Paul Raven

Re ATWT I don't know how far into the 70's the Hughes living room set, (with the tiny staircase)was used or whether it was ever updated. The kitchen was seen from the beginning up till 1980 . Did Nancy demand new appliances at some point? Maybe when they went to color? The Stewart house shown in the 1979 Soap Classic episodes had been around for a long time .Was it originally the Lowell house? In between the drab sets, harsh lighting, heavy makeup,shellacked hair and frumpy clothing the World had stopped turning!

As The world Turns also held on to live presentations up to 76, years after every other show (except EON) went to tape. They also retained the same opening title from 1956. By that stage every other show had changed opening titles and music except for AMC and DOOL I think. And they had years on ATWT. EON changed when they went to ABC I think.

Return to Eden got some mentions in the primetime soap thread. The mini series was huge in Australia so the decision was made to do a spin off series. The male lead James Reyne was the lead singer of a popular band 'Australian Crawl' and I don't think he had ever acted before. His son was on Neighbours I think years later.

I'd have to say As The World Turns. They were #1 for 20 years but once the hour expansion settled in things began to go awry. Even with the same writers who took the show back to #1 when it got a little wobbly after Irna's second stint in 72/73. By 78 things began to fall apart as ABC, with newer soaps and faster pace made ATWT seem stodgy. They changed writers and tried to modernize - a disco and some new younger characters but the traditional audience wasn't buying it.

'Afternoons...a time to share' what a lame slogan for NBC soaps. A time to share what? And that promo, would anything entice you to tune in? I' be cleaning the toilet that Thursday. The Robert scene would have to go and replaced with something to do with couples/a love story. Know your audience!

Iris and Dennis were Lemay creations so the heart condition was his doing. Not sure why Pat was in hospital, but she left and was suspected of murdering Bernice because she had motive but no alibi. But it was quickly discovered that Mark, Bernice's other lover was responsible for her death. I wonder if they brought up the fact that she was already a killer and thus the police thought she might be likely to kill again. Years later they used the Tom Baxter killing to involve Pat in the murder of Greg Barnard. She flahed back to murdering Tom and stabbed Greg. But despite killing twice, she was allowed to walk free,

Adding my thanks for the GC places post. A fun read. I'd like to salute Mamie Johnson in this post. I know that she was probably paid well as housekeeper to the Abbott's but she sure earned that money. Up early each day to prepare breakfast, then up to 4 beds to be made (can you see Jack or John tucking in sheets and I don't imagine the girls doing it either -maybe Traci (such a pleaser) Washing/ironing and putting away clothes. Taking other stuff to the cleaners and grocery shopping. Keeping that huge house clean, arranging and supervising repairs. Then preparing dinner and clearing all that up. Would it be 9pm before she was finished and had a chance to read a book or watch TV. Did Mamie get weekends off?

Every so often, Katherine would tell Esther ' Have Robert bring the car around' I guess Robert took care of the grounds as well as being chaffeur. Of course, there was Jeff, the stable boy that serviced Kay in 1974.

Kim was definitely on a longer cycle, 26 or 52 weeks guaranteed, This was pretty standard,i think for actors who went into a second 3 yr contract.. Newbie soap actors today wouldn't be earning much at all. Hopefully they have good saving habits. I remember SPW did a 'stars at home' feature in one issue and I was underwhelmed with some of their rather ordinary houses/apartments. Guess we always expect TV/movie stars to be living in the lap of luxury.

Thanks. I didn't remember that.

Cheers didn't really start to take off until Cosby debuted in Fall 84, the third season. So by the time Woody appeared the following season the show was firmly in the Top 10. Here's Wk 1 of the 90/91 season. Quite a few movies and specials in place of regular shows. 1 22.0/35 N Cheers 2 20.1/30 A Roseanne 3 20.0/31 C Designing Women 3 20.0/33 C 60 Minutes 5 19.8/33 N Cosby 6 19.6/30 C Murphy Brown 7 18.8/34 N Golden Girls 8 18.6/30 N A Different World 9 18.4/32 N Empty Nest 10 17.7/27 C Major Dad 10 17.7/30 N Unsolved Mysteries 12 17.3/28 A Doogie Howser, M.D. 13 17.1/25 C Murder. She Wrote 14 16.8/27 A Growing Pains 15 16.7/26 N Heat Of The Night 16 16.6/27 A Who's The Boss 17 16.4/26 C Movie:Field Of Dreams 17 16.4126 N Matlock 19 16.3/20 A Wonder Years 20 16.0/26 N American Dreamer Preview 20 16.0/24 A Married People Special 22 15.9/20 A Monday Night Football 23 15.8/24 A Head Of The Class 24 15.7/26 C Movie:Leona Helmsley Queen of Mean 25 15.6/28 C Knots Landing 26 15.3/23 A Americas Funniest Videos 27 14.9/27 A Family Matters 28 14.8/25 C Trials Rosie O'Neill 29 14.7/23 N Movie:She Said No 30 14.6/28 A Full House 31 14.4/23 C Jake and The Fatman 32 14.3/23 A Married People 32 14.3/21 A America's .Funniest People 34 14.2/23 C The Flash 35 14.1/23 C Uncle Buck 36 14.0/22 C Rescue:911 37 13.9/26 N Carol & Company 38 13.5/22 N Movie:Babies 39 13.1/24 A Beverly Hills Cop 40 12.7/21 N Fresh Prince of Bel Air 40 12.7/23 A Going Places 40 12.7/23 N Hunter 40 12.7/24 A 20/20 44 12.6/24 C Evening Shade 45 12.3/18 F Married...With Children 46 12.1/19 A Movie:The Running Man 46 12.1/22 A An Evening w Bette Midler 48 1 1.9/22 C Movie:Oldest Bridesmaid 49 1 1.7/19 A Tribute:Oprah Winfrey 50 11.4/18 N Fanelli Boys 50 11.4/19 A Macgyver 52 1 1.3/22 N American Dreamer 52 1 1.3/21 N Law and Order Preview 54 I I.1/18 N Dear John 55 10.9/20 C Top Cops 56 10.7/17 N Ferris Bueller 57 10.6/17 A Father Dowling 57 10.6/20 N Working It Out 59 10.3/19 N Movie:Murder C.O.D. 61 10.2/16 A Gabriel's Fire 62 9.9/16 A Young Riders 63 9.4/14 F Get A Life 64 9.3/17 A Primetime Live 65 9.0/16 A Life Goes On 66 8.7/17 N Parenthood 67 8.3/16 C Hogan Family 67 8.3/14 N Movie:Camp Cucamonga 67 8.3/14 F Simpsons 70 8.1/16 C Family Man 71 7.4/12 C Doctor, Doctor 71 7.4/14 C 48 Hours 71 7.4/13 C Lenny 74 7.3/14 N Super Bloopers /Prac.Jokes 75 6.5/10 F Babes 76 6.2/11 C E.A.R.T.H. Force 77 5.8/10 F Parker Lewis 78 5.0/9 F Amer. Most Wanted 79 4.9/9 F True Colors 80 4.7/8 F Cops 81 4.5/9 F Totally Hidden Video 82 4.2/8 F Haywire 83 3.9/6 F Against The Law 83 3.9/6 F Against The Law 84 3.5/6 F DEA 27 84 3.5/6 F 21 Jump Street 2 86 3.1/5 F Glory Days 87 2.7/4 F Alien Nation 88 2.6/5 F Amer. Chronicles

Re A Different World. I agree that by the time it was moved to lead off Thursday, it was on it's last legs and facing The Simpsons. NBC hadn't properly prepared for Cosby's departure. ADW ,had it followed the conventional scheduling moves, would have been moved elsewhere in maybe it's 3rd or 4th season to bolster another night and allow another show to benefit from the Cosby lead in as Family Ties had done.

If the serial killer's motive in bumping off various GC citizens because he feels that they have not been punished properly for their crimes, he could legitimately kill several cast members... Let's see Chloe shot Adam and is walking free. Chelsea poisoned Rey and tried to frame Adam...walking free. Adam switched his father's medication...walking free. Nick impersonated his sister's ex and terrorized several women...walking free And many more going back years.

Room For Two Patricia Heaton/Linda Lavin comedy got a spring tryout (6 eps) after Roseanne and finished #10 for the season. So ABC throws it to the wolves by moving it to Thurs 8.30 the following season after the untried Delta Burke sitcom. It's off the air within a few weeks. What gives? Why not leave it after Roseanne to give it some time to grow and possibly become a solid hit. Or did ABC already decide that the timeslot was the only reason it did well and gave it an awful timeslot to justify cancellation. Some of the program moves are puzzling to say the least and I think there is often BTS motives at work. Different World. That was truly a timeslot hit. Did they have it in the contract that it must always follow Cosby? The 9.30 Thurs shows got moved around but never ADW. When Cosby finished and it become the 8pm occupant ratings plummeted.

? Chase who worked at Jabot? Or is 'lawn maintenance' a code for something else?

John Considine was only on for a few episodes before being dropped. Esther didn't come along till 82. But that is the Chancellor set that lasted until they switched the angle around in the late 2000's and then shrunk the whole set a few years back. The fireplace was always there and the french doors were in the seldom scene dining room, whose entrance we see next to the staircase

Re Tim Sullivan Dec 83 Tim is upset when he gets phone call in office, tells the caller never to call again and hangs up. Was this followed up? I know at one point Traci found Tim in bed with another student. Then he got married? I recall a character named Andrea. Tim came in and out of Traci's life a few times, right? Did they have a final parting? Maybe Broderick or someone else can give a Tim Sullivan rundown.

How about Aunt Liz on AW? Widowed quite young, she never remarried and it seems quite believable that a woman of her generation would deny her sexuality, especially in her original incaranation, when she was depicted as a very unhappy woman. Later, she was loveable busy body. Perhaps in her time away from Bay City she had some 'experiences' that changed her somewhat... Maybe her obsession with other people's love lives was a way of not confronting some truths about herself?

Maybe she was killed off at some point to serve the story or otherwise, surely Eric would have stayed with her. Perhaps she conveniently said that she wasn't up to caring for a young boy and Eric was told he'd be seeing her regularly and then, like many others she was forgotten. All those little details....

The Maggie/Neil story came about as they were some of the only vet characters remaining and either Corday recognized that they were beloved by a lot of the audience and had been reduced to basically extras. He acknowleged that in an interview saying something along the lines that 'they won't be on 3 days a week but also not just talk to's.' There was no interest in creating major story for them so I guess they looked at the past and decided the surrogate story was ripe for revisiting and a way to provide some drama. Same thing happened to Maggie previously when they hooked her up with Don in the Mickey presumed dead story. Just a way of giving them some screentime.

October 1983 Douglas bets Victor that Victor can not get an ordinary job. Victor takes on the bet, and using the name "Vernon Nelson," gets a job at a diner December 1983 Marian Cooper feels victimized when she learns Vernon is really Victor Newman and refuses to accept his money. She then relents and promises to run the best cafe in town with his financial aid. Does anybody remember this story? That is the only mention in summaries and it obviously wasn't heavily played. At this time,Nikki was in the midst of the Rick Daros story and Victor was romancing his ex Julia. Does anyone know who played Marian? Was Bill toying with making her more long term but lost interest? Was she a possible romance or an older more working class character?

So true. A lot of these shows were popular only because of their timeslot. But some were only given a short time before they were cancelled or moved to another timeslot and expected to do some heavy lifting. Maybe if some of these shows were given a bit more time in 'cushy' timeslots they would have been better equipped to support the schedule elsewhere.

The ship has sailed on this one but at some point I could see Casey Reed (Y&R) as a lesbian. She had issues with sex and relationships and focused on her career. It would be believable if after a few years away, she would have returned to GC and announced she was gay.

The talk about a possible late in life coming out story on Days, got me thinking . Which character, past or present on soaps would be suitable and believable to tell such a story? I'm talking about characters we are familiar with, not the never seen sister who turns up in town announcing they're gay. I'm mulling over my ideas...so over to you. Should be a fun discussion.

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