episode 013 [Tuesday, June 5, 1990] Sue Thompson is the recipient of even more crushing news. Nathan Thompson struggles with adjusting to attending a state school after years in private school. Christian faces a disappointment. Episode 014 [Monday, June 11, 1990] Mark Thompson made plans to locate his wayward father, Mike Thompson. Andrew Stevens shocked his mother, Diana Stevens, when he phoned her to wish mother a happy birthday as well as to share news from England. While his mother celebrates her birthday, Christian Stevens remained irked by the presence of Mike Thompson in the family home and sought comfort at his father’s grave. Episode 015 [Tuesday, June 12, 1990] Amanda Thompson suspects her fiancée Neil Brooks’ motives when he persuades her to postpone their wedding. Corrine Todd contemplates the prospect of getting a job. Diana Stevens has a business dinner with Anton Vaughan. Upon returning home, Diana discovers that her houseguest, her first love Mike Thompson, has disappeared. Episode 016 [Monday, June 18, 1990] Sue Thompson struggled to handle her daughter, Amanda Thompson. Corrine Todd finally agrees to a date with Christian. Diana Stevens confronts Mike Thompson. Episode 017 [Tuesday, June 19, 1990] While taking a midnight walk, Mike Thompson made a proposal to Diana Stevens. Sue Thompson had to decide whether or not to sell the family home to pay off the family’s growing debts. Episode 018 [Monday, June 25, 1990] While Amanda Thompson goes job hunting, she discovered that there was more to working than she had expected. Two big surprises turn up on the doorsteps of each family’s home that threaten to turn everything upside down. Mike Thompson tried to smooth things over with Justine and Christian Stevens. Episode 019 [Tuesday, June 26, 1990] Mike Thompson was shocked when his son, Mark Thompson, turned up at Diana’s home in Sydney. Mark is equally surprised to discover his father. Amanda begins working at the Thompson garage. Episode 020 [Monday, July 2, 1990] With the help of Diana Stevens, Mark Thompson tried to convince his father Mike Thompson to go back to England to be with his wife and family. During the discussion, Mark sought information from Mike about the history of Mike’s relationship with Diana. Diana doesn’t want to be involved in the conflict between father and son. In order to solve some of the family’s financial issues, Rachel Grandby suggests to her daughter, Sue Thompson, that Sue sell the horse paddock. Sue sought the approval of John Thompson, her brother-in-law, but received one dissenting voice, Amanda. Episode 021 [Tuesday, July 3, 1990] Mike Thompson played a game as attempts were made to get him to return back to England. Episode 022 [Monday, July 9, 1990] Mike Thompson felt hassled when Diana Stevens wanted Mike to make his position clear and forces him to phone his family in England. Friends continues to oppose Sue’s schemes, such as selling the paddock to pay off the family’s debt. Neil Brooks proposed to his fiancée Amanda Thompson a weekend away, but Amanda comes up with an alternative with the help of her brother, Nathan Thompson. Episode 023 [Tuesday, July 10, 1990] On his last day in Australia, Mark Thompson had unpleasant news for Diana Stevens; his father, Mike Thompson, planned on returning to England. In contrast, Mark shared the news of Mike’s return to Sue Thompson, Mike’s abandoned wife. Mike was adamant that Mark not share with Diana the real reason he was returning. Diana worried that her preoccupation with her own personal problems has meant neglecting her children. Episode 024 [Monday, July 16, 1990] Mark Thompson prepared to return to England. When Mike Thompson, Mark’s father, takes him to the airport, Diana Stevens, Mike’s first love, discovered that Mike’s passport was missing. Sue Thompson told her excited family that Mike was returning home. Episode 025 [Tuesday, July 17, 1990] The partnership agreement between Diana Stevens and Anton Vaughn was finalized. Episode 026 [Monday, July 23, 1990] The Thompson clan are in for yet another shock when Mark Thompson returned home from Australia alone, without his father, Mike. The family had to come to terms with Mike’s continued absence. Sue was philosophical about Mike’s absence: “All I can do is get on with my life.” Episode 027 [Tuesday, July 24, 1990] At the garage, Andrew Stevens and Lisa Shepherd learn to deal with John Thompson’s despotic rule of the garage. Upon Mark Thompson’s return, Mark, Lisa, and Andrew toasted the future success of the Thompson garage. Episode 028 [Monday, July 30, 1990] Diana Stevens sent her son, Andrew Stevens, a latter which angered him. When Nathan Thompson announced he was leaving school to take a job, Nathan and his mother, Sue Thompson, clashed. After speaking with Sue, Mike Thompson came to an inaccurate conclusion. Episode 029 [Tuesday, July 31, 1990] A rare sighting in a Sydney car park stated a hunt. Mike Thompson pursued a business deal at the expense of his relationship with Diana Stevens. Amanda Thompson was let in on Andrew Stevens and Mark Thompson’s secret. Episode 030 [Monday, August 6, 1990] John Thompson tricked his nephew, Mark Thompson, into telling him the truth surprising the Thompson family in the process. There is some rivalry between Andrew Stevens and Mark over Lisa Shepherd, the secretary at the Thompson garage. Amanda Thompson suspected her fiancée Neil Brooks was having an affair when he again postponed the wedding. Episode 031 [Tuesday, August 7, 1990] Corrine Todd prepared for an all-night party. Diana Stevens discovered some new information about Mike Thompson. Lisa Shepherd predicted that an early wedding for Amanda Thompson and Neil Brooks would bring an end to Amanda’s desire for Andrew Stevens. On a country outing, Lisa informed Andrew that Amanda is crazy about him. Episode 032 [Monday, August 13, 1990] Mike Thompson was unwilling to listen his brother John Thompson’s reprimands or to John’s self-centered plans for the garage. Amanda Thompson discovered that Neil Brooks volunteered for his post in Hong Kong, information that Neil had kept from her. Episode 033 [Tuesday, August 14, 1990] In Sydney, Mike Thompson’s prospective partner Don McLeod informed Mike that he had to check on his business reliability by phoning England. Don informs Mike his background checked out. When flowers arrive at the garage for Amanda Thompson, Andrew Stevens deduced that they were an apology gift from Neil Brooks for lying about his post in Hong Kong. Corrine Todd arranged a night out with Anton Vaughn. John Thompson persuaded Mike to agree to most of his proposals. Episode 034 [Monday, August 20, 1990] Sue Thompson was frustrated to learn that her daughter Amanda Thompson was giving out wedding invitations with Sue’s knowledge. In Sydney, Corinne Todd paid another visit to Anton Vaughn’s flat which ended in tears leading to disastrous consequences. Episode 035 [Tuesday, August 21, 1990] Suspicions arose as Corrine Todd kept quiet about the exact events tat unfolded in Anton Vaughn’s flat. When Sue Thompson discovered the truth about her absent husband Mike Thompson’s life in Australia, she feels deceived by her family. Episode 036 [Monday, August 27, 1990] Corrine Todd kept secret what happened that night in Anton Vaughn’s flat. After Barbara Todd makes serious allegations against him, Anton confronts her, Barbara’s daughter Corrine, and the Stevens with the truth about what happened that night at his flat. In Westbury, Sue Thompson informed her children, Mark and Amanda Thompson, how she felt about their behavior. Episode 037 [Tuesday, August 28, 1990] At the prompting of Andrew Stevens, Amanda Thompson phoned Mike Thompson, her father, to inform him of her upcoming wedding to Neil Brooks. Corrine Todd continued to cause havoc. When new of John Thompson’s directorship of the garage is announced, the Thomson clan reacts with various degrees of credulity, and Sue Thompson spoke her mind. Episode 038 [Monday, September 3, 1990] In England and Australia, apologies are made all around. Ruby and George Davidson, Diana’s divorced parents, speak over the phone for the first time in years. Ruby informed Diana of bad news shared with her by George. Rachel Grandby has her own fit for Neil Brooks, her granddaughter Amanda’s husband to be. Episode 039 [Tuesday, September 4, 1990] As Amanda Thompson and Neil Brooks’ wedding day approached, Andrew Stevens had to accept it was time to move on. Episode 040 [Monday, September 10, 1990] In anticipation of future business deals with Don McLeod, Mike Thompson set up a makeshift office. Nathan Thompson and his friend miss out on the rowdy stag night. Episode 041 [Tuesday, September 11, 1990] In England, the Thompson and Brooks families and their friends gathered at the church for Amanda Thompson and Neil Brooks’ wedding. Amanda was nervous as she left for the church on the arm of John Thompson, her uncle. Neil stated he had never felt so alive in his life. Outside the church, misgiving arose. In Australia, Mike Thompson’s thoughts are also on the wedding. He and Anton Vaughn share a toast to Amanda’s happiness. Episode 042 [Monday, September 17, 1990] After the wedding is called off, the Thompson family gathered at home with mixed feelings. Unaware of what has happened in England, Diana Stevens encouraged Mike Thompson to phone his daughter, Amanda Thompson, to wish her well. Mina Sandoval, Amanda’s pal, had a plan. Episode 043 [Tuesday, September 18, 1990] There were declarations of love from Mike Thompson towards Diana Stevens in Sydney and John Thompson towards Sue Thompson in Westbury. Episode 044 [Monday, September 24, 1990] Sue Thompson was riddled with guilt and shared her feelings with her brother-in-law, John Thompson. Diana Stevens informed her friend Barbara Todd about Mike Thompson’s proposal./ Episode 045 [Tuesday, September 25, 1990] Corrine Todd tries to convince her pal Justine Stevens to share a flat. Mark Thompson confronted his uncle John Thompson over the classic car deal and is shocked by his response.