As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

The odd thing with Don is Martin West, who played Don before Fowkes, had played the good/bad Phil Brewer on GH, and seemed fairly popular in the role. I wonder why he left ATWT after a year or two and if they considered ever asking him back. I agree that having Don be too much like Bob may not have been the best idea.

I'd love to see the James stuff and what changed, if they just thought Herrera was too deliciously wicked to be good.

Was it the Dobsons who did the Barbara past life dreams that Jacqueline Schultz disliked or was this after the Dobsons? It seems like the Dobsons were trying to initially somewhat use ATWT's structure but by some point in late 1980 or early 1981 it began going haywire.

[Mitch]

I think they obviously ment James to be bad..its just that after he married Barbara he became the controlling villian, which was abrupt.

The past life stuff was during the Dobson's second tenure. It WAS truly stupid and not ATWT at all..(cause like, who cares of they were all tied together in their past lives..) I think their inspiration was Anya Seyton's Green Darkness, which I am embarrased to admit, is a good book (yea, its a chick book, but a very dark one, and the history is great) so I don't know why I didnt like it. Would have been fun to see more then just the four of them back in time, Lisa as the madame in town, Nancy (if she was still on) as the controlling matron, Bob as the kindly but hapless doc, variations of their characters but allowing the actors to expand and be BIGGER. But it was just on the four of them, and I have no idea how Schultz was popular as she was such a wet rag as Dee.

That ended quickly and it became a game of James gasslighting Barbara, which WAS fun. I think Schultz might have hated it as she and Zenk didnt get along and Barbara was the one "right," in this storyline and Dee was once again her hapless self, falling for the town villian though everyone tells her to stay away. However, Shultz was much better then her recast.

[DRW50]

This is pre-Dobsons, but I thought someone might be interested. It's from the 11/27/1979 Digest. Sorry if it's already been posted.

[DRW50]

I'm sorry about a recap mixup - one I labeled March 11 was actually from early May. This is the March 11 1980 recap.

[DRW50]

6/3/1980 SOD

[DRW50]

I don't have an exact date on this one but it's another from 1980.

[P.J.]

Who is playing Betsy? LaRyan?

Craig must make his appearance soon, given Cricket and Margo are already in town.

[DRW50]

I think this was the tail end of Suzanne Davidson.

[Mitch]

No, he doesnt appear until the Dobson's are well into their second tenure. He did work with this Dee, trying to peddle a perfume that has something in it that makes the wearer impossible to resist.. (I kid you not.) As if this Dee needed it...she had John, Brad, Tom and James after her and everyone in between commenting on how wonderful she was. She was the Dobson's Lily! They ended that story quickly too.

I remember how harsh and kind of annoying Colin was as Margo. I grew to like her but she was just always pissed off and shouting at people (hence she was John's daughter.) I liked HBS's kinder, gentler Margo who meshed much better with the Hughes family. (I can't imagine Colin's Margo calling Nancy "Gram!")

I think Davidson left in December of that year to go away to college. A relief as she was always stilted and kind of goofy as Betsy. She was recast with some model looking chick who never had a storyline and just faded away until Ryan came.

Once again I am a complete dork for remembering this stuff.

[DRW50]

I never knew about the perfume story. That's fascinating.

Can you imagine if Dee and Lily swapped stories - last week I was just watching, and cringing slightly, at the scenes where Lily was trying to pose as a drug dealer and family black sheep in order to get through Montega.

I agree that Colin seems harsh in the role. She was more balanced on Edge of Night so I guess it was an acting choice.

Lisa Denton replaced Suzanne Davidson.

Meg Ryan once said that it took her a while to get fans to support her, because most of them missed Davidson. She said that Frank Runyeon was at a fan event with her and said, "Isn't this the best Betsy ever?" and no one applauded.

[DRW50]

That part of the recap about Steve letting Andrea burn to death because she was a whore - ugh. How did that play out? Was he lying or did he actually mean that? I know Andrea wasn't actually dead.

[Mitch]

This part of the Dobson's run seems so harsh and unpleasant. Steve is an unmitigated !@#$%^&*] to both Nick and Kim..then this wife and child burning to death is really, really harsh, even if its not "real." I don't think Steve really left her to die, but he was screwing her. Other things, like Nancy telling the kid what she thought Joyce did (old school Nancy would think that, but I dont think say it to a kid) Mary yelling at and slapping Joyce, then both Don and Mary abruptly being angry with each other, Brad is an !@#$%^&*] for cheating Chris and Nancy and then laughing in Lisa's face...and he was supposed to be a romantic hero??? Collin's Margo is angry and yells at everyone (she never really relaxes into her role until the end of her run after she marries Tom) etc. David is just as controlling of Dee as John is, and his yelling at John at every turn.

Their second run things loosen up and get lighter, almost too light, it got a little too campy, and silly for ATWT but during the time, they really knew how to have a story that has a start middle and definite end and payoff (loved the "Who shot John," storyline, this was preinternet and you really thought they had fired LB and John WAS dead.)

Well that is kind of assholish of FR to say it that way, how bout, "Dont we all just love this new Betsy???" He always came off as an !@#$%^&*] in interviews and I think that translated on the screen, never liked him even with his "hero," days.

Davidson grew up on the show, but I am not one of those viewers who like a kid just cause I saw them grow up. I know I am in the minority, but I never like Scot D, and while I thought they were bad recasts, I never missed Rachel M or the kid who played Bill Lewis as a kid when they left. Davidson was never going to play out a love story with Steve, LOL but its funny to think it.

[DRW50]

I know what you mean about child actors, but I often feel like if a child actor is good then that's why they stayed in the role.

What did you think of Andy Kavitovit? I guess he and Scott aren't the same as child actors since they both came in when they were teens.

Reading about this era seems very interesting and you can tell they did a lot to revitalize John, but it reads like they didn't quite get ATWT's core (either that or they were told not to focus on the core). It's a contrast to their GL work, which seemed to try to follow the show's traditions and history. At ATWT, while I can see where they made some changes they had to make, other things seem very tone deaf, like the Kim/Nick story, the one Kathryn Hays said she got the most hate mail for.

[Paul Raven]

Daily rehearsal circa 76.Thats Kathy Hays in the 2nd pic sitting.The guy in the light sweater is the director.

Edited September 30, 2011 by Paul Raven

[DRW50]

I love those ridiculous '70s sunglasses. Carol McLaughlin meets Rhonda Weiss.