Paul Raven

Days in 1980 definitely needed fresh blood as the cast was top heavy with actors/characters that had been on for years. But to dump so many in such a short time and then front burner the newbies was a textbook example of how not to revamp.

Just watched the 'Althea falls through the window' stunt and must say it was very clumsily staged. I know we are talking about something from years ago that was constrained by time and budget, but it was a fail for me. Firstly Althea was at most a couple of feet of the ground. Then Eleanor clumsily spills coffee on her hand (Lois Smith just randomly jerks her arm) and falls back into Althea,causing her to lose her balance and smash through a large window. It was not a clear sheet of glass but rather wooden framed panes,making up the window. No way would a knock into that cause the whole thing to shatter. It would have been more believable for Althea to lose her balance,fall forward and knock her head into a table corner. Rant over...am I being too harsh? What did others think?

You asked... Millee Taggart Roberta Leighton Pat Crowley Jean LeClerc James Karen Margo McKenna Sheperd Strudwick Charles Cioffi Delphi Harrington Maurenn Anderman Mark Arnold Stephanie Braxton

Synopses mention Ed dating Elizabeth Archer and Rita Parks in 1980. Jack died in a plane crash in Asa's private jet in mid 1980.

Love these! One correction - Patsy Pease was on SFT 79-82

Nancy is welcomed home from the hospital As the World Turns-1965

When Robert arrived in Bay City in July 72, he stated his wife and child had been killed in a car smash the previous week .According to the AWHP he left Somerset in March 72.

Here is a list of various Tom Hughes over the years, their birthdate and their age when they first played Tom, Tom was born in 1961 Frankie Michaels 1955 age 10 in 1965 Richard Thomas 1951 age 15 in 1966 Paul O'Keefe 1951 aged age 16 in 1967 Peter Link 1944 age 25 in 1969 Peter Galman 1945 age 24 in 1969 C David Colson 1941 age 28 in 1974 Tom Tammi 1945 age 24 in 1979 Justin Deas 1948 age 32 in 1980 Jason Kincaid 1952 age 32 in 1984 Gregg Marx 1955 age 29 in 1984 Scott Holmes 1952 age 35 in 1987 So Tom had a big jump in age in 1969 but then slowed down throughout the 70s.

July 1972

Big big hair showdown b/w Monica and Dawn ...

My next requests Thaao Penghlis Lezlie Dalton Terry Davis Dorothy Stinette Philece Sampler Patsy Pease Lauren Koslow Tom Wiggin Meg Myles Alice Hirson Peter Haskell Chris Holder

When I went to post this article, discovered the show did not have it's own thread. So all things Ben Jerrod now have a home. Tide Turns in Soaper Outlook By Cecil Smith Los Angeles Times April 1, 1963 Three new soap operas take the air today (no, no, this is NOT an April Fool joke on the nation!), and I was wondering if there were any major changes in the old soaper. So I dropped by NBC in Burbank where one of the new serials, BEN JERROD, was in rehearsal. It was a nostalgic visit because this was the studio where the noblest experiment in daytime television history once held forth, the distinguished MATINEE THEATER. Actually JERROD and companion soaper out of New York, THE DOCTORS, are replacing another NBC daytime experiment, THE MERV GRIFFIN SHOW, and attempte to bring "Tonight" out in the daylight. It was a pretty noble try, too - an intelligent, articulate, stimulating hour that the housewives conscientously avoided. Joe Hardy, who produces JERROD for the Ben Winsor organization, a prolific maker of daytime serials (LOVE OF THE LIFE. SECRET STORM) said he thought Griffin's hour was a splendid daytime show. I asked why it failed. Joe shrugged. "I think the daytime viewer needs a hook," he said. "She won't stop her work to watch just a show - no matter how good - but she will pause if she's involved in a story to see what happens, how the plot unfolds. Griffin had no hook." Continue reading... Hardy says there have been enormous changes in soap opera - particularly in the writing. "Check the scripts of LOVE OF LIFE in 1951. There's a world of differnce in the ones we do today. We don't write down to the audience - I don't think you can anymore. And we deal with serious adult and controversial themes. "For instance, when all that fuss was raised last year when THE DEFENDERS did its abortion story ("The Benefactor"), we were doing an abortion story on LOVE OF LIFE. We didn't have a complaint." First Color Soap Opera BEN JERROD is the first soap opera to be done in color. Another - and more shocking - innovation is that it has no organ music. It's musical bridges are handled (and quite effectively) by a guitar and percussion instruments. But a soap without that ever-lamenting organ! Times have changed. The setting of BEN JERROD is a small New England town, to which Ben, a successful corporation lawyer, has returned because he wants to be closely involved with people, rather than faceless corporate bodies. He immediately gets involved in a murder - these soaps don't fool arond, boy! Playing Ben is a handsome lad from the New York stage, Michael Ryan; Jeanne Baird is his girl Agnes, and the inevitable father figure, elderly Judge Abbott, is played by the splendid character actor Addison Richards. Although Hardy says name actors, or stars, are not important in serials - the audience identifies with the character, not the actor - at least one well-known performer seems to turn up in every soaper. Fred Scollay, for example, is in THE DOCTORS, and John Beradino, the onetime ballplayer, is the central figure on ABC's new serial, GENERAL HOSPITAL. Serial Appeal is Universal The soap opera concept seems universal. In England, CORONATION STREET, a twice-a-week serial, is the top show on television - it is said that Queen Elizabeth is an avid fan. The Spanish station here, KMEX, does a daily serial produced in Mexico City. The difference is the Mexican stories end after eight or 10 weeks and a new story with a new cast begins. "Actually, we do the same," said Hardy, "except that our central characters don't change. This murder story on JERROD will last about 10 weeks, then we'll pick up another story, a land fraud case. Then another, each one of a different kind of case." The crews taping BEN JERROD are already deeply involved in the plot. They keep asking Hardy who the murderer is. But he won't tell.

Great to see the thread up and running again! Petronia's character on OLTL,Harriet - what was her story?

This was Pat Falken Smith's writing (with much' 'input' from Gloria I'm sure). Was this one of the first stories where a villianous character got away with a crime ? Alan was planning murder, but he certainly was not charged. Was he made to suffer in any way? John Kelly Genovese critiqued this storyline in Afternoon TV and wasn't happy in that the viewer wasn't sure who they should be rooting for... Maybe that was deliberate, in that each character had their point of view or was it just muddled? Anyway, it seemed the harbinger of things to come in the 80's and beyond, where characters routinely were not punished for their crimes.

It was like the entire cast was standing in a line to distract Alan. Probably one or two would have been enough...

Dark Mansions was a primetime soap pilot.Originally Loretta Young was announced as star,but for whatever reason,she dropped out and Joan Fontaine too her place. It was not picked up and aired over summer, as aTV movie. From IMDB The opening credits leave no doubt "Dark Mansions" is patterned after "Dark Shadows" - but, surprisingly, "Mansions" isn't like the successful supernatural-dominated "Shadows" of 1967-1970. Instead, it revisits the show as it played out during the more lackluster years of 1966 and 1971. This show has the Gothic tone of writer Art Wallace's original concept, which producer Dan Curtis steered the show back toward, in 1971. Taking the vampires, werewolves, and witches out of "Shadows" proved to be fatal, so "Mansions" may seem like puzzling pilot. But, it's also a shadowy version of the then successful "Falcon Crest" (actor David Selby did "Crest" and "Shadows"; writer Robert McCullough did "Crest" and "Mansions"). So, "Mansions" begins with star Linda Purl (as Shellane Victor) arriving as an authoress, to work on the biography of reclusive matriarch Joan Fontaine (as Margaret Drake). The character's name "Shellane Victor" is likely an homage to original "Shadows" protagonist "Victoria", who was originally named "Sheila". Like legendary golden-aged actresses Joan Bennett ("Shadows") and Jane Wyman ("Mansions"), Joan Fontaine assumes the role of a wealthy family matriarch. Note, Jean Simmons fit the bill in the 1991 run of "Dark Shadows", which makes it a Joan/Jane/Joan/Jean quartet. (Play other name games at home). Anyway, Ms. Purl is the spitting image of the dead "Yvette" (rhymes with "Josette"), who plunged to her death over the seaside cliffs, where the two "Drake" family mansions rest (but not in peace). The mystery of what really happened to "Yvette" is the ABC-TV movie pilot's main storyline. Widower Michael York (as Jason Drake) is also Fontaine's favorite son, and a potential romantic interest for Purl. Other family members (and suspects) include: Mr. York's bratty blonde daughter Nicollette Sheridan (as Banda Drake), his bratty blonde son Grant Aleksander (as Nick Drake), adopted "old house" castaway Paul Shenar (as Phillip Drake), his sexy wife Lois Chiles (as Jessica Drake), their blind clairvoyant daughter Melissa Sue Anderson (as Noelle Drake ), and hot-blooded son Yves André Martin (as Cody Drake). Blue-collared Steve Inwood (as Jerry Mills) and Raymond St. Jacques (as Davis) are significant outsiders. There are too many characters, and too much back-story, in "Dark Mansions" - although, admittedly, it all would have served a TV series well (had this "pilot" sold). The locations, sets, and overall setting is beautifully done; and, as photographed by Paul Lohmann and directed by Jerry London, they are the film's greatest strength. The cliff-side dwelling is how the original "Dark Shadows" might have looked, with a bigger budget. Watch for especially representative scenes as characters walk along the cliffs, with waves crashing in the background. And, if the house looks like "Collinwood", it's because it is the house (Greystone) picked to serve as "Collinwood" for both the 1991 and 2004 versions of "Dark Shadows".

ABC 1981 2 hr TV Movie pilot 'Golden Gate' Set in San Francisco, telling the story of the Kingsleys, an influential Nob Hill family involved in publishing. Jordan, estranged son, returns after 8 years to save family newspaper 'San Francisco Bulletin'. Financial ruin threatens the family after stroke suffered by publisher and patriach Thomas. Cast Jordan... Perry King Jane, his mother... Jean Simmons Thomas his father... Richard Kiley Natalie his sister ...Mary Crosby Johnny, Jordan's son ...Eric Copeland Karen, the Kingsley maid... Melanie Griffith Claire McCartney, works at the paper, wants Jordan as her husband... Cheryl Paris Richard Byrne, attorney for the paper... Peter Donat Guest cast Candy Martin ...Robynn Douglas Monty Sagar... John Saxon Bess McCartney...Maggie Blye Frank Nightingale...Tim Thomerson Harry Stillwell...Jason Evers Producer...Lin Bolen Wrriter...Stirling Silliphant

Reading another synopsis on Wikipedia, it cites 2 instances where Susan is pregnant and loses Dan's baby. One is around 66/67 when Dan and Susan have been secretly married and the other in 69/70 when Dan and Susan have an argument over divorcing and she falls and loses the baby.

Re Robert J Shaw He was headwriter on Love of Life from 67-69 Somerset 74 - 75 w Winifred Wolfe Search for Tomorrow 77- 78 General Hospital 1981 w Leah Laiman, Thom Racina I recall a Thom Racina interview where he said Shaw was there in name only, collecting a paycheck. As for his talk of working on Love of Life in the 70's, there is no record of this. Following Labine/Mayer, Margaret De Priest and Paul and Margaret Scheider are listed before Gabrielle Upton. Maybe he was a consultant? His New York Times obit was full of innacuracies: The Mary Stuart story about mastectomies. That he created Luke and Laura That he wrote the 'Who Shot JR?' Maybe sloppy fact checking or Shaw told those stories in the first place... His story for Jo on SFT was the Greg Hartford romance which was quickly dropped when Henry Slesar took over.

Amy was the daughter of Jay and Natalie. Lucy was another character altogether.

Just quickly ffed through. Some observations The sets and lighting look much improved from the 1979 Soap Classic eps. Shorter scenes, more characters and movement throughout the episode. Not sure about Larry B's choice to play blind as having a stoop and staring into people's chests. Would a person who had only been blind a short time develop that habit? The tripping on the stairs looked a little clunky. Way too many new women on the show, most of whom didn't hang around long. This was Mary Ellis Bunim EP? Who was writing at that time?

Early 1983 #1 - General Hospital (9.1 - 31%) #2 - All My Children (8.9 - 31%) #3 - The Young & the Restless (8.3 - 33%) #4 - As the World Turns (8.1 - 28%) #5 - One Life to Live (7.6 - 28%) #6 - Guiding Light (7.5 - 25%) #7 - Capitol (6.1 - 23%) #8 - Days of our Lives (5.3 - 18%) #9 - Ryan's Hope (5.1 - 20%) #10 - Another World (4.6 - 17%) #11 - The Edge of Night (3.5 - 11%) #12 - Search for Tomorrow (2.5 - 10%)

Reading old synopses, it seems that Peggy was first interested in Mark Henderson,when he came to town. Lorie was still reeling from the fact she lost Brad to Leslie. When Lorie hooked up with Mark, Peggy was upset with her sister. Mark was impotent because his first wife died on their wedding night(!). Jill dated a guy named Brent in 1973. Lorie definitely had a connection to Philip Chancellor. How did that come about? It seems to be the only connection between the Brooks and Chancellors. It is mentioned that Brad and Leslie visited his parents.Was this seen on air, or just referred to?

I don't believe that Robert Shaw wrote Search for 5 years. The thing with a lot of these headwriters is that they wrote maybe a maximum of 2-3 years (often less) on a particular show, which in itself is obviously no easy task, but doesn't really test their abilities to plot and plan longterm. That is why Bill Bell, Irna Phillips and Agnes Nixon rank as first tier because they wrote for many years and kept their shows on track for that time.