As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[Khan]

Someone might've posted it somewhere - either on here, or elsewhere on the Internet - but I can't say for certain.  I received a copy in the mail from someone who shall remain nameless. 

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[Vee]

Yes, it's September of '86.

[Mona Kane Croft]

I was watching at the time, and I always thought Emily was supposed to be the "bad-girl" who would keep Holden and Lily apart for a while.  Similar to Rachel/Steve/Alice on Another World.  But after Holden and Emily split up, she got over Holden pretty quickly and left their orbit almost completely.  I think Emily could have caused a lot more difficulty for Holden and Lily, but Marland decided he had different plans for her.  

[DramatistDreamer]

Years ago, I think someone posted a snippet of an interview with Colleen McDermott where I think she admitted to being quite “green” and not really doing all that well in the role. The scenes between Colleen’s “Emily” and Jon’s “ Holden”, I think they both looked lost, and not in a good way. They just didn’t seem to really know how to pull off a scene.  That probably helped Marland see Holden and Lily in a fresh perspective. Byrne had more experience and could pull Hensley along, whereas Colleen…well, they were both sinking like stones to the bottom.

Watch this space @Veebecause Melanie Smith’s “Emily” is an entirely different dynamic.

Also @Vee, you should probably watch more of the conclusion of the Tad Channing mystery episodes because there will be a bit of a recounting of what happened and it might be made a bit clearer about what happened to Tad in the sequence of events. There used to be some clip on YouTube entitled “Hal finds out “ or some such title. If you type it in the search bar with 1986, you might find those scenes. It actually contains some compelling scene work from Marie Marshall. It’s well worth a look, if you can find it.

[DRW50]

Jon Hensley likely announced around this time that he was leaving the show, which was probably a big factor.

[Khan]

In a way, I feel sorry for Melanie Smith.  When Kelley Menighan (Hensley) succeeded her as Emily, Laurie Caso said (in so many words) that Melanie's Emily was too slutty - which, I thought, was just insulting.  Moreover, even if Smith's Emily had behaved like a slut, it wasn't as if she was sleeping around just for the hell of it, or to make others' lives miserable.  Her need for love, stemmed from being without her father for so many years and being raised by Susan, made her a very complex young woman.  Emily, as a character, was certainly more interesting when MS was playing her.  (No offense to KMH or her fans, but I thought she would've made a much better Betsy).

Edited December 3, 2023 by Khan

[DramatistDreamer]

Wow, so Caso was indulging in an early example of “slut-shaming”? How very provincial of him. Perhaps as a heterosexual male, Caso could only see women in a Madonna/whore dynamic. I don’t know what his problem was.

At the risk of incorporating trendy terms like “sex positivity”, but from a 21st century perspective, Smith’s version of the character seems infinitely more interesting to me. Even watching now, her Emily seems more layered. She wasn’t just about sexiness, she was also stoic and ambitious and knew she had vulnerabilities and tried to mask them.  She knew that some people might have had a low impression of her but if those people didn’t pay her bills, she would shrug and keep it moving. Of course, she cared about those closest to her, those she loved and respected or those who could negatively impact her ambitions, like I said, she’d keep it moving. I will always remember that the denouement of that storyline where she outmaneuvered her ex-lover Tonio for a principal position at M&A by forming an alliance with Craig, Tonio’s arch nemesis and Emily’s ex-husband Holden. There’s that image of Emily, feet propped up on the desk in the head office with their fingers laced behind her head, the satisfaction spread across her face. Tonio, to his peril, underestimated her and was made to regret it. MS played those dramatic notes to perfection. I enjoyed watching that tension between the vulnerability and the unyielding brass of the character. I think that was mostly gone when KM took over the role, but I guess that was intentional.
 

[Vee]

KMH always seemed like a B or C-player to me. They parked her with people when they weren't that invested in them (or were desperate, like with Roger Howarth). She's not at all untalented but it is a world of difference from what I've seen of Melanie Smith. I do think the Hal/Emily pairing really worked, I liked them together because she was so different from him. It was that screwball comedy energy.

Edited December 3, 2023 by Vee

[Soaplovers]

@KhanI didn't watch ATWT much.. but my late mom did.  She described Melanie's Emily as tortured and sensual.

When I watch old Youtubes of her Emily... I see someone that is hard/tough on the outside (on the account of her childhood), yet very soft on the inside.  That dichotomy was what made her Emily so compelling to watch.  She reminded me of a 40s actress in terms of how she portrayed Emily.

Kelley's Emily was colder, tortured, yet very neurotic.   She lacked the sensuality and sadness that Melanie's Emily had... but I did think her Emily was a good one.... if you looked at her Emily as an entirely different character.

[Khan]

You have associate writer Tom Reilly to thank for that.  According to one former scribe for ATWT, no one really saw the chemistry between KMH and Benjamin Hendrickson - not even Reilly's friend and former writing partner, Hogan Sheffer - until Reilly said it was like "His Girl Friday," but with the cop and the reporter.

 

[P.J.]

Eeeeeeh...yeah, I don't see it either. The only reason I was ok with Hal/Em was that Em was pretty much OOC for their time together.  I normally found KMH brittle and neurotic, and nearly completely unsympathetic. Boy, Caso must not have been around for her Em, because her Em slept with anything that wasn't nailed down.

[adrnyc]

 

Watched that interview. LOVED IT! When Colleen brought that up, Alan asked, "Felicia?" and Colleen nodded. Maybe even said something like "Oh yes." And then discussed how Hogan Sheffer came on and gave her some of the most interesting and fun to play storylines she'd had in a long time.

[Contessa Donatella]

Thanks. I missed that.But I could eliminate all of the other EPs. 

[Contessa Donatella]

You are in my heart today. Today is one of those days. Unfortunately it's an Endiversary. On Dec. 8th, 2009, CBS announced the cancelation of ATWT. A bad sad day in soap history.

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