Paul Raven

They have added Andres studio/apartment. Which I find quite basic. The worst set still remains Bill/Hayley's house.

Don’t Go Away Mad, Just Go Away! Or The Dim Bulbs of Guiding Light Snark Weighs In column In the latest edition of Soap Opera Weekly, reporter Linda Susman interviews GL’s former head writers, Barbara Esensten and James Harmon Brown. Esensten and Brown, you’ll recall (try as you might to forget), were writing GL for three years, until they were released (READ: fired) recently in favor of Claire Labine and her writing team. Of course, E&B didn’t spring up overnight. In addition to being scriptwriters during GL’s acclaimed run of the early 90’s, they were also Headwriters during such daytime milestones as Dynasty’s final season, the last several months of Loving, and the entire 16 and 1/2 month run of The City. Don’t laugh. E&B don’t want you to laugh at them. They want you to understand that they too have thoughts and feelings. And that there’s more going on behind the scenes than you know. The following are excerpts of the E&B interview, accompanied of course, by my commentary. (It is MY column, after all.) In this portion, E&B are discussing the recent leukemia story which proved to be their last major story for the show. In it, Phillip Spaulding is stranded on an island with ex-wife, Beth. Both are trapped after being caught in a blizzard. (Yep. Ablizzard on an island.) Phillip and Beth, thinking they’re about to die, do what anyone would do--sleep together. Phillip is married to Harley; Beth is involved with Jim. Of course, Phillip and Beth are rescued. Of course, Beth becomes pregnant. Of course, their other daughter, Lizzie develops leukemia, necessitating the revelation that Beth and Phillip had a one night fling. Barbara Esensten: I think those in power are worried and tend to pull the switch more quickly than they did in the past. Jim and I and our writing staff knew the leukemia story was so good. James Harmon Brown: It's the best story we've done since we've been there. There's no denying the numbers were down, and however strong the fan mail was there would be some discussion on the Internet, the five or six people who would get up and slam you about it. But the bottom line was that as the story was playing in its early stages, the numbers were down. Is that because of the story or other factors related to the show or CBS in general or daytime in particular? We don't know. There are some real puzzlers in these comments, particularly from JHB. He mentions that fan mail was strong, and continues to trot out the same old tripe about 5 or 6 people slamming the story, but then admits that the numbers were down. Why were the numbers down, Jim? Could it be that the storyline, as well as other storylines going on at the time were not as good as you think. (Despite their attempts to prove otherwise, the leukemia story was not the only one on GL this year.) BE: The irony is that [P&G] didn't pick us up (as writers), and then the ratings went up. The ratings went up momentarily. This occurred during the two or so weeks when the plot reached it’s climax, and was actually featured center-stage. The ratings peaked at 3.7, which was less than the all-time high of 4.3 E&B achieved in 1997. Of course, it was better than the 3.2 GL had just hit a few weeks earlier. GLalso hit a 3.2 under E&B’s predecessor, Megan McTavish. Shortly after, McTavish was out of work, and E&B were hired. JHB: I think what happens is our solutions to things don't resonate anymore with the powers that be. They look for new ideas and new approaches and quick fixes because that's become the mentality not only of this daypart but of network television in general. It’s amazing how Brown combines new ideas, new approaches, and quick fixes in the same sentence. They are not the same thing at all. The first two are desperately needed in daytime; the last one is what daytime has been trying for a decade. Yet, Brown combines them all and speaks of them negatively. BE: Instead of following the problem as a team, we tend not to do that in our business right now. The network will meet and then the writers will meet and we don't get to meet with the directors. There are no intensive meetings to see what we can all do to make it better what do we think is going wrong. JHB: It becomes adversarial. When the good times are rolling, it's "Ain't we great," and when the bad times are rolling, each pocket tends to grow inward and draw a line in the sand. In the old days, before the Internet and cable and salacious daytime talk shows, there was more of an opportunity to ride the rollercoaster and know that if there's a dip in audience interest, you have time to correct it. There isn't that luxury anymore, and what happens is you end up changing the team and bringing in new people. Amazing. On one hand, E&B preach unity, and on the other, they’re blaming internet fans, their bosses, the lineup, and cable--mercifully Ms. Susman cut the part where they blame a partridge in a pear tree. The first law of E&B land, is that nothing is ever their fault. And while I would normally agree with Brown that soaps have a lot of turnover, the fact remains that he and Estensen were the head writers for three and a half years. It has NEVER been commonplace to allow writers that long to get things right, work out the bugs, etc. Under E&B, ratings peaked in late 1997. They’ve been on a downward spiral ever since. How much time is needed? Next, B&E admit their mistakes: BE: Jim and I have had an opportunity to step back and take a deep breath and a look at some of the mistakes we made. JHB: Like trying to badly what prime time and movies do well- mayhem and explosions- and getting away from what daytime traditionally has been about: family conflict, romance. And that's the core of what it should still be about. When every new set of headwriters comes in, including ourselves, everyone says,"We're going to do romance." BE: "Character-driven stories." JHB: "Back to the core family," yada, yada, yada. BE: And we all try. JHB: But again, because of the pressures of the numbers, we all tend to go for the figurative edge-of-the-cliff type of incident that isn't really what we do well. Basically, E&B admit that when they and other writers say that they’re going to get back to basics, they’re lying. Is this supposed to endear them to me? What if (God forbid) they get another writing gig? Am Isupposed to believe another word they say? They certainly can’t fall back on the old yada, yada, yada. But, I should feel sorry for E&B. After all, their bosses are demanding that they keep GL’s ratings above cancellation level on a consistent basis. Petty tyrants. Next, E&B discuss storyline blunders. JHB: Josh being zombified by aftershave lotion would be No. 1 with a bullet on my list. And the clone story. Because I've had some time to reflect on this, I think it was the wrong story for Guiding Light to do at the time. I thought we did it as well as it could be done, except for the growth serum. That was always sort of wonky. BE: The clone story was something the network actually had suggested, and we sort of joined hands and said kumbaya, we're in this together. They never backed off from that. Even when we got lots of criticism, we got a lot of support from Procter & Gamble. We were all trying to do something that would capture more daytime audience; it just wasn't the kind of story for our audience.... It was a valiant effort on all our parts, but it should have been more of a lesson to us that that kind of story really doesn't work. If Josh being zombified by shaving lotion was a bad story, why did they do it? Did CBS or P&G really say that Josh must be mind-controlled through shaving lotion? Or did Jim, Babs, and the writing staff just know that story was good too? Again, poor E&B were strong-armed by the network into going along with the cloning story. I have no doubt that it was CBS that pushed for this story in order to grab the DAYS audience. (Remember when DAYS was significantly higher rated than GL?) But, compare BE’s comments above with her comments in an April 21,1998 interview with SOW’s Mark McGarry, in a piece ironically entitled “Double Talk.” Mark McGarry: Have people overreacted? Barbara Esensten: This is a controversial issue...It’s certainly the first time a clone story has been done, but what we tell our viewers is that Jim and I love Guiding Light. We opted to come back because we love the show, and we would never do anything un-Guiding Light-like. MM: What more do you want to say to the viewers? BE: We may be making a mistake. We don’t think we are. It is a Guiding Light story. It really is. Finally, JHB finds one more source of blame, after he and Babs have made some favorable comments on Soapnet. JHB: We think these shows need to be promoted differently. There are kids out there who have grown into teen-agers, young females who are our audience of the future and who have grown up without knowing we exist. They didn't grow up with mom and grandma sitting by the tv watching our shows? How do you get to these people? We need to be as creative in promoting the shows and marketing them as we are in telling the stories. God forbid. The marketing people are far more creative in promoting the stories, than those creating them. This interview was titled State of the Art, but it would be better titled Portrait of Two Hacks. Here we have two (and I use the term loosely) writers who will pass the buck to anyone and everyone. They will say whatever is necessary to suit their goals, chief of which is staying employed. They are among a growing number of hacks who are willing to do whatever their bosses tell them to do, and smile while doing it. Do I think everything that’s gone wrong with GL over the past 3 and a half years is their fault? No. Do I have any sympathy for them? No. They’ve been around long enough to know the game. And given a chance, they’ll play it again. Don’t give them that chance.

Poor Audra! Has she lost Vibrante for good?? Hope not-it was going to be a disruptor in the cosmetics field and super innovative-the first company to take on the established giants w/o staff, offices or products. So Victor summons Cane to work together to destroy...the Abbotts!!! Ooooh that was totally a shocking turn of events. Why? Uhm, because that's what Victor always threatens to do? The old geezer doesn't even know himself. Is it because his newly found grandaughter has the nerve to date an Abbott? Seeing how his wife, daughter and the man himself all married Abbotts, it seems a trifle lame. Oh, and his other daughter is also half Abbott...

Strictly speaking that list is correct, but if you exclude child actors and focus on older actors who actually had story... Jamie 5 Marianne 3 Michael 2 Alice 5 Rachel 3 Russ 3 Vicky 4 Nicole 3 Amanda 3 Sam 3 Matt 3 Sally 5 Peter 3 Jim 4 Susan 4 Vince 3 Julia 3

PATRICIA BARRY MATINEE THEATER 'The Sixty Fifth Floor'6/9/58

From Slick Jones GL cast list... Baron Leo Von Halkein India's father ex-husband of Alexandra George Guidall 1986

This Hayley faking pregnancy story might have worked down the line when issues had arisen in the marriage. Maybe one of he kids is in an accident and Bill/Dani draw closer. Dani gets involved with a man Bill doesn't trust and Hayley is jealous of her husband's obsession with this. Something in Hayley's past comes to light and Bill is disenchanted. Any/all of these could lead to Hayley faking a baby as she's scared Bil might leave her/ A year/18 months down the line. Not less than 6 months in. I am intrigued however by the Randy/Hayley connection at this point.

It wasn't like Dani and Hayley got into some huge fight. Dani could feel bad about her losing the baby w/o the OTT guilt trip. At this point the Hayley story is a miss. A pity b/c the potential was there w/o Hayley being so foolish. Bill had been totally supportive and Hayley got her man. We got very little about how she was adjusting to married life. Suddenly she's faking a pregnancy FOR NO REASON. Moving on... BTG made a big to do about having 27 regular sets- I can get to around 20. Does that mean there are another 7 or so waiting to be used? Or what? I think the show could benefit from extra sets.

Thanks @DRW50 Might spur me on to getting back into radio soaps.

Martina was the first adult Annie and the center of the next generation youth story. I don't believe there are any of her episodes around.

A bunch of pilots that played in the Summer of 78; Some interesting concepts and names. And some that looked DOA based on the synopsis alone. Snavely ABC Harvey Korman, Betty White .Inept owners of a resort hotel mistake two salesmen as hotel inspectors (Remake of Fawlty Towers) The Rag Business ABC Conchata Ferrell Dick O'Neill Garment workers sew up a new dress for a co-worker's luncheon date, then fabricate a comical coverup when she returns too late for their boss to show the design to an important buyer. Tom And Joann CBS Elizabeth Ashley Joel Fabiani .A divorced couple find that adjustment to a new relationship is not as easy as they had expected. The Rock Rainbow ABC Susan Bigelow Louisa Flaningham ,Ellen Greene Robert Alda .Three young backup singers form their own rock group. Based on UK series Rock Follies Ship Shape CBS Deborah Ryan An ambitious female ensign is assigned a group of misfits. Sparrow CBS Randy Herman Don Gordon Beverly Sanders Jeff Holland.A mailroom clerk yearns to play private eye. Down Home CBS Robert Hooks Madge Sinclair Beah Richards Lincoln Kilpatrick Edward Binns Andrew Duggan Anne Setmour .A black family moves from Detroit to a small town in the South in their search for a different lifestyle. Mother, Juggs & Speed ABC With Ray Vitte, Joanne Nail , Joe Penny Harvey Lembeck A team of paramedics learn that the ambulance company they work for is about to lose its operating license. Winner Take All CBS Michael Murphy Joanna Pettet David Huddleston Signe Hasso Clive Revill .A police lieutenant and an insurance investigator team up to find a fortune in stolen emeralds. Friends CBS Micheal Tucci Darrell Fetty.Rock singers forsake the road to become staff songwriters for a slick Hollywood record company. Wilder And Wilder CBS Greg Mullavey Meredith McCrae .A married TV writing team discovers the pitfalls that often accompany the merging of marriage and identical careers. The Plant Family CBS Joyce Van Patten Norman Alden .An ex-taxi dancer who marries one of her best ex-customers and settles in a rundown house in a borderline neighborhood of a Southern California suburb.

Re Karl Weber SEARCH FOR TOMORROW Arthur Tate 1955 - 1957 Actually 55-56. The character of Atrhur went to Puerto Rico for a while when Weber departed the role. When Arthur returned Jan 57, it was again Terry O'Sullivan.

Has there ever been a partner to his children/grandchildren that Victor has been fully supportive of? Devon is calling his father in law and a man he has known for decades 'Mr. Newman'. Jess popped on a silk blouse over her sweats and slippers and set up her phone in her study for Jill's appearance. She did get in the opening credits at least.

Uptown does not look upscale. The hideous green walls should go and some more upmarket decor is needed. I know the focus turned to The Articulettes but it feels like the aftermath of Martin's reveal has been overshadowed. Derek's acting has improved thankfully. However, I don't think anyone wants him back with Ashley. Shanice was wise enough not to get involved.

MALACHI THRONE SEARCH FOR TOMORROW....Priest pre 78

Bet y Between the ages of the characters and the actor's ages, things get very messy.

Thought the Ashley/Jan scenes were well acted, much needed and gave some more insight into motivations. It would have been more effective if Jan had have been around listening/advising over the past few weeks, rather than dumping all this into one episode. The same problem exists with Hayley- no one to interact with to explain her POV. Derek seemed much more natural in his scenes with Jacob. One issue I find from time to time is that the dialogue can be too try hard, with characters throwing around too many metaphors eg 'I was as angry as blah, blah... instead of just 'I was angry' Too many smart lines can be overkill. As for booty duty both the waiters at OG's and CC were serving. Both cute guys.

Re Pat. The decision to fire Penberthy in 82 was insane. Beverly looked great and Pat had only one marriage behind her. AW should have followed Y&R's lead and have Pat marry into a new family to provide a link b/w new and old. Pat would be stepmother to new young characters, and her kids could return also. Simple and effective. But AW thought we'd be more interested in brand new characters with no connection and history.

Having another long lost daughter plot with Ashley/Joey after Eva/Ted would be too much. I still think the Vanessa/Joey/Doug plot feels disconnected from the rest of the show. Throwing Vanessa in a scene with Nicole or Dani every once in a while is not enough. As I'v said before, maybe making Ashley and Smitty siblings or Vanessa and Jan sisters etc would have given those other charcters more connections

KARL WEBER SEARCH FOR TOMORROW Pat the bartender Unknown Year 1953 (possibly earlier)

SEARCH FOR TOMORROW Arthur Tate second husband, Jo; first married to Hazel; her twin sister Sue terrorized Jo Terry O'Sullivan...1952-55; January 1958- February 1966

Lamon Archey? I'm in 2 minds about casting name actors. Clifton, Tamara, Daphnee and Karla were somewhat known and needed for the launch. But SB tried that for years with new characters and and it never worked. Better to unearth new talent that is associated only with BTG. Although a good actor playing an interesting character can work also.

The Cane/Nice story was all wrong on so many levels. This nonsense with the train set-was that all in place from the beginning, or did they realize there was no place for Cane to live and they came up with this hare brained idea to keep the set? The whole reveal could have happened in GC, with Aristotle inviting them to his estate on the outskirts of town. Then they could have built him a set in town. The reveal could have happened there. Having them trapped in Nice and all walk around the maze for 5 weeks served no purpose. The only thing I can think of is that the budget was severely drained (how I don't know) and having them on that one set saved money. It certainly didn't create suspense.

Why would anyone think that description fits Bryton??

Hand in hand with the atrocious writing is the non existent budget. Of all the soaps it's insulting that the #1 show is done so cheaply. There are few sets, with the restaurants used constantly. But no money for extras, so they are like ghost towns. For some reason, Crimson Lights suffers the most. Often there are no customers. A few other sets are utilized, but due to restrictions they are then seen repeatedly for multiple episodes, so everything has to take place at certain locations. The decision to focus on business with few office sets. Most characters do not have homes so again stories are limited. Only a handful of characters appear in each episode and often the same conversation continues throughout the episode, so things don't progress at all and the pace is turgid. Lake of time means scenes are unimaginatively staged so characters don't move around much. It's very static. No budget for extras, day players and recurring characters. There are no servants, staff, assistants etc. And children are not seen. So the focus on supposedly uber wealthy business people is not supported by anything onscreen. And it means the story focus is pretty much limited to the same characters who have been on the show for decades and are worn out. The only option for those characters, if they must stay, is to put them in new situations with new people but there is no money for that so variations of the same story play over and over. The most disappointing thing is that the ratings are holding.