Very interesting chat between Matt and Mike in the second of today's episodes. The conversation reveals a fact about Mike's past that I wasn't aware of.

Yeah, what was that all about?

That Steve and Karen marriage is the best. They are so miserable and then here comes Matt and Maggie with their electric blanket. How great and awkward was that.

MONTREAL GAZETTE MARCH 16, 1982

Kevin Dobson's (KL, B&B, OLTL, and DOOL) first speaking role was as a cop in scenes with James Pritchett on The Doctors.

Edited February 19, 201510 yr by slick jones

Susan - I hope Maggie kept that receipt!! LOL

OK, so I've decided to just soldier on. Judging from my research, I'm up to the episodes that aired on Retro back in November, and when I look at it that way, I'm not THAT ridiculously behind.

Can't believe we have to suffer through the temp for these confrontation scenes between Maggie and Karen! She's a good actress, but you spend months building up to this, and part of the excitement is because you know Bethel is gonna just read the hell out of Werner, but then we get this. Ugh.

John and Bonnie Sad that he'll be leaving soon, because he really does bring a lot to the show.

I don't think I'm spoiling much, All My Shadows, when I tell you that Little Boy Doctor gets a glorious final episode. I'll leave it at that, but it will make you both laugh and cry.

Bethel does come back briefly after the temp, so she does get in some good scenes with Karen. Let's just say lots of side-eye...

Good episodes today. Mostly setup for what's coming. Poor Steve. I must have missed it, but is Mike pre-med or an intern or what? I believe Matt said, Technical Services, but I'm unclear of what that means.

One thing I want to praise is the long scenes. That model makes it feel like a lot happens in the span of the episode. Plus, you get those great character building moments, which is a great benefit for new characters. It's kind of a shame that we got away from that.

Going through old Jon Michael Reed's old columns I found some TD casting tidbits:

Judge Borman...Leon B. Stevens(husband, Lydia Bruce)

Scrub Nurse... soap columnist Mary Ann Cooper 79

Ed, Billy's friend, late 79 or early 80..Christopher Murray, son of KLs Don Murray

Blonde Haired terrorist w/ Far Wind..79 or early 80 .Brian Carney, son of Art Carney

Sex Therapist Dr. Debora Phillips...real life sex therapist Dr. Debora Phillips ...81

Edited February 20, 201510 yr by slick jones

Good episodes today. Mostly setup for what's coming. Poor Steve. I must have missed it, but is Mike pre-med or an intern or what? I believe Matt said, Technical Services, but I'm unclear of what that means.

One thing I want to praise is the long scenes. That model makes it feel like a lot happens in the span of the episode. Plus, you get those great character building moments, which is a great benefit for new characters. It's kind of a shame that we got away from that.

In those days, I believe technical services referred to staff members who had knowledge of or experience in clinical settings but were not actually certified or licensed. They performed some technical aspects of patient care under the supervision of qualified staff. They could work with equipment and perform some very routine hospital procedures, almost like on-the-job training. It was a way for those entering the medical field to receive exposure to the whole specturm of hospital care. Mike has recently graduated from college, pre-med, and is beginning medical school.

I cannot believe that no one has commented on the blooper in the September 24 episode. Chris Schermering documented it in his entry on The Doctors, though he ascribed it to David O'Brien instead of Carolee Campbell. "Steve just balled Mike...out in the hallway."

Oh, the potential for life to imitate art...

Edited February 21, 201510 yr by saynotoursoap

That's the one I remember reading about! I'm glad I'll finally get to see it.

I'm always surprised at there not being more temporary recasts, especially given how hard the small cast must have worked. I wonder when the next one will be.

Steve is horny. Karen is hormonal. I really want them to work through their problems and make this work. When Steve left the apartment, I do wonder where he went off to.

So does anyone know any details about Valerie, Mike's first wife I have never heard of? What about Susan Blake? I know Bunker mentioned Blake during the Board Meetings back in early '68. Anybody?

The rainstorm episodes, with Karen finally coming clean to Matt while Maggie (looka Bethel with her new 'do), Althea, and Nick waited around, were incredible. I've always enjoyed storm episodes, but I hate that they've basically become launching pads for outrageous tragedies. You can do so much with a group of characters trapped in a house because of a storm, and it's ideal for big confrontations with the denouement taking place once the storm's cleared up.

Sad that the sound clogged up and the video skipped through a lot of this stuff, but still, very enjoyable.

It's also incredible how they were able to keep many of the core actors together for so long - James Pritchett, Lydia Bruce, Liz Hubbard, Gerald Gordon, David O'Brien, Carolee Campbell, Laryssa Lauret, Sally Gracie, Peter Burnell...a lot of the people we are seeing in these episodes now put in significant tenure.

saynotoursoap, Paul Denis' 1984 book Inside the Soaps also attributed the "bawled/balled" blooper to David O'Brien, but maybe both he and Carolee messed up that line at different times!! LOL

We'll be seeing a major event coming up in these reruns five days ahead of schedule. Next week begins the October episodes, and NBC pre-empted their regular weekday soap lineup to air the 1968 World Series (the Detroit Tigers (who won) vs. the St. Louis Cardinals). That WS went the whole seven games, and five went on during weekdays. Two of the games were played during the weekend, and the teams had two days off for travel days - and I assume NBC went back to regularly scheduled programming on those two days.

Edited February 21, 201510 yr by amybrickwallace