The Doctors

[applcin]

Beginning of Dec. 1968. Nick & Althea just got home from their honeymoon. Nick fell out of the bed. Kinda disappointed that the honeymoon wasn't shown more. I guess back then they couldn't do much other than these simple, indoor sets pretending to be outdoors! I was just thinking about Ryan's Hope a decade later and how much they utilized the outdoors even in the early years, but they also had the advantage of not only filming in NYC but locating the show's town there as well. When I saw the red blinds at the wedding reception "hotel", I was like, gee, they're having their reception in the hospital!

Karen really does get tiresome to watch. "Steven, we need to talk." "Steven, I don't want to talk about it now!" Is this ice-queen, Matt-fixation bit coming to any kind of an end soon? Between her demeanor and David O'Brien's premature gray, I feel like I'm watching 2 middle-aged people playing at being younger. It's strange, I know they were both in their early 30s at this time, but they just seem older. Maybe they should have left the wig off Karen and put a dark one on Steve! Heaven knows, a few of the men on Ryan's Hope had "alternate" hair!

I've got to say, I've been pretty much skipping the Liz, Jody (is that his name?), and stalker stuff. Just not really interested in any of that at all.

Edited May 7, 2015 by applcin

[DRW50]

The bad wigs and dye jobs on RH were terrible. I'd rather have premature gray men any day.

[applcin]

Well...in Michael Levin's case, I'm thinking a bald 35 year-old Jack Fenelli wouldn't have made quite the same impact with his very masculine physicality, not to mention the pairing with a 19 year-old girl! I guess the piece was a "necessary evil"!

I'm not saying DOB doesn't look fine. Steve just comes across like he should be further along in life and career.

Edited May 7, 2015 by applcin

[amybrickwallace]

Hahaha - I wonder if Althea and Nick's reception was held in the lounge or the lab...

Jody Lee Bronson, that's the Southern gentleman smitten by "Liz Liz". Yes, the story where they ape Dark Shadows is very, very tedious and went on way too long - though it really only aired over 7-8 weeks. With two a day in the reruns, that was cut in half for us and still felt like an eternity.

I have to wonder if the character of Jack Fenelli on RH wasn't at least partly inspired by Nick Bellini. Both Gerald Gordon and Michael Levin are still unparalleled in the all-time soap yeller category!!

[applcin]

Yes, I thought it was Nick's lab!

I, too, have been noting the similarities between Nick and Jack. Although Jack, in the early years, was far more emotionally damaged and emotionally abusive, I think, and had deeper issues. Nick seems more like a simple product of the times and upbringing...the Chicago streets, the 'tude, the jealousy and machismo, which usually ends up melting away anyway. Nick's acted like a jerk many a time to Althea and other people but he comes around. Jack had some deep-seated abandonment issues and did some serious hurt.

I was reading one of the articles posted earlier about Gerald Gordon and how Nick was like the first anti-hero and how he was so popular that he basically helped turn the show into a success. I do think Jack was cast in a similar mold, even if RH didn't consciously have Nick in mind.

[amybrickwallace]

Very interesting insights!! So, what were your thoughts on the wedding itself?

[DRW50]

I thought Kate looked about 10 years older than her age, but I wasn't really talking about Levin - more the godawful rug on that loser Ed Coleridge (I really do wonder if that + his wooden acting are why he got the chop), and the messy Grecian Formula poor John Gabriel was stuck with for a decade.

[Paul Raven]

Can someone please fill me in on details of Mike Powers first marriage.I have seen mentions but that's it.Thanks.

[applcin]

That seems to be the case with people in general years ago. When you look at the 20 and 30-somethings in tv and movies back then, they look older than people of that age look today.

Amy, I'll post about the wedding later when I don't have to go to work!

Edited May 7, 2015 by applcin

[Soaplovers]

Yeah..I don't like that hippie cowboy Jody whatsoever. The characters are saying hoe wonderful he is..but I'm not seeing it. Good to know some tropes such as that were around even then

Still I'm wondering what Liz will be doing for the next year or so of her stint. She's had a couple of failed relationships, bad reaction to drugs, kidnapped, etc. What else can they throw on the poor girl?

[amybrickwallace]

I can take Jody Lee in small doses. A little of him goes a long way. I did like the way he outsmarted the politician member of the hospital board (M. Emmet Walsh).

[DRW50]

I don't mind Jody Lee unless he starts singing too much or saying "Liz Liz" too many times. I like that little friendship group. It's not something you get on soaps today.

[slick jones]

Exactly. Kind of like the Cass/Felecia family of friends on AW. Great friendships are hardly ever seen nowadays...

[amybrickwallace]

The TGIF Club - I like it, too. Nothing romantic (although we all know Jody Lee has it bad for Liz), just four friends/co-workers who enjoy a pizza and beer after work hours every so often and just enjoy each other's company.

[applcin]

Nick and Althea have become my favorites so I pretty much liked it! I can see how they became so popular. I only vaguely remembered Gerald on General Hospital and I never watched ATWT where Elizabeth was so I'm kinda just seeing them "fresh".

It did bring home how small the cast was. I mean, all the regulars were there and they all had their thoughtful voiceovers. At first I thought it odd that Althea's uncle was brought in to give her away...but there wasn't really anybody in the cast left to do it who would have been appropriate! The sound effects, particularly when the minister talked over N & A's thoughts, got a little wonky, though. And sometimes Gerald's voiceover sounded less like Nick and more like Gerald, if you know what I mean.

The reception was a little odd, I guess, maybe because of set and budget constraints. They obviously used a hospital set and the room was so small, even that small group were practically on top of one another. They might have tried at least to change the red blinds, lol.

So...what happened to Althea's psychedelic bikini? Should have made an appearance on the honeymoon. Speaking of appearance, also odd that Althea was wearing a sweater and slacks on the beach, while sunbathing. Anyway, I do wish there had been a few more scenes of the honeymoon, even if they were at dinner or something. I guess over the years I just got used to seeing the soaps take the viewers along more...like part of the payoff.

It's funny. This is the first soap my mother watched when I was a toddler, so she remembers Nick, Althea, Matt, Steve. I'm watching the same episodes now that she watched when I was a tyke.

Edited May 8, 2015 by applcin