danfling

Yes, you are right about Ann Wedgeworth wanting to leave soap operas to work in California. I had forgotten everything about the pregancy until I was reminded about it several years ago.

Isn't this the same actress who changed her name to Peg Murray and was on Love of Life, Another World, and All My Children?

Could someone post about The Nurses?

It was an ABC soap opera that began as a primetime CBS series.

Doris Quinlan produced the daytime version.

Oh yes, after Missy left town, Peter eventually was written off. Jasper died, and I think that it was after this that Peter was dropped from the show. Dr. Stan Kurtz remained a character. His brother and niece came to town, and the niece eventually married Tony Cooper. Stan later married another doctor named Terri (whose maiden name I cannot recall).

A poster asked earlier about the plots of Missy and Ricky Matthews and Lahoma and Sam Reynolds.

Missy had moved to Somerset to get away from the memory of her desceased husband Bill and his sometimes overwhelming mother-in-law Liz Matthews. Of course, each day with Ricky reminded her of Ricky's father.

When she arrived in Somerset, she became involved with Peter Delaney, a teacher at Somerset High School. Peter was a member of the powerful, sometimes larger-than-life Delaney family. Jasper Delaney, owner of the Delaney Brands cannery was an Asa Buchanan-type character who tried to rule the town and, especially, his family. Jasper had three children: Robert, Laura, and Peter. Robert and Laura were weaker characters than Peter was. Robert worked at the company and was married to India Bishop Delaney (sister of Ellen Bishop Grant). He had wanted to be a archetech, not to work for Jasper. He was unhappy in his marriage, and he fell in love with a singer at the Riverboat (co-owned by Walter Davis, father of Rachel and first husband of Ada from Bay City). Robert desparately wanted to divorce India to marry Jessica, but Jasper and India conspired to keep the marriage. (Although India too had outside romantic interests). Jasper's daughter, Laura Delaney Cooper, was an unhappy, weak character. I don't know if she had already become an alcholic, but she did become one eventually. Laura was married to Rex Cooper, another employee of Delaney Brands, and they had one son named Tony (who dated Jill Martin). Laura and Rex were also unhappy. Rex tried to have a successful marriage to Laura, but her drinking and Jasper's interference made that almost impossible. Laura was unhappy because Tony was not the biological son of Rex. She had been in love with Harry Wilson, and it was Wilson who had fathered Tony. Laura was guilty that she had ruined Rex's life and unhappy that Jasper had forced her to marry Rex (as Rex never approved of Harry or his social class). Peter Delaney was different from Robert or Laura. He was a high school teacher, and his life did not revolve around either Delaney Brands or Jasper Delaney. It bothered Jasper that he could not control Peter, a somewhat non-conformist who wore a beard. He saw Missy, but he also dated other women as well. One of them was played by Nancy Pinkerton (from Seach for Tomorrow and The Edge of Night, and who would later create the character of Dr. Dorian Lord on One Life to Live). One reason that Peter saw other women may have been the inability of Missy to commit to another man following the death of Bill Matthews.

After the show premiered, Missy also met physician Stan Kurtz (played by Michael Lipton, who had also played a doctor on As the World Turns).

The only event that I can remember is that either Peter or Stan took Missy and Ricky to a carnival. After that, she became very ill. The source of her sickness was a mystery. Eventually, either Peter or Stan (I think that it was Stan) determined that it was from some milk she had drunk at the carnival.

As for Lahoma and Sam, the early stories revolved around their getting situated in Somerset. Sam was the law partner of Dick Martin (brother-in-law of India Delaney). When Henry Slesar became the headwriter, Dick and Sam were in a relationship very similar to Mike Karr and Adam Drake on The Edge of Night. Both Dick and Mike were older attorneys, and Adam and Sam were the younger partners who usually solved the on-screen mysteries.

Sam and Lahoma eventually had marital problems. Lahoma was jealous of a character named Crystal Ames. I believe that Lahoma became pregnant but lost the baby. Sam and Lahoma decided to divorce. Lahoma left town, and Sam returned to Bay City.

I am sure that they had additional storylines, but those are the ones that I can remember. Hopefully, other posters will remember what I have forgotten right now!

I have a question about the character of Scooter MacKenzie. This was a boy who was dying. His father, I beleive, was played the same man who had played Hugh Claiborn on The Secret Storm. The father and the widowed Ellen were attracted to each other. The second actor to play Scooter was Glen Zachar, who had previously played Michael Randolph on Another World. I am trying to find out the name of the first actor who played the role. He had darker hair than Glen Zachar, and he seemed older.

I believe that the creator of this show was Don Ettinger, who was a former writer of The Secret Storm.

Roy Winsor worked with the show up until the time that CBS purchased it (and Love of Life) from American Home Products. He may have been some type of consultant or something, but I doubt that he had much clout or that his consultations were followed.

After the cancellation of The Secret Storm, he was a headwriter (succeeding Henry Slesar) of Somerset and a co-creator and headwriter of Another Life.

Dianna Millay played Kitty Styles first. This was AFTER her two runs as Laura on Dark Shadows. Kitty was a neighbor of Laurie Stevens. I don't know if she was a widow or a never-married mother, but she had a son. Something happened in her life, and she had to leave town, so she left her son (I can't remember his name, but Jamie comes to mind). Laurie already had one son (Clay, named for Hugh Clayborn). Clay was the son of Jill and Ken Stevens. Since Jill was presumed dead (although, I understand that the show was on the verge of returning her but the cancellation came) and Ken had died. Laurie was rearing Clay. Jamie may have simply been the name of one of these performers (Jamie Grover) and not the name of the character. Kitty asked Laurie to keep her son until she returned; however, Kitty became unable to be contacted, so this was more like a desertion. Kitty later returned and was mixed up with Alan Dunbar. Diane Ladd played her after she returned. (Diane seemed younger to me.) I think that Kitty was somewhat emotionally dependent on Alan. (Their relationship sort of reminded me of Faith and Ivan Kipling on One Life to Live, although this came later and the writers could be more daring on One Life to Live. Ivan later returned with a similar character named Astrid, played by Marilyn McIntyre).

The writer of these last years was Gillian Houghton/Gabrielle Upton. I do not know exactly how she was billed. One of these is a pen named. I think that she was also a writer on The Guiding Light and Love of Life. I have heard (but do not know) that actor/writer James Houghton (from the origianal cast of Knot's Landing), but I do not know this for a fact.

I am somewhat confused about the character of Susan during the show's last years. I know that Judy Lewis left at some point. Diana van der Vlis also played Susan, but I think that this was as a temporary replacement for Miss Lewis, who returned to the show. Then Judy Lewis left (and also campaigned for the role of Nicole on The Edge of Night when Maeve McGuire was leaving the show for the first time). Then, an actress named Mary McGregor played Susan. The name of the singer who had a top 40-musical hit called Torn Between Two Lovers was also Mary McGregor, but I am not sure if this was the same person. Then, I am told that Judy Lewis replaced Mary McGregor before the cancellation.

Also, there are clips of Michael Zaslow playing Jerry Ames that have been on the internet, but his name is listed no where as having played the role.

Gillan Houghton move the show very slow, but I liked her writing. It seemed that each episode had a conclusion while remaining a serial.

I especially loved the show during the era when Terry Kiser on it (although he is not really a favorite actor). I loved Judi Rollin as Didi Clayborn and Lovelady Powell as her Aunt Birdie.

I think that the Dianna Millay appearence was during the time that Robert Costello was producing the show. Several former Dark Shadows performers were on The Secret Storm: Joel Crothers, Lovelady Powell, Jerry Lacy, Frank Shofield, and Clarice Blackburn. I don't know how many of these were hired by Mr. Costello.

The character of Alan was being recast shortly after the cancellation of Dark Shadows, and I expected that perhaps either Jonathan Frid or Louis Edmonds could have been cast in the role, but it was the primetime actor Liam Sullivan who was cast. I believe that Alan returned from being a prisoner of war in Korea. All My Children also introduced the character of Paul Martin as a former Korian p.o.w.

One of the last storylines (with Linda Purl as Doreen Post) reminded me of Dark Shadows, and I think that the show was trying to capture some of the old Dark Shadows fans. The final timeslot for The Secret Storm was the same timeslot of Dark Shadows, I believe.

I love Stephanie Braxton, but I preferred the first Laurie Hollister, Linda DeCoff. Laurie began as the other woman who broke up Ken and Jill. However, with the change in the show's ownership, CBS recast her with Miss Braxton (who had been impressive in a one-day role on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing) and the character was made a heroine.

The show was re-purchased from American Home Products. They were attempting to syndicate. I am told that my CBS affiliate, WJTV, was the first station in the country to purchase this. However, not enough stations bought this, so the cancellations plans were dropped. There was not supposed to be an end show, and the storylines were to continue through the syndicated version. With these syndication plans dropped, the writer(s) had to end the storylines fast with happy endings. Therefore, the endings seemed syrupy sweet and the last episodes are not remembered fondly.

NBC later bought the rights to both Love of Life and The Secret Storm. I recently read online that NBC was either going to revive The Secret Storm or air a new soap opera (How to Survive a Marriage) and the latter was chosen.

It has been posted that the final years of Somerset were the best, but I disagree. I think that the beginning was the best when Robert Cenadella wrote the show - then when Henry Slesar became the headwriter. Roy Winsor also did a good job, but his work on this show did not match the quality of his work on The Secret Storm and other earlier shows. Winsor did a good job, though, in writing for the seasoned characters rather than concentrating on the younger characters.

I see that Gil Rogers appeared on Where the Heart Is. (He is, of course, well known for having played Ray Gardner on All My Children). I don't know who was writing the show at the time, but his wife Margaret Rogers appeared on Ryan's Hope as the archievist that Kenneth Castle consulted on Ryan's Hope when he was studying the old Riverside Hospital prior to kidnapping Dr. Faith Coleridge.

Also, Wesley Addy played the District Attorney, and Roy Poole was also on Where the Heart Is. They both later appeared on Ryan's Hope.

Frances Sternhagen also played two roles on One Life to Live. Her son played a role on Ryan's Hope.