To think this was only a few years into the shows history and there were already so many cast and story changes.

They really needed to choose a direction and try see it through rather than continual reinvention.

Of course that happened with other older shows that ignored history and kept revamping but Loving was at that stage within a few years.

The start of this has about a moment of footage, part of it is just the credits/beauty shot, part of it Curtis, hot and bothered in his tight trousers, beating some Eban Japes ass. (I assume Lotty's cry of surprise/pain when Curtis accidentally elbows her was scripted - if not, I guess Burke Moses really throws himself into scenes).

 

Another big chunk of an episode from an hour and 2 minutes to an hour and 22 minutes (one moment is AMC). @slick jones There's a cast crawl. Some funny moments in this. When Ava and Steve are talking, one of Ava's earrings falls off, and Roya just keeps the scene going, casually pulling off her other earring. And a seduction/comedy moment with Ava and Alex at around and hour and 10 minutes that has an...interesting music cue. 

 

The robbery that kills Steve is around 31 minutes to 41 minutes. There's another cast crawl @slick jones . The date isn't right here as this would be November or December 1987. I think some of this was already on Youtube but I'm not sure if it is now.

Jacqueline Courtney also has a credit as "announcer." I guess Joe Stuart was still trying to give her a bit of work even after the Diane role was over...or was that story still going on at this point?

More that had not been up before as far as I know, taking up a whopping 33 minutes. We get the shootout, which is much more extensive and budget-busting than I had expected. And I finally get my answer as to whether Cecilia was still in Corinth when Steve was dying...and the answer is...sort of?

More in the first 43 minutes. We don't see Steve's death, although maybe it's in the credit crawl. I also see that Patrick Tovatt played Steve's doctor, which is a bit of a step down from his playing regulars on soaps in 1985-1986, but a job is a job.

This also has some of Cecilia's exit, leaving the boarding house with a bag as Rick tries to get her to stay.

I am glad we got at least a glimpse of her at the hospital after Steve was shot as otherwise, I'd assume she wasn't even involved in the story. So we are still left wondering if she left while she thought Steve was alive, or if she knew he was dead. Maybe we'll never know. Or I just missed a line.

Soaps, at least in these days, could still teach people to act. Colleen Dion was so green in what I've seen of her on Search, but in her last moments here she reminds me of the actress I was so fond of on B&B. I'm glad Cecilia got to have a dignified exit compared to many on the show. 

@Kane There should be a lot for you here.  @dc11786 This may fascinate you too.

Edited July 20, 2025Jul 20 by DRW50

@Kane, et al. -- the Monday, July 20, 1987 episode of Loving leads off this beefcake-heavy batch. We've got Perry Stephens, Richard Burgi, Richard Shoburg, and Grant Alexander.

 

If my research is right, this batch begins with the Thursday, July 23, and Friday, July 24 episodes.

 

One more fragment, presumably from the following week (I forget how the Iran-Contra hearings affected schedules), starting at 78 minutes in.

 

Edited July 21, 2025Jul 21 by Franko

Thanks for the dates @Franko . Seeing Perry Stephens wandering around half-naked with Lily that early on tells me they didn't waste much time throwing Lily and Jack into an affair. I suppose Jack had already cheated on one wife, but those were very different circumstances. It doesn't do him any favors as a character and makes me wonder if they should have kept Stacey and Jack apart.

Not that I'm complaining about Stephens going around half-dressed - one of the most beautiful men on soap.

Speaking of beauties, that place April and Ned have their domestic scenes in is gorgeous. I don't know what history Loving's set designers had but they knew how to do a lot with what they were given.

This has scenes from about 49-53 minutes.

13-18 minutes, including a cast crawl.

 

It seemed like Jack and Stacey were end game because the show needed an end game couple as opposed to the two characters actually being compatible with one another.

I do think a Jack/Lily/Stacey triangle in 1987/1988 was a smart idea to do in terms of character because Lily was Jack's first love and their relationship had ended due to circumstances beyond either of their control.. so having Lily coming back into the picture would throw Jack off because she was the one that got away and they never had any closure.

However, I think the recast playing Lily wasn't the strongest of actresses.. and the show really slanted the writing to be Jack/Stacey instead of showing Jack being torn between two women (his current wife and the one that got away)

 

This batch includes the Monday, Nov. 16, 1987 episode and part of the Tuesday, Nov. 17, 1987 episode. If I had a nickel for times Kate caught her boarders after having sex, I'd have at least 10 cents.

 

What I'm assuming is Steve's last episode starts at 37 minutes.

 

Darn, spoke too soon -- Steve's in the Thursday, Dec. 3, 1987 episode that leads this batch.

 

Steve's funeral -- Friday, Dec. 4, 1987.

 

Thanks @Franko!

This overlaps with some earlier misdated material but luckily it doesn't overlap very much - those earlier uploads have more of the hostage crisis and Steve being shot.

@Kane This is a real boon for your blog as there are three full or nearly full episodes in this - Steve death aftermath, buildup to his funeral, and his actual funeral. Other important scenes include Harry telling Ned how important he is to him (which may indicate the show had more plans for Ned and maybe Luke Perry wanted to leave) and Cecilia talking with Kate about how she had managed to move on from Steve only to make the same mistakes falling for Rick so quickly. She then decides to leave.

All very rushed so maybe that wasn't the show's choice either, I don't know. It certainly makes no sense to write her out that fast. Kate at one point warns Rick how important Cecila is to her. I hope we get to see more of that relationship someday. There's also a little moment of Rick looking out for Kate. I wish the show had not dropped any relationship between them. 

I'm glad that in 1988 they began phasing out this overly downtrodden look for Kate that looks like something out of 1933. 

@dc11786 These may also be fascinating to you with your analyses of the show.

@slick jones There are a few cast crawls in these. 

2 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

I'm glad that in 1988 they began phasing out this overly downtrodden look for Kate that looks like something out of 1933. 

She straight-up sported a snood! Ma Perkins lives!

4 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Thanks @Franko!

This overlaps with some earlier misdated material but luckily it doesn't overlap very much - those earlier uploads have more of the hostage crisis and Steve being shot.

@Kane This is a real boon for your blog as there are three full or nearly full episodes in this - Steve death aftermath, buildup to his funeral, and his actual funeral. Other important scenes include Harry telling Ned how important he is to him (which may indicate the show had more plans for Ned and maybe Luke Perry wanted to leave) and Cecilia talking with Kate about how she had managed to move on from Steve only to make the same mistakes falling for Rick so quickly. She then decides to leave.

All very rushed so maybe that wasn't the show's choice either, I don't know. It certainly makes no sense to write her out that fast. Kate at one point warns Rick how important Cecila is to her. I hope we get to see more of that relationship someday. There's also a little moment of Rick looking out for Kate. I wish the show had not dropped any relationship between them. 

I'm glad that in 1988 they began phasing out this overly downtrodden look for Kate that looks like something out of 1933. 

@dc11786 These may also be fascinating to you with your analyses of the show.

@slick jones There are a few cast crawls in these. 

Absolutely, lots of interesting stuff in these videos. I recall that a few years ago that channel had some similar videos with mixes of different shows that included footage from the short story where Trisha and Trucker are taken hostage by an escaped convict. That story is from the summer of '91, so they potentially have a treasure trove of years' worth of material that hasn't been seen in decades.

I watched Kiss Me Deadly a little while ago, with Wesley Addy very sharp in a key role. Seeing that he was a little over 40 and the movie was made around 30 years earlier than his Loving debut made me understand even more why he seemed a bit frail when he was on Loving. It's a miracle that he and Augusta Dabney were both able to return and then both survived to the end of the show, both in their late 70s to early 80s when it ended, Addy passing not long afterward.

Sometimes I wonder if they should have cast younger actors for the parts, but they were both such believable casting for those types of people, with Dabney's grace adding a certain warmth to the family. And the attempts to recast her never really worked for me, even if Celeste Holm was very interesting to watch.

Rather than killing Cabot off in 1991 I wish they'd explored more of the Cabot/Clay dynamics while they had the chance. 

Edited August 8, 2025Aug 8 by DRW50