The Doctors Discussion Thread

[saynotoursoap]

Pamela stays until she leaves for Somerset. Her last episode of The Doctors is March 26, 1970.

[DRW50]

Thanks. How do you remember dates that well?

I wonder how much the show will have changed by that point, if we get to those episodes...

Edited April 5, 2015 by DRW50

[saynotoursoap]

Heavens, I cannot remember that well! I have an interview with Pamela shortly after she joined Somerset, and she commented that she appeared on The Doctors as Liz for the last time on Thursday and debuted on Somerset the following Monday.

[amybrickwallace]

I had a through the mail autograph success today with Jami Fields (Penny Davis) - as someone else upthread so eloquently called her, the Sally Draper of the show. Not only did she autograph the screen caps I had printed out, but she also wrote me a very nice letter.

It reads, in part:

"I was not aware that the shows were running on Retro TV. Since then, I have a friend in Albuquerque who has found the show and is watching it, as well as someone in North Carolina who is recording episodes for me. It's a lot of fun to see the old shows - especially after so many years.

"After I retired from acting, I was working for a time in TV production in NYC. I worked at both "The Guiding Light" and "As the World Turns", for CBS. About a year after I left "World Turns", they hired Elizabeth Hubbard to be on the show. But I was long gone and in another industry, so our paths never crossed. In fact, I never ran into any of the "Doctors" cast again. I do keep up with my friends from CBS, but that's about it for the TV folks.

"I'm glad you are such an avid TV fan and I imagine you must have a great photo collection from all the shows you follow. I'm just a fan now myself, and I spend a lot of time on drama as well as a fair amount of reality shows. Professionally, I've been in marketing for the magazine industry for over 25 years now, and still do that work. Outside of that, my favorite hobby is pottery, and I have two studios that I work out of here in NYC, making the usual mugs, bowls, tea pots, plates and such.

So, best regards to you and your family. Thanks again for letting me know about "The Doctors".

Jami"

For the record, two of the screen caps were closeups, and one was a shot of her and Gerald Gordon (Nick) together.

[DRW50]

That's awesome. I'm sure it must have been a nice surprise for her after all these years. I've never really had the guts to write to people for autographs, so good for you, especially with a show like this.

I just wish we had an actual soap press, as they might be able to get some of these actors together for a reunion while they're still with us.

[amybrickwallace]

It was a thrill. What I like about this writing team is that other than her somewhat abnormal attachment to her stepfather, Penny is pretty much a normal preteen. She sasses her mother, frets about her homework, and loves writing in her diary and listening to music. The show was lucky to have such a talented young actress like Ms. Fields to keep Penny likable.

I wish Retro TV would get her and others like Liz Hubbard, Carolee Campbell, Terry Kiser, Laryssa Lauret, Pam Toll, C.C. Courtney, etc., to do promos like MeTV does for the vintage shows they air. That would be awesome.

[Paul Raven]

Thanks so much Amy for taking the tome to contact Jami and sharing her response.

Are you planning to connect with CCCourtney or Pam Toll?

The current story with Liz held prisoner is really dragging.At this point Rita Lakin and Rick Edelstein are sharing headwriting duties so not sure how the collabaration actually worked.Apparently they both got a lot of time of so perhaps Rick had control at this time because it doesn't seem a Rita like story.

[amybrickwallace]

Hi Paul Raven - I have tried reaching out to them, as well as a couple of other surviving cast members from this period. If I hear anything, I will let you all know. Since I don't have Photobucket, I have a couple of friends here who might be willing to post the pictures of the pictures that I took (which will have to do until I can get a scanner).

I'm pretty sure that this DS-inspired plot with Liz and Townsend was a network mandate. Later on in 1969 both Lakin and Edelstein left the show, so it's possible that their collective hearts weren't in this story, especially if it was one they were forced to write. There are so many other good stories going on at this time - the Powers and Bellini marriages, the implosion of the Aldrich marriage of "logic" coupled with Steve and Carolee's growing bond, Anna Ford's recovery and Mike Powers' struggles to be his own man and out of his father's shadow - that this dog of a story just sticks out like a sore thumb.

[DRW50]

I also wonder if they just didn't know what else to do with Liz. It was a year before this that she was menaced by a psycho and dangling from a ledge.

[saynotoursoap]

I do not find the story itself to be a dog, but it is very poorly executed. Ralph Anderson's nutty convictions and taking hostages at Hope Memorial was very plot-driven, too, though it worked because Lakin wisely relegated it to the short-term. The Liz-Townsend plot should not have lasted more than six weeks. Also, Liz's reaction to the situation is not believeable. Not only has she not been aggressive in her attempt to escape, she has not passively played along with Philip either, gained his trust so that he would let his guard down and allow her an opportunity to escape. Liz is a seemingly intelligent girl. One would think she would stop throwing temper tanturms and being deliberately impertinent. Carolee and Jody are acting out of character, too. They both ignore their instinct that something is wrong, and cannot be bothered with making a simple phone call to Keith to verify Liz's safety. This after she she was stalked for several weeks. Instead of quickly moving the plot along, it has stagnated. If it moved quickly and wrapped within a few weeks, it could have been an interesting, entertaining story arc.

[saynotoursoap]

I had another email from my YouTube poster who shared with me Barbara Morgenroth's comments about The Doctors:

NBC hated Alec Baldwin and told Morgenroth to kill off Billy Aldrich. They also wanted Mona gone and did not renew Meg Mundy's contract, which is why Mona expired in the plague story.

Ellen Barkin, Holly Hunter, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio all tested for Kit McCormac, but Hilary Bailey was the actress who nailed the audition. Morgenroth intended to cast Holly Hunter as Frankie (the Aldrich crypt grave robber), but NBC insisted on having a male actor in the part. Morgenroth loved David Strathairn and wanted to expand his role, but he was cast in a film and had to be written out.

Morgenroth envisioned Ivy Gooding as an Asian woman, but NBC would not allow it because it would be "an Asian story." She feels that if The Doctors had continued, Luke and Ivy would not have been allowed to have an interracial romance. NBC was very uptight. Morgenroth said that many people associated with The Doctors loved it and wanted it to succeed, but NBC just wanted it gone. The last 6 months were filled with "high emotion" and turmoil because of NBC's attitude. She said that line producer George Barimo really held the company together as the ship was sinking.

[slick jones]

Awesome info there, S. I had Frankie among my list f characters I was trying to identify. Thanks.

[saynotoursoap]

Frankie was played by Jamey Sheridan.

[slick jones]

Who did David Straithairn portray?

[saynotoursoap]

David played Frankie Raimendo's criminal cohort Dennis.