As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[Soapsuds]

Wow, I didnt know that Paul Lammers had been a director for ATWT since back in the 60's. I thought he was one of if not the best ATWT director.

[danfling]

Actress Gloria de Haven, who played Sara Fuller on As the World Turns, passed away earlier today.

[DramatistDreamer]

Was this the last time Rick Ryan was seen in Oakdale?  The more times I see these episodes, the more I wish they had brought Rick Ryan back. Instead of ruining Craig, they could have created a lot of fireworks bringing Ryan back. Can you imagine all the havoc that would've wreaked on Kim, Bob, Barbara, Emily and if John were there as well?

 

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[DRW50]

The episodes you're watching.

[DramatistDreamer]

 Weellll, I peered into the B&B thread and noticed some complaints about how vapid B&B's episodes shot on location in Monaco are and how devoid of story and it made me appreciate a time when daytime soaps had actual storylines built around their location shoots.

[danfling]

Here is an obituary for Robert E. Short:

Short, Robert E.

May 5, 1921 - Jul. 25, 2016

Robert Earl Short, 95, of Sarasota, formerly of Cincinnati, Ohio, passed away peacefully at home on July 25.

Bob served in the U.S Army Signal Corps Photographic Service in the European and Pacific theaters during WWII. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell University in 1949, he joined Procter and Gamble Productions and began a distinguished 34 year career.

During Bob's tenure the Company developed many outstanding series which have become television classics: the original Dick Van Dyke Show, The Rifleman, The Rebel, and Car 54, Where Are You?

In Daytime, under Bob's leadership, P&G became one of the world's largest suppliers of television entertainment with shows such as Search for Tomorrow, Guiding Light, As The World Turns, Edge of Night and Another World.

Bob's vision, talent, judgment and taste were recognized by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1983 with an Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement for "distinguished service to television and the public this medium serves."

Bob is survived by his wife Linda, his children Maralyn, David and Austin, grandchildren Kevin Feige, Lauren Keskinel, Alan, Robin and Tommy Short, Andrew and Jen Short and great grandchildren Ella, Erik, Ali and Leyla.
The family will have a celebration of his life at a later date.

Contributions in honor of Bob to MAP International or Bread for the World will be appreciated.

Guest book located at www.wiegandbrothers.com



Published in Herald Tribune on Aug. 7, 2016
- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/heraldtribune/obituary.aspx?n=Robert-E-Short&pid=180888076#sthash.KJyAjBWn.dpuf

[DramatistDreamer]

Decided to try to watch a couple episodes from '00. The casting is pretty decent (baby Hope looks like a mix between Denise and Kim, TBH) but the stories seem sort of disjointed, like some stories start out promising but end up being clumsily plotted along the way and you can really tell that there is a noticeable lack of interaction between some characters- some of this began in the late 90s but it's really become a permanent MO on ATWT by 2000.  Also, the 'warmth' factor that P&G shows historically had seems to be fading on ATWT at this point.

 

Being reminded of Chris' history with Katie at this time and it makes it all the more bizarre that the show put them together in the end. I'd sooner buy Katie marrying Henry or them bringing Simon back somehow. The show is going in a weird direction at this point.

 

[NothinButAttitude]

I've been watching the same episodes too. 

 

I totally forgot about Abigail and Bryant. Though I like Abigail, boy she was shrill early on. I get she was butt hurt over Molly/Chris, but she took things to the max. I can't believe either that Bryant would be killed off in about a year. One of the stupidest decisions EVER. I loved Todd Rotondi as Bryant. His death was the one that needed to be undid if anything, not James Stenbeck for the 100th time. I would've been totally OK with it. 

 

I never got why Denise felt the need to marry Andy. It just didn't make sense. These episodes have reminded how ATWT flopped in the final few years by not bringing back Andy or Hope. Especially, Hope who had ties to so many people on the canvas. I would've loved to see Hope & Faith been friends/rivals for Parker. That should've been the story instead of stupid a** Liberty. Ugh. 

 

I nearly cried in the episodes too b/c we got to see the Hughes kitchen. About 2-3 years later, Bob & Kim would be practically non-existent. 

 

Jake and Lucinda's friendship is pure gold. Jake fit so perfectly on the canvas as he had chemistry with everyone. Killing Jake, much like Bryant, was one of the biggest screw ups in the show's last decade. 

[DramatistDreamer]

Todd Rotondi seemed likeable but the direction of his Bryant character seemed more like a kid raised in NYC or L.A., not someone who would've been raised in Montega. Strangely enough Peyton List, when she first came on was a bit more convincing as someone who was raised in a different culture from an American or Oakdalian one.  Abigail did come off as shrill but I kept telling myself that she was hurt and embittered by Chris and Molly's affair, that was probably the least problematic of the show's contrived storylines.

 

Jake had great chemistry with Lucinda. He had an easy chemistry with Isaac as well, even though I still was dubious about how Isaac and Jake would become such close friends since they don't even seem as though they'd be of the same generation or have the same interests, at all. It's actually a credit to both actors that they somehow made me willing to overlook the fact that their histories, ages and character profiles were completely incompatible. It looked as if both the show was trying to give two relatively recent characters a foothold on the canvas.

 

The storyline with Denise and Andy's sham marriage came off as very contrived, it didn't need to happen in the year 2000!  Unless a Mother is a chronic drug abuser or has a poor medical history or history of severe mental illness, the courts usually side with the biological Mother, even if the mother is not the fittest parent. ATWT clearly felt they needed to give  Andy a story, due to a history of the character drifting and the show's obvious difficulty writing him in sincere adult storylines.

 

I definitely agree that Hope should've returned to Oakdale as a character. It would've given Kim, in her later years, another role, perhaps more possibilities. Perhaps they may have given John cause to show up even occasionally, even though he'd left the show as a contract character. Hope should've shown up as a Type A personality, with aspirations to be pre-med (and be a doctor like her grandfather) and gotten into drinking as a way to cope, which could've drawn Andy back, hoping history won't repeat itself. She could've lived with her grandparents, if the show couldn't bring back either Cassandra Creech or Scott DeFreitas but the executive producers and writers seemed incredibly short-sighted and unable to put together sensible shows built on obvious logic and the show's history.  Really sad stuff.

Edited August 7, 2016 by DramatistDreamer

[victoria foxton]

I've been enjoying the ATWT episodes from 2000.The show isn't prefect but it's watchable and entertaining. The best story was the stalker story. Lilly and Holden story lacked direction. Jake naturally worked very well into the Oakdale canvas. It's a shame Jake was killed off only a couple of years later. John's and Camille's mentor relationship was great. I wished Andy's and Denise's story was written better none the less Scott DeFreitas and Cassandra Creech did an amazing job. Characters are a bit isolated in this era but it got worse in ATWT last years. Still i'll take ATWT from this era over Jean Passanante's.

[NothinButAttitude]

But hadn't Bryant been in Miami for awhile according to SOC's profile on him for awhile? Otherwise, I didn't mind him not being culturally awkward as I'd like to think Sierra and Craig did a lot of traveling stateside with them. 

 

I like Jake/Isaac to and I think they took to each other b/c they both street edge to them. 

 

I've been enjoying watching them too. Also, their scenes (along with Bob & Ben) have made me remember how much I miss stories at Oakdale Memorial. The set was so lush and spacious. It would become the size of a closet by the end of the show's run. 

 

I (too) would take this era over Passanante's reign too. While the stories were wild and wacky, at least they were interesting. 

[DramatistDreamer]

I see things slightly differently, I think. To me, this era seems, not so much separate from the Passanante reign but part of a continuum (that started in the late 90s) of where ATWT was heading in it's last few years.  A writer of Passanante's ilk writing the end of ATWTs run seemed inevitable from what I'm seeing in the late 90s, early 00s. As good as the cast was as much as the show still had life left, you could see the beginning of some poor writing and direction choices in the show that would have consequences later on.

[NothinButAttitude]

That's what I am seeing a lot of with these episodes. It's starting to make me re-imagine where things went wrong and opportunities missed with the last decade of show.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

 

Oh, I've been imagining what went wrong since before the show even went off the air (LOL)! And ever since then I've been imagining how I'd re-write everything and fix it!

Edited August 8, 2016 by DramatistDreamer

[NothinButAttitude]

Me too. I still don't get how this show tossed lively veteran characters like Kim, Bob, Lisa, Nancy, Emma, and Lucinda to the background. I would've had a field day with them. More than I would've younger characters. It boggles my mind how they phased John out too. They should've brought back MJ and Andy and recast Duke. He would've had all his kids (Margo, MJ, Duke, Andy, Dusty) on the canvas providing him tons of drama. Plus, I would've loved to have seen John interact with an older Parker and for them to form a bond as John once believed his was his son. 

 

I would've loved for MJ to pop up on the canvas and been an ambitious, smug, hot mess like his daddy was. MJ would've been the perfect rival for Casey too. That would've been interesting too seeing as MJ is Casey's uncle. Ugh! They tension between those two along with Margo and John being tossed in the middle would've been EPIC.