Edge of Night (EON) (No spoilers please)

[j swift]

The demographic mandate is an interesting issue.

If you think about it, Jody toward the end of 1984 was probably supposed to be around the same age as April when she started in the show in 1977.  But, April was an aspirational fantasy, so she married an attorney, and they lived in a cottage in Oakdale, until she inherited mother's penthouse.  Jody never had her own home and, after her dance career, she was never focused on a job.  She was just exalted for her youth and beauty.

If I was selling liquid Prell, I would rather pair it with the image of an upwardly mobile young mother in her own penthouse than a girl in love with a motorcycle enthusiast living in her step-brother-in-law's apartment (or was Miles her half-brother-in-law?)  Although both Jodys had great hair, the desire of advertisers to attract a young audience continues to defy logic.  Especially because the research that defined the mandate, initially published in 1971, has never been validated or replicated.

Edited August 19, 2023 by j swift

[robbwolff]

I'm not sure what Edge's taping schedule was like, but Raven vanished around Halloween 1984, right around the time that Edge's cancellation was announced. Sharon returned early from maternity leave to wrap up the show was back on screen by early December.

Edge continued to update its opening throughout most of 84. Beth did make it into the opening, along with Del and Jeremy sometime in 84. Liz wouldn't have been included in the opening. The opening credits only featured contract actors and Marcia Cross was recurring. Preacher and Jody were the closing shot until around August/September 84 when Raven and Sky were moved into that slot with footage from the recent Mexico remote.

By the time Sharon went on maternity leave, the emphasis on Jody had begun to fade. Whatever magic there was between Jody and Preacher was lost when Lori Loughlin left the show. Preacher was featured a lot with the new bad girl Liz while Sharon was on leave while the now boring Jody was beginning to be paired with the equally dull Jeremy. As for Jody, I'm not sure how old she was supposed to be, but she was a first-year student in college when the show ended. She started at Wellington College at the start of 84 and then transferred to a college in Monticello by mid-year (when the Wellington College murders storyline ended).

 

 

 

[j swift]

I'm assuming she was in her early 20s because she trained as a dancer for a while, and I think she was old enough to go to the VideoDisco (even with a fake ID), before she went to Wellington.

 

Edited August 19, 2023 by j swift

[DRW50]

Wasn't April just a tortured heroine for her first few years on the show? Then they got to the story about her mother.

Edited August 19, 2023 by DRW50

[j swift]

IIRC, April's first storyline was about her poor health, which she tried to keep hidden from Draper so as not to feel as if he was beholden to her out of pity rather than love.  That coincided with Denise's reign of terror, which then lead to reveal that Margo was April's biological mother.

However, my point @DRW50, was that April's circumstances were so much more mature when she was the young lead, than Jody's seven years later.  Even though, April in 1977 would've been a similar age to Jody in 1984.  But, under Sheldon, writer who was tasked with attracting a younger audience, Jody remained a college student who was dependent on others, while April was allowed more agency as a young adult under Slesar.  For example, they both lived in the same penthouse, but April owned it, because she inherited it from Margo, while Jody lived there due to the largess of her half-sister's widower.

One other thought, I always get confused whether Jody was Nicole's step-sister or her half-sister.  Obviously, she was a retcon.  However, Nicole was wealthy, while not much was made of Jody's economic status.  I know before my time as a fan, Nicole's father was convicted due to mob ties.  So maybe the money was gone by the time Jody came of age?  But, it is a source of confusion in my memory.

Edited August 21, 2023 by j swift

[Broderick]

Half-sister, I believe.  My recollection is that Ben Travis had an affair with Jody's mother while he was married to Nicole's mother.  It was a touchy subject when Jody first appeared, having to tell Nicole that (a) "your dad had an affair" and (b) "I'm your little sister".  

I agree that April Cavanaugh was a far more complex character than Jody ever was.  

April had that whole mysterious thing going on with the visions she sometimes suffered from, after her heart stopped beating for a few minutes; no one was ever sure whether to take her premonitions seriously or not.  Also, she wasn't some spineless little jellyfish.  When Raven started badgering her mercilessly, she would roll her eyes, flick her hair out of her face and tell Raven, "Get out, and don't come back."  It was refreshing to see an ingenue stand up for herself, the way April often did.  

[DRW50]

Joel Crothers is in the first ad (maybe the first ad I've ever seen him in). Jon Cypher is in one later in the video.

 

[Paul Raven]

If an actor landed a national commercial that played for a decent period of time they could pocket a tidy sum.

[Matt Powers]

Watching June 80 episodes and it’s barely 4 mos since Draper’s train incident and April is already making goo goo eyes at Logan. guess Slesar didn’t believe in taking things slow. Lol

[Broderick]

What's funny is that if you go back and look at VERY EARLY 1980, before Margo was even murdered, Slesar was already previewing it to the audience.  Draper, April, and Logan were playing Monopoly.  April was telling Logan that she'd been dreaming about Draper, a "silver bracelet" (the handcuffs), and a train whistle.  She also said she was trying to decide on a girl's name for her baby, even though it would "probably be a boy".  Logan remarked that in his family, everyone's first name was the mother's surname.  April asked, "So your mother's maiden name was LOGAN?"  Logan Swift said, "Yep, JULIA Logan."  That one scene previewed the next 6 months of storyline -- baby Julia, Draper's arrest, the train derailment, and April's relationship with Logan.  

[Matt Powers]

Just read an old article about Dennis Parker (Derek Mallory). He was involved with Joey Phipps (the 1st Kelly McGrath) and assisted him in getting the job. Seems like Dennis was extremely well liked-Sharon Gabet had nothing but nice things to say about him 

[gimmetoo]

Can you link to the article ?

[Matt Powers]

https://www.therialtoreport.com/2017/06/25/wade-nichols/

FYI: Wade Nichols was the name he used in his adult film career 

Edited August 26, 2023 by Matt Powers

[Soaplovers]

Jody is a prime example of a weak character becoming famous/featured due to the actress vs the character.  Lori L was cute, warmth, and earnestness that she infused into the character of Jody.   Once Lori left, it became very apparent that Jody was almost a non entity as a character.

April is a prime example that you can have an ingenue with a backbone and still be interesting/likable. I always wonder had the actress not left.. how she would have fit into EON beyond 1981.. and how she would have interacted with Raven/Sky.

[j swift]

Not to mention the Brooke Shields effect.  Thematically, ABC soaps jumped on the cultural bandwagon of the moment.  Lori's long brunette locks when paired with a love interested who rocked a blond perm was a perfect daytime analogy for the Blue Lagoon.

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Edited August 26, 2023 by j swift