The Doctors Discussion Thread

[Chris B]

I'm still really enjoying the Bob Cenedella tenure. You can tell they're taking the first steps to turn The Doctors more into a family soap and I think the changes have mostly worked. One thing that doesn't work and helps explain why she got written off is Althea's storyline. She was in a great relationship with Tom and they had strong chemistry and that was suddenly ended and they've put her with this boring older man named Scott. I don't know if this relationship will be long term, but I now see why Marland thought she was expendable if this is the type of dull writing she had when he arrived. 

[victoria foxton]

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Edited January 31, 2023 by victoria foxton

[Jdee43]

The itsrealgoodtv site has slightly reordered The Doctors pages, overall making them a little bit worse IMHO, as all such reorderings seem to do. Even so, they haven't added any missing episodes or corrected any of the mislabeled ones.

I hope they will do something to celebrate the show's 60th anniversary! Maybe they can finally upload the show's last 3 years?! I'd also love to see more of 1967 if possible, especially Rita Lakin's material!

[Chris B]

I agree. I'm getting impatient for those additional episodes. The way I'm running through the series, I'll be caught up before I know it. I need to slow down in case they don't upload those episodes anytime soon. I know at one point they accidently uploaded some episodes from 1980 and fans were able to watch them before it was discovered. That was over a year ago so it's pretty crazy to think they had new episodes ready to go so long ago but still haven't done anything with them.

[MichaelGL]

Wow, I can't believe I missed the posting of the episodes from 1980. 

Edited January 31, 2023 by MichaelGL

[danfling]

I, too, would love to see the 1967 episodes.   I read the other day that Lara Parker had played a nurse on The Doctors prior to being cast on Dark Shadows later that year.

[Chris B]

I’m in March 1976 and I finally reached Carolee Campbell’s exit as well as the special 90 minute episode which saw Nick return.
 

First, I must say, both of these returns are huge, huge losses for the show. I know they recast Carolee fairly successfully, but Carolee Campbell had such spunk and was a unique actress for soaps, so recasts tend to be difficult in these cases. It looks like her replacement is good, but more of your typical soap heroine.
 

With Nick, he slipped back in like he’d never left and instantly he makes everything better. From his energy with Matt (who is now acting more like Nick) to the chemistry with Althea, he is just brilliant. They should’ve offered him anything to stay. He has a way of being frustratingly angry but so tender at the same time. I’ll be sad when he leaves again. 
 

Now on the subject of 90 minute episode, I thought it was successful. The show has already expanded the canvas enough that if they decided to make the show longer, it would’ve been the perfect time. It’s a shame they didn’t expand to 60 minutes which might’ve saved the show. 

 

[Jdee43]

It's a shame Gerald Gordon didn't stay to the end. Instead he turns up on General Hospital doing a watered down version of Nick Bellini that never takes off.

Why did Gordon leave? Did GH offer him more; was he going where the money was? Or was he tired of NY?

NBC should have tried expanding The Doctors to an hour, before trying to do more Another World spin-offs, and especially before expanding AW to 90 minutes. Was there any definite reason as to why NBC never did expand The Doctors to an hour? 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 would all have been good years to do it.

 

Edited February 14, 2023 by Jdee43

[Paul Raven]

From what I recall, Gerald Gordon wanted to get into primetime.

He got a pilot 'Force Five' that wasn't picked up in 1975.

I think ABC lured him to GH with the promise of TV movies and pilots. This was the same sort of deal that George Reinholt got when he joined OLTL.

But the deal was in the networks favor and they were under no obligation to follow through. He did get aTV movie 'Ants' but that was it.

Have no idea how and why he returned to GH in the 80's. That was very odd.

As for TD expanding, the only thing I can think of is that Colgate Palmolive didn't want to cough up the $$ for the hour format and that there was no studio space available in NY. TD operated out of  a tiny studio in Rockefeller Center.

Edited February 14, 2023 by Paul Raven

[Vee]

I've seen some of Gordon on TD and a fair bit of him on GH and I've never seen or read anything of his GH stint that suggests they ever had a substantive plan for the character beyond 'hire rival network soap star'. This business doesn't change that much.

[Paul Raven]

Tune in Tomorrow 27 Nov 1978,

No sooner was Kathy Glass removed from one soap pot than she found herself bubbling over in. another soap dish. Kathy first came to the attention of afternoon serial watchers on the short-lived 'The Best of Everything,folIowed two years later by a stint on "Return to Peyton Place."

But neither of her roles on those shows matched the fan-appealing impact of Jenny Wolek Siegel Vernon, the virginal lass who was about to take her vows as a nun when Kathy originated the role on "One Life to Live" half a dozen years ago. Last month, after ''irreconcilable differences" with the "OLTL" producer during contract renewal negotiations, Kathy was replaced as Jenny.

Within days, though, the New Haven-born actress was negotiating with Chuck Weiss, producer of "The Doctors." This week Kathy Glass takes over the role of nurse M.J Carroll on the NBC serial. M.J was originally played by Lauren White, who left the show this past summer. Carla Dragoni inherited the role, but not for long. "As soon as we heard Kathy was free," remembers Weiss, "we wanted her for the role. It's tailored for her, and the fact that Kathy has an immense fan following will hopefully improve our show's ratings.'

Glass reports that she prefers the half-hour format of "The Doctors" to the long working-day routine in her previous hour-show job. It leaves her more time to devote to husband Ted Harris, their nearly year-old adopted daughter, and a renovated Manhattan brownstone. Stay tuned to see whether Kathy's career move will take her fans from "One Life" to "The Doctors."

[jam6242]

I remember reading that Gordon's going to ABC was because of Fred Silverman.  He had seen Gordon's work and liked him.  Apparently, Silverman did the same with several prime-time actors too.  Of course, he then left for NBC.

[Chris B]

I’ve heard about these development deals and it just sounds like a trap to lure in a rival soap star or keep someone around. While some did manage to get a TV movie or two, I don’t recall many (if any) getting a successful prime time show on the air. I recall Terry Lester had a similar deal when he left Y&R. I’m not sure if his was tied to a daytime role as well though. 

[Paul Raven]

Gloria Loring had a similar deal to stay with Days. A deal for two TvVmovies it was said. Turned out she got a couple of supporting roles. Maybe her publicist was hyping it but you got the impression it would be lead or major co star.

[Vee]

It almost always is.