8 minutes ago, chrisml said:

I don't know if Larsen was on AW before Texas or what happened after MCKinsey left, but I would have tuned in every day just to see these two.

Lisby Larson did make a few appearances on AW as Paige, in the lead up to Texas' debut, but Paige and Iris didn't meet until Texas, IIRC.

16 minutes ago, chrisml said:

I watched an hour's worth of scenes with Lisby Larsen and Beverlee McKinsey fighting and it was riveting. I wanted more. They were excellent sparring partners. I don't know if Larsen was on AW before Texas or what happened after MCKinsey left, but I would have tuned in every day just to see these two.

This must be why they paired them on GL. I can't say anything done with Larsen there impressed me.

6 hours ago, Tisy-Lish said:

Erica was not the star of AMC at the beginning.  Plus Erica was never as mean and dangerous as Iris.  

Lisa was also never as mean (or as effectively mean) as Iris. By the time Liza became wealthy, she had mellowed considerably. 

And Rachel had reformed before she became the lead at AW.

I think the question TPTB were dealing with at Texas was, how do we build an entire new show around such an antagonistic character?  And is that even possible or advisable??  And they decided against doing that.  I've always believed that was the reason they turned Iris into a heroine.  Otherwise, why not just let her remain neurotic and deceitful?  I can't think of another reason they would have changed Iris so much.  

Well, there's plenty we disagree about but it really doesn't matter. The thing is I am under the impression that they did not know what they were doing at TEXAS. Maybe that is an incorrect impression but I really don't think it is. If they'd had good sense on how to best use Beverlee things might have been so different. I know hindsight is hardly fair. I'm sure they tried their best. I always come back to wondering what if they'd stuck with their original idea. It always seemed a helluva lot more interesting that Daytime's version of The Ewings on a big ass ranch, if you know what I mean & I'm sure you do.

 

4 hours ago, DRW50 said:

AW would have been hurt without Rachel but at least she could have carried a soap (and the show doesn't really know what to do with Rachel in the early '80s anyway).

I agree!  Granted, I didn't watch back then, but what I've read - Rachel had gone blind AND had lost her memory by the mid-'80's? - doesn't sound all that great to me.

Edited April 8Apr 8 by Khan

5 hours ago, Khan said:

I agree!  Granted, I didn't watch back then, but what I've read - Rachel had gone blind AND had lost her memory by the mid-'80's? - doesn't sound all that great to me.

Surprisingly, they didn't go for the trifecta and have her in a coma/have a near-death experience.

No way would AW send Rachel to a spinoff. She and Mac were all that remained of the glory days. Fans would be furious if Rachel left Mac and headed off to a new show.

The only reason Bev went to Texas was her decision to leave AW. So they offered her $$$ and a shorter contract to star in the new show.

Just now, Paul Raven said:

No way would AW send Rachel to a spinoff. She and Mac were all that remained of the glory days. Fans would be furious if Rachel left Mac and headed off to a new show.

The only reason Bev went to Texas was her decision to leave AW. So they offered her $$$ and a shorter contract to star in the new show.

You're right, although AW kept Rachel and Mac apart for almost all of Texas! lifespan anyway. But Rachel moving to a new show entirely would have been much starker. I do think it could have been interesting...and maybe this would have been the time to bring back Pammy and Gerald. 

(sorry, I know this is all more suited to the AW thread now)

4 hours ago, Franko said:

Surprisingly, they didn't go for the trifecta and have her in a coma/have a near-death experience.

Well, they came close.  Rachel was blind three different times, the first time in 1978 at the end of the Sven plot. And then two more times during the 1980s.  She also had amnesia in the mid-1980s. And she did have a near-death experience during AW's 25th anniversary week in 1989.  I believe Iris was in Bay City to witness only the first and the last of these ailments.   

Edited April 8Apr 8 by Tisy-Lish

13 minutes ago, Tisy-Lish said:

Well, they came close.  Rachel was blind three different times, the first time in 1978 at the end of the Sven plot. And then two more times during the 1980s.  She also had amnesia in the mid-1980s. And she did have a near-death experience during AW's 25th anniversary week in 1989.  I believe Iris was in Bay City to witness only the first and the last of these ailments.   

Iris was also there when Rachel was briefly blinded in the early '90s.

13 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Iris was also there when Rachel was briefly blinded in the early '90s.

Each time Rachel was blind, did she ever mention in dialogue that she had been blind before?  Or was each occurrence of her blindness treated as totally new?  I realize each occurrence had a completely different cause, but still she should have mentioned being blind previously.  Even if it was just a throw away line.  Does anyone remember?  And did any of these cases of blindness take place while Iris and Dennis were in Texas?  It would have been fun to see Iris's eye-roll, as Rachel goes blind for the second and third time.  LOL.  

Edited April 8Apr 8 by Tisy-Lish

4 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

No way would AW send Rachel to a spinoff. She and Mac were all that remained of the glory days. Fans would be furious if Rachel left Mac and headed off to a new show.

The only reason Bev went to Texas was her decision to leave AW. So they offered her $$$ and a shorter contract to star in the new show.

That's not exactly my impression of how it happened. They had it in their heads that they needed Iris long before they actually talked to Beverlee about it. By that time VW had suggested to her that she play hardball with them in regards to a new contract, which she did & is the reason she got so much money & also the star billing. Since they wanted her more than she wanted them, she had a distinct advantage.

17 hours ago, DRW50 said:

It's too bad they got cold feet about the Doctors spinoff as I think that could have actually worked.

I wish more was known about all that didn't happen to the Doctors! Why did they not go forward with the hour long version?

Was watching a GL ep from 1986 and Jerry Lanning was playing a character named Cain. He chewed up more scenery than Kim Zimmer! Did he play Justin in such an over the top way as well?

4 hours ago, Tisy-Lish said:

Well, they came close.  Rachel was blind three different times, the first time in 1978 at the end of the Sven plot. And then two more times during the 1980s.  She also had amnesia in the mid-1980s. And she did have a near-death experience during AW's 25th anniversary week in 1989.  I believe Iris was in Bay City to witness only the first and the last of these ailments.   

Oh, that's right, I forgot about the near-death experience in 1989, the one with Steve (once again played by George Reinholt) and Janice.

12 hours ago, Tisy-Lish said:

Rachel was blind three different times, the first time in 1978 at the end of the Sven plot. And then two more times during the 1980s.

I remember Rachel was blind (after the car crash that killed Steve?)when Mac pretended to be Reginald Fearing,but what were the circumstances of the 3rd time she was blinded?

At some point, soaps stopped using the blind/paralysis stories, when disability awareness grew. Same with rape as a plot device.