From These Roots

[DRW50]

November 1958 TV Radio Mirror

[dc11786]

Great picture of the show's early cast. Early on, there were several members of Ben Sr.'s generation on the show including Aunt Mildred. I've seen Mildred or another aunt (Myra) in another photo and the caption insinuated that the aunt was meddling in the relationship between Liz and Bruce Crawford.

[dc11786]

In a December 11, 1960, article on soap actors on Broadway Gerianne Raphael is credited as Louisa Corelli and John Boruff as Police Chief Harrington.

[DRW50]

Thanks! This is great.

[dc11786]

“On Thursday’s telecast, Liz and David were married”

This article was printed in February, 1960. Very interesting.

[slick jones]

Does anyone know who played Robin Fraser and Sarah Fraser , children of Ben, Jr. and Rose? I've never heard of that Dr. Enoch McAndrews? Maybe his character name was changed after the article?

[dc11786]

Regarding Enoch, it's possible his character's name was changed, but I don't think I've seen any other doctor characters listed. In one article I read, Pickard and Provo stated they had a lot of casting the show because they had such a strong contingent of older characters. Few actors of that age had the stamina or interest in working on a half-hour daily serial. I wonder if Enoch was casted and quickly dumped. Similarly, I've never seen Edwin Cooper's Judge listed, but I have to wonder if he was related to the others with the surname Tompkins.

[Paul Raven]

Here's a photo of Bob Mandan and Ann Flood. Not sure who the 3rd actress is??

[dc11786]

I think that is Sarah Hardy.

[dc11786]

The week of September 25, 1961:

Monday: Mildred (Violet Heming) warns Margo (Barbara Dana) to beware of Jerry (John Karlen).

Tuesday: David (Robert Mandan) finds a strange ally.

Wednesday: Warnings for Ben’s (Rod Hendrickson) safety mount.

Thursday: Tragedy strikes the Record’s staff.

Friday: Maggie (Billie Lou Watt) and Buck (Len Wayland) make their plea.

The week of October 2, 1961:

(N- episode may be preempted by NBC-TV’s World Series coverage in some section of the country.)

Monday: Lyddy (Sarah Hardy) makes a startling discovery.

Tuesday: David (Robert Mandan) shows his true colors

Wednesday (N): Ben’s (Joseph Macaulay) wild hunch pays off.

Thursday (N): An ambush is prepared for Ben.

Friday: Jerry (John Karlen) reveals his secret.

The week of October 9, 1961:

(*) episodes ay be preempted for World Series coverage.

Monday: Jerry (John Karlen) talks about his past and Cass (Vera Allen) learns of an inheritance.

Tuesday: The adoption case is settled.

Wednesday*: The syndicate makes plans for a tiral.

Thursday*: Gloria’s (Millette Alexander) mixed loyalties indicate danger.

Friday: Ben’s campaign suffers a set back.

The week of October 14, 1961:

Monday: The presses of The Record are silence.

Tuesday: Ben (Joseph Macaulay) is injured during a political rally.

Wednesday: Buck (Len Wayland) gets a problem patient.

Thursday: preempted

Friday: Liz and David (series co-stars Ann Flood and Robert Mandan) encounter a new problem.

An article from the same paper post on October 21, 1961

[slick jones]

Thank you for posting articles like this> Also, thanks for all of your info on NDIE.

[dc11786]

Hal Studer, one time husband of Billie Lou Watts and the original Don on ATWT, appeared as Ahmed, a Pakistani houseboy prior to the summer of 1961.

[DRW50]

I wonder if that was a comic relief role.

[dc11786]

I don't know.

Jean Shepherd played Milton Sweetwater circa early 1961. Both roles were listed in TV-Radio Mirror

[dc11786]

Well, one long time mystery solved as well as a more current one…

In Jim Cox’s book, The Daytime Serials of Television, Gary Morgan is listed as playing Robin, the son of Ben and Rose Fraser. We still don’t know yet who played Sarah Fraser, Robin’s sister.

Also listed in the book is Charles Egelston as Dr. McAndrews, a role mentioned in the initial press release. Egelston was better known for his work on the radio serial, Ma Perkins, where he played Shuffle Shober since the show’s premier. Egelston died on October 31, 1958, which would have ended his involvement with both soaps.

Someone has put online an early draft or unpublished manuscript by Rusty Morris. In his biography, Morris recounts his days in his role as Hugh Devon, the owner of an inn in the Bahamas where Liz and David Allen honeymooned. Hugh was an alcoholic married to a woman played by Joan Wetmore. In his recollections, Morris mentions a rather uncomfortable encounter with a producer who torn his performance down, but he felt that the writers (Provo and Pickard) liked his interpretation enough to reshape the role. In the end, the role ended after seven weeks, which means Morris and Wetmore were around from February until April 1960.

I wonder what happened in the story that kept Liz and David in the Bahamas for so long. Earlier, I read about several African American actors being used during this storyline. Based on the script information online, I think Vinie Burrows and Rick Ferrell may have been the actors involved as I’ve seen them listed in at least one script with Joan Wetmore. I’m not sure who they played.