The Doctors

[amybrickwallace]

Thank you!!! Happy New Year, slick!!!

[saynotoursoap]

Rick, I watched The Doctors from the late 60s through the end, and I agree with many of your comments.

I believe that Carl is right regarding Matt and Maggie. I read an interview with Lydia Bruce years ago. She stated that she received hate mail when she assumed the role of Maggie from Bethel Leslie, who was beloved by the audience. Lydia commented that she was not really accepted until she had to fight for Maggie's marriage to Matt, so it is likely that the current story developments were a deliberate attempt to manipulate audience sympathy toward Lydia.

My justification for Matt's behavior is that he is a typical male who cannot admit he is wrong. Matt brought Karen into the Powers home. Any jeopardy in their marriage has been Matt's responsibility, but he has spent so much time defending Karen, he feels guilty. That guilt has manifested itself in his dreams and thoughts. I do not think Matt is truly attracted to Karen, and he certainly does not love her. He has reiterated this ad naseum to both women. But, now that he has realized Karen's manipulative behavior and unhealthy attraction to him, he has allowed the situation to go too far. Instead of admitting defeat to Maggie, he avoids her and refuses to engage in a dialogue which will ultimately indict him for his behavior. My husband, coincidentally another Matt, is exactly the same way. When I am right and he is wrong, he becomes even more stubborn and will fight to the end before conceding defeat.

Unfortunately, in the 70s, this stubborn side of Matt Powers becomes more of the rule rather than exception. If you find his behavior uncharacteristic now, just wait until he

Maggie begins to act uncharacteristically, as well. This was partly to blame for audience defections in the mid to late 70s, as it became more difficult for fans to justify and accept changes in personality for the sake of story.

We should all consider ourselves suprememly blessed for the opportunity to see these episodes again, when scripts weren't written by committee and directors did more than merely block scenes. I am ever thankful to SFM, Retro, and Jeff for bringing The Doctors to me. I hope it lasts a good long while.

[saynotoursoap]

I am certain she is Jo Henderson. I recognized her, too, the instant I saw her. The cheekbones and the eyes. Even with the red hair, she is unmistakeable. This is fifteen years before she would star daily on NBC's Search for Tomorrow, and exactly 20 years before her very tragic death at the age of 54.

[amybrickwallace]

I am very thankful to all those you mentioned above who have brought TD back for a whole new generation of viewers to enjoy. I certainly do; I was born over a decade after the episodes we are watching now were filmed.

There is at least one cast member of TD from this era still with us and watching along with us - I found Carolee Campbell's Ninja Press website and emailed her, sending the link in my message. I just heard from her a couple of days ago and she said, "I am all caught up"!!

For those who aren't with us anymore, I hope their family members - spouses, kids, grandkids - are able to watch the episodes and enjoy them, too.

[saynotoursoap]

I noticed these, too, Paul. When Steve's disembodied, chroma-keyed head taunted Karen, I was reminded of Dark Shadows! Was your mis-spelling of Ohrbach's an intentional wink at the Dark Shadows credit scroll? Part of the fun for me is surveying the dresses, the falls women wear in their hair, and the false eyelashes. I remember it took my mother an eternity to put on her "face", as she called it, and all of the wigs and falls.

Lydia allows her hair to grow much longer. I do not recall her hair being the cut it is now, so for most of the early 70s, it's the longer, lighter style. She reverts back to much shorter and darker hair near the end of the series.

[amybrickwallace]

I love those Ohrbach's fashions that Maggie and Althea are always decked out in. Those dresses are always gorgeous!!

[saynotoursoap]

Wonderful, Amy! Where have you been? I noticed that you stopped posting near Christmas. It is good to see you have returned.

I thought Jada Rowland was an excellent replacement as Carolee and played the role with such intelligence, but I also have a very special place in my heart for Carolee Campbell. I loved her down-to-earth portrayal and good-natured, humorous self-deprecation. As much as I enjoy seeing these episodes, most of which I do not remember or never saw, I do hope Retro runs The Doctors long enough for us to get into the real nitty-gritty of Steve and Carolee's romance, and the complications caused by the awful Dan Allison.

Happy New Year to you!

[amybrickwallace]

I'm happy to be back! Things have been pretty crazy lately, but Happy New Year to you, too!!

Two latter-day TD actors will be appearing on SVU: John Pankow (Danny Martin, 1981-82) will be guesting in the next episode (1/14) and the week after (1/21), Armand Assante (Mike Powers, 1975-77) will be playing Det. Amaro's (Danny Pino) father.

[DRW50]

I can see why fans hated to see Bethel go, especially since it seems to have been fairly sudden (was Lydia just a temp recast, as some say, or was she a permanent one all along?), but it's saddening to read that Lydia got hate mail. I'm glad that turned around and the show was patient enough to let this ride out. I think Bethel was terrific at combining Maggie's seeming toughness with the tender heart she hid underneath (and I especially loved her relationship with Nick as his "school chum"), but I've also been impressed with what I've seen of Lydia early on (I watched some of her early episodes even though I'm still technically behind). She adds a lot of surface vulnerability to Maggie and doesn't rely as much on the sarcasm that would seem like an imitation. What impresses me most is that she still plays Maggie this way in the 1982 episodes, so even after nearly 15 years of unstable writing and an extended period where they all knew the show was on the way out, she didn't phone it in. That takes strength as a performer.

[DRW50]

In my watch with my mother, I wound up the board meeting episodes, when Matt gives his long speech about judgmental attitudes and how no one but God has the right to judge. And we met the main man on the board, who was, refreshingly, presented as a taskmaster and too rigid, but also allowed to be fair and willing to listen. Today he would be paid off by Bunker or we'd learn that he hates Matt because his great-grandfather is a supervillain.

What I liked the most about these episodes was that Nick and Althea tried to approach the board so differently, but they both ended the same way - humiliated, berating the board and Bunker. It's a great reminder of just how made for each other they are. And Althea's rage over a right to privacy and how sickened she is by people trying to tell her who to be and not caring about her ability because her "morals" aren't good enough for them - this is all so timely for modern women, and modern America, that it makes me want to cry.

Althea is such a special character. I'm so happy to get the chance to know her. And as someone who always loved Liz Hubbard on ATWT it's refreshing to see her very different performances for a very, very different character. It's a treat I never expected to have, outside of the episodes that saynotoursoap and others were kind enough to upload.

My mother watches GH and gets through it better than I do these days, but she's told me repeatedly how much she's grown to love The Doctors and how much better it is than anything on daytime now.

I just hope there are more people out there like this (and people who actually get Retro TV) and we'll at least get to the early '70s. I really want to see Virginia Vestoff and Nancy Barrett.

[saynotoursoap]

I mean this with the utmost sincereity, Carl, it is so sweet that you watch with your mother. If mine were alive, I would watch with her, too, and she might even enjoy it. Regardless of your relationship, you should all appreciate your mother. You have no idea the loss when they are gone.

I am curious. How do you watch? One episode a day, five days a week? I wish that I could, but I have no self control. I watch the full hour, every week night, 7 to 8pm without fail.

It is my understanding that Retro is contracted for one full year of airing -someone correct me if I am wrong. This would take us to the beginning of December 1969, at least. Virginia Vestoff starts in the autumn of 1969, I believe around October/November, so we should definitely see at least a few weeks of her, should Retro not sign up for another year. In order to see Nancy Barrett, Retro will have to agree to another year. Nancy begins in the summer of 1971.

[amybrickwallace]

I recall reading that when Virginia Vestoff left TD, Althea was sent off on a cruise. When Althea came back in 1970 sometime, she was again played by Liz Hubbard. Was this also the same time Patrick Horgan came on the show as the evil Dr. John Morrison?

Edited January 10, 2015 by amybrickwallace

[DRW50]

If possible we watch anywhere between 1-3 episodes a day; it just depends. Sometimes there are long gaps before we watch any. She didn't think she'd care for the show at first, because of all the green and because she thought the characters were tough to follow at first, but once she got into it she really got into it. John Rice is one of her favorites so I don't know how she'll feel when he's gone. (I hope someone interviews Terry Kiser at some point...)

Thanks. I'm so looking forward to seeing Vestoff as Althea that I'm afraid I'll end up hating it, but I am trying to keep my expectations low. I really loved her work on Dark Shadows, so whatever happens, I'm just happy if I get to see more of her daytime work.

I do remember Nancy saying she hadn't intended to get back into daytime so soon after DS, but she did, so you're right, that's a while off. I hope they have it up to that point. If any of you know any ways to get more people to support Retro TV, let me know. I called my cable company and I wrote Retro TV - I'm not sure what else there would be to do.

One of the other parts I like about the show is seeing what references they make to current events. One new episode I caught a bit of had Matt and Maggie talking about Mike's commencement speaker discussing how modern youth reject their elders, and why they shouldn't. It reminded me that The Doctors, while having a few young characters (mainly Liz, if you don't count the children), was written firmly from an adult POV, whereas today's soaps often feel like a 50-60 year old trying to pretend they're writing for a 16 year old.

[amybrickwallace]

I can't imagine anyone else but Liz playing Althea, but I have to admit being curious about Virginia Vestoff's take on the character. From what I read, Liz had gone off to Hollywood at this point and guested on "The Virginian". The episode was written by none other than Bethel Leslie - and Bethel went to bat for Liz to get the part:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19701219&id=jTkgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SGYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2941,1702648

[DRW50]

That was nice of Bethel. I think Liz had the charisma and look to make it in primetime or film; perhaps she just played as too old. Either way, I'm glad daytime kept her.

One thing I'm interested in seeing as I get to the spring episodes is if the show changes tonally once John is gone and Bethel is on the way out, and people like Ed and Jody arrive (and Martha gets more airtime). It already feels like Nick has changed a great deal tonally (although maybe he was like this before the story with Liz and Althea started).