dc11786

As mentioned, Babbin was EP, but she talked about having a heavy hand in the writing. King and Taggert were there for several years, but their writing seems better under Babbin than Hardy or Bunim. Its fs a shame it was Rick, not Curtis, in a triangle with Stacey and Jack. There was much more history there with Lilly and Ava. I assume by Dinah Lee's brother you mean Todd Jones, Egypt's brother? I'm watching early Addie Walsh episodes now and she does have Dinah Lee mention her desire to bring her family to town, but it's only her ingenue sister Hannah who should be appearing in the next few episodes. Most of the actors playing Clay and Gwyn were too young to have children at the age they were at. I'm watching material from Clays return which is in the earliest of Addie Walsh episodes. Immediately, they hint that Clay is not an Alden in the last of Wesley Addy's appearances as Cabot's ghost. Walsh also torpedoes Gwyn and Gifford in order to play Gwyn and Clay tension despite the fact that a Giff / Dinah Lee / Clay / Gwyn story would tell itself.

@EricMontreal22, glad to see you popped back in. Agnes Nixon's 1993-1994 stint seems incredibly strong from everything I've seen and read. It seems much stronger than her 1985-1986 work post-Doug Marland. I like that she doesn't really dump a whole bunch of characters immediately the way so many other new writers / producers do when they first appear at "Loving." I admire that she really tries to make everything work even when it clearly doesn't (the Dante stuff always sounds cheesy to me). The writing credits for Loving are always so messy. Feel free to submit edits, but I think the latest is as I know it: Doug Marland (6/1983 - summer 1985) Agnes Nixon (summer 1985 - late 1985/ early 1986) Bill Levinson (1986) Ralph Ellis (1987 - spring 1988) Writer's Strike (spring - early fall 1988) Tom King & Millee Taggart (fall 1988 - April 1991) Millee Taggart (April 1991 - late summer 1991) Mary Ryan Munisteri (late summer / early fall 1991 - January 1992) Addie Walsh (January 1992 - summer 1992) Haidee Granger (defacto) (summer 1992 - late 1992) Robert Guza & Millee Taggart (late 1992/early 1993 - 1993) Millee Taggart (1993- fall 1993)) Agnes Nixon (c. October 1993 - September 1994) Addie Walsh & Laurie McCarthy (c. October 1994 - January 1995) James Harmon Brown & Barbara Essensten (c. February - November 1995) Episodes have finally appeared on trading circuits and I have most of November 1991 - September 1992. I'll be honest, I know the college kids era is well loved, but after watching the climax of the Matt Ford story, I cannot believe that the show allowed Eric Woodall slip through their fingers and the bits of the college stuff I've seen so far seems so tedious. I absolutely adore Mary Ryan Munisteri's work, flaws and all. It's been really hard to even start watching the show become louder in either Munisteri's final days or Addie Walsh's opening episodes (the credits are rare in what I have). In the stuff I've seen, Walsh centers a lot of story around Dinahlee, which is probably due to Noelle Beck's maternity leave, but it still is rather sudden. The characterizations change wildly from Munisteri to Walsh with Dinahlee seeming as a more traditional heroine, Giff losing the fun and carefree demeanor he exhibited upon his arrival, and Isabelle seems less driven by Cabot's history of infidelity and becoming a more traditional heavy. To be fair, I have only watched scattered episodes after January 1992 so my assessment may change.

Nicky Abdul .... Abdul Saaam El Razzac Brandy Alexander (Royal) Lela Rochon 91 Homefront [model +Adam] Elmer Arbuckle (?) .... Frank Birney Prov, KL, Dal Emmett Arbuckle (?) .... Bob Larkin KL, Hotel, Best Times Junior Arbuckle (?) .... Paul Martel [I believe this might be Vern’s son. I don’t know about Emmett and Elmer] Fritz Ballard .... Victor Warren ATWT, Y&R, Santa, GH Jensen Bardmoor ... Corbin Timbrook 89 B&B Rita _______ Barton .... Sheila Wills 90 see Hoppers [+Charles. Widow of the security guard who died in the pharmaceutical lab explosion] Wally Beaumont ..... Myles Thoroughgood 89 [former gang member. Worked at the scoop shop] Carrie Bothwaite ... Rosemarie Castellanos Lord Lloyd Bradfield .... Ronald Allen [+Rebecca. Attorney at law firm.] Mrs. Brezinsky .... Kathleen Freeman 89 see Hoppers [ran deli next to the scoop shop. Cranky customer] Judge Brighton ..... Bert Rogel, Esquire Gail Brinkley ..... Colleen Casey 89 see Hoppers [attorney involved in the Hugh Gardner estate/Jason Craig murder] Wendell Burton .... Laurence Lott 90 AW, KL Lieutenant Lucas Carelli .... Antony Ponzini 89-90 see Hoppers [Kyle’s boss] Edna Carr .... Colleen Casey see Hoppers Suzette Charles ... Suzette Charles LOV, Y&R Dr. Chen ... France Nuyen 89 KL, SB [Jessica’s doctor while in rehab] Jade Collins .... Shannon Tweed 89 see Hoppers [soap opera character sleeping with Vic Reynolds, Lacey’s husband] Leonard Cooper .... Richard Roat 89-90 see Hoppers [producer of “Tomorrow is Another Day. Last appeared in 1990 when Jessica was trying to sell a movie about her involvement in art smugglling] Jason Craig ..... Anthony Addabbo 89-91 see Hoppers Monique McCallum Craig .... Nancy Sorel 89-91 see Hoppers Senator Tim Craig .... Never Seen [may have been seen in flashbacks. Jason did have nightmares about the accident. Don’t remember if we saw somebody else during the drowning] Tyrell Dawson .... Sterling Macer, Jr. 90-91 Homefront Sonny DeSilva ... Jaime Gomez 89 90210, PF, FD [Jason’s photography assistant] Jessica Gardner Craig Donnelly .Barbara Rhoades 89 see Hoppers .... Linda Gibboney 89-91 see Hoppers Professor Rob Donnelly .... George Deloy 89-90 see Hoppers Linda Dukes ...... Tonya Lee Williams 89-90 see Hoppers [college student who Adam flirted with. I only saw her in May 1989 episodes. To be fair, Sussman would bring back minor characters frequently so its possible she returned.] Mr. Fleischer .... Ian Abercrombie 90 see Hoppers Emily Fober ... Frances Bay 89 see Hoppers [confused older woman who came forward about the Jason Craig murder.] Sylvia Furth .... Elinor Donahue 89 see Hoppers [executive for the network airing “Tomorrow is Another Day.” I believe another actress played Sylvia prior to Elinor Donahue.] Hugh Gardner .... Jack Betts 89 see Hoppers Garrett Graham .... David Allen Smith 90 RIT Y&R, KL Lincoln Greer .... Smokey Robinson 89 DOOL, Y&R. AMC [stockbroker. Adam’s cellmate. The pressure of work turned him onto cocaine.] Dylan Hale ... Sandy Simpson 91 Po5, Santa, Hotel [possible heir to Hale empire] Jordan Hale ..... George Shannon 89-90 SFT, GH, HTSAM .... Robert Gentry 90 see Hoppers [I’m not positive, but I believe Jordan was credited well into 1991 even though he died in December 1990. I wonder if they planned to bring him back from the dead ala Jason Craig] Stephanie "Sam" Whitmore Hale ... Kelly Rutherford 89-91 see Hoppers Professor Hansen .... John Dewey-Carter 89 see Hoppers Reverend Red Hardy .... Jerry Potter DAL Mimi __ Harrington ..... Mimi Torchin Mr. Harrington .... Steve Kavner Mrs Hassan ..... Diana Simonzadeh Alex Hawkins .... Paul Carr see Hoppers Reginald Hewitt .... Ian Ogilvy 90-91 MP [+Jessica. Art thief. Friends with Jordan] Dr. Elliott Hunter ... Bingwa 89 [+Chantal. Dentist. May have proposed to Chantal] Mary Gardner Hutchins Mina Kolb 89-91 SIIS, KL, Santa Vern Hutchins Len Wayland 90-91 see Hoppers Mr. Ito ... Richard Narita 90 see Hoppers (Baby) Danielle Jackson .... ???? Doreen Walker Jackson .... Jonelle Allen 89-91 Berr Martin Jackson ..... Rick Fitts 89-90 see Hoppers Dr. Warren Jackson ..... Robert Hooks 89 DYN, Hotel ??????? 90 [Martin’s father. Robert Hooks played the part in November 1989 last appearing in a fantasy sequence shaming Doreen about the baby. A second actor appeared at the hospital in March 1990 when he came to see his ‘granddaughter’ Danielle.] Officer Jacobs ... Robert De Quoi Madame Jarre .... Lillian Garrett 89 [ran a hostel that Jason often stayed at. Jessica contacted her when she was looking for her son] Paul Jarre .... Jon Lindstrom 89 see Hoppers [Madame Jarre’s nephew. Went backpacking with Jason. Later shot and killed by Mary] DA David Jeffries .... Brian Stokes Mitchell 89 UB, Hotel, Lewis Kaiser .... Craig Austin 90-91 Santa, ATWT, AMC Jacques Langlois .... Phillipe Simon B&B Dr. Lugar ... Ed Evanko 89 see Hoppers [university psychiatrist Sam saw about her sexual harassment claims] Norman Marks .... Norman Marks Adam Marshall ... Kristoff St. John 89-91 Y&R D.A, Chantale Marshall ... Sharon Brown 89-90 LOL ....Debbi Morgan 90-91 see Hoppers Henry Marshall ... Taurean Blacque 89-90 SAV .... James Reynolds DOOL 90-91 DOOL Ruth Potter Marshall ..... Joan Pringle 89-91 see Hoppers Lt. Kyle Masters ... Robert Torti 89-91 see Hoppers Sean Masters Butch Hartman 90-91 DOOL [Kyle’s brother who Kyle arrested. Eric’s cellmate] Reverend Matthews ... David Haskell 90 see Hoppers Cory McCallum .... Tom Hermann 89 [spent the summer home from military school. Roped into a letter writing campaign by his uncle to get Jessica back on as Lacey on “Tomorrow is Another Day”] Dylan McCallum ... Never Seen Laura Whitmore McCallum .... Gail Ramsey 89-90 see Hoppers [I don’t know if Ramsey appeared in 1991 but she was certainly set to as the show wanted both Laura and J.D. as part of the Peter story.] Trevor McCallum ... Andrew Masset 89-90 see Hoppers Chris Mendoza .... Dean Devlin 89 .... Bernie White 89 see Hopper s Carla Meyer .... Marnie McPhail 89 BH90210, MS [Trevor’s assistant] … Amy Yasbeck 89 Claude Montreau ... Patrick Gorman 90 Y&R Dr. Morley .... Carol Wyand BE Charles Mullen .... Joseph Whipp 89-90 Prov, DOOL, BH90210, Santa, MP, GH Helen ______ Mullen .... ??????? 89 [Helen is first introduced played by an uncredited dayplayer in July 1991. She and Ruth are inducted into the Women’s Art Council at the same time.] Marla Adams 89-90 see Hoppers [I don’t think she appeared in 1991, did she? I don’t think she was written out though. Lieutenant Nestor .... Robin Strand 89 BERR, DAL, Santa SOMH .... David Froman 89-90 see Hoppers [Kyle’s partner who he fought with. Kyle called him Det. Nasty] Officer O'Reilley .... Marshall Teague 89 DOOL, B&B Kim Perez .... Andre Benita (Mart) 89 Sandy Phillips ..... Jayson Kane Officer Porter .... James Ingersoll B&B, MP Vivian ________ Potter ... Lynn Hamilton 89-91 see Hoppers Brian Price .... Tim Russ see Hoppers [reporter who wrote the story about the bombing at the Marshall home] DA Steven Radford .... Barry Jenner 90 see Hoppers .... James Raymond 90 KL, Santa Rita Remsen .... Dorothy Fielding 89 MP, TD, AW Mitch Renelli ......... Paul Lobosco 89 [replaced Sonny as Jason’s assistant] .... Ron Marquette 89 2000MR .... David Ciminello 89 AW, DOOL Joel Resnick .... Rick Lohman 89-91 SFT [+Laura. I don’t think he aired in 1991 but I think he and Laura were still involved.] Amy ___ Reubens .... Viveca A. Fox 90 (flashback) Dr. Daniel Reubens ..... Richard Roundtree 90-91 [I think Roundtree left the show before it ended. I think he was last on contract in October and may have appeared on a recurring basis. I haven’t watched much of what I have of the last few months] Maya Reubens ....... Viveca A. Fox 89-91 see Hoppers Vic Reynolds .... John Gabriel 89 see Hoppers [Lacey’s husband on “Tomorrow is Another Day.”] Darren Rhymes ... Never Seen Jaclyn Marshall Rhymes .... Never Seen Kevin Rhymes .... Never Seen Lizzie Rhymes .... Never Seen Judge Samuel Romer ... Allen Williams 89 KL, PD, BERR, DH, DOOL, Ally, Santa, Po5 Benita ____ Royal .... Janet McLachlan 90 KL, Santa [Eric’s mother seen during his trial. I don’t think the character was seen after the character’s trial ended, but I may be wrong.] Eric Royal .... Randy Brooks 90-91 see Hoppers Brad Russell .... Robert B. Wilson 90 see Hoppers Christy ___ Russell ... Patricia Tallman 90 GH [I think Christy may have appeared in 1989 as well] .... Stacey Nelkin 90 Jon Sherwood .... Peter Marc EPNAS , DYN , TC, BH90210 John Spector .... Allen Williams Judge Alan Spencer .... Ben Piazza 89 see Hoppers Murray Stein .... Phillip Hoffman Dr. Stevens .... Greg Mortensen DOOL, KL, Y&R Alan Stewart .... Bruce Campbell KL [Bruce Campbell was on “Generations,” a Detroit soap in 1982. He recently posted a video clip on his twitter feed. He was not on the NBC soap “Generations”] Mitchell Taylor ... Josef Rainier 90 see Hoppers [Jordan’s half-brother. Mob boss] Candace Thompson .... Mary Watson 89 see Hoppers [+Adam] Judge Sherman Titus .... Stewart Moss LHS Alan Trask .... John J. D'Alessandro 89 [Monique’s boss at Windy City Magazine] .... Martin Hewitt 89 see Hoppers Dean Umoto .... Haunani Minn 89 Hotel, Po5, RT, YDiL [possibly 1990 as well. Dealt with the sexual harassment claims] Stephen Wain ... Jim McKrell 89 see Hoppers [partner in the ad agency Trevor worked for] Dean Walsh .... George Pentecost AW, kl Phillip Webb .... Bruce Gray 89 see Hoppers [partner in the law office. J.D. Whitmore .... Gerard Prendergrast 89 Hotel [plans were made to recast the character in 1991 had the show continued] Peter Whitmore ..... Ron Harper 90-91 see Hoppers Rebecca ____ Whitmore .... Patricia Crowley 89-90 see Hoppers ......... Dorothy Lyman 90-91 see Hoppers Johnny Wilde .... George Duke 89-90 [ran Johnny’s Hideaway. Doreen’s friend] Gordon Williams .... Christopher B. Duncan 89 see Hoppers [Adam’s college friend] Officer Williams .... Kevin Bourland Po5 Kate ________ Wilson .... Robin Dearden 90 [ran Wilson & Friends book store. Harboring Daniel. Ex-flame of Rob] Ted Winters .... Bobby Hosea 90 Y&R, KL [Kate’s associate. Harboring Daniel] Amber the lingerie model .... Jasmin Paul 89 FC Billie the lingerie model .... Patricia Tallman 89 Carla, Trevor's assistant ..... Amy Yasbeck 89 see Hoppers [see Carla Meyer] Casey .... Derek Mitchell Casey ... James Chisem 90 Dede that dated Sean ... Laurelle Brooks (Mehus) 91 Dillon .... Jonathon Sachar 90 Eddie ... Len Birman 89-90 DOOL, DAL, KL Gretchen .... Rosie Malek Yonan 90 see Hoppers Jack the player ... Vince McEwen John ... Douglas Sills Po5, SIS, MI Lamar, Doreen's butler ...... Donald Willis 89-90 Hotel, KL Lionel, Mary's butler .... Eric Christmas 89-90 DOOL, Ally Louise the maid ... Jana Grant Santa Marcus ..... Damien Lee 91 B&B Mark ... Joseph Scott Melina + Peter .... Gina Gallego 90 see Hoppers Nora, Martin's assistant ..... Laurel Lockhart 89-90 Sis, FC, Dal Madame Rosa ,,,,, Lynn Lowry 90 KL, HTSAM .... Jeanna Michaels 90 see Hoppers Sarah, Mary's maid .... Lois de Banzie 89-90 Sis, RH Sean .... David Duran 90 DOOL Sidney the front desk clerk.... Victor Gardell 90-91 DOOL, Y&R Spencer ... Lito Wilson 89 Stan the clerk at Beroni's .............. David Ault 89 Thelma , Sam's agent ......... Carol Ann Susi 89-90 UB Tom the musician ...... Scott Colomby 90 see Hoppers Tom .... Patrick Sweeney Wendy ........ Lynda Robertson 89 Wolf the musician ..... Mark Goodman 89 Drummer for “Men of Essence” … Jon Lindstrum 89

I think Angela had adapted a pen name, Despina, and was writing poetry. Danny was attracted to the person writing the poetry, but wasn't aware it was Angela. For Christmas, Danny gave Angela a journal to write her poetry in. Hopefully, someone can provide more details. I don't think Elizabeth Swankhammer was on very long. She's gone by January 1984 because you can see Terri Eoff in those clips. Cynthia Gibb left to appear on "Fame." I found an article from November, 1983 stating Swankhammer had been on for three months, but sometimes those articles can be several months old. My guess is no longer than six months. When Tom left in October, 1982, he stated he would be back and sent him off with Kathy back to D.C. by the end of 1983. Janet never comes back. Its been said that Tomlin planned on bringing back Gary Walton in 1986 to pair him with Sunny which is why the show sent Craig Walton, Gary and Laine's son, back to town in the final year. Neither of the two Dannys were given much to do. I've only seen Lupone as the director of "Lysistrata" when Kim appeared in it on "Ryan's Hope" and in some episodes as Michael's foster father on "Loving." I don't remember the director character's name so he couldn't be memorable. On "Loving," Lupone was a nasty piece of work, jazz man Charlie 'Nick' Nichols. Charlie ended up convincing Ruth Austen, his wife, to sell Michael back to Carly. Nick was pretty unfeeling. I haven't gotten a chance to watch all these yet, but I think the 1983 ones are from December 1983. David Forsythe only came on the show in November. Joanna Lee departed around December; Ellen Barrett was credited by Christmas. It's entirely possible there was a short period without an executive producer. I once read on a message board that Gary Tomlin originally planned on making Laura Lloyd's wife of ex-wife. Not sure how accurate it is, but I thought it would be worth throwing out there. It's interesting how we (myself included) are so use to shows just cutting the budget on these shows and trying to make things work on nothing. I think it's admirable that the network and the production company pumped money into the show even if seems a bit misguided given the end result. With all that said, I'm curious who the audience was, and who the intended audience was, for NBC's "Search for Tomorrow"? Was it mainly fans who "Followed the Search" from CBS? Was it NBC viewers who were just following out of network loyalty? Were they really cultivating a new generation of viewers? I'm intrigued by the reaction to the final year, which seems to receive praise for Walsh and Long's work, but yet seems to be the most obvious period of McCleary domination . Watching that episode from December 1986 with the climax of Matt / Malcolm McCleary is the most bizarre episode I've seen of "Search." It just seems so evident that the show has a clearer focus, but that it's not connected to anything that has come prior to the show's arrival on NBC. Can anyone even name any well remembered stories from the NBC years? I think TR is remembered by some people, the Vargas kidnapping, Hogan / Sunny, and Warren / Wendy / Suzy, but overall I think the show never really was able to find its footing. There were memorable gimmicks like the flood and the live episode, but so much of the show seems like it was forgotten. Joanna Lee made some strides, but I think she also loaded the canvas with a lot of characters which resulted in a mass exodus at the end of 1983. What would others say were the most memorable things about the NBC run?

Bernard White played Chris Mendoza on "Generations" for a single episode in 1989. He was a temporary recast. I think in June 1989. I'm not sure if the Chris character appeared in 1990, but I doubt White was playing him. Pamela Burrell played Annabelle Catlin from 1984 - 1985.

I apologize. I don't think I was clear. I think it was addressed onscreen in the early 1990s or so I was told. I think Beth and Phillip talked about it. I don't know if it was just in passing or if it was a more meaningful conversation about what happened to Elizabeth. Either way, I do get your bigger point; Elizabeth Spaulding wasn't a character who should have been written off so carelessly. When the show managed to get Felicia Dano in 2005, I remember TPTB were intially quiet about what role she was playing. I was hoping she was going to play Elizabeth Spaulding, who would reveal she had taken Phillip away to save him from the Spaulding influence. At that point, why not bring two characters back from the dead in one shot.

Maggie had at least one miscarriage while married to Matt in 1981. I think she may have had another in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

There is a long string of episodes, I want to say almost a year's worth, from 1950 leading up and including the trial of Meta Bauer, one of the show's original heroines, for the murder. I don't want to spoil too much for you. I believe the episodes are available on youtube. If not, the Old Time Radio Researchers Library should have them and other soap episodes. I'm definitely going to get the details wrong on this, but Elizabeth Spaulding was killed off in the early 1990s. Offscreen, obviously. I believe it was around the time of Beth and Phillip's wedding. Later, when the show killed off Phillip under Kriezman, I remember the obituary read that he was the son of Alan and the late Elizabeth Spaulding which is how I learned about it (I had only started watching in 1998). On a similar note, during the same crappy storyline, there was a time where Phillip was disappearing and Harley was trying to figure out where he was going. They revealed that Phillip had a model version of Springfield that he was trying to develop. I thought it would have been better if they had him visit Jackie Marler's grave. I felt like if they really were going to explore the emotional complexity and deterioration of Phillip, it had to be linked back to Phillip's original parentage.

@Brent, it's always good to see you pop in. I hope more "Secret Storm" material pops up. Episodes aired in Australia, on and off, from January 1968 until at least November 1971. I believe it was two separate runs, a brief eight month run in 1968, and a longer run starting in January 1969. I could only find episode summaries for one week in February, 1970, but here they are: Friday, February 20, 1970: Valerie and Peter forget their disagreement over Janet. Monday, February 23 1970: Wendy's friend cross-examines her about her date with Kip Tuesday, February 24, 1970: Unknown to Janet, Wendy keeps her date with Kip. Wednesday, February 25, 2970: Janet declares that the past will not be revived. Thursday, February 26, 1970: Wendy lies to her parents. Janet / Kip / Wendy would be 1967 - 1968 I believe. I know the other, more vague descriptions, talk about the show being about a newspaper columnist looking to change his life or something. I'd assume this is Frank Carver?

Ashlee Wolfe, wasn't it? I couldn't remember it myself. So much of Kriezman and Wheeler's turn was them trying to keep a sinking ship afloat rather than putting what they could on a lifeboat and sailing away to a different ship that they could have made work. The emergence of Doris as a more prominent presence in Springfield baffled me. Didn't they reveal she was alos a lesbian? I remember tuning in to see the Alex / Cyrus stuff, but somehow fell into the nonsense that was Marina / Cyrus. I thought Mandy Bruno should have been shipped out with Shayne in 2004. The only time I was remotely interested in her Marina was when they toyed with a Sandy / Marina / Shayne triangle and then later when they had Marina / Jonathan meet. I thought Marina / Danny was terrible especially when they had Blake and Danny chem test, which I loved. If the show was investing in making Sandy work, I thought Ava would have been a neat way to examine his backstory and add new dimensions to the canvas, but that wasn't the case. I thought Jeffrey raping Olivia and producing Ava was the most insane twist in a story especially since we were suppose to still like Jeffrey. I understand why Conboy brought him back; he hadn't been in daytime in years and didn't understand how online fanbases worked. What I didn't get is why Wheeler kept him. By that point, the budget was nothing. It was time to cut losses. I would have bought Olivia as a lesbian if she was paired with a dynamic character. I thought Buzz and Lillian had potential circa 2004/2005 when they first toyed with the idea. Beth and Harley as stepsisters would have been darling. I seem to recall this was also around the period where Beth was toying with the idea of having an affair with Rick and Ed Bauer was suppose to return during that pointless Santa Domingo story. Rick and Beth's affair would have easily led to some uneasy for Ed and Lillian, which would have spilled over into Lillian and Buzz. By the end, I was surprised that they were even revisiting that because the show never seemed all that invested in it. The ITL episodes were clearly Emmy bait, which IMO was unfair.

Thanks for posting this. I'd be curious to know when the strike material started and to know at what point Chastain took over before the official announcement. My guess is that will remain a mystery. It's interesting to read some of the syndicated columnists from the time. They share their opinion that Chastain injected humor into the series and the boxing storyline involving Brian Emerson seems well received. I have to chuckle that the same columnists also suggested that the reason Chastain was dumped was because his projections for the show were so out there that they had to fire him. Considering how insane the Sunburst story seems, written by his successors, I cannot imagine how crazy Chastain's planned storylines must have been. In rereading this thread, I saw Paul you posted about John Burnett being announced as the headwriter in late November 1981 with the intention of his work starting mid-December. Pure speculation, but I think John Burnett might have been scrapped because the show was moving to NBC. In early December, the deal between NBC and P&G was announced. I wonder if they wanted to go with a more known writer than Burnett. Ralph Ellis and Eugenie Hunt are said to take over in December 1981 and they are still there in the early December 1982 episodes I watched today. Jarrod, I'm curious about what you, and others think, about Rusty. I don't know how I feel about him. It's clear that Ralph Ellis and Eugenie Hunt are trying to craft him as a long term threat to Liza and Travis' happiness as well as making him a major antagonist in the lives of many Hendersonites. The problem I have is it just seem to work, which is odd because Warren Carter works beautifully in this sort of role as sh*t stirrer who also seems to have some of his own emotional angst. I would have to say my biggest gripe with Rusty is the lack of attention that the writers pay to the relationship between Rusty and Travis. There are very few scenes with Travis and Rusty connecting or trying to connect. The Rusty and Liza dynamic fascinates me now that we've gotten to a point where Liza has Rusty's number, she knows she can't change Travis' mind about his father, and she just takes some pleasure in knowing that she and Travis will be stronger if she doesn't give Rusty the power to break her. And Rusty continues to try to break her. In the last few episodes I've watched, the latest stage of Rusty's plan is playing out. He has Ringo trail her in his car to convince her that someone is after her. To make the situation more real for Liza, Rusty misplaces documents that Travis needs for a Sunburst experiment at TI requiring Liza to drive the papers to him. The whole situation is engrossing, but then we finally learn Rusty's motivation from a conversation with Aja. Finally, Rusty admits that he wants Liza away from Travis because of a stipulation in the General's will that Rusty will be the guardian for the stocks that have been set aside for Travis' first born. Of course, there's a deadline for the birth of said child that, if it isn't met, the stocks revert to Travis and Martin. So Rusty wants money and power. Simple and compelling motivation except it is predicated on the idea that this was written when the General believed Rusty was dead. Did the General really not remove a codicil for nearly twenty years before he died? That's a stretch especially given how much attention has been given to things like the dynamic between the General / Martin / Rusty. It would make more sense for Rusty to buy the stocks that Martin has with Rusty trying to make the argument that he is family. Maybe that's where this was heading, who knows. Those are the credits for the first episode on NBC. The closing announcer refers to the March 30th episode of "Flamingo Road." By the end of the year, a good number of those actors are out. Steele is still doing the voiceovers in December 1982. I agree that thematically, it really works. I really like the computer generated "Search for Tomorrow" sequence, but I admit it probably is too representative of the era. I'm not a big fan of the live action shot of the bird flying over the water, but I love the concept of the show going from day to night by the episode's end. I have no clue why Tom is listed as 'Trip.' He's back to be listed as Tom when he leaves town in October 1982. Tom relocates to Washington, D.C., with hopes of reuniting with Kathy, who he apparently was seeing. Litrofsky appeared in only one episode I have and it's for his goodbye scenes with Stu and Jenny on the Riverboat.

I'm watching episodes of "Search for Tomorrow" from late 1982. The NBC years are clearly influenced by the Luke and Laura phenomenon. In the October episodes, there are several stories going on, but once Warren's plane crashes in the jungles of Belogua with Warren, Ringo, Brian, and Suzy on board, all bets are off. It's pretty much all Suzy, Brian, and Warren fighting for their lives while everyone else back home worries about these young people. I'm impressed that the show put out the money for a jungle set and pays for things like a monkey to be present on the set for some establishing shots, but I just can't handle these three in the jungle. It took me a lot longer to get through November than it did the October episodes. With that said, I think some of the emotional beats and outcomes are nice. Kristen, who spends all of October stumbling around looking for Brian, finally admits to Jenny that she is pregnant, Brian is the father, and she is probably going to have an abortion. It's a nice chance for the show to intersect Jenny's story (she's admitted to Stu she had a daughter that was taken from her) into another story. Also, Suzy's sudden trip to the Galapagos gives us a nice chance for Stephanie to be offended, Jo to be annoyed, but also for Jo and Stephanie to look to each other while worried about Suzy's safety. Finally, when Suzy realizes that Brian is right, Warren is a bad guy, Suzy really goes in on Warren. And when Warren continues to lie and claim that it was only one time that he sold guns, Suzy doesn't believe him. He lies too easily. With that said, there is some angst as a viewer watching Brian and Suzy reunite at the makeshift hospital in Belogua planning to start their lives together back in Henderson knowing what awaits them. I'm up to Thanksgiving 1982, and Ralph Ellis and Eugenie Hunt are still listed as the headwriters. Despite the clear influences of the "love on the run" style stories, there is also a P&G feel to the show still. Characters meet up to chat over cups of coffee, or Stu's homemade cider, and there is a lot of talk about how characters feel even if we don't get that emotion from them when they are speaking. Stu appears a lot. Jo not so much. Liza and Travis are still dealing with the crappy Operation Sunburst nonsense and with the insane return of Rusty Sentell. I think Rusty Sentell best personifies what works and doesn't work about the show in its present form. Rusty, who was only introduced to the show in the summer, has returned from the dead, revealed himself to be a former spy, hidden the fact that he is the head of the gun running operation Ringo and Warren are involved in, reconnected with his goddaughter scientist Aja Doyann (now that there is a name for you), and exhibited a nearly diabolic hatred for his daughter-in-law Liza. Of all of this, the hatred for Liza is probably the most interesting aspect of his character. The man just despises her, and Liza, as a result, has become a bit of neurotic mess. It's the little things he does; the backhanded comments about her music career, her leisurely lifestyle, and her fear regarding Travis' involvement in Sunburst. In the last week or so of episodes, Dane Taylor, Liza's friend and confidante, has convinced Liza to sing publicly for the first time, in a long time, at the Riverboat with Rusty and Travis in attendance. It's the impromptu singing arrangement which reenergizes Liza leading to a glorious little morning meeting between Liza and Rusty, which are very common since Rusty is staying with his son and daughter-in-law and Travis is often at work. When Liza thanks Rusty for making her realize how strong she is, Rusty acts like Liza has misinterpreted him; she hasn't. Liza doesn't care. She kind of brushes Rusty off. As Liza plans her trip to New York with Dane to find a producer for her music, Rusty plots to undermine Liza. He sends Ringo to trash the Sentell's home. When Liza and Rusty return from a night on the town, Liza is horrified; it's happening again. Someone is after them. The following day, stage two of Rusty's plan commences; Ringo starts calling the Sentell home and says nothing. Liza is afraid. Rusty is psychotic. The show didn't need a jungle or ninjas or island remotes. They just needed a man who despised his daughter-in-law and will do whatever it takes to see her break. It has the potentially to be really compelling, and, at this moment, it is. That said, it's hard to rectify all of this because, in the meantime, Rusty is also arranging to send Ringo to North Africa to sell more guns and there's the bizarre relationship between Aja and Rusty. Aja is his goddaughter who he spent a lot of time with when Aja was younger. It provides an interesting element to the story because Aja clearly cares for Travis, but Travis struggles working with Aja (she's a scientist at TI) because he's jealous of the time Rusty spent with her growing up. So, Rusty is completely Team Aja, but Aja and Rusty spend so much time socializing that there is almost a romantic aspect to their relationship. Ellis and Hunt don't seem to know what to do romantically with Rusty. Besides the complicated at best father-daughter pseudo-incest between Rusty and Aja, Rusty has also become emotionally invested in Jenny Deacon. Apparently, she reminds him of Aletha, a Greek freedom fighter he knew during his spy days. This little connection was both bizarre and interesting as, for a second, I thought they were going to reveal that Rusty knew Jenny from her days as a hooker in Los Angeles where she also knew Warren and Ringo and later lost her memory (Hunt and Ellis love plying their new characters with TONS of soap opera tropes). Later, when Ringo tries to strangle Jenny (she can connect him and Warren to a murder back in LA), it is Rusty that saves Jenny. And when Rusty realizes it was Ringo who attacked her (Ringo was wearing a mask), Rusty flies into a rage and tells him not to touch her again. I guess the show could pursue a Rusty / Jenny angle, which would either complicate or end what they are doing with Jenny / Stu (which is more poignant and less icky than I thought it would have been). But fear not, for Hunt and Ellis are not done with Rusty and seem to want to have a slew of possibilities to play with. Rusty has also bought the television station with Stephanie Wyatt (as a part of the jungle storyline of all things). Rusty and Stephanie would be an interesting pairing due to their relationships with Martin. Martin despises Rusty because the General (Martin's father) always favored heroic Rusty over aging wanderer Martin. Rusty's return gives the writers a chance to really dig into the dysfunctional family dynamics of the Tourneur/Sentell clan in a way that resonates with the current canvas. Martin is still a screw up and Travis has trouble rectifying the romantic image his mother and grandfather have created of Rusty with the man he knows him to be, the man who abandoned him and his mother and had another family. There is an attempt to make Rusty a gray character when he really shouldn't be. Anyway, Martin clearly loves Jo still, but also seems to be aware that he isn't the type that can be tied down to any woman for to long a period of time. It makes a relationship impossible, but I could also see him concerned about Stephanie becoming caught up with Rusty. There's a great Stephanie / Martin scene where Martin has stayed the night, and the two are having breakfast the next morning. Stephanie talks about Martin's aftershave, which she bought for Brian, but he refused to use. Casually, Stephanie mentions she kept it upstairs in case she ever had company. Martin coyly replies that the bottle was already open when he used it and Stephanie shows no remorse. It's wicked and Maree Cheatham at her best. So overall, it's maddeningly frustrating and compelling at the same time. I can see why longtime fans might stick around but why new fans would be cautious to tune in on a regular basis.

There was a custody trial for MJ at some point and Angarano was in the role then. I've seen clips of him testifying. I don't know when that was.

If I remember correctly, the Peapack transfer happened in February, 2008, during the Writer's Strike. I believe "Guiding Light" had a short period with no writers credited because they planned ahead and had extra scripts. Also, I think one of the early scenes pre-transition or post-transition involved a wedding or some other gathering where Mallet and Marina were fighting about something and, in the background, the weather was constantly changing in the window. It rained one minute, the next it was sunny, and the next it was raining again. Something along those lines. Am I making this up? I didn't like the "Inside the Light" episodes. One every now and then could have worked. I think they were trying to hard when they did one every week. I was already waning in my viewership by that point, but when they had Lizzie trying to figure out who slept with who and it turned out to be Olivia and Buzz I was done. Horrifying. I didn't even stick around long enough to see the superhero one. I do remember Ross being declared dead, buried, and Blake declaring she would run for office all in a single episode. At the very least, I felt it was two "In the Light" episodes. To be fair, I do believe those Wednesday episodes helped the ratings didn't they? I felt Wheeler was constantly trying to create a show that would never work with the budget limitations she was given. I almost would have respected her more if she and Kriezman made careful, but painful, cuts to the cast and tried to rebuild a Springfield that could survive. I really didn't see the Spauldings as a functional unit without Phillip around. I'm sure others will disagree. It all seemed so fractured. For a moment, I thought the show was going to pull it together when they brought back Alan-Michael, had Beth marry Alan at Ravenwood, and their was a looming board meeting. There was a great scene where Harley and Gus are in their obnoxious glory ranting and raving about something and Beth just looks on mortified that they are the ones who will lead the family. At the time, Beth was gunning for CEO of Spaulding, or whatever the main title was, which was why she married Alan, and he married her to goad Phillip into returning. I understood why the characters were doing what they were doing and then suddenly they decided that Harley was going to be the new CEO and I just couldn't bother. St. Harley wins again. I'll pass. I never understood how characters like Mallet, Natalia, Grady, Cyrus, and Susan became so prominent in the shows final years. So much low-energy to no-energy additions that I just couldn't get behind. They weren't necessarily played by bad actors, but I felt so many of Wheeler and Kriezman's additions brought so little to the show in those final years. If the storytelling was stronger it could have worked, but I don't know if Kriezman told any story that built to a satisfying climax that didn't involve mental gymnastics to make the story work. There were always interesting ideas and dynamics that would be touched on occasionally, but anything that seemed worth investing in longterm just petered out. I didn't like Natalia and Olivia. I'm glad they didn't go the route I thought they were hearing with using Gus' heart as the reason the two women were falling in love with each other, but I felt Olivia with Natalia was as awful as Olivia with the Cooper men. The Peapack episodes were just so poorly done. I do remember trying to watch once Grant Alexander returned, but the production was just awful. I feel like everything echoed in the "Spaulding mansion" and it was surreal to watch Buzz sitting on a bench in the middle of the suburbs talking to ghost Jenna. And I can't remember what song they blasted over Buzz sobbing over Coop's dead body, but it completely took me out of the moment.

On "Texas," Michael Galloway played Mr. Hampton, Ginny and Jeb's father who had spent time in the military.

"Texas" aired on WTBS from October 4, 1983 until June 29, 1984. The episodes were split in half. The dropping of the "Texas" reruns coincided with the end of the 11:00pm airing of "The Catlins." Starting July 2, "The Catlins" only aired in its morning spot. The announcement about the single airing of "The Catlins" was made no later than March 20, 1984, before the anniversary and about the time that Proctor and Gamble became the credited production company for the show replacing Empire Media (which I believe was C.T. McIntyre's company).

Has anyone else read this article about Irna Phillips? She mentions Anthony Heilbut's article on radio soap operas, "Brave Tomorrows for Bachelor's Children," which is also a fascinating read. Heilbut is interesting in that he really analyzes the work, and lives, of the writers. Even if his analysis is sometimes more conjecture than pure fact, it's interesting to reading Lynn Liccardo's piece calling out Heilbut for his selective use of material. Liccardo's passion for Phillips is clear, and I think she really points a more sympathetic light onto the tragic life of Irna Phillips. I believe Liccardo also wrote several other blog entries about her love for "As the World Turns."

I pay for a subscription to newspapers.com. It's a great way to look at specific dates and papers.

Thanks. I do think Wendy's final scenes with Stephanie are emotional. It's a shame that it sort of ends that way, but I think the complexity of the Wendy / Stephanie dynamic is fascinating to see play out. I'm not sure if it's true to the nature of their relationship, but those scenes are compelling. Stephanie talking about acting like they'll never see each other again is pretty heart breaking. I know people didn't like Wendy's exit. I wonder how they would have liked to see Wendy written out. There is Estelle. I guess TR is her only child still on the canvas by that point. I was also watching an episode from late February 1985. By this point, Jeanne Glynn is credited as the sole head writer. The episode featured Suzy arriving at the police station after murdering Warren swamped by reporters. TR also received a fur from Lloyd Kendall and, by this point in the story, she knows she is Rebecca Kendall. Chase is flashing back to sleeping with Adair (it looks like they are still using clips of Page Hannah as Adair even though I think Susan Carey Lamm is in the credits, but probably hasn't aired yet). Anyway, they are playing that song Chase sang to Adair. A lot of people are credited in the cast list. I was surprised to see two different actresses listed as playing Jonah in the same week. I don't think I've ever seen something like that in a cast list even when something like that occurs.

I'm looking at newspaper listings. I tried to check with at least two states in different time zones to make sure that it wasn't just a preemption in one part of the country. On January 2, 1989, it looks like CBS aired the Tournament of Roses parade preempting their daytime lineup. On January 20, 1989, it looks like all soaps (ABC, CBS, and NBC) are preempted for the inauguration. On February 20, 1989, it looks CBS aired a NBA game between Houston and Cleveland which preempted their soaps.

I was watching Christmas 1983 and Christmas Eve 1984 episodes I received on DVD a while back. I had forgotten how quickly Joanna Lee departed "Search for Tomorrow." Her hiring is announced in February, 1983, but she is gone by Christmas. Barrett is credited as the executive producer in the Christmas episode. I like Ellen Barrett's work on "Ryan's Hope," which I know isn't a popular opinion. I also am aware that Barrett's work on "Search for Tomorrow" wasn't beloved by fans. This also means the date rape episode was under Barrett. I thought the date rape episode had occurred under Lee. I guess its entirely possible it was still in the cards when she was there. Also in the Christmas episode, a bunch of characters on their way out of town. Cathy Phillips has offered Tom Bergman a job in Washington he is accepting, Rhonda Sue Huckaby is leaving to sing in Nashville, the Moreno family is heading out to California to see Barbara's sister, and, from my reading, Cain Devore's days as Danny Walton are numbered. It was nice to see Elizabeth Swankhammer as Suzy so I have a visual, but she isn't given much to do. Seeing more and more from the 1980s, I get it. Maree Cheatham continues to be a delightful revelation in the role of Stephanie and I can see why people were furious when Louise Shaffer replaced her. I love Shaffer, but Stephanie isn't the role for her. Like Lambie, I think it would have been fun to cast her as Stephanie's sister, a sort of faux high society type who comes to town down on her luck looking to sponge off of her sister and to make a play for Lloyd. Anyway, I loved what I saw of the Lloyd / Stephanie (with Maree Cheatham) pairing. Did that go very far? Did Steve have a say in any of it? Anyway, Christmas 1983 was a mixed bag. There was some good drama with Wendy as she has lost her and Warren's baby. Lisa Peluso is a bit overwrought as Wendy, but Jay Avocone does a nice job as Wendy's big brother. Knowing where its going is interesting, but it isn't really working. There is a bit with Sunny in jail for the holidays and some Hogan / Sunny scenes. Both actors are appealing but the writing is a little flat for me. Laurie Klatcher (the first Natalie on "The Doctors") plays Sunny's working girl cell mate who hits on Hogan. There is a nice little bit where Hogan brings Sunny a gift which she thinks is from him. McCabe plays it like she knows its from Hogan, but I believe later we learn its from Jack Benton. There are some little moments I like. The Martin / Lloyd exchange is fun. Lloyd and Stephanie have some fun interplay. Jo and Martin share a moment. The Stu / Josh relationship is incredibly sweet and its a bit heartbreaking knowing he's leaving town with Barbara in the next couple of episodes. I just think there is too much going on. Warren, Kristen, and Suzy all appear in the background and Ringo has some moments with Rhonda Sue. The cast is really big at this point so I see why they were trimming it down. Barrett says the cuts were planned before she arrived. Who knows. There are elements of the 1984 Christmas episode which are a bit more appealing. The action bit isn't appealing. Kentucky is having a heart attack midflight which requires Liza to land the plane. That doesn't do much for me. In Liza's absence, though, Lloyd has come to the Sentell home to tell TR the big Christmas miracle; she is Rebecca Kendall. Instead, Lloyd learns that the adoption went through and now TR is happy to be a Sentell. TR is snipy, Lloyd is devastated, and Stu has to play mediator. Lloyd leaves without ruining TR's Christmas. By the time he shows up to Stephanie's, the younger set has already arrived. Alec is thrown by Stephanie's glee about his new relationship with Wendy. The problem is they aren't dating and Wendy failed to let Alec know about the lie. There is a little more of the Chase / Justine interaction. This is clearly the post-Adair story plans for the Kendall boys. The Alec / Wendy angle has potential. I wonder if the plan was to play a Justine / Chase / Adair triangle which got lost when Stephanie Braxton and Paul Avila Mayer arrived. They quickly write out Justine and Chase / Adair never really have much conflict after that do they? There seems to be more story in the 1984 episode, but I think that might be because of the difference between a Christmas Eve vs a Christmas day episode. Anyway, I'd be curious to see what Christmas 1985 looked like. Didn't Wendy actually leave on Christmas Eve?

In the summer of 1983, Jack Forbes went to see his parents, an older couple who gave him to Ann and Roger because of their age. I don't know if these became his grandparents, the Hendersons, but by the time Tony Perilli arrives in the fall, I think its possible the plan was to make Dane Hammond Jack's father. Tony's parentage could have played into that story if had been played properly with either the Hendersons leading Dane to believe Tony was his son, but that certainly wasn't the angle pursued. I hadn't considered the Rick angle before, but combining the two would have been interesting. If the man that Dane thought was his son turned out to be Clay and Gwyn's son, there would definitely be some interesting dynamics to play there. The clip of Isabelle, Curtis, and Ava is nice. I believe that's from Bill Levinson's time as headwriter, correct? I wish the show had committed to the Curtis and Jack rivalry. Curtis should have had the Rick role in the triangle with Jack and Stacey.

Paul Raven mentioned that Max Wylie wrote for the show. Wylie and Winsor seemed to have stayed in touch. It is Wylie's book that has the script and projection for "Love of Life" from Robert J. Shaw and Roy Winsor. The show weaved the characters in and out of the story, but Winsor's planned mass exodus doesn't really seem to play out the way it was described here. The Rysdale contingent seems to fade from the show about 1965, but that may have had to do with backstage dealings. In the 1960s, Haila Stoddard became more and more involved in the theatre as a producer. I know she leaves on mutually agreed upon absences for periods of time, but also seems to be willing to return to the show for some brief bits. I think the Kip / Janet affair is the last major story for Arthur Rysdale. He and Pauline do return later on. In the fall of 1964, right after this projection is written, David O'Brien quits "The Secret Storm" and Edward Griffiths is hired as the new Kip. The show seems to pursue the Kip / Janet angle as the longterm story with Kip and Janet ending in 1965 with Janet leaving as well as Kip (I believe). When Janet returns in 1966, she is involved with Tony Porter and gains a stepdaughter, Wendy. In the fall of 1966, the show brings on Julie Mannix as the second Wendy Porter to pursue a triangle with Janet and Kip. Janet's return sounds rather compelling. It's a shame the show never saw fit to bring her back a third time and have her in the middle of the Belle / Amy saga. Amy's story changes as well. The return of Paul Britton doesn't seem to appear to play out as outlined as Amy and Paul do reunite and do marry. Amy and Paul are written out at the end of 1966. What is interesting is Amy is out of town when they kill off Peter Ames. I wonder if they brought someone in as Amy or if Amy simply missed the service. Based on the Remembering Woodbridge article, it would seem that Amy sort of mellows after this. Ann ends up leaving, but I think Alan stays around for a couple of years. When the story was outlined, Mary Foskett was still playing Susan, but by the fall, she has left and Frances Helm briefly appears before Judy Lewis takes over by the years' end. It is Lewis who plays the Ann / Alan story and plays Susan the alcoholic. I know Lewis talked about being happy that she would be able to reduce her episode guarantee after her first year because she felt she was being played a lot as Susan. Similarly, Bibi Besch spoke about having a 1-episode a week guarantee and a six-month contract during her first run on the show that they blew through rather quickly. The show does play the Janet / Jerry angle, and I believe even a brief Janet / Alan angle, before resetting Jerry. By late 1965, he becomes involved with Hope Crandall, Pamela Raymond's artist character, and their romance is pretty heavy for the next year with John Colicos being introduced as the gallery owner Matthew Devereaux. Colicos leaves in June, 1966, and I don't think Hope and Jerry leave much long after that. In terms of characters being introduced, Janet's husband Dr. Tony Porter meets the medical role that Winsor outlined, but it would be only conjecture to assume his character was an outcome of the conversation had regarding where Winsor saw the series heading. The TV station angle does get some immediate play with Peter Ames becoming involved with the station. Also, when she appears, Ann Wicker is now a television personality. After Wicker leaves, Peter becomes involved with George Bennett, a producer, and Brooke Lawrence, his assistant. Julie Wilson is only on for about thirteen weeks as Brooke and manages to kill George, attempt to seduce Peter Ames, and then dies in a battle with Valerie as outlined by Brent in an earlier post. The Brooke Lawrence story was from June until September 1966 unless she was kept on a bit longer. The political angle may have morphed into the mob angle with the Casey Arnold story which would have played out in 1965-1966.

Alan and Ann do not marry. Alan and Ann's affair ended with Ann leaving town and marrying her psychiatrist according to the Remembering Woodbridge article from several years back. Also, I could have sworn I read an article about Ann leaving abruptly when Diana Muldaur was cast in a play. I can find articles from August 1965 about her being cast in a play, but nothing about her leaving. It actually says Muldaur is continuing in the role of Ann, but then I don't have any more mentions of her in the paper as appearing on the show.

I meant to mention this when I posted about the other proposed storylines, but it's interesting to see what must have been Ann Marcus' first attempt to tell the Vietnam story. Later, the story would be pitched at "Days of our Lives" (with Chris Kositchek) and then finally play out with Tony Alphonso on "Love of Life." I imagine Marcus must have attempted to tell the story on "Search for Tomorrow." I wonder who she planned on telling it with?