Contessa Donatella

It is my belief that Disney holds Frank in such high regard that they would go along with him & what he says goes. (I hope I'm wrong.) Isn't that appalling? And, to continue about short chopped up scenes, I did an edit of 1-30 Germany only & if you add up those scenes it runs 7 minutes, YES, really only 7 minutes total. When I think about it, ... UGH. Frankie, it doesn't have to be all chopped up.

Connie Ford, born in the Bronx in 1923, was an actress who began her career as a model for Victory Red lipstick during World War II. She had acted on Broadway, notably as Miss Forsyth in the original production of Death of a Salesman, as well as in movies and television. She mainly played character parts: prisoners, society ladies, saloon girls, witnesses, clients in legal dramas, and patients and nurses in medical programs. When she moved in with Louise, she was playing Eve Morris, a homicidal playhouse proprietor, in the soap opera The Edge of Night. If Louise was worried that she was falling into an early, stodgy middle age, Connie was an immediate antidote. They had fun going to bars and parties together. Connie was lighthearted and their love affair a confection after the Sturm and Drang of breaking up with Alixe. Connie was also a good influence when it came to work ethic. She had her own demanding career with morning costume and make-up calls to meet, which encouraged Louise to discipline herself and write or revise several pages every day. As an actress, Connie was always watching her weight, and Louise joined her in a mutual dieting regime. After a lifetime as a sylph, Louise was adding pounds and newly self-conscious about how she looked. As she tried to resist the delicious biscuits and cakes that she so loved, she and Connie experimented briefly with the diet pill Dexedrine, an amphetamine that was popular among actresses and models of the era. The pills made Louise feel euphoric, creative, selfish--and not the least bit hungry. "Someone should've given me some when I was two and I would never have had a problem in the world," she told David Jackson. Two was the age Louise had been taken from Mary Louise to live with Millsaps, and she sometimes wondered what if she had stayed with her mother. Uppers couldn't change the past; nor could they provide lasting willpower against the temptations of sugar and butter. But for a brief while the Dexies gave Louise a powerful sense of control. When their unpleasant downside produced bad moods and hungry bingeing, Louise returned to the reliable, high caloric consolation of brandy. (I'm not sure but I think this is it.)

Yes, I'm heartbroken, too.

@Maxim

@Maxim

So, I think it was PJ yearning for early Vanessa. Well, whoever it was, I've found one for you. On Rumble, the Rich Vernadeau Show channel, and the name of the video is GUIDING LIGHT 7/21/80 full episode Early VANESSA, KEVIN BACON OMG! Jerry & Maeve are SO young!!!

I agree. 20 seconds is obscene.

I stopped at the point it becomes 100% about Connie. So you're in for even more detail. Try to work on it again later today.

Sometimes you have to lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, renegade author of Harriet the Spy. (2020). Seal Press. ASINB086SWGVK3 So, at this point in the book, Louise is living with a woman, monogamously & exclusively, in New York City. They are about to have one of their infamous theme parties. Among the guests is Connie Ford. But she wasn't from Louise's list, no, she was from Sandra's list. Also Jane Wagner was on Sandra's list. (Apparently she & Lily Tomlin hadn't met yet.) Sandra was just a friend. Her partner was Alixe. They broke up not long after. It was about this time that Louise started writing Harriet the Spy which she described to a friend as "It is called Harriet the Spy and is about a nasty little girl who keeps a notebook on all of her friends." In the summer of 1964 they rented a house in the Hamptons with 2 others. One of that two was Constance Ford. At the end of that summer, Louise & Alixe finally broke their household into two. At that time Louise invited Connie Ford to live with her. Louise's friends were relieved. They knew that Connie would be a steadying force on Louise. Connie was one of the few people Louise would listen to. She'd keep Louise from drinking too much & help her meet book deadlines. (to be continued)

I want to say one thing about Jack Brennan. In an interview MarkT, Casting Director, said that they'd waited 4 years trying to find the right role for Charles Mesure. What that tells me is that he's not just some disposable temporary villain or even good guy. I'm not saying I know exactly what he is, just saying what he is not.

I've only just NOW learned of this passing. @MaximI am so sad. She was 78. I am 74. So many of my lifetime are gone.

Finally, this is an explanation of what Patrick Mulcahey said about being hired to write TEXAS & at the beginning they didn't have anything for them to do. So, being right there, same studio, you know, they set them to work writing AW for a few months.

Her Stories by Elana Levine is one of my favorite books. Also she did some of research on the AWHP Eddie Drueding article The Creation of Another World. Levine's coverage of the network expansion is one the best explanations of who did what where. Now she doesn't do the dreaded 90 minute AW but she's got everything else. If you are into the soap's organ music you need to visit Lance Jackon's YT channel

Lately, some of us, including me, have been kind of all over the place. Almost meandering. Sort of like a pub crawl but without alcohol. It may have been Michael Malone's fault. But it could have been Agnes. Whose ever fault it was, nice to have this topic where we can move to it.

Great line!!! Also excellent fan review. You have been missed.

Yes, of course. Definitely.

Me either. He doesn't have many!

I don't like to judge people so I try to look at interesting info as neutral which may or may not make sense. 🤷‍♀️But I definitely do not judge them for writing DAYS even in 2024. Heck it would be hypocritical if I did since I watch the show daily. Good for you! Also, hooray Binks is in the world.

She & the Cullitons were all at DAYS under ReRon!

But the first 3 episodes are all Iris! ??? Beverlee!!! Researching, taking notes, yeah, always do it for a new soap!!

Well, thanks for posting & sharing the information. Just add it to the accumulated knowledge. Texas repurposed on TBS in 1983.

@MaximSo, just keep going ...

That is totally perverse but I kinda love it. A compliment because it's the very great Agnes Nixon. Well, Nixon & Labine are both on my list of favorite soap authors, which runs to 15.

@MaximGood morning!