On 9/3/2023 at 1:48 PM, AbcNbc247 said:

Idk those final years of AW seemed like a really sketchy time. So much interference, so much back and forth with NBC and P&G, that maybe even one of the greats that you mentioned may have had just as much of a difficult time as Malone did. 

I remember being very excited when Michael Malone was hired as HW since I really enjoyed his first stint at OLTL, but as mentioned, none of the stories clicked. I especially hated that Alexander Nikos story.

1 hour ago, chrisml said:

Soaps seemed to like the new age/psychic thing. The character of Sandra Mills on Santa Barbara appeared a few months before Frankie Frame. Sandra could be the original for all of this. Someone at NBC obviously liked psychics because yrs later Celeste would show up on DAYS. 

I think I even remember SB flirting with the idea of turning Minx Lockridge (the second actress to portray the role) into some sort of New Age-y type character...which came out of nowhere.

I've been looking at some of the episodes where Lily, the daughter of one of John's friends from Vietnam, out of nowhere comes to stay with John after Sharlene is presumed dead in 1992. Since nothing ever came of it it's a baffling blip of a storyline and I always wonder what they intended or if they intended anything beyond adding an Asian character and giving widowed John something to do. 

Would she have turned out to be John's daughter? Was she intended as a love interest shockingly too young for him? Would her mother have been introduced as John's age-appropriate love interest? 

Byron Pierce was also around in this period. I was disappointed that Marley did not ultimately choose him over Dennis but I don't really remember how they ended up.

4 hours ago, chrisml said:

Soaps seemed to like the new age/psychic thing. The character of Sandra Mills on Santa Barbara appeared a few months before Frankie Frame. Sandra could be the original for all of this. Someone at NBC obviously liked psychics because yrs later Celeste would show up on DAYS. 

I tend to dislike psychics on soaps if they are permanent characters.  I find that stretches believability too much for me.  But I'm okay with psychic characters, if they are temporary -- brought on the show for that purpose, and then written off when that function has been fulfilled.  My favorite soap opera psychic was Tante Helene from Search for Tomorrow, one of the Corringtons' creations in the late-70s. Tante Helene was quite over the top, but I found her believable because of the storyline, and because she was a temporary character.   I also found Sylvia Brown's appearance (playing herself) on Y&R about 10-15 years ago to be believable.  Again, mostly because it worked with the plot, and she was on the show briefly.   

Edited September 29, 20232 yr by Neil Johnson

Gotta give a huge OOPS to Donna and Neil. Frankie Frame appeared LONG before Luna on OLTL. So whoever told Donna, well. Consider the source. 

1989 and 1991, yeah, long long ago, right. 

Anyhoo, I never had a problem with Lisa Grady's psychic ability which was uncanny & potentially life-saving. I loved David O'Brien from DOC & it was tough for me to see him as a villain but his acting ability overcame that in me. 

I never had a problem with Frankie being a kind of a New Age princess but at the time I was very into crystals, too. I never really thought her psychic ability was very well developed which was fine because to me she was a very good PI with good instincts. And I think someone in touch with their instinctual self is ahead of the game. 

I never had a problem with Celeste on DAYS because I found her delightful. I can imagine that too much of her could've changed that though. 

I don't really have a set of objections to Swajeski either. My favorite writers are Lemay, Labine, Curlee, Swajeski,  Hurst, Mulcahey, the Dobsons, Marland, Val Jean, CCulliton, Falken Smith, Bell, Nixon & Phillips. 15.  I like writers. 

What I do have for Swajeski is questions! If I could interview any writer it would be Lemay, but of living writers it would be Swajeski. 

Here's my imaginary interview with Swajeski: 

I was told that the confrontation between Mac & Iris (Doug & Carmen) was one of the last episodes that Doug did before dying. True? Did you write it?

What did you do during the 1988 Writers' strike?

Was the Red Swan your idea?

Did you write an evolution of Iris?

Did you breathe life into the twins? Write for Anne Heche?

Did you write for both Philece Sampler and Anna Stuart?

Did you bring back Carl, Cecile & Kathleen at Halloween 1988?

Did you create the Snowflake Ball?

Did you create the B&W Valentine's Day film noir?

Did you write Lorna's best stuff, fierce, Carl's henchwoman, affair with Matt, rivalry with Felicia? Did Peggy Sloane water down Felicia?

[So he decided he would explain & it tuns out it has nothing to do with Swajeski at all, just people who have some beef with either Jackers or Browne. How convoluted.]

Then I would move to GL & to Otalia.

Last I would ask what in hell happened at AMC with DavidK & you together?

Edited September 30, 20232 yr by Donna L. Bridges
typos are always with us

I don't mind psychics as characters because so much on soaps stretches credibility. As Neil writes, so many of the psychic characters are never consistent with their talents. Their talents come and go depending on what the storyline needs. Frankie's introduction didn't bother me. What bothered me is that Swajeski had undone the storyline with Cass/Nicole. Anne Howard deserved better than dismantling the relationship and writing off Nicole. Frankie and Cass ended up being a great couple (although I always thought a Ryan/Frankie coupling would have worked too). 

1 hour ago, chrisml said:

I don't mind psychics as characters because so much on soaps stretches credibility. As Neil writes, so many of the psychic characters are never consistent with their talents. Their talents come and go depending on what the storyline needs. Frankie's introduction didn't bother me. What bothered me is that Swajeski had undone the storyline with Cass/Nicole. Anne Howard deserved better than dismantling the relationship and writing off Nicole. Frankie and Cass ended up being a great couple (although I always thought a Ryan/Frankie coupling would have worked too). 

Cass is my main man! I loved his soulmate level but not type friendship with Felicia. I loved Cass & Kathleen. I appreciated Cass & Cecile. I loved Cass & Frankie & eventually that became my best for Cass. I really liked Lila with Matt, not Cass. I really only tolerated Nicole with Cass. How do you mean she undid Cass & Nicole? I would guess that easily Nicole would come in last if I ran a poll of Favorite Cass Couplings. Ryan to me was always best with Vicky. Jake always with Paulina. I loved Rachel with Mac and also with Carl. 

Does anyone know the age difference between Jacquie Courtney and Bibi Besch?  I've sometimes wondered if Bibi Besch would have been a good replacement for Courtney as Alice on AW.   She had a look similar to Courtney, and often wore her long hair in a similar style.  Besch wasn't just a "blonde actress", but she had demonstrated acting skill in daytime, and had played emotional material well. I can't imagine Besch would have been any worse than any of the other Courtney-replacements -- and she likely would have been better than most.   

And another question: Has anyone ever heard which other actresses auditioned for the role of Alice, when Susan Harney was cast?   I can imagine they auditioned dozens of actresses, many of whom were probably well known in daytime.    I'd love to see the list.  

The ONLY thing that I would ever ask Donna Bridges is to get things right! She’s constantly wrong (Frankie on AW appeared 2 years before Luna). “I was told” means nothing because you are wrong, mostly. There were no Jackers, Virginia Brown and Swajeski writing at the same time. Please post facts. 

It's insane to me that anyone would ever think Frankie is a copy of Luna Moody. That character famously came into existence only when Linda Gottlieb and Michael Malone first came to daytime several years after Frankie was created. I've never heard that being 'fan lore' anywhere, ever, on any soap forum before today because the dates simply do not line up and most people know that.

4 hours ago, Neil Johnson said:

Does anyone know the age difference between Jacquie Courtney and Bibi Besch?  I've sometimes wondered if Bibi Besch would have been a good replacement for Courtney as Alice on AW.   She had a look similar to Courtney, and often wore her long hair in a similar style.  Besch wasn't just a "blonde actress", but she had demonstrated acting skill in daytime, and had played emotional material well. I can't imagine Besch would have been any worse than any of the other Courtney-replacements -- and she likely would have been better than most.   

Bibi Besch, interesting idea, Neil, and very doable. JC is only 4 years younger than BB. So, contemporaries. 

15 hours ago, chrisml said:

I don't mind psychics as characters because so much on soaps stretches credibility. As Neil writes, so many of the psychic characters are never consistent with their talents. Their talents come and go depending on what the storyline needs. Frankie's introduction didn't bother me. What bothered me is that Swajeski had undone the storyline with Cass/Nicole. Anne Howard deserved better than dismantling the relationship and writing off Nicole. Frankie and Cass ended up being a great couple (although I always thought a Ryan/Frankie coupling would have worked too). 

Kim Wells is doing these photo collages right now & I saw this one & thought that you might like it. If you post or share it just credit to Kim Wells. 

 

15 hours ago, chrisml said:

Frankie's introduction didn't bother me. What bothered me is that Swajeski had undone the storyline with Cass/Nicole. Anne Howard deserved better than dismantling the relationship and writing off Nicole. Frankie and Cass ended up being a great couple (although I always thought a Ryan/Frankie coupling would have worked too). 

I was reading an interview where Anne [Marie] Howard talked about when she was cast as Nicole, the hair department decided that since the character was supposed to be a high-fashion model she should have short hair, and John Whitesell was furious they had cut her hair, but luckily it got a positive fan response.

It's too bad that the character of Nicole was obliterated but I think Depriest has to take some share of the blame for not doing enough to make the character interesting and necessary even if they wanted to move her out of Cass' orbit. However Lemay/Swajeski could probably have chosen to do something that would have made her more integrated into storylines with Donna, Vicky, Michael, John, Marley, or Jamie. Howard is very diplomatic in the interview but she had a year left on her contract so they obviously decided she wasn't valuable enough to keep.

AW producers seemed more interested in dropping characters than committing to them.

I think Philece would have made a better Nicole.

Who would have been more suitable to play Donna? Anna left big shoes to fill.

1 hour ago, Paul Raven said:

AW producers seemed more interested in dropping characters than committing to them.

I think Philece would have made a better Nicole.

Who would have been more suitable to play Donna? Anna left big shoes to fill.

Philece playing Nicole would have been inspired. 

Maybe Denise Alexander or Colleen Zenk or Jane Elliot to fill in for, what, 5 years?