Paul Raven

Never heard of this - tell us more...

Madlyn Rhue was dealing with MS that confined her to a wheelchair.From Wikipedia She also performed a recurring role in Murder, She Wrote, said to be her last television role.[8][10] Angela Lansbury created a role for her when she heard that Rhue was at risk of losing her insurance because she could no longer work enough hours.[11] The role would have been written differently to suit Jean. I'm sure her 'Jessica' would be more quirky and comedic and no Cabot Cove. More likely a suburban widow. What does Jean say about the role in her interview?

That makes sense. I just read up on the show and yes, cheaper guest stars were used to combat costs, so it addressed both issues. When Angela's Corymore took over production of the show, they were set for life. Several family members worked on the show and her son and stepson secured deals with CBS.

As idiotic as that name is, it is the kind of thing modern moms would do. Gets you a lot of likes on your socials.

Back to MSW. Was it a fact that in the final seasons, the guest cast was a lot less'starry' due to budget cuts ?

Funny I thought the same thing. Betty as a nurse or maybe a Waltons/Little House type wife would have been more believable and offscreen perhaps not as bitchy as Sue Ann but nonetheless with an edge to contrast her fictional character.

And she was Barbara Bel Geddes respected stage actress. The likes of Donna Mills or Susan Sullivan who came from daytime soaps and other primetime gigs were not deemed worthy.

Did Betty play a Sue Ann type character or was she softer? I guess the Undercover Woman premise was meant to be part of the humor as Betty is along way from Angie Dickinson. The videotape is a surprise as viewers were used to MTM shows being filmed. Anyway, Betty had a couple of weeks of good numbers but once the season was truly underway, CBS was clobbered by the NBC Monday movie which was feeding off the Little House lead-in. When CBS programmed an Elvis special at 8pm (#2 for the week) Betty jumped back into the Top 10 but that was it. It then swapped timeslots with lead out Maude before being dropped. CBS which was suffering on Tues as Three's Company was hurting MASH moved its Tues 9-11 shows to Monday and put in a movie on Tues. That immediately worked and MASH was saved and prospered Mon at 9 till it finished. Maybe if Betty was put Sat @9 it might have stood more of a chance in the familiar MTM slot.

Could you elaborate? That show seemed to have hit written all over it. CBS scheduled it for Mon @9 and early ratings were good. WTH happened???

No misunderstanding there I totally agree. Just because Angela wanted some retirement funds didn't preclude her from wanting to put out a quality product. In fact , that dedication from all involved ensured MSW resonated with audiences. That prejudice against certain programmes was around for years. Look at Peyton Place. Lee Grant was awarded because she did a guest stint whereas the regulars, who turned in some amazing performances, were shut out. This was at a time when there were virtually no women on primetime TV drama.Barbara Bain won for Mission Impossible. She was great but Dorothy, Barbara etc were also deserving. Same with the nightime soaps in the 80's.The women got some meaty roles but were never acknowledged due to the snobbery around that genre.

I think Cosby and the producers insisted that ADW play at 8.30 as evidenced by the fact that it never moved from that timeslot, when other 8.30 and 9.30 slots were used to launch and build new shows that could move to other nights to bolster ratings. I would imagine that Family Ties was expected to drop in the ratings by moving from behind the #1 show.It did far better in that timeslot than previous comedies and probably skewed much younger than MSW. That was one off due to a presidential address interrupting programming that night. Dynasty has already been thrown to the wolves that season at 9pm Thursday. Knots was still quite popular.

Was that because he wanted a younger woman as his love interest? That's what I've read in the past. Maybe he realized if he played with women in a similar age group he would probably not be front burner. His role had been diminishing for some time but at least he had been offered a story.

Thanks for clarifying. When AW debuted 'You take Me Away' theme in 87 how was the ending handled? I remember a 'rocky' theme music playing that had no relationship to the opening.Was that all that was used?

Ok .How do you recast Geraldine Page??

Poor Doris only found out that she was signed to do her series after her husband died and being the professional that she was she gave it her all. I think that dear Marty had worked his way through most of her money and she had to do the show to get back on a stable financial footing. the day production finished she leapt for joy and headed for the hills. She was also mentioned in a Falcon Crest spinoff set in a SF ad agency, although this probably went as far as a vague proposal sent her way which she promptly rejected. It would have been great to see her back in the 80's as she looked great. The most we could hope for is some TV movies about an animal loving lady crime solver. Why not? She had earned every cent by that time. How many times did we see movie stars talking about taking on a series because they loved the idea of the stability, or the scripts were so good etc when really they just wanted(needed) the bucks.

Re the podcast story, Billy and Lilly are super stoked with the idea which they name 'Second Chances' Lily tells Billy that his journey through alcohol addiction. gambling, failed businesses,affairs, and poor parenting will be an inspiration for listeners. Billy thinks he could be the voice of today's man and raise awareness and inspire conversations. Billy reflects and tells Lily as powerful as this could be, if they had a professional alongside, it would be resonate even more. What about Sharon? She would be perfect. Billy and Lily approach Sharon who is intrigued but not totally convinced. So she talks to Rey, Mariah, Faith,Nick and Adam who all agree she would be ideal. Elena agrees saying that although Ask MD is a huuuge commitment,it brings her so much satisfaction. Sharon commits and suggests they record the podcast after hours at Crimson Lights because it has such positive energy and Sharon has honestly helped so many people there. Sharon and Billy become close working together and begin to see each other in a new light. Due to her expertise Sharon diagnoses what's happening. Their one night stand of years ago is unresolved and there are some deep feelings resurfacing that must be explored if they are to move forward. Rey, sensing this moves closer to Chelsea. Billy decides to expand Second Chances to include other voices so each week another GC citizen will step up to tell their story and share their journey. Every Wed will now be 'Young and the Restless Second Chances', devoted to one much loved character reflecting on the incidents that shaped them into the fascinating, flawed and very human people we welcome into our lives each day. Look for intimate drama as one actor takes center stage along with flashbacks for the entire episode.

Many thanks Khan, you are too kind. But you may have unleashed a monster...I already have ideas for the podcast storyline...

Yes! The Genoa City Slasher. Lives are changed forever. A series of murders rocks GC.! Amanda is shattered when Amani is killed. She tells Devon how devastated Nya is. Amanda delivers a stirring eulogy against a wall with a photo of her sister and a bunch of flowers. In Devon's penthouse everyone talks about what a lovely service it was. Devon says Neil would have been proud of Amanda. Billy has blackouts and wakes to find a bloody knife in his possession. He buries it in Chancellor Park. A mysterious figure photographs him. Lily wonders why Billy is acting strange(r) But worse is to come. Phyllis is attacked in the elevator at Grand Pheonix. but survives. Jack declares his undying love. As Phyllis battles for herr life, everyone gathers at Grey Phallus to remember the lovable redhead and her crazy antics. Meanwhile in a special one off episode Phyllis has a near death experience and the living beckon her back because she is too wonderful to lose. Victoria notes Ashland is disappearing at odd times. Victor uncovers as series of killings years ago in an area where Ashland lived. Rey succumbs to Chelsea and they make love in her suite. Rey spots the killer but can't say too much as he would have to reveal he was with Chelsea. Sharon notices this and turns to Nick. The latest victim is a waitress at society that everyone liked (but we never saw) For a few episodes prior Abby talks about her. Nick suspects Noah could be the killer as he's acting strangely. Sally suspects Adam could be the killer as he's acting strangely. Chloe wonders if Kevin could be the killer as he's acting strangely. Michael announces that Eden is coming back to town .Lauren is thrilled. They get a call that she'll meet them at Society. Shockingly her body is found in an alleyway nearby. The killer is revealed. It's an old buddy of Billy's (Mitch)who blames him for wrecking his life .Billy fills Lily in on the backstory of when this occurred while he was out of town years ago. Jill pops in to reveal that she knew all about it and was paying Mitch to keep quiet. The blackmailer of Billy might have been the Mitch or not (it's never mentioned) The strange behavior of the others is never referred to. Master writer Josh Griffith has plotted this intricate web of shocks and twists while waiting in line at Starbucks,

Stephen Eliot Pilots/Proposals Midas Valley Elias Markov 1985 Linda Purl Pilots/Proposals Midas Valley Sarah Corey 1985 James Read Pilots/Proposals Midas Valley Josh Landau 1985 Shanna Reed Pilots/Proposals Midas Valley Lillian Hammond 1985

To add to your workload ! Jesse Royce Landis Donald Linahan Pat Conwell Gary Hudson Michael Carvel Thanks in advance.

It's always difficult when there is such a solid lineup for the network to know when to make changes that will revitalize the night before it fades. CBS moved MASH but had the Jeffersons ready to fill the gap. Then AITF was moved till 9pm Mondays and Jeffersons took over at 8pm. But the night was weakened by Doc at 8.30. And when MTM departed things went awry. Bob Newhart was moved to 8 and Jeffersons to 9pm with We've Got Each Other at 8.30 and Tony Randall at 9.30 and suddenly CBS Saturday was severely weakened .It took years for them to be competitive. ABC launched LoveBoat/Fantasy Island and NBC had a rare hit at 8pm with Chips. Maybe CBS should have put Betty White at 9pm Sat instead of Mon. That show started strong on Monday but soon weakened and was cancelled. Has anyone seen it? Was it any good?

It was always cool when EON, SFT and Y&R would play the vocal version of the theme over the end credits. I remember Search did these fairly often in the late 70's but for the others it was quite rare. I wonder why and when the vocal theme was used?

Maybe someone needs to start a Murder She wrote thread. I wonder how the show would have done with Jean Stapleton in the lead. It would have a totally different feel for sure. MSW saved CBS on Sunday. All their 70's sitcoms found there way to Sunday night-Archie Bunker, Alice, The Jeffersons and One Day at a Time and with the 60 Minutes lead in, they thrived. Any attempts to slip in some new shows to build a hit failed (Gloria, Goodnight Beantown) But they were aging, MSW came along and revitalized Sunday night.

The following week CBS aired People's Choice Awards Thurs 9-11 , filling the Knots timeslot and on Friday Wizard of Oz 8-10, pushing Dallas to 10pm, taking Falcon Crest timeslot. The week after CBS debuted 'The Missippippi' Fri @10 and it was an immediate hit. Thurs @10 saw 'Tucker's Witch' take Knots timeslot. It had bombed earlier in the season Wed @10 and was given another chance.

They would have had to recast. Wasn't it Thom's choice to leave? Had Phillip stayed on would he and Nina re-united? Would he marry Cricket? A lot of Nina's stories could have been played even with Phillip around.