Where the Heart Is (1969-1973)

[Chris B]

I'd love to hear about Return to Peyton Place! I haven't heard many story details from that show.

[dc11786]

FrenchFan, reading either one of those responses would be a delight. I knew you pursuing your hunt of the old daytime newsletters, I just hadn't realized there was more to the newsletter than the recaps. Personally, I've been reading the syndicated columns that were printed in local papers starting in the late 1970s. I know you've been paying for some, but there are some papers that have their archives online for free. Jon Michael Reed's columns are my favorite. Some of his wording bothers me at times, but there I get his passion for the show if it is really working at that moment.

Lydia Hirsch's soap recaps are there too, but I prefer Reed's style. I was surprised to see Reed and Hirsch covered the syndicated soaps (Canadian "High Hopes" and the Norman Lear serials), but most of the local papers usually edited them out for space. I have't read enough of Mary Anne Cooper's synopses or Steven Shenkle (spelling) to really get a grasp on their style, but I was surprised by the number of soap columnist that were out there.

[FrenchFan]

In fact, the first issues of the daytime newsletter are only made of summaries (until mid-75. I have just found where Bryna Laub was living and I will try to reach her to get an issue of the earliest newsletters: Dec. 72 - Nov. 74 that I don't have). Later, she added some columns, pictures, interviews, coverage of the Emmys with photos (I love that) and cast changes. The last newsletter was published in Dec. 1978.

I'm also a member of newspaperarchive.com where I collec summaries written by Jon-Michael Reed or Lynda Hirsch. Hirsch's summaries tend to be longer and more detailed. When I can, I read both for the same period and make the best of it. For the moment, I have all monthly summaries from Dec. 74 to Aug. 83 even if I have not typed yet everything on my computer. It's very time-consuming but I hope building good archives.

Chris, I will post something about the end of "Return to Peyton Place" as soon as I can.

[dc11786]

and

[Paul Raven]

Thanks so much for posting these,very enjoyable!

[edgeofnight]

I wonder whatever happened to that young boy on the show? Can't remember his name or his character's name. Can someone fill me in? He had dark hair, and was thin.

Edited February 16, 2010 by edgeofnight

[EricMontreal22]

dc, where are those articles from? Gotta love the interested yet condescending attitude of nearly any soap piece back then.

Ron Harper had quite the career--he still works fairly regularly--but before Heart (ten years or so) was even Paul Newman's understudey in Sweet Bird of Youth (and was on Generations)

"Diana: But if its just for a day or so, they announce the switch. They don't mention anything if its a permanent switch. "

Interesting, on the ABC soaps anyway they always did until very very recently.

Edited February 16, 2010 by EricMontreal22

[Paul Raven]

Ron Harper also was on LOL,AW and Loving

[EricMontreal22]

Gregory Abels has a ton fo recent reigonal theatre credits. It's funny, soap actors used to talk a lot more irelevently about their work and roles back then, I can't help wondering how much of this was defesnive (if the interviewer isn't taking your work seriously why should you in your answers) and how much genuine.

[SFK]

Ron Harper was ALSO on Capitol. He played Baxter McCandless, Clarissa's (Constance Towers) back-from-the-dead husband, and the genesis of Clarissa and Myrna's (Carolyn Jones, Marj Dusay) feud as Clarissa "stole" him from Myrna.

I think the general rule with replacement announcements is that if months have passed since the last actor was on, they won't get one. Days, weeks, sure. Rebecca Budig's return was of course heavily promoted so she didn't need one, and hey, if she's the REAL Greenlee, we all should know who she is already. Also when a recast is sort of "explained" through the storytelling (Toni/Skye on AMC), or an announcement seems awkward for such a short return engagement (Di Henry), they forego the announcement.

[EricMontreal22]

I just found out my university accountallows me to see all those New York Times articles that are for subscribes only, so spent about 4 hours (seriously) reading all their great, condescending but fascinating 1960s and 1970s soap articles. Anyway they mentioned in one this as well--that the rule was (this article was frm 1972 and I believe was about Love of Life) if it was a temporary replacement due to sickness they made an announcement, if it was permanent they didn't--mentioned a scene where a couple got married Friday, and then on Monday his wife looked completely diff but got no announcement. Odd!

SFK I have to disagree though--AMC seemed to do this throughout the 90s anyway--I remember specifically the announcements for Galen (remmeber her? lol), Natalie (even though it was plastic surgeryafter the fire), Taylor and Laurel. But they seem to have stopped recently--I mean even when we had Babe change mid hug.

How was the Skye recast explained? I can't remember--but I agree that was long enough not to need one

Edited February 17, 2010 by EricMontreal22

[SFK]

I admit that it's been a while since I can remember a specific AMC example. There haven't been a lot of recasts over the past few years. As you mentioned, Babe. Did Sabine Singh (I think I got that right) get one, I don't remember how long Rebecca Budig had been off the show. I definitely remember that Alicia Minshew didn't get one as it had been years since SMG. I do remember the Natalie one as she lay there with bandages over her eyes, and Laurel was such a WTF recast, OMG, Galen!? Wow, you are taking me back! Didn't even remember that there were two.

With Toni/Skye, we had been seeing the mysterious woman in white for a couple of weeks in the Dr. Kinder s/l. Then Scott was working on some family tree video project and someone asked who the woman was on the TV monitor and he was like, "Oh, that's my cousin Skye, uncle Adam's daughter. She left town years ago, haven't heard from her in a while..."

Us at home: OhhhHHHHhhh, that's supposed to be Skyyyyeee...

[dc11786]

Eric, I've been searching newspaper archives using Google News.

The wedding story is most likely from "Love of Life." The first time Audrey Peters appeared as Van it was on Van's wedding day to Bruce.

I believe Diana van der Vlis was referring to temporary recasts vs. a full time replacement. She had never worked on a soap before WTHI so she is referring to CBS' practices. When I watched "Guiding Light" in the late 1990s, CBS typically stated "The role of [insert character] will temporarily be played by [insert actor/actress]." I don't remember them announcing recasts otherwise, but maybe I'm forgetting.

[EricMontreal22]

From what I read, at least in the 70s they didn't--but ABC did (that was my point if it wasn't clear).

No, NuGreenlee didn't get one. HAH I don't remember the first Galen either, except that when I first saw the character (I was brad ne to AMC) they made that announcement--it was the first time I heard it lol. So she was the only one I saw.

[SFK]

Another quick one and then I'll stop thread jacking, but I remember when Claire Beckman replaced Rosalind Ingledew Allen as Silver on AMC. I *think* that was my first recast announcement. I was kinda shocked and confused, I thought the new Silver couldn't have looked more different.

Folks back at WoST shared this one, but in 1980 when Beverlee McKinsey broke her shoulder when she fell hanging drapes in her apartment, Bill Wolff announced that, "Due to illness, the role of Iris will be played by Carole Shelley" and the studio in Brooklyn got flooded with calls about Beverlee.