Paul Raven

July 9, 2013

Vera Moore who played Nurse Linda Metcalfe throughout the 70's on AW went on to start a successful cosmetics company.

http://www.veramoorecosmetics.com/

July 1, 2013

Erwin W. (Nick) Nicholson is a vice president of Benton & Bowles and producer of the CBS -TV series, Edge of Night, a show pro- duced by B &B for Procter & Gamble. Before joining CBS -TV as a studio- audience usher in 1954, Mr. Nicholson was a schoolteacher in Buffalo, N.Y. At CBS -TV, he eventually be- came a director. He joined B &B in 1966 as a producer of Edge of Night.

How B &B keeps a sharp `Edge' for Procter & Gamble

Judging from recent events, keeping personal tapes around would be potentially dangerous. With this in mind, I recently listened to some of my own taped notes, dictated into my home recorder at odd hours of the day and night, and concluded that if they should inadvertently fall into the wrong hands, I could be in big trouble. A random sample disclosed that as recently as two months ago, I sensed the need to insure the silence of Babs Micelli, who clearly knew too much about the present situation. Speaking into the mike in quiet and measured tones, I explored various alternative methods of keeping her quiet, and with evident reluctance concluded she had to die. I didn't want her to die. I knew I would miss her terribly and that other people would also. We had all grown fond of her, but it was simply a question of survival. Either she died or the whole damnable story would come out. There was a short gap in the tape at that point (I believe I may have inadvertently erased a short portion of the tape, or possibly it was a malfunction of the machine). Whatever the reason, the next audio indicated that I had overcome my qualms and was ready to recommend to my associates that Babs be shot.

Other random samplings disclosed that in June of last year, I clearly stated that Jake Berman would have to die, that there was no other alternative. Were these the rantings of a homicidal maniac? No, merely part of the job of producing a daytime drama. They are verbal memoranda either for me to remember or something to discuss with our writer. But what would have happened had these tapes fallen into the wrong hands? I might have had to do some fast explaining. The daytime serial. How did it all start? Why did it start? There was a need, a long time ago, back in the early days of radio, in those days of the audio experience. The woman stayed at home. Her life was full, but often drab. Radio was that magic carpet ride out of the kitchen or laundry room into a world of make - believe. It was that moment of pathos or a heartwarming grin at life that almost certainly saved the day for many during the grim, early thirties. But it didn't stop there. It went on into the forties, through the transition from radio to television, and daytime serials are very much a part of the scene today. What about this form of drama that has survived wars, social change, political upheavals and the rating game for nearly half a century? People continue to faithfully follow them because the basic needs have not changed -other things perhaps but not the basic needs. Call it escapism, call it therapy, call it anything you like, but daytime serials fulfill a very vital function in the American lifestyle. In radio days, they were called soap operas. Today, we in the field choose to call them daytime dramas or daytime serials. I think we have earned that right by virtue of the increasingly mature level of writing and production employed.

As producer of The Edge Of Night, which premiered with its sister show, As The World Turns, on April 2, 1956, I have been able to observe first -hand how daytime dramas have grown up with everything else. 1 .might note here that Edge and World were television's first half -hour daytime serials, a bold concept in its day and one that many programing prophets looked upon as folly. The daring move paid off. To this day both shows are still televised live, still owned by Procter & Gamble (which owns four others), still produced for Procter & Gamble by Benton & Bowles. Why live, when all the other programs have gone to video tape? If you'll permit me to digress for a moment and quote myself from a TV Guide article of several years back: "To me, television was never meant to be a method of rebroadcasting old films. It was supposed to be a medium all its own, and it was intended to be live, as it was in the beginning."

I have not changed my thinking. The Edge of Night is as current as today. It is contemporary, pertinent drama, compelling enough to win the show an Emmy in 1973 for outstanding program achievement in daytime drama. P. G. Wodehouse, the 93- year -old

creator of Jeeves, the butler, says of the writing on Edge: "It's awfully good. The writer has got a rather good system, with four stories going at the same time and linked together so you don't tire of it." Where does it all really begin? In the typewriter of the man of whom Mr. Wodehouse was speaking -Henry Sleasar, head writer, winner of a 1974 Emmy for best writer in daytime television.

What does it take to write a successful daytime drama? Well, one thing for sure. it takes a hell of an imagination. Think of it in terms of keeping an open -ended novel going. Let's see, we are up to about page 250,000. Just think, a novel a quarter of a million pages long. Edge is primarily a suspense story based on today's problems. Organized crime, with its tentacles reaching into every walk of life, has moved a major portion of its operation to Monticello. We see how the omnipresent shadow of the mob affects the lives of the people of this mythical community, actually places the lives of some in mortal danger. A "gray market" baby is used as a pawn to pressure the chief of police into doing favors. He is faced with complying or resigning. This becomes a dilemma for the actor playing the role of the chief of police, since he's been doing just that for 16 years. Actors (about 20 in the resident company), directors (two) and design personnel (12) are introduced to the scripts (and there are 260 of them per year) about two weeks before air dates. It is at this moment that the pieces begin to fall into place. Sets are designed and built. Wardrobe is selected. Technical problems are analyzed and solved. Momentum is gained as the individual show reaches its air date. Soon 2:30 p.m. comes and we are on the air. It's over at 3. And by 3:15, we are ready to begin work on the next day's episode. I had occasion recently to say to an actor (and I have tremendous admiration for the daytime actor), "If you can do this you can do anything- legit, stock, films."

This is perhaps the most consistently demanding area of the entire industry -for writers, for actors. for directors and for producers. What I'm trying to say is it's not a place for people of weak heart or mind. I showed this "Monday Memo" to a distinguished chef who chooses to re- main anonymous. He came up with what I consider a fitting recipe that I thought I'd share with you: Take 40 pages of lean, meaty dialogue; blend in seven versatile actors; combine these with one seasoned director; place in appropriate scenery; add lighting; simmer for six hours; sprinkle with wardrobe, make -up and hair styling. Serves about six million.

June 29, 2013

Variety reported in Feb 63 that Jean Holloway was in negotiations to write the show.

June 17, 2013

From TV Radio Mirror 962

To millions of women, Vanessa Sterling is as real as their next door neighbor. They see her each day on "Love of Life" and they know her as a rather remarkable woman in her mid-thirties, a woman struggling with the day-to-day problems of a second marriage. In this article,we, too, shall treat her as a real per-son and deal with her problems as real ones, especially those arising from a second marriage and the rearing of stepchildren. Certainly, a great many women on the other side of the TV screen are faced with the same problems as Vanessa and often need help in resolving them. In our discussion, my words will appear in regular type,like this,and Dr. Wolk's words will be in italics, like the following:

Psychologically speaking, the intimacy of television and the regular habit of looking in on the same program every day combine to make Vanessa, her family, her friends, and all the local landmarks of the mythical town of Rosehill loom even larger than life.
Since Vanessa's problems are universal, they become immediately recognizable to the housewife, for they have something "in common." So by applying psychological principles to Vanessa's trials and tribulations, we might obtain some insight into our
own lives.

It's a second marriage for both Vanessa and her husband, Bruce Sterling. She lost her first husbandi n an airplane crash; he lost his first wife in a suicidal auto crash.
Introduced by mutual friends over two years ago, they quickly fell in love and married. Along with Bruce,Vanessa inherited his two children:Barbara, now twenty, and Alan, now seventeen. Vanessa herself is childless.They all live in Rosehill, where Bruce is headmaster of a private prep school for boys, Winfield Academy.
At one time a television actress. Vanessa now works part-time selling real estate

A second marriage carries with it some special problems of its own.Invariably, the new mate is compared to the previous mate. The woman,especially, may wonder if her second husband truly loves her as much as her first did — and also if he loves her as much as he loved his first wife. Furthermore, both husband and wife have become more set in their ways, so adjustment often becomes
more difficult.

Stepchildren create further problems. Although Barbara and Alan are not babies anymore, and are on their way to independence and maturity, Vanessa does have to make herself acceptable to them as their new mother. She's likely to be compared to their real mother and perhaps even resented as an interloper.

Still, marriage to a widower may require less of an adjustment than marriage to a divorced man. In divorce, the first spouse is still on the scene, visits the children and may be-come an active, ever-present rival to the new spouse.
Another problem every second wife faces is acceptance by old friends who knew her predecessor. But Vanessa and Bruce don't seem to have this problem ; they seem to be socially secure in Rosehill.

Vanessa's marriage to Bruce is not "perfect." Most of their conflicts seem to come from sources outside themselves. Nevertheless,they do have their differences, and don't always see eye to eye on everything.Vanessa, for example, believes in
complete honesty at all costs. She is not as willing to make compromises for the sake of practicality as is Bruce— although he wouldn't do so at the sake of his honor or integrity.

There was a time when they were separated briefly. During that period, Vanessa declined to feel sorry for herself and went to work, establishing a real-estate business in Rosehill. After their reconciliation, their relationship became stronger than ever, but Vanessa still gives a few hours of her time each day to selling real estate.

No marriage is perfect — even a first one. And any marriage is doomed from the start when the couple feels it falls short of perfection and doesn't live up to their dreams. Unwilling or unable to make compromises, such a marriage soon disintegrates.Vanessa and Bruce are no different from other couples in not seeing eye to eye on everything. This is normal and healthy . . . provided that the couple can sit down together and talk things out reasonably when they have a major difference of opinion.If they have a great deal in common— similar tastes, interests and backgrounds, for example — they'll quickly overcome such differences and their marriage will become closer and more stimulating.

Reconciliation may be easier in a second marriage, for both partners are usually more mature and more inclined to want to make the marriage work. It's the second time around for them and, unless they're highly unstable emotionally, they want it to be the last time around.

Vanessa showed her mettle in going to work during her separation.Such a woman would not want her marriage to sink into nothingness. Sometimes an episode like this serves to wake up both partners and bring them a new awareness, a new close-
ess, a new respect for one another and their marriage relationship.

The Sterlings' major problem is Bruce's daughter, Barbara. Try as they might, they cannot remain aloof from her marital difficulties.For Barbara had married a wealthy young man named Rick Latimer — a spoiled, egocentric, yet well-meaning fellow who simply was unable to find himself. Barbara failed to understand him and turned away from him —and the more she turned away, the more he drank and the wilder he behaved. Finally, she filed for a legal separation, despite the pleas of Vanessa and her dad to give Rick another chance. Even her brother Alan more or less condemned her antagonism toward Rick.Another man showed an interest in Barbara, but she became so confused that she refused to see either
him or her estranged husband. Vanessa accused her of knowing nothing about love and warned her that she would destroy both young men by her attitude. In this matter, Bruce disagreed with Vanessa's severe point-of-view about his daughter.
But no one was able to prevent Barbara from finally divorcing Rick.They only succeeded in getting her to agree to a Mexican divorce to avoid talk and to prevent Rick from further hurting himself by filing a vindictive suit for divorce in Rosehill.

A stepmother has all she can do just to win the affection of children that are not her own. When such youngsters are beset by emotional problems, as Barbara is, her problem becomes doubly difficult.The father also has a difficult job on his hands, for he has to play fair with both his new wife and hischildren . . . and his deepest obligation is to his children. When conflicts
arise between wife and children, he has to decide who's right without offending any of them.

Vanessa's disagreement with Bruce concerning daughter Barbara doesn't seem to have been too volatile. But Vanessa's involvement in Barbara's predicament may be looked upon by her stepdaughter as "interfering." After all, she is an adult, and if her marriage turned out unsatisfactorily, she must be left to find her own solution — unless she asks for advice.

Her younger brother, Alan, also has no business interfering in his sister's private life. Certainly he and all members other family should give her emotional support in such a time of crisis, but that is all.As to prevailing upon Barbara and Rick to seek a Mexican divorce, we wonder if perhaps this wasn't motivated by the fear that some of the scandal would rub off on the rest of the family and a desire to protect their own reputations.

Deeply affecting the lives of Vanessa and her family is her stepchildren's grandmother, Mrs. Vivian Carlson — the mother of Bruce's first wife. She is a meddlesome, opinionated snob who causes constant friction among the Sterlings.

She exercises a good deal of influence on Barbara. It was she who encouraged her to seek a divorce and who accompanied her to Mexico. On their return, Barbara stayed with her and her husband, rather than with herT own family.The modern grandparent plays an important role in today's society. Mrs.Carlson, of course, is an extreme example of the worst kind of grandparentm who, to satisfy her own selfish needs, wreaks havoc with the rest of the family. That she is allowed to exercise such control is, to a great extent, Bruce's fault. It seems reasonable to assume that he is too weak to put a stop to her meddling.This is unfortunate for Vanessa, who now must battle the ghost of Bruce's first wife in the person of Mrs. Carlson.
Obviously, she has been unable to persuade Bruce to take a firmer stand against this woman.Barbara appears to be a weak, neu-
rotic young woman who lacks confidence in her father. In order to win over such a person, Vanessa may be forced to offer more love, warmth and understanding than she can muster. For the odds are stacked against her, and she can expect little help from her husband.

Conflict piles upon conflict, reaching a climax when Barbara discovers that she is pregnant — after the divorce. She wants to get rid of the baby, but Vanessa talks her out of it. Barbara agrees because she believes this to be her obligation as a mother and, despite
the fact that she is no longer married, the baby was conceived legitimately.Suddenly, Barbara grows closer to her stepmother and even moves back into her father's home. During her pregnancy, she works as a roving secretary at Winfield Academy and, although upset and depressed about her condition, she grimly determines to have the child. The intense emotional experience Barbara is going through seems to have helped her to transfer her dependency from her grandmother to her stepmother. This incident may help to draw Vanessa and Barbara closer to each other. It all depends on the firmness of their relationship during Barbara's pregnancy.

Once Barbara gives birth, however, many new problems may arise. If Barbara accepts Vanessa as her mother, rather than just as her stepmother, this will make Vanessa a true grandmother to the baby. Also, it will help her to cope with Mrs. Carlson, who is
sure to ingratiate herself into the situation.

Barbara's child is doomed to become the pawn of all this emotional give-and-take — just as is the newborn child in any broken family. The emotional problems of the parents and grandparents are sure to be visited upon the unfortunate child — unless they come to grips with their problems and clarify their relationships in a healthy, unneurotic way. Now that Barbara has decided to have her baby, she must resolve to protect the child from the disturbing emotions in her environment. Vanessa — or any stepmother — must be guided by the behavior of her step-daughter. She must take care not to interfere in matters concerning Barbara and her baby — yet be there when she is wanted and needed. Bruce — as Barbara's father — can be decidedly helpful by rising to the occasion and standing by both his wife and daughter. In any second marriage, the true parent must be strong in times of emotional crisis
in order to re-unite the family.

In Rosehill, where everybody knows everybody else, togetherness is a way of life. Privacy isn't easy to come by. Vanessa, as a respected member of the community, is caught up in one emotional tangle after another. So in addition to seeking answers to her own difficulties as a second wife, she hovers over her neighbors like a mother-hen,concerning herself with their problems as well.

Even in our largest cities, most people live in a "small town." A recent study on the subject emphasized the
fact that most people really know only those neighbors who live on their street; so, in effect, their street becomes a small town itself.

Rosehill is like that street. Vanessa is somewhat of a busybody. She messes around in what doesn't concern her.But in real life, the average woman has enough problems of her own to handle without going out of her way to become involved with her neighbors' difficulties. Vanessa can do this because she has "dramatic license" to do so; it makes her more interesting.A real-life woman in her position would be so taken up with the task of making her second marriage work that she'd have little time or patience
to concern herself with anything else. Any second marriage most certainly poses some very special problems of its own, and it's a full-time job for every second wife to find acceptance in a home that is not really her own. Whatever happens in Rosehill is a
matter of great concern to millions of faithful television fans. TV's Vanessa is their Vanessa.

Even if yours isn't a second marriage, you can't fail to be affected by her various emotional conflicts. And if yours is a second marriage, chances are that you most certainly see yourself as Vanessa in your own life.

But have a care. Remember to separate the real from the fanciful. Vanessa is not truly of flesh and blood;you are! Make sure you don't wrongly confuse yourself and your problems with the image on your TV screen.

This month we dealt with Vanessa Sterling and the problems arising out of a second marriage. Next month we'll tackle another popular daytime drama psychologically and try to make its stories and characters meaningful in your own life. — The End

"Love of Life" is seen over CBS-TV,
M-F, from 12 noon to 12:30 p.m. edt.

June 10, 2013

I hated Don/Maggie because it was way too rushed and made Don & Maggie look like fools.Especially when Mickey returned and Maggie was still torn.

Had a better writer been in charge it might have worked but certainly not so quickly. This was the beginning of the time that Days decided to drop any commitment to vet characters. It seemed like they had these people under contract with a certain guarantee and just shoved them into a story.

June 9, 2013

I really liked Gwen. I think Anne Marie Martin brought a lot to the part. Gwen was a bit of an all purpose character whom hooked up with different guys.

I think Trish was quickly written out because Patty Weaver decided to go to Y& R.Maybe she was in negotiations when the part of Gina came up.

Days was in a bit of upheaval around that time. I think DePriest and Anderson were making their own mark on Pat Falken Smith's outlines.Maybe they had to make changes for fear PFS would launch another lawsuit!

June 4, 2013

VarietyFeb 16th 1972

Hollywood Squares led the national Nielsendaytime ratings for the last two weeks, topping out the growing surge of game shows during the past six months towards usurping the long-held domination of soapoperas as the cornerstone of daytime. "Squares" led the week of Jan. 17-21 with an 11.4 and 42 share

June 3, 2013

Mary had ongoing problems with Dan Levin the director.Jo was only being used peripherally as a talk to character and not driving story.When she did get a story it was the death of her son Duncan. Mary was furious on a number of levels. Duncan had never been seen on air and Mary had visualized her own son when she was cooing over an empty bassinette. She didn't think viewers would want to see such a story,with many of them being young mothers themselves.Her protests fell on deaf ears.

After this the story moved to Janet Bergman and a now older Patti,In 62 the Hursleys had Jo enter a custody battle over Jimmy Bergman,who was originally written as Stu and Marge's son,but suddenly became Stu's nephew,son of his neglectful sister.Mary took a stand and the story was quickly dropped.Mary thought it was ridiculous that Jo would try to take a child away from its mother.Jo went on the backburner.

She recalled the difficulties of live TV. A phone call was dropped as the show was running late.Nobody told the sound effects man so all of a sudden the phone rang while Marge and Stu were in the middle of another scene.Melba ad libbed that she thought the call was for Stu so Larry was forced to react. He picked up the phone,declared it was a wrong number and moved on.

May 20, 2013

Paul Roberts replaced the Dobsons as headwriter in May 81. According to their Santa Barbara interview their 3 year contract with P&G was up and they chose not to renew.

I wonder how Roberts landed that job.He had been a consultant for ABC and NBC daytime and worked at Universal.You world think that P&G would be trying to find a top notch writer to restore ATWT to its former glory.

Maybe Roberts presented a great story outline but considering what went to air,I doubt it.Wasn't there a strike that summer? How long did Roberts actually work on the show?

Details of that period are scant.

May 20, 2013

AW gave Felicia a niece,adopted daughter and long lost daughter and none of them lasted the distance,,,

Variety reported in 1980

Daytime soap "Another World" brings about $160,000 per broadcast into the network clear profit coffers. That averages out to about $48,-000,000 a year, and is a major part of NBC's whopping total daytime profits of $90,000,000 for 1979.

That is some serious money and AW was a low rated show.Imagine how much ABC was making at the time.

When did it change?

What were the factors that saw the soaps go from being a cash cow to financial drain?

May 19, 2013

Not sure where this belonged so I chose this thread

May 19, 2013

May 19, 2013

May 19, 2013

May 19, 2013

Cast photo 63 / 64?

May 19, 2013

A color photo of the b/w days of 1961.

I think frumpy Lisa is pregnant at this time

May 18, 2013

May 4, 2013

Yes.

Back from the dead can be effective as a plot device if used sparingly as it was in the 60's and 70's. For some reason once the 80's hit,it became commonplace,

As for the Hughes kitchen,this would have been ready to be retired as Nancy and Chris were cut down in appearances.

I think the kitchen set dates back to the 50's.Am I correct ?- as I recall seeing it in old clips.

When did they stop using the living room set?

May 3, 2013

Actually, The Dobsons had the Wade bookstore burn down.

Lisa looked like a hooker with that cotton candy hairdo.And Nancy's hairstyle was so dowdy.

April 29, 2013

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