Paul Raven

ABC's Edge of Night will have final broadcast Friday, Dec. 28. Daytime serial drama airs 4 -4:30 (NYT) and is produced and owned by Procter & Gamble Productions. It has been on television for 28 years. ABC said it is "exploring other programing alternatives" and hopes to return to full complement of 11 daytime half -hours by end of 1985. (Network didn't specify it would seek to fill 4 -4:30 slot or schedule half -hour in other daypart.) Until that time, ABC said it would hand over period to affiliates. Edge of Night has steadily been falling in daytime ratings over past several years. During first quarter of 1984, Edge of Night averaged 3.5 rating and 10 share compared to 5.5/16 for comparable period in 1980. During recent third quarter, series slipped to average 2.7/9 and in October was cleared by 106 of ABC's 214 affiliates, representing 62% coverage. Edge of Night premiered on CBS April 2, 1956, then moved to ABC on Dec. 1, 1975. Sources say that without Edge of Night on schedule weighting down daytime household ratings averages, ABC could boost daytime averages three to four tenths of rating point (CBS's season to date daytime lead has been five tenths of rating point). However, critics say it's hocus -pocus because getting rid of Edge of Night does not necessarily boost ratings of programs in rest of daytime schedule

July 85 ABC has been picking up strength in daytime ratings. Out of past seven weeks, ABC has placed first in daytime five weeks, tied one week and lost one week. Since week of Jan. 20, 1984, up until seven weeks ago, ABC has been second to CBS in daytime household ratings every week. For week ended July 12, ABC averaged 6.4 rating and 22 share, compared to 6.1/22 for CBS and 5.0/18 for NBC. During second quarter of this year, ABC Averaged 2/10 of rating point behind CBS, compared to gap of 9/10 of rating point in daytime ratings for comparable period year ago. (However, daytime averages for second quarter 1985 exclude 4 -4:30 p.m. period where ABC dropped Edge of Night last year and where affiliates must now run local programing.) Lewis H. Erlicht, president, ABC Entertainment, said newfound strength is attributable in part to gains made in 11 a.m. -noon (NYT) block where ABC dropped Family Feud on June 17 and replaced it with All -Star Blitz, which it shifted from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Then ABC filled 11 -11:30 a.m. slot with Angie, prime time series on ABC in late '70's. But Erlicht said real momentum behind improved daytime numbers is coming from 1 -4 p.m. block of serial dramas led by General Hospital, All My Children and One Life To Live. "Last summer we weren't strong enough in our [daytime serial] storylines and characters," Erlicht acknowledged, "but we've started to get hot stories and characters and we're going to once again be dominant" he predicted. Erlicht said that 11:30 -noon period would be filled with "comedy" sometime this fall, but declined to identify show. But Hollywood sources speculated likely candidate will be all new episodes of Love American Style, "daycom" that Paramount Television has received 13 -week order from ABC for delivery in latter part of second quarter.

Joan Tompkins Front Page Farrell Sally Farrell 2 day replacement for Florence Freeman 1944 Life Can Be Beautiful Patricia Markham 1941 Stella Dallas 1942 Orphans of Divorce Barbara Worthington Pratt Eleanor Phelps True Confessions 1946 Two on a Shoestring Irene 1938 Whit Bissell Helpmate 1942

I think its a pity that Paul is no longer a part of the show. But obviously there has to be more to the story. Other recurring characters still get to be seen so ...maybe Doug is at fault somehow but someone higher up made the decision that Paul no longer appear. Eric Braeden went to bat for him last time but not a peep from anyone this time round.

Lisa had been acting on soaps almost 20 years at that point so she knew what she was doing in the genre.

Well someone like Susan, who grew up in a different era and had to spend most of her working life in the closet (there were no out actresses in the 60's, 70's etc probably has a different mindset about revealing anything personal and understandably so. Susan's daughter lived in Australia at one point. Did she ever mention having a daughter? The first I knew was when Bold was taping in Oz and in an interview she said it was a chance to spend time with her daughter who was studying there. Back to Y&R no to Kevin or Michael discovering they are bi. The lack of sets and extras continues to drag the show down. This daytimes #1 soap FGS. Slick Jones lists GH's cast additions and every week there are 5 or 6 u/5's or day players listed. Are the other shows down to such limited sets? In the past few weeks all we've seen are 1.Abbott living room 2. Crimson Lights 3.Society 4. Gross Phantom 5. Chancellor Park 6. Chelsea's room 7. Victoria's office 8. Adam's office 9. The hotel'suite' several characters use. 10. Billy/Lily apartment Crimson Lights must have Genoa City's cleanest tables as the lone employee is continually wiping them for non existent customers. And the directors keep using wide shots that show empty restaurants.

August 85 A worried Maggie returned to Salem after Melissa phoned her

Feb sweeps daytime ratings 10am-4pm 84 v 83 1984 CBS 7.6 ABC 7.1 NBC 5.3 1983 CBS 6.9 ABC 7.5 NBC 4.6 NBC must have been cheered about their improvement and hoping Santa Barbara would further help. ABC's decline may have been attributed to Loving and the various 11am shows failing to make an impact.

Karla Mosley As The World Turns (extra)

Alan Reed (Teddy Bergman) One Of The Finest 'gangster'/'cop' 1940 Jackson Beck My Son and I Jack Peyson Life of Mary Sothern

Bette did an interview with SOD in the early 80's about her soap watching. I recall she praised Kathryn Hays.

I think Scruples was in the planning stages in 83 as it was scrapped in favor of Santa Barbara.

The AWHP identifies most of these actors. This party was for director Len Valenta. I mentioned in a post elsewhere that I read somewhere that Mr Valenta had tapes of shows he had directed. They're probably sitting in an attic ....

Tess Sheehan When A Girl Marries Nora/Nettie Front Page Farrell 1943

BD needs a better haircut. It would really improve his look. Something shorter and layered.

Soap Sensationn. ABC Research is anticipating record numbers from last week's two-part wedding (Nov. 16 and 17) of Luke (Tony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis) on its already top-rated General Hospital. "Conservative" estimate is 19.5 million viewers watching all or part each day, or 16.0 rating/49 share. General Hospital usually averages about 15.1 million viewers or 12.0 rating/40 share. National ratings weren't available last week, but overnights were strong for both days, according to ABC. New York brought 15.4/46 and 15.8/46; Chicago 21.7/62 and 20.6/61. and Los Angeles 13.6/48 and 12.7/46. Among the "guests" at wedding was Elizabeth Taylor, who began a short soap stint-her first-a week earlier. The wedding proved to be a local promotion bonanza. In Indianapolis, for example, WRTV(TV) with WIBC(AM) held a reception for more than 1,000 people at Stouffers Inn to watch the wedding and share cake. Guests were picked from postcard entries.

For Fall 81, CBS moved Knots Landing foward one hour to 9pm. The Waltons, long time 8pm show ended its run so CBS moved Magnum up an hour to 8, Knots to 9 and introduced Jessica Novak at 10. Knots didn't debut until Wk 5 of the season. The results Magnum #13 21.5/33 Knots Landing 18.0/29 (won its timeslot but not in the top 20) Jessica Novak 13.7/24 (third in its timeslot behind Hill St Blues and 20/20) Moving Knots gave NBC the chance to build Hill St Blues into a hit. As the season wore on Knots struggled to win its timeslot up against Diffrent Strokes/Gimme A Break on NBC. Later in the season Knots moved back to 10. They tried the same move in Fall 86 and once again, the ratings dropped and Knots was moved back to 10pm.

Well both are pretty obvious plot turns to take and Josh does by the numbers writing so.... The show is unbalanced right now with the Kyle/Summer/Tara story on every day, with a dash of Amanda talking about the past and that's pretty much it. Everyone else is just filler. Jack is on way too much going from the Abbott house to Society and Crimson Lights to dole out wisdom. What's with all the women in silky tops/pants?

Not sure a truck driving by on an overseas location shoot would have been deliberate product placement.

Some Dallas rating trivia... In the week ending Nov 9 1980, Dallas premiered new season episodes (late because of a strike) CBS showed 4 episodes - 2 reruns and 2 new eps. Thurs at 10 (rpt) 24.7/42 Fri at 9 (rpt) 31.8/51 Fri at 10 (season premiere) 38.2/51 Sun at 10 40.0/59 Leading up to the record breaking Who Shot JR ep.

May 1980 Presenting the CBS fall 1980 schedule Bud Grant vp Programs, stated that the introduction of 32 yr old widow Abby Culver to Knots Landing will function in much the same way as the JR character in Dallas 'driving the story forward and making things happen' An actress had yet to be cast for this protaganist. Has Donna Mills or anyone else ever spoken about the casting and evolution of Abby?

Christopher Norris A 1980 TV Guide article states she was on Search for Tomorrow in the 60's in addition to DRS and EON.

Brooke Bundy was everywhere in the late 60's and 70's. I'm sure most viewers would recognize her when she turned up onscreen. I wonder why she never landed a series? Maybe through choice or she was regarded more as a guest star by producers. Anyway, I found it odd that she went into daytime in 75 as she seemed to be working steadily at that point in nightime episodics.

'Kong' the thug that couldn't read and 'Jazz' the Mr T rip off. Again the actors lead the way I think and allowed Bill Bell to humanize them beyond the stereotypes. Can't recall but was Sumiko, the cult leader of New World the inscrutable 'spider woman' type of Oriental character?

Thanks Jason for sharing that. 9 sets seems a lot and not typical for that time. Wonder how that worked? I thought there was only room for a certain number of sets onstage at a time and they didn't like too many one off sets or daily changes as that meant extra expense erecting them etc