Paul Raven
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Viewing Topic: Looking back...Primetime Ratings from the 80's
Everything posted by Paul Raven
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Y&R: May 2025 Discussion Thread
I hear what you are saying, but I feel there is definitely an opportunity for improvement. If the set problem is to remain, then the whole focus has to change. Business has to take a back seat if there are no sets available to support story. As I have said before return to Jabot and have a number of characters working and interacting there. They seem super reluctant to do it but Victor needs to be a more supporting character. Eric Braeden seems determined to carry on and that is of course admirable,but keeping Victor as this dominating force has been detrimental. Have a sweet reunion of Sharon and Nick and marry them off for good. Bring on Faith and I'd even have Adamson back as Noah at this point to support Nick/Sharon in a parenting role. They really need to bite the bullet and drop one of the following -Billy, Chelsea, Phyllis or make them recurring like Abby/Ashley with appearances or short term stories when appropriate. Free up some space for new or returning characters- Noah, Allie, Fen, Moses,even a recast Dylan.
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Love of Life Discussion Thread
1976 continues... Carrie finds the diamond drop in Arlene’s dresser and confronts her with it. Arlene insists she’s done nothing to be ashamed of and storms out. Carrie becomes so overwrought that she collapses. Tom rushes her to the hospital, where her doctors decide they can’t wait even the few days until her scheduled surgery and begin the operation immediately. The surgical resection proceeds without incident, and Carrie comes through beautifully, to Arlene’s relief and gratitude. Arlene tells Ian she has considered selling the pendant to pay Carrie’s bills but feels she must return it to him. She is so relieved that her mother is finally out of danger, she tells Ray, who is again pressing her for the return of the bail loan, that if he or the hospitals want to put her in jail for bad debts, that’s. fine with her. But Ian solves one of her problems by paying Carrie’s medical bill in full. Arlene is amazed to hear this and assures Carrie that she had no idea he planned to do this. She promises Carrie she’ll tell Ian they consider it a loan and will repay him as soon as they can. Ray, learning about Ian’s actions, accosts Arlene, telling her that if she’s not already sleeping with Ian, she soon. will be, Because men like him always expect to be paid.~ Felicia tries painting at home, but the light is very bad there, and she recalls how well she worked in her studio. With Lynn and Di’s urging, Felicia rents another studio. Ironically, Eddie, realizing that Felicia can’t paint at home, has been looking for a studio for her, and happened to be inspecting this very studio, only to learn that Mrs. Lamont had already rented it. Felicia explains to Di that she is afraid to tell Charles about the studio, as he instantly assumes that when she’s not with him she’s with Eddie. At Di’s suggestion, Felicia arranges a dinner party with the Sterlings, in the hope that telling Charles in the presence of others will allow it to be discussed calmly. But Charles voices his fury anyway, saying that it sounds like a perfect love nest.. The Sterlings point out that he is not being deserted—he has his nurse, and Felicia will always be home to prepare dinner. But Charles isn’t mollified. , Charles decides his suspicions are correct when Eddie delivers a letter from Lisa to Felicia and Charles realizes he knows about the studio. He refuses to believe that Felicia didn’t tell Eddie, and rides her mercilessly. Finally Felicia realizes she can’t stand any more of this mental agony and packs, saying she needs time to think and so does he. Charles immediately calls at Eddie’s for her and is surprised that she’s not there. But his call worries Eddie, who goes to her studio to see if she’s there. He finds her about to drive to Maine, to her Aunt Mavis’s home. Felicia is touched by Eddie’s suggestion that he accompany her for her safety, but assures him she’ll be fine. Charles, meanwhile, has fallen from his wheelchair while reaching for the phone and hit his head. Bruce finds him unconscious with a gash across his head and has him rushed to the hospital, where emergency surgery is performed to relieve the cranial pressure. Charles survives the surgery but remains in a coma. Felicia arrives at Aunt Mavis’s to find that her aunt has just left for a vacation in Rome. There is a knock at the door, and Felicia is amazed to find Eddie there; he followed her car to assure her safety. She invites him in for something to eat, and since it’s very late, he spends the night in the spare bedroom. Felicia and Eddie spend the next several days walking in the woods and the evenings in front of the fire, developing a deep emotional closeness. Felicia finally tells him of her early father fixation and admits that she’s still a virgin, unable to have a physical relationship with a man. To her relief, he understands and sympathizes, and she agrees to try to make love with him. The attempt fails, and Felicia is embarrassed,but Eddie manages to make her see that sex is only one facet of his love for her, and when they try again later she is delighted to find that she can give herself to him with feeling and happiness. She decides she must return to Rosehill and ask Charles for a divorce. Cal and Rick honeymoon in St. Thomas, the Virgin Islands, but Cal is a bit dismayed when Rick takes time off to discuss business with a restaurant owner. She feels he shouldn’t have any thoughts of business on their honeymoon. Ray Slater tells Meg she stands to lose her investment in Beaver Ridge, since she has frozen Rick’s assets and he owns the controlling interest. So Meg gives Cal and Rick the news, upon their return, that her wedding gift is the dropping of the lawsuit. She then offers to sell her share of the club if Rick will again take over the place. Betsy has made strides toward establishing a life for herself and her daughter by renting an apartment, making arrangements for a mother’s helper, and asking Jamie for her old job back. Jamie assures her it’s available and ‘takes her to dinner. Betsy is annoyed when Meg stops by just as she’s returning home with Jamie, and she tells Meg she won’t stand for her checking up on her. Ben has been having problems ever since his prisonmates discovered he’s in for bigamy. This “pretty boy” offense makes him a susceptible target for advances and sadistic treatment. Duke and Pearson, the chief instigators, are pleased when Ben takes punishment and threats without squealing, but they decide to continue the treatment rather than let up. On the night they decide to teach Ben what it’s really all about, he fights both of them, but tires and is on the floor under their knife when fire breaks out. Solly, the guard, starts to release the prisoners from their cells but is overcome by smoke. Ben rescues him, then returns to rescue the remaining prisoners, including Duke. Ben is hospitalized for burns and smoke inhalation. He refuses to explain why he and Duke and Pearson were out of their cells before the fire alarm. Betsy has had a premonition of danger, and it’s realized with the news of the fire at the prison. She asksMeg to accompany her and goes directly to the prison. As his wife, Betsy has first rights of visitation, but Meg is so frantic that Betsy lets her go in first. Meg rants on at length about Ben’s folly in not letting her keep him out of prison in the first place, wasting time that Ben wants desperately to spend with Betsy. Meg finally leaves, and Betsy comes in, bringing Ben a picture of their daughter. She tells him of her recent plans. When Ben asks if she’ll visit again, she hesitates, not wanting to make any commitments. The warden tells Ben he’s putting him up for parole, and Solly thanks Ben for saving his life, offering his hope that the parole comes through. Learning of this possibility, Meg asks Bruce to intercede as mayor, and he refuses. She replies she expected that and already offered one of the prison-board members a contribution for a favorable report. Van’s horror at this is echoed by. the warden, who tells Ben that his mother’s attempt to bribe the board could cost him his parole.But the board doesn’t hold this against Ben, and his parole is granted.
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GH: Classic Thread
GH 1976 . A transition as the show went to 45 mins and the revamp continued. From the Daytime serial Newletter PT 1 Since 1963 General Hospital, the story of the staff of the seventh floor at General Hospital in the town of Port Charles, has endeavored to show the personal problems and emotional conflicts faced by the members of a medical team, who must at all times be ready to save lives. Dr. Steve Hardy, his staff’s source of emotional support and advice as well as their professional chief, is increasingly upset by the marital problems of Dr. Jim Hobart and his wife, Audrey, Steve was once married to Audrey and still has strong although concealed feelings for her, and he resents Hobart’s futile efforts to stop drinking and straighten out his life, as his failures are dragging Audrey down with him. Dr. Leslie Faulkner is married to business tycoon Cameron Faulkner, who recently financed a free clinic for her at General Hospital. But Leslie’s professional life has been overshadowed by the shocking discovery that her illegitimate child, born when Leslie was a college student, didn’t die at birth, as she had been told, but rather, on her domineering father’s instructions, was substituted for the stillborn child of a Mrs. Barbara Vining. Cam has helped Leslie locate the child but is definitely resentful of the intrusion of another focus for Leslie’s love into their lives. Young med student Bobby Chandler has just married nurse Samantha Livingstone but is concealing his recent discovery that his life-insurance application was rejected because of a suspicious blood-test result. Psychiatrist Peter Taylor has reconciled his emotional upheaval at the discovery that Martha, the child of his wife, Diana, was fathered by the late Dr. Phil Brewer (by rape) and that Diana will not be able to have another child, as a hysterectomy was necessary after Martha’s birth. Diana suffers feelings of inadequacy, believing she is beneath Peter socially, as she was a waitress before successfully completing nurses’training. Nurse Jessie Brewer, who was married to Phil years ago, has tried to show Diana that her present accomplishments have overcome her disadvantaged origins. Dr. Leslie Faulkner, driven by the recent knowledge that her baby daughter was taken from her at birth, has learned that thirteen-year-old Laura Vining is that child. When Laura’s mother expresses concern at the attention and gifts that a total stranger is showering upon her daughter, Laura points out that Leslie is not really a stranger—the news magazines are always carrying articles about international business magnate Cameron Faulkner and his doctor wife. Barbara is even more upset when she realizes that Cameron Faulkner is having his employees check on them. Cam himself is upset by Leslie’s preoccupation with the girl, and warns Leslie that many lives could be irreparably harmed if Laura finds out she’s illegitimate. Leslie retains an attorney, Curtis Baxter, whose reputation doesn’t stress ethics. He advises her to sue for custody if a personal appeal to the Vinings to relinquish the child doesn’t produce results. Barbara’s fears are more than realized when she returns Leslie’s extravagant Christmas gift to Laura—an electric typewriter—and Leslie, pressed by Barbara to explain her interest in Laura, reveals that she just recently learned that her own father bribed her nurse to switch her newborn daughter for Barbara’s stillborn child, to “protect” his unwed daughter. At home, Barbara tells her husband, Jason, that she didn’t see their baby until the day after she was born, as the delivery was long and difficult, and she now remembers that Nurse Roach was somewhat reluctant to hand her the child. But the biggest fear they face is that Laura might somehow learn that her parents weren’t married when she was born, as Jason was on military service in the Pacific. Baxter serves the Vinings with a writ of habeas corpus, requiring them to have Laura in court on the specified day. Cam assures them he will make sure there is no painful press coverage and that all efforts are taken to prevent Laura from being emotionally upset. The Vinings then find that they must submit to blood tests to determine whose blood groupings match Laura’s. In court, Leslie again painfully explains the circumstances of her birth and the recent revelations by a dying Nurse Roach which led to her search for Laura. The Vinings are horrified to learn that the blood tests have revealed that neither of their blood types matches Laura’s. Medically this means that Jason can’t be Laura’s father—but Barbara could still be her mother. But Barbara has assured Jason that he is the only man she has ever been intimate with. Faced with this incontrovertible evidence, the Vinings realize that Leslie’s claim has basis; and since Barbara is too emotional to tell Laura what they have learned, Jason tells her. Laura is told she will have to decide whether she wants to make her home with the Vinings or with the woman she has just been told is her real mother. When Laura level headedly replies that she doesn’t know Leslie well enough to make this decision, the judge rules favorably on a one-month temporary custody order for the Faulkners and explains that Laura may decide then. Cam is upset at the way Leslie uses this month to give Laura a whirlwind introduction to the jet-set life, managing to quickly arrange a round-the-country tour with parties and social events including movie stars and other celebrities. He warns that Leslie is trying to win Laura by the material things she can give her and that she is obviously counting on Laura’s deciding to live with them. At the end of the month Laura is still unable to come to a decision, so the temporary custody is extended for another month. But Laura is now torn between the glamor of the Faulkners’ life and her love for the Vinings, who are forbidden by the court order to contact her during the decision period. Leslie is spending so much time with Laura that her medical career is suffering, but she tells Cam it doesn’t matter, as she is planning to leave medicine to devote her full attention to her daughter. Cam warns her that she’s risking heartbreak by assuming she will get permanent custody of Laura, and again suggests she is trying to buy the girl’s love with possessions. Leslie retorts that Cam’s objections seem to stem from the selfish desire to have their life return to the glittering comfort they had when there were just the two of them to consider. But when Laura falls ill with influenza meningitis she deliriously calls for her “real mother,” rejecting Leslie’s presence. Leslie is horrified when Barbara shows up, summoned by Cam, and demands to see her daughter. Leslie tells Dr. Steve Hardy she’s going to lose Laura and it’s Cam who is taking her away. In Laura’s best interest, Barbara and Leslie join forces to help the child’s recovery. But her doctors are puzzled when her symptomatic fever and convulsions continue after the meningitis is overcome. Leslie’s emotional condition isn’t helped when Cam insists ‘that her constant vigil over Laura is obsessive and she’s neglecting him. He makes it clear that she is going to have to choose. Needing help with these pressures, she consults psychiatrist Peter Taylor, who helps her see Cam’s side, and they make up. But Peter’s probing has made Leslie face another truth that Laura’s illness may be psychosomatic, due to the choice she must make. As Leslie faces the growing realization that she is the cause of her daughter’s illness and she may have to give her up to make her well, Cam secretly visits the judge and asks that he decide to return Laura to the Vinings in order to save Leslie from the guilt of giving up her daughter herself. :
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Y&R: Old Articles
1976 Part 3 Peggy Brooks, the youngest Brooks daughter, upset over her parents’ recent marital trouble, has turned to her college teaching assistant for help with her studies, and then for emotional support. Jack Curtis is deeply attracted to her but tries to warn her not to get emotionally involved. But Peggy confesses she’s fallen in love with him, and he knows he returns her feelings. Jack, whose real name is Johnny Kryzynski, a name he feels is too difficult for professional use, is married to Joanne, a waitress at the Allegro, Leslie Elliot’s restaurant. Joanne, who is very overweight, is on another of her frequent reducing diets, hoping to regain Johnny’s love and attention. She is encouraged by Brock Reynolds, who manages the Allegro for Leslie. Sympathizing with her problem and her need for her husband’s love, Brock tells. her she must feel beautiful herself before other people can see it. One night, while discussing Joanne’s previous, fruitless attempts to diet, Jack asks her a question he’d never actually asked ‘before: Why had she gained all that weight? Joanne painfully tells him that she found out a year after they were married that she was pregnant. When she sounded him out about children, he had made it clear they couldn’t have a child until he’d finished school, so she secretly had an abortion, which left her feeling so empty that she ate to fill the emptiness. For the first time in a long time, Jack put his arms around her and kisses her. Feeling that Johnny really cares now that he knows about the abortion, Joanne’s trying very hard'to stay on her diet. But Peggy, having lunch at the Allegro, confides in her friendly waitress that she’s in love, and the man’s name is Jack Curtis. Joanne is heartsick, not only for herself but for Peggy, who obviously has no idea that Jack is married. Knowing that Peg’s sister Chris Foster works for Legal Aid, Joanne consults Chris about a legal name change, explaining that her husband, Johnny Kryzynski, uses the name Jack Curtis professionally she may as well make it their legal name. Chris makes the connection and tells her father about it. Stuart confronts Jack, demanding to know how he could do this to his wife and to Peg, and what he is going to do about it. Jack asks for time to let Peg down easily. When Peg learns that her father has seen Jack, she furiously informs him to stay out of her relationship with Jack. Peg later apologizes for her angry words, but she and her father cross swords again over Jack, and, backed into a verbal corner, Stuart blurts out, ‘For’ God’s sake, he’s a married man!” Disbelieving, Peggy goes to Jack, who tries to explain he’s started to tell her many times but, not wanting to hurt her, kept hoping for a better time to do it. Peggy, in shock, goes to the Allegro to think this out. Seeing the pain Peggy’s suffering, Joanne goes over to her and gently tells Peg she understands the hurt she’s going through—they are both in love with the same man, because Jack Curtis is her husband. Jill, having decided she must have revenge on Kay, has liquor delivered to her daily. When this doesn’t drive Kay back to alcoholism, Jill embarks upon a campaign to'convince Kay that Phillip is still alive. Jill slips into the Chancellor house each evening, after Liz has left, and leads Kay into reliving incidents and conversations which occurred over a year ago, when Jill was Kay’s paid companion. In this way Jill shakes Kay’s acceptance of Phillip’s death and has her convinced that Phillip is only away on a business trip. But Liz and Brock discover Jill’s grisly charade and begin to help Kay back to reality. Faced with the enormity of what she’s been doing, Jill realizes how wrong this is and decides to end the hostilities.
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BTG: May 2025 Discussion Thread
I really don't want to see some old P&G actors on the show. To me Lindstrom and McLain have brought nothing special. The show needs to find new talent, so it has it's own identity,which overall they have. Timon, Tricia, Ambyr are breakouts. Most of the others are fine .We all know the exceptions.
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Y&R: May 2025 Discussion Thread
I would wager that was because it was a new character for the likes of Devon, Lily and Nate to interact with. Watching the likes of Billy fall in love again-Phyllis, Chelsea,Lily and now Sally is repetitive, especially when he is no prize. Josh doesn't really do long term couples. So every year or so they swap partners. It diminishes them as characters as they don't seem to grow or learn from the past. We know those characters so well and they've been through just about everything, so the only solution is to involve them with new characters and have them react to the newbies drama. They tried with Ashland and the Rosales but Josh dumped the latter and wrote so badly for Ashland who could have been a long term antagonist. All we got was another short lived marriage for Victoria and another accidental killing. And Josh thinks having them sit in restaraunts for the whole episode talking business, mergers, takeovers and job switching is interestring. It's not. I feel sorry for the actors who must know they are serving shite.
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ALL: General Retro Soap Discussion
A number of errors in the above article. You wonder how with all that research,how they slipped through. I think they are conflating Women Alone with Lonely Women. I have never read anything of a serial called Women Alone. However,I am prepared to be proven wrong. It seems Irna actually WAS interested in TV soaps as witnessed by These Are My Children airing in 1949 on NBC in the early days of TV. I don't believe that was reluctance, rather simply good business sense as radio's dominance began to wane. Inferring that was somehow connected to Irna who was off that show 10 years prior. Again inferring that Phillips leaving 6 years prior had some connection to the eventual cancellation. Again these two events are in fact one. Irna left ATWT only once in 1970 and returned in 72. She was not working on another P&G show at the time. So either she brought the ratings up or they dipped, depending on which above account you believe Untrue. A World Apart debuted 5 years after she left AW. And AWA aired longer than a few months. Over a year in fact. I believe Orin Tovrov was the writer. Irna was not involved in the creation of this show. And no mention of Masquerade an Irna serial which was on air around this time. TBD finished in 1962. As we see over and over, these inaccuracies are published and accepted as fact.
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Guiding Light Discussion Thread
Concluding 1976... Raymond Schafer arrives in Springfield and begins an extensive probe into Malcolm’s death, puzzling Ed, who wonders why most of Schafer’s question sessions keep turning back to Rita’s involvement with Malcolm. Ed assures the man that Rita’s only connection with Malcolm was as his nurse; he is unaware that Schafer knows a great deal more about Rita than he does. Just to protect Rita, Ed has Mike check on Schafer’s credentials, and learns that he’s a well-respected criminal attorney. The waitress at the restaurant where Malcolm suffered his stroke tells Schafer that the woman who was with him reacted very professionally to the sudden emergency, as if she were a nurse. Realizing that her little sister has fallen hard for Tim, Rita warns him that she’s very vulnerable and innocent, but Tim tells Rita her advice isn’t necessary. But Tim then receives a plum job offer to be chief neurological resident at a prestigious Philadelphia hospital and can’t pass up the opportunity. Evie is crushed by the news and spends the next several days at home crying. Joe Werner, fully recovered, has accepted a post as a medical aide in a destitute village in India and leaves alone, with Sarah to follow him later. Justin asks Sarah to consider a partnership with him in private practice, but she explains that she thrives on the hospital atmosphere. When a call comes from India that Joe has had another massive attack, Sarah leaves on the next available flight and arrives only moments before he dies. The painful news is relayed back to Cedars at once. Sara returns from India a heartbroken woman, but the day-to-day involvement of raising T.J. and of her career seem to be her salvation. Justin shows a surprisingly compassionate and understanding side to Sara, but, ironically, Justin’s ex-wife, Jackie, arrives in Springfield with her diabetic father, who is suffering from a heart attack. In the process of consulting with Justin on her father’s condition, Jackie comes face to face with Sara for the first time since their college days. Evie’s heartbreak at Tim’s departure turns to fury and hatred when she inadvertently discovers a letter which Tim wrote to Rita just after he left. In it he concedes that Rita was right about Evie’s vulnerability where he was concerned but reminds Rita that he badly hurt her in the same way she feared Evie would suffer. Evie is now sure that Rita somehow forced Tim to leave town and is livid at the idea that Tim was Rita’s lover. She insists she’s cutting off her relationship with Rita and will pay her back for any help she’s received in the past. Ben and Hope’s wedding plans are off, as Ben, while still insisting he’s innocent, won’t explain why the robbery evidence points to him. Hope feels his unwillingness to tell her the truth makes marriage to him impossible, but confides to Ann that she is miserable without him. Ben has echoed these sentiments to Mike but won’t confide in him, either as Hope’s father or as an attorney. Holly is trying very hard to build a life without Ed, but since she sees him virtually every day at work,she’s unable to put him out of her mind. She accepts a date with a member of the hospital administration staff but is unable to avoid making comparisons between Ed and this young man and winds up alone, sadly holding Ed’s picture and recalling how much she loves him. Believing that the hospital board’s conclusions on Grainger’s death have settled the question once and for all, Rita has regained her self-confidence, and her romance with Ed is growing daily. They admit their love for each other, and Ed confides that he intentionally held back with Rita for fear of making another mistake. Rita then tells Ed she has never married because for her marriage must be forever. Rita’s mother realizes that Rita is truly in love when she confides in her that she doesn’t understand why she’s been so lucky in having him love her and how she wants to be the very best person she can be for him. Ed proposes marriage to Rita and gives her time to think about it before answering. Rita painfully realizes that her past could, if it rose again against her, make a life with Ed a lost dream. But Raymond Shaefer has been quietly but efficiently carrying on his investigation and has learned that Grainger argued with Rita at her apartment. He presents the evidence he’s compiled to District Attorney Eric Van Gelder, who decides the case warrants further investigation. Rita goes to Ed’s office to tell him she loves him but can’t marry him, that she doesn’t deserve him and “can’t do it to him.” As she turns from a confused Ed to leave, she finds the district attorney and a police officer outside Ed’s door, waiting to arrest her. Ed, insisting that a serious mistake has been made, calls Mike to help her as Rita, shocked and humiliated, is taken under arrest through the hallways of the hospital in which she works. Mike manages Rita’s release on bail only after she has had to submit to the degrading booking procedure. Mike sees her alone at her apartment, explaining he can help her only if she tells him the whole truth. Rita equivocates until Mike mentions Texas, indicating to Rita that he knows at least some of the story. Van Gelder has, in fact, let Mike see the bulk of evidence in the case against Rita, to convince him her arrest wasn’t a capricious whim. Rita explains to Mike that Malcolm believed she intentionally vilified him to his father, to do him out of his rightful inheritance, and then wanted his father dead to collect her money. Mike expresses his appreciation of Rita’s honesty, promising to help her. But Rita’s tormented dreams confirm that she hasn’t yet told all the truth, and after Peggy visits, expressing firm support, Rita tells Roger she has to reveal his part in the story. Roger painfully tells Rita about his being Christina’s father to show her that if Ed knew, it would end Rita’s chances with him forever. Rita, who was ready to tell Ed the whole story, now realizes how risky that would be. Adding to Rita’s pain is her forced leave of absence from the hospital until she’s cleared and the embarrassment of seeing her name in the headlines.
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Y&R: May 2025 Discussion Thread
Yes, but the stories are all pretty awful Seeing Victor rehashing his hatred of the Abbotts when he married one of them and has a daughter that is half Abbott as well as walking around with Traci's daughter's heart keeping him alive makes him look worse than he already is. And I remember he and Jack chatting amicably in the past few years. Victor interfering in Kyle/Claire is just repeat of Billy/Victoria. Sharon, Nick,Phyllis etc are around but again the stories are lacking.
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DAYS/GH: RIP Denise Alexander
Denise's daytime/soap resume courtesy of Slick Jones' Soap Hoppers thread THE CLEAR HORIZON Lois Adams 1960 BEN JERROD Emily Sanders 1963 GENERAL HOSPITAL Lorna Hill May 1965 DAYS OF OUR LIVES Susan Hunter Martin Peters 1966-73 GENERAL HOSPITAL Dr. Lesley Sullivan Williams Faulkner Webber Webber 1973-84; 1996-09;(occasional); 2013; 2017; 2019; 2021 ABC AFTERNOON PLAYBREAK "The Gift of Terror" Laura 4/5/1973 HOTEL Gail McClain 1984 ANOTHER WORLD Mary Callahan McKinnon (LaSalle) McKinnon 1986-89 SUNSET BEACH Sister Beatrice 1997-98 PORT CHARLES Dr. Lesley Williams Faulkner Webber 1999
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Y&R: Old Articles
Y&R 1976 Pt 2 Bill is overjoyed when Jill arrives home with grandson. But Kay is furious and checks into legal action, only to find that there are no grounds (the check was returned). Brock Reynolds, Kay’s son from her first marriage, convinces her she can be the baby’s godmother and provide for him out of love. But just as she’s starting arrangements to do this a legal petition arrives stating that Phillip Chancellor Foster is a rightful heir to and is now claiming his share of Phillip Chancellor’s estate. Jill has to do this, as the Foster family’s finances are now more precarious than ever. In fact, Liz, unable to get her factory job back, has secretly started working for Kay as her housekeeper. Jill explains to Kay that she has to do this for her baby’s sake but will drop the suit immediately if Kay puts it in writing that she will provide for them. Kay, however, retorts that Jill is the one who can’t be trusted—after all, she went back on her agreement to let Kay have the baby. Despite her attorney’s advice to work out an out-of-court agreement, Kay — insists on seeing this through. When Jill takes her little son to Phillip’s grave -on the Chancellor estate, Kay runs her off the property. In court, the geneticist testifies that Phillip could have been the baby’s father, but that Brock could have been, also. Jill then testifies that Phillip was the only man she was ever intimate with, and then only once; that Phillip decided on an immediate divorce from Kay and marriage to her, Jill, so that his baby could have his legal name. But Kay’s lawyer brings up the “dead-man statute,” which holds that conversations with a deceased person are not admissible as evidence because he can’t defend himself. When the judge upholds this statute, Jill comes close to being held in contempt of court. Brock takes the stand and substantiates Jill’s testimony that although he and Jill lived together for a time before her marriage to Phillip, they were never initimate. But the judge rules in favor of Kay; little Phillip’s claim is rejected. Jill emotionally tells the judge he has denied a child a decent life and a man his dying wish. Brad is told by Dr. Snapper Foster,his brother-in-law that his condition, nephritis of the optic nerve, is stable. The optic nerves are still swollen, but since his headaches have stopped he should continue his cortisone treatment. Brad is still firmly insistent that Leslie not be told. From the moment they meet, Lance and Laurie charge the air around them with static. They find each other arrogant and egotistical, but when Lance needs a date for his trip to London, he calls Laurie, and she accepts. The pilot of Lance’s private plane cryptically suggests that Laurie turns his boss on because she seems turned off by him. This seems to hold true for Laurie, too. By the end of their London stay, Lance and Laurie have come to a better understanding of each other. Lance tries to tell her that, with talent of her own, she should not be jealous of Leslie. She tells him she has a book coming out, but it won’t be published under her own name. She explains further that she was an outgoing child and her parents didn’t understand that she needed as much attention as the introverted Leslie did. (Laurie has always felt she existed in Leslie’s shadow. Les is married to the man Laurie wanted, and is a successful concert artist, with the fame and recognition Laurie has tried so desperately to achieve. Laurie’s first book, a sexploitation novel, was a failure, and this new book is a novel based on Leslie’s nervous breakdown and recovery—something Leslie is trying to put behind her.) Gwen Sherman, now Sister Magdellen, will soon take her final vows, but still feels God holds her past against her, because nobody could possibly believe that a prostitute could be pure enough to become a nun. She finds her accidental meetings with Greg Foster (they were once in love) increasingly meaningful to her, and she begins to dream of Greg holding her in his arms. Finally, in torment and uncertainty, she tells the Reverend Mother she’s leaving the convent. But on the day of her release, Greg arrives with one of the convent orphans unconscious in his arms.The boy had fallen from a fence outside. When the boy, Ramon, who had not spoken a word since his arrival, comes to, asking for Sister Magdellen, Gwen sees this as a sign from God and accepts her vocation. She will take her final vows and then enter nurses’ training. Stay tuned...
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BTG: May 2025 Discussion Thread
For a homeless woman, June sure has nice teeth. I agree Ted didn't bring the power in the fallout scenes but to can him and leave Tomas, Martin and Derek onscreen? i'm not looking forward to Martin's secret being revealed and have him flail in the spotlight scenes. Yes, he's got a little better, but... When someone like Timon delivers with every line reading, you wonder how some other casting decisions were made. And I need sunglasses every time characters are at Uptown-is that green paint left over from GL's Cedars Hospital makeover? And for the cliffhanger, instead of the Door dash nonsense, simply have Leslie encounter Vanessa on her way out and push past her to enter. As there is no front door have Leslie barge into the living room, with Vanessa following. Then Nicole can tell Vanessa- it's OK she can leave them alone.
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Love of Life Discussion Thread
Our next installment of Love of Life 1976 Before leaving San Francisco, Cal phones her Aunt Van to set up a family gathering. Van arranges it, and upon their return, Cal and Rick announce that they are engaged. In the shocked silence that follows the announcement, Meg steps in to offer her congratulations, and also to pay for the wedding. But the family members still don’t respond happily. They fear that Rick isn’t good enough for Cal, and are surprised by Meg’s offer. Rick and Jamie visit Meg and ask whether, in light of her acceptance of his marrying her daughter, she |will drop the lawsuit. She replies that she will if he returns as her partner in Beaver Ridge. Rick reminds her that this has been settled; he can’t do that. So Meg, pretending largesse, says she’ll drop the suit, but in fact she asks her attorney to put the suit in abeyance, so it can be reopened at any time. Rick gives Cal a lovely diamond-and-sapphire engagement ring, and Betsy, who has promised to be Cal’s honor attendant, gives ‘her the dress she wore when she married Ben, saying that a bride who really is a bride should have it. Cal speaks privately to each member of the family, hoping to convince them that she and Rick are right for each other and will be happy. Jamie, after accepting Rick’s request that he be best man, checks to see if Meg has dropped the action, as promised. Finding out that it’s only in abeyance, Jamie asks if she is planning to sue her son-in-law in the future. Meg insists that she has acted on her attorney’s advice. Meg convinces Cal to give her two weeks to plans a lovely wedding, but after several days Cal discovers that Meg has done nothing in preparation. She therefore informs her mother that she and Rick will be married this weekend at the chapel. Betsy goes into labor and has her daughter by the natural-childbirth method. Cal tries to reach Ben, to tell him he’s a father, but has to be content with leaving a message. An ecstatic Ben sends flowers and a card to his wife and daughter Suzanne. Meg, in desperation at being unable to stop the wedding, has been drinking heavily. When she tells Carrie she can’t sleep and that’s why she can’t get herself together, Carrie sympathetically gives her some tranquilizers which Tom had given her. At the wedding rehearsal Meg tries once again to “reason” with Rick, but he makes it clear that he and Cal are getting married as planned. Meg then faints, upsetting Cal, who declares that her mother’s health is more important than the wedding. This gives Meg an idea. On the afternoon of the wedding, as the bride’s party waits at the chapel for Meg, she takes some of the pills, then calls Rick and tells him what she has done. When he doesn’t believe her, Meg becomes even more upset and takes more pills. When Rick informs | the wedding party of Meg’s call, they don’t believe she’d do anything that foolish, but Cal and Rick realize they can’t take the chance and go to her home. Finding her unconscious, they rush her to the hospital.Meg is treated for overdose complicated by alcohol and eventually regains consciousness.Van and Bruce offer to take Meg to their, home to recuperate, but Cal, worried because Joe raises the concern that Meg could try it again, allows her mother ‘to convince her to take her home with her. Meg is pleased with herself for having managed to come between Cal and Rick, and begs Cal not to let Rick come to the apartment, as she can’t bear to have him see her like this. Meg then works on Cal’s conscience by pitifully admitting that she loves Rick and can’t live without him. Van tries,- without success, to make Meg see that Cal and Rick are in love and can make each other happy, but Meg won’t give up and suddenly begins to have “headaches.” Even Betsy overcomes her bitterness at Meg and brings baby Suzanne to see her,trying to get Meg interested in living again. But Meg insists she can’t do anything because of her delicate | condition and has no interest in Beaver Ridge at all. .Rick has to go to New York on business and asks Cal to go with him. She replies that she can’t; she’s afraid to leave Meg. Cal, with Hank, sees Rick off at the airport, and just before he boards, he gives her a letter to read later. She reads it at home that evening; -it’s a plea from Rick to join him in New York and get married immediately. He tells her that their love and their being together are the only things that matter.Cal puts the letter in her handbag and goes to shower.Meg has seen the letter and reads it. Upset that Cal might do what Rick asks, she goes to Joe at the clinic, claiming she’s sleeping badly, and asks for sleeping pills. Joe, of course, refuses to give them to her, and, as she has hoped, he calls Cal to warn her. Cal now redoubles her efforts to keep an eye on her - mother. Meg, complaining of another headache, asks for water to take aspirin and takes four tablets from abottle, which she holds so Cal can see the label has been removed. When Cal snatches it and demandsto know what she’s taking and where she got them,Meg “confesses” that she went to a new doctor for sleeping pills because Joe wouldn’t give her any. Seeing she’s got Cal where she wants her, Meg presses Cal to promise she’ll be there as long as she needs her. Rick’s New York trip comes to nothing when he discovers the prospective backers want almost complete control of the project. Jamie suggests that Rick talk to Meg again about dropping the suit, as every cent Rick has is being tied up by this litigation. Rick insists that Meg won’t do any favors for him, and he isconvinced that her suicide attempt and subsequent emotional instability are just a scheme to tie Cal to her. But he realizes Cal won’t be able to see it this way. Rick sees only one more possibility to his financial problem: Ray Slater promised to help him if hearranged a meeting between Ray and Jamie, which Rick did. As a result of that meeting, Ray informed Ian Russell that he might be able to get Beaver Ridge for him but will require a piece of the action if it works out. Rick arrives home to find a distraught Cal, who informs him that she was warned by Joe to watch out for Meg and, sure enough, she discovered her trying to pass sleeping pills off as aspirin. But Rick insists on knowing the name of the doctor Meg got the pills from, and when he attempts to call him, Meg backs down and admits there was no doctor and no sleeping pills—the bottle contained her allergy medication. Cal is horrified that she allowed herself to be taken in again by Meg in spite of knowing firsthand what her mother is like and warnings from the entire family. Rick insists that she get away from Meg now and go visit Betsy until he gets things settled. As soon as Cal has gone, Rick insists that Meg come out of the bedroom where she has barricaded herself, and tells her he knows her too well to believe she would ever take her own life. He tells her he admires her and would like them to come out of this as friends. Meg makes it clear that friendship isn’t what she wants from him. But when Rick picks up Cal, who now wants to get married right away, and | returns to her apartment, they find a note from her “loving mother” saying she and Rick are now friends and they should call her after they are married.
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Y&R: Old Articles
As requested by @BoldRestless the 1976 story summary of Y&R from the Daytime serial newsletter. I will post it in parts as it is quite detailed. Pt 1 Set in Midwestern Genoa City, The Young and the Restless, which premiered four years ago, is the story of the Brooks and Foster families. Jennifer and Stuart Brooks are, on the surface, the perfect couple, blessed with four beautiful daughters, but under the veneer of a first impression lie cracks in the facade. Jennifer had become dissatisfied with her marriage after the birth of her oldest daughter, Leslie, and had left Stuart with the idea of returning to her former fiancé, Dr. Bruce Henderson. After later reconciling with Stuart, Jennifer found she was pregnant with Laurie, and she has lived all these years with the suspicion that Laurie may be Bruce’s daughter. Leslie has recovered from a nervous breakdown and is now a famous concert pianist, happily married to former Surgeon now newspaperman Brad Elliot. . Chris Brooks is married to Dr. William (Snapper) Foster, and Peggy, the youngest Brooks daughter, is a college student. Jennifer recently left Stuart a second time, considering again a life with Bruce, but the discovery of a lump in her breast followed by a mastectomy for cancer has again changed her priorities. Laurie, meanwhile, has been dating Dr. Mark Henderson, Bruce’s son. Snapper’s mother, Liz Foster, had finally accepted the fact that her husband, Bill, had abandoned their family and had had him declared dead when he suddenly walked back into their lives, suffering from emphysema. Jill, Liz and Bill’s only daughter, was married to Phillip Chancellor, the father of her unborn child, just hours before his death. Phillip obtained a quick Caribbean divorce upon learning of his impending fatherhood and was badly injured when his now-ex-wife, Kay, meeting him at the airport upon his return, lost control of the car when he told her of his plans to marry Jill. After Phillip’s death Kay vowed to void his marriage to Jill and deprive Jill of |his estate. Kay’s son from her first marriage, Brock Reynolds, supports Jill in her claim, but Kay, a former alcoholic, cannot accept the idea of having lost Phillip to her former paid companion. Greg Foster, Jill and Snapper’s brother, is an attorney working for Legal Aid, where Chris is his assistant. Upon learning that her daughter Lauralee has become engaged to Dr. Bruce Henderson’s son Mark,Jennifer Brooks tells Mark she suspects he and.Laurie are half brother and sister. She explains she spent a week with Bruce after a bad fight with her husband, Stuart, when she believed their marriage was over. A blood test confirms her fears—Stuart cannot be Laurie’s father. Keeping what he’s learned to himself,Mark painfully breaks his engagement to Laurie and leaves town. Laurie is shattered by this, unable to understand what went wrong. But soon she begins to put bits and pieces together and confronts hermother, asking what she said to Mark that drove him away. Jennifer finally tells her daughter the truth and stands helplessly as Laurie turns to run to her father for comfort and suddenly realizes he’s not her father—even this her mother has taken from her. Laurie follows Mark to Cleveland and tries to persuade him that they can still be married—they need not have children—only to be hurt again when Mark sadly tells her their love would become dirty and they would wind up hating themselves and each other. Heart broken, Laurie agrees to let him go. Jennifer has recently left Stuart, due to growing frustration in her marriage, and had planned to marry Bruce, but discovery of breast cancer and a subsequent mastectomy caused her to reconsider her plans. When Stuart earnestly pleaded with her to come home to him and their daughters after her recovery, she agreed, but now her guilt over Laurie’s situation has caused her to waver. When Laurie confides the truth to her older sister Leslie, Les makes it clear to her mother that she finds the idea that Jennifer would think of returning to her father contemptible. But Brad Elliot,Leslie’s husband, warns her to hide her feelings or her father will notice and ask for an explanation.Jennifer gives in to Stuart’s wishes, and he welcomes her home as his wife again. Leslie has had two more piano-concert triumphs and basks in the attention of the music world, as well as that of Lance Prentiss, a wealthy industrialist who has been following her career with avid interest. Les invites Lance home to Genoa City, hoping the dynamic, handsome young titan of business can help distract Laurie from her heartbreak. With the birth of Jill Foster’s baby imminent, Kay Chancellor offers Jill one million dollars for the child —fathered by her late husband, Phillip Chancellor. After Phillip’s death Kay had the divorce ruled invalid and voided Jill’s marriage, making her unborn child illegitimate. But now, finally acknowledging Jill’s baby as Phillip’s, Kay tells Jill she can give the child the Chancellor name and social position, as well as the love she had for Phillip. Jill, torn by love for Phillip and his baby and the extreme financial need of her family (Jill’s father is dying of emphysema and needs a warm, dry climate), realizes that Kay can give her child everything he could need, things Jill could never provide, and agrees to Kay’s terms. Jill’s son, Phillip Chancellor Foster, is born prematurely a few days later. Liz Foster, Jill’s mother, is horrified that Jill would “sell” her son to Kay, and Jill’s father, Bill, is horrified that it is concern for his health that led Jill to this arrangement. He would rather die than give up his grandson. But when Jill, who has avoided seeing her child, has to take physical custody of him in order to deliver him to Kay, she is suddenly unable to give him up.
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ALL: General Retro Soap Discussion
OK keep an eye out!
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Guiding Light Discussion Thread
Kobe/Long had their own template and pretty much gutted the cast. As soon as contracts were up established characters were dropped. They needed to free the budget for the new characters. Going back to Ann,I wonder why the Dobsons renewed her contract around 78? After her initial story she became supporting and they didn't seem to want to pursue a romance with Mike. Maybe the feedback was that viewers blamed her indirectly for Leslie's death. If Mike hadn't taken on her case etc. Did she decide not to disrupt her son's life? Seems odd after everything she didn't claim him back. 1976 continues... Joe Werner is just not bouncing back after his recovery as he should, and Sarah, concerned about his sometimes morbid-seeming depression, consults Justin Marler. They agree that Joe is becoming a “cardiac cripple,” and know this kind of overcompensation for illness and overprecaution can not only be a permanently depressed condition but can actually cause a setback for him physically. Marler releases Joe into Sarah’s care, but it’s soon apparent that just being out of the hospital hasn’t done anything to boost Joe’s spirits about his return to a normal existence. Marler finally lays it out to Joe—the choice has to be his. He can choose to lead a normal, productive life as a doctor and as a husband to the best wife he could have, or he can choose to become an invalid and live on the outside looking in for the rest of his days, sentencing Sarah to the same fate. Realizing the selfishness of what he’s doing to —Sarah as well as the narrowness of the confinement he’s set for himself, Joe begins to see his preoccupation with his illness as the self-pity it really is and decides he’s ready to return to the hospital for a one hour shift each day. Sarah is overjoyed by his turnabout, but full happiness is hers on the day she overhears Joe telling a fearful patient that the world is beautiful and worth any. effort to get back into it. Steve and Adam are thrilled to learn that Cedars has been the recipient of the Levy Grant for expansion of hospital property. But they have learned, as they report to Ed, that the land they were hoping to build the new research facility on, the land immediately adjacent to the hospital, has been purchased by Dr. Justin Marler. Both Adam and Steve feel that Justin is expanding a power base at Cedars and the land purchase is just one more block in Justin’s power play. When Ed asks Marler why he purchased this particular parcel of land, Marler explains that he bought it with the express intention of someday building his own offices and facilities convenient to the major facilities of Cedars. When the subject of the hospital’s needing the land arises, Marler meets with Adam, and they agree that he should realize a fair profit from his property and that an unbiased assessor should be engaged to evaluate the market value of the land so they can agree on a selling price. When Sarah comments on the fact that Marler is to realize a profit on the land, he bitterly replies that no matter what he’s done since coming to Cedars to prove that he has changed. since she last knew him, she refuses to see him as anything but what he was all those years ago. Sarah insists this isn’t true. But Marler then calls Adam for a meeting and informs him that the land is not for sale at any price. As Adam begins to grow alarmed, Marler continues that the site for the new building will be his personal donation to the hospital. As Adam expresses profuse thanks and appreciation, Marler wryly notes that the tax deductions he’ll realize on this contribution to a charitable institution will benefit himself almost as much as Cedars. When Steve Jackson learns that Marler is to be elected head of the research wing that will be built on his property, he expresses the conviction that this was the exact intention of the gift. Adam, however, assures Steve that the donation wasn’t a factor in the hospital board’s decision, they were concerned only with Dr. Marler’s reputation as a doctor. | After lengthy consultations and meetings. with the hospital staff, Ed assured by the head nurse that her nurses performed commendably despite the added pressure of the train wreck, presents his findings to the hospital review board. Steve arrives at two possible explanations for the facts. Either Grainger, more active than usual due to the previously delayed medication, reached for the writing pad and inadvertently disconnected the breathing tubes, or he was in a state of extreme upset because of the delayed medication and.in the excitement a surge of adrenalin within his system caused his brain aneurism to start hemorrhaging. " Upon learning that the review board has ruled out negligence in Grainger’s death, Ed tells Rita, who takes her first free breath in a long time. But Ed hasn’t thought to tell Rita that he’s been in touch with Grainger’s attorney, Mr. Schafer, who, knowing that a woman was at the base of Grainger’s investigation, is coming to Springfield to try to find out who the woman - was who walked out on Grainger when he collapsed —in the restaurant. Peggy, learning that Rita’s “forgetting” to deliver Holly’s message was instrumental in their divorce ‘being finalized, tells Ed that Holly wanted to reach him to stop the divorce. Immediately after, Peggy is torn by doubts, wondering if she did the right thing.She confides in Barbara, who then discusses the situation with Ed. He tells her he and Holly have discovered a new closeness now that they are building their separate lives. Barbara quickly contradicts him: Holly is not building a new life. Barbara gently cautions Ed, saying, “People change, feelings change, and what seems right now may not be right a year from now. No decision is irrevocable.” Ed agrees with this. Now that Ben has declared his love for her, Hope finds herself apprehensive, fearing that she might be making a mistake, as she did a few years ago, when she was sure she was in love with her college professor. Explaining that she doesn’t want to make another mistake, she asks Ben to be patient, and he agrees. When Mike expresses his disapproval of Ben’s overstated independence, his need to be beholden to no one, Hope quickly jumps to Ben’s defense, and Mike apologizes. But Ben, surprisingly, accepts Mike’s assessment as constructive criticism. Later Hope, examining her feelings and desires, tells Ben she does love him and wants to belong to him. Later that evening, after they’ve made love, Ben asks Hope to marry him.And, delighted, she replies that she will. At Hope’s instigation, Bert has a family dinner to which Ben is invited, and Hope announces their intention to marry over glasses of wine. Mike politely offers best wishes while Bert thrills the couple with her offer to' make a Christmas wedding for them. Bert later tells Mike he must accept this engagement with good spirits for Hope, and later, seeing the joy she’s feeling, he gives his daughter his approval. But Ben finds another problem on his very own doorstep: his brother Jerry, who announces he’s left home after several bad fights with their parents. He refuses to tell Ben what they were fighting about. As Ben is showering, Jerry borrows his car and goes out for an hour. The phone rings, but Ben can’t hear it. Shortly after, two uniformed officers visit Mike at home to tell him that his late wife’s car has been involved in a delicatessen robbery earlier in the evening. Since Ben bought Leslie’s car, Mike accompanies the officers to Ben’s apartment. Ben curtly informs the police that he had nothing to do with the robbery and makes it clear that he feels they wouldn’t be there if he didn’t have a record and that his exoneration doesn’t prevent his being hassled like any ex-con,as they tell him he has to go to the police station for questioning. Hope tells Ben she called him earlier, and when he replies that he must have been in the shower, she accepts his word unhesitatingly.Jerry finally returns to Ben’s place and under questioning from Ben admits that he robbed the store,explaining that he has debts. Ben is now in a quandary,as he feels he must protect his brother but doesn’t want to be unfair to Hope. He tries to ease the situation by withdrawing $185 from the joint checking account he opened with Hope and repaying the delicatessen owner. He then sends Jerry out of town to stay with a friend. His relief at having solved the problem is short-lived, however, when Mike informs him that, despite the reparations, the robbery was a felony and the police will continue to investigate. Hope is badly upset to learn while making a deposit that Ben withdrew’a sum which Mike tells her is equal to the amount stolen. This shakes her belief that he _was really home when she called, and she goes to him, asking for an answer to put her mind at rest. Ben can’t betray Jerry and asks Hope to trust him, promising she will have the whole story eventually. But Hope can’t accept this; she needs complete honesty and openness in her relationship and without it cannot goon. She painfully tells her father that the wedding is off despite her love for Ben, and tells Bert to stop preparations. Mike goes to Ben, reminding him that half the money in the account is Hope’s and she has the right to an answer. But Ben won’t say any more and refuses Mike’s offer to represent him legally, again stating that he doesn’t need a lawyer, because he’s done nothing wrong.
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BTG: May 2025 Discussion Thread
And not since. I recall it was quite small for a house that size. And I don't know why you would walk down a narrow corridor to get to the main living area. I hate when the sets on soaps don't have a logical layout! As for Andre his clothing is fashion forward and suitable for his character.He ain't gonna wear no blazer!
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BTG: May 2025 Discussion Thread
Kinda agree. I have some issues with the sets. Nicole's living room is bland-looks like a display home. Bill and Hayley's is too small and basically hideous. And neither of them have a front door/entrance or staircase. People just appear from the corridor. Those green accents at Uptown are way too much. Also,Naomi and Vanessa not having an office or a home .
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Love of Life Discussion Thread
More from 1976 Lynn, apparently making every effort to overcome her alcoholism, accepts a baby-sitting job. However, when the baby starts crying, Lynn begins to get nervous and takes one drink, then another. By the time Bruce and Van arrive home, Lynn is on the floor, ineffectually trying to find the doctor’s number, sure the baby is ill. When the mother arrives; she vows to let everyone know what goes on in the mayor’s house.Bruce insists that Lynn has to go, but Van, learning that Lynn can’t remember drinking the cooking sherry, calls Joe to report Lynn’s blackouts. Joe wants her institutionalized but gives in to Van’ s pleas that Lynn needs loving attention. Eddie has sent some of Felicia’s work to a New |York gallery owner and reports to Charles that Lisa Cooper wants to exhibit Felicia’s work. Charles refuses to tell her this and later admits he feels he has “cowed”her attention because of his being confined to a wheelchair. What Charles doesn’t say is: that he’s plagued with fears she’ll leave him for another man. Felicia is exuberant as she starts painting again. She tells Charles how she feels about it, but, jealous of anyone or anything that takes attention from him, Charles tries to undermine her confidence. Eddie finally professes his love for her. He will be happy to step forward if she will only let Be and admit that they belong together. Charles tries to stop Felicia’s ‘trip to New York by making her doubt her own work, and when that fails, he finds business reasons at his bookshop to keep Di, his ex-wife, who is running it for him, from accompanying her. Felicia finally decides it’s not going to work and tells Eddie they might as well call it off. Instead, he arranges for Lisa Cooper to come to Rosehill. Charles is rude and insulting to Lisa when she arrives at the house to view Felicia’s work, and his derogatory remarks about shady gallery dealings prompt Lisa to tell Eddie that living in such an atmosphere could permanently stunt an artist’s development; if Felicia is subjected to this indefinitely, it’s not even worth Lisa’s while to take her on as a client. Felicia finally decides she can’t be torn apart any longer and must accede to Charles’s demands. She tells Eddie her career is over and she won’t paint any more, breaks down in his arms, crying bitterly, then pulls away, unwilling to acknowledge that her feelings for him are deeper than she dare face. Charles is delighted when she prepares to dispose of her art supplies, insisting everything will be fine once she has accepted that this part of her life is over. But she cannot do it. She promises him that he can set the limits and terms, but she must paint. Arlene discovers that her mother is planning to avoid the surgery she needs, and the accompanying medical bills, by leaving Rosehill and moving in with her sister Dorothy out west. Arlene manages to prevent this by calling her aunt and telling her the truth about Carrie’s condition. Dr. Tom Crawford has been footing the costs of Carrie’s presurgery tests, but Arlene knows that Carrie won’t like this. So she tells Carrie that David Hart, the son of Meg’s late husband, the former mayor, has heard about their plight and forwarded the money as a gesture of friendship, to be repaid when possible. To convince Carrie that she does indeed have the money, Arlene asks Ray to just lend it to her for a few hours, so she can convince Carrie and then immediately return it. Ray instructs her to get dressed for a night on the town and takes her, out implying that the money will be waiting at the end of the evening. When Ian Russell happens to join them, Arlene doesn’t suspect anything is afoot, but when e Ray suddenly leaves, she becomes furious, realizing what he’s done. But she finds Mr: Russell a distinguished and cultured man, and decides there’s no harm in having a drink. After cocktails and stimulating conversation, Ian suggests that they go to his place, and Arlene agrees. But when they get there, Ian matter of factly suggests that they skip the preliminaries and get on with it. Ian is embarrassed and annoyed to discover that Arlene is not a professional call girl and that Ray didn’t explain to her the purpose of their |meeting. He is apologetic and solicitous, until Arlene, explaining why Ray felt he could pull this on her, mentions her sick mother in need of an operation. Ian starts to laugh at this overworked standard line, and a livid Arlene storms out of his apartment. Thinking it over, Ian decides he’s more intrigued with Arlene than he is annoyed at Ray, and calls Ray for her telephone number. But Arlene is not delighted to hear from him, and he has to use a good deal of soothing charm before she agrees to have dinner with him at one of the better local restaurants.During dinner Ian again apologizes for his mistake, and he gives Arlene a diamond pendant as a token of his gratitude for her forgiving him. Ray arrives to interrupt an otherwise enjoyable evening with a business matter, and quietly reminds Arlene that Ian is his customer and she’s not to cut herself in with him. At home, Arlene examines the pendant and is convinced that it’s genuine. She hides it in her dresser drawer, unable to bring herself to show it to her mother.
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Guiding Light Discussion Thread
More Guiding Light 1976 At dinner the next evening, Grainger tells Rita he still can’t understand why she inherited from his father and he’s hired a lawyer to help him discover what her role was in his father’s death. Telling her he knows she lied to him, he again warns that he will destroy her reputation in this town. As Rita insists she’s done nothing wrong, Grainger, growing even more angry, lashes out, “Ill see you charged with m—”. Suddenly he clutches his head and collapses to the floor. As people rush to help him, Rita quickly slips out of the restaurant. Grainger is rushed to Cedars and treated for stroke. Rita is even more frightened and upset when it appears that he’s going to recover under the excellent treatment and care of Ed, who is assigned as his attending physician, and Peggy, who is a fine specialty nurse. Rita, drawn by an unseen force to his door, is further shaken when Peggy, seeing her, presses her into temporarily spelling her so she can take a short break. Ed is determined to come to Rita’s aid, as she did his, and brings a big steak for dinner to her apartment. But Rita is too unnerved and shaky to even be with Ed, and disappoints him by asking him to leave before dinner, explaining that she’s extremely tired. Ed knows it’s more than that, and is doubly determined to help her out of this depression, but when she starts to cry, he leaves her, as she wishes. Roger, remembering how Grainger fired him from the oil fields for- being a friend of Rita’s, is disappointed to learn that Grainger has come out of his coma and that Ed feels Grainger’s paralysis and inability to talk may just be temporary. Rita is pressed to assist Tim with a spinal tap on Grainger, and is frightened when her presence causes Malcolm’s pulse rate to rise rapidly. His doctors are unable to understand his rapid pulse changes. Rita tells Roger why Grainger is so hateful toward her. While she was his father’s special nurse, Malcolm made physical advances toward her and she fought him off. His father noticed her bruises~and instantly guessed his son had manhandled her. The old man then swore to her he’d never forgive Malcolm for this cruelty. Roger again warns Rita that nobody is to know about his connection with her and with the Graingers. He fears that if Peggy learns about it, she will leave him. Ed continues to press his concern and support on Rita, and while it helps to a certain degree and she’s grateful, Rita can’t bring herself to tell him what the source of her worry is. Each day, as Grainger rallies a bit more, her fear and tension increase. Finally, Grainger is able to barely murmur, “Lie... father ... Rita,” to Peggy and manages to crudely letter “RITA S” on a pad of paper. Peggy, assuming that Rita has somehow managed to get Grainger to respond, summons her to the hospital in the hope that she can further stimulate him and thus hasten his recovery. But a major catastrophe, a train derailment, - has immobilized the entire area, and Cedars, as well as all local hospitals, is being overrun with patients. Even though she’s off duty, having served her full shift, Rita is pressed into distributing the patients’ medication. Peggy, explaining that Grainger has already had an accidental delay of medication, which could have caused a major setback, must receive his dosage exactly on schedule. The sight of Rita again agitates Grainger, but she finishes her extra duty and returns home, drained and oversensitive as well as exhausted. When the regular nurse does her usual check, she finds Grainger lying over the side of his bed, unconscious. She issues a “Code Blue” call for the emergency team, and Steve, there almost immediately, starts resuscitation and then gives adrenalin, right into the heart, but Grainger is dead. As soon as he hears, Ed rushes to Cedars in amazement. This is all impossible to him, as he saw Grainger’s recovery as a certainty. He immediately institutes an investigation to determine the cause of death. Roger, told by Peggy what has happened, notifies a stunned Rita just before Ed arrives to question her about everything she can remember about the last time she was in Grainger’s room. Rita, unable to understand what’s happening around her, breaks down in tears, crying that she could be responsible for his death. Ed comforts her, assuring her that he’s not blaming her, just trying to find out what happened.
- BTG: History, Behind the Scenes Articles & Photos
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Primetime ratings from the 70's
@Soapsuds Thanks for posting Night by night Mon 8pm The Rookies edged Gunsmoke but attracted younger(more desirable) viewers.NBC failed with Born Free/Smothers Brothers (how many different series did those 2 get??) 9-11pm Maude/Rhoda/Medical Center dominated on CBS,but Football and Movies were competitive on an occasional basis. ABC tried SWAT/Caribe later in the season and the former worked for them. Tues 8-11 pm CBS all the way Good Times, MASH, Hawaii Five O,Barnaby Jones. NBC had the fading Adam 12,Movie and Police Story mmm...don't see that listed? ABC Happy Days, which ABC decided to keep despite lackluster ratings, the Movie of the Week and Marcus Welby-once pulling big numbers but no longer. 8pm NBC had a new hit with Little House, easily beating Sons and Daughters, which was axed and replaced with Tony Orlando, which did much better. ABC had That's My Mama and the Wed movie. 9pm Cannon was the lead here as Lucas Tanner failed to capitalize on the LHOTP leadin. ABC continued the movie. 10pm Manhunter started strong for CBS but petered out and was cancelled. Petrocelli manged to beat Get Christie Love, which was replaced by Baretta-no ratings winner but ABC decided to renew. Thurs Another CBS night with The Waltons and a movie. ABC counterprogrammed with Odd Couple/Paper Moon then Barney Miller/Karen NBC did even worse with Sierra and replaced it with Mac Davis which improved ratings quite a bit. However, it was moved to 9pm for Sunshine/Bob Crane 9pm Some good numbers for ABC with Streets of San Francisco fending off Ironside,Archer and Mac Davis. 10pm Harry O had a slim victory over Movin On Fri 8-11 NBCs best night Sanford/Chico/Rockford/Police Woman. 8pm CBS had high hopes for Planet of the Apes but it bombed. Replacement Khan did even worse. Paul Sand and We'll Get By were tossed in at the end of the season. With poor lead ins the Friday movie didn't deliver. ABC's odd line up saw Kodiak flop, Six Million dollar Man struggle and Texas Wheelers quickly cancelled. Kung Fu was brought in @8 and Six Million moved to 9. Then Kolchak took over at 8 and Hot*l Baltimore/Odd Couple 9-10. Despite controversy Hot*l flopped. 10pm ABC tried Kolchak then Baretta and finally Get Christie Love Sat CBS lead with #1 AITF then Paul Sand/MTM/Bob Newhart/Carol Burnett. Paul Sand lost too much of the lead in so CBS spun off The Jeffersons and it was a smash. NBC did OK with Emergency (which beat Paul Sand on occasion, thus hastening that show's demise) and a movie. ABC was a disaster with New Land/Kung Fu and Nakia all failing. They introduced a movie @9 and moved Kung Fu to 8. Sun NBC with Disney and Mystery Movie (Columbo McCloud, MacMillan and Wife/Amy Prentiss)did well. ABC flopped with Sonny Bono and recovered by moving Six Million Dollar Man from Fri as a lead in to the movie. CBS hoped Apples Way would be another Waltons but no, so Cher did what Sonny couldn't. Kojak and Mannix successfully finished out the night. Two other shows on the ratings list were Adams of Eagle Lake starring Andy Griffith. Only 2 episodes aired and did well, so I'm not sure what happened there. As for The Law it was a series follow up to a 2 and a half hour NBC special movie .
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ALL: General Retro Soap Discussion
Now that GL and LOL synopses are being added I'd welcome requests for specific soaps from 1976.
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NBC Daytime
By 78 NBC daytime was struggling. They knew what the issues were but failed to make the changes needed to get those young gals watching. Jan 78 Plans for NBC's daytime programs - which are in third place -are apparently less well defined at the moment. Michael Brockman, a former daytime programer at ABC, took the position of vice president in charge of daytime for NBC just a few weeks ago. He and his chief assistant, Mary Alice Dwyer (an associate of Mr. Brockman at ABC), are in the process of analyzing the network's schedule to determine where to begin making changes. One thing Mr. Brockman knows, he said, is that NBC needs more women18 -49 (NBC is currently last in that category in daytime). "Whatever you design," he said, "has to fundamentally appeal to that demographic." He indicated, however, that he is less concerned with the network's afternoon serial block than he is with its morning game show and rerun mix, and, like his counterparts at the other networks, Mr. Brockman discounts the notion that recent drops in daytime viewership may be attributable to the one -hour serial form. The first changes were indeed in the morning. In April 78 Card Sharks replaced Sanford and Son reruns at 10am and High Rollers was introduced at 11am knocking Wheel of Fortune back to 11.30 replacing Knockout. Sanford and Son moved to noon replacing To Say the Least. On paper that looked like a stronger schedule. The next move in July was the disastrous America Alive at noon, replacing Sanford and The Gong Show,which set them back even further. Finally in October 78, Jeopardy was brought back at 10.30 and Hollywood Squares moved to 1pm replacing another flop For Richer for Poorer. The only major change for the soaps apart from cancelling FRFP, was Linda Grover as headwriter for The Doctors as of April 78.
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Guiding Light Discussion Thread
Seems like the Dobsons were aiming for a Joe/Sara/Justin triangle or, having decided that Joe would be killed off, Justin would be waiting in the wings. But that never came to pass and I don't think there was much reference to Justin/Sara as time went on.That was something that could have been used later on but Doug Marland may not have known or cared. Also, when the show went to an hour they could add a lot of characters and not rely on the stalwarts, hence Jackie/Alan/Elizabeth. And after Leslie died, Mike went into Dad mode with Hope. Hope/Ben never took off and Hope was replaced and then dropped and Ben moved on to Eve, whose romance with Tim fizzled and Jordan Clarke left (by choice?)