Paul Raven

Walter Matthews who played Rachel's father Gerald Davis on AW and Somerset has passed away Walter Mathews, stage, film, and TV actor, died of natural causes in Mountain Center, Calif., on April 28. He was 85. Mathews performed in the original cast of "Equus" on Broadway in 1974 and recurred on "General Hospital" and "Another World." He was recognizable as the original "You can pay me now or pay me later" mechanic in the Fram Oil Filter commercial. The actor made guest appearance on dozens of TV shows beginning in the early 1960s, including "Perry Mason," "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," "Mission: Impossible," "Mannix," "Adam 12," "Emergency!," "Charlie's Angels," "Quincy" and "Murder She Wrote." Mathews grew up in the Bronx and received his M.A. in drama at Ohio U. He made his Broadway debut in a 1956 production of "King Lear" that starred Orson Welles. He is survived by four children and five grandchildren. MATHEWS, Walter Born: 10/10/1926, New York City, New York, U.S.A. Died: 4/28/2012, Mountain Center, California, U.S.A.

Variety Jan 30th 74 Polly Rowles, Jane Rose, Bibi Besch and Audrey Landers into NBC-TV soaper "Somerset" cast.

Variety April 10th 74 Marie Masters has rejoined the cast of 'As The World Turns' soap opera after a year's absence.

Variety 29th April 87 David O'Brien joined the cast of NBC-TV's "AnotherWorld." Rebecca Hollen joined the cast of NBC-TV's "Another World"

Thanks so much for this.As Carl said,the extra details are fabulous.The way Bill Bell wove all this together is amazing. I have never seen mention of the Jay character,who was a rival for Maggie's affection.I'm surprised he wasn't brought in later to create conflict for Mickey and Maggie. Please,please post the summaries for all the shows.I will be forever in your debt!!!!

Variety March 15th 1967 ... Beverly Todd cast for a running role in CBS-TV's "Search For Tomorrow" soaper.. Now some 45 years later,she's on Days as Celeste.

Bruce was played by different actors throughout the 60's. I get the feeling that he was seen maybe a few times a year at special occasions.Meta had been reduced to a minor character,it seems,so Bruce's absences would not have had to be explained too often. Variety May 12th 1971 Barbara Rodell switched from CBS-TV's "Secret Storm" soaper to same web's "Guiding Light"

Variety July 19th 1972 While the character she played on "Where the Heart Is" goes to Rochester to visit a sick aunt, Bibl Osterwald will be in Hollywood to play the male lead's mother in "Bridget Loves Bernie," a CBS-TV primetime newcomer in the fall

Variety April 23rd 1970 Anthony George is joining cast of "Search for Tomorrow," CB8-TV daytime drama soaper, beginning tomorrow, in role of a surgeon.

Variety Feb 17th 1971 Tony Geary into cast of soaper "Bright Promise"

Variety 28th April 1971 Constance Towers signed for a regular role in the CBS soaper "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing.

Variety 11th Feb 76 Kathryn Hays returned to the cast of CBS-TV's "As TheWorld Turns" after a three-month absence, during which Patty McCormack filled her role.

Variety 10th April 74 C. David Colson has joined the cast of CBS-TV's "As the World Turns". (As Tom Hughes)

I wonder who Hazel was? Variety 11th July 73 William Prince and Augusta Dabney, married in real life, will play husband and wife on "As the World Turns."

Variety 12th May 1971 Geraldine Brooks joins the cast.She had been a young star at Warner Bros in the late 1940's. As Carl reported upthread,she was out by September.Does anyone know how her role as Arden fitted into the story at the time?

Both Larry Gates and William Roerick,who became beloved characters in later years until their deaths had appeared previously on GL as Ira and Bruce Banning respectively.

Just saw Mary Stuart as a nurse in the 1948 Warners movie 'Embraceable You'. She had 2 scenes.

Nice article,but they needed to brush up on their research. Amy was never killed off,Peter was not married to Myra at the debut and the show didn't start in 52!

Off on another tangent ,Found this in the March 30 82 synopsis in SOD Tony shows his father a film he took at his party in Salem...When the camera focuses on Marlena.Stefano comments on her beauty and says she'll fit into their plans!Tony mentions that Marlena is able to bear children.That's important if she's to become Stefano's daughter-in-law.A wife to one of Tony's brothers! Stefano becomes excited when he spots Julie.He rises from his chair and shouts,"That's her!"Tony explains Julie is married,but that doesn't deter Stefano.'IF i want her,she's mine!"he declares. We can only guess how things would have gone with Pat Falken Smith at the helm for longer.

The more things change....Days was in crisis mode 23 years ago as this SOD article from Dec 89 demonstrates. Fix-It Fever Hits Day Actors,producer and head writer get the axe as Days struggles to bounce back from disaster. Trouble...turmoil...a chaotic situation.”Is that the backstage atmosphere at Days?According to people in high places,yes. Still,one network exec insists the soap isn't floundering. arguing that”All shows have their good days and bad days”. By any yardstick ,though,this soap has been having some awful days .The show recently dropped to 8th place in the ratings. In the summer of 88,the show shot to #1 when Steve and Kayla were married. but it's been losing viewers ever since. According to insiders,Days is running scared and fix-it fever has set in. In November,Shelley Curtis was demoted from supervising executive producer to supervising producer,Anne Howard Bailey was axed as headwriter,and Sherri Stringer was removed as one of the show's producers. Meanwhile. former Supervising Executive Producer Al Rabin was lured out of semi retirement to take over the show's reins. NBC claims the changes were made because “we wanted to put the original team back in place that had made the show #1”. However,Anne Howard Bailey maintains,:The ratings reflect the chaotic situation since the introduction of the new regime at NBC”(Bailey is referring to Jackie Smith,new VP of daytime) “I have not been able to do the things I wanted to do”.Bailey admits.”Let's just say,the stars were not in the right orbit,and I'm very tired. Frankly.I'm looking forward to a long rest and then going back to prime time.” Bailey feels basically she wasn't the right writer for Days.”I was not walking uphill here. I was climbing a mountain. Days deserves somebody who is more wired to their particular kind of story.”(The new headwriters will be Anne Schoettle and Richard Allen,two of the show's current scriptwriters,who are both thirty years old.) Shortly before the production shakeup,there was another commotion,when several actors were taken off-contract,including James Reynolds(Abe)Peggy McCay(Caroline)Frank Parker(Shawn)Christie Clark(Carrie)Michael Bays(Julio)and Joy Garret(Jo). For Peggy McCay,the change has been hard,because her work schedule has been drastically reduced.”I used to work a few times a week”,she explains,”Now I'm on once or twice a month,and then I have three or four lines to say. I feel I could phone it in.” The whole situation mystifies her.”I threw away opportunities because of the show. I had a chance to audition for Generations and I had to turn it down.(Peggy was even in the process of buying a new house,but had to nix the deal once she lost her contract status.) Frank Parker is particularly disturbed by the show's ultrafascination with youth.”Any time Peggy and I had something substantial in the script,and the show was running long,it would be cut. That's so wasteful. I wish they could realise the value of older characters on soaps. Family oriented storylines like ours have a value beyond trivial sex and cops and robbers stuff” However,his candor may have gotten him in hot water. After he spoke in another publication,a Days producer reportedly called his agent and said,”He'll never work on this show again” Meanwhile,the firings continue. John Lavachielli ,who began playing Hank Tobin in November,was let go after a few performances. His replacement Ron Kuhlman lasted one day. Now there's a third actor in the role-Rick Porter(ex Larry AW) Still most stars are guardedly positive about the future.”This show has to be about family values”,stresses Matthew Ashford(Jack)”Al Rabin is going to strengthen that again. He's a family man in terms of what he envisions