Edge of Night (EON) (No spoilers please)

[VelekaCarruthers]

I watched lived starting summer of 76 through the end but my older sibling watched and loved it from the time Henry took over in 68.

[Broderick]

1) I've often wondered what the solution SHOULD have been to the Larkin Malloy situation.  Yes, he was extremely popular as Jefferson Brown, he had great chemistry with Sharon Gabet's Raven Swift, and the story of Jeff Brown's "reign of terror" (and death) was GOOD material.  Watching him become so coldly evil and watching him knock off one victim after another was very memorable to me.  I can see why Slesar found it necessary to "revive" Larkin Malloy in the Schuyler Whitney character, but the entire Jefferson Brown storyline was predicated on the fact that Schuyler was dead.  It was almost an anti-climax to reveal that Schuyler was still alive, after all.  

With Draper and April gone, it made sense to step-up Raven and Schuyler into their roles as the young adult leads.  But when you'd planned for Schuyler to be dead, and now suddenly he's not, and you're having to rework all your long-term story projections, and there's a writer's strike also -- I believe it CRIPPLED Henry Slesar for the rest of his run on the show. 

Surely none of us really wanted Smiley Wilson, the Republic of Eden, and all the shenanigans of the Maskers.  That period became an unfortunate segue into the Nora Fulton storyline, which like the Jefferson Brown story, was (potentially) a GOOD story and a classic Edge story.  And we know it was essential to tell the Phonebook story simultaneously with the Nora Fulton story, as the two were intended to merge in the denouement.  But the PACING always seemed off to me (too little of the Nora Fulton investigation, and too much of the Phonebook storyline.)  

[Mrmike]

Does anyone know the original plan as to how Sky/Jeff storyline would have ended?

Also, does anyone know of the original storyline for the Children of the Earth and how it was going to go?

[DRW50]

I may have already posted this before but I found it in some old scans and decided to post it again. A TV Guide profile on Henry Slesar.

Please register in order to view this content

Edited November 29, 2024 by DRW50

[vetsoapfan]

I've read that article about Slesar before, but I love that sort of stuff, and was thrilled to see it again.

Thanks, @DRW50.

[Liberty City]

Amazing find. Thanks so much for sharing with us!

[j swift]

Thank goodness, the WGA came along and changed the process.  It is so weird to think that for years, writers were essentially given a budget rather than a salary.  So, these creative guys had to allocate money to scriptwriters, rather than having them directly employed by the production (along with benefits like health care and social security).  I recall Harding Lemay discussing a similar situation in his memoir.

It is impossible to imagine a modern writer in charge of two soaps simultaneously.  Especially given the intricate plotting of a Slesar soap.  I realize they were produced by the same company, but the idea that Sommerset and EON were on different networks is an additional unique consideration.

Much I like hoped that someone would be inspired by Lemay's memoir to write a MadMan-style drama about writing midcentury soaps, imagine being able to watch a dramatization of Slesar's pitches?  We've had some series about actors on soaps, but I am fascinated by the interaction between the productions and advertisers. 

Also, how cool is it that PG Woodhouse watched Edge? 

Edited November 29, 2024 by j swift

[VelekaCarruthers]

Henry was one of a kind. There has never been another talent like him. Not Agnes, Not Bill, Not Doug. Only Irna for her type of melodrama.  But no one matched Henry's ability to do a daytime crime/mystery soap consistently for 15 years. And write Somerset for 2 years. SFT for six months during those Edge years. Even his clunkers were better than anything done by other writers since he was fired in 1983.

[Khan]

Maybe it's because EON was not your average soap, but I found (and still find) Henry Slesar's writing to be so refreshingly ADULT.  

[Mrmike]

Never read that TV Guide article. 

Thank you for sharing.

[DRW50]

Thanks for reading it.

That was one of my main takeaways with the 1979/1980 material, which probably isn't even seen as his best. Just compare the inner life and complexity of a character like Deborah to later "lady supercop" figures like Harley or Josie.

[vetsoapfan]

Watching both TEON and SOM live during the time Slesar wrote the series, I was thrilled to see that each one was on fire creatively; excellent entertainment that kept me glued to my TV set.

Soap historians rightfully praise the likes of Phillips, Nixon and Bell for their contributions to the genre, but Slesar was also a master writer in his own right, and deserves so much respect. No one else has ever been able to match his ability to weave intricate, absorbing mystery dramas on daytime TV. 

I'd say Slesar reached his zenith in the early 1970s with the original Whitney-family/Jonah Lockwood saga, but even his later material, which isn't seen as his best, was miles above anything we've seen on soaps for the last few decades. Slesar could write it all: mystery, romance, domestic strife, and even comedic bits. The best aspect of his work is that during it all, his characters were layered, complex and INTELLIGENT.

 

[VelekaCarruthers]

And other than very few casting misses during the Slesar era (first Kelly, Chad, Jim Deidrickson when they were under pressure to go after the youth demo with model types to match some of the other soaps in the early 80s) all the performers were good to most excellent.  I always thought the first Nicole replacement (although I like some of her scenes when I watch now) was a big misstep. Too young, too different.  The second recast was somewhat better and also a capable actress.  They cast real actors, most with stage experience. Contrast that with GH under Valentini...

Edited December 8, 2024 by VelekaCarruthers

[Soaplovers]

Both were half hour soaps so I think it would have been easier to headwrite two soaps at the same time.

Edge of Night was a soap that would have faltered if expanded to an hour so I'm glad it never expanded.

Slesar's biggest misstep was keeping Raven on so long.  While popular, it really diluted the crime and mystery format by having her be the lead.  

[Broderick]

I'm guessing that article is from 1971 (?)  If that's the case, his gross pay from the two shows, which is cited as $350,000 would be nearly $3 million in today's dollars.  Not a bad haul of dough.  He deserved it, no question.