I read somewhere that Prior to Estelle's Return the character was played on flashbacks by Linda Cook, is it true? I have no idea where to look to see if that's true

PS: love Linda Cook but Domini Blythe was a find as Estelle Kendall, loving her!

I can't believe sweet and innocent Sarah Whiting would call Evie Stone a "tramp" and Wendy Carter a "slut"!

54 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

As someone said above, I do wonder why Philip Brown didn't last longer. Then again, I'm not sure why Kevin Conroy didn't last longer either. 

Phillip Brown and Maree Cheatham did not get along at all 

3 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

Oddly.. Chase and Steve seem to have both vanished from the canvas in December so the Estelle return loses impact when two of her kids stop appearing shortly after her return (and I assume TR leaves in early 1986 as well).

The Steve recast doesn't work... but it's odd that he has a long scene with Teri with Cagney looking jealous.. when the majority of his time on the show previously was a relationship and engagement to Stephanie (who he barely has a scene with in the episodes I see).

Your idea for Wendy/Bela/Stephanie sounds just like what Ryan's Hope did with Michael/Kim/Rae... and considering Louise Shaffer was playing Rae and Stephanie.. it would have been a lousy redux of a superior story on another soap (that had months of build-up)

I think Quinn becoming assistant to Stephanie was Mayer/Braxton... but not 100 % sure.

I don't know if Mayer/Braxton was setting up Sarah as a bad girl disguised as a good girl.. but the actress (Joyner) was playing the scenes in that manner.. and Tomlin wisely tapped into that when he took over.

 

I think Steve and Chase (with Adair) are dropped fairly quickly into John Whitsell's run as EP. I didn't think Tomlin wanted those characters out especially given how much effort was put into resetting Chase, a character Tomlin didn't create, and Adair by placing them at the paper, testing Adair with Ryder, and then having Chase discover Estelle was alive. Steve got an actual onscreen goodbye, but Chase and Adair later go an offscreen exit to San Francisco or somewhere else in California. 

They chem tested Steve Kendall and Suzi in September, 1983, just as Elizabeth Swankhammer started as Suzi. Steve saved Suzi drowning in a lake on location. I felt that Suzi / Steve was meant to be the post-Suzi/Warren story with Stephanie possibly manipulating Suzi and Warren to keep both Warren / Wendy and Steve / Suzi apart. I assumed the plan was (at some point) Stephanie / Lloyd. Or it should have been. 

I don't think Bela should have lasted beyond the circus story. If I had to sit through some sort of triangle, I would want to see it end with Bela dead. Even in a bad recycled plot, but ultimately I don't think Bela had any real story potential and should never have been paired with either woman.

Under Mayer/Braxton, Sarah became more conservative and judgemental over the course of the last month or so of their run. I don't think Tomlin's version was as layered from what I remember. 

@DRW50 I think Conroy lasted a full year June, 1984 - July, 1985. I always assumed he left, but that was just speculation. Phillip Brown's Steve just seems to have disappeared. 

 

 

46 minutes ago, Joseph said:

I read somewhere that Prior to Estelle's Return the character was played on flashbacks by Linda Cook, is it true? I have no idea where to look to see if that's true

PS: love Linda Cook but Domini Blythe was a find as Estelle Kendall, loving her!

Cook played Lloyd's first wife and Steve's mother, who was named something other than Estelle, in a flashback sequence to reveal the secret that Martin was Steve's father. She had a name other than Estelle at that point. This would have been fall of 1983. 

14 minutes ago, dc11786 said:

I think Steve and Chase (with Adair) are dropped fairly quickly into John Whitsell's run as EP. I didn't think Tomlin wanted those characters out especially given how much effort was put into resetting Chase, a character Tomlin didn't create, and Adair by placing them at the paper, testing Adair with Ryder, and then having Chase discover Estelle was alive. Steve got an actual onscreen goodbye, but Chase and Adair later go an offscreen exit to San Francisco or somewhere else in California. 

They chem tested Steve Kendall and Suzi in September, 1983, just as Elizabeth Swankhammer started as Suzi. Steve saved Suzi drowning in a lake on location. I felt that Suzi / Steve was meant to be the post-Suzi/Warren story with Stephanie possibly manipulating Suzi and Warren to keep both Warren / Wendy and Steve / Suzi apart. I assumed the plan was (at some point) Stephanie / Lloyd. Or it should have been. 

I don't think Bela should have lasted beyond the circus story. If I had to sit through some sort of triangle, I would want to see it end with Bela dead. Even in a bad recycled plot, but ultimately I don't think Bela had any real story potential and should never have been paired with either woman.

Under Mayer/Braxton, Sarah became more conservative and judgemental over the course of the last month or so of their run. I don't think Tomlin's version was as layered from what I remember. 

@DRW50 I think Conroy lasted a full year June, 1984 - July, 1985. I always assumed he left, but that was just speculation. Phillip Brown's Steve just seems to have disappeared. 

 

 

Cook played Lloyd's first wife and Steve's mother, who was named something other than Estelle, in a flashback sequence to reveal the secret that Martin was Steve's father. She had a name other than Estelle at that point. This would have been fall of 1983. 

Thanks!

54 minutes ago, TheyStartedOnSoaps said:

Phillip Brown and Maree Cheatham did not get along at all 

Oh that's right. Thanks.

Thanks @dc11786 I guess Conroy did last for a bit. Never knew why AW didn't see his potential either.

Whitesell/Tomlin dropped replacement Steve in a matter of a few episodes; he was terrible.

I'm looking these December 1985 episodes and I remember watching original air shows. I thought Tomlin was doing a very good job cleaning up  the Braxton/Mayer/Nicholson mess. Tomlin had Louise Shaffer who was awful as Stephanie (never liked the actress onscreen in any role other than Serena / Josie) but Louise pulls it out the week of Dec 2. (Dec 2-5 are stellar episodes IMO). I wonder if Lisa P quit because she was paired with Godart who was 14 or so years older. She was islanded and she wouldn't have betrayed Stephanie. So that was a Tomlin fail.   Domini is a revelation and Estelle and nuChase was improving. I liked him and Adair but I can see how they didn't need another Cagney/Suzi type on a 30 min show. The ratings were terrible under Tomlin/Whitesell and dropping into the high 2s with a 9 share. I can understand why they made a u turn with the flood storyline (plus I think in 86 their budget must have taken a huge hit because they were consolidating sets and reducing the cast). Tomlin had to contend with the departures of Lisa P and Jane K as well as deal with the bad Stephanie replacement. Of course, the show was still reeling from Sherry's departure and Erwin's horrible choice as her replacement. I don't understand why P&G didn't cut their losses with Louanne, particularly after Mayer's character assassination (having her sleep with Hogan). Joe Lambie was so fierce as Lloyd. What a talent. Loved him as Logan on Edge.  Tomlin/Whitesell do get the ratings back to low 3s and 11 share by later March only to be dumped for Pam Long and David Lawrence for the final six months. P&G and NBC must have had a horrible relationship but the show constantly went through writer/producer changes going back to Mary Bunim in the 70s. From watching all these posted shows, I've built a list of producer / writer comings and goings and it's absolutely mind boggling.  I'm still working on the list but will post soon.

Edited May 20, 2025May 20 by VelekaCarruthers

16 hours ago, TheyStartedOnSoaps said:

I can't believe sweet and innocent Sarah Whiting would call Evie Stone a "tramp" and Wendy Carter a "slut"!

Phillip Brown and Maree Cheatham did not get along at all 

When was this slap?

5 hours ago, Joseph said:

When was this slap?

The episode she got killed off in - which made Wendy a prime suspect in her murder (her car was spotted outside the house) and then Wendy mysteriously disappeared from town. 

If I'm not mistaken, Lisa Peluso's last episode was around Christmas 1985... and the very last scene was Bela at her door before the next episode or so later reveals that Wendy just vanished into thin air.   And there was a scene from the killers POV where they crossed off Sarah's pic and circled Wendy's pic.  So it was up in the air if she skipped town, or if she was killed off.

Did the show ever resolve what happened to Wendy, or was that an unresolved thread?

On 5/19/2025 at 7:27 PM, dc11786 said:

I think Steve and Chase (with Adair) are dropped fairly quickly into John Whitsell's run as EP. I didn't think Tomlin wanted those characters out especially given how much effort was put into resetting Chase, a character Tomlin didn't create, and Adair by placing them at the paper, testing Adair with Ryder, and then having Chase discover Estelle was alive. Steve got an actual onscreen goodbye, but Chase and Adair later go an offscreen exit to San Francisco or somewhere else in California. 

They chem tested Steve Kendall and Suzi in September, 1983, just as Elizabeth Swankhammer started as Suzi. Steve saved Suzi drowning in a lake on location. I felt that Suzi / Steve was meant to be the post-Suzi/Warren story with Stephanie possibly manipulating Suzi and Warren to keep both Warren / Wendy and Steve / Suzi apart. I assumed the plan was (at some point) Stephanie / Lloyd. Or it should have been. 

I don't think Bela should have lasted beyond the circus story. If I had to sit through some sort of triangle, I would want to see it end with Bela dead. Even in a bad recycled plot, but ultimately I don't think Bela had any real story potential and should never have been paired with either woman.

Under Mayer/Braxton, Sarah became more conservative and judgemental over the course of the last month or so of their run. I don't think Tomlin's version was as layered from what I remember. 

@DRW50 I think Conroy lasted a full year June, 1984 - July, 1985. I always assumed he left, but that was just speculation. Phillip Brown's Steve just seems to have disappeared. 

 

 

Cook played Lloyd's first wife and Steve's mother, who was named something other than Estelle, in a flashback sequence to reveal the secret that Martin was Steve's father. She had a name other than Estelle at that point. This would have been fall of 1983. 

You have to stop and think: was Estelle the mother to all five children?  How many Mrs. Kendalls existed?

Linda Cook played Aileen Kendall in flashbacks, but, at the time, we thought she was the only prior Mrs. Kendall. 

It seemed that Aileen’s name was changed to Estelle when Domini Blythe came on. 

But Lloyd (Peter Haskell) is said to be going through a divorce when he’s introduced (and when he’s pursuing Sunny). 

To me, Aileen is Estelle, and the mother to all the children. The wife Lloyd is divorcing is inconsequential. 

On 5/20/2025 at 7:55 PM, Soaplovers said:

If I'm not mistaken, Lisa Peluso's last episode was around Christmas 1985... and the very last scene was Bela at her door before the next episode or so later reveals that Wendy just vanished into thin air.   And there was a scene from the killers POV where they crossed off Sarah's pic and circled Wendy's pic.  So it was up in the air if she skipped town, or if she was killed off.

Did the show ever resolve what happened to Wendy, or was that an unresolved thread?

Wendy’s fate is never resolved. 

I think Whitesell had the shortest EP term on SFT of any prior EP; he was EP from Nov 22 1985 to maybe Feb 86 or early March; his first Another World EP credit is March 27 1986. He was paired with Maggie DePriest whose material started April 1 86 on AW.

Tina Johnson speaks of her time on SFT in Tom Lisanti’s recent book on TEXAS.

Trying to remember how many TEXAS actors wound up on SFT…Tina, David Forsyth, Damion Scheller…was that it?

 

Wouldn’t Donald May have made a great Lloyd?  Carla Borelli as Liza?  (Carla was foolishly written out of FALCON CREST.) Barbara Rucker as Patti?

1 minute ago, anthonymolchan said:

Tina Johnson speaks of her time on SFT in Tom Lisanti’s recent book on TEXAS.

Trying to remember how many TEXAS actors wound up on SFT…Tina, David Forsyth, Damion Scheller…was that it?

 

Wouldn’t Donald May have made a great Lloyd?  Carla Borelli as Liza?  (Carla was foolishly written out of FALCON CREST.) Barbara Rucker as Patti?

It was an odd fit, though she did liven up any scene she was in.

I think she ended up leaving in December 1983.   I actually think she would have fit in better on Guiding Light during the Lewis invasion in 1983/1984 (probably as a Wanda like character).

Alex Neil also showed up at Search for Tomorrow after Texas. I think she was on in 1984 in the storyline involving Sunny's rape.

26 minutes ago, robbwolff said:

Alex Neil also showed up at Search for Tomorrow after Texas. I think she was on in 1984 in the storyline involving Sunny's rape.

Ah yes... she was one of Stephanie's many assistants that came and went.

I think Rhonda Sue, Alex Neil's character, Justine, Quinn, and an unnamed female character all were Stephanie's assistants between 1983 and 1986.  It was like Stephanie was the Murphy Brown of daytime tv with her rotating assistants LOL