Paul Raven

Can't recall the details now, but the monologue Caroline had on Days about 2 customers in days gone by who were gay and because of the times never acted on those feelings. It was beautifully written and Peggy McCay sold it.

Just yesterday ....Y&R bored me to tears. Sorry, couldn't resist. Seriously that final scene when Katherine/Jeanne slowly mounted the stairs and Jill/Jess looked up was pretty heartwrenching, knowing that was Jeanne's last appearance.

Wasn't Gwen given dialogue originally written for Willis? Gwen was nothing like the original character. Not to reunite Alice and Steve in someway was ridiculous. Give Alice a fantasy sequence where she reunites with Steve. And if you're going to bring back core characters like Pat then give them some meaningful scenes, otherwise don't bother.

Who's The Boss ranked 21st in it's first Tuesday episode outranking lead-in Three's a Crowd which was 37th . that was a good showing up against A Team 3rd. As stated 84/85 was peak for nightime soaps but NBC was nowhere to be seen. Maybe Bare Essence and Yellow Rose had put them off. They had Berrengers in the wings but scheduled it for Saturday where Secrets of Midland Heights and Yellow Rose had shown there wasn't much appetite for soaps on Saturday. Maybe they should have placed Berrengers Tues @10 with the strong Riptide lead-in and no real competition. But I guess Remington Steele was doing OK and they didn't want to risk it.

Of course. and Agnes often had an interloper who had designs on the guy Jenny/Greg/Liza Steve/Alice/Rachel Cliff/Nina/Sybil Although that triangle is SOAP 101.

Bill Bell Younger sister has insecurities due to weight problem/skin condition Traci/Katie. De facto head of poorer family resents father who deserted Storm/Snapper

NBC saw some potential and wisely used it as lead-in to it's previously lower rating comedy block. They didn't use it as lead out for Gimme A Break for example. Hopefully ABC would have done the same-maybe Friday @8 to boost that night. Then again, they obviously didn't see much potential in Who's the Boss? Viewers found that show, even though it was buried on Thurs night. ABC quickly moved it to Tues and the ratings began to grow.

Bill Bell: Miserable grand dame resents younger beautiful woman for taking her son. Vanessa/Lorie

CBS must have been surprised/disappointed that Crazy Like A Fox was a shortlived success. Despite the strong MSW lead-in the opposing movies proved too strong the following season. Although CBS could boast of all its Thursday lineup in the Top 20, it was not to last. No other night had all shows in the Top 20 although CBS Sunday came close with only Trapper John missing out. ABC turned down Cosby because there was no pilot or script and I think they wanted a full season commitment. How different things would have been had ABC picked it up. But where would it be scheduled? Against A Team? Or to boost Wed @8?

A gender reveal party with pink spray. People can be so annoying.

Agnes liked her young love storyline where the protaganists were the innocent girl and the well meaning good guy who were manipulated by outside forces.But she really really only used it repeatedly on AMC. I guess Meredith and Larry on early OLTL would qualify. On AW , Steve wasn't the type. Loving had Stacey and Jack? On AMC,first there was Phil and Tara. Then Cliff and Nina, followed quickly by Jenny and Greg. But there really wasn't a next couple to follow that template. At one point when she took over the writing I think Scott and Becca were given that role.

There was a strike going on in primetime so Nicolas Coster was available . How and why he was approached/agreed is unclear. AW at that point seemed intent on erasing pretty much anything that occurred even a few years earlier.

1984-85 Cosby an instant hit that brings all 4 Thurs sitcoms to Top 20. Highway to Heaven, another hit for NBC. Crazy Like A Fox-looks like restoring CBS Sunday dominance. Out of the Top 20 AfterMash After a strong start it did struggle a little as the season wore on and Kate & Allie did far better, but CBS seemed to give up by putting it up against The A Team this season, where it was canned. Love Boat-the only Saturday show in that was Top 20. Fall Guy- Highway to Heaven took over the timeslot. The Jeffersons after a long run Scarecrow and Mrs King-already dropping in its second season-not a good sign. ABC Sunday and Monday Movie-NBC took over with their Monday movie. TV Bloopers- failed to maintain its appeal. 1 Dynasty 2 Dallas 3 The Cosby Show 4 60 Minutes 5 Family Ties 6 The A-Team 7 Simon & Simon 8 Murder, She Wrote 9 Knots Landing 10 (Tie) Falcon Crest 10 (Tie) Crazy Like a Fox 10 (Tie) Hotel 10 (Tie) Cheers 11 Riptide 12 Magnum, P.I. 13 Newhart 14 Kate & Allie 15 NBC Monday Night Movie 16 Highway to Heaven 17 Night Court

The circumstances were different-Mickey had amnesia, Victor was carjacked but overall it was the same template. And Bill used the plot of the novel written by one character- Lorie/Eric 'In My Sister's/Brother's Shadow' that detailed a private matter concerning another -Leslie's breakdown/Susan's rape. And the unlucky in love French restaurateur Robert/Pierre who marries the younger pregnant woman - Rebecca/Sally to give the baby a name. Producer Jacquie Babbin loved a murder mystery and introduced one eaach at AMC and Loving.

RONALD SYLVERS THE EDGE OF NIGHT Doctor Unknown Year 1968

Bill Bell used the man - Victor/Mickey - retreating from turmoil landing at a farm run by sweet/disabled woman - Hope/Maggie - and finds peace and love despite presence of distrustful, jealous rival - Cliff/Jay on Days and Y&R. Both times it was a success. Surprised Ridge Forrester didn't end up at a farm owned by a deaf woman... That story first appeared on radio in the 40's on Young Dr Malone, I think. Bill Bell said he used to listen to radio soaps.

Bill Bell liked to throw in a little quasi incest to spice things up -see Tommy/Marie on Days, Lorie/Mark, Cole/Victoria and Scott/Christine on Y&R. Was there anything like this on B&B? can't recall offhand.

So many tidbits are uncovered from synopses and articles from the actual time that show mistakes were made in later publications. Again thanks to depboy for sharing. Now we just have to find synopses from other soaps....

Esther should be living at the Chancellor estate as should Jill when she visits. Billy and Chance also.

One of Doug Marland's trademarks would be the large working class family with various siblings not on the canvas at the one time headed by a down to earth matriach. He may have been influenced by the Frame family when he worked under Harding Lemay on AW. When he branched out on his own he extended the Dancy family an incorporated those elements. On GH Luke,Bobbie and Ruby spencer represented that thrust and I believe he planned to introduce Pat but departed. On GL it was the Reardons, ATWT the Snyders. Was the Rescott family on Loving a Marland creation? And of course Agnes was known for the scheming daughter/put upon mother trope represented by Rachel/Ada, Erica/Mona and Ava/Kate. However, I don't believe she used that at GL or OLTL in her stints there.

Another problem for CBS that plagued them for years was trying to find successful 8pm shows Tues, Wed and Sat. They tried and tried again with youth oriented shows that repeatedly fizzled. Younger viewers and CBS were poles apart. Remember these shows? TV 101, Dolphin Cove, Houston Knights, High Mountain Rangers, The Wizard, Downtown, Outlaws, Stir Crazy, Hometown, Otherworld, Whiz Kids, Wizards and Warriors... just a few of the shows tried in those slots.

Looking at CBS in the 80's one of their problems was the reliance on 70's sitcoms and the failure to come up with new sitcom hits. In the early mid 70's there was a slew of long running sitcoms introduced and very few misses. AITF, Maude, MTM, Mash, Bob Newhart, Jeffersons, Good Times, Rhoda, One Day at a Time, Alice. The problems started when MTM, Bob Newhart and Rhoda departed. Saturday night fell apart as Tony Randall and We've Got Each Other failed to take off. Betty White was a flop. But going into the 80's CBS still had a strong sitcom lineup But after 76 the only bright spots were WKRP and House Calls, but neither were super hits. So when the 70's shows finally departed in the mid 80's the cupboard was pretty much bare.

Judith Barcroft had originated the role of Lenore and may have returned if asked, but I guess as she hadn't played Lenore when Robert was on, they felt there was no need. All the return characters, I think, were from the Lemay era, which makes sense as he was writer for a significant amount of time and when the show was most popular. With Robert back, they could have brought back Clarice and used it as an opportunity to bring his son Cory on, now a teen. But there never seemed to be much interest in looking to the past, except when Lemay returned and set some things up that Donna Swajeski followed through. Did Beverly Penberthy return in 89?

Was there an Irna show that didn't deal with illegitimate children/adoption? This goes back to TGL's radio days when Rose Kransky gave up her child and it was adopted by the biological father and his new wife. Then you had Meta Bauer giving up her son and the drama that followed. ATWT had Ellen Lowell and later Sara Fuller/Amanda Holmes along with the Peter Burton story in the early 70's and Amy Hughes also. AW had Missy as the illegitimate child. Bill Bell stole the formula with Julie on Days.

Program compatility and audience flow seems to be an inexact science, although I'm sure the networks invested zillions of dollars in research. The conventional wisdom at the time seems to be that light action/adventure leading into soap was the way to go, probably based on nothing more than it worked for Dukes/Dallas. CBS tried again with Freebie and the Bean/Secrets of Midland Heights and NBC had BJ and the Bear/Flamingo Road. I guess if the action shows had cute guys the woman would be interested and the soaps had plenty of pretty girls so the reverse was true. That kind of sexist stereotype holds true today. There have been plenty of odd scheduling moves over the years. Remember CBS launched All in the Family following Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres and Hee Haw!