As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[Paul Raven]

Some SOD covers from the 70's

[Mitch]

Yea, as I said, it was a bad time for ATWT what with Wagner leaving, the David actor was doing a play for six months so he disppeared and became a suspect in John's hit and run, and the Dobsons being fired or quit, and the strike coming in just as a new writer came in..so the show was coasting on the fumes of the Dee rape trail and kind of stuck there in time.

The new writers brought in a cast of new characters and actors which wasnt popular to begin with and then the strike hit. I actually dont think the show really recovered from that time until Marland came.

The Carol character never married the minister on screen, she just kind of disappeared. The wedding she was at was Dees' aborted wedding to James. It is too bad she was not kept on recurring, she was like "Miss Normal," and could have been a good talk to while workign for Lisa at Fashions etc.

[DRW50]

I guess the episode here was when the strike was winding down or had just finished. That whole movie story with Natalie (which was over by this time apparently) screams strike.

I didn't realize Carol was pregnant at this point. Did she lose the baby?

I was reading an SPW article during the '91 anniversary where they listed most of the new characters and recasts and graded them based on potential. They got more right than they got wrong (they said no one cared about Sabrina and she'd probably be gone soon, that Linc would go as he had no chemistry with the women he was with), but they made me laugh when they gave Courtney an A and said she'd be around for many years to come. Given that they gave Connor a D and said she had no reason to stay around, I was amused, because Connor outlasted that whiny dullard by 2-3 years.

They also said that Andy would only be viable if he took after John and not his saintly mother, which I never bought - to me Andy was best as a heroic, flawed, vulnerable figure.

I don't know why but the soap magazines at that time had a stick up their ass about Kim and how sanctimonious and self-righteous they thought she was.

[amybrickwallace]

I don't understand why they never used Scott DeFreitas to his full potential. His Andy was such a relatable character.

[P.J.]

'91---Kim is probably still moaning and groaning about Bob and Susan's ONS. Marland, God love him, did have a tendency to drag things out just a hair too long.

It's weird...I know there were many Dans---but I always think of John Reilly when Dan is mentioned.

[amybrickwallace]

It is realistic in a way, because some people never get over an indiscretion and keep bringing it up. I will give them that.

[Mitch]

Carol wasn't preggers. Annie lost the baby she was carrying from Brad when she heard at the trial that Dee was dreaming of screwing Brad when John raped her (resulting in a mis trial.) Annie then got artificially inseminated to carry Steve and Carol's baby. She lost that baby.

Andy was always an Ed Bauer to me..not a hero and not a villan but weak. I never liked Defretias but maybe its because I didn't like Andy..first he was an alcy, then he was in love and married that boring Courtney and then he was addicted to Julie...and then Denise and the baby...he was always "weak," or addicted to me. I dont know why they didnt bring him back from time to time especially since his wife was the "star," of the show.

[amybrickwallace]

Good question. But Andy and Molly worked as good friends - SD had a natural and easy chemistry with Lesli Kay.

[P.J.]

I know Marland's handling of the affair and it's aftermath was more realistic, but there's always a point that realism turns tedious. And I think it got to the point where the audience was asking how much of Kim's reaction was because Bob was unfaithful, and how much of it was because it was Susan.

Re: Scott---I thought he fit Andy perfectly. It would have been nice if TIIC had brought Andy back from time to time (if Scott had wanted to reprise the role), but they weren't really bringing anyone back for those kind of visits. I was surprised no offers were made after the cancellation was announced, especially when Julianne Moore came back. It would have been a nice nod to history.

[DRW50]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrZGAC-8_Is&list=UUMzfXBdkJBnz14rGTDBnVDw

Love that John/Kim scene. They had such an interesting relationship, especially when they were allowed to talk about issues beyond just Andy. I kind of wish they'd had them get together again around this point.

Shocked that Kim kind of just took a dump on Ellen and David's marriage.

That Leona Helmsley haircut and fake pink pearls don't do Kim any favors.

[amybrickwallace]

LOL!! She does look kind of Leona-ish in this clip.

[DramatistDreamer]

I'm watching the Laura Simmons storyline on You Tube and am all out of sorts because no one seems to have those episodes of when Bob got to the house after Barbara and Hal's wedding and came face to face with pyschopathic Laura. As my niece would say, "Fiddlesticks!" I'm still miss seeing the 1986 episode of when they found out that Tad Channing was actually dead and not missing.

Hopefully someone somewhere will eventually post those missing episodes.

[DRW50]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaJqItNv4pY

Wow at those horror movie screams from Lucinda! I didn't know Liz had it in her. I guess Lucinda was still so new to Oakdale that she wasn't used to the rough stuff.

Karen is such a fascinating character, so rough-and-tumble compared to most ATWT ladies. I really wish she'd stuck around longer. Dusty seemed to forget her almost immediately.

I wonder if this was the first ladies' room confrontation on ATWT. Marland loved doing them, but he started a year or two later.

Edited October 1, 2014 by DRW50

[NothinButAttitude]

LMAO! I've never seen Lucinda react like that. She's usually poised, bristly, and unbothered but seeing her scream is too funny. Was this around the time that Lucinda was setting her claws into John, and Karen was being phased out?

[Mitch]

LOL..that clip was too funny. This was before Marland as you can see the show was a bit more lighthearted and campy. I LOVED Karen..hated her at first as she was after that drip Jeff and causing problems for boring Annie, but when they had her blackmail James into marriage (grabbing him right out from under boring Dee) and then married to John, and then divorcing him and fighting Lucinda, she was fun. The actress had the skill to make Karen really relatable and rootable, despite what she would do. She reminds me of a young Harley before Beth Ehlers became so shrill and annoying. I think that Karen was a little too tough and funny for Marland, I can't see her sitiing around talking about honesty or worrying about Lily. Speaking of..I forgot how fun Lucinda was before she was obsessed with Lily!

I wish there was clip out there of Karen impersonating Lucinda's beautician and dying her hair pink or orange or something (something WAAAAYYYY too lowbrow for Marland but fun.)