As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[JarrodMFiresofLove]

 

Thank for the reply. I do remember Russ Elliot now, that was part of how Betsy was reintroduced (now played by Lindsay Frost). I still don't remember Emmett or the others.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_As_the_World_Turns#1980–1989

 

I just looked at the wiki page for the history of the show in the early 80s. First, there are a lot of errors on wiki, because it says the Dobsons were in charge of Whit's murder mystery when clearly we know it was Tom King & Millee Taggart. The Dobsons were already gone by this point launching "Santa Barbara." Also the wiki page says Marland wrote from 85 to 90, when in fact I believe Marland wrote till his death in 93, and his cowriters carried his bible forward into 94/95.

 

The wiki page does say Tucker Foster was the first regular black character in the cast, which I found interesting, introduced as Steve's friend. Wiki also says Cal Randolph was an undercover FBI agent who turned out to be baby Jill's real father, but he ended up letting Frank & Maggie raise her. I am assuming Cal just left town around the time Frank & Maggie did, with Marland unwilling to continue any of that.

 

Also, I should mention that on wiki it says Jay and Kirk were a few months apart. Was that ever said in the early introduction of the McColls? Because that means they retconned this when Dorothy turned out to be Whit's killer and Kirk's mother, because there's no way she would have been able to have two boys just months apart.

[DRW50]

 

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Here's an old interview with Backus.

 

 

 

[JarrodMFiresofLove]

 

Thanks for the spoiler. I must have missed Cal's exit. I remember very little about him. The article/interview with Backus is great. Love how he details working with Marland. Thank you for sharing the link!

[Soaplovers]

I'm curious by Diana not being a Marland character.. and that it was best she left before he took over.  What about Diana made her a non-Marland like character?  As others mentioned, he tried to create similar characters like Diana (Meg, Julie, Marcy, etc)... and Carly succeeded.. but she wasn't introduced/written by Marland so who knows if Marland would have written her well.

 

 

[DRW50]

 

Diana was too much of a hybrid of poor little rich girl/sarcastic/hard-edged and bitchy/vulnerable/fun. It was too many things for a very regimented writer like Marland. It was just plain messy, which in this case was a great thing because of the combination of Kim and the way she shaped the role, but is something I think he would have balked at because many times it is not a great thing. I figure he would have had similar problems with a character like Marcy.

Edited June 25, 2018 by DRW50

[Soaplovers]

 

Sort of like how he struggled to write for Rita and to a lesser extent Holly on GL?

[DRW50]

 

Yes, although to be fair to him I have seen little of his writing for Rita (what I have seen for Holly is...not good).

[amybrickwallace]

 

How did the nickname of Fluffy come about? I'm not as familiar with ATWT as I am other shows, but am well acquainted with Peck's work on DAYS.

[Soapsuds]

The Richard Backus interview is such a great read. 

[JarrodMFiresofLove]

I found some photos taken at a party to celebrate Eileen Fulton's return to ATWT in 1984. It was held at Chippendale's of all places. In this one photo there are four young actors from the show, but I think the guy on the left is misidentified. The other three are Kim Johnston Ulrich (Diana), Tracy Kolis (Juliette), Christan LeBlanc (Kirk). But I don't think the guy on the far left is Eddie Earl Hatch (Tucker) who is African American and does not look like this. Any guesses who he might really be?

 

https://www.gettyimages.com.au/license/456522986

 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

From what I can see, other than being Steve's more financially savvy business partner and sidekick, the show did little with Tucker.  Heather Dalton had a father, at the very least, did we even know where Tucker came from?  His exit wasn't given even so much as a passing glance.

 

Here's a clip of him from a few years ago for a reunion for a movie he was in called The Warriors.

 

 

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[JarrodMFiresofLove]

 

Yeah Tucker could have been a long-term character if the writers/producers had done right by him. Heather Dalton didn't last a long time either. As you say, she had some relatives introduced...and I think they put her with Roy Franklin (played by Count Stovall). But Heather and Roy were eventually phased out by Marland.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Very interesting interview that Eddie Earl Hatch in the late 1980s.  He does not have very flattering things to say about his time at ATWT. This is not how you spell 'role'.

 

Dynamic Roll Pulls Hatch Back To Soaps

 

 

Tucker, who I believe was out before Marland came, was treated the worst, IMO.  ATWT, like most daytime soaps does not have a good track record with Black characters.  The writing was always incomplete.  Tamara Tunie's exit, after all her years on the show, was written with as much care as Hatch's--none.

Edited June 25, 2018 by DramatistDreamer

[JarrodMFiresofLove]

 

I see Hatch worked as a fashion model...he definitely was eye candy in the 80s and should have been utilized more on ATWT. He only lasted a year at AMC. He had a two-year role on AW in the mid-90s.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

To tell you the truth, the last decade of ATWT with how the Marshall Travers and Doc Reese characters were portrayed, it was some of the worst portrayals of Black male characters the show has ever had.