Paul Raven

They've added Billy's house. But we don't see 6 or seven sets per episode. Instead it's CL,GCAC,Society and Jazz Lounge everyday and if we're lucky a home or office set. So many characters don't have a home or workplace. And I think they could be clever and use a basic set as an office for different characters. eg hide a window with a bookcase, move a new desk to a different position, new furniture, artwork etc . But I guess that requires a crew and that isn't in the budget.

The first couple of days will hold a modicum of interest as we finally see a new setting. The Nice set will probably have a few rooms and a fake looking 'outdoor' area. I'm sure they'll go with the cliched look that screams South of France. Then we will be subjected to endless talky scenes. What little budget there is has probably been put toward paying for the new set. So they'll want to get their money's worth. Meanwhile back in today's GC it's the usual chat fest at restaurants. No one works despite most convos being about business.

Why would they bother? The current opening reflects the show. Cheap looking,basic- with most of the characters dressed and posed poorly. As for Ms Mandi, she's decided Jermaine is going to wear ugly shirts. I think her costuming reflects her taste, not the charcters. Patricia Field (sex and the City) had a similar 'out there' personal look but could style very disparate characters like Carrie and Charlotte. Most of the Y&R women are wearing variations of the same theme.

Nicole has 2 assistants but no one else gets any staff (that we see). Are Dani and Hayley fixing meals and clearing blocked drains? I think they need to establish that they have some assistance. Vernon and Anita need to have a visible housekeeper. Give the Duprees some help!

I see Nikki has got the Katherine treatment and is now referred to as a legendary business woman.

Good episode. Tomas is improving and I didn't even mind Ashley/Derek. I liked the mixing up of characters and different beats and angles being played. Steven Williford did a good job directing-liked the new angles in Dani's kitchen. Yes it was silly for Hayley to visit Dani-but she is a bit child like and probably bored sitting in her ugly ass living room, so I bought it.

1976 Pt 11 Laurie confronts Vanessa to tell her the little plot failed and she will marry Lance no matter what Vanessa tries. As a parting shot, Laurie reminds Vanessa that she has three things Vanessa doesn’t: beauty, youth, and sex. Laurie then accompanies Lance to South America, as he’s got a lead on Lucas. But they are dismayed to find they’ve arrived just hours before Luke took off. Liz thanks Kay for agreeing to cover Bill’s hospital bills but returns the ring of Phillip’s that Kay had given her for the baby, saying Kay wouldn’t have demanded that Jill write the affidavit had she not known in her heart that the baby was Phillip’s. Kay continues to insist not, but gives Liz the affidavit. Learning that Kay has returned the statement, Jill is terrified she will renege on the bills and hurries to Kay’s. Kay assures her that the bills will be paid, and Jill gratefully asks Kay to visit her father. But Bill, accidentally handed his bill, has been trying to leave the hospital, and when Kay and Jill arrive, the bed is empty. Jill becomes hysterical. Bill is brought back in, and once Jill has assured herself at he’s all right, she explains to Kay that the way she learned Phillip was dead was to walk into his room and find the bed empty. Kay painfully replies that she discovered his death when she happened to see the announcement in an old newspaper; no one had ever told her. Bill asks Brock to say a few words over him when he’s gone, as he doesn’t want a formal eulogy. Brock agrees to do this. At Greg’s insistence, Bill is being released to go home to die, but he suffers a sad attack and has to be placed on a respirator. Snapper has to admit to Liz that this is the end—he’ll never be off the machine, and the pain won’t stop until it’s over. Liz slips back into the hospital after visiting ours to be with her husband, and when he begs her ‘to help him out of the unbearable pain, Liz, out of love, pulls the plug on the respirator. Snapper walks in. and realizes instantly what Liz has done. He takes her home, suggesting that she not tell Jill and Greg, as they might not understand it was what their father wanted. Only then does he remember the plug. He returns to replace it, but Nurse Warner has discovered Bill dead and the respirator unplugged and is looking for him. He suggests that someone might have already found Bill dead and unplugged it but her conscience bothers her, and she later tells the administrator, who orders an investigation. Bill’s funeral is simple and dignified, with Brock speaking the thoughts Bill had wanted expressed. Kay,who hates funerals, comes out of respect for Bill and his family. Brock has convinced his mother to ask Joanne to live with her; he feels Kay must not be alone and —that Joanne could help her while saving money by not having to rent an apartment while attending college. Kay, drinking again, tries to lure Joanne into breaking her diet, but, after only one brief lapse, Joanne’s self-control is intact. Kay finally admits to Joanne that she drinks out of loneliness but it doesn’t help, because when she’s sober again the loneliness |returns. Despite Kay’s dislike of holidays and her own inability to eat fattening things, Joanne plans a full Christmas dinner to make the holiday a happy one.

GH 1976 Pt 7 Jeff, meanwhile, has been upset because Monica has rejected his suggestion that they have a baby. He assumes that her refusal is due to her own upbringing as an orphan and a lack of security. Actually, she admits to herself, she wants only Rick’s baby, and she rejects Jeff’s offer of a house of their own as an anchor for her. Monica sees a divorce lawyer to find out about no-fault divorce, but is thwarted to learn that Jeff would have to agree, since there are no grounds. Monica manufactures small incidents to keep. Jeff on the defensive and moves out of their bedroom. Hurt and frustrated, he begins a vicious cycle of sleeping pills followed by “uppers” to get through the day. When Jeff grabs her arm while trying to talk to her, she pulls away, causing a bruise, which she exhibits later to Rick, Terri, and Audrey as proof that Jeff is not the sweet guy everyone thinks he is. Jeff is crushed when he finds Rick’s letter; now he’s convinced that Monica never really loved him at all. She won’t discuss it or anything with him, and he takes more pills to face this. Finally he has a reaction to them. Heather’s there when the suffocating attack occurs, and she helps him through it, assuring him that she won’t tell anyone. When Jeff, miserably upset, drinks too much at their anniversary party, hosted by Terri, Monica puts on a long suffering wife act to impress Rick. With Steve’s recovery almost complete, he and Audrey begin their wedding plans. But Tommy presents a problem when he tells his mother that he doesn’t have a father and stepfathers can’t be trusted. Audrey and Steve help him gain a sense of identity by seeing where his real father, Dr. Tom Baldwin, worked in the hospital, and Steve prepares to adopt Tommy as soon as the marriage is performed. There should be no problems, since they have a coroner’s report of Tom’s death in Mexico. But Tom Baldwin isn’t dead. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit and sentenced to life imprisonment in a Mexican prison, he arranged for forged death papers, to save his infant son from a life as the son of a convicted murderer. He assumed the nurse took Tommy to Audrey, and has no idea that she kidnapped the child, who was later recovered by his mother. But Tom now has hope, as an attorney, Ramon Hernandez, has an eyewitness to the real killer and is starting the machinery of rescuing Tom. But since Tom is legally dead, the judge won’t reopen: the case. Tom’s only hope is the nurse who was with him in Mexico. He writes to Florence Anderson for help, and she goes to the park to take Tommy’s picture, but is afraid to go to Mexico to testify about the forged papers. After a cruise to restore her health, Leslie comes home to have her suspected pregnancy confirmed. ‘Knowing now that Cam was a truly evil man, Leslie fears that his child, conceived by rape, could be just as evil. She considers abortion but rejects it immediately, as she did when she was pregnant with Laura. However, when Cam’s secretary offers her a letter of | Cam’s in which he embarrassingly and very fully contrasts his wife and his mistress, Leslie buys her off (for a thousand dollars, to match Men-Women Magazine’s offer) and decides that abortion may be the right choice after all. Peter assures her the child will be whatever she raises it to be—if it has love, it will be loving—but Leslie has a nightmare in which her child turns out to be a devil, and she secretly arranges for an out-of-town abortion, asking Terri not to tell Rick, whom she insists she’s not attracted to. Terri’s attempt to help Mary Ellen, called Mellie now, fails miserably when Mellie, instantly jealous of Terri, hysterically tells her what Mark did to her in the accident. Never having heard of the story, Terri is helpless, and has to call the doctor to treat Mellie. Terri is furious at Mark for not preparing her, but soon accepts his apology, understanding that he was reluctant to admit what had snapped Mellie’s mind. Mellie runs away from the sanitarium and is hit by a car. Feeling that she is now suicidal, Mark has her father come to take her back to Boston. Terri goes to Mellie and pleads with her to forgive Mark, because he loves her. Mellie asks her father whether, when one has enemies, one should try to keep them. in view or ignore them. He replies that one should watch them, then asks Mark about this. Peter suggests that enemies can be things as well as people, and agrees to accept Mellie as a patient when Mark decides she should stay in Port Charles. Realizing that Mellie needs attention, Peter suggests that Diana befriend her. Mellie isn’t overly enthusiastic about this. Monica is furious at Steve’s anniversary gift: a week’s honeymoon in Florida. Jeff tries to force their acceptance, hoping they can salvage something, but Monica fakes flu, canceling the trip, then makes a miraculous recovery. When Rick’s former surgical adviser, Dr. Pierre Namath, arrives in Port Charles, Monica promotes an invitation to join him and Rick at his farm. Rick refuses for her, explaining that she is now his brother’s wife, but Monica, undaunted, arrives at the farm by bus, assuring Rick that she left Jeff a note explaining where she is. Heather, however, who has seen Monica buy the bus ticket, manages to mention it to Jeff, who consoles himself with more pills and liquor. When Rick’s car breaks down on the way back, they have to spend the night in a small town, and Rick calls Terri to explain, learning that Jeff had no idea where Monica had gone. Monica manages to pull a fast one and turn herself into the object of pity, winding up in tears, which precede a romantic and passionate embrace. But Jeff goes after them in fury, and Rick, warned by Terri’s call, takes another room, so all is seemly when Jeff arrives. When Monica coldly asks him why he didn’t read her note, he apologizes humbly. Monica manages to dash off a note and drop it on the floor at home for Jeff to find, citing the note as proof that their marriage was a mistake. The next day Monica tells Rick that Jeff told her their marriage was a mistake.

1976 Pt 4 Viki is stunned to learn from Dr. Jim Craig that her father may never speak or be mobile again. Dorian bravely assures her that she’ll devote her entire life to Victor and if anyone can help him recover, she can. Alone with Victor, Dorian tells him she knows he hears her and she was wrong—she lashed out at him from hurt. She insists that none of it is true, that Tony is lying to try to drive her away and be Victor’s heir. Dorian then accuses Tony of causing Victor’s stroke, saying he could have killed him. But learning that Victor made three phone calls after his visit convinces him that his father was fine after he left and Dorian’s fine hand is at the base of this. Dorian insists that Victor be released into her care as soon as possible; she'll set up all necessary facilities at Llanfair., When Dorian walks in while Viki is reading a letter from Tony to Victor, she interrupts the reading, claiming it’s upsetting Victor. Viki tells Tony, however, that Victor was fine listening to his letter and it was Dorian’s entrance that upset him greatly. Dorian is delighted when a Lord Enterprises attorney informs her she’s going to receive Victor’s power of attorney on a temporary basis. Tony is furious that no one is challenging this, but Viki explains that they can’t do anything, as the law is on Dorian’s side and a challenge would only be a public statement of lack of trust in Victor’s wife. Viki insists that Victor’s welfare is being safeguarded, but Tony points out that. none of the people who care for him are with him at Llanfair. Joe is with Victor when he seems to rally and speaks Joe’s and Dorian’s names. Over Joe’s observation that Victor wants to continue, Dorian quickly administers a sedative, insisting this effort is too taxing. The following day, Peter, at Llanfair to give Dorian some Free Clinic reports she’s requested, overhears Victor say, “Phone . . . get me Hanson” (one of his lawyers) and sees Dorian quickly sedate him again, saying he can’t have any visitors for fear of overexertion. The very next day Victor is taken back to the hospital by ambulance, in a coma. Told that Victor is conscious but near death, and calling for his daughter, Dorian, knowing that Viki and Joe are waiting in the courtyard, intentionally sends the nurse to look for them in Jim’s office, delaying their arrival until Victor is no longer able to talk. Viki sits with him for a few moments, then must leave, and shortly thereafter Jim tells her, Joe, and Tony that Victor has died. . Vinnie is horrified to learn his wife Wanda, is the “Lana-Sheen Lady,” a cosmetics saleswoman. He tells her she violated the trust of their marriage by intentionally concealing that she was working, something he had forbidden, insisting he must be the breadwinner in the family. But Wanda warns Vinnie that there is more to this than the money, that she needs to feel she’s accomplishing something with her life. Vinnie does think it through but questions the safety of going door to door. Wanda then springs Tony’s offer that work for him at Tony’s Place, initially infuriating Vince, who claims Tony is a wolf. But a visit to the club shows Vince that Wanda does indeed have considerable talents for running a restaurant establishment, and he gives his approval. Despite Cathy’s continued insistence that they not marry but go on as before, Tony is willing to let her have things her way, and their relationship has resumed. Pat tries to reassure her son, who thinks Cathy is not very nice, by explaining that it’s difficult for Cathy to be with children, since she recently lost her own little girl. But the pain of facing Tony and Cathy’s relationship becomes too much for Pat and, needing to tell someone, she confides in Viki the true story of Brian’s parentage. Viki tells Pat she must tell Tony the truth and she should fight for Tony if she still loves him and give her son his rightful father, especially since Tony and Brian were good friends from the moment they met. Cathy, however, is growing suspicious of the easy closeness between Pat and Tony and questions him about their old relationship. Tony insists that their relationship was a brief romance, too short to be earthshaking, and assures her that Pat didn’t rebound into Kendall’s arms they had known each other long before Rio. But Cathy is not satisfied, and pursues her inquiry in New York, where she finds that Pat didn’t marry Paul until after Brian’s birth. This confirms Cathy’s suspicions, and she decides she has to act now to keep Pat from taking Tony from her. Pat, meanwhile, has decided to tell Tony the truth and arranges a meeting with him. She is stunned when he walks in with Cathy and introduces her as Mrs. Tony Lord. Pat says nothing, and later has to tell her embittered son that he’s going to have to accept Cathy as Tony’s wife whether he likes it or not. Viki, learning of Tony’s marriage, rushes to console Pat, who castigatés herself for having wasted so much time on a man who doesn’t love her. She knows she'll have to tell Brian the truth someday, but is sure that if he learned the truth now he would feel deserted by Tony, just as he feels deserted by Paul. Tony and Cathy’s married life begins on an idyllic plane, with Cathy eagerly making plans for a child. Tony has read Cathy’s book and wonders if she’s not | dealt too severely with a central character who bears an unmistakeable resemblance to Viki. Cathy admits that this is true, and Pat, working with Cathy’s agent, has already suggested revisions. Pat finds Brian having nightmares, and the boy admits his uncertainty about his father’s death, as Paul’s body was never actually identified. Concerned, Tony spends time with the boy, upsetting Cathy, who sees him as a threat. Cathy’s agent mentions to Pat that Cathy interrogated him about the details of her marriage and her child, and Pat suddenly realizes Cathy knows. She confronts Cathy, accusing her of marrying Tony to hold on to him. Cathy tries to insist that she doesn’t know what Pat’s talking about, and counter accuses her of trying to break up her marriage. Pat then leaves, saying they’ll discuss it when Cathy’s ready.

Agree with all of this. They use stuff like the redecoration and the party as major events and nothing comes of it. Kyle/Claire is of no interest to me because Kyle has already been deeply in love with Lola and summer so his devotion to Claire is more of the same. And Claire is a character that came from a nonsense rewrite and now is presented as Little Miss Innocent, her dark past swept away.That charm bracelet of Nikki's must weigh a ton. The list of grandchildren seemed endless. The thing is, most of them are offscreen and ignored. Victoria seems like a neglectful parent. Was Dylan mentioned? Another dumb rewrite character. Not only is the show hampered by so many vet charcters, TPTB don't seem interested in venturing into new areas with them. Cole was brought by but there hasn't been any dramatic story that could impact on Victoria? What had he been doing all those years? So many characters w/o stories talking about businesses we never see.

I'm anticipating most of the cast at the Nice location for a few weeks a la the Tuscan villa for Victoria and Ashland's wedding. I don't know why they bother. I'd rather see the money going into more regular home/office sets. This party has been a bust. No secrets revealed, break ups etc. Ugly decorations and I'm going to slam the costuming again. Just the guests heaping praise on Nikki like she's achieved some magnificent milestone rather than just getting a year older.

A full 1973 episode that looks fantastic in color.

It 's obviously cheaper to go the true crime route. Having different reporters and production teams covering a variety of topics costs more. The networks are delivering budget programming these days.

Oakland Tribune, 14 July 1985 AW is another show with Schenkel at helm By Connie Passalacqua For the most part, dictators of South American banana republics enjoy better reputations than executive producers of daytime soap operas. Total authority is vested in these producers, who can kill off a character (thus firing an actor) with a stroke of a pen, or completely change life in his or her soap opera dominion (both in its fictional locale and backstage at the studio) on any kind of whim. Most rule despotically, inspiring fear in their actors and writers. Which inevitably surfaces on the screen and subtracts from a show's quality. Then there's Stephen Schenkel who became executive producer of Another World last fall. He's been described by one of his actresses as "a teddy bear." He has noticeably improved the show, mostly because his natural warmth encourages backstage cohesiveness, and he believes in personally nurturing his staff and cast. 'I like to be supportive', he said.' I like to generate a certain amount of enthusiasm. I love actors and writers and technical people. And I like to laugh.. ' Schenkel said that most of the factors that have led to the shows improved ratings existed before he took over. There were well defined characters, outstanding writers and excellent production values, he explains. 'These things were in place but needed to be stimulated. There wasn't a lot of excitement. What really was missing was an adequate story. We added Gillian Spencer as a writer. (she also plays Daisy on All My Children), who's wonderful, and it just coalesced. The writers energy and commitment to the show began to give it an emotional intensity and some real passion within the characters." Schenkel, a former ABC programming executive who helped develop Ryan's Hope, is a strong believer in stressing romantic and comedy elements in soap operas. AW is also one of the only soaps with an established group of comic characters, including Wallingford (Brent Collins) and Lily Mason (Jackee , Harry). Schenkel raves about the talents of all his actors, and even has something good to say about the Brooklyn location of the shows studio, which most of his Manhattan-oriented staff loathe. I like the people here. I like to walk down the street and feel their energies, he said. He also violateda soap opera no-no, ' inviting actors and writers to the same party. "Everyone got to know one another, he said. And I didn't get any complaints about actors ' begging for story lines, he said.

National City Star-News, 5 May 1977 TV topics by Peter Blazi Lear’s ‘All that Glitters’—doesn’t The best thing that can be said about Norman Lear’s newest soap opera“All That Glitters” is that it comes on so late at night most people will miss it. Role reversal is supposed to be the big draw, with women the breadwinners, mainly executives of a huge conglomerate. The men either fuss with the housework or fidget at the office as secretaries to their bawdy bosses. A female fantasyland? I doubt it. While the role reversal idea has some possibilities, the show pushes too hard for laughs and winds up with raucous females and effete males. A confident, independent woman is indeed a sight to behold and attract, but femininity need not be sacrificed. Unlike Lear’s “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” "Glitters” doesn’t, but you’ve got to give him credit for trying. Today’s experimental comedy is what tomorrow’s hits are made of. Better luck next time, Norman. (“All That Glitters” can be seen weekday evenings at 11 p.m. on Channel 6.) .

Dukes of Hazzard had a good run when it moved to 8pm but even when that was failing ABC and NBC couldn't come up with a hit show to dominate that timeslot. NBC sent The A Team, Knight Rider and Riptide there for their final seasons and CBS did the same with Scarecrow & Mrs King. Otherwise it was a barrage of new shows that never worked.

Agree. Much more miss than hit. Maybe I'm out of the loop, but I thought clothing was supposed to be flattering. A lot of the Y&R women are seen in the tight solid color dresses ,often with cutouts/one shoulder. Now that may be a fashion but to have all of them in interchangeable dresses... Do the characters have a particular color pallette/style that is unique to them? BTG does a better job in that department. Some recent Y&R looks. I actually like the dress but we see that style too often. Nikki's new look is not to my liking.

I really can't believe they would be bringing Cane back. What would be the point? Many more story possibilities with a brand new character who can create alliances, romances etc without any baggage.

Well he was cute. And we should be thankful the show has day players. It was a way of getting Dani to reveal her relationship to Andre, although not really necessary-unless he pops up again. Harsh! I like Jacob a lot. But I think they need more depth, not just being the nice married couple with a social justice streak. As for Vern and Nita, I do find them a little overbearing at times with their posturing and entitled attitude. And Uptown. This is where the lack of workplace sets is a problem. If more characters worked at the police staion, or Bill's office/Vanessa's etc there would be more natural places for people to cross paths and interact.

Laurie and Lance accompany Leslie to her Denver concert and she relies me on Lance for support.Unbeknownst to Leslie, Brad has had the operator make a special connection to the concert hall so he can hear her concert. The Maestro, realizing Leslie’s emotional torment over her failing marriage, tries to persuade her to tell Brad about the baby, and when she refuses, he writes a letter to Brad betraying Leslie’s confidence. After another fight with her mother about how learning about her parentage has upset her life, Laurie confides to Leslie that she feels cut off, outside. Stuart overhears this conversation, and Leslie has to tell him the whole story. She tries to explain fairly how Jennifer had left Stuart and actually only spent one night with Bruce, and faced the truth about Laurie only when she was forced to. Stuart is livid over this |betrayal and wants to confront his wife ‘now, but her doctor calls. Her one-year mastectomy checkup was fine, but he’s discovered irregularities in her cardiogram and doesn’t want her under any stress until further tests can be made. Stuart assures Leslie he won’t tell her mother he knows about Laurie until he can do it calmly, and doesn’t tell his daughter about the cardiogram. When Chris continues to receive obscene calls, Snapper goes straight to the Beckers’. Ron insists he was home with Nancy, and she corroborates this. When she steps between an advancing Snapper and her husband, screaming, “We don’t have a telephone. He couldn't have called Chris,” Snapper finally has to believe her, and he leaves. But moments later Karen tells Nancy that Daddy went out while Mommy was in the shower. Ron insists it was just a few moments, for cigarettes. Nancy lets it pass, but the next morning finds a whole carton of cigarettes in a drawer and asks why he went out. Ron coldly tells her she’d better pull herself together, she’s letting this thing with Chris make her a little insane. Nancy ponders telling Chris but decides that all Chris would do is badmouth Ron again, and she and Karen have no one but Ron and can’t leave him. When a telephone-installation man arrives with their new phone, Nancy asks him not to put it in. But Ron arrives and orders the installation made, telling Nancy she’s trying to run his life, as his mother did. When Nancy tries to call Chris, Ron frighteningly tells Nancy he’s done everything they said he did, but it’s all her fault, as she never gave him what he needed. When he informs her he’s taking Karen away from her before she can ruin her, Nancy collapses in a catatonic state. Ron then calmly calls the hospital and requests help for his wife, “Fran Jackson,” who has had a breakdown. Laurie, seeing the extent to which Vanessa will go to keep Lance to herself, warns Lance that his mother’s possessive feelings are unhealthy. Lance suggests Vanessa will consider Leslie a threat also when he learns that Les and Brad are divorcing and things will get easier. As soon as the hospital attendants leave with Nancy, Ron dials Legal Aid and has Karen tell Chris she’s all alone. Stopping only to leave a message for Snapper about where she’s going, Chris rushes to the Beckers’ apartment, only to realize that Ron’s tricked her. Ron sends Karen out of the room and, after expressing his hatred for all women, tells Chris he’s going to prove to her he’s a man. But Karen wanders back in as he has Chris pinned to the wall, and Ron’s mind snaps when he realizes his daughter has seen his perverted side. After smashing the wall mirror, he runs out, and Greg, terrified at learning where Chris is, arrives to find her comforting Karen. Chris takes Karen home, and after several days of fruitless searching for Nancy, she applies for temporary guardianship of Karen. Peggy and Jack set a New Years Eve wedding date, but Stuart is terribly upset to realize how irrational and incomplete Peggy’s plans are. When she suddenly makes all pertinent decisions in the space of a half-hour, Stuart tells Jack this doesn’t indicate certainty, but rather proves his point—she’s just trying to convince herself that the rape didn’t affect hers and it did. A chance remark by Stuart shocks Laurie into realizing he knows she’s not his natural daughter. When she hysterically screams out her alienation and her innate feeling that she was always 'different' he assures her with tears in his eyes that since they really love each other sincerely, it makes no difference; she’ll always be his daughter. Stuart explains that Jen still doesn’t know he has learned the truth, and he would like it to continue that way. In helping Brad pay his bills, Laurie finds Maestro Fausch’s letter and tells Brad that Leslie is pregnant. Ironically, to get to him with this news, she had to get |away from Leslie, and used a meeting with Lance as an excuse. When ‘Lance arrives soon after, he’s angry that Laurie lied, and she later has to explain that she has been helping Brad. Understanding her motives, — Lance agrees that she should continue to press him to |reconcile with Leslie. Brad, however, still won’t reconsider—in fact, the news makes him even more resolute. But Vanessa has had Laurie followed, and hits Leslie with a double blow. She gives her the report saying this proves her sister is involved with her husband, and then assures Leslie that Lance loves her, — not Laurie. Badly confused and hurt, Leslie lashes out by kissing Lance while he sits with her at the piano. Leslie then waits at the apartment for Laurie, and when she arrives, she bitterly accuses her of having an affair with Brad. Laurie angrily assures Leslie she was with Brad with Lance’s full knowledge and that Leslie’s anger means she still loves Brad. She then explains to Leslie that Brad left her because he’s blind. In shock, Leslie rushes home to confront Brad, furiously berating him for treating her like a child who cannot decide for herself. But Brad, even with Leslie now aware of the situation, refuses to reconcile with her. When Leslie tells Laurie how unreasonable Brad has been, Laurie suggests that Leslie stop seeing everything from her own angle only.

Desert Sun, 22 December 1983 Guiding Light’ writer looks for fresh ideas By TOM JORY Associated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) - “Guiding Light” has been a daytime companion for millions since 1937, starting on radio and switching to TV after 15 years. Can anything new, really new, ever happen to the Bauers or the Reardons or any of the other folks in Springfield? “I get really upset,” says Pamela Long Hammer, principal writer for the CBS soap opera since March, “because I’ll come up with this neat scenario and someone will say, ‘That’s like “Strangers on a Train.’” “I think, ‘They keep stealing my material.’ “The way I figure it,” she says, “there are only so many stories in the world. It’s the characters who keep the show new and exciting. All of our stories come from them: I don’t come up with a plot, and then work a character into it.” Continuity is important. Someone out there surely knows all that’s happened, to everyone on the show, in 46 years. How about Miss Long Hammer? "Nope. I care about what our core families have been doing,” she says. “I’m always interested in what happened to Bert Bauer (played since 1950 by Charita Bauer) 20 years ago, but as far as going back and reading scripts, no. “Others on the show keep track,” she says. “I’ll suggest something, and be told, ‘You don’t remember, but five years ago, they had this terrible fight. They would never speak to one another now.”’ Miss Long Hammer, a former Miss Alabama who came to New York as an aspiring actress in 1980, began writing for daytime television while playing Ashley on NBC’s “Texas.” She eventually wrote herself out of the story. Her staff for “Guiding Light” includes nine writers, among them her husband, Charles Jay Hammer, whom she met while both worked on “Texas.” NBC dropped “Texas” after two seasons, and episodes from the serial currently are being rerun on the Turner Broadcasting System’s cable-TV SuperStation, WTBS. Gail Kobe, who was executive producer of “Texas,” now has the same job on “Guiding Light.” And Beverlee McKinsey, who played Iris Carrington in “Another World” on NBC, and later in "Texas,” will join the Light” cast of the CBS soap in February. Miss Long Hammer is reponsible for the long-term story, which can mean looking ahead 18 months or more. Staff writers deal with specifics, including the scripts for individual episodes. She says she draws on “imagination and instinct” for the “Guiding Light” story. Often, that involves inventing new characters. “‘I look at Vanessa (Maeve Kinkead), one of our leading ladies,” Miss Long Hammer says. "What could make the audience care more about her? “Then I think, ‘Why can’t she find a man she can love, who will also love her?’ Voila, here comes Billy Lewis (Jordan Clarke). “Another example,” she says, “is Alan Spaulding (Christopher Bernau). All of a sudden, he’s got a sister no one ever knew about. “They come complete,” says Miss Long Hammer of the serial’s characters, including the new ones. “We know who they are and where they came from long before the viewer gets all that information. That’s one of the most interesting things about daytime, the complexities of the characters.” The writers make a big effort to keep the show contemporary, and four of the leading players are in their late teens or early 20s Judi Evans, who plays Beth Raines, Kristi Tesreau (Mindy Lewis), Grant Aleksander (Philip Spaulding) and Michael O’Leary (Rick Bauer). “Guiding Light,” longevity notwithstanding, is a moderate success by that ultimate yardstick of the industry; ratings. The show is behind only “General Hospital,” “All My Children” and “One Life to Live,” all on ABC, and CBS’ “The Young and the Restless,” among soaps. And Miss Long Hammer says she’s convinced writing is the key to even greater achievement. “When I say I love the characters, it’s not a light thing,” she says. “I think what the audience senses is an enthusiasm and an energy among the people who do the show.”

San Bernardino Sun, 21 July 1981 Soap gets a new lease on life By TOM JORY Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) NBC's Texas premiered Aug. 4, 1980, in the toughest time slot in daytime TV opposite top rated General Hospital on ABC and CBS' enduring -Guiding Light As recently as the first of this year, " Texas appeared doomed, a victim of barely measurable ratings. All that has changed, and the show approaches its first anniversary with a new executive producer, a new team of writers, a new look and a new slant on life. Even the ratings have improved a bit, from 14 percent to l5 percent of the audience in the time period in November and December to 15 percent to 16 percent today. "We have Houston like Ryan's Hope has New York City," says Gail Kobe who took over Texas as executive supervising producer in March,"and we feel a real tie with that city. We've got to reflect in the show what's happening in that real town, and I think we're doing that." It was a significant step, taking Texas- its roots in the fictional Bay City of NBC's Another World -to a real-life setting. "I don't think it's got to be the kind of place that people can't can't find on the map," says Ms. Kobe "I think the audience in daytime is more prepared for reality today." It meant giving the show a recognizable Houston backdrop, a more contemporary sound -country and western performers like Ray Price will appear periodically and a lighting system that would clearly represent the hot, bright Texas sunlight. . Texas faced difficult odds from the start, the competition and the inevitable comparison with CBS' prime-time superhit, Dallas, notwithstanding. There was the problem of introducing a multiplicity of characters, many of them imports from Another World, as well as a story line, in an hour-long format. "It was the first show to start at an hour," says Kobe, a former actress who had been supervising producer for Procter & Gamble Productions, which owns Texas and five other daytime shows. "It's very difficult to fill that much time with a large cast, and not leave the viewer confused. "With a daily show, you have to let the audience know who to root for," she says. ''And if you're trying to begin a story, too, no one's going to keep track." The changes began even before Kobe took the show from Paul Rauch, who had faced the seemingly impossible task of producing both Texas and Another World simultaneously. Beverlee McKinsey, whose generally unpleasant character, Iris, had come to Texas from Another World as a young ingenue, was given back her mean streak. "She had become a sweet woman,"Kobe says, "and the audience was used to seeing her do terrible things. It just didn't work." In addition, she says, time was spent establishing the identities of the characters. Joyce and Bill Corrington, who had created the show with Rauch, were replaced as head writers in February by Dorothy Purser and Samuel Ratcliffe.

You had to wonder what was going on when CBS moves a Top 10 show to a new night opposite one of the hottest shows of the moment. CBS was desperately trying to go young-it was the season of Central Park West -but it seemed short sighted. I suppose MSW represented the 'old' image they were trying to shed and it was probably expensive , but still... If they did want to freshen Sunday where else MSW be placed?

Highest rated shows to be cancelled The Waltons, Lobo, BJ & The Bear, Checking In. I think The Waltons had run it's course and would only had dropped further if given another year. One of the select group that never changed timeslots. NBC should probably held onto Lobo as they didn't have many hits. It might have been useful programming Sat @8 paired with Barbara Mandrell or Friday opposite Dallas or left Tues @8 to be paired with Bret Maverick. Father Murphy could have been placed Thurs to attract The Waltons viewers. As for Checking In it was only 4 eps and the placement resulted from the 1st ep bumping up overall numbers. A spin off from a spin off was too much. Lowest rated renewals NBC Magazine and Hill St Blues. NBC had no luck getting a news show to work. They tried Weekend, Prime Time and the Magazine -still to come were Monitor and First Camera. Hill St caused a stir and raves from the critics so they wisely renewed it and it paid off. Like Flo the season before Private Benjamin/Two of Us couldn't maintain the ratings they garnered as late season short flight entries.

justin Jackson Y&R hairdresser posted on Insta that for Nikki's birtday do he envisioned Marilyn Monroe/rockstar. What on God's Green Earth do those 2 concepts have to do with one another? and how are they appropriate for a society grandmother in her late 60's? Her dress had nothing to do with that concept. And the rest of the guests all looked pretty horrible. Why was Nick in a sweater at a formal party? 1Save 1Save