As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

So she brought Carol back then? I do wonder if she created her - when did Carol first start? I wish I could see Carol, she seems like she was such an important part of carrying ATWT in the 70s, and she must have been popular, as two or three of the soap magazines I got have her in them being interviewed (one had been ripped out before I got it - something about her new hairstyle).

[Paul Raven]

Carol came on in 1970 and Irna left early that year so perhaps Carol was one of her last new characters created.

[DRW50]

Who was Carol's first story with? Characters, I mean.

[Paul Raven]

I think Carol was only ever Tom's girlfriend who stood by while he got involved with the likes of Meredith.Her father Phillip appeared,played by Ed Bryce (ex Bill GL)

[Paul Raven]

Dec 77 SOD synopsis

What Lisa wants most in life right now is to have her husband back – and she’ll do anything and say anything to achieve this end. She can no longer play games. The time has come for complete honesty – the brutal naked truth is her last hope for saving her marriage.

Lisa calls Grant and asks to see him. She arrives at his office without her customary bravado. Shyly she sits herself down in one of his chairs and begins to relate what really happened between her and Bob. She says the passion was strictly one-sided. Bob didn’t encourage her in any way. He always made it very clear that he felt nothing for her other than a deep and caring friendship – but she blinded herself to this truth. She continued to pursue him until he was forced to tell her to her face that he didn’t love her. Lisa concludes her revelation by saying, “Grant, I now know it was a foolish desire I carried around for Bob, and I am very sorry for turning away from you. Please give me another chance.” Lisa then breaks down in tears. Grant takes her in his arms and comforts her. He says okay, he’ll give her another chance, but before he moves back into the house he wants the two of them to have a serious discussion. To insure the success of their union, he wants each one to tell the other what each expects from the marriage. Lisa agrees to this request. They set up a date to meet later that week.

For the hundredth time, Jay is going over his books with Mary and Laurie. He’s going to find how Pete Larsen was stealing from him if it takes all night. He tried to beat it out of the guy at the construction site, but all that resulted in was the cops being called in and breaking up the fracas. Suddenly the intense concentration of these three people is broken by Jay shouting, “I found it! I know how Pete was cheating me.” Jay then dons his coat and dashes out of the office, telling Mary and Laurie he’s going over to Pete’s place and make him pay up.

Jay arrives at his former foreman’s apartment and bangs loudly on the door. He’s unaware that his violent antics are being observed by one of Pete’s neighbors. Jay’s loud shouting frightens the middle-aged woman and she dashes back into her apartment.

An hour or so after his encounter with Pete, Jay shows up at Melinda’s apartment. Melinda notices Jay is pretty shaken and she asks what’s the matter. Jay tells her about his verbal fight with Pete Larsen. There was a lot of yelling but no hitting. Pete finally saw the light and agreed to pay him back the money.

FRIGHTENING NEWS

On his way home to Carol and his apartment, Jay hears the announcer’s voice on the car radio blare forth some very frightening news. It went as follows: “PETE LARSEN WAS FOUND DEAD IN HIS APARTMENT. THE POLICE SUSPECT HE WAS MURDERED. FIRST INDICATIONS ARE HE WAS SEVERELY BEATEN.” Jay shudders. He needs an alibi. He didn’t kill Pete (when he left the man’s apartment, he was very much alive) but who will believe him after the way he was talking about the guy. Jay calls his friend, Fred McNeil, and asks him to be his alibi. When the police question him, he’ll tell them he was with him (Fred) the whole night. If he tells the police the truth, they’ll never believe he left Pete alive in his apartment. Fred agrees to come through for Jay. He’ll second Jay’s story to the authorities. Jay breathes easier. He arrives home and makes up with Carol. They agree to be more sensitive to the other’s needs. Jay doesn’t tell her the truthful events of that evening. He tells her his alibi story. He still can’t be honest with her.

Jay has been arrested for suspicion of murder. The woman who saw Jay enter Pete’s apartment, put aside her fears, and went to the police. The police then called Jay and asked him to come down to headquarters. They said they had some more questions to ask him. While Jay is being interrogated, the woman identifies Jay as the man who burst into Pete’s apartment. Jay says she’s crazy, he was with Fred McNeil. The police then bring Fred into the room. Fred tells Jay he told the police the truth. Once he found out Jay lied to him, he could no longer be his alibi. Jay could say nothing further. The police book him, and Jay calls Laurie and asks her to get in touch with Tom.

Tom arrives at headquarters and bails Jay out. They then return to Jay’s apartment. Carol welcomes him with loving arms. She had been informed of his arrest by Judge Lowell. Carol asks Jay to now tell her the whole truth. Jay does…well, almost. He tells her about his verbal argument with Pete, but he doesn’t tell her nor Tom that he went to Melinda’s afterwards. (She’s his alibi, but it’s an alibi which could destroy his marriage.) He just says that after leaving Pete’s dwelling, he drove around, stopping first at an out-of-the-way coffee shop and then at a bar.

Tom tells Carol things look very bad for Jay. As it stands now, all the evidence is stacked against him. He had the motive and he’s the only one who has been pinpointed at the scene of the crime. It’s not very likely that the police will look for anyone else.

Depression is no longer hindering John’s recovery. He now has found a reason for living…and he owes it all to Mary. After all, if it weren’t for her, Dr. Alex Keith would never have seen his manuscript…and the completion of this manuscript is now what’s keeping him going.

Dr. Keith is very high on the book. He told John it’s going to be an important medical text. It will open many doors for him. It may even get him back into a hospital. Alex’s words made John’s spirits soar. He immediately calls Mary and asks if she’ll help with the typing of the book. Mary wants to free herself of John…but she can’t. She keeps remembering that he saved her life, she agrees to assist.

Mark was hoping to get out of the hospital in the very near future. He becomes very depressed when he realizes this dream isn’t to become a reality. His body seems to be losing the battle against his disease. Susan tries to cheer him up…but she fails. She’s trying very hard to keep her objectivity…will she be able to keep on doing so? She can’t deny that she’s suffering along with the boy.

WILL BEAU SHOW HIS TRUE COLORS?

Jane wants to give Beau and Annie a very extravagant gift. She wants to bestow upon them a joint membership in Oakdale’s very exclusive and elite country club. Beau wants to accept the gift; Annie is hesitant. She isn’t the country club type. Beau, so far, is adhering to his wife’s wishes, but knowing Beau, how much longer will he continue to live in poverty?

Grant has moved back into the house. He has decided to give his marriage a second chance. His talk with Lisa was very satisfactory. She seemed very sincere when she told him that this time she’ll be much more sensitive to his needs. She’ll also be more open and direct about her feelings. There’ll be no more game playing. Lisa’s words caused Grant to feel that their marriage now has a very good chance of turning into a long and fulfilling union.

Grant goes to see Val and tells her of his decision. Val fights back the tears. She was silently hoping he wouldn’t go back to Lisa. She has come to care for this man very deeply. She would have liked nothing more than to have been his new love. Val prays that Lisa will treat him right.

Bob has been living a very quiet life these days…but is that soon to change? Is a new love about to enter his life? Could be. He doesn’t yet know her name, but from the first minute he saw her, at a department store, when she gave his daughter a little gift, he knew he’d never forget her. She has left a very strong impression in his mind. He’s very intrigued.

For a while, Mark’s future looked very hopeful. His test revealed he was showing great progress battling his disease…but now he has once again taken a turn for the worse. He has developed pneumonia.

David learns the news and prays Susan will be able to handle this critical time in Mark’s life. One would have to be blind not to notice how attached she has become to this young man…and this type of deep attachment could be very damaging to Susan. Will she have the strength to weather the storm?

CONCERN FOR A FRIEND

Kim and Dan are very worried about Mary’s involvement with John. They have been noticing that she’s been spending more and more time with him at the hospital. She doesn’t have to devote that much time helping him with his book.

They both can’t help but feel that John isn’t the right man for her. She’s so sweet, innocent, and trusting. John will only hurt her again. He swears he’s changed, but they have their doubts – that much evil could not have been obliterated so quickly.

Jane throws a big, gala bash honoring Beau and Annie. She tried to keep it simple, but somehow it wound up being the party event of the season. The guest list included many of Beau’s old friends, as well as the rich, the prominent and the powerful.

It’s an old, familiar world to Beau and he easily slips back into it. He hardly notices that his wife is having a slightly harder time adapting. Annie spends most of the evening on the sidelines. She tries, but she can’t really be comfortable amongst Oakdale’s Beautiful People. She looks over at her husband and silently wishes he shared her uneasiness…but it’s obvious he doesn’t. She has never seen him happier. Annie then makes a decision which she later voices to Beau. She says they can accept his mother’s gift of membership to the country club.

Susan’s frazzled state propels David to have it out with Alex. He accuses Alex of using Susan…and now abandoning her. She’s driving herself to the breaking point because she’s worried about Mark…and she’s worried about Mark because Alex got her involved with him. Susan needs help and Alex has to be the one to give it. It’s only right.

Alex is not as insensitive as he comes on, and David’s words quickly hit him where he lives. He immediately lets his real self shine through – and it’s a kind, gentle spirit who approaches Susan and says he’s taking her home. He won’t take no for an answer. He’ll leave word with the hospital to contact them at her apartment if there’s any change in Mark.

A PLEASING SURPRISE

Susan is too wound up to relax. She tells Alex she’s afraid to be alone. She’s afraid of what she might do. Alex says he’ll stay the night with her. He’ll sleep on her couch…and then in the morning they can go to the hospital together. Susan is very thankful for Alex’s kindness – and she’s also very surprised by this compassionate side of his nature. She’s beginning to think that she judged him too harshly; he’s not such a monster after all.

The next day when they return to the hospital, they receive some very good news. Mark’s fever is down. He’s beginning to fight his pneumonia. He’s on the road to recovery. Susan and Alex have never felt happier or more relieved in their lives.

With their reconciliation still at the infant stage, Lisa has already displeased her husband. He didn’t like the fact that she made two fairly important decisions without taking a moment to consult him. He thought she agreed that this time a thing like that wouldn’t happen again. She was going to be more considerate of his needs and feelings. Lisa apologizes for her insensitivity, but Grant is still left with a slight twinge of doubt about his decision to give his marriage a second chance. Was he too hasty in assuming that Lisa could really change?

Mary is a very important person in John’s life and what he wants more than anything is to reestablish a deep, personal relationship with her…and he feels he can do it. He knows just the right buttons to push to draw her closer to him. He can win…as long as he doesn’t get any outside interference. But that’s exactly what he has gotten. Mary tells him, she has been warned against him. She won’t say who did the warning, but John assumes it’s his old nemesis, Dan. John makes plans for revenge.

He thinks one good way to get at Dan is to widen the breach between him and Alex. Wearing his most sincere countenance, John tells Alex he’d be wise to keep a close eye on Dan. He’s not as forthright and honest as he appears. He’s really a back stabbing bastard of the highest order. Alex tried to make light of John’s warning, but it’s obvious it has left a deep and lasting impression on him.

[DRW50]

Thanks for typing all this out. It sounds like some of these stories were treading water, but I do like the sound of Susan's problems, and Mary/John. I wish I could see Jay -- Dennis Cooney, just in the photos I've seen is kind of an offbeat leading man for ATWT at that time.

I'm surprised Annie didn't like country clubs -- I always kind of saw the Stewarts as country club types.

This was when they were testing Alex with various women on the show, weren't they?

I was reading a Tonya Pinkins Digest interview from 1991 and she was surprisingly frank about her time as Heather. I can't remember her exact words at the moment but she basically said that the female producer at the time she heard hated her, although the producer was nice to her face. Then Robert Calhoun came in and she also felt he didn't like her, and he refused to let her do outside projects, even though she only worked on the show once a month. Finally Heather was sent on a vacation, but they told her she wasn't being let go. After she left, she was then told that she'd been fired. Robert Calhoun denied all of this when he was asked for comment.

It's a shame they didn't try to keep Heather around and write for her, as I really liked her.

[DRW50]

11/26/91 SPW, The Grapevine, by Dorothy Vine

I don't remember any of that about Kim meeting her first husband's brother. Did that story go anywhere?

[jam6242]

My best memories of Carol are during the storyline where she had divorced Tom & married Jay Stallings. Tom married Natalie Bannon (played by Judith Chapman)but then Natalie had an affair with Jay & got pregnant with his child. I believe Carol & Jay ended up adopting the baby because Carol couldn't have children. I think she had divorced Jay by the time he was killed in the mine. Steve Andropolous worked in the mine with Jay, and he and Carol were married for a while and then divorced. Carol finally married a minister (and I think he was played by her real-life husband who was a minister) and left Oakdale. Carol was very sweet and wholesome, the quintessential soap good girl.

[DRW50]

Do you think they could have kept her around? I think ATWT did a good job for a long time with those diverse types of soap heroines.

Her husband was on the show even in the early 90s - he performed the vow renewal for Kim and Bob - it's a shame they didn't have her make a brief return. I would have wanted to have seen her interact with Margo, as it seemed like there was a real dividing line with Tom's history pre and post-Deas. The only merging was when they used his Vietnam service to bring in Lien.

I didn't know that was how Steve came into the show. Was Jay killed offcamera then? I wonder if the actor left or was let go.

[jam6242]

I would have loved it if Carol/Rita had returned even if had just been for a visit. She still had friends in town, though no family. Of course, she had the little girl that Jay had with Natalie. Carol's best pairing to me was with Jay/Dennis Cooney. I think Jay & Carol were considering reconciling when he was killed. I don't know whether Dennis Cooney left on his own or was let go. I liked him very much too. He definitely was a change from the usual white-collar men that had been on the show prior to that time. Of course, Steve Andropolous took over that position when he came on. He was mixed up with James Stenbeck's criminal doings & that's why Carol divorced him. Justin Deas' Tom was a much different character than the ones I remember with Carol (Peter Galman & C. David Colson). I'm not sure whether I could picture him with Carol at all.

[DRW50]

I wonder why they didn't just say that Steve left the show through James' dealings instead of saying he was in a Greek prison.

Do you have any memories of Valerie, or Sandy, or Kevin, or of Kim's niece Melinda?

[jam6242]

Of those four, I remember Valerie the best, probably because she interacted with many of my favorites at the time, Kim, Lisa, Grant, plus I liked Judith McConnell very much. I do remember the others, but not quite as well. I couldn't adjust to Arianne Munker playing Melinda since I remembered her as Annie Stewart (when she was still called Carol Ann). And I remembered her best from her role on Another World. I do remember that Peter Reckell played the brother of the man who was with Melinda when she drowned. Dana Delaney played Reckell's girlfriend (later wife).

[DRW50]

What do you think they could have done to keep Valerie around? I wish they had found a way. I also wish they could have brought Judith back when Santa Barbara ended.

I didn't know that Ariane had also played Annie. I can see why that was distracting.

I think the brother was Beau. I wish I could see some of Reckell and Dana Delaney.

It sounds like you got to see a lot of ATWT's best years. What were your first memories? Mine tend to start around the time Casey died, or a little earlier. I remember Lucinda hurting Susan's back.

I always wonder if viewers at the time of the late 70s could sense the big changes that ATWT was going through, if it seemed different to them, or if they felt the change was needed.

[jam6242]

Peter Reckell's character's brother was named Brad Hollister. Beau Spencer was the man who had married both Annie Stewart and Melinda (and Dee Stewart had dated him too). I always thought Peter Reckell's character was dull and didn't see what Dana's character (Hayley?) saw in him. I was very surprised when he showed up on Days of our Lives as Bo Brady!

I believe Glynnis O'Connor was playing Dee Stewart (then called Dawn) at the same time Arianne was playing Carol Ann. It was also strange when Glynnis took over the role of Margo! Dawn & Carol Ann were favorites of mine at that time, I suppose because they were closest to my age, just a few years older.

I think I must have started watching in the early 70s. My earliest memories are of the quadrangle I suppose it was between Dan & Paul Stewart, Susan Stewart (I can't remember her maiden name) and Elizabeth Talbot(Betsy's mother). I was around 12 then so of course only got to watch it on my school breaks. My mother had always watched the NBC soaps and General Hospital, and I had watched those with her. I guess ATWT was the first soap I started watching on my own. Days of Our Lives was always my favorite overall, but ATWT was a close second for a long time. I guess I didn't pay that much attention to the changes at the time they occurred. My interest started waning in the 90s (as it did with other soaps) so I only watched sporadically from then on.

Edited December 1, 2010 by jam6242

[DRW50]

I was not fond of Glynnis O'Connor as Margo at the time, but looking back she doesn't seem too bad. I think I just missed Ellen Dolan. Unfortunately most of Ellen's material after her return wasn't great, so now I don't have that same protective nature towards the character.

My interest in ATWT started to falter after Lyla and Iva left and then hit bottom when they fired so many of my favorites in mid-95. I tuned in and out after that and sometimes enjoyed myself but generally it was never quite the same. I still think if they'd had a chance they could have gotten themselves together. P&G and CBS did not give them that chance.

I wonder why they wanted to change the names to Dee and Annie. Did that annoy you at the time?

I'd love to see some of Liz Talbot, I've heard so much about her.

When I get a chance I'll post more of the 70s-era ATWT. I also posted a lot in the Tribute Thread, not sure if you read that or not.

Thanks for sharing your memories.