Texas! Discussion Thread

[Paul Raven]

@j swift Thanks for your insights and observations.

I think Texas fans would be au fait  with story and want more bts stuff as would those readers who are not neccessarily soap fans, but interested in the workings of tv in general .

Of course some context needs to be provided.

But overall Texas stands as a testament of how not to launch a soap. 

Kind of parallel to Silverman's primetime bomb Supertrain.

[robbwolff]

Just finished the Texas book and figured I’d share my impressions. As a fan of Texas from the first episode to the last, it was a joy to revisit the show and the characters and storylines that entertained me in my late teens. I’m especially appreciative of the interviews with Pam Long, Joyce Corrington, Philip Clark, and John McCafferty. The book reminded me of my crush on Clark, and the wonderful friendships of Iris & Vivien and Ruby & Lurlene. It also reminded me of how incredible McCafferty was in his performances as Billy Joe. I really loved learning about the friendship of Pam Long & Gail Kobe. And I loved the fond memories it brought back: laughing as Ruby and Lurlene tried to dispose of Beau's body, terrified for Lurlene as Bubba attacked her, the nail-biting scenes of the Marshall Ranch burning to the ground.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find this book as engrossing as the recent Ryan’s Hope book. Overall, I felt like I didn’t learn much new and kept wanting more. For instance, I wanted to know more about the Corrington’s plans for Reunion. Did they reuse any of Reunion’s bible for Texas? I would like to know more about Pam Long’s plans for the show, including the introduction of a Hispanic family. Besides the Phillip-Beth storyline, did Long reuse any of her other planned Texas stories on Guiding Light? I was also baffled by a few things. Why is there no mention of Entertainment Tonight announcing the cancellation of Texas around April 1982? I clearly remember how devastated I felt when I heard the news and the elation the next night when Entertainment Tonight reported that the show would continue. (I can’t recall if NBC had changed its mind or if was Entertainment Tonight’s mistake in reporting the cancellation.) And sorry if this seems nitpicky, but as a writer/editor, I have to say that the book would have benefitted from close proofreading and some fact-checking. There are so many typos that I found distracting. Ginny is referenced as Jenny. Names are misspelled. Punctuation is missing. Another character is referred to by the wrong name on multiple occasions. The hospital is incorrectly referred to as Gold Coast Hospital. It was Gulfcoast Hospital, a nod to Houston being close to the Gulf of Mexico.

And I was so freaking proud to see @antmunoz in the acknowledgments!!

 

 

[Mona Kane Croft]

Although I haven't finished the book, I am also disappointed more of this type of stuff isn't included.  For instance, I'd like to know what other plots the Corringtons had planned, that were either nixed by tptb, or they didn't have time to get to before being fired.  I'm pretty sure Maggie Dekker had some kind of secret that likely involved her nephew, Rikki.  Was he really her son rather than nephew?  There were hints of something between these two characters that was completely dropped when Maggie was abruptly written off.  I'm sure the Corringtons had an entire list of upcoming plots when they were fired, and I was hoping to learn about those.   As I said, I haven't finished the book, so maybe some of the things I'm looking for are included.  But I'm not hopeful.  

Edited March 18 by Mona Kane Croft

[TheyStartedOnSoaps]

I'm was surprised to hear how fast the Texas book was published. I had assumed it would take a good two years to be written and published. But it seems like this was written and published in under a year. Just reading the two reviews above, it sounds like this was a rushed job, when it shouldn't have been. 

[robbwolff]

The book very briefly touches on Maggie when she was written out in September 1981. I think there's one sentence that says that a dark storyline had been planned and that Maggie may have been a prostitute or madam.

The stuff about Paul Rader's stint as head writer is quite interesting

[VelekaCarruthers]

I'm not planning to buy or read the book. I'm curious what was written about Rader/Flescher as they were brought in (suspiciously) three months after the end 1981 writers' strike (probably when Pursuer/Radcliffe's contract was up). Never heard of them. Rader stayed as a breakdown/scriptwriter until cancellation. I think Pam was only head writer (officially) for about 8 weeks at the end.

[robbwolff]

According to Carolyn Culliton, Paul Rader was a novelist Gail Kobe discovered and decided to hire. With no daytime experience, he ended up writing the show longer than any other head writer. Kobe picked up a copy of his 1969 novel, Professor Wilmess Must Die, in an airport and decided to hire him as head writer. Jeff Ryder said that Kobe's decision to hire Rader was unexpected and that he wasn't impressed with Rader's story projections. Gerald Flesher worked in advertising and was hired as the show's story editor. Gary Tomlin suspects that Flesher was writing the show during the 1981 writers' strike.

Long wrote Texas longer than the last eight weeks. Rader was credited as head writer during some of her run, possibly because of contractual reasons. Long states that the fire at the Marshall Ranch was her work but apparently Rader was credited as the head writer. Rader did join Long's writing team writing outlines but didn't last because he didn't know how to write outlines. He quickly left the show.

One of Long's plans was to restore Billy Joe to his bad boy ways.

 

[Khan]

Tom Lisanti's work has inspired me to write my own book: "Where the Ratings Ain't: A Comprehensive Oral History of CBS' Groundbreaking Soap Opera 'Where the Heart Is'...As Told by the Few Who Still Remember It."

[Xanthe]

Just got my copy of the Texas book. I haven't started it yet but although I knew it wasn't likely I had hoped for an index so I could jump to specific topics if I wanted to. Serves me right for buying a hardback rather than a searchable ebook.

[j swift]

I was surprised the e-book hasn't been released, because that is how I read his last book.

[Efulton]

I finished Tom Lisanti’s book and I really enjoyed it. I love that the cast and crew still have such love and respect for Texas after all of these years. The timing of the book’s release was perfect for me as I am rewatching Texas on YouTube.  I am currently watching episodes where Elliot Carrington and Jeb Hampton have just been introduced. For me the show is starting to find its groove. The Tanquir story is over, Paige is scheming, Reena and Max are fighting their attraction to each other, Dennis’ paternity is about to blow up and some unlikeable characters are soon to be written out (Dawn, Clipper). I believe that if the Corringtons had been given a full year they may have been able to get the ratings up a bit. Although they really wrote a lot a violence against women. It’s a bit uncomfortable to watch.  

[Contessa Donatella]

Just got the kindle version!

BTW, Tom said the prequel he's working on will cover "Reunion" at least it will if Joyce has commentary to add, which of course is his wish. 

[TEdgeofNight]

I’m reading the Texas book. There is a pattern where Beverlee always felt overworked on AW, Texas and GL.  Her last day at Texas where she played the song Take This Job and Shove It, is not very flattering. 

[Gatecrashers]

I read the whole thing, and I wholeheartedly agree. I'm 46 and didn't see it in its original run, but I was really curious about all the BTS stuff like you are. I mean, giving a storyline by storyline breakdown was not really interesting and certainly didn't push me to watch the show's run on YouTube. Honestly, I wanted to learn more about how Texas influenced 1980s Guiding Light, which I have fond memories of growing up with.

[Melroser]

I found this part to be hilarious. On the surface it sounds mean, but those that have worked with Beverlee have said she had a wicked sense of humor. I'm sure this was done tongue-in-cheek while still getting a point across. 

I, too, wish there had been more focus on backstage drama going on. There definitely seemed to be enough of it. As someone else said, Texas seems to be a blueprint for how not to launch a soap. Starting a new show already in progress (with its stories starting on AW) had to have been a turnoff for non-AW fans tuning for a chance to watch a new show at the beginning. (Think BTG recently.) It seems the show was doomed from the start. 

My biggest memory of Texas was the Hitopah storyline and Brette being in the cave to get the Fire Compass only to have legions of snakes fall on her while retrieving it. I was 9. It terrified me, but I loved the Indiana Jones type of story. I was surprised to realize the head writer, Rader, had been hired to write the show because of a random book Kobe plucked out of an airport bookstore.

I know some people love Kobe, but she didn't come across to me like someone who knew what she was doing. Randomly hiring completely unexperienced writers for the show (Rader, then Long) doesn't seem wise. Although, I guess Long turned out okay. Kobe also seemed petty with actors. Not utilizing someone like Kin Shriner because she felt he wasn't behind her or the show seemed stupid. Wasn't there a comment she was afraid to focus on Courtney/Jeb because if they became popular it would just be a bigger loss when they left? Umm...you're at the bottom of the ratings. Is it worse to have attention on a couple for a month than not at all. The show needed attention! And who is to say Kin Shriner wouldn't have stayed if he felt utilized and had story? He admitted he loved living in New York.

Didn't Phillip Clark also get ignored once it was known he was going to exit at the end of his contract? He was moved offscreen. Ryan and Ginny were arguably the most popular couple on the show and you just sideline Ryan instead of using him while you can? 

I also noticed Harley Kozak make the comment that she had nothing juicy to tell about anything behind the scenes of Texas because they all genuinely liked each other, but if she had been asked about Guiding Light....   PLEASE, someone ask her about GL! 

I loved the new direction Texas was going in the last year. Probably because Ruby became my favorite character and I loved the Mark/Ruby/Rikki/Brette quad. And, of course, I loved the Reena/Justin/Ashley triangle. If only they could have been given more time...(without being moved to 11 am.. Yes, the share went up, but viewership went down.)

Edited April 5 by Melroser