"Secret Storm" memories.

[jam6242]

I just watched the first two shows on archive.org. I really enjoyed the one from 1960 with Peter, Alan, & Susan. Wow, the characters of Alan & Susan are so different from the 1970s version! It's as though they reversed roles. I know they explained that Alan changed in the 1970s because of his war experiences. Susan changed for the better (at least she was a more pleasant person). This is the style of soaps I prefer but those days are over for good I guess. I saw a recent interview with Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie, Days of our Lives). She was discussing the difference between her early days on her show, and the current show. During the interview, she said her producer (she didn't specify whether it was Gary Tomlin or Ken Corday) told her that the audience "didn't want to see talking heads anymore." Those talking heads in the old days of soaps were a lot more riveting than the characters in the current shows, in my opinion!

[DRW50]

What were Alan and Susan like then? I don't know very much about the characters. Susan was one of the Ames siblings right?

I think that people would actually prefer to see talking heads. There's so much fake and shallow stuff out there now. Simple conversations might be a refreshing change, as long as the writing is good and has a narrative.

[Khan]

ICAM. These days, though, soaps almost have no choice but to go back to "talking heads." In most cases, they don't have the budgets anymore to do anything fancier.

[dc11786]

From my understanding, Susan was a possessive character. She was devoted to her father and didn't really care for the other women in his life. In the episodes I've seen, Susan viewed her stepmother Myra Lake Ames as an adversary. I assume Susan wasn't pleased that Myra had usurped her role as the female head of the family. Similarly, Brent claims Susan had the same sort of problem with Valerie Hill when she entered Peter's life. Susan was an archtype that no longer exists on soaps, the overbearing daughter who's love and affection was devoted to her father rather than a husband. Barbara Sterling was another one of those young ladies.

Alan was a shady character from my understanding. He was a golf pro or something and he had connections to the mob. I'm pretty sure I read he abandoned Susan while she was pregnant with their child only to return later. Susan had named her son Peter after her own father rather than the boy's father. I think this was another layer of Susan's devotion.

In the episodes available online, Susan spewed venom about Myra because she believed Myra, a school teacher, had been behind Peter's attempt to bungle a land deal involving the school. The land deal would have made her husband Alan's colleagues a lot of money. Peter defended Myra and said school age Amy (played by a blonde) needed a good education. Susan still blamed Myra. Between February and August, Susan had become chummy with Bryan Fuller, who was working at the department store. Bryan romanced Pauline and planned to marry her. Bryan was a fortune hunter and had all ready stolen funds from Tyrell's, the department store. When the truth was revealed, I think Susan once again tried to blame Myra for ruining everything, but Peter coldly told his daughter she always alligned herself with the wrong people.

At the same time, Alan seemed more mellow. He had a job and wasn't all that upset about what was going on with the land deal or Bryan Fuller. Alan had cheated on Susan, it was alluded to, but it was quite clear Susan wasn't an easy woman to live with. Alan was levelheaded and need to keep his wife in check. Susan wasn't about to be controlled and would get nasty with him. Theirs wasn't the ideal marriage.

[jam6242]

By the time I started watching in the 70s, it seemed the personalities of Susan & Alan were the reverse of their earlier versions as described above, and seen in the available clips. Of course, Susan had gotten older and I would assume had matured, and had a teenaged son to raise. Alan was the volatile one, of course his experiences in Vietnam had affected him. He was psychologically disturbed. He was one of my favorite characters though. I believe he was killed by Dan Kincaid's drug goons (but Susan went on trial for his murder).

[DRW50]

All of this is really interesting. The Ames family sounds so complex, as so many of the "boring" 50s soap families were. If Secret Storm had continued to focus on them the show might still be around.

[MichaelGL]

IMO Weiss seemingly was ahead of the game as EP of his shows, striving to tell stories that were different from the rest of the pack and putting in the extra effort when it came to production quality.

[dc11786]

From what I've gathered, Ken and Jill Stevens were friends of Amy Ames. Ken ran the local nightclub. Before Ken, Arthur Rysdale, Pauline's former husband, ran a gambling joint/casino in Woodbridge. I wonder if Ken took over Arthur's place? Anyway, I think at first Ken and Jill were a happily married couple to contrast the trouble marriage between Paul and Amy Britton. Jada Rowland and Nicholas Coster returned to the soap in April 1968 with much press. Newspapers across the country were covering their return in their entertainment section. I assume Amy and Paul were off the screen for some time. I thought saynotoursoap or someone else stated Paul and Amy were written out in 1966. I've seen other actresses listed playing Amy between 1966 and 1968, but I'm not sure those are accurate.

When did Peter Ames die? I've seen Lawrence Webber listed in the role until 1968, but in October 1968, I read an article stating Peter had been killed off, along with Robin from "The Guiding Light," because there was no story left for him. I wonder if there was a funeral, and, if so, which of Peter's children were present?

Almost immediately, Paul Britton was tempted when he returned to town; I assume by Amy's future enemy Belle Clemons. Coster talked about being involved in a triangle upon his return. His young daughter, Candace Coster, played the role of Lisa Britton when Rowland and Coster returned to the show in April 1968. At least year later, Candace Coster was still playing the role as I've seen it mentioned again in the papers. I suspect when Coster left "Storm," his daughter departed with him.

Sorry for the digression, at some point, Laurie Hollister went to work at Ken's club. Laurie was a tortured soul. Her alcoholic mother, Nola Hollister, shot and killed Laurie's father, Wilfred, and I feel like Laurie might have spent time in an institution before arriving on the show. Murphy, who played Nola #2, claimed she shot Wilfred in her first episode and had a fan write her that the fan and her mother would be witnesses at Nola's trial as Nola had shot Wilfred accidentally. Back to Laurie, Windsor had created a show called "The Widening Circle" about a young woman returning to society after being released from a psychiatric facility. I feel like Laurie might have been purloined from Windsor's proposed serial.

Laurie and Ken's affair must have been complicated by Jill Stevens' pregnancy. While Laurie was a heroine, I suspect Jill Stevens was as well. I wonder how the audience felt about the Laurie/Ken/Jill situation. Laurie was an interloper, but was pushed as a good girl despite sleeping with another woman's husband. I wonder if the outrage would have been the same had Laurie perished in the plane crash instead of Jill and her new husband, Hugh Clayborne. At some point, Ken and Jill divorced and Jill married Hugh Clayborn, a wealthy older man who agreed to help her raise baby Clay. Hugh had a daughter of his own, Didi, who I think was a bit like Susan Ames in the 1950s. She was a bit spoiled and adored her father a bit too much. Hugh's sister/aunt Birdy was also around for sometime. After Hugh and Jill died, Ken and Laurie raised Clay until Ken's death and then Laurie assumed the role of guardian of the child.

If anyone has information to the contrary, please correct me.

Edited December 7, 2010 by dc11786

[DRW50]

This is really interesting stuff. So when did Winsor leave? I forgot. When did the ratings start to slide and not come back up?

How long was the stuff with Laurie and Hugh before the story with the priest started?

[dc11786]

Carl, forgive me. Initially, I stated Laurie had married Hugh Clayborn, but I had typed the wrong character. Hugh and Jill were married Hugh raised Jill's son by Ken Stevens as his own, little Clay. After Jill and Hugh's death, Clay went to live with his father Ken and his new wife, Laurie Hollister. Ken later died himself and Laurie took to raising Clay on her own. I'm not sure how Mark came into the picture. Maybe he counseled Laurie after the untimely death of her husband Ken Stevens?

I believe Roy Windsor, and Gloria Monty, left the show in 1968 or 1969 after CBS purchased the series. Around the same time, the show fell out of the top five and never returned. Around 1970 it rebounded a little, but the gains were slowly lost over the last couple years.

Brent wished to read an article about actors and actresses from the 1960s on "Secret Storm." This was the only one I was able to dig up so far:

[DRW50]

Thank you for finding this! I don't know very much about Kate Lodge. Was she the only one to play the role? How long was she on the show?

[Paul Raven]

Kate/Polly was on in 1962.

[Sapounopera]

I am fascinated by this thread! Thanks for all this interesting info

SS sounds like such a melodramatic soap opera. The storylines I've read remind me of classic movies I adore. And Marla Adams... OMG. She is still a very beautiful woman and it's too bad that she was never on a soap for many years (apart from her Y&R stint) after that.

[dc11786]

I've read that too, but this article is from April 1963, and, in the article, Polly Childs talks about originating the role in March 1961. Kate Lodge appeared at least 1961-1963 if not 1964.

I would love to see a more accurate cast list for "Secret Storm."

[Paul Raven]

Thanks for the correction.I wonder why some particular info on soaps is wrong,when other stuff is accurate.