The Doctors

[amybrickwallace]

There is a little Retro TV affiliate in Detroit struggling to stay on the air. Every Retro TV affiliate that stays on the air makes it a good chance that the show will continue to air, hopefully until the last episode from 1982. Every "like" their FB page gets will help. I heard from a friend in Detroit who knows an employee at this station that the affiliate is hoping for at least a thousand "likes" on the FB page, and welcomes comments about TD (and any other show that Retro TV airs). Soap fans unite...here's the link:

 

https://m.facebook.com/WHNEDetroit/

 

Storywise, things are finally starting to pick up with Mike...and finally, it looks like the Iris/Rex story is wrapping up. I read that Armand Assante took over the role of Mike in the spring of 1975. Since the April episodes are airing now, I think these are the final episodes with Michael Landrum in the role.

[amybrickwallace]

I had two through the mail autograph successes today: Leslie Ray (Stacy Wells) and Alvin Ing (Dr. Chiang). The story of Stacy Wells is one I am really looking forward to watching unfold. 

[Paul Raven]

As of April 10th 1975 episode, Robert Cenedella was listed alongside the Pollocks as headwriter. Wonder how long before he takes over ?

[Soaplovers]

I like that now we are getting dates with writers taking over.

 

According to Rita lakin...she wad the only writer hence why she had a writing partner for a year before she bailed.  I'm guessing cenderella is helping with script writing as well as story outlines.

[vetsoapfan]

 

 Once the Pollacks' reign on The Doctors is over, the show plunges into serious decline, writing-wise. We go from the likes of Rita Lakin, Rick Edelstein, Richard Avery and the Pollacks, to Robert Cenedella (who was "ehhh," but not the worst), Margaret DePriest (UGH!), and Linda Grover (who just might have been the worst). The best years of this once-fine show are behind it, I'm afraid.

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Edited January 17, 2018 by vetsoapfan

[Sapounopera]

 

Did you not like Douglas Marland's work? I always love reading your thoughts on the shows 

[vetsoapfan]

 

Both Douglas Marland and Harding Lemay had stints on this series, but neither writer really did his best work on The Doctors.

 

But for me, the principle problem was that by the time Marland and Lemay actually started repairing the extensive damage done by other hack writers (who worked on the show before and after them), both men left TD, so their presence had little lasting effect.

 

The deteriorating production values after Joe Stuart left in 1975 (I think) did not help either.

 

And thank you for the kind words!  ((Blush, blush))

[Soaplovers]

Based on what I've read...marland was not a good fit for the Doctors..with beefing up the aldriches and Darcy family..with few, if any, ties with hope memorial.  The show is called The Doctors.  Oddly his tinkering with GH worked...but it doesn't seem to have worked with the Doctors.  

[vetsoapfan]

 

While his material at THE DOCTORS was not his best writing, as one critic put it so aptly, "Marland worked wonders with the garbage he inherited." What came before and after him was abysmal. 

 

I think his GH soared to the top of the ratings for various reasons. His writing there was excellent, for one thing. GH also had a charismatic, attractive cast who were able to strut their stuff and shine once they were given good scripts. And the production values on GH at the time improved dramatically. With fine writing, appealing actors and a gorgeous-looking show, GH was primed for success. The Doctors, by comparison, when both Marland and Lemay wrote, it LOOKED drab and tired. It's a shame, because if a strong, talented producer been there during Marland's and/or Lemay's reigns, perhaps TD could have turned itself around.

 

 

[Paul Raven]

Yes GH had the advantage of a visionary producer who made big changes (ditching live to tape) the move to a 1 hour format and a network willing to put in some $$$.

[amybrickwallace]

I've had contact with Barbara Morgenroth, who was the final HW of TD. She said that morale was extremely low and that cancellation was basically inevitable when she came in, despite the ideas she had to try to turn things around. The silly plots in those final months were network mandates. On a more positive note, she declared Lydia Bruce (Maggie) as "the sweetest woman at 30 Rock".

Edited January 18, 2018 by amybrickwallace

[vetsoapfan]

 

The writing during this show's final months was atrocious. I'm not surprised NBC stuck its inept fingers into everything, but I wonder what Morgenroth's work would have been like if she had been left alone to write what she wanted. What made it to our TV screens was unwatchable.

[amybrickwallace]

Barbara mentioned that she had plans to focus the show more around the hospital and also add more traditional romance (Matt and Maggie would have remarried AND stayed so for good, for example). Hillary Bailey (now Smith) had caught on with the audience and plans were underway to cast an actor to play her brother. The one they chose was none other than Hillary's future OLTL co-star, Roscoe Born, not long after his run on RH. However, the cancellation was handed down almost immediately thereafter, so he never made it to air.

 

The grave-robbing, the plague, the anti-aging serum and the plot against smoking were all stories NBC wanted, according to Barbara. She said everyone on the show, in front of and behind the camera, gave all they could but morale was so low due to lack of support from the network. The end was in sight and they all knew it, but it didn't stop them from working as hard as they could.

 

Today, Barbara Morgenroth is a novelist and has been so for many years. She says it is very freeing to write the stories and characters the way she likes without interference from anyone else.

Edited January 18, 2018 by amybrickwallace

[robbwolff]

I thought Linda Grover's stint was well regarded though perhaps I'm wrong. I know that Mel and Ethel Brez's stint was considered disastrous. There are articles floating online that indicate that the Brez's writing was riddled with inconsistencies...even from one episode to the next.

[vetsoapfan]

 

Well, when it comes right down to it, no two critics ever agree on everything, and maybe there were some viewers/critics who appreciated Grover's work. As for the Brez's material, I think it was universally reviled.

 

An anti-smoking storyline (if not too sanctimonious and preachy, which would only alienate smokers in the audience) is an appropriate plot for a soap called The Doctors. The anti-aging saga and similar crapola were simply stupid, and don't belong on any show.

 

Maybe I will pick up a book or two of hers at the library, and see what and how she can write on her own, without network interference.