Contessa Donatella

Have you seen the Santa Barbara stunt where the US saw one scene but Australia saw a stunt? Terry Lester was on the way out as Mason & Gordon Thomson was coming in. Fistfight & Mason went down below camera view, as if hit to the floor, in Australia, when he came back up, he was Gordon Thomson. YouTube has it with both the US version & Australian back to back. What adds a surreal quality to it is that the Australian clip is in Russian so we see Nancy Lee Grahn speaking Russian!

They'll probably catch the little part soon, too. Exists for exits is a good one.

Love the typo! He EXISTS the show!

That's very funny. A stunt in that context. Typically I ignore Melaswen. I wasn't watching & I'm not at all sorry that I was on a break.

It wasn't as much a reward as it was an expectation. The execs at the time were a bit low on knowledge & experience with soaps. They really thought that he would do the impossible, which was to bring in first ratings that were like nothing anyone had ever seen. They were so disappointed with what the reality was that at first they didn't even do a good job of supporting the demos that they did have. They were not very good to him nor were they very good to the niche fans the show did attract. The real people on the ground that he worked with at both shows, now they understood him & appreciated him & revered him. But then you would not often find people saying good things about NBC leadership & there was a reason for that. Oh, a different anniversary.

Bo holding him on the beach as he dies? Yes, it is an upcoming anniversary.

I didn't dislike today. Well, Leo, Alex, goes without saying. But ignoring them, I am over the moon with Patch & Stephanie and then Patch & Jada. Finally! And, about Leo dying, him & Alex, too, please! One more thing. They should have found a way, not hard, to show a pic. So, I will.

If you can say that you love an awful experience like the pit, well, I join many many fans in loving that story & even Stella! Such a good actress & well drawn character! Sheri, well she created John Black, and writers always have soft spots for their creations. PFS created & loved Wayne & there lies the historical Roman. JER, well, who really knows about him. He didn't create any of these characters except for the Banks siblings. Mostly he just manipulated the hell out of what was there. And, sure, J&M at some point became End Game & that was that.

This is the best description yet of what people tell me I have to "look forward to". Well, if that's what it is when I get there I will own up to its being crapola writing, since that is what people tell me it was that happened, some change in the writing. We'll see. I'm keeping an open mind. God only knows Wayne had hideous writing when he played Alex North for the show!!!

12-3-91 Day 15 Not a jerk. Roman & John on hands & knees crawl into the Mayan pyramid. Outside Izzy & Marlena are awkward. Bo is mostly running from somewhere to here. Roman & John have to work together, which they do. Just as they finally get somewhere Lawrence & Gretchen catch up with them & hold them at gunpoint. Suddenly Stefano appears only we only hear him & see his shoes. It is not Joe Moscolo. Victor is chained to the wall. Carly finds him & frees him & gives him water.

Yes, you're right. Where I am right now in Dec. '91 Isabella has just finally told John that she's pregnant & right now he has NO involvement with the children & is completely obsessed with trying to find out what has happened to him in his life & resenting that he is not Roman & more or less a loner who is suspicious of most people, etc. He's going through a really rough time. When Anna & Carrie appeared Roman was very concerned for their welfare but I don't think we ever saw affection, what we saw was respect & of course at the same time because of his feelings for Marlena he was anxious to acquire a divorce. Sure, in the past Roman & Anna may have loved each other. We really have no basis to judge that.

But as far as we know he did not live a normal Alamain's life experiences. If he did, he does not remember them.

Days of Our Lives: The Complete Family Album by Lorraine Zenka. a 30th Anniversary Celebration.Regan Books. An Imprint of Harper Collins Publications. Copywright @ 1995 by CPT Holdings. Inv. Interview: DEIDRE HALL (Dr. Marlena Evans Brady "Doc") On Days of our Lives since 1976 (with some time out for other projects and trying to become pregnant), Deidre Hall has played Marlena Evans Brady longer than she's done anything else in her life, including being married, having children, going through school, and living at home with her parents. "It's my longest-lived relationship and certainly a home." Deidre points out. In many ways , for the viewers and actors alike, it's a home environment of times gone by. "Salem offered me a multigenerational environment that most people never have because we're now in a community of single parents and latch-key kids," said Deidre. "We're lucky if we ever spend time with one or two of our grandparents. I think that's one of the things that's so comforting about the show." Deidre shared other insights, too. On Turning Down the Role of Dr. Marlena Evans"I thought there had been a mistake, or everyone else turned it down because there was something about this part, the show, or something that everybody knew that I didn't know. So I turned it down. A few months later if was offered to me again. Now I was certain something really must be wrong if they couldn't find anyone to accept the role. Then they made it clear that there was no one else who they wanted and were very surprised by what I had thought. So I came on board. On Working with MacDonald Carey and Frances Reid"Their sense of propriety, dignity, and regard for their profession was so present. I learned stage manners from them. How important it is to come on stage respectful of each other, learning the names of the crew, being courteous, cordial, and cheerful regardless of your mood. That's a great lesson to be learned. I cared about earning their respect, becoming a peer. People say don't take yourself too seriously. I do take myself seriously on stage. I learned that too from Mac and Frances. On John Clarke and Suzanne Rogers"John Clarke was one of my first co-stars, and he's magnificent to this day with even the smallest of scenes. He brings so much value to every moment. He's engaging, entertaining, and captivating as the character. I love him with all my heart. There are reasons he's lived so long on the show. Suzanne is the same way. These four are my heroes." What working with her sister taught Deidre"I worked with my twin sister, Andrea. It was a magnificent time and fun watching her do something she didn't know was hard to do. She had a very difficult scene; a short phone call and burst into tears. You can cry anywhere but on stage... well, she simply said, 'I can cry.' At that point, three years in the show, I could not cry on stage. She hung up that phone, and I'll be darned if she didn't burst into tears. I looked at her and figured, if she can do it, it can't be that hard. After that, I never had a problem crying. I had been making it harder than it really is. It was like when she first came on and I was telling her about all the marks, overlaps, sound, and so many things. Her reaction was, 'I can do it. I've seen you do it. How hard can it be?' We taught each other a lot in those moments." What Deidre taught her sister"Her character Samantha had to testify at her sanity hearing. She had her script, I reminded her to study it. She shrugged it off because it was just one page. Later, she realized the lines 'made no sense.' Of course not. Samantha was emotionally disturbed, ranting, dissociating. I helped her work on that scene. She couldn't memorize it, so we created a dialogue in her head that the audience wouldn't hear. It gave her a subtext to relate to. The next day on the set she was breathtaking. The crew burst into applause, and that only happens about once a year on a set." Why Deidre loves acting and how she does it"I enjoy the exploration of a character, yet I don't give any character a prelife. I find a universal reality. I don't personalize it myself. I know other actors do. If I'm a woman whose husband has left, what are the levels and beats of the emotions I would go through. I sit down and sort that through. For example, on the news, a woman's son has just been killed by a drive-by-shooter. She's not crying, not raising her voice, not looking at the interviewer. She looks at her hands a lot, keeps her eyes away from human contact. I study that emotion completely and go on stage and repeat it in detail without feeling it. I show up in the moment and relate to the person I'm with. The situation will provide the emotion. I want to know how that emotion will manifest. I don't have to imagine that my baby died in order to show you how somebody felt when that happened to them. I don't go there; I think that's too dangerous. About Wayne Northrop"Wayne was even tempered, infectiously gentle, with never a malicious moment. He could tease anyone on any topic because everybody knew that he was completely benign. It never came out of anger, prejudice, rage, or resentment. It came from a place of absolute humor. For example, when we used to share dressing rooms, Jed Allan and Robert Clary shared. One day Wayne went to the prop department and got a doorknob and attached it to their door, two feet off the ground. I laughed so hard I thought I would need oxygen. Robert, who is about 4'7", laughed too because it had been Wayne who did it. And there was the time I had an emotional scene with John around the holidays. Wayne came out in a raincoat and flashed me with Christmas ornaments hanging from every part if his body... he did have shorts on. It was funny, totally goodhearted. We all miss him enormously." And about Drake Hogestyn'I'm crazy about him! He's very bright with a background in dentristry studies before baseball and acting. We asked him about a concussion once and he had chapter and verse. He just knows about many many things. And, he's funny. I love what a great father he is. Of course, he's been taught by a great mother, his wife, Victoria, who is extraordinary." About her favorite story lines"I was particularly interested in Sami's bulimia story. I've been around it a bit and realize it's tough to spot. I've had few stories I haven't loved. I didn't love the Kellam Chandler story. But I did love the Johnny story. And I loved the Mickey-in-the-sanitarium story. But, I did love the Johnny story. It was my first introduction to 'sweet acting,' sitting with a co-star who shows you by example how to communicate real tenderness. John is a very deep-feeling, tender man. It comes through in his work. John as Mickey, sat across from me discussing his son and Laura with such incredible sweetness. I remember thinking, 'I want to be here for you.' He evoked something deep from me. And I loved working with Elaine Bromka. I really love her. The first day we worked together I knew I wanted to work with her, so I went to Tom and asked for a story on grief therapy. After all, Stella's son had died and Marlena's infant son, Don Jr. died of sudden infant death syndrome. Well we got a story together. Stella threw me in a pit!" On the day MacDonald Carey died"When Mac died, I was washing my hair at the studio and felt John walk in. I remember raising out of the shampoo bowl and giving into his arms without much being said. We held each other with water running down my face, down my back, across his shoulders, the two of us just crying, so often after that we spent so much time saying, "Do you know how much I love you? Do you know how much you do for me? Do you know how much I get from you when I walk in and get to see your face here, what a comfort and source of strength you are for me, what goodness you bring to my life?" Those are the important conversations with people. I just love him with all my heart. " What Deidre loves the most about Marlena"I love that she has deep relationships, a fierce sense of loyalty. I love that Marlena is blind to her daughter Sami's deceptions. She loves her so thoroughly. In a scene recently I was emotionally torn between reaching for Sami and reaching for Carrie. The director said reach for Sami and Ali said, of course, I'm her natural daughter, you know. I had to laugh because that is always my natural instinct, to reach for her. I'm mad for her. I think she's an extraordinary actress. What irks Deidre about Marlena"She has no sarcasm, no guile. I think she needs that. In my own life I have plenty of sarcasm, guile, mystery, and raucous, raging humor. I *loved* playing a devil because I got to play that side with Tony, John, my girls, and Celeste. Tom Langan, co-executive producer, had to keep pulling me back. When I first laughed as the devil and I slapped a Bible out of a priest's hand, it shocked everyone. It was a little bit frustrating to hold myself in. I only wish the voice hadn't been computerized." What's sexy...what's not"We did a scene in my office with John talking out all his feelings about Isabella. He took off the collar and left. I said a prayer for his comfort and guidance. Then I took the collar and caressed my face with it and smelled it. I love him so much. That was sexy. Taking clothes off is not sexy. No one really likes it. No one is comfortable doing that. Empathic scenes are sexy because they're so deeply felt. We're grown up. I don't want to see tongues on camera, thighs and breasts and lower backs. " About John and Marlena on the Plane"It was incredibly hard. It was necessary for us to both break down to a point where we were both emotionally out of control. We tried it again and again and again and again. Drake and I don't hold back much. We work with dials on 10 whether fighting, screaming, kissing, etc. Finally after about eight takes Tom Langan came out of the booth and said to me, " I'm sick and tired of you playing safe." I'm sick of it!" He verbally beat me up a bit. "I know you love Drake. I know you love Wayne. If anything ever happened to either one of them you would die a million times. This is goodbye, babe. I want to see some guts! Don't give me this safe stuff. I was so angry and so confused: I *always* give everything. Well, I trust him so much I played it out of me. Afterward I cried so hard I couldn't stop. Drake had just grabbed me, threw me on the conference table, pulled off my coat... really pushing an actress beyond what anyone would dare do to me. I thought the audience would die seeing this. But, it worked. About changes in her character"Until headwriter James Reilly and Tom Langan got together Marlena was never tarnished. They knew they could bring me back from the conference room table, from the airplane and the devil. Jim wrote very cleverly. There's great storytelling and I was in some of it.

Okay, but look at what they show the audience. She is hysterical. She's not making sense. She's trying to get out of a moving car. He slaps her, classic style. And, what is the result? She calms down & stops fighting to get out of the car. We have to ask ourselves what story they just told. What was their intention? I think it's clear. I don't think that PFS was writing any subtext that came from the Dynasty role. It was her daughter who watched Dynasty & pointed him out to her mother as someone she might want to be in the cast of DAYS. I agree that Roman & Marlena came from different backgrounds which included class distinctions. Of course, it's not like John came from a background like her either.

Yeah, no surprise. We look at it differently. It was accepted that if someone was hysterical & about to harm themselves that a good slap would bring them out of it. What I mean is that we don't know if that was literally 5 years or 7 years or 3-4 years because time is relative & not necessarily one day = one day, etc. Just like with the Mike Horton paternity reveal we know that it was 8 years in calendar time while the show was going on day to day, but, it may have been more because it seemed that Mike played by Wesley Eure was SORASed. I know I've not seen this scene. Roman & Doc had a much more teasing element to their relationship. @carolineg One thing I think is clear & that is that during the childhoods John was much more than a special uncle. You can see in many scenes, to me anyway, he is clearly the parent in charge. The twins were young & might not remember it very accurately but Carrie was older & I think she knew he was "Dad."

The popularity of their pairing was the reality of a particular period of time. Schemering 72, "In the DAYS OF OUR LIVES tradition of strong, quietly macho leading men, Pat Falken Smith created police sergeant Roman Brady (Wayne Northrup, fresh from prime-time's DYNASTY) and paired him with Deidre Hall's lady psychiatrist, Marlena Evans. Eventually Roman and Marlena replaced GENERAL HOSPITAL'S Luke and Laura as daytime's most popular couple."

We can just agree to disagree about their being some Jarlena fans who seem to be threatened by OG Roman as played by Wayne. And, there are some Jarlena fans who don't see the history the same way as some others do. One thing that is universally known is that Drake parented those 3 kids for some undetermined time period. What those adults now call John is theirs to decide.

Okay, thnks, The context is that she was hysterical & was trying to get out of a moving car. It is very hard. I mean Eric & Sami's birth date was even changed to accommodate the SOARASing. During part of their childhoods they were in Colorado with the Evans. During part of their childhood, Drake playing whatever he was called at the time parented the twins & Carrie. Marlena & Roman were both held apart from their families a part of the twins' childhood. It's a mess & a half!

I just read the Eve Howard story. Helps a lot. https://www.facebook.com/groups/3144711669180711/posts/3630130713972135

There's a whole playlist of early Dee/Wayne including the sleeping bag, Trista, Samantha, watching a movie at home, going out to an inn, etc. but there's no strangling, no slap, in these clips, which I know by heart. But, I don't know a first meeting. Thanks. Nor do I recall his making fun of her turning into the Doc nickname. Anyway, I will definitely re-look. That's okay. It is, in fact, some of the clips that are posted on twitter that I find objectionable. Of course there are Jarlena fans who love Wayne just as there are Jarlena fans who are somehow threatened by Wayne, which is really strange since their boy went home with all of the marbles!

@EdibleFlowers In case you are interested, there is now a complete series on YouTube. It's own channel. Very organized.

Perfection! Definitely should be Shemar again!!!

Gosh, I don't remember Evan that way. Nope didn't like him. Drowned in the Salem River? Okay fine with me. Sorry. As soon as CG correctly noted it, I tried to get it all moved.