The Doctors

[JarrodMFiresofLove]

 

I don't think Lipton's dialogue was very good on 'The Doctors,' but it was passable. I did like his headwriting on 'Capitol' in the mid-80s...he was the show's final head scribe during its last year. Maybe because they knew it was ending and wanted to go out with a bang...his last three months on 'Capitol' were extraordinary. So maybe he was a guy who excelled at plotting and not exactly with the day to day scripting.

Edited April 22, 2018 by JarrodMFiresofLove

[MonaCroft]

I am new to this board and happy to be here.   I actually started watched the Doctors around 1978 with my grandmother and continued till its end in 1982.   I started watching the Retro shows when they were in 1974.  It's fascinating to watch the evolution of a soap opera to its present form.  I know a little bit about the behind-the-scenes as I had some friends who acted on OLTL.   TD had some really natural dialogue and strong acting, although there are a few really poor contributors e.g., Steve Aldrich.   He underplayed every emotion to the point of almost sleepwalking through the role.

 

Edited April 23, 2018 by MonaCroft

[DRW50]

Welcome.

[MonaCroft]

Probably redundant to this board, but it was fascinating to see both Elizabeth Hubbard and Meg Mundy (albeit in separate scenes) in Robert Redford's "Ordinary People" in 1979.

[amybrickwallace]

The two actually shared a scene in 1979's The Bell Jar, which starred Marilyn Hassett and Julie Harris.

[MonaCroft]

I did not know that.   Thanks for sharing.

 

[amybrickwallace]

Carolyn Coates, who played Alice the kidnapper, was the real-life wife of James Noble (Dr. Bill Winters, 1967-68) of Benson fame. They were wed for almost 60 years, until she passed in 2005.

[JarrodMFiresofLove]

One thing I've wanted to ask is how long do these opening credits stay the same? I know there were different openings later on. Does Jeff Young update how the credits look, or does that happen with the next producer?

 

Also, do people like James Pritchett and Dave O'Brien continue to get special billing at the end of each episode or does the show do away with that later?

Edited April 26, 2018 by JarrodMFiresofLove

[amybrickwallace]

I believe the graphics were changed in early 1977. Yes, the main actors received star billing up to the end. Liz Hubbard left in 1977, but returned in 1981, so she received the equivalent of "and" billing. So in 1982, it was Pritchett/Bruce/O'Brien/Rowland/Hubbard. 

[JarrodMFiresofLove]

 

Thanks Amy. That's helpful information. When Gerald Gordon returns for a few months in '76, does he get special billing again? I am guessing he probably does.

[amybrickwallace]

There are a couple of episodes from the summer of 1976 available for viewing at the Paley Center. Yes, he was third-billed again, after Elizabeth Hubbard and before Lydia Bruce.

[JarrodMFiresofLove]

 

Thanks. Obviously James Pritchett was in the most episodes. And Lydia Bruce probably surpasses LIz Hubbard and comes in second. Unless Dave O'Brien is second and Lydia Bruce is third.

[amybrickwallace]

I think basically it came down to seniority.

[JarrodMFiresofLove]

 

Yes, most likely. Have you seen a lot of episodes at the Paley Center? I always wonder why certain ones are available for viewing and others are not. Are they chosen at random, or maybe the Paley Center is trying to present more groundbreaking episodes from the series.

Edited April 27, 2018 by JarrodMFiresofLove

[amybrickwallace]

I haven't been to the Paley Center, but a friend of mine has and that's where he saw them. I think there are between 5-10 episodes of the show at Paley available for viewing.