Why did Douglas Marland write for ATWT only for 13 weeks in 1979 and then was quickly traded with the Dobsons at GL? I know that P&G liked trading talent around back then, and were hopingthe Dobsons would have similar success updating ATWT as they had for GL, but was there a reason they tried Marlnadbriefly therefirst?

That is a question I've always wanted answered myself,Eric.

Maybe the Dobsons contract with GL wasn't up and so Marland filled in on ATWT until the switch was ready to take place.

I wonder what the background to that was.Were the Dobsons happy to move to ATWT?Or were they under contract to P&G and had little say?

I was never that impressed with their early work on ATWT.Kim/Nick,Brad Hollister,Steve/Carol etc.

At the time I never read one thing about Marland working at ATWT and it's never been stated what stories he was responsible for.Did he create Lisa at The Willows?

At the time the Dobsons came in there was a character named Sheila Winston,who was becoming involved with Tom.She seemed to vanish just when the story was building.Was she a Marland character?Does any longtime viewer remember if she got a send off?

Interesting questions, but ones I have no clue about. Didn't many feel that the Dobsons recycled their GL stories at ATWT?

According to my summaries, Sheila left in May 1980 because she was afraid of Steve who once forced her into prostitution. So the character was written out by the Dobsons.

Didn't the Dobsomes try to recapture some of the success from the Roger/Holly story by having Dee accuse John of rape?

Didn't the Dobsomes try to recapture some of the success from the Roger/Holly story by having Dee accuse John of rape?

She accused him, but then took it back saying that she, while groggy from sleeping pills, willingly made love to John believing him to be Brad (whom she was really in love with).

Why did Douglas Marland write for ATWT only for 13 weeks in 1979 and then was quickly traded with the Dobsons at GL?

Here's my best guess:

Under Ralph Ellis & Eugenie Hunt, who had replaced the Soderbergs, ATWT's ratings were falling. Fast. So, P&G decided the best thing to do would be to let them go and replace them with the Dobsons, who not only kept GL's ratings stable during their tenure, but managed to "contemporize" the show, something many agreed all the P&G soaps needed.

Because the Dobsons were still busy writing GL, however, and the Ellises were probably let go before their successor(s) were firmly in place (shades of AMC's current situation, if you think about it), P&G needed someone to fill in until the Dobsons had acquainted themselves better with the show. It just so happened, though, that Marland, who (with Gloria Monty) had famously brought GH from dead-last to number-three in the ratings, was suddenly available (on account of personal differences w/ the producer). P&G asked Marland, he said yes, and when they were sufficiently pleased with his work at the one show, they asked him to join the other (GL). And the rest, as they say, is history.

Were the Dobsons happy to move to ATWT? Or were they under contract to P&G and had little say?

On the one hand, I think the Dobsons were happy to be at GL, since they proved there that they could write a show, and successfully. (Before then, the Dobsons had worked only on GH, under Bridget's folks, and aside from the "Who Killed Phil Brewer?" storyline, I don't think they did very well.) OTOH, though, I think the two have always regarded GL and ATWT as stepping stones toward their ultimate goal - which, of course, was SANTA BARBARA.

Did he create Lisa at The Willows?

No, but he has been credited for improving it. (When was the last time someone came in and made his/her successor(s)'s stories better, lol?)

Does anyone remember the Mr. Big story on ATWT? I was young, five, and can only remember small parts of the storyline. My mom was totally into it and I remember sort of taking her lead and watching, too. Wasn't this one of the Dobson's biggest plots? I remember Tom and Margo having to answer riddles and I am pretty sure they were jumping around on a life-sized checker board. Mainly, I remember the actor looking so evil but in such a good way. I wonder if this in any way inspired Lynch/Frost on Twin Peaks?

Does anyone remember the Mr. Big story on ATWT? I was young, five, and can only remember small parts of the storyline. My mom was totally into it and I remember sort of taking her lead and watching, too. Wasn't this one of the Dobson's biggest plots? I remember Tom and Margo having to answer riddles and I am pretty sure they were jumping around on a life-sized checker board. Mainly, I remember the actor looking so evil but in such a good way. I wonder if this in any way inspired Lynch/Frost on Twin Peaks?

LOL. I was just thinking about the Mr. Big S/L this weekend -- don't ask why (!) and how it was such a train wreck -- I switched over to DAYS/AW at the time. It showed how TPTB were totally misguided in trying to replicate GH and other shows. I remember one scene where the little guy somehow swipes a computer disc from Fashions -- of all places. Definitely a low point, but the show recovered quickly.

I remember Bob marrying Miranda during the Mr. Big storyline. Wasn't Zsa Zsa Gabor on and related somehow to Miranda? Damned if I can remember.

Yes,Zsa Zsa played Lydia,Miranda's sister.The whole Bob/Miranda marriage was a disaster and quicly forgotten.Elaine Princi never lucked out with a soap role.

The whole Bob/Miranda marriage was a disaster and quicly forgotten.

Can you blame us (the viewers)? It never made any sense for Bob, a strait-laced physician from the Midwest, to be married to Miranda, a bon vivant who shared a past with an international criminal. Then again, it never made any sense for him to hook up with cocktail lounge singer Kim, either.

As for the "Mr. Big" storyline, IIRC, the riddles were from "Alice in Wonderland," and each riddle that Tom and Margo solved would lead them to another room inspired by the book, as well as another riddle. (At one point, the two were even on top of a gigantic Cheshire cat, lol.) However, that part - the cat-and-mouse game that Big and his henchman played w/ Tom and Margo - was actually fun; and in fact, without that adventure, Tom and Margo never would've fallen in love. The rest of the story, though, w/ computer discs and clues hidden inside hat bands, was just too convoluted.

Is any of the Mr Big story online? It sounds too ridiculous not to check out.

The actor who played Mr. Big name escapes me at the moment later would play Wallingford on AW and was a memorable guest star on The Golden Girls. The storyline was indeed excruciating and over the top beyond belief, but I always enjoyed his humor. Shame he passed away in 1988. But yes awful storyline but the show managed to bounce back.

re: the Soderbergs are credited with extending ATWT's reign at #1 for another five years, yet under their watch towards the end the show started its downfall. Guess the whole Valerie Reynolds story was exciting if you were 90, nor were Kevin Thompson and Sandy Wilson the show's super-couple...

During Marland's 1979 stint, was he the one who had Joyce Colman drive off a bridge and be presumed dead? Did he have anything to do with her return from the dead?

Edited January 5, 201015 yr by soapfan770

Is any of the Mr Big story online? It sounds too ridiculous not to check out.

I found a lot on YouTube. I'm watching a little bit now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiSA5xrk19I

Some of the sound/image sync is bad. Justin Deas and Margaret Colin look great together as Tom/Margo. I've never actually seen their ATWT work.

Edited January 5, 201015 yr by Faulkner