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Interesting read. I remember SOD announced Taggert and Guza's return in September 1992, but this seems to suggest that Taggert's material didn't appear until much later. Some of this stuff didn't come to pass. I don't remember Jeremy and Stacey having a big story, but maybe I've forgotten it. Eventually, Hannah Mayberry developed a crush on Jeremy and accused her of sexual harassment, but that was a rather quick story that was Hannah's last hurrah and Jeremy and Stacey broke up shortly after. Similarly, Trucker and Trisha never were integral to the story because Noelle Beck announced her plans to leave the show and Trisha was "killed" off. The new "bad girl" was Amelia Heinle's Stephanie Brewster, who worked in the long run. The Shana / Ava story was Shana's decision to have a child via artificial insemination. At the time, Leo was dating Ava, but he agreed to donate his sperm to Shana. As time went on, Leo fell for Shana and things became more complicated. I think Ava even claimed she was pregnant by Leo at one point. Curtis' story ended up being trunucated due to casting issues. Neither actor lasted four months in the role and eventually original actor Chris Marcantel returned to the role. Taggert used Curtis' Persian War backstory to introduce Tess Wilder and Buck Huston. I cannot remember what happened with Clay under Taggert. I know they played a bit of the Curtis/Dinahlee/Clay relationship and Clay was involved with Tess Wilder at one point.

Michael Aron played Peter "Pete" Sego. Nick Benedict played Earl. Ana Auther played Dinah. Both were contract players towards the end of the show's run. Holly Butler played Bobbi Kubiak. She initially started off as a recurring player, but returned later in the show on contract. I suspect she was given a contract when they introduced Michelle Stafford's Frankie. I believe Frankie was on the run with Bobbi. I noticed Ele Keats, who played pregnant teen Anny Kubiak, is no longer listed in the cast in the show's final episodes. Jill Whitlow's Lorraine is also no longer listed among the contract players. Kerry Remsen's Pamela Pressfield is also no longer listed among the contract players. Lawrence Toffler was Mr. Stevens. He was a contract player at the end. I think, but may be wrong, Toffler initially appeared in a non-contract role, but I could be wrong. He had some substantial play because Stacey Cox accused him of rape. Here is a list of non contract roles Don Craig as a deputy Josh Cruz as Inspector Ramirez Alfred Dennis as Marco M.E. Loree as Eileen Dooley Kristin Pearcey as Marilyn Joe Taggart as sheriff Andrew Zeller as Spyder Doug Clark as Richie Anthony Gray as Xavier Bonnie Hawley as Tipper Terry Kohl as a deputy Janice Lynde as Janice Annie Dylan as Ingrid Jacquelyn Houston as Selina Lalanya Masters-Abner as Rhonda Michael Simms as Mr. Wynans

Dorothy Lyman first appeared in December 1990 so Jorn Winter definitely hired her. From what I've seen, I think she was miscast, but I have a feeling that will be an unpopular opinion. I also have a bit of trouble with Ron Harper as Peter Whitmore. I have a couple of scripts from late in the show's run and seen the episodes floatmeal posted. I think "Generations" had some very fascinating characters, a rich backstory, but often poor storylines. Jessica Gardner and Doreen Jackson were both well-developed women with tons of layers and very little storyline at the end of the show. There was a really well written scene I've read where Jessica is at the bar of the Hale hotel right after Peter Whitmore has returned to town and she is flirting with him. For some reason, it stands out to me mainly because it seemed to highlight Jessica's loneliness. While the Doreen/Maya catfight is legendary, Jonelle Allen could have used a fiercer opponent and a better conquest than Kristoff St. John. I think had they been able to keep Richard Roundtree around, they could have done more, but instead Doreen spends the final episodes vying with Ruth to sing at the Music Box and ending up in bed with Henry Marshall. I liked some of the couples (Kyle/Sam and Chantal/Eric) and thought Peter Whitmore's return had the potential to really wreck havoc across the canvas, but the show seems like they are trying to shoehorn elements from the NBC soaps into a show that was developed for CBS.

Isn't she in the first and last episodes? I know she is in an early episode in the dress shop. I thought she was featured at the end married to one of the fathers of another young character. TV Guide did an article on Wymore during the show's brief run.

There is some stuff from 1999 on youtube from DV's time. In the credits, Robert Guza is listed as storyline consultant so take from that what you will. I spent a little time watching bits and pieces from the show this week on youtube. I was never an ABC fan until SoapNet arrived and then I sampled a little bit of everything. "Port Charles" was always the easiest because it was only a half-hour. From the first go around, I don't remember the early PC episodes being very interesting, but rewatching some of it, I found some of it was more effective than I remembered. I enjoyed parts of the premier episode. The speech that the interns deliver to Greg Cooper about agreeing to keep mum about what happened was very Richard Culliton. I thought they integrated the old and the new well (the Scanlons lived in the same neighborhood as Rhonda Wexler, Greg's family knew Dr. Hardy, etc.) I don't agree with a lot of the casting. Michael Dietz is competent, but I don't get the sense he's the hot head it's implied he is suppose to be based on the conversation with Alan Quartermaine. Similarly, Jennifer Hammon is given a lot of baggage to play in the opening episodes with Scott, and the stripping, and Lee's wrangling. Maybe it's unfair to judge so soon, but I think someone with a little more oomph could have made that role a bit more compelling. That said, I remember really enjoying Hammon the first go around. And yet some of the other roles were perfectly cast. Pinson is solid in these early episodes as a snarky go-getter while Ramsey plays the spoiled cad well. In my viewing, I also caught Eve crashing at Chris' after Karen kicks her out when it was revealed Eve had slept with Bennett Devlin. Eve and Chris were delightful together. I remember the last time the show really played Eve and Chris was during "Time in a Bottle" when Eve learned she was pregnant and contemplated raising the child with Chris. Lisa Ann Hadley is to be commended for really running with whatever they through at her. She seemed fine as the poor little rich girl at the start and managed to hang on to her dignity when they first accused of her being the General Homicide killer. I saw some stuff from her sanity hearing with Nolan North's Chris which stood out because it was surrounded by the mind altering adventures of Eve, Kevin, and DV. Lynn Herring seems more at home playing this early material than some of the more overwrought material Karen Harris and Barbara Bloom gave her. The Lucy / Scott / Kevin dynamic was much more compelling than I remember. I think the set up of the kidnapping was a bit much, but the overall arc is interesting. I had forgotten Scott's car accident had happened so early on. I didn't care for the General Homicide stuff I saw. It all seemed heavy on plot. I could almost tolerate the DV stuff more because of some of the lighter moments. At one point, Kevin and Lucy have led Eve to believe that they are sleeping together in order to protect Eve, how I don't really know. Anyway, it led to a very nice quiet moment between Kevin and Lucy where Lucy comments that its been a year since Kevin walked in on Lucy and Scott together and how they never really resolved this situation. It was nice and Lynn Herring played Lucy's mixed emotions well. I wonder what the original plan was for Rachel Locke and when they decided to incorporate Grace and Livvie. Rachel was introduced under Hammer I think, and the Livvie stuff played out when Harris and Bloom were writing. It seems to flow well, but I am curious about the quickly dropped connection to Ellen and the connection to DV. I wish they hadn't gone with the arcs. I thought "Secrets" was the best as it told a story in 13 weeks and moved on.

Tom Happer was on "For Richer, For Poorer."

To be nitpicky, Margaret Ladd played Jane Skerba, who later went by the name Jane Driscoll. It is well known that the show had issues with casting the show's young leads. It should be noted Beverly Hayes left the show shortly before it went off the air. I don't know if she took the character of Jane with her or if there was a third actress in the role. Also, Tom Holland claimed in a 1969 article that he left "A Time For Us" during contract negotiations. Since he joined the show around the change from "Flame in the Wind" to "A Time for Us," he most likely departed in the summer of 1966. So its possible there may be a Steve Reynolds #3 we don't know about. In a March 1965 article with Gordon Gray, Gray mentions his family bought a home many years ago from Irna Phillips, who was a consultant on the show. It would seem Phillips was working on the show nearly from the beginning. Jill O'Hara has been listed as playing Sue Michaels in the books, but papers from the time say it was her sister Jenny O'Hara who appeared on the show beginning August 18, 1965 in a running role. Nancy Franklin appeared on "Flame in the Wind" as Liz Grey, "an institutionalized psychotic" according to Ms. Franklin. I think it would be safe to assume Liz was the wife of Tony Grey, the paramour of Kate Austen. During the transition, one paper describes the show dumping Kate Austen and focusing on her nieces. It turns out Martha Skerba/Driscoll was the daughter of Louise Austen and Kate's sister-in-law. This little piece of information goes unmentioned. Rita Lloyd's Leslie Farrell was written out in May 1965 when Lloyd went to South African with her husband, a diplomat. Lloyd returned to the show in August 1965 after the name change and barely recognized anyone.

The week of September 25, 1961: Monday: Mildred (Violet Heming) warns Margo (Barbara Dana) to beware of Jerry (John Karlen). Tuesday: David (Robert Mandan) finds a strange ally. Wednesday: Warnings for Ben’s (Rod Hendrickson) safety mount. Thursday: Tragedy strikes the Record’s staff. Friday: Maggie (Billie Lou Watt) and Buck (Len Wayland) make their plea. The week of October 2, 1961: (N- episode may be preempted by NBC-TV’s World Series coverage in some section of the country.) Monday: Lyddy (Sarah Hardy) makes a startling discovery. Tuesday: David (Robert Mandan) shows his true colors Wednesday (N): Ben’s (Joseph Macaulay) wild hunch pays off. Thursday (N): An ambush is prepared for Ben. Friday: Jerry (John Karlen) reveals his secret. The week of October 9, 1961: (*) episodes ay be preempted for World Series coverage. Monday: Jerry (John Karlen) talks about his past and Cass (Vera Allen) learns of an inheritance. Tuesday: The adoption case is settled. Wednesday*: The syndicate makes plans for a tiral. Thursday*: Gloria’s (Millette Alexander) mixed loyalties indicate danger. Friday: Ben’s campaign suffers a set back. The week of October 14, 1961: Monday: The presses of The Record are silence. Tuesday: Ben (Joseph Macaulay) is injured during a political rally. Wednesday: Buck (Len Wayland) gets a problem patient. Thursday: preempted Friday: Liz and David (series co-stars Ann Flood and Robert Mandan) encounter a new problem. An article from the same paper post on October 21, 1961

Joe Franklin appeared in script #32, which covered parts 63 and 64. He was seen spying on Laurel at the Franklin cottage when she was being dropped off by Cynthia and Logan. When Kevin Wallace rapes Betty Franklin, Betty has a flashback of being raped by Joe before they were married. This flashback had previously been used in script #30. I don't have script #30 so I don't know the full context. A maid name Honey appeared in several scripts. She was one of the women that Biff Lewis slept with. In one script, Betty hears a voiceover from a woman named "Elizabeth" who tells her it would be terrible if Laurel were to learn the truth after all these years. "Elizabeth" doesn't appear in any more of my scripts and the reference is quite vague. The only thing I have thought is Elizabeth is Betty's mother since Betty is a nickname for Elizabeth. To clarify, Myra Sowolsky and Dr. Hammond do not appear in any of the scripts I have. They are mentioned, like Beau, but Doug Marland is known for his large canvas of onscreen and offscreen characters. Similarly, Melvyn Masterson, Clint's father, is mentioned on several occasions and may have appeared onscreen. Again, he doesn't appear in anything I have. A bit off topic, but Corinne Hamilton was the name of one of Doug Marland's cousins. I believe they both grew up on their grandparents farm at one point. That information comes from a census record.

Carolyn gives a speech about 'the right to happiness' and the conflicts all concluded (the Braden boy was going to jail and Skip and Grace had Carolyn's permission to marry). Or maybe you've listened to the second to last episode, which I've also seen listed online but I don't think I've heard that one.

Luanne Butler: dead student I'm not sure this role was played by an actual actress. I think she was the final victim of the Campus Rapist. In the script, Greg and Laurel find the body, but I don't think she was a regular character. Corinne Collier: wife, John I can say with some certainty that Corinne didn't appear. Miranda drops the bombshell about Josh Collier's first wife in one of the final two episodes. I guess it is possible she made an appearance in a flashback, but it would seem unlikely. Lori Novack: Shelley's cousin The actress' last name was something like Michaelson. It is written on the cover of one of the scripts I have with her lines all marked up. The handwriting isn't very clear. Beau: lover, Madge & Miranda I got the impression Beau didn't appear in the story. The scripts I have start with Bryan Lewis and Madge returning from Atlanta. It's possible Beau was seen in the Atlanta scenes, but I don't think so. Regarding Joe Franklin, he definitely appeared in a flashback where he raped Betty and I suspect the actor was also appearing as "Betty's stalker," but that would be more speculation. I think Anne Lockhart played the first victim. Rachel Todd and Cathy St. George both appeared on the show. I suspect Cathy played Pam Evans, but I really have nothing to go on other than someone once said Pam was played by a former Playboy Playmate.

I had started watching in the fall of 1998 so I only saw Roger in the Soap Classic Christmas episodes that CBS use to air every year. Does anyone remember what month Maureen Garrett's contract expired? I remember we saw Holly fairly regularly until the tail end of August 2003. She was around for Ben's death and was still working on Reva's talk show during the start of psychic Reva. Then we only had two more appearances from Holly under Conboy/Weston. She appeared at Ross and Blake's Christmas wedding, didn't she? And then she popped up in a random February 2004 episode where she told Ed she was always around if he needed her. Then, we didn't see Garrett until the end of September 2004 when Blake received news of Sebastian's arrival and Roger's death. I thought the start of the Roger story was good. Sebastian seemed to be a good catalyst for drama, which the show really needed. I thought the references to Santa Domingo were nice, and the ultimate goal of the story was neat: to have Ed Bauer save Sebastian from the illness that killed Roger. That should have been interesting, but everything fell apart so quickly. Ultimately, Wheeler should have recasted Ed Bauer if Peter Simon wasn't willing to come back. Garrett once said she left the show in 2005 because of the Sebastian story. The major crux of her story with Sebastian ended in January, 2005, but I remember Holly hung around until May. There was that brief attempt to tell a Spaulding takeover where Blake and Sebastian aligned themselves with Josh, while Holly decided to sell some of her shares in the Journal to Alan in exchange for Spaulding stock. I thought that was a story with a lot of promise, but then Holly stopped appearing, Sebastian was kicked out of town, and they shipped Blake back to backburner.

I don't understand Matt Crowley's departure. I guess they wanted to keep Don McLaughlin in their stable of actors so they gave him the role of Dr. Brent. I don't know how long Carolyn's mother, Doris Cameron, was around. She was there from the start and was around for a couple years. The books on radio rarely list years that actors appeared in the role. Off the top of my head, the trial was in 1942. The episode with Skip and his girlfriend is the show's final episode from November, 1960. So there is quite a gap.

Does anyone know how Josh Bendarek fit into the canvas?

I think that is Sarah Hardy.

Marilyn Martin played Eleanor Quinn Catlin. She was credited in the July 17, 1983 episode that appeared on youtube several years back. I believe Martin was a local Atlanta talent, but she was quite effective. Dawn Young credits herself as Valerie Kristopolis on her website. I believe she also has a twitter account. She claims her character was like Erica Kane. If you know the name, I'm sure you're aware Valerie had set her sights on T.J. Catlin. Danfling, Libby Larsen played Vanessa Mahoney Crane. She is featured in the episode saynotoursoap has posted on youtube. Her character's family had a bit of story at the end. Senator Mahoney (James Condon) was running for office and being interviewed by Stacey Manning (Kay McClellan), who was actually Mahoney's illegitimate daughter. Stacey was involved with Cullen Quinn and Stacey's involvement with Mahoney was complication in their relationship. Vanessa's mother was Carla Lockridge Mahoney. In the one episode I saw with Carla, Vanessa horrified her mother by revealing that she had managed to escape the mental institution by sleeping with her psychiatrist. There have been a handful of episodes from November and December 1984 online as well as solo episodes from July 1983 and 1984. By today's standards, they seem fine, but they were probably considered poor in the 1980s.

There is a lot to respond to in this thread. I like KMG as Faith once she starts drinking and attempts to pull herself together, while still being a neurotic, needy mess. There were times KMG could be a bit hammy, but I think KMG came into her own when they tried to merge the original concept of Faith (the young intern who had daddy issues due to her affair with her college professor) and the romantic ingénue that Catherine Hicks played. I don't remember everyone forgiving Faith, but, now that you mention it, I can sort of see that. When drunk Faith gave penicillin to LJ and he nearly died, no one but Dee blinked an eye. Dee later made a rather astute comment after Roger revealed Dee, not Faith, had run down Barry Ryan, "You didn't hate Faith when you thought she did it." I thought Daniel Hugh Kelly and Karen Morris Gowdy had passable chemistry and I believed Faith bonding with Frank was natural. I also thought it was natural for Frank to throw himself into a relationship with someone who worshipped him. In the fallout, I felt there was a lot of honest statements made about Frank, who often did really scummy things but was sainted by the Ryans so it didn't count. He really did a number on Faith. I didn't always like that Faith shifted so much of the blame on the end of Frank/Faith onto Jill, but I thought that was something an irrational person like Faith would have done. I did enjoy a lot of the bitter confrontations that resulted from that, but, tonally, that was a very different type of storytelling than RH was use to. The show's narrow focus never really bother me. At a half-hour, many shows kept a small, tight canvas for many years. I had bigger issues with the show's fears to explore some of the darker issues within the Ryan family. I felt the conflicts between Mary/Siobhan and Pat/Frank were often downplayed, which was bizarre given their relationships with Jack and Delia respectively. I did like how they brought Aunt Annie in for some visits and alluded to a similar relationship between Annie/Maeve as there had been between Mary/Siobhan. From the little I've seen, it seems there were more successful 'non'-Ryans in the late 1980s.

Trisha and Steve were very "Luke and Laura" in this sequence, weren't they? Spider looks familiar, but maybe its just from his appearance in the other 1986 episode online.

This is from Carolyn's trial for murdering Bill Walker, right? It was a lengthy trial. There are two or three episodes from this storyline online. I believe it went from at least January until May. It was also used to introduce Dr. Dick Campbell, a member of the jury who became Carolyn's "husband" until it was revealed husband #2 Dwight Kramer wasn't dead. Here's some additional information. In June 1946, Gary Merrill was playing Miles Nelson, the prosecuting district attorney. At this time, they decided to introduce his family. Art Kohn played Mr. Nelson, Miles’ father. Anne Sargent played Deborah Nelson, Miles’ sister. Debbie Nelson was around for a while. It was at her wedding that Carolyn met husband #4 Lee MacDonald. In August 1947, Don McLaughlin is temporarily replacing Gary Merrill. Merrill to return in September 1947. Also around this time, Barry Thomson and Helene Dumas were playing Mr. and Mrs. Jordan. At the same time, the papers were reporting this about "The Road of Life"

I will say that Nora Drake story doesn't sound as hokey as some of the others. I wonder if Julian Funt or David Lesan wrote this series at this time? In the book I was reading on radio soaps, there was some discussion about their work and their focus on psychological issues. This also sounds similar in tone to some of the other late runs of the remaining radio soaps, "Road of Life" and "Wendy Warren and the News" where the men were suffering from mental issues that prevented them from achieving happiness.

Thanks for posting this. It was an interesting read. I did like how they pointed out Trish was a bit clueless to wait five months to confirm the pregnancy.

Robert Anton's comments were interesting. In particular, I found his discussion of Maggie's intentions regarding her date with Kyle interesting. I also thought it was very interesting that he loved dressing Mrs. Dancy as much as Doreen Aldrich. Great article. Thanks again for all that you post.

Didn't Jane Krakowski leave to appear in the play "Starlight Express" and intended to return? Robert Reed wasn't on very long. Joe Lambie was still playing him in the flood episodes and the character departed in July. Maybe the intensity of the work wasn't good for Reed's health? They also casted three very different actors in the role of Lloyd so it may have been hard for Walsh and Long to get a sense of character.

Interesting article. I always forget about "Hidden Faces." The story with Louise Shaffer's character and her boyfriend sounds very traditional for a show that seems very out of the box in terms of typical soap opera fare.

Clarification on who created "Flame in the Wind" A brief description of the show's original stars. I'm assuming he interviewed Kate about her book? This is a fairly detailed article about the premier. I wonder how this would have done on a network like CBS. Kate Austen seems like she would fit in with Vanessa Sterling, Jo Tate, and Valerie Ames.