Where the Heart Is 1969-1973

[DRW50]

From the March 1970 Afternoon TV.

[dc11786]

It's interesting to see that these pictures of the Hathaway clan appear as early as March 1970. I wonder if these were from the show's opening episodes with Allison's return. There is something about the look of the show which is so interesting. It looks very upper middle class, but yet lived in if that makes any sense.

[Paul Raven]

[DRW50]

July 1970 TV by Day

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Daytime TV Yearbook #1

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8/28/84 Digest. John Kelly Genovese looks back.

Low ratings aren't the only factor that can kill a soap. Network politics, along with demographics (age and income distribution of an audience) can play a major role in retaining or dropping a television series. Case in point: "Where the Heart Is," which premiered as a New York based, CBS-owned serial on September 8, 1969.

The show was created by Lou Scofield (now deceased) and Margaret DePriest (currently co-head writer of "Days of Our Lives"). Its two heroines were Kate Hathaway (Diana van der Vlis),scion of a wealthy, proper family in the fictional town of Northcross, Connecticut, and her closest friend Christine Cameron (Delphi Harrington), a liberate freelance photographer who raised her fellow suburbanites' eyebrows by cohabitating with men long before this practice became fashionable.

The show had a string of head writers during its 3 1/2 year run, including Pat Falken Smith (now of "Ryan's Hope") and Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer (creators of RH) - who won their first Writers' Guild Awards for their stunning work in the series' final year.

Despite these changes, "Where the Heart Is" was always a refreshing mix of warm family drama, suburban neuroses, rampant sexuality, fast-moving crime tales, and some of the wittiest humor ever to hit daytime before or since. Once the show outgrew several painfully slow first months, its audience began to build as the unique characters and their conflicts attracted notice.

The death of Judge Daniel Hathaway immediately preceded the premiere episode and set up the show's antagonisms. Ms. Hathaway had to face the return of her shallow younger sister, Allison (Louise Shaffer, now Stephanie Wyatt on "Search for Tomorrow"), and Allison's weak husband, Roy Archer (Stephen Joyce), who had previously jilted Kate.

Kate and Allison's reserved older brother, English professor Julian Hathaway (James Mitchell, now AMC's sharp-tongued Palmer Cortlandt), was soon to discover that his much-younger second wife, Mary (Diana Walker), was being romantically pursued by his son, Michael (Gregory Abels). Michael had always blamed Julian's neglect of his mother, Elaine, for her suicide years ago. In turn, Michael was sought by Vicky Lucas (Robyn Millan), the scheming daughter of loudmouthed but well-meaning Ed Lucas (played longest by Joseph Mascolo, the infamous Stefano DiMera of DOOL), owner of the Starlite Lounge. Julian Hathaway initially disapproved of Christine, Kate's best friend, who was living with a married man named Tony Monroe (David Bailey). Two relatively sane characters in the proceedings were Ben Jessup (Daniel Keyes), the no-nonsense family lawyer, and Stella O'Brien (Bibi Osterwald), the Hathaways' "Hazel"-type maid who loved to play the bugle at family celebrations.

This was heavy stuff, but it was only the beginning. Once Roy Archer was killed by a mugger (played by Knots Landing's William Devane) and Tony Monroe moved to Asia, Allison married Ben Jessup's ambitious, slippery son, Dr. Hugh Jessup (David Cryer), who in the meantime impregnated Christine. After their daughter Katrina was born, Hugh played house with Chris and the baby but became so bored that he cheated on Chris - with his own wife, Allison! Chris eventually became engaged to noble, ethical attorney John Rainey (Peter MacLean), whose viper of an ex, Adrienne (Priscilla Pointer, later of "Dallas") had made a Frankenstein of their daughter, Elizabeth (Tracy Brooks Swope).

Michael married Vicky, who eventually flipped out and pushed Mary Hathaway down a flight of stairs. Vicky was institutionalized and Michael moved in with Elizabeth, who later became pregnant by Michael's father, Julian, during one of his many bouts with male menopause. Vicky returned to Northcross a few years later, totally cured, and reconciled with Michael.

Kate married handsome, wealthy Steve Prescott (Larry Luckinbill, Ron Harper), who developed amnesia after being left for dead by criminals. He was given shelter by the reclusive Ellie Jardin (Zohra Lampert), who was duly killed by the thugs. Kate and Steve reconciled and adopted Ellie's son, Peter (Mike Bersell), who was emotionally impaired after blocking out a horrible memory: his evil maiden aunt, Margaret Jardin (Barbara Baxley, Rue McClanahan) had harbored incestuous yearnings toward Peter's father, and had killed him when he refused to leave Ellie. Peter was cured, but was eventually killed in a garage fire. Kate, racked with grief, had a brief bout with a split personality.

On the surface, this appears depressing and sensationalized. What redeemed "Where The Heart Is" was its excellence in the other areas which make for an outstanding serial: near flawless acting and directing (in its later years); classy sets by Elmon Webb which reflected the show's southern New England setting; and scripts which tastefully blended humor with pathos. Labine and Mayer cut their eyeteeth in daytime during the final year of this series, and are still remembered for the sensitive, understated monologue they wrote for Kate with memories of her deceased father. As Diana van der Vlis' fellow performers later learned, this was written at the actress' request, as a catharsis after the passing of her own father.

Then, just as "Where the Heart Is" finally appeared a winner in the daytime ratings race, CBS sent the axe falling on March 23, 1973. The network rightly sensed that "Heart's" replacement, "The Young and the Restless" would draw a far younger audience. Perhaps in its treatment of human relationships, "Where The Heart Is" was avant garde in the wrong areas. But it sure was fun while it lasted.

[EricMontreal22]

Aww that just makes me want to see it all the more...

Carl do you know anything about John Kelly Genovese's Soap Opera Digest Scrapbook from 1984? I'm wondering if it collects his SOD reviews, etc, up to that point... I may just order it from amazon anywa as it's very cheap used.

[DRW50]

I don't.

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This is from a Daily TV Serials look at 1973-1974.

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August 1972 casting news from Daytime TV.

Robert Symonds started April 26 as Will Watts, the psychopath bothering Christine Cameron (Delphi Harrington). Also joining the cast in April were; Gil Rogers, as Detective Meofrd; Ted Beniades, as Lt. Fenelli; Lee Kirty, as Laura McNair; Alan Manson as Homer Rayburn; and Wesley Addy as Bud Taylor, the D.A.

[DRW50]

November 1972 Daytime TV

Robert Symonds (Will Watts) left July 24. Joining July 11 were Roy Poole (Dermott Fannery), Jillian Ross as Katina, Christine Cameron's baby and Joseph Dolen as baby Daniel Hathaway.

[DRW50]

From the May 1972 Daytime TV.

Ted Leplat (Terry Prescott) and Jeanne Ruskin (Lois Snowden) have been sent off to school, and are out of the story indefinitely. William Prince, as the judge, finished in January. Caroline Coates (Mrs. Harrison) finished; but may return in the future. Joe Mascolo, as Ed Lucas, is out, at least for now.

[DRW50]

From Daytime TV, December 1971

On August 24, Rueben Greene and Tracey Brooks Swope joined the show in the roles of Dr. Jim Hudson and Elizabeth Harris Rainey, respectively. Also new to the cast is Charles Dobson as Dave the bartender.

[danfling]

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.

[DRW50]

I never knew his wife was on Ryan's Hope.

Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer wrote for WTHI for a while and also created Ryan's Hope, so that's probably the reason for the casting (Gregory Abels, Robyn Millan, Louise Shaffer, and Delphi Harrington also appeared on both shows).