As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[Vee]

Little David Jay was godawful on Dark Shadows. And they had some bad actors. He made that kid playing Spencer on GH look like Haley Joel Osment.

[DRW50]

Watching these January 1987 episodes and I notice once again that Shannon's story always sticks out like a sore thumb. It pretty much ALWAYS does throughout her run on the show. When she was integrated into the main cast more (when she dated Tom in 1988), it was mostly just stiff and awkward. Perhaps intentionally, I don't know.

I loved Shannon at the time, and I still enjoy most of this stuff looking back, but it's not hard to see why bringing her back was such a mistake.

And I'm so glad they recast this dull, pointless Emily.

Edited May 18, 2014 by DRW50

[Khan]

Agree, lol. As it was, explaining how Lisa would have had a child no one knew about, cementing his status on the show as Tom Hughes' younger brother -- it all turned out to be for naught, since Marland's death wound up scuttling whatever plans the show might have had for Scott beyond his introduction. (Plus, even if Marland hadn't died, I doubt Joseph Breen would have stayed on the show given his HIV status, and that still might have put a crimp in the plans.) OTOH, at least Chuckie was someone long-time viewers would have remembered, just as they had remembered the baby Kim thought had died that turned out to be the very-much-alive Sabrina.

Edited May 18, 2014 by Khan

[TimWil]

Hah, Vee, I hated David Jay, too! We would be up for a lot of the same roles and he landed a few. I must have seen him on Dark Shadows and thought he was bad. He was pretty creepy looking and not a particularly nice kid, either. His mother was not pleasant, either. I understudied him in a Lincoln Center production of Macbeth in 1974. I never got to go on for him but I did get to go on for the other actor I covered (Scott Thomson) after the poor guy had been mugged in Central Park. I went on for two performances, had a few scenes with Christopher Walken (he played Macbeth) and a week later we both ended up with measles! I strongly suspect I gave them to him-I was in junior high, after all, a hotbed of germs. I actually got them IN MY EYES-my doctor informed my parents that if they had veered 1/5th of an inch closer I would have been blinded. I heard later on that Macbeth closed early due to Walken getting measles. The famed Curse of Macbeth was no joke!

DRW50, I remember that Freddie Bartholomew was the executive producer of ATWT at the time and the only way I remember that is because he apparently met my mother and introduced himself as a former child actor- he had, in fact, been a child movie star in 1930s Hollywood classics like Litttle Lord Fauntleroy which she had loved when she was a kid! She was highly impressed, let me tell you. I remember auditioning for ATWT initially at Grey Advertising. Watching Mad Men now is a trip down memory lane because those real life ad men were always subtly and not-so-subtly trying to pick up my mom! She was very beautiful and looked like an actress. Interesting times.

Edited May 18, 2014 by TimWil

[DRW50]

Fascinating story. That's scary.

I've heard mixed things about Bartholomew as producer.

[slick jones]

Great stories TimWil Welcome, I look forward to reading more!

[Paul Raven]

If they hadn't already done the whole stolen baby thing with Sabrina, it could have been revealed that Chuckie and another child were switched at birth ,either accidentally or part of some nefarious scheme.

Then the new character could go by his own name rather than have to deal with what to call the returned Chuckie.

[Khan]

That's one idea. But I wonder whether Marland was exploring the option of revealing that someone -- Dr. Michael Shea? -- had faked Chuckie's death when he was a child and then raised him under a different name away from Oakdale. Of course, if we do say Chuckie never died, then it just raises too many other questions that could never be answered satisfactorily.

Edited May 18, 2014 by Khan

[TimWil]

OK, here's my brush with Douglas Marland-:

In 1991 I was in London and went to see the Brian Friel play Dancing At Lughnasa which had transferred to a West End theater from the Royal National Theater. It's a play about grown sisters and a lot of it took place in their family kitchen. During the intermission I saw Douglas Marland standing by himself having a drink. I walked over to him and told him how much I admired his work. His jaw dropped. I didn't tell him I was an actor, only that I recognized him from Soap Opera Weekly and I had a good memory. I remember mentioning how touching Alice Haining had been as Angel Lange when Angel revealed her history of sexual abuse on the witness stand. To be more specific it was the moment she concluded her testimony and was led out of the witness stand a shattered, exposed young victim. Marland thanked me, a tear forming in his eye. He then excused himself and returned with a British female theater companion and he said to her "This guy actually recognized me! Tell her!" And I did. We talked a bit about how good the play we were seeing was and I mentioned it reminded me a bit of the Snyder kitchen. Marland agreed, said he might steal something from the play for the show and shook my hand. It was a nice encounter.

In 1993 I found myself at his memorial service at the Ambassador Theater. My good friend Geraldine Court (who has also sadly passed away) brought me as her guest, along with Anna Stuart. It was wonderful. Tamara Tunie sang. Beautiful speeches from everybody. As we put on our coats I saw Sharon Case (who'd been playing Debbie) say to Martha Byrne and Jon Hensley "So do you guys wanna go bowling?" They just stared at her. Well, Case didn't know him as they knew him, didn't they?

Edited May 18, 2014 by TimWil

[Khan]

I freaking love that story, TimWil. But I'm also jealous, b/c one of my biggest regrets is that I'll never get the chance to meet my hero and thank him for his storytelling brilliance, much less have the opportunity to work for and be "tutored" by him.

Edited May 18, 2014 by Khan

[Vee]

I remember hearing that Sharon Case story somewhere.

[Soapsuds]

I hear Sharon Case is a piece of work...lol...and not in a good way...

[DRW50]

I'm glad he got to hear from fans that his work impressed them. Thanks for doing that.

Great stories.

[BetterForgotten]

Great stories TimWill! I think I've seen you post for years at Walford Web (an EastEnders site/forum that no longer exists, but there is a splinter forum for members who used to post there in existence now). Nice to see you posting here, through strange seeing you post about something other than EastEnders!

Edited May 18, 2014 by BetterForgotten

[TimWil]

Thanks for the comments, guys.

Yes, BetterForgotten, I'm an EE devotee who wrote a lot of interviews for The Walford Gazette fan newspaper. I got to meet many of the show's cast, writers and production staff. In fact I'm pretty sure 1991 (the year I met Marland) may have been when I met my favorite interviewee of all time, Anita Dobson!

Khan, I was thrilled to meet Douglas Marland and it was wonderful to tell him what his work meant to us viewers. He really was so shocked that he'd been recognized since he wasn't an actor...and in London, of all places! I was glad I didn't tell him I was an actor because it would sound like I was kissing up for a job as a long-lost Snyder or something. Or maybe a resurrected Upchucky Shea! Damn, if I'd told him my screen test story that could have worked.

Vee, I told the Sharon Case storyline on Datalounge once. Is that where you could have seen it?

Here's another brush with ATWT (sorta):

I was a panelist for the Daytime Emmy Awards for about seven years. I most often found myself judging all the acting categories. I remember sitting near Helen Wagner several times at breakfast in the dining area. Most of us didn't bother looking well put together but she looked fantastic-perfect hair, make-up and wardrobe! Talk about classy. The respect she commanded by her colleagues was tremendous. One year I sat next to Lesli Kay Sterling on a panel for Outstanding Actor in a Children's Series. She was absolutely delightful. I had to try to keep that from influencing my judging the following year-she did end up winning anyway, right?

I also jjudged the year when Margo had been raped. I wanted Ellen Dolan to win the award very badly. However I could only in good conscience vote strictly on what was seen on her submitted tape and what was on that tape was only Margo being catatonic in the immediate aftermath. I was crushed. A few other times I wanted to vote for Elizabeth Hubbard but I just couldn't because her acting taken out of context looked extremely messy, unfocused, like she was floundering with the words. I think the writing (even Marland's) should certainly have played a part in that. Erika Slezak's tapes, on the other hand, were always easy to follow and her acting was...clean. Smooth. Sharp as a tack. And so she got my vote several times. And OK, Susan Lucci did deserve the Emmy she finally got. I could swear she submitted bad tapes on purpose for a few years there, though, because she (or her husband?) was more interested in cashing in on her notoriety for being a "loser"-remember that Equal commercial?

Someday soon I'll tell you of my nasty "brush" with Chris Goutman!

Edited May 18, 2014 by TimWil