Paul Raven

Who were the first Love of Life actors to move to another soap?

i would say Margo McKenna(Betsy)who went to EON as Emily and Chandler Hill Harben who was the first Max on Texas.

And Velekka Grey who turned up on ATWT as the first Lyla.

Any more you can think of?

Prisoner was big on Aussie TV at the time.Carol Burns as Frankie was a sensation but she didn't get caught up in the hype and left when her contract was up.The network spliced all her scenes together and screened as a TV movie called 'The Frankie Doyle Story".

They also did a 60 min variety special with different cast members in production numbers.

Lisa Hartman did a soapy mini series 'Roses are for the Rich' which aired May 87 on CBS..Like so many of these the cast is interesting-Bruce Dern,betty Buckley,Sharon Wyatt,Kate Mulgrew,Howard Duff and Joe Penny.

Bringing this thread back to life.

Hollywood Wives-The New Generation

starring Farrah Fawcett,Melissa Gilbert,Robin Givens and Jack Scalia.I don't think this one faired to well in the ratings.The days of the big rating mini series seemed to be over.

Joe Stuart interview from 87

How do sweeps affect storylines?

JS I can't speak for other shows,but you really have to plan your thinking and direct it to the overall continuous strength of the show.Sometimes you do peak a story,or have scenes which are worked out during a sweeps period,but we wouldn't take a story and truncate it just because it was sweeps week.

What about long-term planning?Do you consider sweeps then?

JS Well we have projections for up to about a year ahead,maybe more like nine months. These are very sketchy,and they indicate where certain characters will end up,along with a rough idea of the incidents that will happen to take them there.But of course,everything can change.This business is organic.We all know when sweeps are around and if we forget,the network will remind us,so we do work with an awareness of them.

Why would you change a projected storyline?

JS Well.sometimes a story just doesn't work out.It can be a lack of chemistry between the performers that no one knows about or perceives until it gets on the screen.It can be the audience's perception of the story.Or something might just turn out to be wrong for Loving.Then we have to drive forward with a story that we feel is starting to work.

Who decides something isn't working?

JS Usually producers can see it first because they are in on the taping of the show,and the writers and the network hasn't yet seen all the shows the producers have seen.

Would you then do a rewrite?

JS Yes,but rewrites almost never happen in the studio,unless we run short.The rewrites we are talking about would occur in the long term projections and the outlines.

What changes might occur in the story?

JS Sometimes the material can be played a number of different ways,and we might decide that an actor works better in one way than another.So,we may go against our original plan and emphasize a different aspect of the material.

Who OKs the long term stories?

JS The network has an overview because they attend a writers meeting every Wednesday.At that meeting,the writers,the producer and the network go over the outlines which are the basis of the scriptswhich will air roughly five weeks from the day of the meeting.we read them,and we critique them,and we approve them.Sometimes we decide to change things.So the network knows where the show is going,and it is very much a mutual thing.

Does the network pressure you about ratings?

JS Everyone wants better ratings,but it is like we are all in this together.and speaking for myself,i don't need anyone else pressuring me.i pressure myself enough.what anyone else could do,it mowhere near the pressure i put on myself.in looking at Loving,Loving is better than its ratings.Of course,once you say that,you still have to say that the ratings are what they are.

What do you think the problem is?

JS One of the problems we've had since the beginning of the show is the time period.The decision was made,against our wishes,to put it on initially at 11.30 when it had been shown that soaps were not doing well against game shows.also,we had no lead in.The lead in strategy is to put a new show on in between established shows where an audience already exists.Now we have a lead in(Ryan's Hope) but we are up against Y&R.It's labor in the vineyards.i suppose this sounds like a cop-out,but those are the facts,and they do affect us.

Do you feel optimistic about Loving?

JS yes,I do.you can't let low ratings or rumors infuence your work.People who work in this business have to have endurance.That's in addition to talent,sensitivity and an understanding of what the audience wants to look at.Without it,you can't function.Besides,Loving is in the wonderful position of being renewed on a yearly basis.So,you're going to have Loving on until next June,and probably,in my mind,a lot longer than that.

Joe Stuart had been producer on The Doctors and OLTL when both were doing well in the ratings.It must have been difficult for him trying to get the numbers up.Who replaced him at Loving?Was it long after this interview?

I wonder why he never did anymore soaps after this?Maybe the frustration of Loving was enough for him.

From SOD July 1990

Who Killed Rick Alden?

Loving plots a chilling murder mystery with 7 hot suspects.

After seven years on the air,ABC's low rated serial Loving is hoping 4 words-Who killed Rick Alden?-will finally be the key to ratings success.So far,the show has tried all kinds of story gimmicks-from spoiled priests to spy-fi-without making a dent in the ratings. However,the shows new top gun,Exec Producer Jackie Babbin,thinks a good old fashioned corpse might just be what's needed to get the ailing soap on its feet.

On July 9,resident sleazeball Rick Alden(Brian Fitzpatrick)bit the dust,leaving a juicy trail of suspects in his wake. His ex-lover Stacey will now stand trial for murder,and even her own relatives will seriously doubt her innocence. After all,Rick had recently kidnapped Stacey's daughter Heather and was doing everything possible to make stacey's life a misery.(Heather had been conceived during Stacey's brief affair with Rick.

However Babbin assures us there are major surprises in store. "Keep in mind,there are several other characters with equally strong motives",she told us,adding the trial will last about three weeks. The real murderer-who may or may not be Stacey-won't be revealed until the end of the month.

Aside from Stacey,six other suspects also had compelling reasons to put Rick on their personal hit list:

Jack Forbes(Perry Stephens) As Stacey's husband,Jack definitely wanted Rick out of the way forever. Rick's presence was a constant reminder that Stacey had once been unfaithful.

Dane Hammond(Anthony Herrera) Jack's natural father is willing to do anything to help his son. An unscrupulous businessman,he's sabotaged more than one opponent in the past.Was murder on his agenda this time?

Robert (Will Osborne) Dane's all-too-efficient sidekick has only one mission in life-to follow his bosses orders.

Paul Slavinsky (Joseph Breen) a man with serious mob connections,he was Rick's loan shark.

Stevie(Yohanna Yonas) Paul's statuesque assistant could turn out to be a cold blooded killer.

Norma (Ilene Kristen) As Denny's pal,she was involved up to her eyeball's in the kidnapping scheme.Did she kill Rick to avenge Danny's murder-or to get the payoff money herself?(More importantly,Ilene Kristen doesn't have a long term contract with the show,and that makes her an extremely prime suspect.Ditto,for Osborne and Yonas)

While other producers opt for the three l's in storytelling-love,lies and lust-Babbin's forte is murder.In real life she's something of an Agatha Christie,having penned three paperback whodunits in her own right(Bloody Soap,Bloody Special and Bloody Network).What does she find so fascinating about guns and gore?"I think people love a good puzzle whether it's a crossword or murder puzzle...besides I lov eto kill people and this is the only way to do it".

Babbin,who was producer of AMC in the early 1980's,admits that ABC had to work hard to lur her back to the sopa worls now. She's agreed to stay for one year only,and knows she has a tough challenge ahead of her.Does she have a secret gameplan for turning Loving into a hit?"Telling a good story",she says,"My yardstick is if I'm bored,then the audience is too".

So,who did murder Rick???

The only constant in Loving was change.So even from the start there wasn't much stability in stories and character,so I guess that's where the 'generic'tag came from.

Even viewers who hooked on from the start would have not recognized the show after a few years.There was no real feeling to encourage loyalty in viewers.

As regards the Matthews,that family was not really nurtured and positioned correctly to carry on into the 80's.

Firstly,Mary was killed off(rightly or wrongly)leaving Jim a widower.He never remarried,so the opportunity for stepchildren/grandchildren (from his new wife)never materialised.

Russ was married 4 times,yet never had children(Josie didn't come along to the late 80's.)Tracy could have had a child before her death,leaving Russ to raise the child alone(this child could have been sorased in the late 80's and filled the role of Josie.

Alternatively,the 'Josie' character could have arrived in the early 80's from a relationship Russ had earlier(a one night stand)This would have bolstered the Matthews at a time when they needed to be.

Alice was unable to conceive and her adopted daughter Sally,was given a lot of story in the early 80's.however the decision to cast Taylor Miller was,I think a mistake as it was more stunt casting than a desire to write for the character.Anyway,Sally was killed off and that was that.Her son Kevin was never brought back.

Alice was recast too many times after JC left and Linda Borgeson was terrible,When they got Jacquie back,she was backburner.Alice should have been the new matriach and perhaps married and had stepchildren.

Pat hung on through the Lemay years but was foolishly written out,never to return.Again Pat could have remarried and had stepchildren.Mike and Marianne were aged too quickly and written out,never to return,despite the fact they had a lot of story potential.

Liz was given an adoptive grandaughter Julia ,who was killed off after a few years,while her other'grandchild'Ricky,never came to Bay City.

Another way of continuing the family would have been to bring in a child of Janet Matthews(another character who was completely ignored)

Like so many other shows,the core families were left to wither.

Funnily enough,Sandy Dennis did have a role on Guiding Light(Alice Holden)in 1956 but was dropped after a few weeks in the role.

From SOW July 96

The ABC affiliate in Dallas has moved the The City to a late night timeslot.As of June 10th,The City airs at 12.35 am,on a same day delay.

ABC suggested the change,says WFAA Program Director David Walther.

"Some days it actually performs better than it did in the earlier time period.It's not doing any worse.We've either maintained audience or gained some".

Before the switch,WFAA aired only a half hour of the now defunct Mike & Maty show,from 10.00-10.30 am,then The City from 10.30-11.00am.However,Walther adds,'the network asked us to consider carrying the full hour of Caryl & Marilyn,and to accommodate that,their next suggestion was that we consider moving The City to what we call 'late fringe' area replacing a rebroadcast of the 10pm newscast."

Dallas is the nation's 8th largest TV market.

Kansas City KMBC has also moved The City to 2.05 am to make way for the full hour of Caryl & Marilyn.The City's ratings have benefited from the change.When it aired at 11.30 am it averaged a 1.4/5-at 2.05 am it averages 2.6/30.

KMBC is No 30 in market size.

That was The Manions of America which starred Kate Mulgrew and Pierce Brosnan.

To the best of my recollection it aired just before Fall Premiere week,up against repeats and some premieres and did OK in the ratings.

Has the Loving premiere movie aired as a rerun in the states?

I know it has overseas as a standa alone title through the distribution company Fremantle.

Re the incest story.I read that ABC was premiering the TV movie Something About Amelia starring Ted Danson,which was being touted as a breakthrough in dealing with this topic.

ABC daytime got the word to drop the story as primetime wanted the movie to be hailed as a landmark and not some low rated daytime soap.

Ann had played Eunice for 10 years,in which time she had been through 2 marriages and a lot of story,so I could understand the decision to get rid of the character as the show was only 30 mins and casts were kept quite small in those days.

Budget wise it was probably a good move also,as it allowed for newer,younger and cheaper characters to be introduced.

However,long term I question the wisdom of writing off the character as she was Jo's only sibling.Patti was dropped not long after and it made it harder to keep Jo in the story.

It might have been interesting had Jo and Eunice been involved in a triangle.Maybe she divorced John and he turned to Jo.Or one of Jo's later romances turned into a triangle with Eunice.

As for the serial killer story,I think Sarah,Jo's never before mentioned grandaughter was a victim also.Louise Shaffer had not been well received as Stephanie,and like Eunice before her had been around for a decade and an older vet character was probably seen as expendable.

Serial killer stories were done to death in the 80's.Who was the Henderson killer?

From The Soap Opera Book

(The scenes of Jennifer shooting eunice are on YouTube,courtesy of Ann William's children.)

Eunice and John Wyatt's marriage was going through some bad times as a result of Eunice's sexual problems. John turned to Jennifer Pace, a beautiful younger woman, for comfort. He and Jennifer had an affair, which Eunice eventually discovered. John was determined to save his marriage and broke off his relationship with Jennifer. But Jennifer, an extremely insecure and clinging young woman, wouldn't let go. She was constantly visiting John's office, begging him to come back. Eunice usually walked in when they were together and no amount of explaining could convince her that the affair had ended. Finally, Jennifer called John, told him that someone had tried to rape her in her apartment and begged him to come over and protect her. John consequently spent the night on her couch. Eunice found out about it and didn't believe his version of the story. John moved out. Eunice soon realized that she was wrong and was going to try for a reconciliation—until she found out that John had moved in with Jennifer.

Eunice filed for divorce, even though she still loved John. John, meanwhile, found out that Jennifer had lied, and that no one had attacked her on that fateful night. Again he packed his bags. He and Eunice patched up their marriage and were back to being like newlyweds. Jennifer attempted suicide; she survived, but as a result went slightly crazy. She kept hearing John talking to her, telling her he loved her, and that he wanted her to kill Eunice so they could marry. All in Jennifer's head, of course. Still Jennifer stole a gun and shot and killed Eunice! Viewer sympathy lies with Eunice, in the grave.

Trouble was that writers following the Corringtons relied on Travis and Liza at the expense of everything else.

They were constantly put in jeopardy in plot driven stories,relying on action and locations for interest.The worst was the incomprehensible Operation Sunburst story.

There was talk of the show going to an hour around 78/79 when the Sentells and Tourneurs were introduced but CBS wanted Y&R to expand also and there simply wasn't room on the schedule.

Jennifer Gatti played Angela Moreno,daughter of Barbara Moreno(Olympia Dukakis)

I think they were brought on in the Joanna Lee era.Lee wanted the show to be more reality based and to get away from the action/adventure stuff.

Unfortunately,the producers/writers never stayed around long enough to fully implement their vision.There were way too many story and cast changes.

The show should have focused on Jo,Patti and her two kids Chris and Tracey,along with Stu,his son Tom and grandkids Liza,Garry and Danny.

But all the writers in the 80's wanted to ignore the history for no good reason.

Jack Parrish,who played Brad Garrick in 1980, passed away in October at age 56.

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"The Eerie Truth Behind Search’s Occult Phenomenon!"

by Diana Whitley

Rona Barrett’s Daytimers August 1979 Search For Tomorrow has introduced the world of the occult to daytime viewers. Dark Shadows came close but in a highly stylized, Gothic manner complete with vampires and

eerie effects. However, Search is treating it in a realistic manner, devoid of anything sensational or "gimmicky." The writers and producers painstakingly researched their

material, and have a psychic, Alexander Murray, to advise them.

"The intent is to realistically show the kinds of things that do happen, and to work them out in a story in a metaphysically correct way," Alex explained.

Alex is a gentle, cheerful young man with a good sense of humor. Nonetheless. He is one of New York’s foremost people in the field, and his credentials include over 30 trance sessions at the United Nations, an extensive international clientele, and a busy schedule as a lecturer, teacher, and seminar reader. He has also been the subject of research projects for the American Society for Psychical Research, successfully demonstrating clairvoyance, out-of-body experiences, psychokinesis, and the banishing of poltergeist phenomenon.

Finding Mr. Murray was production coordinator Bonnie Bogand’s job. She was to locate someone who was well versed in all aspects of the occult to be a consultant on the staff.

"I started at the occult bookstores. I went to the two biggest ones in New York, and spent a couple of hours at each. I was so intrigued by all the reading material there is on the subject I surrounded myself on the floor with books and read them until the manager finally came over and said I couldn’t read them there!

"The big problem was to find someone that was serious," she continued. "There are rip offs in every field, and the occult is certainly no exception. We wanted to treat this very seriously, and not as a gimmick to get more viewers, so we didn’t want any sensationalism," she explained.

"The second problem was to find someone articulate, possibly with a flair for drama, who could relate well to the writers, directors, and actors, because this person was going to be involved every step of the way. He would help with the specifics, such as the technique that a psychic would use in reading tarot cards or giving a séance—gestures, incantations, whether or not her eyes would be closed. He would be involved in anything to do with the physicality of what happens, such as lighting or costuming.

"He would also have a series of meetings with the writers, going over the story line, telling them whether or not they were being far-fetched, exploring the possibilities of voodoo. When we decided to have a fire caused by lightning, we did it in a way that the audience could decide for themselves whether or not Tante Helene started the fire, but we determined that there is a basis in occult truth for a power to do this."

…After Bonnie secured a directory listing everyone in the country who is involved in the occult, she called organizations like Foundation Faith, the Parapsychology Institute of America, and the American Society for Psychical Research. It is illegal for these institutions to recommend anyone, but if she gave them names, they would indicate their opinion. The only problem was that none of them seem to agree on any one person.

Like most other fields, the occult tends to have specialists, and Search needed someone who was well versed in all aspects from séances to tarot, so many people were

immediately eliminated. Finally, it was narrowed down to Alexander Murray, so Bonnie made an appointment for a séance, without telling him who she was or why she was interested.

"I didn’t want to go alone, so my boyfriend went with me. It wasn’t at all what I expected. I thought it would be pitch black, with special effects like a fan blowing the

curtains and a black cat. It was just a group of people sitting around the room in chairs-not even holding hands around a table. Alex conducted the session, opening it with some incantations and prayers. Then his mind left his body and he became about seven different people, with different accents and sometimes even different languages. He

basically spoke about love and a philosophy of life. There was nothing ugly or scary.

"One thing happened that was very exciting. He has a spirit guide, who allows the other spirits to some and go out of his body without becoming possessed by an evil spirit. She (his spirit guide is a woman) went around the room and told everyone something about their vibrations and auras. When she came to me she said she saw someone in my aura, and that it was an aunt named Helen. I told everyone at the office and they were all really excited."

After the séance, Mary Ellis Bunim, the producer, also went to see Alex, and she was unequivocably chosen as the show’s consultant.

One of the things Alex has done is to give Jane White, the actress who plays the central occult figure "Tante Helene," a shibboleth to protect herself and the rest of the staff from evil visitations.

"A shibboleth is a protection that you may do in the form of a mantra. Even when you play act, you are touching upon the real thing. There is a tradition that every time the play Macbeth is done there is a curse on it and something goes wrong. There are a lot of magical incantations in that play, and the actors may not know it, but every time they say them they can release a lot of energy.

"I explained to Jane that even though she is only acting, there is power in words, and she should make a clear distinction between herself and "Tante Helene," so I gave her something to protect herself and the cast, so that the spirit world would understand it was just a play. We didn’t want any weird happenings, like tapes being erased or flats falling over, and that kind of thing has been known to happen."

In a similar vein, Alex explained that the other characters in Henderson are going to be affected by their contact with the occult world, even though they may not believe in it or be aware of it.

"They come into contact with ‘Tante Helene’ on a casual basis, but once they make the contact it is like opening Pandora’s box. They’re involved whether they know it or not. Once exposed, it is like radiation, and the outcome will be worked out in the story."

Eric,thanks for starting this thread.This show and Hidden Faces have always interested me as they were both very short lived,yet launched at a time when soaps were pretty strong.

The ratings for TBOE were appalling.

I wonder what ABC's expectations were at the time.

It replaced Bewitched which moved to 11.30 as lead-in.The competition was Jeopardy on NBC and Where The Heart Is on CBS.

It boasted a good cast and name recognition,band ABC obviously wanted it to succeed but perhaps clearances were poor.In those days,some areas still did not have an ABC affiliate.

Incidentally,I met Patty McCormack at a film festival for her classic movie The Bad Seed.She was very approachable and charming.I mentioned Best of Everything and she said she had a great time on that show and made a best friend in Julie Mannix and that they are still friends today.

The crazy thing is that these returns were part of 'giving fans what they want' for the finale.

So TPTB knew fans would like to see these characters/actors.

So why not bring them back in the final years,not weeks.Maybe a return to what made the show popular would have saved it.

April 76

After Mike's stormy session with Mike, he has all the symptoms of a heart attack and is rushed to the hospital by the trauma unit. Fortunately, he is found to be suffering only from stress. Maggie is relieved, but Nick still wants to examine Matt thoroughly and Hank urges Matt to stay home for a few days.

Martha's friend, Ernie, had been suggesting to Mike that he consider working in the police lab, when Maggie called to tell Mike that Matt was in the hospital. She insisted that under no circumstances should Mike join her, but has kept her previous promise to keep him posted on Matt's condition.

When Mike relays the stress diagnosis to Martha, she suggests that perhaps Matt is going through male menopause.

Eleanor is continuing to have her problems. No matter what womanly wiles she tries on Scott, he will have no part of her, sexually. She complains to Althea that both Wendy and Scott are merely doing their duty with absolutely no love involved. Althea rages at Eleanor for burdening her with her problems. Althea has also advised Eleanor to forget the past and go on with the future. Scott shows up at the height of Althea's outburst and takes Eleanor away as Althea apologizes for behaving rudely.

Dr. McIntyre had run into Eleanor as she was on her way to visit Althea. McIntyre is at the hospital for an interview with Matt. The meeting goes very well and Matt tells McIntyre a decision will be reached in a few days. Matt showed up at the hospital in spite of Hank's advice to the contrary, as Hank knew he would.

M.J. tries to talk Steve into calling in the police again to find Carolee. Mona, at Ann's contrivance, interrupts M.J.'s meeting with Steve.

Mona asks Steve to come home and help prepare for Erich's birthday party. Ann takes it upon herself to call a booking office and hire an entertainer for the party, but wishes to do so anonymously.

Jerry has told Penny an unbelievable story about his mother. After saying his mother dreams of someday having a five room apartment, he tries to locate her in Switzerland where she's skiing.

Erich's birthday party ends in disaster. The only thing Erich really wanted was Carolee's return. He's convinced himself she's on her way. Erich even implored Billy to check flight arrivals of planes from New York.

Jeremy, the clown, arrives and for awhile manages to bring some brightness to the party, but gloom descends when Jeremy admits that Dr. Ann Lorimer hired and sent him to entertain. Erich is deeply hurt and Billy races off to have it out with Ann. His anger has been heightened by Mona's taking Ann's side and telling everyone how grateful they should be that Ann sent Jeremy.

From around April 76

Barbara looks at Adam. His eyes are boring into her, searching for the answer to his question: "I want to know what's bothering you. I don't want any more excuses or evasive answers; I want the truth, now." Barbara feels a headache coming on, she steadies herself on a nearby chair to stop the dizziness. "I'm waiting, Barbara." She sees the confusion and concern on her husband's face, she knows, despite her promise to Holly, that she has to tell Adam the whole sordid story. Barbara hesitates for a second then blurts out what she has discovered about his son. At first Adam doubts the veracity of her story, but when the shock dies down he realizes she's telling the truth. Adam says he'll talk to Roger when he and Peggy return from their European honeymoon.

Love does strange things to a man. It distorts his vision and deafens his hearing. It creates false hopes to soothe the cravings within his body and soul. Tim's in love and he's experiencing all these things.

The object of his affections, Rita Stapleton, tells him over and over she wants things free and easy. She cares for him but she doesn't love him. She begs Tim to heed her words, but she knows he's deluding himself with dreams of walking into the sunset with her. Rita's right. Despite all she's said, Tim asks her to live with him. He says it'll be a trial marriage. "Let's live for the moment (with Tim anyway)" Rita ponders over how to handle this lovesick young man.

Before heading back to Springfield, Mike has one final meeting with Clint Pearson. It's a very profitable one, since Clint's parting words hint at a man who's got something to hide. This burly gent tells Mike he's making a mistake looking for Spence Jeffers around here; people who interfere in other people's lives are only hunting for trouble.

When Mike tells Ann what he's learned, her eyes sparkle like a child who has just been given her favorite toy for Christmas. She tells Mike she's sure Clint is Spencer and she wants to go to Redding to see for herself. Mike warns her not to, saying Clint is a dangerous character. Ann is too excited to listen to his warning.

There was a time when Tim's career was all that mattered to him, but with the advent of Rita, his work seems to be taking a back seat to his love -- and it hasn't gone unnoticed!

Steve comments to Joe that he has observed a change in Tim's surgical technique; it seems to be much slower. "If he doesn't pick up," Steve warns, "we'll have to take back the recommendation to make him Senior Resident."

Meanwhile the love of his life -- the fire of his heart -- has her own fires ignited by receiving a letter from Ed. Ed tells Rita he's decided to go into neurology. These written words bring a smile to Rita's lips.

Among the many dumb decisions made on the show in the final years,not bringing on Kevin and Jason Marler ranks with the best of them.

Two brothers,different personalities,constantly trying to one up each other,fighting for the same girl etc.

With Blake caught in the middle.

Two performers from the Dobson/Marland era have died recently.

Rita Lloyd (Lucille Wexler)

Tom O'Rourke (Justin Marler)