Edge of Night (EON) (No spoilers please)

[amybrickwallace]

How long a gap was there between Loughlin's and Emerson's Jodys? 

[Soaplovers]

Personally, Jody lost all of her charm and charisma with Loughlin's departure.  Jody became just a prop and was in essence just there when her replacement came in.

 

I'm guessing maybe a few weeks?  I think Lori left at the very end of 1983 and her replacement came in around January/Feb 1984

[danfling]

I may be wrong, but this is what I seem to recall.   Soaplovers is right, the original Jody had very little to do her last months.   Most of her scenes were with Miles and, I guess, Preacher.

 

Jody went away to college, and was not seen for a few weeks.   Then, there were scenes at the school, and Kerry Emmerson was playing the role.

[j swift]

The sidelining of Jody didn't hold true to the character.  First, in '84 there was a college story which ended with Jody transferring to Montecello U in order to be closer to Miles and Preacher.  Second, Liz Corell wound up with Preacher under the guise that they were better suited because they both loved adventure and came from damaged backgrounds.  However, Jody was totally into adventure and usually willing to help solve a murder or go undercover at a videodisco, and Jody's background was much more f@#$ed up than Liz's.  I agree that the recast was wooden and lacked the joie d'vivre of the original; also she was too tall.  However, I recall seeing Kerry Emmerson on those floor mop commercials for years after EON so her woodenness paid off.

 

I don't recall what the pay off for the skull that Liz was recreating in the final months?  BTW, props to EON for still giving characters a specialization right up until the end everyone had an ability to help solve a mystery.

Edited June 22, 2018 by j swift

[Soaplovers]

I think Liz was created because Jody became more wooden and lacking spirit/fire once she was recast.  Some of Liz's actions/stunts reminded me of stuff that Jody would have done if Loughlin had stayed in the part.

[j swift]

Do you recall how the skull she was recreating paid off in the story?

 

I know it wasn't Lionel Richie from the Hello video, but it looked like it.

Edited June 22, 2018 by j swift

[Soaplovers]

I think it turned out that skull she was recreating was of a murder victim.. and that the killers stole it.  I think it led to the return of Laurie Kerr (Mike Kerr's daughter).

[DRW50]

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No clips with this, sadly. Someone in the comments said it was from 9/8/72. No real way of knowing I guess.

Edited June 23, 2018 by DRW50

[amybrickwallace]

 

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[Paul Raven]

July 1963

 

Irving Vendig is one of the most successful men in TV, but he lives in Sarasota, Florida, and rarely bothers to come to New York. Vendig and his associate, James Gentile. write the popular, long-running CBS soap opera "Edge of Night. Mr Vendig has been turning out well polished daytime misery for the past 25 years, and he is considered the best in his field. Playwright Marc Connelly calls "Edge of Night" one of the best written shows on TV. and fan mail has come in from the likes of Tallulah Bankhead and Shirley Booth. Many a top exec, bedded down with some minor ailment, has become so enthralled with the ti-nibles of "Edge of Night" that he has procrastinated and lengthened his illness hoping to see the end of a plot. But Mr. Vendig's show is one that never ends.

 

I asked Irving whether he responds to audience criticism of the show. "I get quite a bit of mail," he replied, "and Jim and I go through all of it. We do not change the situation to please the fans, but years of experience have taught me how to interpret the letters. If we get a batch of threatening mail telling us that if we don't do some-thing the listeners are going to turn us off and never watch again . . . then we know we re right on the ball. In fact, such letters are a tipoff for us to slow the pace of the series. Conversely, complimentary letters mean we have to speed it up."

 

Vendig. who used to write "Judy Jane," and "Perry Mason" on radio, always used an apprentice to assist him in the grind Thirteen years ago. he was shopping around for an assistant , when James Gentile was suggested to him by a mutual friend, a University of Florida professor. Jim was working in a Florida radio station and Irving refused to see him, but requested a copy of anything he had written. Gentile sent him an article on aitificial insemination and Vendig saw something in the style and quality, and offered the young man an apprenticeship at $50 a week. "During the first year I had him writing dialogue, but I don't think I used a sentence a week," continued Vendig. "Then, as he progressed, I gave him more and more responsibility--and money--and now he is a full partner. At the time. I was doing 'Search for Tomorrow.' a 15-minute show, and that's where Jim really started " Vendig and Gentile are now interchangeable writers. The training was so complete that they do not have to collaborate on individual scripts. ' We each write three-day sequences." explained Vendig "Then we edit each other. We work anywhere from 45 to 60 hours a week, so please don't picture us loafing on our lawns in Florida." They do not come to New York for conferences. Their sponsors go to them.

 

The series is generally plotted as much as four years in advance, but there's always room for changes This time, they came to New York because they were requesting more money from the sponsor. They were very impressed by a young actress who portrayed a minor running role for about 15 shows "We liked her so much we want to write her in. Now this entails a budget increase because we will need more sets and production money to tell her story, so we thought we'd have a better chance appealing for it in person. Naturally, this means writing ahead, but all our vacations and side trips require that New York always has three to four weeks of completed scripts." continued the 59-year-old native of Holly Springs, Mississippi

 

Vendig is a bug on plot structure and that accounts for his reputation as the best in the field He runs one main plot and one sub plot and develops them in such a way that when a main crisis is resolved the minor one is in a position to bloom "Characterization is also vital," he said, "because our audiences must believe that these people exist. We do not want stereotypes, but living, breathing people with real problems." Irving's daughter, a former actress who appeared on one of his shows, is married to a doctor and Irving quite frankly admits that her childhood problems often cropped up in the show Gentile has a wife and three youngsters who are also used as models In addition to "Edge of Night." Vendig is currently working on a play He is writing it alone, but he said that when it's finished partner Jim will come in for the rewrites.

 

I noted that Irving winced when I advertently used the cliche ' soap opera," and he obviously prefers the more acceptable term "daytime drama." ' Performers on my show are more famous than the biggest night-time stars " he concluded "Wherever they go they are greeted not by stage name but by character name One of my actresses summed it up beautifully when she said that she's a celebrity in every restaurant but Sardi's."

[Soaplovers]

Given the current climate in our country (with the Russian investigation, a power hungry president and loyal stuff willing to lie)... the ISIS story from 1983 is so relevant in this day and age.  Rewatching it now on Youtube.. very well done with the introduction of Alicia (who appears to be a victim, but we soon find out she is anything but LOL)

[amybrickwallace]

I remember reading somewhere that when Irving Vendig, when he was writing SFT, couldn't even watch the show because the CBS affiliate near his home in Florida didn't carry it!! 😨

[j swift]

I went back and read the SOD synopsis.

 

Liz recreated the bust from a skull, it was then stolen from the police lab.  Liz remembered/admitted to Preacher that she was in the same hospital as Laurie Karr, after being beaten as a sex worker.  Liz and Laurie had a third friend who was killed and buried; it was her skull that was later found. The dead woman had been killed by a nefarious guy at the hospital who was also drugging Laurie Karr.  Once the guy was caught, Laurie recovered and returned home in the final week of the show to Nancy and Mike's house.

 

Obviously the plot was rushed by the cancellation because the plot holes are enormous.  First, how long was the friend dead that all that was left was a skull?  Second, why wouldn't Liz mention Laurie being in danger right away when she came to town and met the Karr's?  Also, if Liz wasn't working on the reconstruction and recognized the face, how would the police have figured out the identity of the murder victim? 

 

I had mixed up my memories of the characters of Shelly and Liz because they functioned similarly in the story but, Shelly left Montecello to work with Gavin in Hollywood just as Liz arrived in town.

[Paul Raven]

August 67

Frank Campanella temped for Mandel Kramer as Bill Marceau when Mandel was in rehearsal for a Broadway show.

[rlj]

Wow forgot James Horan (ex Denny AW, ex Clay ;Loving) sub'd for LM as Sky

 

I knew Crothers and Parker were gay now I am reading that IAL (Calvin) and CJ(Damien) are also gay, makes me think fine as David Alan Brooks (Jim Dedrickson) was too 😎