The Original Cast of Soaps

[Paul Raven]

Some very interesting posts,guys.

I agree that making Erica as famous and successful as she did was a mistake.It was symptomatic of the changes in 80's soaps.It would have been better had Erica experienced some success,enough to feed her ego so she could return to Pine Valley as a 'star',but deep down knowing she was strictly 'b grade',thus feeding her insecurities and neediness.

As primetime soaps took off,daytime got more attention as soaps became more mainstream and the networks wanted a more nightime feel to the shows eg miltimillionaires,big business etc.

The shows didn't have the budget to depict that sort of lifestyle.Dallas,Dynasty etc began as stories of mega wealth,whereas AMC,OLTL etc were more about middle class small towns and suddenly they had to accomodate the Chandlers,Buchanans etc.

It changed the focus and feel.

The hour soaps allowed writers to add more characters,but slowly those new characters lost connection to the core as they began to interact with newer characters etc.

[EricMontreal22]

Yeah I think I can agree with that--I still think Agnes did it better than some other examples--building up her soaps to compete with the glam and riches of the primetime ones--but yeah.

One thing is AMC -- as note din many soap books--alwasy had a sligthly alrger cast of main characters than most 30 minute soaps in the 70s had--especially compared to the way Bell liked to write Y&R for example

[Manny]

Okay, with all this history talk... anyone know if there is some place I could find all the yearly summeries for DAYS? I used to have it, but I lost that. Now I can't find it anymore. I have for Y&R and ABC shows. But I would LOVE to have yearly recaps for DAYS.

[EricMontreal22]

NBC.com doesn't provide them?

[Mitch]

Does anyone know why or how Judge Lowell was written off the show? (ATWT was always my mom's fave show and as a kid it was always "nap time," for her to watch her story, so when I came back to ATWT in 78, the Judge was already gone but he never had made an impression on me like Lisa, Bob, Nancy, Chris and Grandpa did, so I didnt miss him.)

Was it the Dobsons who did it (as they obscured the Hughes and forced Helen Wagner to quit a year or two later.)

[Paul Raven]

I think Judge Lowell just faded away. William Johnstone was getting on in years and hadn't been appearing much.

For whatever reason(maybe he was ill and unable to work for a while?)he never re-appeared.

I see 78 as mentioned,but I have a SOD with a full color picture of him and Kathryn Hays in a mid 79 issue,which indicates he was still considered part of the cast at that time.

With all the changes that were taking place at that time,I think the character got lost in the shuffle.

The same question has been asked about Alma,Lisa's mom.It seems she last appeared in 77 and then disappeared.

[SteveFrame]

It was typical of so many of the older characters on the CBS shows in the 70s. Theirs death were never acknowledged and they just sort of faded and lived forever.

That happened with Nancy's parents on The Edge of Night. And I think Winston Grimsley. He just stopped appearing and then in 1984 someone said he had died or maybe a little before that.

I guess the writers didn't feel the characters were worthy enough of an exit. Or maybe felt they might use them again sometimes - who knows.

[EricMontreal22]

Ugh I hate when soaps do that--though of course it happens (when was Larry Wolek last on OLTL? I coulda sworn it was in the past 5 years--when Al was dieing?)_

[Mitch]

I remember around 1985 or so Fulton had to leave for a few months and they gave they excuse that she was going to Florida to take care of Alma...and I remember thinking "Is Alma still alive???" Could have sworn she died on the show.

But Lisa and Alma always struck a cord for me as a kid. As I said, it was "quiet time," or nap time at 12:30 each day so my mom could watch her show. As a little kid I somehow related to Lisa (my parents should have had a big old gay dar ringing over that one) as she was the only adult on TV who used to get yelled at by her parents. Lisa appealed to the five year old in me cause she would always [!@#$%^&*] up, feel sorry for it, and get yelled at by her mother...very relatable!!!

[SteveFrame]

Was that in 1984 when Betsy Von Fursterburg was fired from the show. I was thinking that is why Lisa left town.

Of course Lisa reemerged in grand fashion on August 3, 1984 when Eileen Fulton returned to the role to find her husband Whit had been shot. Man I still remember that day - man I was totally blown away by Fulton's acting that day. Talk about a grand return - a return done totally right.

It was also one of the first times that I remember a return being really advertised well. Believe me it was nothing like the bad ad campaign that ABC did for the real Greenlee.

They were very classy advertising Eileen Fulton's return and the story too.

[All My Shadows]

Alma Miller is one long-time, old-time ATWT character that I know next to nothing much about. She was Lisa's mother, and that's all I know. Based on pictures I've seen of her, she looks like she was a real prune-faced old broad who didn't mind slapping Lisa around whenever she needed her ass handed to her. How long was she on the show, about 15 years?

[Mitch]

From what I can remember as a little kid, most of the time she would roll her eyes and say in disgust...."Oh LISA!!!"

Believe it or not it used to be Nancy Hughes who would be the one handing people their asses on a plate when need be. They mellowed her out considerably into the sweet grandmother. The closest thing to her was Mary Stuart played Aunt Meta...a kick ass broad who had been around who didnt take any [!@#$%^&*], in between babysitting. I remember, (probably an adlib from MOL) when Rick joked about Aunt Meta's love of poker and brown drinks. Could totally see it!

[Mitch]

No, that was after the return you were talking about...it was just a month or two where Fulton left for a play or something.

I remember that return..the promos "There's murder in Oakdale, and Lisa's right in the middle of it!" What I didnt get about the return is that they had Whit married to a Las Vegas stripper Charlene so his marriage to Lisa was not legal..and they dropped it. Would have been fun to see RealLisa have to put up with "Aunt Charlene!"

God, now this is why I can't remember where my car keys are..too much useless info running around up there!

[cct]

Eric, this would've been slightly before you started watching AMC, maybe, but there was a Katie Kenicott. Joey (now Jake), played by Michael Brainerd had married Emily Ann (Billy Clyde and Donna's child), played by Liz Vassey. Well Emily Ann went crazy and I believe she tried to kill Katie Kenicott, because she thought she was after Joey. Katie was a nurse at PVH, and was only on for this storyline and then was written out shortly afterward. Can't remember the actress's name, but she had puffy lips. I'm sure I could look it up.

[cct]

By the way, Eric, SERIOUSLY appreciating the youtube hook-up to the interview with AGnes. Have watched the first two parts so far and am fascinated. I do get the sense that she's quite annoyed with the interviewer at times. She gives here these looks like, "Are you stupid?" The interviewer also seems to be very interested in getting her to date things, and of course, it's all been so long ago, Nixon can't quite remember. This also seems to work Nixon's nerve.

Nixon was very gracious when discussing some things. I could tell there was more there than meets the eye. "Irna and I are two VERY different people..."

THe first part of the Bell interview didn't have sound, though.