As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

Thanks! A shame it didn't work out for him after he had a successful run on The Doctors. 

[Paul Raven]

That was the Dobsons.

At this point I think Dennis Cooney had already left and they were writing around his absences as in this clip. Jay was on a business trip, at work etc and then finally killed off.

I don't think he did any other soap work after that. 

[DRW50]

Finished watching...

I'd never heard of that Sam character - I guess I must have as she is in the credits for the bullring episode, but I only remember the bullring scenes from that one. She seemed to know Betsy and Steve and had a fair amount of dialogue. Was she Tucker's girlfriend before Heather arrived? 

I can see where Meg's Betsy would appeal to viewers, but I just find her a bit exhausting. I am glad to have them acknowledge she was all over the place during her pregnancy.

This must be heading into the exit for Annie and Jeff. Still a mistake to write them out long term, even if they do feel spent. 

Until the very end with the sinister closeups the fantasy didn't feel very much like James.

So was James paying that woman to pretend to be Dusty's dead mother?

There were quite a few plots in this episode so kudos to them for that at least. 

[Soapsuds]

Single out now on iTunes

Please register in order to view this content

 

[NothinButAttitude]

You're welcome @DRW50! 

Does anyone know the backstory of Tom directing a rendition of Dracula? Was this like community theatre? This feels like an odd story to put Tom in. 

I always felt that Karen would've been a good character to be brought back to go at odds with Lucinda over John. I feel she would've given ole' Lucy a run for her money. I know the SOC profiles aren't always accurate but they state Karen and Lucinda interacted a bit (fighting over John) before leaving. Can anyone confirm this? 

I guess b/c I am so used to James being lecherous, it is odd to see him fantasize about wanting Barbara back. But I am assuming this is more about getting Barbara away from Gunner if anything. 

I did not know that David Forsythe was on ATWT. Damn. P&G shuffled him throughout the majority of their shows (i.e. As the World Turns, Another World, Search for Tomorrow). I am interested to see if he ever did a stint on GL or EON. 

Jeff & Annie are characters much like Karen that should've returned in later years. At least the quads should've. I felt the actor who played Hunter (Emily's son using her egg) should've been one of the twins. Yet another missed opportunity. 

[Reverend Ruthledge]

I never saw Jeff when he wasn't acting like a dick. Strung-out on drugs or stone cold sober. 

[DRW50]

They did, yes. Lucinda's involvement helped end his marriage to Karen, IIRC.

[DramatistDreamer]

Thanks for this @NothinButAttitudeand thanks @DRW50 for tagging me. I don’t remember ever having seen this episode, a rarity for me at this point!

Call me sentimental but I am enjoying this sequence between Margo and Cricket (did anyone notice Margo called her “Bug”? It was affectionate which is quite different from when the character Christine Blair gets called “The Bug” by her arch nemesis on Y&R). We know how messy Margo could be but how messy are the other Montgomery children to make Margo look like the sibling that has her sh*t together?!

The way Karen is styled here, for a minute I thought, wait…is this Beth from Guiding Light?  is this a promo for GL?

What a wild era for BG music on soaps. I can’t take these music cues seriously lol.

[Soapsuds]

Does anyone know the date for the episode?

I'm loving it! I'm watching it on my TV.

Please register in order to view this content

[DramatistDreamer]

If I didn’t know better, I would swear that James is somehow afraid of Dusty. Of all the 2,000 times the show brought back Stenbeck over the decades, the show could have brought up that aspect more, especially in the years when the show was hurting for good material.

[Soapsuds]

Nevermind 

The episode is from the week of January 24, 1983.

[DramatistDreamer]

There was some loopiness in that woman impersonating a presumably dead woman but overall I enjoyed that episode. Jane Krakowski, Wilt Chamberlain and Leo O’Brien (The Last Dragon) all in one commercial for chewing gum, no less. Ah the early ‘80s.

[SoapDope]

Watching the classic episodes on youtube makes you think how the later piss poor years of the show may have benefited by bringing back past characters that tied to the core characters/families.

Bianca Walsh....she was one of those characters that you almost forgot was ever on the show even when she was on the show. There seemed to be stretches where she was absent then one day she would pop during a breakfast scene grabbing a glass of orange juice and someone saying " Hey Bianca" (kind of like oh I forgot you were still here) or lounging at the Yacht Club. They could have brought her back as a bitch on wheels in the corporate world. 

The Ward Quads......All with their distinct personalities, flaws, and problems. Ellen should have been on as a talk to for them. 

Chuckie Shea....He was killed off in the late 70's, but they should have found a way to undo his death. Same for his father Dr. Michael Shea. If James Stenbeck can return from death like 20 times, this could have happened with them. 

Natalie Hughes......bring her back to cause problems for Tom & Margo. Preferably with Judith Chapman reprising the role.  

Maybe some of the Reynolds from Kim's first husbands family. I know Valerie was on in the 70's. Valerie's adopted daughter could have been brought back.

Amy Lin Hughes....Penny's adopted daughter. 

 

 

 

[NothinButAttitude]

Thank you for confirmation. 

See! They could've easily had Karen come back that last decade or so to stick to Lucinda by shacking up with John. That would've given all three of them something to do instead of being "talk-to" characters. 

[DRW50]

I suppose Margo's antics early on (like the affair with James) make Cricket seem modest but by this time she had centered herself and Cricket is still a mess. I think they only had her get pregnant this time because Lisa was pregnant, but it screams lack of interest/ideas. 

Given that they never bothered to bring her back later on (although at least they mentioned her, unlike Maggie), I appreciated these rare sisterly moments here. 

I know what you mean about the music. Reminds me of when AW suddenly couldn't get enough of Tangerine Dream in the mid '80s.

Must be later than that as HBS arrived in November of 1983.

Or bring Melinda back from the dead.

Hell, even remember Frannie, Sabrina or Andy existed.

Then again look what they did to Dani...

I know I was frightened of Dusty in his last incarnation, albeit mainly due to that awful accent.