As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[~bl~]

Yes he did create Mike Kasnoff, but I have no idea if he created Sara who appeared years later. With the Snyders they were phased out in the sense that the family was not as big...

[saynotoursoap]

Marland did not create Sara, nor the torturous Zoe Supermodel.

I suppose I am in the minority, but I liked the Snyder kitchen. In fact, it was one of the most appealing aspects of the family for me. I supported the idea of a poor family living in a home that accurately reflected their socioeconomic status. The house looked tacky because they were somewhat poor and tacky. The kitchen reminded me of Maeve and Johnny's from Ryan's Hope, and like the former series, there were many warm and dramatic scenes there. I enjoyed seeing the family gathered around the table joking about Julie's unfortunate cooking skills or fighting with one another as real families do. It was a very down-to-earth tableau which was regrettably lacking on too many soaps then, or even now.

When Laurance Caso was the producer, he planned an epic fire that would have ravaged the farm and burnt the house to the ground. The Snyder kitchen and living room sets were being redesigned for an eventual upgrade, but someone at the production leaked the story to the press. Laurie was pissed off and canceled the story. I found it amusing that during that period, there was an actual plot point regarding the ancient Snyder ice box, which someone -perhaps Cal Stricklyn- replaced for Emma with a deluxe contemporary model. Later on, under Felicia Minei Behr, the new fridge vanished, and the beat-up old one suddenly reappeared again. The writers and producers probably did not have a clue at to why Emma Snyder had an expensive refrigerator in her shabby old kitchen.

Edited October 10, 2013 by saynotoursoap

[DRW50]

I liked the Snyder kitchen too. To be honest I preferred their front room, which felt very much like some homes I went to for holidays and family gatherings when I was growing up, and there were some really beautiful scenes set around that area, and the even more rarely seen bedrooms, like when Emma talked to Meg about when she was a little girl and the dreams she'd have.

I thought the kitchen was homey, and felt true to the characters.

The only other set I felt like that with on ATWT was Margo and Tom's house.

[saynotoursoap]

It was my understanding that the Kasnoffs were introduced because they were to have been related to one of the central families in Doug's new soap, the bible for which he was writing at the time of his death.

[saynotoursoap]

The one where their living room was in their kitchen or the one with all the stone and wood and the big fireplace with the stairs leading up behind it?

[DRW50]

I didn't know that.

I think I read that he created Mike and Mark, and mentioned their history of abuse (which I think the show briefly touched on), although, as you said, Sara wasn't his.

It's still hard to believe at one point they were supposed to be the show's new core family.

For me the Snyder family ended around 1992 or 1993. Jack had the last name and sometimes had nice scenes with Emma, but I never cared about his relationship with Holden and I thought the show did a poor job of making them all seem like a family (and Brad was a mess).

Another clip from 1979.

[saynotoursoap]

I agree. I never understood the point of bringing in a previously unmentioned cousin to play a cop when they already had the character of Caleb on ice. Why not just recast Caleb with Michael Park? The writers could have used his history when they wanted, or simply ignored it when it did not suit them -which they often did anyway.

[DRW50]

I guess that's what they did later with Meg.

I would have brought him in as a new character with no real ties to Oakdale. Either way it seemed like he was from a new family anyway.

[DRW50]

[P.J.]

One, I loved the Snyder kitchen too. The only thing really tacky about it was the water heater in plain sight, which probably no one's done since the '30's in the first place. I wouldn't consider the Snyders tacky at all. Down to earth, definitely. I think some of the gee-golly-Mayberryness of them was overdone at times---I caught one clip (it must have been the first Christmas they'd been on the show) where Emma gave people home made bread, of all things...and sometimes it seemed like they had a tradition for every day of the week. But for the most part, they were the decent people you kinda/sorta knew from down the street/road/hall who would lend you a helping hand without you having to ask.

I loved Jack, and for the most part his relationship with Holden. I wouldn't have wanted him as a recast Caleb---one, Caleb by that time had too much history to simply ignore it. Sure, you could have had him divorce Julie. But you couldn't rewrite his history with his family, and frankly, by then I was tired of him and Holden fighting over women, their childhood, and everything else under the sun. They got away with it with Brad (Peck's version) because in the scheme of things he'd been a minor character, on for what, a year and a half? And two, because the show needed fresh blood.

I thought he really fit in with Emma, Holden and Lily. It's not his fault they were the only Snyders left. And ATWT was always reluctant to cast anyone as simply someone new in town unrelated to anyone.

[DRW50]

November 1958 TV Radio Mirror

[Mitch]

I liked that the kitchen at first featured that toliet....so everyone had conversations about Lily's latest kidnapping (or all things Lily) the latest incestuous moment in their lives, etc, with a toliet right over their heads the whole time!

The most annoying thing about the Snyders is indeed like they were transported from the 30's or the 40's. I come from a farm family and .....they ain't poor, and their kitchen is the twice the size and is much better then mine! I remember a scene where of course some big business people came to the farm..I think some Italian woman (and of course they were "bad," as they were business) and she was going on and on how the Snyders Illinois farm reminded her of the farms in Tuscany (huh???) but what about all those little houses on small farms close to each other and Emma says, "Oh those were all big farms that my friends had to sell so they split up the land and people bought small parts of it and started smaller farms, its sad!" Uh, Marland, have you been on a farm in 40 years???

Anyway, the Snyders on the outside were this bucolic idealized family, yet Marland kept throwing them into these disgusting incestuous relationships. Lily and Holden were bad enough, but then the insipid Angel Lange, and the guys screwing each other's partners practically as soon as they left the mattress of the other! They Snyders bored me and gave me the creeps at the same time and yes, I can't believe that kitchen survived while the Hughes kitchen and living room got dumped!

I wish that Marland had made his family an urban poor one, as I think that would be more relatable to people. I know that he was writing his experience filtered by his nostalgia and erotic fantasies so it worked for him as it was persoanal, but they should have been written out when he died

And in that clip above from 1979..is the middle aged looking Annie having an affair with a married guy, and Jeff is having an affair with his wife? How outrageous for ATWT at that time and kind of shows the...neither here nor there aspect of the show (I love the scandal of the open mouth kissing and that purple disco hat) and funny that Annie and Jeff, the adulterers married later and were treated as if their crap didnt stink. I never understood why they kept BL around so long, was the show so hard up he was supposed to be the "hot," young stud??? And that house set they are on...isnt that the same set they used for Lyla when she first came on with the horrendous "Cricket," ?

Love the Kim/Ellen scene as Ellen, despite the old lady hair, looks the same age as Kim..I also wish, when Ellen asks, "What are you concerned about," Kim would have said, "Its John FREAKING Dixon you moron...of course I am worried!" Ellen acts like she is on tranquilizers or something there.

Edited October 10, 2013 by Mitch

[P.J.]

Well, it's not like other siblings didn't share lovers. Even the stalwart Bob did sisters.

It's just that their were six of them, which has to be the biggest family ATWT ever had. Tom Hughes had plenty of half-siblings, but Chuckie died young; he barely knew Scott and Chris was about three generations younger than him. Hard to share a ho that way. LOL.

[SoapDope]

I think the actor playing Tom (Tom Tammi) in the 1979 clip would have made a good recast for Snapper on Y&R. He resembles William Gray Espy. David Hasselhoff was annoying.

[Mitch]

Oh but they did..didn't they both screw Emily (but as Lucinda would say, "Who HASN"T!")

I could be mistaking Emily for Mollly but ATWT for me since about 1994 was just kinda there...(though the second adult Chris Hughes was a little hottie.)

I love the clips from 79..I think this Tom is kind of hot the more I watch (in a stuffy Hughes way) I still don;t know why they would recast with that troll Deas? I do want to say, "Hey Tom, if you didn't live with your mom, you might be able to score more ass!" What was Sheila's story anyway? And the dropped Penny story? And I have to laugh at Lisa in her old lady sweater and why in hell Lisa would want to live in that dumpy inn! Where the hell is she going to get her hair colored that brassy shade of blonde! How can she eavesdrop and meddle in people's lives there? The owner of the inn is quite, uh, non-threatening as I said before, or the least bit interesting. He looks like he should sell cars. This all was Marland's material before the Dobson's right?

Edited October 10, 2013 by Mitch