dc11786
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Posts posted by dc11786
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It looks like it was a two-week strike and it was on both coasts.
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I believe Cheatham was fired or she was in heated contract talks that ended with Louise Shaffer taking over. Shaffer temporarily plays Stephanie in late May or early June 1984. Then Cheatham comes back for a few episodes, and then she is gone again with Shaffer permanently in the role by the end of June (I believe).
Stephanie had mileage as a character left, but a lot of her connections were definitely offcanvas, leaving the show, or about to leave the show when Shaffer arrives. The bigger issue is that June, 1984, is when the show takes a heavy youth romance angle with the introduction of Adair McCleary, Justine Calvery, Alec Kendall, and Chase Kendall all introduced within a couple of months. Stephanie as the station manager became her primary role rather than her domestic and romantic conflicts, which had been Stephanie´s function under previous regimes. There was a Lloyd / Stephanie romantic thread that had been developed before Cheatham left that was played on occasion when Cheatham was in the role. It could have worked (Lloyd / Stephanie) especially with Martin and Steve in place. Furthermore, Wendy was often paired with the Kendall boys (first, Chase, and later, Alec) so there was more mileage to get out of the Lloyd/Stephanie relationship. It´s just that was never played. I find much of 1984 odd, while others adore it so to each their own.
On the otherhand, I think it is possible that it might have worked if Shaffer came on as Estelle Kendall. With that said, you would have needed Martin and Steve in the picture (and truthfully, Stephanie) to get all the drama you could out of Estelle´s return.
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On 10/22/2023 at 6:03 PM, j swift said:
That's an interesting thought that I hadn't considered.
My only counterargument would be the lack of groundwork laid for Mason's change of heart. Certainly, by watching the hospital scene in 1988, Mason has lost sympathy for his mother's illness because she allowed him to take the blame for Mark's death, as well as being responsible for numerous other incidents with his family. If somewhere on the road to sobriety, Mason learned to have more empathy for Pamela than I would buy your take on the dinner party.
However, my contention is not with Mason welcoming Pamela back, but whether his anger is properly justified at that moment in 1991. Because, why are we suddenly re-adjudicating Sophia for Channing's murder? It feels like the connection between the two women's history was a missed opportunity from when Pamela first returned for Elena's trial. So, they shoe-horned it into the story in 1991. It was an artful shoe-horn, but not earned in terms of establishing the motivation.
One other point need I need clarification on, because I rely on your excellent memory. I had forgotten that Pamela knew that Cassandra was Minx's daughter before everyone else found out. In the synopsis on the French site there's a mention that Pamela spoke to Cassandra's father. But, that seems wrong, since I don't recall that we ever knew Cassandra's father. And I doubt Minx would have told Pamela at the time of Cassandra's birth. Do you think Cassandra was meant to be Scott's cousin (or sister)? Which would be odd since the character bio said that Scott left in 1989
Episode 1658 (the reappearance of Pamela)
Pamela confides in Mason that she knows a secret concerning Cassandra. She tells him that she is the illegitimate daughter of Minx Lockridge...
Episode 1659
Mason is shocked by Pamela's revelation. She explains to him that she learnt this from Cassandra's father, who she was frequently seeing during this time.
I see what your saying regarding the lack of connection to Pamela´s exit, though I´d counter that Mason´s reaction was more in the immediate aftermath of what had happened to him. To be fair, my concerns with the dinner party have always been on the lack of the complete follow through of the potential laid out.
I haven´t watched much of 1988; what I´ve seen (pre-strike) is a level of over the top that I don´t find appealing. I don´t get the sense though that Pamela´s mental health was treated with a level of seriousness in 1988 that I feel it is being treated in 1991, but I am willing to accept that I am wrong on.
Since C.C. and Mason´s reversed reconcilliation is a level of contention, what was the story that led to them reconcilling?
I guess I can see your point about whether Mason´s anger is justified. I would argue that part of the animosity between C.C. and Mason was that C.C. always saw Mason as the reminder of his problematic marriage to Pamela. Mason often felt that C.C. didn´t see him as enough; no one saw Mason as good enough in his own eyes. This was being played out well into 1990. I´ve seen a scene from September when Mason is on the verge of success with the Oasis and wants Julia by his side, but Julia is considering siding with Dash and the environmentalists. Lester played the hurt of that ongoing rejection well. I think C.C. playing God and dictating what happened to Pamela very easily sway Mason especially as I view Mason´s perspective through the lens of my belief that Mason is dealing with his own ongoing battles with mental health.
Another thing I´ve considered in recent years regarding the dinner party is what role Frank Hursley´s passing in 1989 played in Bridget Dobson´s writing. As I am sure you are aware, Frank Hursley abandoned his wife and family to marry Doris and have two daughters. I suspect some of the C.C. / Pamela / Sophia / Mason dynamics are being lifted from the Hursley family tree. I think Bridget may have needed to work out some things through that sequence.
To me, the bigger crime isn´t the timing of the Sophia/Pamela trials on motherhood but rather than Channing, Jr.´s murder was allowed to lay dormant for so many years (including the time that the Dobsons wrote). Channing´s death was a defining moment in the family´s history. To me, it´s the equivalent of Zach Brady´s death. I am also an apologist for the tension in Hope and Bo´s marriage several years later under Dena Higley even though that hadn´t been a focus in the inbetween. Events like that do not just die.
Cassandra´s father comes up during the dinner party. When Pamela outs Cassandra as Minx´s daughter, she mentions she knows Cassandra´s father very well. Before departing for the hospital, Pamela is confronted by Cassandra about the identity of her father and Pamela is no longer aware of the connection only suggesting that the man must know Pamela´s own father.
Where they were going with Cassandra´s paternity I do not know. Ben or Hal Clark are possible. I also wonder if they considered David Raymond at some point especially as I think that David was tested with Julia early on. I think the Dobsons may have initially intended to give Minx a greater presence with Janis Paige in the role as Dame Judith Anderson´s age had prevented them from using Minx in a way that I imagined they intended.
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@j swift I want to make sure I am interpreting what you are saying correctly. You are saying that you don´t feel Mason shouldn´t have welcomed Pamela back into his life because of what happened in 1988. If that is the case, I disagree. The sense I get from the two episodes of the dinner party is there is a very different take on mental illness than some of the previous years. The stance I felt Mason was taking was that his mother had committed all of those horrible crimes when she was mentally unwell, and that she should be exonerated the way that Sophia had been for murdering Channing, Jr. I would also suggest that Mason laid a lot of the blame for Pamela´s poor mental health on her treatment by C.C. The marriage, as recounted by Pamela during the episodes in question, sounds miserable and unbearable. Even as an adult, Mason appears to be a pawn in their game with one another. C.C. wants to maintain control over Mason, while Pamela hallucinates and imagines Mason as C.C. himself.
I also think it had been a well established element of Mason´s character that his separation from his mother and the coldness from his father were at the roots of Mason´s psyche. It is his mother after all. I think we will just disagree on this matter.
In regards to Kelly, Pamela states that she is suppose to ¨stay away from the family - especially Mason.¨ So Kelly is lumped in with everyone else even though she had significant reason her out.
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I´ve rewatched the dinner party several times in the last couple years. I think there are some details we are getting wrong. Mason brings Pamela to the dinner party after she has been released from the hospital with the help of C.C., not Mason. This has all been done offscreen, but the revelation is suppose to establish the amount of power and control C.C. exerts on those in his circle. Part of the stipulation of Pamela´s release, which C.C. has Pamela recite after she has completely lost it again, is that she wasn´t suppose to contact Mason or the family. In the subsequent confrontation between Mason and C.C., Mason brings up the fact that they have had a ceasefire in their animosity in the past few years, and C.C. fails to recognize anything he has done as wrong.
The dinner party is intriguing in that it pits parallel plots against each other. The ¨trial¨ forces Sophia to admit she, like Pamela, had spent many years away, much of it in a fugue state, and did something truly horrendous, killing her ¨son" Channing. Pamela and C.C.´s marriage sounds like hell and neither of them were capable of raising a child. This is all playing out while Eden has started her multiple personalities plot. And, also, Mason is a character who seems to suffer from untreated depression that manifests itself in his self-destructive behavior.
I haven´t seen much of the good years between Mason and C.C., but Mason´s animosity with his father seems to be at the heart of who his character is. Maybe a longer arc to get them back to that state would have been better, but the truth is SB never did long arcs.
I think the dinner party sets off a lot of loose plots that come together (and some that don´t). The trial seems to play well into the downfall of Eden with her assuming the role of Channing to execute her mother for her role in the crime. From what I´ve seen, this also leads to Sophia´s self-imposed banishment which allows C.C. to romance Santana, another person who suffers because C.C. ¨knows better" and has made sure she has stayed in the mental hospital.
Also, Pamela´s comment about Ruben and Rosa´s land leads to the revelation that this was the land that the Oasis was built on, which should have meant the property belonged to the Andrades. I imagine that at one point there was consideration that this would have led to Santana assuming the property with C.C. and Mason both trying to vie for the property (and her affection). Something else that seems to arise from the dinner party is Rosa Andrade seems to express much more disdain for the Capwell clan. I thought this was a fascinating facet to the character that was never really utilized enough.
With all that said, there definitely seems to be a sense of desperation in the Dobsons second run.
Carrington Garland was wonderful (in my opinion) as Kelly. The Kelly reset is not only unneeded, but wasteful. Davidson´s Kelly just sort of flutters around butting into people´s business in her first few months and I think might have a C-romance with Craig Hunt.
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10 hours ago, Neil Johnson said:
Wow. Thank you for all this detailed information. I was not aware that Mignon actually did return. I only heard that had been Lemay's plan. I also did not know she was murdered. I assume Lemay would have used Mignon as a long-term "Iris Carrington" type character -- using her money and influence to interfere in the lives of Travis and Liza for years to come. I doubt it was Lemay's plan to kill off Mignon.
I agree. It doesn´t seem likely that Lemay´s plan was to bring her back to murder her off. I´d speculate that storywise most of the show through about late July, 1981, follows elements of Lemay´s plans. The custody trial was a nice umbrella story set up by Gabrielle Upton, which Lemay runs with and brings even more parties into. I love all the reactionary fallout with characters choosing sides. I would also doubt that there would be no residue from the story in the months to come had Lemay stayed. Travis and Liza move on fairly quickly into a brief Dane Taylor as a potential romantic spoiler arc before deep diving into the murky labrynith that is the jade treasure plot.
I found the idea of Mignon Sentell becoming emotionally attached to baby Roger Lee an interesting dynamic that could have given the Liza/Mignon rivalry a different story to play rather than the redux of Mignon interfering simply in Travis and Liza´s marriage. I could see Lemay wanting Liza to embrace her artistic passion (music) and it coming between her and Travis as music was key to her relationship with her late first husband Steve Kaslo. I don´t think Dane Taylor was initially conceived as a spy.
The one story I feel that never gets off the ground, though Lemay seems to be laying some groundwork is a relationship between tempermental Garth Taper and loser in love Sunny Adamson. Sunny´s documentary on local artists seems to be the starting point. Given the Garth´s volatile marriage to Kathy, I cannot see that marriage lasting long. Garth´s backstory with Tessa (the other man´s baby) would have given Garth very real insight into the situation that Sunny was experiencing with Lee, Cissie, and Roger Lee. I could see that relationship leading to a quasi-rape situation between Sunny and Garth where Garth thinking it was consensual and Sunny claiming he forced her. Soaps, however, have never done those stories well.
I am curious what, if any, plans Lemay had for Ted Adamson and Janet Collins. There seems to be almost no suggestion of what would happen after Jamie leaves town except for Janet´s paranoia over the omnious threat of Jamie returning at some point to extract her revenge. Though I do wonder if the plan wouldn´t have been to bring Gary Walton (not Tom Bergman) back to the fold as their would be obvious tension to resume regarding Gary raising (or not raising) his child with Ted´s daughter, Laine.
9 hours ago, Sapounopera said:Loved reading the synopsis, thank you for sharing it @dc11786!
1981 Search seems far more interesting before becoming an adventure soap.
The early stuff written by Gabrielle Upton is a mixed bag. Garth Taper doesn´t feel like the sort of character that could lead as much story as he was given. His connections to the canvas were limited (a brother he wouldn´t talk to and a relationship with a fairly islanded character in Kathy), though this feels very much in line with the kind of material Upton wrote on ¨Love of Life.¨ The Jamie Adamson stuff seems absurd with the terrorist connections. The falling off the train and the amnesia plot seems very plot heavy and intentionally built obstacles without the long lasting ramifications. The one story that really works is the Roger Lee story. The story involving Sunny´s brain tumor and the quack Winston Kyle on the island is another unnecessarily extravagant plot.
Lemay seems to start to ground the story again and it works for me based on the synopses. I think most of the material from early April through late July seems highly enjoyable. There is stuff after that has potential (Brian´s arrival with the boxing story and Suzi´s arrival with her interest in Brian), but already the jade storyline seems to be taking up too much story space. In August, the show starts to hack away at itself by murdering Mignon, deciding to ship off Spence Langley after bring back Brian Emerson because they had Zach Anders (who could never have been played longterm effectively), and callously writing off Ellie Bergman by having her run off with the chef. It just doesn´t feel like a show with much energy despite the constant plot movement.
Chastain´s work is hard to judge because if what he claims is true, he worked off projections of someone else, than he might not be to blame for the horrid jade story, but also might not be responsible for the boxing storyline either. The adventure stories aren´t effective.
Actually, really looking at how bad the show gets by December, 1981, it´s actually impressive what Ellis and Hunt did manage to do even if they wrote out a bunch of older cast members in the process for the NBC run.
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On 9/22/2023 at 7:06 AM, Neil Johnson said:
What year was Harding Lemay head-writer at SFT? Wasn't it around 1981? So I assume Travis was still alive, and the Kendalls had not yet arrived in Henderson. Is that correct? I've read one of Lemay's plans was to bring Mignon back to the canvas. That makes sense, because she was the type of neurotic controlling character that Lemay loved to write. It would be interesting to know what other plans Lemay had for SFT. He liked to write for troubled characters who, to a large degree, created their own problems. He also enjoyed writing for characters who had historical conflicts that he could exploit for future plots/scenes (Jo and Stephanie, for example) For those of you who were watching, did you see any sense of Lemay taking the show in that direction?
According to Mary Ann Cooper's column, Harding Lemay's first script aired on March 30, 1981. Gabrielle Upton's last script aired March 27, 1981. This was announced in a February 28, 1981 column. The Writer's Strike of 1981 began on April 11, 1981. So assuming that Lemay had already written the first script he probably only had on air scripts through about early May, which was about the time frame that the credits began to disappear on the episodes on "Ryan's Hope" that aired on SoapNet from that period.
Lemay seems to set up the return of Mignon as well as the return of the real Brian Emerson (and I wouldn´t be surprised if his long story involved the return of the aged Suzi Wyatt as his romantic interest). He quickly nixes Sunny´s brain tumor story (it´s cured) and wraps up the Jamie Adamson tale (like the tumor, she disappears). He also writes out David Sutton during the height of the custody trial. Lewis Artl´s departure seems to take a lot of the conflict out of the situation involving Garth and Kathy´s sudden marriage. The custody trial seems to continue focusing on the relationships between the characters and the reaction to the events in the story. Elements of the Richard Kent story seem to be a bit Lemay-esque (the emphasis on artists), but I cannot imagine this was what Lemay originally planned unless this was his middle ground with Mary Ellis Bunim. I suspect this might be the infamous rape story he refused to write.
Also, Don Chastain claims that he was fired after submitting his first set of story projections in the fall of 1981. Prior to that, he claims he was writing ¨someone else´s stories and characters.¨ He had plotted a story, which he claimed had been approved and had been launched, that would have sent Travis Sentell into outer space. This was most likely the Project Goliath story that seems to start in October and is quickly forgotten only to be replaced by Operation Sunburst. It seems possible that Chastain was writing off Lemay´s projections for much of the strike. Until about late July, the show remains relatively normal until deep diving into the jade caper which devolves into some sorta mess involving spy networks and secret cartels or something.
Chastain´s scripts get some praise from at least one columnists, while there is also mentions of how bizarre some of his material was. The infamous ¨Ellie runs off with the cook¨ wasn´t a strike story. It happens in October, 1981, well after the end of the strike. Also, this story led to an insane moment where a drunken Stu Bergman ends up seeing a life size rabbit on Halloween. Chastain´s proposed outer space story projection would be something to behold. Given the mess the show is in November/December 1981, I think Chastain´s departure was a smart move.
These are from the "Daytime Dial" and ¨Tune in Tomorrow¨ columns covering the weeks leading up Lemay's arrival into the Writer's Strike covering Mignon's return, the murder mystery, and the conclusion of the year.
March 2 - March 6, 1981: Martin Tourneur, planning a business trip to Miami, asks Joanne Tourneur to go along. At first, she agrees, but then decides it's unfair to drop all business problems in Stu and Ellie Bergman's lap. Stephanie Wyatt, planning a trip to South America, says goodbye to Max Taper and the two are obviously growign close. Stephanie, on her way to Miami to catch her South American crusise ship, is delighted when she finds Martin is a fellow airplane passenger. Dr. Jamie Larsen Adamson was hospitalized after falling from a train during an argument with Janet Collins about Ted Adamson. JAmie remains in critical confition and Ted and Janet both feel guilty. Stu is surprised when he discovers Wendy Wilkins is living with Spence Langley. Wendy complains about the cockroaches in the space she is sharing with Spence. Brian is going back to law school. Garth Taper lured Kathy Phillips to Jamaica under false pretenses, then proceeded to charm her. Travis and Liza Sentell learned that Cissie Mitchell was pregnant when Stephanie Wyatt first met her.
March 9 - March 13, 1981: Cissie Mitchell is shattered when she realizes the Sentells may take Roger Lee to Europe for two months. She decides it is time to tell Travis and Liza that she is the baby´s mother, and tells Travis. Travis knows this is true, but emotionally cannot accept it. Cissie tells Travis either he takes her to Europe with them or he must leave the baby in Henderson with her. An upset Travis fires Cissie and orders her out of the house. Dr. Jamie Adamson regained consciousness, but believes she is in the 1960s. Jamie is reliving the horrors of her early life and Ted Adamson realizes that is will be a long time before he can divorce his emotionally unstable wife. The press intimates that Jamie´s fall from the train may not have been an accident. Janet Collins realizes that Ted must stay with Jamie for the time being. Sunny Adamson is wondering if it is right to marry Lee Sentell. Kathy Phillips and Garth Taper are married in Jamaica. Spence Langley missed Wendy Wilkins´ birthday party in order to assure Cissie he would help her in her fight with the Sentells for Roger Lee´s custody. Sunny Adamson admits to Jo Tourneur she is not yet ready to marry Lee.
March 16 - March 20, 1981: When Kathy Phillips Taper fails to return home from Jamaica, her son Doug Phillips is upset, but turns happy when he learns Kathy and Garth Taper are married and Garth is his new father. Upset over Doug´s future with irresponsible Garth, David Sutton asks Kathy to tell Garth that David is the father. Travis Sentell explains Cissie Mitchell´s firing to his wife Liza Sentell. Travis does not think Cissy can take Roger Lee away from him and Liza. Cissy turned away at attempt to visit Liza. After Travis tells Lee Sentell of Cissie´s claim, Lee feels the baby may be his too, but Spence Langley comes to Cissie´s defense and tell Lee he is the father. Wendy Wilkin´s jealousy of Spence and Cissie´s secret meetings abates when she realizes she is the only woman in Spence´s life. Cissie filing lawsuit against the Sentells, which Kathy feels she won´t win. It seems that Martin Tourneur and Stephanie Wyatt were not only in Miami at the same time, but resided at the same motel. After Sunny Adamson tells Lee she´s not ready to get married, they postpone the wedding.
March 23 - March 27, 1981: (Gabrielle Upton´s final week) After Kathy Taper tells Garth Taper that David Sutton is her son Doug Phillip´s father, Garth is angry and admits his jealousy of David and his visits. Visiting Jamie Adamson at the hospital, Kathy meets Garth´s brother, Dr. Max Taper, whom Garth refuses to talk about. Kathy tries to reunite the brothers. Kathy agrees to take Cissie Mitchell´s case. Suspecting Spence Langley is Roger Lee Sentell´s father and is in love with Cissie, Wendy Wilkins moves out on him. Fearing Cissie will do something rash, Travis and Liza Sentell plan an early departure with Roger Lee to Europe, but receive a summons to appear at a preliminary hearing. When Jamie, who is faking her amnesia, leads Janet Collins into believing Ted and Jamie consummated their marriage, a very upset Janet goes to San Francisco to stay with her son Gary Walton. Sunny Adamson and Lee Sentell to marry in May. Because Kathy was unfaithful to him once, Garth feels he cannot trust her. Experimental treatment being given to the unremembering Jamie. Cissie goes to the pediatrician´s office when she finds out Roger Lee is there.
March 30, 1981 - April 3, 1981: (Harding Lemay´s first week) Liza and Travis Sentell are disappointed and angry because Kathy Taper is handling Cissie Mitchell´s custody suit. In response, the Sentells hire David Sutton as their attorney. Lee Sentell agreed to be a character witness against Cissie. Refusing to tell everyone that Lee is the father of her baby, and fearing Lee will tell the court they slept together, Cissie asks Spence Langley to marry her, but he refuses. In spite of Kathy´s attempts, Garth Taper still refuses to see his brother, Max Taper, but Kathy finds out Max bought Garth´s painting for $5, 000. Garth informs Cissie he loved a girl who had had a stillborn baby. Convincing Jo Tourneur there´s nothing between him and Stephanie Wyatt, Martin Tourneur and Jo make up. Jo agrees to curb her jealous nature. Jamie Adamson´s amnesia is apparently undiminished. When Ted Adamson and Janet Collins get back together, Ted and Janet both suspect Jamie is faking amnesia. After Wendy Wilkins gets a job at Steve´s (Stu´s?) restaurant she is offered Suzy´s old room by Martin. Wendy thinks Spence is Roger Lee´s brother (father?).
April 6, 1981 - April 10, 1981: In court, Cissie Mitchell refuses to let Kathy Taper question Lee Sentell. Later, Cissie plots to to kidnap her son, Roger Lee Sentell. Cissie promises to lift her demands on Spence Langley once he agrees to be a character witness for her at the custody trial. Because Kathy´s representing Cissie in custody suit, Lee and Travis Sentell consider her an enemy. Stu Bergman is unhappy with Spence Langley´s relationship with Cissie and is taking time off from work. Garth Taper making sculpture called ¨Brother Love," which he refuses to sell. Kathy convinces Wendy Wilkins that Spence really loves her. When Kathy finds Dee she refuses to testify on Cissie´s behalf. Cissie still refuses to let Spence tell that he is Roger Lee´s father. Ted Adamson fails to convince Dr. Max Taper that his wife Dr. Jamie Adamson is faking her illness. While Ted fails, his daughter Sunny Adamson succeeds in catching a faking Jamie in a lie, thus proving to Sunny that Jamie´s amnesia is not real. Sunny is told by Max her brain tumor is completely cured. Sunny set out to reunite Max and his brother Garth.
April 13, 1981 - April 17, 1981: Refusing to tell Kathy Taper that Lee Sentell is the natural father of her baby Roger Lee Sentell, Cissie Mitchell plans to use the tape she made to her unborn child at trial. At hearing, Spence Langley states he met Cissie Mitchell after she was pregnant. To everyone´s dismay, Kathy Taper reveals Liza Sentell and Travis´ mother, Mignon Sentell, were under psychiatric care. Liza successfully challengea Cathy´s insintuations about Liza´s mental state. Liza catches Cissie in nursery clothing her baby. When Ted Adamson tries to throw a cured Jamie Adamson from his house, she threatens to charge Janet Collins with attempted murder if Ted files for annulment. Because Jamie refuses to leave, Sunny Adamson and David Sutton investigate her leading to Sunny´s offers to go to Washington, D.C., to track down Jamie´s FBI file. Garth Taper refuses to have Sunny do a documentary on local artists. Sunny invites both Garth and his brother, Dr. Max Taper, to her wedding. Even after Spence and Wendy Wilkins make up, she prefers to stay at her mother´s house. Jo Tourneur dissuaded Stu Bergman from firing Spence.
April 20, 1981 - April 24, 1981: Not believing Jamie Adamson when she claims the FBI has a file on her because she was indirectly responsible for her aunt and uncle´s death, Sunny Adamson decides to go to Washington, D.C., to check on Jamie´s story. This leads to Sunny´s discovery that Jamie is wanted by the FBI for instigating riots. Lee Sentell gets Sunny to move their wedding date up to May 2. Wanting to see her baby again, Cissie Mitchell sneaks into Roger Lee Sentell´s bedroom, but is discovered, and Liza Sentell thinks she´s trying to kidnap the child. As a result, David Sutton secures a court order barring Cissie from the Sentell home. Garth Taper bolts after running into his brother Max Taper. Garth agrees to be a subject for Sunny´s documentary about artists. Stu Bergman wants to fire Spence Langley because he is friends with Cissie. Ted Adamson warns Janet Collins not to have any contact with Jamie. Jamie, vowing revenge on Janet, takes a bottle of acid and spills it on a picture of Janet´s face. Liza gets judge to believe her emotional problems were all natural reactions to stressful situations.
April 27, 1981 - May 1, 1981: When Sunny Adamson discovers her stepmother Jamie Adamson is wanted by the FBI, Jamie admits her marriage to Ted Adamson was never consummated and agrees to annulment. A disgraced Jamie donned a disguise after Sunny confronted her about her criminal past. Hating Janet Collins so much, Jamie tries unsuccessfully to throw acid in her face. On TV, Ted Adamson announces his resignation as governor. Ted´s action leads to admiration from Stu Bergman, the father of Ted´s paramour Janet Collins. Unless new evidence is presented, Judge McNair cannot say Cissie Mitchell can get her baby back. Kathy Taper gets Cissy to admit that Lee Sentell is really the babyś father. Cissie plays the audio tape made before the baby was born for a stunned Sunny to show she is really Roger Lee Sentell´s mother. Liza Sentell will not leave her home. David Sutton, still unhappy about losing his son Doug Phillips to Garth Taper, plans to move to state capitol separating them even further. Returning to Henderson, Stephanie Wyatt calls Martin Tourneur. During their conversation, Martin agrees to help Stephanie reunite wiht her daughter Wendy Wilkins. When Stephanie goes home, she finds Wendy dining with Spence Langley and seems resigned to their relationship. Even though it´s the first time in 12 years, Garth refuses to talk to his brother Max Taper when they run into each other.
May 4, 1981 - May 8, 1981: Learning her future husband Lee Sentell sired Cissie Mitchell´s baby, Sunny Adamson is stunned. When Sunny plays the tape for Lee that Cissie left, he refuses to believe it and wants the wedding to go ahead. After a few drinks, Lee visits Cissie and demands more proof or she won´t get the baby back. Lee then tells Martin Tourneur he might be Roger Lee Sentell´s father. Martin suggests postponing the weddding and taking antibody test to determine parentage. Sunny agrees to postpone the wedding. Leaving Henderson for good, David Sutton says goodbye to Kathy Taper. Jamie Adamson disappears from Henderson. Joanne Tourneur tells Stephanie Wyatt she´s onto the game she´s playing with Martin. Stephanie pumped Spence Langley for information about her son Brian Emerson, but Spence didn´t know Brian´s whereabouts.
May 11, 1981 - May 15, 1981: (about a month after the strike starts so Lemay´s scripts should be almost out) Although Jamie Adamson has disappeared, Janet Collins fears that she will return. David Sutton says goodbye to Kathy Taper and asks that Doug be allowed to visit him in Washington. Garth Taper upset when he catches his wife Cathy and David in emotional goodbye hug. When Lee Sentell tells Liza Sentell he may be Roger Lee Sentell´s father, she falls apart and insists there will be no paternity blood tests. When Travis Sentell says tests need to be taken, Liza feels he too is against her. Travis leaves for a Mideast business trip. Stephanie Wyatt and Max Taper become closer even though Stephanie still has a yen for Martin Tourneur. Stephanie befriended Cissie Mitchell and encouraged her to fight for her child. Later, Cissie applies, and secures, a position as Max´s receptionist.
May 18, 1981 - May 22, 1981: (Max Taper´s story starts to pick up. Don Chastain most likely has started as scab headwriter mostly working on scripts from ¨other people´s stories¨) Kathy Taper orders the court to have Lee Sentell submit to a paternity test for Roger Lee. Stu Bergman harangued Martin Tourneur for suggesting the paternity test. Fearing her son will be taken from her if tests show Lee is really her baby´s father, Liza Sentell takes baby Roger Lee and heads for New Orleans under assumed name. Returning from Europe, Travis Sentell begins search for Liza and the baby. Max Taper goes to Garth Taper and they hash out their past problems. Twelve years ago, Garth was in love with Tessa, who became pregnant by another man. The 16-year-old girl claimed the child was Max´s, although Max was happily married to Jennifer. Garth believed the story and decided to help raise her child. When the baby was stillborn, Tessa disappeared and Garth left his family. At first Garth refuses to beleive Max´s contention that the baby wasn´t his, but a letter Tessa sent Max a year ago proves his story. Garth feels a fool who lost 12 years of his life, but couldn´t promise a reconcilliation with his brother. Kathy Taper having trouble communicating with Garth. Garth and Sunny Adamson lean on each other.
May 25, 1981 - May 29, 1981: (Mignon returns.) Sunny Adamson is upset when Lee Sentell says he wants to adopt Roger Lee Sentell if the child is his. Stu Bergman considers Lee the enemy. Travis Sentell slapped Lee for telling Cissie´s attorney Kathy Taper about the paternity test. Stephanie Wyatt asks Cissy Mitchell to move in with her and vows to help win the battle with the Sentells. Stephanie´s daughter Wendy disapproved of Stephanie´s actions. Stephanie encouraged Cissie to fight for Lee. Doug Phillips misses Cissie as his baby sitter. Martin Tourneur goes to the sanitarium where his sister Mignon Sentell has been a patient and learns she is totally recovered and must be treated as a normal, capable human being. He also discovers that Mignon was released from the sanitarium. Garth Taper still unable to be close to Max Taper because he feels he´s been made a fool of by Tessa, the firl he loved when he was younger.
June 1, 1981 - June 5, 1981: Tests prove that Roger Lee Sentell is Lee Sentell´s biological son. Liza Sentell is hysterical suspecting that Cissie Mitchell had tampered with the results. Martin Tourneur is stunned that Mignon Sentell, his once-emotionally- ill sister, seems to be well-balanced. Travis Sentell brings his wife Liza and his mother Mignon back to Henderson. Jo Tourneur invites Mignon to stay at the Henderson Inn, but Mignon begged off in order to stay with Liza and Travis during the custody battle. Lee feels that perhaps by joining forces with Cissie Mitcehll he can once again see his son. Kathy Taper jealous of the so-called housekeeper Vicki Curtis since she spends more time modeling for her husband Garth Taper than cleaning the house or watching her son Dougie Phillips. Garth tells Sunny Adamson the documentary she´s doing on his life is causing problems in his marriage. Stephanie Wyatt asked Spence Langley to find her son Brian Emerson.
June 8, 1981 - June 12, 1981: (The brutal attack may give us a clue to the rape story that Lemay has stated he had conflict with Mary-Ellis Bunim over. I wonder if Richard was intended to eventually rape Sunny) Liza Sentell crushed when tests show Lee Sentell is Roger Lee Sentell´s natural father. Following argument with his wife Kathy Taper over Vicki Curtis´s lack of attention to household chores, Garth Taper spends the night at his friend Richard Kent´s apartment. Vicki tags along. When Vicki passes on message to Garth that his brother Max Taper wants to see him, Garth leaves in a rage. While Vicky is on phone to Max to discuss Garth´s temper flare ups, someone comes in and brutally attacks her. Kathy Taper and Max think Garth may have done it after Kathy discovers Garth has a history of assault. The child custody hearing begins. Travis and Liza Sentell´s attorney, Giles, brings out that Stephanie Wyatt once had a child out of wedlock and this is why she has taken Cissie Mitchell into her home. Kathy forces Sunny to appear as a character witness for Cissie, but Giles gets Sunny to admit that Cissie may be using her child to get Lee Sentell back. In court, Cissie announces her love for Lee. On the witness stand, Kathy damages Liza´s credibility when Liza breaks down and court must adjourn. When Travis tries to talk to Liza, she tells him to get away, blaming him for their return to Henderson. Mignon Sentell blames Liza for the conflict between her son Travis and his cousin Lee. Mignon asks Lee for a visit while she is taking care of little Roger Lee Sentell, and Lee gets to be with his son for the first time. Travis and Liza return home unexpectedly and are shocked when they see Lee holding the baby. Ellie Bergman overhears Mignon tell little Roger Lee he´ll soon be living in New Orleans.
June 15, 1981 - June 19, 1981: As the custody suit continues rift between Liza and Travis Sentell, Travis promises his cousin Lee Sentell unlimited visitation of Roger Lee Sentell if he and Liza retain custody of the baby, while Cissie Mitchell makes Lee same promise. Liza fears she´s losing control. Mignon Sentell is becoming obsessed with her adopted grandson Roger Lee Sentell. Vicki Curtis is unable to recall who attacked her. Kathy Taper feels Garth Taper only person responsible for Vicki´s attack. When Garth arrested by the police, Cathy gets trial recessed so she can see him in prison. Garth refuses to see Cathy because he senses she feels he´s guilty. After Max gets Garth out on bail, the two renew their brotherly feeling they had for each other years ago and Max tells Garth he knows Garth did not attack Vicki. The police also grilled Richard Kent, an artist, about Vicki´s beating. Sunny Adamson considered breaking things off with Lee, while Cissie dreamed of marrying Lee. At Stephanie Wyatt´s urging, Martin Tourneur asks Spencer Langley about her illegitimate son, Brian, and Spencer claims Brian wants nothing to do with his natural mother.
June 22, 1981 - June 26, 1981: (In his exit interview, Chastain claims he received accolades for writing the conclusion of the custody trial so Chastain is writing scripts for sure by this point) Travis and Liza Sentell stunned when judge gives Cissie Mitchell and Lee Sentell joint custody of their son, Roger Lee Sentell. Seeing it is impossible for Cissie to take care of baby part time, Lee suggests Cissie quit job and take care of baby full time and he will pay all her expenses. Mignon Sentell and Travis tell Lee never enter their home again. Stu Bergman orders Lee to move out of the Inn, since he blames him for Cissie winning custody suit. Sunny Adamson refuses to grant him room and board either. With Cathy believing Garth´s story that he did not attack Vicki Curtis, he returns home to Cathy. Ted Adamson balmes Stephanie Wyatt for Sunny and Lee´s split. Martin Tourneur and Spence Langley both attempt, and failed, to convince Stephanie to halt her search for her son Brian Emerson. Ted and Martin have business disagreements.
June 29, 1981 - July 3, 1981: Richard Kent, thinking Sunny Adamson is his ex-wife Alice, attacks her. Sunny floored Richard and realized he was the one who had attacked Vicki Curtis. Kent admits to Sunny that he was behind the attack, so Garth Taper is cleared. Kathy and Garth Taper reconcilled. Lee Sentell neglected Sunny to help Cissie purchase goodies for their son Roger Lee Sentell. Stephanie Wyatt tells Cissie Mitchell she´ll think of way to split Sunny Adamson and Lee Sentell. Stu Bergman is overjoyed when son Tom Bergman comes home to Henderson. Liza Sentell, unable to face loss of Roger Lee´s custody, becomes more reclusive and buries herself in her music.
July 6, 1981 - July 10, 1981: Hoping to end his wife Liza Sentell´s depression, Travis Sentell has his friend Dane Taylor agree to be her vocal coach. Liza and Dane hit it off immediately as Dane reminded Liza of her first husband, Steve Kaslo. Liza turns further away from Travis. Lee Sentell takes his son Roger Lee for the weekend. Cissie Mitchell considers taking an apartment in the same building as Lee, which led to Wendy admitting her distrust of Cissie. Lee is jealous of Tom Bergman and Sunny Adamsonś new friendship. Stephanie Wyatt learns her son Brian Emerson is in Oklahoma City after speaking with Paul Emerson, Brian´s father. Sunny Adamson accepts an out of town assignment.
July 13, 1981 - July 17, 1981: When Cissie Mitchell takes apartment and leaves building, Lee Sentell suspects it was Stephanie Wyatt´s doing. Lee offers to hire a nurse for their son Roger Lee, but Cissie insists on watching the child herself. Lee grew jealous when he discovered Sunny Adamson was dating Tom ¨Trip¨ Bergman. Feeling she needs time alone, Liza Sentell goes to New York to study with Dane Taylor. When Dane is out of town, she decides to take a cruise. Travis fumes that Liza has run off on him. Stephanie Wyatt finds her son Brian Emerson boxing in a ring. He wins the match after he is told to take a dive. His failure to do so has led to jeopardy from the fight fixers. When Stephanie introduces herself to Brian, he refuses to acknowledge her. Garth Taper feels he is living off his wife Kathy Taper´s money and feels further rebuffed when she says she is too tired to make love. Vicky returned to being Garth´s model and pursurer.
July 20, 1981 - July 24, 1981: Brian Emerson decides to leave town quickly to avoid his fight manager because he did not take a dive when he was supposed to. Wendy Wilkins is upset about her mother Stephanie Wyatt and Dr. Max Taper having an intimate relationship. Stephanie sought Trip Bergman´s help in investigating her son Brian Emerson´s boxing enemies. Stu disapproved of Trip´s investigation. Jo Tourneur encourages Trip and Sunny Adamson to renew old ties. Alone on a cruise, Liza Sentell is very unhappy and is curious when several gifts come from a mysterious cruisemate. She then learns that the flowers and jewelry are from her husband, Travis Sentell. Travis buys a pair of interesting jade earrings for Liza, which led Liza to blow a gasket. Singer Zach Anders and his cohort, Sylvie Descartes (it says Zoe, but I think that´s wrong) are also on the ship in search of the jade. Garth Taper and his model Vicki Curtis began a steamy affair. Dane Taylor left town.
July 27, 1981 - July 31, 1981: Travis and Liza Sentell made up on the Queen Elizabeth II. Travid tells Liza there is an operation which will allow her to become pregnant. She agrees to the procedure. Travis refuses to sell the jade to Sylvie. Brian Emerson, who ran from his gun-blasting tormentors, called his mother Stephanie Wyatt´s house, but hung up. Trip Bergman finds Brian in Oklahoma and makes arrangements for him to come to Henderson. The FBI finds Jamie Adamson in San Francisco when the car she is riding in is stopped by state patrol. Ted Adamson assures Janet Collins that the imprisoned Jamie will not hurt them, but Janet is fearful. Jo and Martin Tourneur vacationed in New Orleans, where Mignon Sentell is planning a boutique.
August 3, 1981 - August 7, 1981: To get annulment from Jamie Adamson, Ted Adamson offers to pay for an expensive lawyer to get his wife off for terrorist and murder charges. Jamie agrees and Ted is free. When Stephanie Wyatt´s son Brian Emerson appears at the house, Stephanie questions the boy. Brian flees and moves to the Inn. Wendy Wilkins senses her brother Brian is in hot water. When Stephanie goes to visit him there, she learns Brian has disappeared. Sunny Adamson and Trip Bergman are growing closer, while Lee Sentell seems to be getting closer to Cissie Mitchell. Roger Lee consumes pills which Sunny had dropped. Undergoing surgery to help her conceive in Vienna, Liza Sentell is discovered to have a tumor. Both doctors assure her husband Travis Sentell that Liza will be able to conceive, but they wihthold the fact that she might not carry the child to term. Lee Sentell was summoned to Bellville.
August 10, 1981 - August 14, 1981: (about a month since strike ended. At some point in near future, Don Chastain is credited even though he worked the strike). Jo and Martin Tourneur find Martin´s sister Mignon Sentell hanging from a noose. Henderson is stunned when Mignon Sentell is found murdered. Suzi Wyatt returns to Henderson. Garth Taper reveals to his brother Dr. Max Taper that his life, both personally and professionally, is in shambles. Spence Langley, preparing to go to law school, is looking for a clerkship and considers moving out of town. Things change when Kathy Taper hires Spence to work in her law office. Roger Lee Sentell unaffected by the aspirin he consumed. Sunny Adamson tells her former fiance Lee Sentell she´s considering overseas assignment for a while. Zach Anders and Sylvie Descartes arrive at the Henderson Inn. Wendy Wilkins disapproed of her mother Stephanie Wyatt´s steamy relationship with Max. Stu Bergman hired Wendy and Zach for his new nightclub room, the Terrace.
August 17, 1981 - August 21, 1981: Sylvie Descartes decides that Zack Anders´ job as singer at Hendeson House is a good way to get near the jade. Travis Sentell attends his mother´s funeral. Liza and Travis returned from New Orleans leading Lee Sentell to press for family unity. Duke, a goon working for the fight fixers, breaks into Stephanie Wyatt´s home in order to get her son Brian Emerson. Dr. Max Taper arrives on the scene and saves Stephanie. Brian returned and warned his sister Wendy Wilkins against Zach Anders, who enraptured both Wendy and her stepsister Suzi Wyatt. Sylvie orders Zach to get close to both girls in order to get info on Travis.
August 24, 1981 - August 28, 1981: Stephanie Wyatt is confused when her daughter Wendy Wilkins switches from dating Spence Langley and goes over to Zack Anders. Spence also bristled at Wendy and Zach´s closeness. Brian Emerson punches his former friend Spence when Spence admits he once impersonated Brian. Brian, who is now a bouncer at Henderson Inn, almost gets in trouble when the first person he bounces is a state senator. Brian warmed up to his mother, Stephanie Wyatt. Ted Adamson gets his annulment from Jamie, but Janet is fearful that there will still be trouble galore ahead. Cissie Mitchell and Lee Sentell are growing closer as Sunny Adamson is becoming more enamored of Tom Bergman. Sylvie Descartes pressures Zach to charm Liza and lift the jade. Liza mellowed towards Lee.
August 31, 1981 - September 4, 1981: Zach Anders and Sylvie Descartes get Liza Sentell to sing at the Henderson House so that Sylvie can get in and get pieces of the jade. Zach spots the jade on Liza´s finger. Sylvie´s mysterious adversary arrives. When she discovers Hemmings at the Sentell mansion, Sylvie kills him, searches for the jade pieces, but cannot find them. Wendy Wilkins is growing farther away from Spence Langley and closer to Zach Anders. Garth Taper feels guilty after his wife Kathy Taper almost caught him in the bushes with his lover Vicki Curtis. Lee Sentell resents Trip Bergman dating Cissie. Suzi Wyatt becomes buddies with her former stepmother Stephanie Wyatt and Cissie Mitchell. Brian Emerson and Zach clashed over Wendy. The police informed Travis Sentell that his mother Mignon Sentell´s death was a murder, not a suicide. Sylvie replaced Zach´s scarf which was found near Mignon´s body.
September 7, 1981 - September 11, 1981: Vicki Curtis reveals her affair with Garth Taper to Garth´s wife, Kathy. In the aftermath, Garth was involved in a fatal car accident. Dr. Max Taper rushes to the hospital to try and save his brother Garth Taper, but it is too late. Garth succumbs to his injuries he sustained in the car crash. Garth´s passing stuns his wife Cathy Taper and Vicki Curtis. Sylvie Descartes used Zach´s scarf to strangle Mr. Billings, her enemy, and nixed telling Zach where she is concealing the corpse. Travis Sentell is beginning to think that his mother Mignon Sentell´s death which has been ruled a murder and not a suicide may be tied up with the break-in of their apartment and Hemming´s death. Spence Langley tells Wendy Wilkins he´s leaving for law school. While saddened, Wendy continues to grow closer to Zach Anders. After catching Zach kissing Wendy, Sylvie warned Zach to steer clear of Wendy if he wanted Wendy to live.
September 14, 1981 - September 18, 1981: Garth Taper´s funeral is held. Liza Sentell and Cathy Taper renew their friendship when Liza tells her she knows how she feels because she remembers Steve Kaslo´s death. Stu Bergman also buried the hatchet with Kathy. Wendy Wilkins taken aback when Sylvia Descartes warns her to stay away from Zack Anders, but Stephanie Wyatt steps in and takes care of Sylvie. Ellie Bergman distrusts Sylvie. With Spence Langley leaving town, Wendy grows closer to Zack Anders. A mysterious man (Bobby Stuart) snooped in Mignon Sentellś home and fondles a picture of Mignon. Brian Emerson and Suzi Wyatt hit it off. Sunny Adamson confided in Trip Bergman that she feels shut out by Lee Sentell, who has been distracted by Cissie´s bed.
September 21, 1981 - September 25, 1981: Sunny Adamson is taken aback when her father Ted Adamson says she seems to revel in her myriad problems. When Cissie Mitchell becomes ill, Lee Sentell runs to her side, making Sunny wonder if she even wants to marry Lee. Bobby Stuart, who has returned to help investigate Mignon Sentell´s death, tells Travis Sentell a flower-peddler saw Mignon standing in the window of her apartment hours after the coroner said she must have been dead- so Bobby and Travis come to the conclusion that it was the murderer standing in the window and the murderer was a woman. Jo Tourneur upset by her niece Suzi Wyatt dating Brian Emerson because Jo felt Suzi was abandoning her dance studies to chase Brian. Sylvie Descartes copied the inscription from Liza Sentell´s jade, but a jeweler failed to translate it becasue the inscription is incomplete.
September 28, 1981 - October 2, 1981: Dane Taylor is livid when Zack Anders misses Liza Sentell´s opening at the club because he and Wendy Wilkins are stuck in a cabin during a rainstorm. Stephanie Wyatt distrusts Zach. Stu Bergman angered Suzi Wyatt by firing Brian Emerson. Brian wants to resume his boxing career and goes to Martin Tourneur and Ted Adamson for funding. Martin agrees to sponsor Brian´s return to the ring. Cissie Mitchell plans to open a dance studio in order to make money. Lee Sentell is growing closer to Cissie and further away from Sunny Adamson as Lee feels he is playing second fiddle to Sunny´s work. Cathy Taper is struggling with her son Dougie Phillips, who misses the late Garth Taper terribly and cannot understand why he has again been deserted by a father figure. Bobby Stuart learned that a strange woman was seen in Mignon´s house.
October 5 , 1981 - October 9, 1981: Dane Taylor receives mysterious phone calls. It is revealed Dane Taylor was involved in the black market while in Vietnam and also is interested in the jade pieces Liza and Travis Sentell own. Sylvie studied Liza´s jade inscription. Cissie Mitchell makes sure she shows up at a restaurant where Lee Sentell is dining alone. Sunny Adamson catches Cissie merrily dining with Lee. When Sunny sees the twosome she is openly agitated, but Lee blames Sunny for being too busy to ever spend time with him. On their way back to Henderson, Zack Anders and Wendy Wilkins are involved in a car accident. Lost in the woods, Zack is unable to find way out for them and returns to Wendy, who is seriously ill from an insect bite. Stephanie Wyatt tells the police she thinks Sylvie Descartes may have kidnapped Wendy and Zach. The cops grilled Sylvie about the missing young people. Ted Adamson helped Martin Tourneur manage Brian Emerson´s career. Both men publically announced they are backing Brianś boxing career.
October 12, 1981 - October 16, 1981: Lee Sentell and Cissie Mitchell went to bed together. Travis Sentell swore Martin Tourneur to secrecy about a top secret project, code-named Goliath, that is in the works at Tourneur Instruments. Dane Taylor makes a mysterious call. Unbenownst to Travis and his wife Liza Sentell, Dane is a spy who´s following their activities. In the woods, Wendy Wilkins has knee trouble again and feels dizzy with a fever. Stephanie Wyatt tells Kathy Taper and Trip Bergman she thinks Sylvie Descartes and Zach Anders are kidnappers. Wendy calls Stephanie saying she´s fine, and Zack returns to the Inn. Stephanie is relieved when Zach and Wendy return, but Stephanie disapproves of the couple. Brian Emerson receives boxing coaching from Kid Granite. Sylvie tries to explain the delay in getting the jade to her boss.
October 19, 1981 - October 23, 1981: (Ellie Bergman departs. Chastain most definitely would be credited by this point despite this supposedly happening during the strike) Ellie Bergman dumped her husband Stu Bergman and split with Armand, the Henderson Inn´s chef. News of Ellie´s decision depresses Stu. The mysterious Mr. Woo informed Travis Sentell that his father, Rusty Sentell, may be alive in Hong Kong. Travis and Liza head to Hong Kong to follow the lead. Lee Sentell joined Travis' secret agricultural project. Zach Anders agreed to help Sylvie Descartes. When Sylvie hears that Travis and Liza are heading to Hong Kong, they follow. Sylvie wants the jade. Jo Tourneur disapproved of Suzi Wyatt and Brian Emerson´s romance. Martin Tourneur and Ted Adamson hire Kid Granite to be Brian´s trainer. Sunny Adamson´s uncertainy about her future with Lee has Lee upset, but gives Cissie Mitchell hope. Wendy Wilkins wants to leave home. Zack asks her to think twice about it and promises if he has to leave town he´ll be back for her.
October 26, 1981 - October 30, 1981: Sylvie Descartes and Zach Anders followed Liza and Travis Sentell to Hong Kong, where Sunny Adamson did a story on Travis´ search for his father. Hired by Sylvie to get the jade, a stranger mugs Liza and Travis, but does not get the goods. Sylvie´s boss monitored Liza and Travis. Wendy Wilkins is upset by Zack´s sudden disappearance. Lee Sentell and Sunny parted company. Martin Tourneur and Trip Bergman helped Stu Bergman shake the blues over losing his wife Ellie. Stephanie Wyatt and Martin Tourneur are disappointed because they are given little opportunity to see Brian train for the big fight.
November 2, 1981 - November 6, 1981: In Hong Kong, Sylvie Descartes and Zach Anders abduct Travis Sentell. Sylvie´s henchmen kill Mr. Woo. Liza Sentell manages to escape from Sylvie and flees to a Chinese theatre where she receives a call from Sylvie, who demands the jade. Travis snatches teh phone and tells Liza not to listen to the demands, but is kidnapped by another couple who were hired to find the jade. Sunny Adamson discovers that Dane Taylor is also interested in the jade. Stephanie Wyatt discovers the drowned corpse of Sylvie´s enemy. Brian Emerson to fight Mad Dog Evans in a three-round bout. Duke, one of the fight fixers from Oklahoma, comes to Henderson and Wendy Wilkins tells him Brian is at the gym. Ted Adamson fixes the fight for Brian. Dane Taylor arrives in Hong Kong and tries to rescue both Liza and Travis. Dane nixes Sunny Adamson´s pleas to call the cops. Stu Bergman attempts a youthful image. Stephanie Wyatt and Kathy Taper discover Hemmings´ body in the lake and the investigation hangs around the red scarf on his neck.
November 9, 1981 - November 13, 1981 : Liza Sentell frees herself from her jade-hungry captors. Sylvie Descartes, who drugged Travis Sentell, is threatened by her rivals. Travis escapes his kidnapper, but is later recapture and taken on a Chinese junk. Liza Sentell gets jade from the bank and tries to contact Sylvie. Brian Emerson wins his first fight, unaware Ted Adamson engineered his victory. Duke shows up and hits Brian in the head. Hospitalized, Brian is told by Kid Granite he is a good fighter, but not a champion, and Granite resigns as his manager. Trip Bergman investigates the the drowning of Sylvie´s enemy, whose connection to Sylvie is yet unknown. Sylvie summoned Liza.
November 16, 1981 - November 20, 1981: (In early November, it is announced that Don Chastain was released both from his writing and acting roles. It would be safe to say that ¨Jackson Chase¨ has taken over by this week) Kid Granite convinced Brian Emerson to trade in his boxing gloves. Sunny Adamson was arrested for suspicion of robbing the jade from a museum. Dane Taylor´s boss ordered him to get the jade. Liza has not yet caught up with her husband Travis Sentell, Sylvie Descartes, and Zach Anders, but has found the the other half of the jade inscription. As the bomb ticks away, Liza is able to get the jade out of the safe, but Sylvie discovers a piece of the jade is missing - hence she cannot figure out the code. Sylvie tells Liza that Travis is dead. In Henderson, Martin Tourneur beleives that Hemmings´ and Mignon´s murders are connected. Wendy Wilkins is still upset becasue Zach has disappeared. Stephanie Wyatt promoted a match between her daughter Wendy and Trip Bergman. Brian Emerson recuperates in the hospital after his beating from Duke. Dr. Max Taper left Henderson.
November 23, 1981 - November 27, 1981: Sylvie Descartes grabs the jade and held Liza Sentell hostage. A jade expert informed Sylvie that the jade is still incomplete. Sylvie lied to Liza saying that her husband Travis Sentell is dead. Dane Taylor rescues Travis before the ship blows up. Travis learns Dane doesn know where Liza is. Sylvie threatens to kill Liza. Released by the police after questioning concerning the jade theft, Sunny Adamson is given a source who can provide code to the jade´s secret message. Brian Emerson is heartbroken, with no job, no fighting career, and no money. He doesn´t know where to turn until Suzi Wyatt comes around. Jo Tourneur and her niece Suzi sparred over Suzi´s boyfriend, Brian. Stephanie Wyatt and her daughter Wendy Wilkins bonded over becoming losers at love.
November 30, 1981 - December 4, 1981: After Dane Taylor rescued Travis Sentell, the two men took off in pursuit of Travis´ wife Liza Sentell. Sylvie Descartes lifted the missing part of the jade from a museum and goes to the fort tower. Escaping from prison, Sunny Adamson also learned the riddle of the jade and goes looking for Sylvie, who is with her accomplice Zach Anders. Martin Tourneur learns Zach killed somebody. Wendy Wilkins, Zach´s girlfirend, is stunned by the news and will talk to no one. Martin concluded that Billings was connect with Sylvie. Brian Emerson cooled his relationship with Suzi Wyatt because he feels like a failure.
December 7, 1981 - December 11, 1981: Sylvie Descartes and Zach Anders discover an empty carton and a cannister of film instead of the treatsure. An angry Sylvie vows to kill them all and point a gun at Liza Sentell, but Zach steps in and takes the fatal bullet. After Zack´s death, Sylvie continues to prepare to kill everyone else, when suddenly a shot rings out from behind and Sylvie is exterminated by an unseen sniper. Dane Taylor rushes to the film cannister and seemingly destroys the film. Dane helped Travis Sentell rescue Travis´ wife Liza Sentell, then split under orders from his bosses. Mysterious criminals knew that Dane grabbed the microfilm that Sylvie sought. At the hospital, Travis wonders what Dane is doing. Dane takes the film, which he hasn really destroyed, and looks thought it, but learns almost all of the frames were destroyed. Travis discovered Sylvie´s organization lured him to Hong Kong on the pretext that his father was alive. Stephanie Wyatt tries to console her daughter Wendy WIlkins ove Zack´s death.
December 14, 1981 - December 18, 1981: (Ralph Ellis and Eugenie Hunt depart in December 1982 around this time. Suspecitng they may have started this week or the one after. Next week, there is mention of Project Sunburst, which drags out for most of Hunt-Ellis´ run) Dane Taylor admits to Travis Sentell he´s a counterespionage agent. Dane believes Travis can help him with the damaged film. On a postcard, Travis spots the name Sentell and a blurry figure, feeling it may be his father. Dane decides to quit the government post but changes his mind when Bones is murdered just before he is going to reveal the secret of the film. Travis discovers that Sylvie murdered his mother Mignon Sentell and carried his father´s picture on microfilm. Ted Adamson was intrigued by Travis´ top-secret company project. Ted offers Brian Emerson a job at his company. Cissie Mitchell is jealous over Lee Sentell´s concern about Sunny Adamson. Travis tells Sunny the only story with the jade is that Sylvie and Zack were after treasure, but Sunny doesn´t believe him. Sunny correctly sensed that Travis is keeping mum about Dane´s purpose in going to Hong Kong.
December 21, 1981 - December 25, 1981: Bones, Dane Taylor´s boss, was snuffed out by his enemies before he could tell Dane of his discovery of the film, but says something that Travis Sentell stated told him the answer. The criminals tailed Dane. After they returned from Hong Kong, Sunny Adamson grilled Travis about his secret project, Operation Sunburst, which is still going strong. Sunny also investigates Dane Taylor. A renowned scientist Kent Benson arrives on teh scene. Kent´s name was also on the microfilm. When Sunny discovers Lee Sentell is involved in the project she becomes friendly toward him. Cissie decides not to crowd Lee, but is delighted when Lee opts to spend Christmas with her and the baby. Travis wants nothing to do with Dane.
December 28, 1981 - January 1, 1982: Dane Taylor learns Bones called Washingotn the day he was murdered. Dane resists handing film to Clark until he gets the information about the film. Wendy Wilkins still unable to get over Zack Anders' death. Cissie Mitchell is uspet when she goes to Lee Sentell´s apartment and finds Sunny Adamson there. Sunny surprised when her editor says an investigation into Dane´s past shows he is a vocal coach and musician, nothing more.
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I remember following the development of "111 Gramercy Park." IIRC, the show was in development during late 2001 for the fall 2002 pilots. ABC, or possibly CBS, ordered the script, but it was very late in the development period so that it had to be filmed til 2002/2003. I remember being very interested because it had initially been described as an "upstairs/downstairs" style show and the casting included a lot of interesting names to me. I was disappointed it wasn't picked up, and was very upset to learn that Jonathan Brandeis, who appeared in the pilot, had taken his own life in November, 2003. I didn't even know that they had developed another version of "Gramercy Park" until after the pilot season was over.
Watching both, I think each has strengths. Elizabeth Mitchell/Paul Blackburn play a better version of that couple than the pair in the original. Meanwhile, Joanna Going's version of the soon to be ex-wife was much more appealing that Megan Dodd's character. I remember Samaire Armstrong being an intriguing performer from "The O.C." and thinking she and Seth Gable would work well as twins on "Dirty, Sexy Money." I like how we get the twist at the end that the manipulative nanny is using a different name in both. I liked the actress who played the vixen in GP when she appeared in "Coyote Ugly," but I think playing Tatu's "All The Things She Said" during the reveal is just a great moment highlighted by a song that just captures a moment in time for me. The wealthy family in each led by the older patriarch works for me in both versions. I think the family dynamic in the original had potential, but both women would have to be developed more. The father-son conflict was great. In the second pilot, Gina Torres just shines whereas the father and son (played by one of Rory Gilmore's love interests) seem to fall off a bit. Watching the mother character run off in the second version was an interesting choice, but I almost prefer the original plotline.
I also liked Camila Guaty in a very short lived sitcom from around this time on the WB called "The Help" from Ron Leavitt. I think she was a more effective lead, but I was less impressed with Travis Schultz. Also, that isn't Conchetta Tomei playing Schultz's grandmother is it? It sounds like her a little bit, but I don't imagine it is her.
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I watched a bit more of the tailend of September 1990. Now that the show has moved away from the adventure stories, I find the writing much more engaging, but I would love to see what the ratings looked like as I imagine the action oriented material was more appealing.
In the recent set of episodes, Lucy is continuing to fake her pregnancy. I like that she keeps trying to get Alan into bed, but he is already checked out of their marriage (and not necessarily intentionally). He is supporting Monica with Aunt Charlene, who has had a cardiac issue, and he just seems to be a crap husband because he is focused on his career. This doesn't seem like anything new though, is it? As a result, Lucy tries to get inseminated at a sperm bank (but the doctor recognizes Lucy from the society pages). Then, she tries to convince Tony Jones to have a one-night stand (Alan and Bobbie are working on the adoption projecft and Lucy implies that Alan and Bobbie's relationship might be more than professional). Tony rejects her steam room seduction at Body Heat. Eventually, Lucy scores with Larry Ashton's visiting pal, wildlife photographer Gunther, only when she wakes up she learns she didn't bed down with Gunther, but Scott. This would never fly today.
In Scott's other relationship, he continues to fight off the constantly hungry Tracy Quartermaine who wants Scott in her bedroom more than in the boardroom. The back and forth between Tracy and Scott is fun. Tracy taking charge at ELQ is also fun to watch and has led to the rather soapy stretch that she just needs her father's former financial advisor Cheryl Stansbury to arrive in town.
Cheryl's return in terms of story potential makes sense, but the actual day to day stuff is a bit much. Tracy needs her. When Bobbie decides she needs to work with a non-profit that specializes in adoption for her own work, it is Cheryl who is her contact at the agency. There are also some heavy handed moments between Frisco, Robert, and Lucas where Frisco suggests that Robert should get use to fatherhood.
The Robert / Katherine dynamic hasn't been my favorite. Lehman is a fine actress, but Katherine is out of place in this environment. Cheryl appears to be coming back for Robert and they will be connected through the rewrite (it is a rewrite?) that Cheryl believes Lucas is Robert's son. I can't say I am sorry to see this winding down. Cheryl's return really threatens to give Bobbie and Tony a much needed story... which leads to another clue dropped in recent episodes.
Frisco is talking about impending fatherhood and I believe Monica mentions that he will end up like his father. Frisco has no intention of being like his father, and alludes to the tension between them. In a few weeks, Frisco and Tony's former stepmother Rita Lloyd-Jones will arrive. I like the drama that is building with the potential of Cheryl coming back and threatening Bobbie's happiness with Lucas and how Tony's former stepmother/lover returning adds another layer of complication to the story. The show is shifting into more domestic stories and I cannot be happier.
I feel like Felicia has been pregnant forever, but the show seems to delay handling actresses pregnancies. Jackie Zeman was very pregnant at one point. Lynn Herring is very visibly pregnant while Lucy fakes her six week pregnancy. Kristina Wagner has looked due since about May. It's just very noticeable when they are happening one after another.
The Dawn / Decker / Ned stuff is just very run of the mill. It's a lull for them. Dawn has returned to the hospital. She seems to have forgiven Monica and Ned for their past, but won't let Ned off for his recent indiscretion with Wendy. I think Dawn is also unaware that Decker and Wendy also bedded down at one point when Decker was claiming to be Ned Ashton. Charlene's illness has brought the two into the same orbit. It's low level angst. I think Michael Watson is an engaging performer and Jennifer Guthrie is growing on me despite the general whiny attitude Dawn has. Dawn and Decker's lull has allowed Dawn to play a strong supporting role in a development in another story.
Dawn returns to Port Charles and learns that her best friend Meg has married Harrison Davis. This should be no surprise to Dawn as Meg has had a crush on Harrison since day 1. Meg holds her own though. Alexia Robinson really comes into her own in September when she is forced to defend her decision to her friend and then later confronts Simone over Tom's threats on Harrison. Robinson and Williams would be driving story for years if they had been white. It's hard to get a sense of Kevin Best's performance as Harrison has a tendency to be so one-note. Though Simone's dialogue suggests Harrison is a cunning and manipulative man, and, while he certainly married Meg for a reason, I don't feel we get a sense of all the inner workings of Harrison from Best. There was a great moment though when Meg confronts Harrison about their marriage and its role in the custody case where Meg knows her part and is okay with it since she loves Harrison.
The custody story has been fun to see play out. Meg goes to Audrey to resign from the nursing program because she plans on being a full time wife leading Audrey to warn Meg about the trouble she is in with Harrison. Tom's hostile behavior is increasing, which I can see since the episodes back in Janaury, and it has led to a nasty conflict with Harrison at his and Meg's condo. It seems clear this would be an issue in the custody case, but everything will wrap up quickly next month, which is a shame.
The show seems to have pushed Carla, Rico, and Colton's love triangle to the front burner with some major complications. Rico has proposed to Carla, who rejects his offer of marriage, but Rico doesn't accept the rejection. He shows Carla a letter he has written to her mother asking for her hand and proceeds to rape her on the couch of her apartment. The rape scene has some of the cringest dialogue: "I am Rico Chaccone and I take what I want!" The follow up leads to the quiet revelation of Frankie returning, finding Carla, and realizing what has happened. Harring and Fortinero are still very green, but when most of their scenes with Scott Thompson Baker (who is very dry) and John Vargas (who is talented but leans into the over the topness because how else do you play a former police recruit turned bodega owner with ties to the overthrow of a fictional South American country) they are relying on their own abilities. I think both characters have potential, but the writing and the acting need work.
The latest adventure plot is one that I actual don't hate because, for once, it centers on General Hospital. President Conmargo of Santa Mauro needs surgery and will be brought to GH to be treated by Tony and Harrison. Conmargo is a dictator with a reputation and there is a large population of refugees from Santa Mauro living in Port Charles. General Stark is a mustache twirling villian. The plan to off Conmargo after getting access to his secret Swiss bank account is foolish, but I can ignore the silly logistics if it is gonna give some people some interesting conflict. What works the most though is this isn't the story dominating the way the adventure plots have in the past.
At the same time, I have also been reading the bible for "Rituals" that Gene Palumbo wrote. It is clear that the Santa Mauro/Carla material is in part a rehash of what Palumbo did/intended to do with Diandra on "Rituals." The refugee who takes a position as a maid with the wealthy family while involved with the noble white hero who gets drawn into the conflict involving the political situation in her homeland with the dictator leader and the guerilla group fighting to overthrow the despot. I'll be curious to see if Diandra's lover Carlos will give me any more insight into Rico Chaccone, who both fascinates me and disappoints me.
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There has been a history of attempts to develop a Canadian soap opera, but they haven't produced long term results. The ones I can think of off the top of my head:
Scarlet Hill: around 1963-1964, this show was launched initially as an anthology series featuring week long stories and some recurring players. I think this format went on for about 26 weeks. Around the summer of 1964, the show shifted to a single continuing story format set in the boarding house run by Kate Russell, with her daughter Ginny, her brother Harry MacClane, and the tenants at Kate's boarding house. I have a week's worth of scripts from this version of the show. The show maintained the practice of having a single write a week's worht of episodes. I haven't viewed the scripts in a while, but I believe the main thrust was on some female character (possibly Ginny) having recently miscarried her baby and the impact it was having on her engagement to one of the tenants, who wasn't the child's father, but had agreed to raise the child as his own. The new format may have run slightly longer than the first, but I don't think so.
Moment of Truth: In 1965, this show was produced in Canada and aired both on NBC and I believe the CBC or some other station in Canada. The show was about a college town where Douglas Watson played the central lead. He was a psychiatrist, I believe, and his friends, family, colleagues, and patients made up a bulk of the story. This show ran for under a year.
House of Pride: this was developed as a twice a week, thirteen week serial that was suppose to premier in the fall of 1974, before being shifted to January, 1975, before premiering in September, 1974, in a once-a-week format despite being produced as a twice-a-week show. This ran for at least one season of 26 episodes and a second season. I've been doing some research today because of this thread, and this was very intriguing. The storyline followed the expansive Pride family who had branches living throughout Canada. Each branch filmed their story in their respective regional television center and then teh show was edited together. The opening storyline saw the patriarch, Old Dan Pride, passing away and the ensuing fight for the family's ancestral property, the House of Pride of the center. One of the brothers, Ross Pride, a politician, was looking to sell it to land developers. The show had some initial positive reviews despite fears that it would end up like another Canada drama series, "The Whiteoaks of Jalna."
What is interesting about my research, in regards to this thread, is the point is made how Canadian television has historically struggled to develop dramas in general. Also, there was a big push for regional television production in each province, which meant that resources were split around the country. This may have been one of the reasons that there were problems with developing a homegrown show.
High Hopes: Most people are aware of this one. I think about six months of episodes between April and September 1978 were produced and part of a syndication deal in the United States. The storyline featured a lot of mini-stories with the patients that Dr. Neal Chapman (Bruce Gray) treated including Dorothy Malone playing a mother of a woman who struggled with Malone's remarriage. The more interesting tale involved Neal's daughter, who was actually the illegitimate daughter of the girl's "Aunt" Paula. Paula was looking to reconnect with her former lover, Michael Stewart. Michael was Jessie Chapman's biological father and a well to do businessman. His neurotic wife Norma Stewart was a patient of Neal's after losing her daughter within the past few years. A friendship was developing between Jessie and the Stewart family unaware of the connection.
In some of the articles about High Hopes, there is mention how the production facilities weren't really in place for a soap opera in Canada and that they had made one of the characters, Neal's love interest Trudy Bowen, a talk show host with the high hopes of repurposing the set for an actual talk show to justify the costs of the production studio.
Country Joy: This obscure entry was on for about two seasons. Different articles suggest that the show was anywhere from 8 to 17 episodes in its first season. Also, I think it may have only played in part of the country in its first run and it aired once a week at night. The second season aired daily between November 17, 1979, and January 4, 1980, or something like that. The thrust of the story was on the second marriage of Dick Brugencate to Joy and the reaction from his mother and two children from his previous marriage.
33 Brompton Place: The next two entries are more steamy. This entry, from 1981 or 1982, was billed as a miniseries when it aired in Canada, though there seems to be hope they could have made it a contiuing series. There were about 5 or 6 episodes and the show was aire din the United States on Showtime under their adult anthology Romance which was a precursor to A New Day in Eden and the next entry...
Loving Friends, Perfect Couples: This Lorimar series was produced in Canada and aired on Showtime. I believe there were about 130 episodes, but I don´t know if they all aired in the States or Canada for that matter. This premiered on Showtime in January, 1983, and I think aired similarly in Canada.
Mount Royal: In the mid-1980s, this attempt at a Canadian Dallas or Dynasty aired for a single season. it was about a wealthy family headed by Patrick Bauchau and Domini Blythe. The show's only season was more self-contained episodes, but I imagine the show would have been serialized had there been a second season.
Foreign Affairs: This was a co-production with the Netherlands and partially filmed in South American. Set in a Canadian embassy in Buenos Aires, the political and sexual intrigue among the staff and their family played out for about 100 or so episodes. This aired around 1991 or so. It was also aired in the States on the Nostalgia channel.
Family Passions: Another co-production with a German company, "Family Passions" featured a mix of Canadian, American, and I believe German actors. The show was developed by Jorn Winter and had Roscoe Born, Kin Shriner, and Roberta Biseau among its cast members. It is most notable for having a lesbian storyline and being an early (if not first) acting appearance for Hayden Christianson. The storyline involved with the wealthy Haller family who ran an automobile company with corporate offices in Canada and Germany. I don't know how long this one last but I feel like it was six to nine months.
Riverdale: This show aired for about three season in the mid-to-late 90s. I think it was an attempt at a "Coronation Street" style show. It aired two to three times a week. It was set in a surburban community. I believe a single episode is available on YouTube.
Paradise Falls: Another steamy nighttime soap. This one was well known for including LGBTQIA+ characers. I think the grandson of the mayor was involved in an affair with another man and he remained a major character for most of the show's run.
Metropia: This showed aired on Omni in the early 2000s. It was initially a daily show that aired for 65 episodes in its first season. It was set in a large urban environment (it may have been Toronto). The storylines were also heavy into the sexual conquests of the show's main characters. Most noteable to me was the affair between a South East Asian man and the brother of the woman he was suppose to marry in an arranged marriage. A second season was produced of something like 13 episodes before entering into a rerun cycle and never returning.
I'm sure I have forgotten some, but I figured this is a good jumping off point.
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On 8/30/2023 at 1:03 AM, NadineC said:
I'm sorry, I don't know the story very well. So, there is no reason for Jeff to break into the Willows ?
I'm pretty sure the clip you've provided is from episode #106. It aired Monday, February, 4, 1985.
It does appear it is Clay, not Jeff, who is breaking into the Willows. Here is the cast and set list.
Furthermore, the episode description for the date in question:
Monday, February 4, 1985 (Episode #106): Lacey and Mike argue. Eddie receives an offer of freedom from Clay. Nancy decides to steal Mike from Lacey.
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On 9/23/2023 at 9:56 PM, danfling said:
dc11786 mentioned the departure of the character Lily Slater.
The character later returned and was recast with Britt Helfer as Lily #2. I certainly preferred this recast.
Does anyone know why Lily was written off the show and then returned with a recast?
Britt Helfer, in seems, was brought in as someone to tempt Jack and to cause a disruption in the marriage of Jack and Stacey. Then, when that storyline concluded, the show again wrote off the character.
The Slater story was dumped in January, 1984, because ABC wanted to promote their telefilm "Something About Amelia" as the first time the network aired material regarding incest. Lily was shipped off to an institution in Washington.
Also, the ratings weren't great for "Loving." The show also dumped the Roger-Ann-Merrill storyline with all three actors being dumped. Callan White arrives just as news arrives that Roger has died.
46 minutes ago, Kane said:Thanks for posting those. It's always nice to see an episode with the original Jeff.
I hope one day an episode with Michael Maguire's Jeff will surface - I imagine he wasn't in very many. I saw a clip of him from Quando si Ama, but it was difficult to get a sense of his take on the character.
I like Scott Feraco's Jeff Hartman. I saw a couple episodes with Maguire. I think he was only there about a month to a month and half (September-October) and, at one point, it bounces between Maguire and Richard Steinmetz. Maguire didn't impress me in the couple scenes I saw.
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7 hours ago, j swift said:
It would have been odd because as I recall the reveal, CC got angry at Mason for outing Channing. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think he yelled at Mason for thinking that he was humiliating Channing, but he affirmed that nothing could destroy the love that he felt for his son. It was one of the few times that I enjoyed that version of CC because his response was so unexpected.
I get that all social issues stories on soaps need an antagonist to portray the social implications of the cause. However, it would've been unfair to CC to make him be the face of the bias toward the disease.
C.C. always came across as a character who needed to control everything. I felt that the AIDS story could be used to dig at what should have been a much more deeper issue in the relationship between C.C. and Sophia than what it was: C.C.'s golden child was in fact Lionel's. The entire opening storyline deals with the deep pain that C.C. feels over the loss of Channing and how he, in the aftermath, controlled the life of Brandon, Channing's son. I don't get the sense that this was an ever present issue in C.C. and Sophia's relationship.
Ultimately, I see the situation with Lindsay coming to stay with the Capwells and the aftermath as a chance to dig into the deep fissure that should have existed between C.C. and Sophia. C.C.'s reaction would be at face value homophobia, which was and still is deeply ingrained in society, but more about the fact that Channing wasn't C.C.'s child and Sophia openly deceived C.C. I would have had a nosey reporter (possibly working for Warren and dating Ted) wondering why Lindsay has come to stay with the Capwells and start digging around only to discover not only the connection to Channing, but also Sophia's role in Channing's murder and possibily Brandon's paternity.
I don't think that Sophia's role as murderess was made public was it? Or that Channing was Brandon's father? People knew, but it wasn't like it was well known in Santa Barbara. Then again, with Brandon's custody, I imagine that the paternity became public, but maybe I am wrong.
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6 hours ago, j swift said:
@dc11786 - I admire your collection of memorabilia. It's like a little mystery box of treasures. I can't wait to hear what you explore.
I wonder if the writers changed the last name from Butler, because Carter was raised by the Chapin's butler and that would have been too confusing
Also, the Jeff's parentage is intriguing because in the SOD recaps sometimes they reference him as Christina's adopted son, and sometimes as her stepson, so it would make sense if he came from Carter's first marriage.
I like stuff that tends to be a bit obscure so it makes it easier to obtain since there is no real value for some of the lesser known soap opera stuff. Thank you though. My winter hobby to beat seasonal depression from the cold New England winter will be to catalog more of my material. I have some script stuff I've gotten that I've never really dug into in other soaps.
Cabot Butler's father's profession was mentioned in the bible as a butler. I think it was meant to be a slight because it was either suggested (or I assumed) that Cabot saw himself as more Rhett Butler. In the cast lists, a Louise Robertson appears in February, 1985, around the time they seem to be dealing with Carter's paternity so I am assuming that's his mother, but I'll wait until I dig into the episode listings more before saying that definitively.
In the material I received, was an unedited script for episode 34 (I think) in which Jeff Robertson has reported to the police that Eddie Gallagher was the man who attacked him in Boston at the start of the show. As Jeff delivers the exposition to Christina, Jeff states that Christina will be shocked because it was her uncle, Eddie, who attacked him. Mike later mentions that Christina must feel odd given her stepson's claim. So I guess the bible relationships were maintained, which makes sense as Lisa is never called Sara's sister in the material I've seen though I always assumed since both Lisa and Sara were listed as Christina's sister that was the case.
Other tidbits I forgot to mention: Dakota's name was originally Dresden Lane. Dresden was only 17 and Cherry had originally named her baby Lou Ann before giving her a new moniker (Dresden) when Dresden started to model. The only other character who was mentioned in the bible as being significant, who didn't become that significant, was Carlos, Diandra's lover from San Raphael. Carlos was a revolutionary type who had been groomed by guerillas to help destroy the dictatorship led by Diandra's father. Whitney (Taylor) and Susan (Christina) were friends from college and Susan became close to a wheelchair bound Katherine (Katherine had been paralyzed during the car accident after disclosing knowledge of Rose and Bradford's child). Susan was also in love with Bradford (Patrick).
Regarding ratings, I know that show did well in some markets, but many times the show was being moved around towards the end so I don't think the ratings were that great. AT one point, Metromedia stated "Rituals" was the number 1 soap opera in Boston.
I'm very curious to see what, if anything, else is mentioned about Brady not being a Chapin. That was a pretty profound revelation to me. I could see how that would impact the show as Noel was after the money and Brady's parentage would eventually be contested. Also, there was no hint that Brady was Rose and Bradford's child, just a boy that Bradford adopted and passed off as his and Katherine's to appease her father.
Carson Scott Field is mentioned as Whitney (Taylor's) first husband and is from a family with a pretty successful department store. Matt Parrish is also listed as Whitney's ex-husband in the relationship listings at the top of his bio, but in the narrative he is said to be her former lover. Like Susan, Matt (Logan Williams) is brought into the Chapin fold through Whitney (Taylor). Whitney and Matt met in New York, had a brief affair, and then Whitney married Carson. Matt learned of the marriage and basically engages in a sexually aggressive (but supposedly mutual) encounter which led to Julia's conception.
Marissa Mallory ends up being around for a few months with Janice Heiden in the role. The unedited episode is either Marissa's first or second episode (from late October, 1984) and Marissa's last episode is in late February, 1985. Marissa was involved in the early stages of the Chalon project, which I believe was a fabric that would be used to develop astronaut suits. It was a big government contract that became more prominent in the show's last months. Marrisa was briefly married to Carter, but I don't think he divorced Christina so it wasn't valid. I just think Marissa is dropped without a resolution, but I'll be curious to see if she pops up in a cast list that I missed. Goldstone most likely replaced Marissa with Lisa Thompson, which gave Christina more to do.
Claire Yarlett seems to be dropped rather suddenly as Dakota. She is listed on cast lists for about a week or so after the first thirteen week cycle, before there is no one listed, and than Mary Beth Evans is listed. I'm thinking Evans may have appeared earlier. I wish the material for Dakota's story was still available. It would help to pinpoint some stuff.
Also, I want to mention I was watching the February, 1985, episode the other day which I remember being super unimpressive in my first watch. In this more recent watch, it didn't bother me as much, but I've watched a lot of Palumbo's "General Hospital" lately so I was used to him stylistically. I'm much more interested in seeing the second half of the series post-Palumbo.
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I received a copy of Gene Palumbo and Clifford Campion's bible for "Rituals" today. It came with some set designs, some outlines for episodes from October 1984, a binder of marketing material intended for stations to promote the show, and a binder full of cast and set lists for most of the show's 260 episodes. It will take a bit to get through, but here are some immediate stand outs.
Many of the characters names changed from the bible to the on-air. The city was originally called Barrington, not Wingfield, and it was named after Katherine Chapin's family. The Robertsons were the Butlers. Now, whether this was the on-air situation, but, in the bible, Susan Butler (Christina Robertson) is Rose (Sara) Gallagher's niece. @NadineC, you might be interested to know that Jeff Robertson was originally called Tim Butler. Tim was also the product of a brief marriage Cabot Butler (Carter Robertson) had prior to marrying Susan (Christina).
Whitney Chapin and Matt Parrish (Logan Williams) were the parents of Julia Field. Julia was suppose to be this naive, innocent young woman who was going to fall in love with her own father. This, in turn, puts a different spin on the tale about Jo Ann Pflug leaving over the moral issues. Taylor was seducing her own daughter's boyfriend, but she was also allowing her daughter to love her own father.
Also, the affair between Rose (Sara) Gallagher and Bradford (Patrick) Chapin was also detailed in the bible and the child that resulted was mentioned as well. Rose and Bradford's affair was prior to her marriage to Eddie Gallagher. Rose went and had the baby up in Boston where she stayed with Susan's father. Meanwhile, Katherine Chapin became pregnant and learned of the Bradford's illegitimate child. Katherine confronted Bradford while driving leading to an automobile accident. After the accident, the child died and Katherine remained in a coma. Bradford replaced his dead child with Brady because Trumble Barrington (Katherine's father) wanted a male heir. Brady's origins are ambigious in the character profiles section, but there is a lengthy document covering the story for the first 29 weeks so I'll be curious if anything comes up.
Also, I skimmed a bit and Kin Shriner's complaints start to make more sense. After Sally Jarrett Gallagher (Lacey) loses the baby, Mike and Sally end up with possession of a child. Mike struggles with fatherhood and becomes physically abusive to the child. This is probably something that Clifford Campion (the writer of several social issue telefilms) developed. I only saw a little bit of the story outline so I'll have to look into a little more.
From the set and character lists, I was able to determine a couple things. It looks like Logan and Tina Louise's Taylor last air in episode 130. The switch between Lorinne Vozoff and Laurie Burton and Claire Yarlett and Mary Beth Evans was at the end of the first contract cycle. Marc Poppel is replaced by Jon Lindstrum at the end of the second cycle. C.J. Field's first episode was March 22, 1985, so there was no crossover with C.J. and Tina Louise's Taylor. Marissa Mallory seems to just fade out an episode or so later than the one online. Bernhardt and Patty stick around into the third cycle of the show (May, 1985) and I think Bernhardt appears even later than that.
Unfortunately, the cast lists online contain character names for (I'm assuming) non-contract players. So I cannot tell when Ketty Lester is replaced by Lynn Hamilton or Randy Hamilton takes over from Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs. No writers are credited either so I don't know when Raymond Goldstone leaves and Steve Burkow and Stacey Anderson assume the role.
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Travis and the Kendalls overlapped for about a year. Michael, Steve, and Lloyd were introduced in April, May, and June, 1983. There was definintely an intent to develop the Kendalls as rivals to the Sentell/Tourneur crew, not to eliminate them from the canvas. Besides Martin's affair with Estelle, the General had left Lloyd's father high and dry during a business deal years earlier involving a government contract and faulty parts. The General was able to save his own hide, but Lloyd's father went bankrupt. The failure led to Lloyd's father taking his own life. Lloyd actively hated the Tourneurs and had kept the paternity secret partially out of spite it seemed.
In 1984, there was some build up about having Liza and Travis raising one of the Kendalls, in what was meant to be karmic retribution for Steve being raised a Kendall. T.R. was revealled to be the missing Rebecca, but, at one point, the baby Elan was going to be Adair's child by one of the Kendall brothers.
Even with Travis "dead," I think the value in the Lloyd / Liza romance was Travis' inevitable return that simply got lost in the shuffle of writers and producers much in the same way I expected Roger Forbes would have been revived on "Loving" had they not seen writing staff turnover.
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@skylark Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Rusty Sentell. I watched a bunch of 1982-1983 episodes a couple of years ago and found Rusty (not David Gale) such a fascinating mess. It just seemed like they were going to throw him all over the canvas and see what would happen. By the end of Ralph Ellis and Eugenie Hunt's run, I felt that they were just leaning into making him a more grounded Stefano Dimera/Mikkos Cassadine type.
Tonally, the Operation Sunburst story seemed to be an odd story space to explore the kind of "General Hospital" inspired adventure tales that were becoming more and more prominent. It's an odd story in that it starts in 1981 under Don Chastain and just continues with ninjas, dopplegangers, and other over the top elements when Hunt and Ellis are writing. Then, it just sort of stops being a thing when David Cherrill takes over, but I haven't seen every episode so its possible there is some conclusion to the story. Using this story as a vehicle for bringing Rusty back isn't a choice I would have made, but so be it.
Bringing in Rusty, Sr., as an obstacle to Travis and Liza made sense given their history with Travis' mother, Mignon. I thought the psychological games that Rusty and Liza engaged in were the strongest element of Rusty's storyline even though I don't think Ellis and Hunt did Travis any favors in the process. I could have watched the one-upmanship between Rusty and Liza all day.
Rusty's motivation was something that I struggled with. The whole concept of the codicile was just odd. Why would the General want Rusty in charge of his own grandchild's inheritance rather than Travis himself? Why not just reopen the will claiming there was a sizeable inheritance left to Rusty that went to Travis because of Rusty's "death"? Granted, this would have made the Travis-Rusty relationship more antagonistic, but it may have made Travis less like an idiot. If Travis was trying to cozy up to Aja, who would play on her connection to both men, you could still have Aja in the role of the third party obstacle without forcing the baby angle.
Rusty's quest for power seemed to dominate a lot of his actions. I thought Rusty's relationship with Martin was driven by the need on Rusty's part to gain control of Tourneur Instruments and Martin was a two-level obstacle: he had shares in the company and he had a close relationship with Travis. Rusty needed Martin out of the way in order to accomplish this. Also, Martin was definitely a Liza sympathizer. I thought the idea of Rusty as the General's son of choice over drunken rogue Martin was a logical stance.
The Aja stuff was definitely odd. The spy angle was weird. I wasn't sure if they were trying to generate a level of romantic tension between Rusty and Aja or simply developing a fatherly rapport between the two that would potentially incite jealousy from Travis on the basis that Aja had the parent-child bond with Rusty that should be Travis'. I don't have much use for Aja, if I'm honest. Having her kill Rusty was a two for one special in my book.
The gun running angle was bizarre. There just seemed to be too many deals going on in Rusty's world. He is trying to secure the rights to Operation Sunburst as well as TI and he is also running weapons through South America with Warren and Ringo as couriers.
The other thread that was odd was Rusty's friendship with Jenny Deacon. I don't know if they were looking to cause Rusty-Stu tension which would have extended to an eventual Rusty-Jo relationship, but it was just very annoying as both characters seemed to be all over the place even if played by decent actors.
I felt another angle to approach with Rusty, had he stayed, would have been to have him become involved with Janet Collins, Liza's mother, and having Rusty take control of Colins Corporation (which I think was still around but may have been absorbed into one of Ted Adamson's companies) to use it to fight TI. Or instead of pursuing Liza and Dane, which seemed to be the direction that Hunt and Ellis were suggesting in their final weeks, I would have pursued Liza and Lee by having Cissie leave Roger Lee with Lee in Henderson and having Liza start to spend time with Lee and the child she had once raised as her own. To me, the Aja-Rusty stuff would have been better suited to Lee-Rusty and would have lacked the sexual tension (or maybe not, but that could be a conversation for another day).
I liked that Rusty's return utilized the history of the Tourneur clan, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that Rusty's loss didn't feel as significant because by June Peter Haskell arrived as Lloyd Kendall and ultimately played a very similar role to Rusty and he felt less forced onto the canvas.
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IMDb has Joel Bailey's last airdate in August, 1985. Gina Gallego didn't join the show until after "Rituals" last aired in September, 1985. I think Gallego and Bailey may have been in episodes of "Flamingo Road" together, but I don't think they were ever in the same scene.
I know it probably would have been a very bleak story, but I know NBC wanted "Santa Barbara" to do an AIDS plot. I would have had Lindsay Smith diagnosed with the disease and come to stay with the Capwells while he was living out his final days. I'm thinking a sort of "In the Gloaming" style story. Sophia would have liked to get to know the boy she raised as her own despite Minx 's deception and Lindsay would have given her insight into a part of her son she never knew. I think it would have also been a painful reminder that C.C.'s vision of Channing, Jr., was not the reality. In the aftermath, maybe even have Sophia become involved with an AIDS charity with possibly Sophia's involvement infuriating C.C. over Sophia wanting to share her connection to the disease through Lindsay which would make very public Lindsay and Channing, Jr.'s relationship. Maybe have Mason handle the legal end of the charity work with Mason siding with Sophia.
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The final pages of the mystery document cover the character biography of Turner Lawson. Some of Turner's story seems to be placed onto Eddie Gallagher: the violence, the bitterness, and the crippling accident. On top of that, Turner and Jenny's relationship may have been the basis of the Patrick/Sarah affair.
The dynamic between Turner and Charlotte is also interesting. Originally, in the book, the Turner Lawson character was Sterling and was bisexual and Charlotte cited her husband's sexuality as the reason she didn't think he could be the father of Sandy Hutchinson. In this version, Turner has fathered a son, Lee.
If this is indeed written by the Corringtons, I think they had Martin Tourneur in mind when crafting the similarly named Turner Lawson.
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pg 7
Turner Lawson, 45, playboy, horse breeder
The General has never been able to figure out what went wrong with his only child, Turner. He has wondered if his absence in the wars had anything to do with it. Never mind. It doesn't matter. The fact is, from the General's perspective, Turner is no damned good. Handsome, intelligent, charming, attractive to women, connoisseur of the high life, Turner seems more a parasite on the Lawson family than its continuation. He seems content to drink, to ride, to take sudden unplanned trips abroad, and to take no part at all in the many facets of the family businesses.
What had once seemed nothing more than exuberance and high spirits in a young man has soured into the methodical and almost pathological womanizing of a man in middle age desperate to hold back whatever kind of darkness he senses just over the horizon. IT has been a long time since any emotions have been exchanged between Turner and his father-- except for contempt on the General's part, resentment on Turner's.
What the General does not know is that, years ago, Turner paid a high price for his exuberance, and that the baby girl born at Lawson Manor to Turner's wife, Charlotte, is not Turner's child. Turner has been sterile since an incident years ago when he became involved in a passing affair with a town girl, Jenny Harris. The girl had been almost engaged to Jeff Byrnes, one of the town's young policemen, but Turner had seen her at work in a local cafe and wanted her. He had waited for her to leave work one night. His
pg 8
position had made him something of a legend among the people in town, and Jenny had gotten into his car when he invited her to. Later, Jeff, on patrol duty, had found Turner raping her. He pulled Turner out of the car and beat and stomped him almost to death. Not wanting to create a scandal, Jenny had lied to Jeff, telling him Turner had not raped her. She had refused to press assault charges, and had soon married Jeff. Not even Turner knows that Jenny's first son, Lee, is his son. Since General Lawson had been out of the country at the time of the incident, Turner managed to keep him from knowing about it. But though he soon recovered from external signs of the beating, there was permanent internal damage. Turner found that he was sterile.
It was then that his high spirits turned to desperation. He became known for chasing almost every Briarwood girl, and when the situation became known to the General, Turner was faced with the alternative of marrying and settling down-- or losing his inheritance. Turner had discovered that one of his Briarwood girls he had enjoyed-- if not loved, Charlotte Stuart, was pregnant and seeking an illegal abortion. He had made her a proposal-- but not a typical one. Turner offered to marry her and raise her child as his own, if she would agree to never reveal the baby's real father. Charlotte, in desperation and appreciation, had agreed hoping that with time she could win Turner's love, forget her own heartbreak, and make the marriage work. She had learned later that an unspoken condition of her marriage was that she would let Turner lead whatever kind of life he wished without her complaining to the General. Their marriage had become one of convenience early on. They keep separate bedrooms, and Turner has had a series of discreet...
***
Unfortunately, this is where this document ends. The set up here is pretty fascinating, in my opinion. I would have been fascinated to see how this version could have worked.
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8 minutes ago, j swift said:
@dc11786 Do you think that this was written to inform the incoming writing staff or for promotional material?
The language is so flowery. It makes me wonder what, for example, local affiliate PR people or soap journalists were meant to do with this character study? I cannot imagine modern head writers using such detailed histories to delineate their characters.
Also, how odd to call Dr. Rose Hamilton an old school feminist, and use her ideology as an impediment to romance. She was a feminist, not a nun.
The document I have presents more questions than answers. It looks like, and reads like, the pages of a story bible to me. It is formatted a bit similar to Palumbo and Campion's. Now, who wrote it, I'm not sure I'll ever know. I've ruled out Keel because she has gone into some length about her involvement with the development in the Soap Opera Digest article from July, 1985, that you referenced earlier. To me, it seems like someone decided fairly early on that the original concept of the show (the four college freshmen) wouldn't be appealing in the nighttime spots they were actively seeking.
Since the Corringtons are listed as developing the show, and we know that Keel developed the original concept, I believe that the Corringtons were hired to develop the new version of "Rituals" sometime around early spring 1984 without Charlene Keel's knowledge and this document would be their proposed story bible. Why the Corringtons didn't end up writing "Rituals" most likely had something to do with the fact they started writing "One Life to Live" in the summer of 1984. As @te. pointed out, the show was syndicated and being renewed in chunks (6 months at a time). I suspect the Corringtons may have wanted more stability and jumped at the chance to work at the network. I think after the Corringtons bible was developed, the material was given to Gene Palumbo and Clifford Campion who developed their own vision of the show. It's also possible this is a draft of Palumbo and Campion's before they ditched the concept. If that is the case though, where do the Corringtons fit in?
Since I originally received this, I've purchased a bunch of PR material that was used to help promote the show. There was a "Rituals" newsletter that promoted the big NATPE (I think that is the acronym) conference where syndicated shows were being sold in mid-June 1984. Up until and through the conference, the show is still being developed with the Lawson family in mind as the material promotes how the set designer is creating the Lawson mansion, which I believe was the Chapin mansion. How the person got a hold of this document, I am unaware as it was with the press kit with materials on the final version of "Rituals" that made it to air. Maybe it belonged to someone in PR at Metromedia and there were using it to develop material. I really don't know.
So the show was in production in May, 1984, under either the Charlene Keel concept or this alternate concept that is suggested in the story document.
I'll post the final two pages tonight of the document that detail Turner Lawson, but give some significant details into the Brynes in the process.
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Continuing yesterday's discussion on the evolution of "Rituals," I can only speculate on the purpose of the document I have which I am called Rituals 1.5. It seems more traditionally family focused series with the upperclass WASP Lawson family and the working class Bryne family headed by a cop and a restaurant owner. There are some clear lineage to the Chapins and Gallaghers with some elements repurposed into other characters in the other family.
The next three pages I have cover the biography of Bayard Lawson, the patriarch of the Lawson clan. He would appear to be the basis of the Bradford Chapin character of Palumbo and Campion's bible and the character Patrick Chapin who appeared on air played by Dennis Patrick from September until December, 1984.
Here is Bayard Lawson
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pg. 4
Genl. Bayard Lawson, 65, communications mogul
Even the money, the power, and the prestige do not really make up for the old fays as far as Genl. Lawson is concerned. He lives in a smaller, uglier world now and has to make do with it. Once, an age or two ago, when he was young, it had seemed there was no end at all to the American world, the American century.
His family had been decently fixed, not wealthy since the Civil War, but possessed of a fine old name, 200 acres of land in the Virginia Tidewater, and a history resplendent with connections to early presidents and statesmen-- and wisdom enough to continue to bring strong women into the ranks with each passing generation. Bayard Lawson, born a second son, had graduated from Virginia Military Institute just in time for service in WW II. He had applied for a commission in the Army Air Corps, but a friend of his father's, Genl. Allen Preston, who had been called back into service even before hostilities had started, had sent for him and offered him something wilder, more dangerous even than flying those damn crates all over somebody else's sky.
Bayard had joined the OSS, the Office of Strategic Services, which, much later, would become the CIA, and which did indeed offer the possibilities in war and peace far more interesting than barreling through the skies of Europe or the Pacific in a P-40 or a B-25.
His service continued until the close of the Korean War, and ended only then because his older brother died unexpectedly in an automobile accident leaving no heir. Bayard retired and returned
pg 5
to the Lawson's Virginia estate. They do not announce medals given those who work in the Intelligence Service. The world does not come to know what you have done in the service of your country, and considering some of the things done, that may be just as well. But in a wall safe at home, Bayard Lawson has decorations that would amaze his friends-- and some documents that would dismay his enemies.
More than that, he still possesses the intricacy of mind, the cleverness, the animal instincts that he has picked up in four years of lethal service during the war. Those instincts, that cleverness--- plus information and friendships few others possessed-- have made him very rich and nationally powerful.
In 1953, the General had purchased an almost bankrupt newspaper in Alexandria, near the Pentagon. Within a few years, with vigorous and determined work-- and extraordinary news breaks supplied by some of his old connections-- The Alexandria Examiner had become one of the most important conservative newspapers in the country. Its central focus has always been on government, on corruption, on bureaucratic indolence and stupidity, on any hint of disloyalty to the U.S. No matter who you are, what your politics, how large and powerful your corporation, Bayard Lawson's Examiner will break you, wreck you, if you are caught in betrayal of the public trust.
The paper's success allowed the General to move into television, book publishing, and, most recently, into high-tech communications design and innovation. His conservatism does not extend to science and technology, and he delights in the Space Program, in the advances of science and its application.
pg 6
While his wife has been dead for many years, the General has never re-married. Perhaps because his deepest feelings belong to Dr. Rose Hamilton, President of Woodbriar College. Rose returns his devotion but, a feminist of the old school, she had chosen early to devote her life to scholarship and education. Between Bayard and Rose there is an easy affectionate relationship that would surprise some of his Washington acquaintances who suppose Bayard Lawson is framed of brass and steel.
Because of his instinctive respect for education and his relationship with Rose Hamilton, Bayard has long been the chief financial backer of Woodbriar College and seems always available to fund new programs that would enhance the college's prestige. His daughter-in-law, Charlotte, a Woodbriar graduate, serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and he has just commended the education of his only grandchild, Laura, to Rose Hamilton's capable hands.
Laura is especially dear to him. Not just because she is a beautiful and spirited young woman, but because he is beginning to have a strong sense of his mortality and his granddaughter is his only hope of influencing the future. He would have preferred a grandson who might have picked up the reins his son Turner let fall from disinterested hands. But Laura will at least continue the family line, and hopefully will do better than that. If she chooses wisely and marries a man of ambition and ability, she might even help him forget some of the disappointment he feels over Turner's failure as a man.
***
Typing this, I am making connections between this version of the Lawson clan and the Tourneur/Sentell clan who also had a military nicknamed lead, a son who was a failure at many things, a grandchild maintaining the legacy, and interests in technology. Though, this is if this is in fact written by the Corringtons, which I will probably never know.
Below is the title page for the bible for the series and the first page including the start of the biography of "Bradford Spencer Chapin," who is eventually renamed Patrick Chapin.
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39 minutes ago, j swift said:
@dc11786 Are you suggesting that there were multiple pilots filmed, or is this just part of the development process?
It is no wonder that Charlene Keel disavowed the soap, it sounds like none of the people or places from the book found their way onto the screen. Do we know if the school was called Haddon Hall in her book? I am going to assume that the production decided to reference it as a college and not a boarding school to avoid the issues with the women's ages when pairing them romantically.
From what I understand, here is the history of the development of ¨Rituals¨
Rituals, the novel (1979): Charlene Keel publishes her novel, set in Woodbriar, a private girls' college. The main characters were Priscilla Lawson, a spoiled young woman, Dabney Palmeroy, a cosmetics heiress with a harelip leaving her insecure, London, the daughter of a rock-and-roll singer Ariel, and Sandy Hutchinson, a British student who would be revealed to be the secret daughter of Sterling Lawson. The girls, and their mothers, had all been involved in some form with Judd McBroom. By the end of the novel, Charlotte Lawson reveals to her daughter Prisc that Judd is her biological father with Prisc revealing she is pregnant by Judd.
Rituals, the pilot (c. February, 1984): Charlene Keel developed a pilot script for a stripped version of ¨Rituals¨ that was very faithful to the original novel. It was still set in the girls´ college. The emphasis remained on the girls´ with less emphasis on the mothers. This pilot was filmed. As far as I am aware, Keel was driving creative force behind this.
The cast for the pilot includes:
Christine Jones as Charlotte Lawson
Philece Sampler as Priscilla Lawson
Barbara Crampton as Sandy Hutchison
Joe Lambie as Judd McBroom
Tom Hallick as Eliot Fine
Stephanie Braxton as Jenny Barnes
Michael Savage as Sam Barnes
Howard ¨P¨ Pruett as Richard Barnes
Wendy Smith Howard as Dabney Palmeroy
Matt Latanzi as Fenton Langley
Robin Leary as London Dwyer
Jane Merrow as Harriet Winslow
Rituals 1.5, story bible (c. March-June, 1984): Here is where things become a little more complicated. We know that the show is credited to John William and Joyce Corrington, Gene Palumbo, and Clifford Campion. I have an incomplete document of 5-pages of character summaries that seem to be from a bible that seems to bridge the material in Rituals, the pilot and Rituals, the bible for the series . What I included above is from this document. I don't think this is from Gene Palumbo, but it could be. Palumbo and Clifford Campion's bible is dated July, 1984.
This version seems to keep intact elements of the original show. Woodbriar is still at play. The Lawson family has been fleshed out and becomes the prototype for the Chapin family in the final television version. Bayard Lawson, the patriarch, seems to be clearly the first attempt as creating Patrick Chapin. The Charlotte-Laura dynamic seems to be reused later for Taylor-Julia. In this version, the secret heir is not Sandy Hutchison but Lee Byrnes, the product of Turner Lawson raping Jenny Harris Byrnes. The Byrnes family is the prototype for the Gallagher family. Jenny's husband is Jeff Byrnes, a cop.
Given that we don't know what role that the Corringtons played, and given that I have only five pages of this document, I'm suggesting this may have been written by the Corringtons.
Rituals 2.0, the story bible (July 3, 1984): The story bible that was most likely used for the show was written by Gene Palumbo and Clifford Campion. What role Campion played is not clear as he was mostly a writer known in the 1980s for writing issue telefilms. This is clearly not the version that I am speaking about above because both bibles outline the character who ultimately becomes Patrick Chapin.
In this bible, the Chapin patriarch is named Bradford Spencer Chapin. His wife is Katherine Haddon Barrington Chapin and his children are Whitney and Brady. It is Barrington Mills (not Chapin Industries) which is originally the source of the family fortune.
Rituals 2.0, the series (September 10, 1984): The first episode airs after being filmed August 16-17, 1984. The source of the filming is the set and cast list from the first episode. There are more changes made. Bradford becomes Patrick. Whitney becomes Taylor, though Christina Jones was playing a character named Whitney at one point so I'm not sure if the name Whitney was reused or Jones was initially slated to play the Taylor role in the series given that Taylor was the successor to Charlotte Lawson (Jones' role in the original pilot).
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This came among the pages of a press kit I bought on eBay several years back. It is pages 3-8 of a document, which I suspect is a bible written for the show sometime between February and June, 1984, presumably by John Wiliam and Joyce Corrington.
First up is the final page of a biography for Laura Lawson. Laura is clearly the Priscilla Lawson character with a new name.
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page 3
... kind of power. Her family´s wealth, social position and importance to the college gave her unique standing among the eighty entering freshmen. Laura won election as her class president and has been asked to conduct Freshman Orientation for this year´s crop of girls. She plans an impressive student-faculty reception at her home.
Because she has, without knowing it, Judd´s blood in her veins, Laura is more imaginative and romantic than most children of staid upperclass families. She is bored by young men like Randolph Stiles who pursue her because of her grandfather´s wealth and political influence. So when Laura first sees Judd Dwyer come riding into the student-faculty reception she is hostessing, elegantly dressed in a tux and mounted on Turner´s best stallion, drunk as a lord but still handsome and gallant-- she falls in love. That he is old enoguh to be her father is no detriment. She wants Judd, and sets out to win him-- by offering him what all the males who´ve pursued her want. She senses some old tension between Judd and her mother-- and wining for a change-- spurs her onward. If her indiscretion with a faculty member is discovered, Laura knows it would end her career at Briarwood before it has time to flower. But she does not know the turth about the relationship between Judd and Charlotte, there is no way that Laura can realize a much more serious disaster will lie ahead for her if she succeeds in keeping the affair secret from her mother.
***
Lots of things have been renamed besides Laura. Judd McBroom is now Judd Dwyer. I suspect Randolph Stiles is a renamed Fenton Langley (who, in the pilot, is Priscilla´s fiancee played by Matt Lantazi). Other names will be changed as the show moves away from the original pilot stage into this (brief) unproduced bible.
Turner is Turner Lawson, Laura´s legal father. I have his (incomplete) biography as well as the complete biography of General Bayard Lawson, Turner´s father and Laura´s ¨grandfather.¨
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On 8/24/2023 at 3:55 AM, te. said:
I'd assume the head writer change had to do with them probably filming the show in blocks to sell in syndication rather than doing long-term contracts; normally syndicators like to plan in three months blocks (65 episodes), so if that's how they sold Rituals then they only had two blocks with the same head writers.
It'd be interesting to know the filming dates.
Thanks! I had mistakenly thought that the halfway point would have been episode 120, but it would be 130. So yes, it would seem most likely that Gene Palumbo´s last episode was episode 130.
When Raymond Goldstone stops and Anderson and Burkow begin, I do not know. I may have a better idea in the near future. The only reference I have to the final writers is from early June, 1985, which would be right before the start of the final cycle. I do have a comment from someone at Metromedia in one of the newspapers where they state they would wait until after May sweeps to make a decision regarding cancellation, which I believe was announced in early July. Given that Burkow and Anderson were announced after sweeps, I wonder if the news was delayed. The final 13 weeks would start in mid-June 1985 and there are some story points that seem to end abruptly while others start (the Crusaders kidnapping ends with Mark Field being shipped back to New York, Clay Travis returns for a hot minute to tie up that dangling thread, and the surrogacy plot begins).
Regarding filming, I am in the process of receiving material that should help with that. I know that episode 1 was taped August 16-17, 1984, with episode 2 filmed August 20-21, 1984. The last film date I have is for episode 251, which was Monday, July 1, 1985. It would be most likely that the show filmed its last episode around Friday, July 12, 1985, but I am not sure if Christina´s final speech was an add-on, but it seems unlikely given that Jones is quoted as having 40+ pages her last day on the set, I would imagine that most of this was her final monologue.
On 8/30/2023 at 1:03 AM, NadineC said:I'm sorry, I don't know the story very well. So, there is no reason for Jeff to break into the Willows ?
I don´t believe Jeff had a reason. I have to look into the February, 1985, episode summaries that are available via Soap Opera Digest and the newspaper columns. I am also trying to compile an episode guide using the daily newspaper listings, but I am going backwards and have only gotten from June-September, 1985.
I believe Christina Robertson hired Clay Travis to steal a necklace from Taylor Chapin so he had a reason to break in. At this point, Carter has discovered he is a Chapin, which means so is Jeff. Jeff shouldn´t need to break in.
On 8/30/2023 at 7:14 PM, robbwolff said:And from September 1982 to August 1983, Guiding Light had Douglas Marland, then Pat Falken Smith, then L. Virginia Browne and Gene Palumbo. Next came an interim team of Carolyn Culliton, Gary Tomlin, and Richard Culliton. Then came Pamela Long Hammer and Richard Culliton.
Thanks.
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Search For Tomorrow Discussion Thread
in DTS: Cancelled Soaps
Posted
I get what you mean about Maree Cheatham being a big personality and hard to replace. If Cheatham had stayed as Stephanie, I think the character was still have been diminished. She wasn going to win in the romantic rivalry with Liza over Lloyd and a Liza/Lloyd pairing ultimately would have been the impetus for a Travis return from the dead plot. NBC casted everyone else in the story with much younger actors (Joe Lambie and Louan Gideon). The show had made Stephanie always appear older. I´m not sure what Shaffer or Cheatham would have looked like opposite Lambie. Shaffer didn´t evoke Cheatham´s Stephanie sexuality, but I don´t think there was much attempt to explore that side of Stephanie once Gary Tomlin left.
On that note, when Stephanie´s romantic life does reemerge, it is in the that very odd romance with Bela which definitely made Stephanie come off as past her prime and desperate. The only way Louise Shaffer´s Stephanie was able to seduce Bela was through her wealth and position.
1981 is disappointing. I think there are hints of what could be an interesting show from about April - July, 1981. The jade story is bad. It is half-baked Luke and Laura without the network of connections and relationships that ¨General Hospital¨ developed. The boxing story was well received in the press. I think it´s an interesting concept and I´d prefer that over the plane crash story I watched from 1982 in the jungles. I do feel that Brian and Suzi may have been attempting to cash in on the success of ¨Rocky¨ and ¨Fame.¨
Part of the issue with the plot involving Stephanie´s son is it goes through so many writers. Linda Grover and John Porterfield start it in May/June, 1980 when Brian Emerson comes looking for his biological mother with his buddy, Spence Langley. Then, Brian just decides he wants nothing to do with her before meeting her and Spence decides to claim to be Brian in order to cash in on the success. Spence impersonates Brian for a few months while romanicng ¨Dawn," a waitress at a diner who is really Wendy looking to escape her own issues with her mother. Around this time, Gabrielle Upton picks up the story and plays the reveal that Spence is just a con artist. Upton weaves Spence into the Cissie Mitchell story towards the end. Then, Harding Lemay comes in and uses the trial to have Stephanie befriend Cissie and support her in her fight for custody. This is what reignites Stephanie´s interest. By the time that Brian comes in, Don Chastain is writing the scripts. And Brian is on and Spence is written out when the dynamic between the two could have easily fueled story for a year or so.
In the interviews I´ve read by Don Chastain from the newspaper columns of the time, Chastain seems like someone who was from the Hogan Sheffer camp of wanting men to be men and not being neutered by female charaters. I think it was an attempt to be edgy, but obviously lacking of any actual substance. Part of the issue is there doesn´t seem to be much idea of what to do with Tom. He returns as a shoulder for Sunny Adamson to cry on as I think they had been involved the last time Tom was in Henderson. They also try him with Cissie and Wendy before landing on Kathy. I suspect Tom was in Lemay´s projections, but I don´t know where he would have been storywise.
I haven´t seen any material with Gary, but I´ve seen Stephen Burleigh in other roles and find him suitable.
So many choices made sidelined Jo. I know a lot of people liked the Murder with Mayhem plot, but I don´t like Jo in the Jessica Fletcher role. Though, I would have been interested to see what could have happened if the show had tried doing a ¨Golden Girls¨ setup post flood with Jo and Estelle sharing a space at Liberty House with Wilma Holliday. Three different personalities sharing the space. I´m not sure how successful it would have been, but at least it would have been something different.