danfling

Ms. Labine and son certainly did tug at the viewers' heartstrings when she created Eli, the young man with AIDS on One Life to Live. However, that character later simply disappeared from the story, and that was unfortunate. Who are these: Stuart Blackburn, Kim Revill and Camille Marchetta?

Yes, I know. But my question is whether he was on the show at the same time as Susan Trustman's Pat #1.

Now that I am thinking about it, Mark may have had the affair with Susan and not Natalie.

I didn't care for it much. However, to me, Ms. Nixon wrote no duds on All My Children that I can think of. I can, however, think of a few things which would have improved the show.

Was Michael R. Ryan playing John Randolph during the Susan Trustman era of Another World?

Yes, now I recognize Cec Linder. I felt the same way about Mr. Charney. But accepting Lee Lawson as Wanda #2 was much harder for me.

In the above clip from 1976, who is playing the older doctor (Dr. Hodges, I presume)? What was your opinion of Jordan Charney as Vinnie #2?

I think that Bettye Ackerman was good in the Constance role. I am not sure why she was replaced. Did she not like appearing on the show?

Lauren Holly as Julie Rand Chandler was wasted so much during her final months on the show. I am sure that she had not signed a new contract and that the show realized that she would be leaving. The only thing I remember about those final months is that she and her grandfather Eric (Albert Stratton) got to know each other. He did not remain on the show very long.

I don't think so.

The Edge of Night did not leave the air for any other Olympics games except in 1984.

correction: Norman Walter was the minister who was married to Rita McLaughlin (who later changed her professional name to Rita Walter). Mark Galloway was the character who had a brief affair with Natalie Bannon Hughes, if I am remembering correctly. Miss Walter was later in a Christian-type movie called Cry from a Mountain. Today, she is an optician in Westfield, New Jersey.

The network obviously liked some of these performers. Michael Ryan, after this show was cancelled, appeared on Another World as John. Two actresses from this show, Regina Gleason and Denise Alexander, were later on the network's Days of Our Lives. Gerald Gordon later joined the cast of The Doctors. I wonder if this serial was a production of NBC , Roy Winsor Productions, or American Home Products. Was American Home Products its sponsor? William Kendall Clark, who had written The Secret Storm, was the show's writer. The innovation of music provided by instruments other than the organ was later used on The Secret Storm and Love of Life by Carey Gold. However, I am recalling that an earlier serial had music provided by jazz guitarist Tony Mottola and a drummer. This is probably known, but Mr. Hardy later produced General Hospital and Ryan's Hope. He and director/writer/producer Gloria Monty (who had directed Love of Life early in her career) had worked together earlier on The Secret Storm. Addison Richards (John Abbott) and director Fred Carney had worked together previously in "The Night of January Sixteenth" , an episode of Lux Video Theatre.

Concerning Agnes Nixon, I have not liked her mystery storylines. I am basing this on the mysteries of All My Children. Her work on the early One Life to Live (which was co-written with Don Wallace and Paul Wallace) may have been better, but the show did not air in my vicinity during that time. (just from 1971 on) The Jason Maxwell murder was not very satisfying when it was revealed that Mona was his killer (although she did not remember and spent no time imprisoned). The Eddie Dorance murder had more elements of mystery, but the deathbed confession of Claudette (a longtime character who had spent years in the spotlight but whose appearances had mostly disappeared to the background) was not very satisfying. The Lars Bogart murder was also much better, and I think that Ms. Nixon intended that Silver be the killer. (The storyline that evolved about Lars being a Naxi and that he and Olga were siblings were not the best.) The Sybil Thorne murder was probably the best in terms of mystery. I have read that Henry Slesar wrote that the writer had to know who the murderer is in a good murder mystery and that the writing be done with that in mind. I have the impression that Ms. Nixon does not follow that rule. The Alex McIntyre mystery is one in which I felt that the show had no idea of the identity of the murderer (Will Courtlandt) and only decided to write the character off the show at the next-to-the-last minute. It took little deduction for me to know that it was Mr. U who was stealing Palmer's money (although I was not sure of the motive). Furthermore, I have long felt that Taylor Roxbury-Cannon was one of the most intriguing characters that Ms. Nixon ever created with so many storyline possibilities. However, at some point, the character was re-imagined and recast (with a very good actress who had little storyline) and that the character was ruined. However, that may not have been the doing of Ms. Nixon. I felt that the Louie Greco murder mystery was excellent, but I think that it was written my Lorraine Broderick. (Please correct me if I am wrong.) Ms. Nixon may be accused of using the romantic triangle too often, but she used it effectively, and she was the master of that - therefore I refuse to criticize her for that (which made up much of her writing style). She was determined to reunite Frank and Nancy, so other characters such as Caroline was not written as well rounded as others in her many romantic triangles. Agnes Nixon, I feel, was the best writer. She created a whole town of characters who we loved to watch. The mysteries, however, were lacking. Also, concerning Ms. Nixon, the introduction of Stuart Chandler was quite a shock. It is one of the few times that I can remember in daytime television that I actually screamed when Stuart's existence was revealed. How Bonnie McFannden, Ellen Chandler, and Erica Chandler were used in building the intrigue is extremely commendable! The use of the Stuart in later storylines was good, and characters such as Stuart and Lily Montgomery are not too common on daytime television. The hysteria surrounding Michael Delaney as the gay high school teacher is to be commended. However, I figured out almost immediately that Kevin Sheffield would be revealed as a gay character. I particularly liked the reactions of Hector Santos and Opal. Opal was keeping her own secret that she had borne a bi-racial son. I liked Erica's new family after her marriage of Jackson.

I stand corrected.

Concerning the departure of Joana Miles as Anne #2 and the new Anne #3 (Judith Barcroft), this was after ABC had hired actress Denise Alexander of the NBC serial Days of Our Lives to create a new character on its own serial General Hospital. They had Judith Barcroft on commercials for ABC on which she spoke to the audience. (something that had been used by CBS when it premiered Where the Heart Is). I also understand that ABC tried to hire Don Hastings (The Edge of Night, As the World Turns) to play one of the doctors on its One Life to Live. At the time, I thought that the network wanted him to play Dr. Larry Woleck, but now I think that it was Dr. Will Vernon after the dismissal of Will #1 Farley Granger.

Yes, it was in between his roles on NBC's From These Roots and CBS's Search for Tomorrow.

Yes, his character was named Nathan Axelrod.

Heywood Hale Broun later played a judge on One Life to Live. He was both an actor and a sportscaster.

Claire Mallis was my favorite Dorian.

Actor Robert Mandan has passed away.

Dark Shadows did remain on the air during this 1967 strike.

Robert Mandan (Nathan Axelrod) has passed away.

Robert Mandan (Sam #1) has passed away.

Mr. Cenedella probably liked Pamela Toll a lot. When he created Somerset for Procter and Gamble/NBC, he cast her as Pammy Davis (a vixon). She was superb in that roll. (I also heard from someone who had seen her audition for Mary Ryan on Ryan's Hope that it was extremely good also; however, she asked for a higher salary than Ryan's Hope could afford. That is so sad.) She and Gary Sandy (Randy Buchanan) made a terrific pair on Somerset, but her Pammy character was in love with Tony Cooper.