As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

I have that Weekly somewhere...or did...

I think Hans put a bomb in the car, as part of that Kingsley/Malta plot I can't remember.

Was Rebecca Hollen's character killed? What a waste.

[soapfan770]

Since getting the ATWT DVDs which I sadly admit I've only watched two eps so far I've been digging and reading through old stuff I have saved and collected over the years, some very familiar to me. Oddly though I don't recall ever seeing the Duncan/Jessica article before yet I did have a sense of déjà vu at the same time.

I'm surprised Hollen wasn't given more to do but then again Hollen always did get the short end of the stick didn't she?

What did you think about the whole Hans story overall Carl? I mostly remember for the Lily kidnapping stuff and then Hans sawing off Lily's wedding ring from her finger.

[DRW50]

I don't remember that, mostly because I skipped most Lily scenes, as I thought she was a boring whiner and preferred Heather Rattray in the role. I did love Hans, I thought he was a very chilling villain, probably the most chilling ever on ATWT, or most soaps. Just compare him to garbage on GL at this time like the hit lady George who got her arm slammed in a car door by spunky Lucy Cooper.

Your comments are making me want to post more articles, so I really should. I know I have some interviews with most of the short-lived characters seen in the 1979 episodes.

This was Hollen's second short term role on ATWT, about 15 years apart.

[juppiter]

Why are you embarrassed? He is hot. As long as you're not an ATM he has no problem with you

[DRW50]

January 1980 Digest.

[DRW50]

February 1980 Digest

[Paul Raven]

I wonder what life had in store for these two after their soap stints ended.

Funny how some actors kept working in soaps through the 80's and 90's and others disappeared.

Edited December 8, 2011 by Paul Raven

[DRW50]

Is this the same Cynthia?

http://www.americans...lty-bio?id=1280

IMDB doesn't even include her ATWT run. Or Doug, apparently...

Could you refresh me on who her character was? At first I thought she was the one who was with Tom but maybe she was in Bennett's story.

Edited December 8, 2011 by CarlD2

[Mitch]

I remember the old Datalounge thread about soaps that went on and on and on..which alleged that he and the Paul actor and some network (I think ABC) exec had a three way! Personally I would want Eddie "man." all to myself.. but...

[Paul Raven]

Cynthia was the estranged wife of Dr Doug Campbell.Doug and Cynthia were introduced by Ellis/Hunt in 78/79..Wasn't Doug a love interest for Annie?

[Brandon's Buzz]

Hey all, I host a radio show on BlogTalkRadio called "Brandon's Buzz" and back in May, I had a conversation on my show with One Life to Live's former executive producer Susan Bedsow Horgan. I promoted it on several boards, and was surprised to be bombarded with questions about her tenure on As the World Turns as a producer and head writer. I'd never been a regular World Turns watcher, so I had no idea at the time that Ms. Horgan was actually the head writer of the show for a time in the mid-'80s. She mentioned during our first chat that she was responsible for bringing Bob and Kim back together during her tenure, and since the Bob/Kim wedding is part of the new ATWT DVD box set of episodes, I am bringing back Ms. Horgan to Brandon's Buzz soon for a more in-depth chat about her World Turns days. She has given me some talking points, but since I was never a regular WT fan, I wanted to cast a net to you guys and see if I could get a sense of what any of you are interested in learning from her, either about her days as a producer and writer on ATWT or about her stunning tenure on One Life throughout the early and mid-'90s. Fire away, guys, we'd both love to hear what you all are thinking!

[DRW50]

Some actors who worked on ATWT during some of 1984-1985 described the show as very confusing and difficult in terms of production and filming. Do you think there's any truth to that?

You were responsible for reuniting Bob and Kim, a brilliant idea that paid off for many years to come. Their initial relationship was one of the most notorious on ATWT. Did you face any reaction from CBS or P&G for wanting to pair the two again? Was there any worry of fan backlash?

Did you face any pressures by P&G or CBS to focus on young characters and phase out the established favorites (such as Bob, Kim, John, Lisa)? Did you face any resistance to bringing back old favorites like Nancy and Chris, who had essentially been banished a few years earlier?

During your time on the show, ATWT cast some actors who would go on to have long and successful acting careers, such as Julianne Moore and Steven Weber. Did you have any involvement in those decisions, or any memories of them at that time?

You were at ATWT during the very difficult phase involving the recasting of Betsy Andropolous upon the departure of the very popular Meg Ryan. How long did it take to find a replacement, and what were the reactions of viewers, other cast members, etc.? Did you initially plan to write Betsy in a similar manner to Ryan or did you change your writing to suit Lindsay Frost's own talents?

Your tenure also involved a difficult recasting of Tom Hughes, played by the popular Justin Deas. What was the line of thinking involving the first replacement (Jason Kincaid)? Was it based on his successful AMC run? When did you decide to replace him with Gregg Marx? Was there a deliberate effort to, after Kincaid didn't work out, cast an actor who would bring very different shadings to the role of Tom?

What was it like bringing Eileen Fulton back to ATWT after a 2-year absence?

During your tenure, the McColl family were a fairly dominant family in Oakdale. What story plans did you have for the family and were they impacted by the exits of the actors who played Diana and Kirk? Did you have any more story plans for Dorothy Connors (Nancy Pinkerton)?

The transition between your work and Douglas Marland's work seemed to be almost seamless. How did that work out? What was he like to work with? Did you get to work with him? Was he responsible for the exits of characters like Maggie, Frank, and Jay, or were they already leaving?

[DRW50]

A few more (sorry, I know you aren't going to read all this crap, but this is probably the best chance I'll ever have to get some of this answered).

Your tenure had some fairly notable departures, such as Karen Haines, Gunnar, Annie and Jeff Stewart. How much of this was the choice of the actors and how much was a production decision?

What plans would you have had for Barbara if you had stayed on as headwriter or producer? Would you have made her "bad", as Douglas Marland did?

Did you create the character of Shannon O'Hara, and if so, what were your plans for her?

Did Marland's writing for Sierra match what you had in mind for the character?

During your tenure, black characters were represented by the wonderful Tonya Pinkins as Heather Dalton, Eddie Earl Hatch as Tucker. Did the show choose to write Hatch out? Did you create Roy Franklin, who essentially replaced Tucker in Heather's story? Did P&G or CBS have any guidelines or criticisms of giving airtime to minority characters?

Were there any stories you wanted to do but censors or some other decision did not allow you to do so?

[Bright Eyes]

Eileen Fulton was off the show for two years?

[DRW50]

Eileen quit the show in 1982 and was replaced by Betsy von Furstenberg.