teplin

Maybe they wanted to leave it open for her in hopes that she'd go into remission. I really liked her Marie and the stories she was involved in. I never saw Maree's Marie until she returned for Tom's funeral. I like her but I don't think we need another 80+ year-old woman in the cast ... mostly because I wouldn't want her taking any screen time away from Susan Hayes and Suzanne Rogers.

More Playgirl pics: https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/days-of-our-lives-hunks-paul-telfer-and-more-strip-down-for-playgirl/

This makes me really happy!

Thank you for the heads up, @DRW50! It's so much fun to see these old episodes. I especially loved seeing a different side to Bert Bauer, she was not always the saintly grandma I knew her as!

I appreciated that the writers brought them back, I just wish they had borne some resemblance to their earlier characterizations. Jamie Lyn Bauer's Laura was from a different planet than Susan Flannery's Laura.

Thanks as always, Jason. It's a sad soap world in which Clyde Weston appears as often as Julie Williams.

From We Love Soaps: John Randolph had ended his long-term marriage to Pat (Beverly Penberthy) and wed duplicitous Olive Gordon (Jennifer Leak) in March 1977. At Olive's insistence, the couple began building an elaborate new house designed by slithery architect Evan Webster. Soon Evan and Olive were having a torrid, adulterous affair. The Dec.16-19 shooting took place at the newly-finished house. John was in shock after the event; it was only after Olive arrived home and discovered Evan's body that John realized his wife's deception. Her hysterical reaction ("You killed him!" "Evan..") pushing her husband away in rage & disgust) told John the truth. John had a breakdown, became mute and was psychiatrically hospitalized. Eventually, he recovered and was cleared of charges. He and Olive divorced, but she ironically would cause his death in March 1979 (when he became trapped in a fire she set to kill Alice). Jennifer Leak was an outstanding (and since unsung) soap villainess in 1977. Long-term AW viewers will remember her doe-eyed act with John and tormenting Alice (by denying Ray a divorce) and blackmailing Molly Ordway to do her bidding ("Do you want to go back to the cows & pigs in Chadwell?") Olive came to Bay City as Raymond Gordon's (Ted Shackelford) estranged wife. The neglectful mother of two sons, Olive enticed her way in to John Randolph's office and life. She drove the final nail into the Randolph marriage by ingratiating herself with John's daughter, Marianne. All niceties stopped on her wedding day to John.

Jennifer Leak's Wikipedia page has been updated with "March 2024" as her death date. But Wiki is not always reliable. I had no idea she was married to Tim Matheson at one point. I can still remember the day John Randolph shot and killed Evan Webster, Olive's lover, and the end-credits rolled over a black screen with audio of Olive wailing over Evan's corpse. Chilling.

Conversely, I've enjoyed the respite from constant plot-driven storytelling. There's been more insight into character motivations, greater interaction between previously siloed characters and scenes that last longer than 30 seconds. It's still not a great show by any means but I've found a fair amount to like about it. Then again, I was weaned on Bill Bell's DAYS, when plot progression could take years. (Looking at you, Mike Horton.)

Michael Fairman interviewed Suzanne Rogers awhile back and it's clear she agrees with you.

I think she's lost some weight recently, making her look a bit drawn, but yeah, show me another 76-year-old who looks that good.

Same here. I loved Ada and I loved Lenore's mom, Helen (though I can barely remember her now). And I thought Alice Horton was the perfect grandma. But Mary Matthews did nothing for me.

I know I've talked before about not understanding Mitch as a character but I don't know if I'ever said that I never bought a sexual attraction to him. The only time I felt some sexual heat between Rachel and Mitch was in St. Croix, but of course Rachel was faking that. And i certainly never detected any intellectual connection, given that Espy played Mitch as if he’d had part of his brain surgically removed.

Probably, but it seems odd to me that Tate and EJ would have been sidelined, too. EJ had plenty of DiMera stuff to be involved with and Tate could have been a constant thorn in his parents' side. Maybe it saved them from using up their guarantees so they can be used more now.

This really is my favorite storyline at the moment. I loved that Theresa confessed to Tate and that it was John who convinced Tate to give Brady another chance. I hope Tate continues to be a bit resentful of his parents, though, that would be realistic. I'm interested to see where this goes with Holly waking up. (And I'm still mystified at the decision to ship Tate and Holly off for a month or so.)

AW gave Petronia some heavyweight talent to act with in 1982: Morgan Freeman, Howard Rollins Jr., Robert Christian and Michele Shay. All were very good but the writing didn't match their abilities.

I think you're all going to have to dial down your expectations for the funeral guest list. Personally, I'd be fine if they kept Doug alive and in another room for the rest of the series. Today was enough of a tear-jerker for me, I can't imagine what a Doug funeral would be like.

I never heard of it either, or I surely would have watched it (at least once) to see AW alums David Ackroyd and Alexandra Wilson. Did they actually get David Bowie to license "Young Americans" to them, or is this some fan edit?

That was lovely. Susan and all of Bill's family did a wonderful job sharing his light. I'm always impressed by people who have the grace and poise to do eulogies at loved ones' funerals and memorial service. I'd be a blubbering mess by my second sentence.

It wouldn't be a first for DAYS. Pat Falken Smith sued the show after her first headwriting stint and then returned some years later in the same role.

Susan Flannery and Denise Alexander would like a word with you.

Good, she'll be on screen even longer. After which, I imagine we'll see Tamara Braun as new Nicole.

She says her contract (and employment) ended in October so I imagine she'll be back onscreen for a few months.

Ariane Zucker is suing Days for sexual harassment. There's a thread dedicated to it.

There are a lot of vile things about social media, but this is one that particularly rankles me. "How dare you not engage in a performative act of public grief for my entertainment!"