Edge of Night (EON) (No spoilers please)

[victoria foxton]

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The Edge of Night (1979) - August 28, 1979 (Fanmade ABC Re-Broadcast)

[RavenWhitney]

These two episodes were broadcast on March 13 and 14 1979. Sharon Gabet's last episode before a six month break.  Her departure episode is one of the best EON / Slesar episodes ever.  Sharon's performance, the directing, music, the rest of the cast.  late 1978 and early 79 was a high water mark for Edge on ABC.  The next six months on the show was tough with Sharon's exit and the Mansion of the Damned plot. They also scrapped the Paige story and wrote her and Brian off.  But Kim Hunter was so entertaining. And when Sharon returned during Margo's murder trial it was the beginning of another big classic EON period.  

[j swift]

Though it feels odd to quote myself, I stand by that this is my favorite minute in soap history.

 

I also find it so clever that Logan telling Raven that she was incapable of loving another was the catalyst for leaving Jamey with April, and it became a character trait that haunted Raven until she had children with Sky.  

[Khan]

Thanks (again) for that clip, @j swift!

 

Henry Slesar's work on EON and CAPITOL remains a masterclass in dramatic writing.  And anyone who believes soaps can't be good if produced on small to no budgets need only to watch EON to see how wrong they are.  Next to Y&R, EON was the most atmospheric show on daytime.

[Paul Raven]

So true.

Edge always had a rep for cheap sets but looking at the August 79 eps the house set had a full staircase leading to a second level, rather than the dinky staircases seen on other soaps (then and now). And April and Drapers home had a period style with a definite flavor, rather than  the generic stuff we see now.

It's a big beef of mine that todays shows are still writing like its the 80's without the budget to back it up.

They need to go back to a more intimate approach.

[robbwolff]

It was actually September not March. That said, Raven’s speech in that episode was riveting.

[Paul Raven]

The amazing Holland Taylor as Denise Cavanaugh. Still working today (Netflix's Hollywood)

 

Some other Edge photo memories.

 

Edited May 8, 2020 by Paul Raven

[Soaplovers]

I actually didn't like Sky and Raven...too much airtime...and everyone was dumbed down to make them look smart.

[Paul Raven]

Winter and Logan. I believe she was the first guilty party to be tried and acquitted.

 

Kevin and Pheobe Jamison

 

Emily, Draper and April

 

[RavenWhitney]

The first four months of the Emily/Kirk storyline was painful. I hated that milk toast actress. But Slesar turned it around in the second half, culminating in the August amusement park location shoot.  Edge took off after that through Slesar's firing.  Last great chapter of the show.

Joe Lambie was a revelation. So sexy and dang good actor.

I loved Poppy and Eddie! I thought they should have kept Poppy around and made her Mitzi's sister.

It was so depressing to watch Lee Sheldon ruin the show in the last 18 months.

Edited May 9, 2020 by RavenWhitney

[FrenchFan]

I posted in the « discuss the soaps » summary for all soaps for January 1975 if you are ever interested. 

[robbwolff]

I mostly agree except for the the summer of 1982 with that ridiculous Republic of Eden storyline. It started off with such promise but then fell apart. To do this day, I don't understand why they cast Mark Andrews (Chad Sutherland). Yeah, he was cute but he was a terrible actor.  I also loved Poppy and Eddie. Poppy was so much fun.

[vetsoapfan]

 

As the years (decades!!!) go by, I look back with even more respect for Slesar's work than I had ever had before. I think I took his quality writing for granted and did not appreciate it as much as I should have at the time. There were still many great scribes penning the soaps in the 1970s, and I assumed we would always have good writers on board. Little did I know how far the genre would fall. 

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Henry Slesar could do it all: weave long-running and intricate storylines that involved most of the cast, create heartfelt romantic drama and family strife, and provide us with rich, colorful characters to root for.

 

How I miss soaps' halcyon years.

[RavenWhitney]

Interesting clip of Kim Hunter discussing Nola. I didn't realize Henry had only planned the character to be around for three months but he extended it another five months with the Elliot/murder storyline.

 

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[DRW50]

Kim was excellent as Nola. She deserved more credit than she got.