As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[Paul Raven]

Killing off Chuckie, Lisa's son was another bone headed move. It had zilch consequences,

Instead imagine say Christian Le Blanc cast as Charlie Shea, Lisa's wayward son in the early 80's.

[Soaplovers]

I think the reason Steve/Betsy worked was because Betsy was connected to vet characters such as David, Ellen, and Kim so viewers got to see them while Betsy was heavily featured.

The Dobsons came in at the end of the Don Hughes stint on the show.. long after his more dramatic period was concluded (i.e. his marriage to Joyce).  I was surprised that they didn't make more use of Joyce.. a character that the Dobsons should have excelled at writing.

Based on the 1980 episodes I watched, the show wasn't bad.. it just didn't have the energy of GL and I don't think ATWT ever was a soap that had the wacky off beat vibe of GL to be honest

[NothinButAttitude]

I've been down a rabbit hole as of late, and I have been watching 1986. 

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Why wasn't Rosemary Prinz (Penny) on the funeral episode? I saw she was in the earlier episodes of Chris' passing, but we could've done without Tonio and Sierra being in this episode, so Penny and Frannie (who was missing) would've been showcased. 

Sorry for the tangent. I find myself watching a lot of P&G soaps when the holiday season occurs. They always had a stronghold on my family around that time. 

[Mona Kane Croft]

I love the way Douglas Marland didn't write character deaths, major anniversaries, or other special events as "stand alone episodes". He always used those important episodes to propel other (sometimes unrelated) plots. He was wise enough to know those episodes might attract former viewers back to the show, and he wanted to get them "hooked", so they would keep watching.   Marland loved the genre for which he wrote, and he had more intrinsic wisdom than any other head-writer since Irna Phillips.    

And by the way, stand-alone episodes are antithetical to the genre of soap opera.  Just my opinion.    

[NothinButAttitude]

I don't think I stated he needed to do a stand-alone episode. I simply stated that I assumed that Frannie/Penny weren't in the funeral episodes most likely b/c they probably had Sierra/Tonio filming in spots that should've been for them. I understand as writer what he was doing; however, Penny/Frannie were needed more than watching Sierra & Craig pine for one another and Tonio browbeat Craig. I'm just thinking it would've been nice to see them mourn alongside the Hughes clan. Regardless, the memorial of Chris/Don MacLaughlin was done too perfection. They were just missed. Furthermore, the "b storyline" with Lucinda/Lily/Iva/Tad was good enough to combat the episode's "a storyline," which was the funeral. 

Overall, '86 was a defining year for ATWT. I just wish that all of '86 and '87 were accessible on YouTube. I hate that majority of the Doug Cummings murder trial in June was removed. 

[Mona Kane Croft]

Sorry, I did not mean to imply you were in favor of stand-alone episodes. I was just speaking in general terms about my dislike of stand-alone episodes, and how Marland used special events to draw back former viewers and "hook" them with ongoing plots.

I do agree that Penny and Frannie are missed in this episode.         

[NothinButAttitude]

No worries! But I think the Tad Channing and Lucinda scenes (featuring Iva and Lily) would've brought me back in personally if I were a viewer watching during this time. The Marland years of ATWT, early 90s GL, and late 80s to 1994 AW are just chef's kiss for me. I can curl up and go down a rabbit hole in one of those eras all night. But as of late, I am hooked on 1986 ATWT. While Holden and Meg are irritants to me, I am loving watching this time period for the 100th time. 

Another thing that annoy me from this time is why didn't Marland truly test Casey and Frannie?! They were smoldering. Yes, he had hot chemistry with Lyla but Frannie/Casey had something there!

[Vee]

Maybe he'd already had Seth on the books or tested him? I'll admit I am surprised it didn't go further with Casey, but Seth is hot

[DRW50]

Rosemary Prinz frequently did theater work - that may have been why Penny wasn't back. I am not sure if it was ever said. I am trying to remember if her absence was addressed (did they say Penny couldn't handle going to the funeral?).

[Paul Raven]

Was that a different Mary Ellison Hughes? She looked nothing like Kelly wood.

Why not at least get a blonde actress? Or just say that Mary was unable to attend?

It was more important for Don to be there.

Doug Marland set things up for Christina to turn up a teen in the 2000's but subsequent writers weren't interested in mining history.

[DRW50]

IMDB has her as being on in 1988 (for Mac and Nancy getting married) but not 1986. 

She does have the somewhat toothy look Kelly had but I am not sure. 

I wonder how viewers at the time felt about Chris' funeral episode having so much of the histrionics with Lily and Meg (which I sometimes have to skip when I watch that period).

[NothinButAttitude]

 

Seth was hot, but so was Casey. After all Frannie went through with Doug, Marland should've had Frannie have a "hot girl summer" and just enjoy both their company. 

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Oh, OK. that could've possibly been why she didn't film the other episodes. Makes sense. I think in the episode I posted, Kim said a throwaway line about Penny. I gotta go back and watch it. 

 

History? What is that?  Jokes aside, you know Goutman & Passanantate weren't gonna do that. Hell, they didn't even research Dani when bringing her back and having her sleep with Craig. Mind you, a central point of the character's history was that Craig once thought she was his daughter. 

[Mitch64]

Agreed, when the Dobsons came on board there was Nancy, Chris, Bob, Don (engaged to Mary) Tom, child Frannie and discussion on Penny (so Marland thinking of bringing her back?) I think Marland started the back from the dead Joyce (interestingly called Coleman, not Hughes tho still married to Don.) So they had a whole core to work with. I think they were trying to turn Don back into the renegade Hughes as he was going to represent Hollister (who gyped the Hugheses out of their land.) It didn't work as they would have had to recast Don..which would have been fine and interesting..though I think they had Grant and Don both as middle aged lawyers involved in the same storyline so I can see the issue there. 

By the time the 25th rolled around in April, the Dobsons decimated the core, firing Don, obscuring Nancy and Chris who became walk ons and Wagner left, leaving only Bob and Tom, and recast Tom barely had any interaction with his family..that was all on the Dobsons. You can't blame the network and P & G entirely...Marland was still writing for the Bauers, and introducing the Reardon's with a traditional matriarch..(and we know 4 years later her would return the Hughes to their place)

The Dobsons just didn't care about the Hughes enough to fight to keep them the core..and you're right, they didn't know what to do with the show. I think the Dobsons second tenure was more successful because of Bunim..(not that she gave a crap about the core.) And thank you to whomever got rid of "horny" Brad..note to the Dobsons, your romantic hero should not be as scuzzy as your villain in the triangle. John had motivation...Brad was a scuzzy serve stalker!

[Forever8]

It was so many other legacy characters waiting in the wings to be brought back in the 2000's but you know Goutman wasn't going to do that. 

Christina Hughes could've been mentored by her cousin Tom in the legal profession.

Imagine a rebellious teenage Hope Dixon turning up at Grandma Kim and Grandpa Bob's house, tiring of being "ignored" by Andy and Denise, who she had split her time with.

Not to mention, they could've at least brought two of the four Ward quads back. Imagine the Stewarts getting some representation. The male one could've been a love interest for Luke, while the female one could've been a mess like Cousin Emily was back in the day.

But nope, we get to watch Janet Cicone's backstory and half of Wendy Riche's General Hospital on canvas instead.

 

 

[DeliaIrisFan]

 

I would add the fall of 1985 to that.  I am going down a similar rabbit hole, mostly because I started rewatching what's available of the Doug Cummings story.  I certainly want to keep going in 1986 and at least the start of 1987, but I also would just as soon go back and soak up everything I can of Kim's stalker storyline.  Did CBS once re-air an episode from later in 11/85 (after Marie's murder - not Holden and Lily's first meeting and not the Halloween costumed party that stretched into early November) in the '90s/Aughts, or was it on YouTube and it got taken down?  I seem to remember seeing an intact episode at some point, but now I can't find it.