The Doctors Discussion Thread

[saynotoursoap]

Jam is correct. It was Greta Powers who was bitten by the rabbit.

Penny and Althea had a turbulent relationship. At the time I started watching The Doctors in the late 1960's, Althea had already divorced Dave Davis and was with Nick Bellini. Penny worshipped Nick and was unhappy that he and Althea fought so often. One weekend, Nick and Althea planned to go away together on a trip and spend time alone working on their relationship. Althea's son Buddy had a headache and didn't feel well, which worried Althea, but Nick convinced her it was probably a sinus infection. After they left Madison, it transpired that Buddy had meningitis, and he died suddenly. Althea, wracked with grief and guilt, blamed Nick for Buddy's death and became cold and angry toward him. Penny, however, sided with Nick and felt her mother was being irrational. Nick and Althea slowly moved past Buddy's death, but Althea secretly distrusted Nick's decisions as her husband and as a doctor. She eventually decided to divorce him, which infuriated Penny. Penny wanted nothing to do with Althea and went to California to live with Dave. This was around the time that Liz Hubbard first left The Doctors.

Penny was off The Doctors from 1969 to 1973. In early 1973, Althea received word from Dave that Penny had been in a horse riding accident. Dave was worried because Penny experienced problems with her vision. Penny feared that she was going blind and ran away to San Francisco. Althea knew that Penny trusted Nick, so she and Nick tracked her down and brought her back to Madison. Nick thought that Penny had fractured her skull, but the tests showed that was not the case. At this point, Nick and Althea were divorced, and Althea was married to the evil psychiatrist John Morrison, who feared that Althea would leave him and reconcile with Nick. This is what Penny wanted. Penny hated Morrison and treated Althea with increasing hostility. In her anger, Penny became infatuated with young intern Mike Powers. She convinced Mike to drive her to a desolate spot by the lake to watch a lunar eclipse. Mike's marriage to Toni was in trouble, and he was drinking heavily and popping pills. There was a storm, which stranded Mike and Penny overnight. Mike passed out from too many drugs and a bottle of brandy. He awoke the next morning beside Penny, who told him that he made love to her and took her virginity. She told Althea what happened and delightfully suggested that she might even be pregnant. She was lying about both. As it turned out, Penny's vision problems and nasty behavior were the result of a brain tumor. Nick performed surgery on her, and she was cured.

Afterward, Althea learned the truth about her husband John Morrison. Morrison had caused the death of nurse Kathy Ryker a couple of years earlier. His confession had been captured on Penny's tape recorder. Althea ran out with the tape and Morrison in pursuit. Althea's car crashed. She was in a coma, and when she awoke, she could not remember what had happened. Penny worked with Nick to prove Morrison's guilt. Morrison was murdered. Penny and Nick were suspects, but it turned out that Morrison had been killed by a drug crazed patient. Penny had hoped that after Morrison's death, Althea and Nick would reconcile, but Althea insisted she did not love Nick. Angry, Penny decided to go back to Dave in California.

Penny returned to Madison in early 1975, determined to enroll in med school and be a better doctor than her mother. Despite Althea's attempts at reconciliation, Penny coldly insisted they had no relationship. Penny set her sights on Andy Anderson, and to prove her new aggressive nature, worked to break up his infatuation with Stacey Wells. Stacey did break up with Andy to pursue Ricco Bellini. Suddenly, Ricco looked very good to Penny, as well, and she went after him, too. In the meantime, Penny became a volunteer at Hope Memorial's pilot paramedic program, open to med students. Near Christmas, Penny was called to the apartment of a young girl named Joan Peterson who had taken a drug overdose. Penny sparred with Joan's neighbor Jerry Dancy, a young law student at the university. He found Penny stuck-up and took an instant dislike to her. Penny told him he could eat lead paint off the walls for Christmas dinner for all she cared. However, Penny was deeply moved by the parentless Joan's predicament, and at Christmas, she accepted Althea's holiday dinner invitation.

Penny and Jerry continued to bump into one another as Jerry clerked in Scott Conrad's law practice. Penny complained to Jerry that she had gotten behind in her med school studies and asked him to help her steal an important chemistry final from the university, which she could not pass and would jeopardize her med school status. Jerry was appalled and told her off. Then it transpired that Joan Peterson was actually Jerry Dancy's sister, not just a neighbor. The Dancys were very poor, and Jerry was struggling to get through law school. He lied about Joan's identity because she was a junkie and he wanted to keep her drug use a secret from his mother, a hardworking, proud woman who would be devastated. Penny realized how spoiled and selfish she had appeared to him. After Joan was placed on life support, brain dead, and then was the victim of an apparent mercy killing by Matt Powers, Penny and Jerry moved past their animosity to fall in love. They eventually married and moved to Japan, accompanied by Althea who had now completely reconciled with her daughter.

[Paul Raven]

Yes it was Greta who had the rabbit bite.

Regarding Dr Wilson,one synopsis mentions Stacey coming to Wilson's office and instead encountering Dr McIntyre,so it seems that one replaced the other. McIntyre also seemed strictly a supporting character,which seems surprising in that Dino Nazzarino played the role and he had been a part of SFT for many years in a front burner capacity.

Penny was on in the late 60's before being sent to live with her dad,Dave. She returned played by Julia Duffy and I think she had a volatile relationship with her mom.At one point she was studying to be a doctor and was caught cheating.She always wanted Nick and Althea back together,

I'm sure saynotyoursoap will be able to supply more info.

He did!

Edited April 16, 2011 by Paul Raven

[saynotoursoap]

Paul Raven, Dr. Wilson and Dr. McIntyre were on concurrently. Dr. McIntyre was an old friend of Ricco Bellini and had treated Eleanor Conrad exclusively. There could have been some crossover between patients, but initially, the two were appearing in episodes at the same time. I do not know if Depriest was trying them both out with the intention of possibly expanding the roles, or if they were always considered to be minor characters there for the storyline. Both characters first appeared around the same time in fact.

[Paul Raven]

Thanks again,your contributions are invaluable.

[DRW50]

Thanks so much to saynotoursoap for uploading this episode! I enjoyed most of this - the actors have a nice chemistry throughout. The only stuff that doesn't quite work for me is the stuff with Nancy Stafford as the stoned out punk club queen, although that is at least good for a laugh. I wonder if I'm biased because I've mostly seen her in good girl roles.

Any thoughts on this Mike Powers?

video gone

Edited October 18, 2014 by DRW50

[Khan]

Is that Stephen Burleigh (ex-Dr. Gary Walton, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW) playing Mike Powers?

He isn't bad. He certainly isn't unattractive, lol. (Then again, I'm biased when it comes to pre-1990's soap actors. I feel even the weakest ones are miles above what passes for "good" in this business today. Plus, I'm more likely to "swoon" over a Stephen Burleigh than I would over, say, a Roger Howarth? But that's just personal taste.) More importantly, he has a nice chemistry with Hillary Bailey Smith, who's playing Kit McCormick. (Their sparring sorta reminds me of ATWT's Tom and Margo, of all things, lol.) I mean, the dialogue or even situation (stuck together in an abandoned/isolated cabin in the middle of a snowdrift) isn't terribly original - perhaps, if the writers had worked a little harder at it, it might've been less cliched. But at least Burleigh and Smith are behaving like adults, and their characters' relationship comes across as a nice sort of counterpoint to Matt and Maggie's.

Edited April 23, 2011 by Khan

[alphanguy74]

You know, as many episodes of The Doctors as I sat through as a child... not hardly any of it stuck in my memory. I DO disctinctly remember the Erich Aldrich kidnapping SL, and it was scary as HELL. The only other thing that I remember was Althea being tied to a chair and the room being on fire. I don't remember when that was. For some reason, I remember Y&R really vividly, but not The Doctors, perhaps because I just watched it occasionally and passively and wasn't really INTERESTED in it. As and adult, i'd love to watch it.

Edited April 23, 2011 by alphanguy74

[Paul Raven]

Yes that is Burleigh. In one way,you have to give credit to TD for constantly recasting Mike and keeping him on the canvas,rather than sending him to soap limbo.

[DRW50]

An interview with an actor I don't know...and the back of the head of an Oscar winner!

March 1966 TV Picture Life.

[DRW50]

Edited April 24, 2011 by CarlD2

[Paul Raven]

Another rare find. Carl, extra Easter eggs for you !! There is so little around about TD (in fact all soaps) from the 60's.Interesting that he mentions that he was written out and returned as all cast lists have him on from 65-66.The character was a cattle baron involved with Ellen Burstyn's Dr Kate.

According to imdb he died age 75 in 97 Novelist, actor and artist. Adapted his 1975 novel "The Domino Principle" into the screenplay for Stanley Kramer's 1977 film of the same title, and wrote nine other screenplays as well. His oil paintings and watercolors have been exhibited in the United States and Europe.

Edited April 24, 2011 by Paul Raven

[DRW50]

Thanks for filling in the blanks. I didn't know that about his character - are there any photos of Ellen as Kate? How long was she around?

It seems like he came and went a lot. I wonder how long into 1966 he lasted.

Generally all I have found so far of the 60s Doctors is some articles with Jim Pritchett and one with Ann Williams, and then of course David O'Brien and Liz Hubbard at the end of the decade. I wish there was more.

This same issue talks about Bethel Leslie replacing Ann Williams, whom they call "beloved."

[Paul Raven]

Yes,i have photos of Ellen,but I'm not sure how to post them.

I am going to make this a priority,as I have some good stuff I'd like to share.

[DRW50]

I'd love to read it, I'm sure you'd put my stuff to shame.

[Paul Raven]

Tune in Tomorrow Anna Stuart article from 77 by Jon-Michael Reed

The Doctors is testing actresses to replace Anna Stuart in the role of Toni Powers.After half a dozen years on the show,apparently there's no love lost for Anna.She spared no words to express her dissatisfaction with how her character and storyline progressed.

"It's been a part-time job for me. I'm not on very much",she lamented to Afternoon TV magazine.And the decision to transform her ex-doctor husband into a policeman was'disgusting and appalling.In very bad taste"she added."If I'm going to lose my job because of some of the things I say,then that's my experience.I'll be unhappy to lose my job,but I'm ready to give it up,but I see no reason not to talk about these things.Officially,Anna did give up and "decided not to renew her contract" according to the studio.Perhaps she shouldn't have been so outspoken or at least stayed around a while longer to see what the writers develop because the scripting on The Doctors has inproved over the past few months.

Is Stuart complaining about DePriests writing? Strong words about Mike becoming a policeman-disgusting and appalling-maybe illogical or ridiculous?Was there some way it was handled onscreen to earn that criticism?

They decided not to recast and killed off Toni.

Reed is referring to Marland when he mentions the better scripts.

GH picked up Stuart but things didn't work out there either and she left the role of Gina.