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CarlD, I'd love it if you posted anything on "Rituals." There is so little out there. There's something of a trainwreck quality to the whole thing that fascinates me. All the cast changes, story changes, production changes, etc. seem to have create this massive clusterf$%#%. Characters came and went, couples were ripped apart, but yet there seems to be some genuinely interesting elements to the show. The first year of a soap is going to be problematic. "Rituals" struggled with identity because of the syndication element. I don't think they knew whether to gear it more so to a nighttime audience or a daytime audience. Plus, the show's original concept was dropped and what ended up on air was completely different from what had been proposed by Charlene Keel. Does anyone know who the show's headwriters were? I know Charlene Keel proposed the original concept. A pilot was filmed, but later scrapped. Then, Gene Palumbo wrote the show, and probably was behind the revamped concept. He wrote the show for about six months. From there, things get a bit screwy. Laguardia states L. Virgina Browne and John and Joyce Corrington were writers for the series. I assumed this meant they followed Palumbo as headwriter. However, someone posted on another site a SOD news article about Raymond Goldstone replacing Palumbo. Today, I found an article from June 1985 declaring Stacey Anderson and Steve Burkow were taking over as headwriters. The show was cancelled not long after. Anyone have any information they care to add?

I wasn't trying to doubt Lacy's acting versatility, but rather to explain where I'm coming from. I think I saw an episode or two with Lacy playing Tony Peterson, but I watched most of the 1795 flashback and the 1840 flashback where Lacy played religious zealots. In my mind, it's hard to imagine Lacy as the center of a romantic triangle. I'm not saying he couldn't have driven the story. When I imagine how that storyline played out in my head, I struggle because of my perception of Jerry Lacy.

Thank you for your kind comments. I enjoy your knowledge of cancelled, often forgotten, soaps. Your responses are always interesting reads. Was Christopher Reeves' departure inevitable? I'm aware of his later success in the "Superman" franchise, but I've also heard he was a bit green on "Love of Life." Ben Harper was a delicious role when Reeves' played the part. He was a strong male in a genre where women dominated. I read when the role was recast, it was a highly coveted by young males in that age range. Jon-Michael Reed reported Charles Harben Hill (or Hill Harben, I never can remember) and Gary Swanson were up for the role. Obviously, Hill got the role. Did you think Reeves could have been easily recast? Should Ben have gone to prison or do you think a recast should have assumed the role immediately? Jon-Michael Reed alluded in his column to Deborah Courtney's acting ability or should I say lack thereof. The insinuation was Courtney was a bland actress and Roxanne Gregory was brought in to spice up the Rick/Cal/Meg triangle. From what I've gathered, you feel differently. What did you think of Courtney and Gregory? My only experience with Jerry Lacy is his role as Reverend Trask on "Dark Shadows" so I struggle viewing him as a suitable romantic lead. In my mind, Jerry Lacy and romance together in the same sentence leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I cannot imagine the Meg/Cal/Rick triangle being as fascinating as you describe it. I'm not saying this to contradict your statement, but rather explain my thought process. In regards to Gabrielle Upton, I wasn't very forgiving of her run in the past. The stories I had read were fairly bad and the influx of characters was worse. SOD use to post old synopses online around 1997-1998 from the late 1970s. My first experience of "Love of Life" was reading the SOD synopses from the Upton period and I thought they were bad. The prostitution storyline with Arlene was bad, the Michael Blake storyline was bad, and minors characters like Mary Jane Owens, Wendy Hayes, and Doreen Patton were introduced in bit parts and took center stage. It sounded like a very bad period for the show I state so earlier in this thread, but readjusted my opinion because of a comment you made in another thread about considering the behind the scenes politics of the show. So I considered the recasts, particularly Ben and Betsy, and readjusted my opinion. To an extent, it must have been a gift horse to write the return of Ben Harper, but I do question the decision to make Ben good and Betsy as his 'true love.' I do understand that Ben saved Betsy from being prosecuted in the bigamy case, but she was an innocent. Ben just did one right thing in his life. This didn't change everything that had come before that moment. I just don't understand why the show didn't continue to pursue Ben as the bad boy. I would have loved for him to return from prison and for Betsy, and the audience, to wonder if he had truly changed because of his time in prison. Then, slowly, reveal Ben was up to his old tricks again just as Betsy was beginning to fall in love with him again. I thought Upton's decision to pursue Mia/Ben full speed might have been due to the impending departure of Liz Kemp as Betsy. I was more forgiving of the Mia/Ben story when I looked at it in this light. Mia was still there and Betsy was gone. It seems like a logical decision. Yet, you seem to be saying Ben and Mia were being forced down the audience's throat from her arrival. I know Veleka Gray had kind words for Upton, but Mia seemed to be the centerpiece of a lot of stories. When I said I believed Upton made a turnaround in her final months, I was referring to several casting/story decision which seemed like they were steps in the right direction. Particularly, I felt her decisions regarding the Ben/Betsy story made sense given the direction she had taken the story. The return of Betsy seemed to resume the Ben/Betsy storyline, which Upton hadn't properly resolved. The introduction of her rather ambitious lawyer husband, Elliot Lang, seemed delightful. He was the law, but still morally corrupt. It opened up the possibilites of reviving the good/bad theme the show had played with since its inception If Ben was going to be our hero, Elliot seemed like a suitable foe. Upton had made Mia Marriott morally ambigious enough to replace the Arlene role in the storyline even though Arlene should have assumed the role herself. I think the groundwork was laid for some potentially long running stories involving the quartet. Similarly, I felt like the departure of Rick and Cal was a step in the right direction, which you may disagree with. While I think Cal's role as Meg's daughter was important, the Michael Blake storyline was so bad when I got to the summaries where Cal was written out I was relieved. I felt maneuvering Meg into the Marriott realm worked. I believe Meg was romantically interested in Andrew, who was crushing on Van during the awful Bruce is dying of anemia or whatever plot. I thought reviving the rivalry between Van and Meg was interesting even if Andrew wasn't the most dynamic character (Ron Harper is another actor who I feel lacked that dynamic quality. Was he different on "Love of Life"?) There were hints that Meg might become involved with Andy Marriott, Andrew's cad son who was very much in the mold of her own son Ben. The idea of Andy/Meg/Andrew triangle excited me. I loved the idea that Meg would become infuriated with Andrew's affection for her good sister, Vanessa, and give into Andy Marriott's sexual advances. Andy was looking for Meg to bankroll something. I could see her buying trinkets and lavishing her boy toy. I thought Andy had the potential to be the younger bad boy the show needed in the vein of Ben Harper. Plus, as I think you've described, there was a slightly incestuous relationship between Ben and Meg. Meg becoming involved with a young man old enough to be her son and who shared similar qualities could have been fun. Plus, Lynn Henderson, Van's ward, seemed to have an attraction to him, which I felt would have complicated things nicely. Lynn, too, had been attracted to Ben at some point, but that never seemed to go anywhere. I don't understand why Christian Marlowe was written out. Andy seemed to have real potential. Was Marlowe a weak actor? After rereading your post, I realize I misspoke when I said Upton inherited a stale canvas. I was aware Depriest and the Schneiders continued the bigamy plot milking it for what it was worth, and thought of this as a bad thing. I felt they allowed the story to come to a conclusion without having any plans in place for when the story ended so Upton was left to place the Eddie/Felecia/Charles story in the lead because that was all that was available. Your point about continuing long running triangles and quads made me see the errors in my previous statement. Wrongfully, I felt Ben's imprisonment was the end of that story. I interpretted the decision to pair Jamie and Betsy romantically prior to Ben's return as a rather bland continuation of the story that was in place as both characters were rather noble characters who were in a relationship that lacked a true external threat. Certainly, Diana wasn't going to make any calculated moves to ruin their relationship. Thinking things over, I could see how having Ben return to town, still selfish and calculating, could spark significant drama. Ben could have been the external force which would have driven Jamie and Betsy to a breaking point. Ben's return could have been the latest chapter in the Arlene/Ben/Betsy saga with Jamie and Diana playing significant roles.

Regarding Labine & Kristen at "Guiding Light," maybe Labine wanted Kristen in as a Selina recast? There was the whole Patti D'Arbville drama in the press where she claimed Labine wanted her out. Plus, the show still introduced Gus Aitoro, who was obviously Selina's son. In one episode, Buzz even confronted Gus on whether or not he was Selina's son and I'm pretty sure that was well after D'Arbville had left the show. I wonder if Labine wanted Ilene Kristen to play Selina after bouncing D'Arbville.

I've read that too, but this article is from April 1963, and, in the article, Polly Childs talks about originating the role in March 1961. Kate Lodge appeared at least 1961-1963 if not 1964. I would love to see a more accurate cast list for "Secret Storm."

Carl, forgive me. Initially, I stated Laurie had married Hugh Clayborn, but I had typed the wrong character. Hugh and Jill were married Hugh raised Jill's son by Ken Stevens as his own, little Clay. After Jill and Hugh's death, Clay went to live with his father Ken and his new wife, Laurie Hollister. Ken later died himself and Laurie took to raising Clay on her own. I'm not sure how Mark came into the picture. Maybe he counseled Laurie after the untimely death of her husband Ken Stevens? I believe Roy Windsor, and Gloria Monty, left the show in 1968 or 1969 after CBS purchased the series. Around the same time, the show fell out of the top five and never returned. Around 1970 it rebounded a little, but the gains were slowly lost over the last couple years. Brent wished to read an article about actors and actresses from the 1960s on "Secret Storm." This was the only one I was able to dig up so far:

From what I've gathered, Ken and Jill Stevens were friends of Amy Ames. Ken ran the local nightclub. Before Ken, Arthur Rysdale, Pauline's former husband, ran a gambling joint/casino in Woodbridge. I wonder if Ken took over Arthur's place? Anyway, I think at first Ken and Jill were a happily married couple to contrast the trouble marriage between Paul and Amy Britton. Jada Rowland and Nicholas Coster returned to the soap in April 1968 with much press. Newspapers across the country were covering their return in their entertainment section. I assume Amy and Paul were off the screen for some time. I thought saynotoursoap or someone else stated Paul and Amy were written out in 1966. I've seen other actresses listed playing Amy between 1966 and 1968, but I'm not sure those are accurate. When did Peter Ames die? I've seen Lawrence Webber listed in the role until 1968, but in October 1968, I read an article stating Peter had been killed off, along with Robin from "The Guiding Light," because there was no story left for him. I wonder if there was a funeral, and, if so, which of Peter's children were present? Almost immediately, Paul Britton was tempted when he returned to town; I assume by Amy's future enemy Belle Clemons. Coster talked about being involved in a triangle upon his return. His young daughter, Candace Coster, played the role of Lisa Britton when Rowland and Coster returned to the show in April 1968. At least year later, Candace Coster was still playing the role as I've seen it mentioned again in the papers. I suspect when Coster left "Storm," his daughter departed with him. Sorry for the digression, at some point, Laurie Hollister went to work at Ken's club. Laurie was a tortured soul. Her alcoholic mother, Nola Hollister, shot and killed Laurie's father, Wilfred, and I feel like Laurie might have spent time in an institution before arriving on the show. Murphy, who played Nola #2, claimed she shot Wilfred in her first episode and had a fan write her that the fan and her mother would be witnesses at Nola's trial as Nola had shot Wilfred accidentally. Back to Laurie, Windsor had created a show called "The Widening Circle" about a young woman returning to society after being released from a psychiatric facility. I feel like Laurie might have been purloined from Windsor's proposed serial. Laurie and Ken's affair must have been complicated by Jill Stevens' pregnancy. While Laurie was a heroine, I suspect Jill Stevens was as well. I wonder how the audience felt about the Laurie/Ken/Jill situation. Laurie was an interloper, but was pushed as a good girl despite sleeping with another woman's husband. I wonder if the outrage would have been the same had Laurie perished in the plane crash instead of Jill and her new husband, Hugh Clayborne. At some point, Ken and Jill divorced and Jill married Hugh Clayborn, a wealthy older man who agreed to help her raise baby Clay. Hugh had a daughter of his own, Didi, who I think was a bit like Susan Ames in the 1950s. She was a bit spoiled and adored her father a bit too much. Hugh's sister/aunt Birdy was also around for sometime. After Hugh and Jill died, Ken and Laurie raised Clay until Ken's death and then Laurie assumed the role of guardian of the child. If anyone has information to the contrary, please correct me.

From my understanding, Susan was a possessive character. She was devoted to her father and didn't really care for the other women in his life. In the episodes I've seen, Susan viewed her stepmother Myra Lake Ames as an adversary. I assume Susan wasn't pleased that Myra had usurped her role as the female head of the family. Similarly, Brent claims Susan had the same sort of problem with Valerie Hill when she entered Peter's life. Susan was an archtype that no longer exists on soaps, the overbearing daughter who's love and affection was devoted to her father rather than a husband. Barbara Sterling was another one of those young ladies. Alan was a shady character from my understanding. He was a golf pro or something and he had connections to the mob. I'm pretty sure I read he abandoned Susan while she was pregnant with their child only to return later. Susan had named her son Peter after her own father rather than the boy's father. I think this was another layer of Susan's devotion. In the episodes available online, Susan spewed venom about Myra because she believed Myra, a school teacher, had been behind Peter's attempt to bungle a land deal involving the school. The land deal would have made her husband Alan's colleagues a lot of money. Peter defended Myra and said school age Amy (played by a blonde) needed a good education. Susan still blamed Myra. Between February and August, Susan had become chummy with Bryan Fuller, who was working at the department store. Bryan romanced Pauline and planned to marry her. Bryan was a fortune hunter and had all ready stolen funds from Tyrell's, the department store. When the truth was revealed, I think Susan once again tried to blame Myra for ruining everything, but Peter coldly told his daughter she always alligned herself with the wrong people. At the same time, Alan seemed more mellow. He had a job and wasn't all that upset about what was going on with the land deal or Bryan Fuller. Alan had cheated on Susan, it was alluded to, but it was quite clear Susan wasn't an easy woman to live with. Alan was levelheaded and need to keep his wife in check. Susan wasn't about to be controlled and would get nasty with him. Theirs wasn't the ideal marriage.

One of the soap books was shocked this show managed to last as long as it did because NBC was cancelled crazy. NBC did cancel the show in 1959 and planned for the final episode to be in June 1959. I'm pretty sure a game show was set to replace it. Sarah Hardy, who played the show's younger female lead, said the writers planned to leave the story up in the air in case someone changed their mind. At last minute, they did change. Sarah Hardy played Lyddy Benson, Liz Frazer's niece. I don't know if this is documented in soap books, but she was a reporter like her aunt. She also worked at the Strathfield Record, the family newspaper. Lyddy married Lance Patterson, an English professor. At one point in the story, Lyddy's mother, Emily, suffered from a hysterical pregnancy. According to another article, Yardena also appeared on the serial a year earlier.

Thanks for clarifying. I think I might have confused things. There was a typewriter involved as Liza, post-cave sex, brought a typewriter to Hogan as a gift. I'm thinking I might be confusing Liza/Hogan with Kentucky/Liza. I think the opening episodes on AOL had Kentucky in Liza in the woods after a plane crash or maybe they were just stranded in the woods. The cave scenes were good. I believe some are on youtube labelled 5/13/85 or something around there. Regarding Stephanie and Estelle, there is a scene between the two of them on youtube. Stephanie stops by Estelle's hotel suite around Christmas time to invite her to the Women to Watch fashion show. I believe this is where Stephanie was murdered. Anyway, there is a nice exchange between Estelle and Stephanie regarding Martin Tourneur. I had forgotten both women had been involved with him. What were others feelings regarding Aniston's Martin? When I read about his relationship with Jo in soap books, I didn't understand how the pairing could possibly work. When I saw the episodes on AOL, Martin and Jo were sharing scenes during Martin's brief return in 1984. I thought Aniston and Stuart shared strong chemistry and could see why it would work. Martin might have been a screw up, but he had a heart and cared for the ones he loved. I could see how a doomed romance between them must have been engaging to see play out. When were Kathy Phillips and Tom Bergman involved? I remember reading weekly summaries from the NBC period and they were a couple, but based on the summaries it sounded like it was a C-story. Kathy was later involved in Sunny's rape trial. In 1973, Mary K. Wells would have been playing Hannah Cord on "Return to Peyton Place." I think its a misprint.

By my estimate, Jennifer Leak had been on the show for some time. I think her arrival pre-dated the arrival of Anne Jeffreys' Sylvia as she was described as a daughter was mentioned in some the press regarding Jeffreys' arrival. The papers interviewed her in June 1971 about hot pants. Apparently, Ms. Leak loved wearing them and had tried to wear them on the show. Jerry Layton, the producer, told her it was a no go. Cast list state Leak was only on the show in 1971, but I wouldn't be surprised if she arrived in late 1970 and stayed through the conclusion. She isn't listed in the cast list from the January 1971 Daytime TV FrenchFan posted, but this doesn't mean she wasn't there. Given the storyline, I don't know how Leak wasn't with show from at least early 1970 until the show's conclusion. One interesting nugget I uncovered was Paul Lukather was off the show for four and half months in 1971. Bill Ferguson disappeared from the canvas in December 1970/Janaury 1971 and returned May 18th, 1971. What I do find interesting is that by the time of this article, which appears to be written in August, Bill Ferguson was written off again. Paul Lukather stated in an interview he had a three year contract with the show didn't plan on renewing it. I wonder if they killed Bill off offscreen as heroines of the early 1970s like Martha weren't allowed to divorce. The only one I can think of Althea on "The Doctors." I have Schemering's book and he doesn't go into much detail. He explains the focus was on the college and then more typical family drama involving the Jones and Pierce families. Mary Ann Copeland's Soap Opera History delves into the story a bit more. She talks about Sandy Jones Pierce sleeping with her professor, Bill Ferguson, marrying a man, divorcing a man, birthing an illegitimate child, developing a mysterious illness, standing trial for murder, and later marrying Stu Pierce. From another source, I know Sandy suffered a hysterectomy so I suspect that was linked to the illness. I would love to know the name of her child, it's father, and who she supposedly married before she married Stu Pierce. Wesley Hyatt's Encyclopedia of Daytime Television implies that Sandy only wed Stu and that she cheated on him. Hyatt usually has interesting information, but his book is scarce on "Bright Promise" information. Also, it is never been clarified how Howard Jones and Isabel Jones were related to Sandy. One would assume they were her brother and mother, but I've never seen definitive proof. Hopefully, something will turn up some day. Thanks again for these Carl. Additional information: Mark Miller's daughter Penelope is actress Penelope Ann Miller and the husband Jennifer Leak alludes to is actor Tim Matheson.

Paul Raven, I didn’t watch the show, but I’ve pieced together information here and there. The article Carl posted clarified some things for me. In Soap Opera History, the author discussed Martha Ferguson killing Sylvia Bancroft, her ward David Lockhart’s mother. The papers I’ve read talk about Sylvia having a dark secret and this article Carl posted mentions Charles’ own secret connections and trying to connect with his son. I draw a lot of conclusions and hope they are right. Sometimes I’m incorrect so feel free to correct me. So I make conjectures about how the storylines played out. I don’t know for sure there was tension between Sylvia Bancroft and Martha Ferguson, but I feel safe in coming to that conclusion because Martha is accused of murdering Sylvia before the series ends. The fact Charles Diedrich was romantically interested in Martha leads me to believe that David would have been involved since he is Martha’s ward and obviously Charles’ biological child. I imagine once Sylvia’s murder was resolved that the Tracey/Charles/Martha triangle would play out. It would seem the logical extension of the current storyline. Maybe Charles would have been dumped or revealed to be the true killer. My main point was I could see how Shaw was developing the canvas. I could see where, ideally, Shaw could take the characters and storylines in an engaging manner. I don’t know anything for sure. I thought maybe the blonde was Regina Gleason, but she looks older than Gleason. I’m think Sydna Scott, but I’m not sure if she would still have been around in 1971. Cast list for these old serials are terribly inaccurate. Jerry Layton was the executive producer. He produced “The Doctors” before working on the Canadian serial “Strange Paradise.” He was replaced by “Dark Shadows” producer Robert Costello on that serial. At BP, Layton replaced Richard Dunn. SP and BP premiered around the same time so Layton may have been behind the move away from the college. Frank and Doris Hursley created the show and were the first head writers followed by Rick Edelstein. The show’s final writer was Robert J. Shaw. Regarding the show’s cancellation, I suppose it was similar to the cancellation of “Capitol.” NBC was hoping to get cash in on name recognition. I know “Bright Promise” didn’t have brilliant numbers, but it didn’t fare badly considering the competition. On another soap board, I was told “Bright Promise” had aired overseas. The person who told me this said one of the actors was receiving residuals from the broadcasts in either the late 1970s or early 1970s. As Brent brought up in another thread, soaps from the 1970s were broadcast in foreign markets. They had to be transferred there somehow. I think there is a lot of lost material out there; it just needs to be found. UCLA has an episode or two of “Bright Promise” in their archive if I’m not mistaken. In regards to Dana Andrews, it’s possible his drinking had something to do with his departure, but I haven’t read anything to suggest that. Eric James, the actor who played Tom’s son, stated he and Andrews were disappointed in the scripts; they felt promises had been broken. In interviews, Andrews talked up the show saying he was really satisfied with the early scripts as he had a daughter who was away at school. Even later, when interviews were looking down on him for slumming it, he talked about how the show dealt with real issues compared to the extreme situations perpetuated on nighttime dramas. Of course, Andrews was the face of the show and really couldn’t say anything bad. I assume Andrews asked to be let out of his contract after the first year or didn’t renew. Paul, I find Sylvia Bancroft’s casting a bit bizarre. Today, I was thinking Anne Jeffrey’s carries herself as a society matron. I could see her playing this rich bitch based on her role on “Port Charles.” I’ve never seen Regina Gleason act, but I associate her with Kitty Horton, who always came off as low class in my mind. I’m not saying Gleason couldn’t play a spoiled diva; it’s just not the role I envision her playing. I find it odd that the role was recast only to be killed off within six months. Maybe the show needed Anne more than twice a week as the David storyline progressed and she felt committed to her family? It might have been limiting to only feature Sylvia twice a week, which would also explain why Sylvia was ultimately killed off. If they couldn’t use her, they ultimately chose to write her off. Carl, is the Miller interview and the comments from Jennifer Leak from the same issue as the first article? If so, I find it odd Leak isn’t mentioned other than in passing that Sylvia Bancroft’s daughter is looking to connect with David. However, Lesley Woods and Richard Eastham don’t get a bio. I was sort of hoping they would reveal more details about Sandy Pierce. I have so many questions regarding her character.

Thank you, Carl, for this article. It was a fascinating read. I knew David Lockhart’s parentage was a central plot in the show’s final months, but this really fills in some of the blanks. It really seems like the show was in a good place, creatively. David Lockhart had been taken in by the show’s lead heroine, Martha Ferguson, who was being romanced by Charles Diedrich, David’s biological father. I assume there was animosity between Martha and Sylvia Bancroft, David’s biological mother and Charles former paramour. Adding in David’s desire to see his parents dead, I understand more clearly the circumstances that led to Martha going on trial for Sylvia’s murder in the show’s final days. In response to your question Carl, I’ve seen it listed that 605 episodes of Bright Promise were produced. However, this would mean the show was preempted on fifty occasions. I think the number is probably closer to 650. Episode 500 would probably have aired in August/September 1971, which means it probably was filmed in July/August 1971. Another photo from the 500th episode party has been published taken from a different angle. It features the cast arranged in the same manner, but it only shows the four actors on the left. The picture identifies them as Gail Kobe, Susan Brown, Mark Miller, and John Considine. I think the label is inaccurate. The actress on the far left doesn’t look like Gail Kobe, who I believe is the woman to the right of John Considine. I think the people featured in the photo are: unknown, Susan Brown, Mark Miller, John Considine, Gail Kobe, Richard Eastham (?), unknown blonde, Pamela Murphy, Tony Geary, and Peter Ratray (with his hand on Pamela Murphy). Anyone else want to venture any guesses? I’ve read newspaper articles from 1971 reporting Regina Gleason had signed on for the role of Sylvia Bancroft. I suspect it made big news because she was replacing Anne Jeffreys, who was interviewed about joining “Bright Promise” quite a bit because she was a former movie star slumming it on soap. The papers were interviewing Anne Jeffreys in March 1971 about the role so I assume she premiered around that time. When introduced, Sylvia was described as a “wealthy widow with a dark and secret past.” Original “Bright Promise” celebrity Dana Andrews departed the series in 1970 probably some time in the fall after being with the series for a year. Anyway, my point is I think this news is probably covering events that happened in August/September 1971. After reading this article, I’ve been wondering what could have been if “Return to Peyton Place” had never come about. The ratings for “Bright Promise” weren’t that bad; it beat timeslot competition “One Life to Live” on ABC. The only real threat to BP was “The Edge of Night,” which would have been moved to 2:30 in September 1972 at Proctor & Gamble’s request. Could BP have picked up some of the lost “Edge” viewers in the switch? And if they had, would OLTL have managed healthy enough numbers to survive into the 1980s? The other thing I considered was Lin Bolin’s appointment to head of NBC daytime drama in August 1972. Would Bolin, who was big in the women’s movement, allowed Gloria Monty (a director and producer at BP) to takeover the reigns of the series? Or possibly allowed Gail Kobe to develop her talent as producer in the 1970s and taken over a bigger role at BP in the 1980s? Also, had Monty managed to gain control at BP could she have managed to cause BP to be the supersoap GH managed to be in the 1980s? And if Monty had managed to stay with NBC daytime, what would have happened to ABC daytime? Without Monty, GH would likely have been cancelled. And if BP had managed to outperform OLTL, it’s possible to think OLTL would have been cancelled as well. The ABC lineup of today would be very different. On the otherhand, Lin Bolen does come in and cancels BP’s replacement, Return to Peyton Place, in favor of her own focus group creation, “How to Survive a Marriage.” More than likely, BP would have ended up cancelled in January 1974; only prolonging its execution a mere twenty-one months. In order to prevent this, the show’s ratings would have needed to be towards the top of the ratings If Bolen came in and promoted someone along the lines of Gloria Monty, who managed to swipe away Pat Falken Smith from “Days of Our Lives,” I think its possible BP could have been a success. It’s cast was fairly good. For the most part, Tony Geary is a well loved performer. Jennifer Leak, who played David’s half-sister Elaine, turned in a memorable performance as a villainess on “Another World” could have usurped her mother’s role as resident rich bitch. Susan Brown went on to play other strong older romantic leads on “Return to Peyton Place” and “General Hospital.” Dabney Coleman probably would have fit in well as the ‘Bruce Sterling’ of BP once Martha and Tracey finally tied the knot. Pamela Murphy’s Sandy was described as being in the mold of Erica Kane and Lisa Miller Hughes so I cannot imagine how she could not have sparkled in the role. John Considine is a strong performer who was playing a roguish doctor. The storyline seemed sound for “Bright Promise” had it not concluded its plots in March 1972. The triangle between Charles Diedrich, Martha Ferguson, and Dr. Tracey Graham could have played out for some time. Martha was fond of Charles’ son David and would have worked to repair the damaged relationship between father-and-son. In the meantime, Martha would have grown close to Charles and, once David came to like Charles, David would encourage the pairing between Charles and Martha. Or maybe he would be torn if Dr. Tracey Graham was the psychiatrist who helped David to come to terms with the role of his parents’ in his life. Another plotline from around the time of the show’s cancellation involved Dr. Brian Graham and Ann Boyd Jones’ secret love affair, which produced a child. Ann was married to Howard Jones, Mark Miller’s character. Mark Miller took some time off from the soap in the summer/fall of 1971 to film a movie. I assume in his and Howard's absence, Ann and Brian began a tryst and the child was a result. I’m not sure if Ann had the child before the serial ended, but I seem to recall it being referenced in an article I’m no longer able to locate. I wonder how this story went over with the audience. Colleen Gray’s Ann was meant to be a non-traditional matriarch ala Lucille March from the Hursleys’ other soap “General Hospital.” As the dean of women, Ann was concerned about the well being of her students the way the typical soap matriarch fussed over her children. Gray was typically billed with Dana Andrews in the articles related to the premier of “Bright Promise.” I suspect Gail Kobe might have been able to play Ann successfully as a more gray character. Didn’t she play a rather complicated character on PP? Her storyline certainly suggested this. “Return to Peyton Place” did a similar plotline with Connie Carson, Eliot Carson, and Dr. Michael Rossi. I don’t think that was well received by the audience as a whole. Connie was suppose to be a noble upstanding citizen and faithful wife. The BP story might have worked because Martha Ferguson was the show’s tent pole noble character by that point and Ann Boyd Jones might not have been viewed as the traditional female romantic lead by the housewives who struggled to identify with the single working woman who married late in life. Pamela Murphy played Sandy Pierce, a character who didn’t appear in the show’s final episodes. Murphy had been pregnant when the show’s cancellation was announced. The pregnancy was given quite some press because Sandy’s character had undergone a hysterectomy, which was a major plotline either right before or during the time Murphy had learned she was pregnant. Typically, the show would write in the pregnancy, but since Sandy had spent a great amount of time bemoaning her inability to have more children, this was going to be possible. Anyway, the child was due in April, but was born early. Murphy named the baby Oliver, and he later appeared on “Guiding Light” nearly thirty years later playing Romeo Jones. Because Oliver was early, Stu and Sandy reconciled via telephone. If the show hadn’t been cancelled, I assume Sandy would have swooped back into town in late May/early June just as Martha’s trial was reaching its natural conclusion during sweeps month. No longer busy with the trial, Stuart could focus on his and Sandy’s marital issues. Of course, Sandy and Stuart wouldn’t be able to make it work for one reason or another and more than likely Sandy would be left to pursue one of the other two men in Martha’s life, Tracey Graham or Charles Diedrich. Both men were well off and could provide her with the financial stability she was looking for. Also, her romancing either man would have infuriated poor Martha to no end, especially if it was causing her brother Stuart heartache. I think the ingredients were there for some potent drama. If the show had been given a bit more time, and a solid producer/head writer combination, BP might have been able to build up a loyal audience.

Everything I know about "Loving" comes from old synopses. WoST showed an episode from around this time featuring Matt's trial for raping a young woman. I don't know if this was the way to go. The Fords and the young woman Matt was accused of raping were all new characters. Ceara and Jeremy were visiting from Pine Valley at the time and were involved. This was most likely because of Ceara's own history of sexual abuse. There was a lot of turnover behind the scenes at the time. Fran Sears was replaced by Haidee Granger as EP and between January 1991 and December 1992 Tom King/Millee Taggert, Mary Ryan Munisteri, Addie Walsh, Haidee Granger (interim), and Millee Taggert/Robert Guza wrote the show. Five writing teams in a two year period. Yikes! The main problem "Loving" had was finding a stable group of characters. If the show kept Carly and Paul on and mixed them up with Alex and Ava that could have worked. Personally, I would have preferred to see Sheri Watley, Ava's white trash sister, come back to town with the child Ava had passed of as Jack Forbes' kid. Sheri didn't have to stay, but her son Johnny should have been a thorn in Ava's side by being a manipulator in the model of his Auntie Ava. I didn't realize Rocky was a medical student until this article. As a doctor, Rocky could have filled the Angie Hubbard role on "Loving" or been taken under Angie's wing. Rocky could have enhanced a number of stories that followed her departure. Rocky's half-brother Buck arrived in town followed by their con man father. Rocky's relationship with her father would have been nice to see play. Trucker could have used someone to lean on in a non-romantic sense during Trisha's death. Rocky easily could have been involved in the Dinahlee/Trucker/Curtis triangle given her connections to all the characters involved. Rio was a bit of a shady guy at times, from what I understand. If he and Rocky split around the time Curtis returned to town, Rio could have become involved with Tess since they never seemed to know what to do with her. Tess' ties to Curtis would have caused some drama. Also, the Tommy Domeq issue would eventually have to be resolved and Rio and Rocky should have had a role in that. Matt seems like a decent guy, played by a decent actor, and maybe he should have stayed around to try to make Hannah more interesting or for a romance with sorority princess Staige Prince. Overall, I don't think anyone was clamoring for him to return. I believe the actor chose to leave to attend college.

Sherry Mathis started the Hogan/Liza stuff. They were involved in the plane crash and the casual sex which meant more to Hogan than it did to Liza. Joe Lambie was playing Lloyd at the time. Robert Reed played the role briefly in 1986 when the Estelle/Lloyd/Liza storyline was going on. Sarah Whiting was Patti's daughter and Jo's granddaughter. Braxton and Mayer introduced her in the summer of 1985 as the show's new young ingenue opposite Wendy's more calculating vixen. By this point, Jo's niece Suzi had settled into marriage with Cagney and was no longer really the younger female romantic lead who would fight with a woman over a man. Quinn was quite an operator who seemed to be a round peg in the very square McCleary family. Quinn seem to genuinely care for both Wendy and Sarah in very different ways. Sarah was a nurse or nurse's assistant who had a passion for music like her grandmother. Sarah was very simple. She lacked confidence and was scared of certain scenarios. Around Quinn, she began to open up and feel a bit stronger. Tomlin came on and Sarah was quite a diva. She upped her ante and fought Wendy tooth and nail for Quinn even though they had introduced Evie Stone for Quinn as well. Sarah was offed by the serial killer who killed Stephanie. Patti came on a couple months later to mourn her daughter. She was only on for the show's final year.

Within a year of this article, Rio, Rocky, Carly, Flynn, Paul, Matt, Bethel, the Reverend, and Jack would be written out while Clay would have been recasted twice. Any wonder "Loving" couldn't find an audience?

I assume Charles and Diana Lamont had more to do in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Charles was the father of Bill Prentiss, the show’s younger male lead. I’m sure there was conflict between Charles and Bill as I believe Charles had abandoned Bill’s mother. The Lamonts were the Sterlings’ neighbors, which also put them in that comfortable position. My understanding is Charles developed sexual dysfunction under Labine & Mayer, which led to Diana Lamont’s cougar affair with Jamie Rollins. Jamie was reeling from the loss of his daughter and the breakdown of his ex-wife Sally. Jamie and Diana were to have a child, but Diana miscarried the baby due to the machinations of Ben Harper. In turn, Charles turn to virgin school teacher Felicia Fleming who was being terrorized by a rapist. This all played secondary to the epic Ben Harper bigamy plot. I think the real problem for Charles Lamont was when Charles’ story was shifted from secondary to a frontburner potboiler. The affair between Felicia and Eduardo wasn’t going to carry the show. As a heroine, Felicia couldn’t have another man’s baby and be someone the audience could root for. And how can one root for Charles when he was a paralyzed cuckold who hadn’t been accepting of her sexual frigidity? I don’t think they could accept that, but the writers tried. When they realized they couldn’t make it work, Felicia was punished for her indiscretion by death. A bit harsh, but soaps were (still are?) morality plays. I don’t think “Love of Life” was the kind of soap where this plot could have played out front burner and worked. If “Love of Life” had continued past 1980, it would have been nice had Charles stuck around. His grandson Johnny Prentiss was ripe for younger lead male status in the early 1980s with his childhood buddy Hank Latimer prime to be his friend/rival as Dennis & Jamie were on “Another World” and Phillip & Rick were on “Guiding Light.” Charles should have stayed around long enough to be Johnny’s talk-to until the show recasted Tess Kraukeur Prentiss with a soap veteran who could have taken up Meg Hart’s role as Rosehill’s neglectful mother role. I may be wrong, but I just don’t think Charles was leading man material from what I can gather. I think writing off Jamie Rollins might have been a mistake. Jamie worked as a foil to Ben. He was sort of the fourth leg the show needed to keep around. A recast wouldn’t have killed the character. Jamie was a lawyer, a moral tent pole for a show built on the nature of good and evil. He was the Vanessa to Ben’s Meg. I think Tom Crawford wasn’t suppose to fill this role as he was an upright young man who was involved in the Ben/Betsy/Arlene drama as Betsy’s brother and Arlene’s potential suitor, but even Tom lingered until Marcus came in and made him a bit more morally ambivalent. Plus, Jamie had history to mine. Imagine the damage Ben Harper could have done by bringing Jamie’s ex-wife Sally into town unaware she was still not with it. They could even had Sally kidnap baby Suzanne thinking she was her own dead daughter. However, when Ben Harper returned to town, Gabrielle Upton decided she wanted to redeem Ben and make him more a romantic lead. Diana and Jamie were both casualties of Upton, I believe. Both left town in December 1976 around the time Upton arrived. Upton inherited a rather stale canvas, which she desperately tried to breathe life to in the year and half or so she was there. I think she was finding her bearings toward the end, but it had been a long road. If Upton had been given another six months, I think the show might have worked.

Hogan McCleary was introduced in November 1983. They were some sort of car accident between him and Sunny. At first, Sunny hated him and, surprise, it turned out he was her new co-worker. Anyway, I think there was some playful flirting back and forth. I saw the Christmas 1984 episode on WoST and Sunny and Hogan were certainly on friendly terms. Sunny had a secret admirer around this time and thought it was Hogan. Later, it was revealed to be Jack Benton, the co-worker who was would rape her. The rape was a major stumbling block/hurdle for their relationship. Then Hogan and Sunny seemed close while working on stories only for Hogan to leave in September 1984. Hogan returned in April 1985 for Cagney and Suzy's wedding. Hogan didn't want to renew his relationship with Sunny, instead, he ended up in a plane crash with Liza and they became lovers in May 1985. The Hogan/Liza/Sunny/Lloyd stuff played on the AOL Channel and I liked what I saw, but I saw bits and pieces. Online fans despise it, and after watching some episodes on YouTube, I can see why. Liza comes off as a spoiled bitch, Hogan an arrogrant prick, Sunny as clingy and desperate, and Lloyd a foolish nitwit. The concept of the story is neat. At times, I think the story worked well. Liza knew her love for Hogan was forbidden and she didn't want to hurt her friend, Sunny. There was a scene where Liza was hiding in Hogan's kitchen while Sunny stopped by for a surprise visit. Liza was desperate to leave, but couldn't and she was fearful Sunny would get the wrong idea. If the story could have been written more in character, maybe it would have been better received by the audience. Interestingly enough, Forsythe ended up in a similar situation on "Another World" when John and Felicia had an affair. Braxton and Avila Mayer penned the Hogan/Sunny/Liza stuff. I liked most of their stuff with Quinn/Wendy/Sarah. I don't like how Tomlin took innocent Sarah and turned her into a cold manipulator. Mathis died several years after "Search for Tomorrow" ended. Maybe she was already ill. The papers claim she was joining Jerry Lanning, her husband, out on the west coast. Interesting side note, Louan Gideon was engaged to John O'Hurley in 1985. He proposed the same day she had received the role of Liza.

It's a misprint. Peter Love played Mark on "Ryan's Hope." He was involved with Ryan Fenelli, which is probably why she is giving the quote.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Mildred was the Aldrich nanny. I believe she was a comical character.

There are clips of Lori March on youtube. Lori March played a character involved in the DOMI plot. I believe her name was Barbara. Jayne Heller played Phyllis Carpenter.

I believe Martha was a nurse at the hospital, but my understanding is she was simply a talk to character. Sara spent 1978 torn between Mike Powers and Colin Wakefield, a former lover. Colin ended up sleeping with her sister, Nola, and was believed to be baby Jessica's father for quite some time. Sara succumbed to illness in 1979 leaving Mike Powers a widower, again.

From what I can tell, the problem "The Doctors" had in the late 1970s and early 1980s was the failure to cultivate new characters' longterm potential or squashing the potential at the end of a storyline. Some of the show's more interesting characters in this period (Billy, Natalie, Luke, and Nola), often only had meagre ties to the medical component of the canvas. While they certainly commanded the story, and often they interacted with the show's core (the Powers, Althea, and Steve and Carolee), these characters sometimes were disjointed from other parts of the canvas. Also there were some bad storylines. While Billy's 1981 return was fascinating, there was a co-current plot involving siblings Catherine and Kevin Shaw, who's family had been swindled in business by the Aldriches. Catherine was fascinated with Jason Aldrich and posed as baby Jessica's nanny in order to get closer to Jason and to ruin Mona Aldrich. The story wasn't very good and resulted in the death of Jason Aldrich. Also, Steve and Carolee tended to find themselves involved in some asinine plots over the last few years. I believe twice they took in a young ward who ended up causing strife in their relationship, and one of those young women ended up bringing on Far Wind and his cult. On the otherhand, I can see what you mean, Carl. Barring the Writer's Strike, most of the time there was at least potential with the characters and plots on the canvas. What really hurt the show was the show's instability in the writer's department. 1981 is a perfect example of this. In the fall of 1980, Jason managed to win custody of Jessica, his and Nola's daughter, away from Nola. Nola romanced Jason in order to have Jessica back in her life. Mona was furious and plotted to soil Nola in Jason's eyes. Initially, Mona tried to get a tape recorded confession from Nola, but Catherine, the nanny who was secretly plotting to ruin the Aldrich clan, informed Nola of Mona's machinations. Shortly after, Nola and Jason's home burned down and Nola suspected Mona was behind the fire. Nola used this to keep Mona off her back. In the episode you saw, I believe Mona is setting Nola up. Catherine would later blackmail Nola for money over some matter and demand Nola pay before her wedding day to Jason, at which point Nola would have access to a fortune. Mona was trying to prove Nola dipped into Jessica's trust fund in order to pay off Catherine in her extortion plot, but failed to do so. I'm sorry I'm sketchy on details, but the information I have s incomplete at times.

On "Guiding Light," the Santos family expanded after Michelle and Drew off Mick Santos. Danny came to town to avenge his brother followed by his mother, Carmen, his Abuela, his cousin, Ray, and his sister, Pilar.

What was happening in said episode? 1981 is a mixed bag year. It starts off with the return of people like Jerry Dancy and Althea, Jason and Nola's second wedding, some strong marital discord between Matt and Maggie with Althea as a third party, and the tail end of Billy's plot to get Theodora's cash. Then you have summer 1981 with Jason's death, Nola's rape/kidnapping, Steve investigates sex, the mysterious Mr. Sebastian, Althea's mystery patient, and a whole bunch of dull writer's strike plotting. The fall doesn't seem to change much. There is more emphasis on relationship drama and the complications born out of that. You have M.J./Matt, Maggie's pregnancy, Mike's return to town, and the arrival of Katey and Theo, who become involved with Mike and Greta. And the year ends with the last week or two penned by Harding Lemay.