Paul Raven

SFT at this time was being written by Irving Ellman and there didn't seem to be anything particularly compelling going at that time to account for the rating.

And it seems she probably would have stayed on had her agent not started making demands.

That wildfire story is odd. Why not say Mattie was injured and needed rehab? Just being upset about a teacher hardly seems reason to stay away for months.

Yes there was site that offered those DVDs several years ago and that is where I first saw mention of the Allens in 1966. I had it bookmarked but must have deleted it unfortunately. Not sure there was as many as 40, at least on this site.

Re Cal/Emily Slick has - Cal Foster...Colgate Salsbury...66-68 married man, +Emily H. Now from what are learning from other sources, those dates may be off. Either Cal was on earlier and Cal was coming back, or this was his first appearance. And what happened to Libby? Did Nick take her when Emily died in 1973? At this point it seems Louise Shaffer had just taken over as Emily and Ken Kercheval was Nick. Andrea being offscreen must have been when Virginia Gilmore left to take up a teaching position. Lesley Woods was her replacement and debuted when Andrea returned, probably in a few weeks. And Kitty Allen appeared whereas slick has the Allens on in 1966. Always something new to discover.

Edmonton Journal Jan 15 1993 Soap icon asked to leave Days of Our Lives plays leave CONNIE PASSALACQUA United Media Hollywood Days of Our Lives has asked the liveliest of soap icons, Susan Seaforth Hayes (who plays Julie Williams), to leave the show. Hayes came back to Days of Our Lives two years ago (without her on-screen and real-life husband, Bill Hayes, who had played Doug), after a six-year absence. Doug and Julie were, of course, the soap supercouple of the early '70s, as the Hayeses mixed sexual sizzle with real love, creating a long-term, genuine sense of bonhomie with the show's fans. In 1990, NBC hyped Seaforth Hayes' return to Days of Our Lives with wealthy, "divorced" Julie supposedly set to be the adversary to evil Victor Kiriakis (played by John Aniston). Instead, spunky Julie became a sounding board for the show's often-mundane younger characters. Her rightful slot on the show was taken by Louise Sorel (who plays Vivian Alamain), who arrived a year ago after playing fabulous vixen Augusta Lockridge on Santa Barbara. Most soaps don't have room for more than one woman in the fifty-something range. What a shame! Seaforth Hayes came back as fiery as ever and looking great. But stupidly, Julie was hardly ever used in the story, which squandered Seaforth Hayes' talent and sparkle. Julie is, of course, a key member of the show's core family, the Hortons, whose presence goes back to the show's first episode in 1965. Also leaving Days of Our Lives for personal reasons, is Patsy Pease. Since coming back to the show alter tending to the serious health problems of her baby son, Russell. Pease had been starring in a splashy story line that has been meant to he the daytime equivalent of The Three Faces of Eve. Her three identities have been Kimberly, Lacey and Clare. Taking Pease's place will be multisoap veteran Ariane Chase, who, as Ariane Munker was best known for her portrayal of walking headache Marianne Randolph (1975-77) on Another World. Mari Dusay (who formerly played Myrna Clegg on Capitol) filled in for Louise Sorel on Days of Our Lives recently, after Sorel injured her back during a trip to New York Cily. Dusay, who's also great at witchy roles, is said to be a major contender for the role of Alexandra Spaulding on Guiding Light, a role that was vacated last summer by the incomparable Beverlee McKinsey. Just when are they going to cast that role? This is currently the best back-stage cliffhanger in the soap world. Hey, Seaforth Hayes might be a fair choice!

The Evening Sentinel Saturday, June 23, 1973 'Another World's Iris is also plain Emma By RUTH THOMPSON Beverlee McKinsey is a sleek quick-witted, beautiful blonde,the very image of the sophisticated New Yorker. Only it is not her own favorite image any more. Yes it was once when she was a teenager in Oklahoma. But now? Beverlee, who plays "glamorous Iris Carrington on NBC's Monday through Friday soap Another World says,"Oh, how I wish they would transfer our show to California. I'm a sunshine person. I had to give up my lovely little house in Studio City to come East and all the furniture from that house is still in storage out there, waiting. Not, mind you, that Beverlee has any wish to give up "Another World." It is giving her a chance to prove what she can do as an actress. For before she landed the continuous glamorous Iris role, Beverlee made three brief appearances as Emma, a character so unlike Iris only one viewer wrote in to say that she recognized that the same actress played both roles. "Same profile " was her explanation. You listen to Beverlee's clear, polished voice, and you marvel. How could she ever be Emma? "Well, the makeup men took care of the look, she says. Emma is only about 30. But she has led a hard life. She is weathered. She has been in and out of the sun a lot. She is old before her time. They put on streaks of that Duo cement they use for false eyelashes to wrinkle the lids and also to glue the corners down. Then they put some brown spots on my cheeks. I wore my own hair but I oiled it down which made it look darker. Then after that, I became very still. "Emma is easier for me to play than Iris," she said. You blink. "Yes, you see while I'm not a farm girl, I did grow up in a small town and I had a hillbilly accent before I came to New York. ... all I had to do was remember," she explained. "Emma is a good person but she can't communicate in a setting alien to her (as the house guest of chic suburbanites).Her values are different. She comes in from a walk and says softly, 'Lot of good said greens out there.' They don't know what she's talking about. So her way, like a little animal in strange surroundings, is to become very quiet," she notes. And as you watch, Beverlee literally withdraws the energy from her arms, her face. She dims her own vibrancy. She IS Emma. "The head writer understood her very well. And so do I. And I am so grateful to Paul Rauch for realizing what I can do and not just casting me the easy way for 'the blonde look,' " she said. Iris, of course, is blonde. But a challenge. "I show up at the studio in jeans at 8:00 A.M. and they hand all the right trappings on me. I'm very casual. Iris is very uptight. My own skin is darker and tends to be oily, but I know how to get the Iris look and I do the makeup myself. I use heavy eyelashes, the kind you'd never wear on the street, and a magnolia complexion. I put two layers of light base on before I finish with pancake. I figure Iris has gone through life wearing a big hat and staying in the shade. She is very insecure, no man in her life, and she's sure the right beauty treatments will make all the difference. She can be warm at moments and she can be perfectly terrible. I don't know whether to like her or hate her," say Beverlee. One viewer who has her mind made up is a maid in Beverlee's building. For her it's hate-hate-hate. "Maybe I should be afraid to go to the laundry alone," Beverlee says and smiles, "Considering what the young elevator man told me. After I got out the other day, it seems, this woman huffed, 'She's no good. She's trying to take Elliott away from Alice.' Huh? When the shift changed the puzzled day man asked his relief, 'Have I been missing something on Miss McKinsey? Who's Elliott?' " The night man, who watches "Another World," set the record straight. But the maid still won't believe it. "McKinsey? Is that what she says her name is? Well don't believe it. That Iris lies." No, Beverlee can't give up a role that stirs folks up this much. Her interim solution. A new paint job for her Manhattan apartment. "White-white walls, and lots of sunny yellow, orange and apricot." The look of a country house right in the city.".

When did Bill Bell cut ties with Days completely? I know for some time PFS had pretty much free reign but Bill was dictating long term stry. I wonder if Days falling ratings were the result of Pat taking complete control and not having Bill's input-hence the dark stories lacking Bill's unique touch.

That was such fun. Now they need to get digging through old movies/TV shows for a Dallas backstory.

He's 53 and depending on the individual , men can look anywhere b/w 40-60 at that age. Will have to wait and see him onscreen to 'judge'.

All for public consumption. Ada was already plotting Charley's murder.

SFT #3 Y&R #6. How things would change. ATWT cruising along at #1. Days at #9. So no real competition there.

Ellen Weston had written for Capitol and several TV movies. She was as experienced as some other writers who got gigs on soaps. And she was a friend of Conboy.

I really don't see the point of these characters being dragged out for one day stories that lead nowhere. Where was the vowel renewal? Society or GCAC?

Kristian Alfonso After making a splash as Hope on Days she left for primetime. Falcon Crest, guest spots and that awful syndicated series Love Stories. Then back to Days for the rest of her career.

Search for Tomorrow Walter Haskins...involved with Patti Tate Ernest Graves...66? ...Douglass Watson...66-68 Watson is seen on the Xmas 66 episode. I would wager that Graves was in in 66 and Watson took over.

So Patti was heavily involved with Walter. This is something I've never seen mentioned in synopses. Walter was played by Douglass Watson (Mac AW) He was around 45 at the time so they were going with Patti falling for an older man. Wonder what happened to break them up? There was also mention of Steve who I guess was Walter's son. Maybe he was opposed to the romance, or was interested in Patti?Patti finally wed Len in 69.

Robert Mandan From These Roots,Edge of Night and his very popular stint as Sam on SFT. From 1970 it was guest spots until he landed Soap in 77. Following that he worked in primetime until a return to soaps with stints on SB 1990 and Days 1997.

What was the story behind Gail Kobe leaving GL? How long was she there for? Would the show have been in better shape had she stayed on for a few more years?

If we saw Phyllis doing her community service it might work in favor of the character making some positive progress and being more sympathetic. Imagine seeing her working with elders or recovering addicts etc and she could realize how lucky she is. OK Phyllis is never going to completely change but it certainly would add some depth to her persona. Instead she's slinking around GCAC claiming to be a changed person with nothing to back it up.

Danny has always been an idiot regarding Phyllis so believing her latest claims to reform is keeping in character I guess. MD needs to lay off the hair dye. It's giving him vampiric overtones.

Why do I think marriage to Ada might not include conjugal rights? I can see Charley escorting Ada home from the wedding and her gruffly informing him that she has made up the spare room. A perfunctory peck on the cheek as she stares off into the distance, is all you'd get from Ada.

ATWT Kim- Hubby #1 Jason Reynolds and #3 Dan Stewart and #4 Nick Andropoulos Claire- all 3 husbands Jim Lowell, Doug Cassen, Michael Shea. Lisa- Whit McColl, Eduardo Grimaldi.

The San Francisco Examiner May 23 1971 Three Sisters Who Sob, Long Distance By Dwight Newton Television Critic IN A GREAT, BIG, gorgeous bedroom overlooking scenic Bidwell Park at Chico, young and beautiful Mrs. Jerome Dobson, wife of an almond farmer, is wont to talk, laugh, sob and cry out loud in the middle of the night. It is not the sound of sobbing, that occasionally disturbs Farmer Dobson's sleep. It is the sound of Mrs. Dobson's typewriter in the wee small hours. "I sometimes dream there is a machine gun in the house," confided Dobson last week. "I shall have to invent a typewriter with felt keys." Meanwhile, Mrs. Dobson-nee Bridget Hursley, creative writing major, Stanford University, class of '60 goes happily and/or emotionally about her network commitment: the midnight writing of three episodes per week of one of America's most watched soap operas. '"General Hospital" (3 p.m.weekdays, ABC-TV). Bridget Dobson has been writing about the interlocking lives, loves, problems and pregnancies of "General Hospital" people, putting words into their mouths, for six years. She inherited the job. HER CO-HEIRESS and co-writer (usually two episodes a week) is her sister. Dr. Deborah Hardy, history professor, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyo. When the turbulent affairs of Dr. Steve Hardy (John Beradio),Nurse Jessie Brewer and all the others-Nurse Meg. Nurse Lucille, Dr. Peter, Dr.Tom, Audrey, Sharon, Jane, Phil, Howie, Lee Baldwin become too tangled to readily unravel, they could even put in an SOS call to a third sister. Polly Keusink, who with husband Richard owns and publishes a weekly newspaper,The Brookings Harbor (Oregon) Pilot. ' Though "General Hospital" is jammed to the gurneys with big city sin and suspense, the plots are firmly planted in grass roots America - Northern California, Wyoming and Oregon. No other soap opera can make that claim. The plot-planting process is unique to television. Every Sunday like religion,. Bridget in Chico and Deborah in Laramie receive a phone call from their parents, Frank and Doris Hursley, down in Beverly Hills. The senior Hursleys outline the next five episodes; a paragraph per episode does it: "Diana wishes Jessie would choose between Peter and Phil"... "Brooke confesses to Lee that she loves him" . . . "Sharon shows cheesecake photos of herself to Lucille and Henry." Then the daughters hit the typewriters to fill in the action and the dialog. Their deadline is always the following Thursday. They write six weeks in advance of airdate. The senior Hursleys are seasoned hands at writing and creating broadcast entertainment. They wrote "Search for Tomorrow" for years. They created "Bright Promise" and subsequently sold it to Bing Crosby Productions. "General Hospital" has been their baby from birth. , They have been at it since 1941 when Doris, then a Wisconsin lawyer, and Frank, a University of Wisconsin professor, wrote their first script and parlayed it into a radio series called "Aunt Jenny." Came the deluge: "Those Websters," "Trouble With the Truitts," "Light of the World," "That's Rich." And then on to Hollywood, television, and the second generation of Hursley writers. Bridget went lo Stanford because, "I never thought of going anyplace else; it was thing to do."For every hour of study she expected a bonus barrel of fun, and collected. She became a wheel with the Institute of International Relations, and supervised its Stanford Sidewalk Cafe. During her four-year tenure, Bridget variously lived at the Eranner, Olivo, Union Court and Alondra houses and fell passionately in love with a tall, lean, handsome, Alpha Sigma Phi who was studying to be a farmer. One Jerome Dobson from Chico. And then they were married. They have two children, Andy and Mary. THEIR CHICO HOME is big enough to house the entire "General Hospital" cast and then some. But Bridget won't use one of the spare rooms to write in. She is set in her ways, as most writers are. Like the horse that headed for the barn, I head for the kitchen table when I write at home. Bridget heads for the bedroom. "Because It's big and comfortable and I like it." he told me. "Besides, It's a multi-purpose bedroom. Everything happens here. Why not write here?" She writes mostly at night so she can concentrate better, so her days can be free. She laughs, moans, mumbles, sobs and cries because she does her best writing when she talks her dialog out loud. She lives all the roles, often with anguish. But it's not the anguish that disturbs the tranquility of Farmer Dobson dreams. It's that "machine gun in the house."