As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

I think having her back for visits and possibly bringing in her daughter Jill (who could have been like a young Margo - hell on wheels) would have been more interesting material for Tom and Margo than psycho Adam or the constant worries about who was on the end of Casey's penis.

[NothinButAttitude]

All this talk about what could've been just makes me angry all over again how this show could still be on air flourishing. Especially since traditional, family oriented storytelling has been hot in the past couple of years. Funny how fads die out and then reemerge hotter than ever years later. 

[DRW50]

Agreed, although sadly, it still seems to have no place on daytime.

[NothinButAttitude]

That's why I wished that OLTL & AMC emerged as successful ventures online b/c it could've opened the door for other opportunities. I still that soaps can make it online but they need great production companies and great teams backing them. Plus, the model can't resemble what it is on TV. IMO, they need to be 2-3 days a week w/ a short hiatus towards the end of the year like the Australian soaps. 

[DRW50]

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[DRW50]

I'm pretty sure Bill Shanks is in this antacid ad, and I know Conrad Fowkes is. Is there anyone else?

 

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Edited October 4, 2015 by DRW50
dupe

[DramatistDreamer]

Firstly, OMG at To Tell the Truth giving out cartons of cigarettes to the guests like they're giving away mints or something!

 

Secondly, I commiserate with you NBA and DRW50-- those PP online soaps had much going for them but a lot against their success, especially financial incompetence of the production company.  And the failure of AMC and OLTL seems to forestall any hopes of a such a revival with any other beloved cancelled daytime drama.

 

From the very beginning it seems that daytime dramas didn't get much respect as a genre-- they were regarded as a dime a dozen- with the exception of a few soaps like Y&R, most shows kept their master reels in poor condition, those that weren't "wiped".  

Honestly, I would've been satisfied with being able to purchase my favorite storylines and maybe some storylines that I've only heard about but after following the Soap Classics saga, I know this is highly unlikely to ever happen.  

 

The production companies themselves only seemed to have any regard for these shows as long as they were cash cows that could sell lots of soap and other products.  The more I read about the production, business and financial model of these shows even at their height, the more I feel these companies had a 'take the money and run' type of mentality.  I felt that way about PGP, and even SoapClassics and to a certain extent TOLN/PP.  

Firstly, OMG at To Tell the Truth giving out cartons of cigarettes to the guests like they're giving away mints or something!

 

Secondly, I commiserate with you NBA and DRW50-- those PP online soaps had much going for them but a lot against their success, especially financial incompetence of the production company.  And the failure of AMC and OLTL seems to forestall any hopes of a such a revival with any other beloved cancelled daytime drama.

 

From the very beginning it seems that daytime dramas didn't get much respect as a genre-- they were regarded as a dime a dozen- with the exception of a few soaps like Y&R, most shows kept their master reels in poor condition, those that weren't "wiped".  

Honestly, I would've been satisfied with being able to purchase my favorite storylines and maybe some storylines that I've only heard about but after following the Soap Classics saga, I know this is highly unlikely to ever happen.  

 

The production companies themselves only seemed to have any regard for these shows as long as they were cash cows that could sell lots of soap and other products.  The more I read about the production, business and financial model of these shows even at their height, the more I feel these companies had a 'take the money and run' type of mentality.  I felt that way about PGP, and even SoapClassics and to a certain extent TOLN/PP.  

[DRW50]

I'd wanted to post this a few days ago but at least I can now. The person who uploaded part of a 1983 episode months ago uploaded the first part a few weeks back. Highlights include Ariel, Diana (two ladies always up to entertain), Kim's not all that flattering hair, Maggie and Margo at odds, Justin Deas having a nice bottom, James reading a newspaper, and, if you're into them, Betsy/Craig/Steve angst. 

 

I keep forgetting when it was Eileen Fulton left in 1983. She was still there in April...

 

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[NothinButAttitude]

Ooo! I am going to have to watch this later. I'm binging on '88 at the moment with Meg recently losing her baby with Josh and Tonio blackmailing her to remain in the marriage. I cannot wait for the poster to upload the climax of that story. I love how everyone on the canvas at the time is tied to James' impending return. 

 

So sad but good that I have to get my soap fix from old episodes of ATWT. 

[DramatistDreamer]

I'm bingeing on those same group of storylines, NBA!

 

That episode when Duncan found Tonio's battered and limp body in front of Lillith's door.  The expression on Lillith's face did make me giggle a little, though.  Duncan showed more sympathy than she did.  Not only did Lillith look at Tonio like she didn't know him from a can of paint but she looked like, if she could, she would've kicked Tonio's limp body over in front of someone else's door.  I know she was trying to convince Duncan that she and Tonio were strangers (rather than potential bedroom buddies) but she couldn't even muster a look of shock or sympathy over Tonio's unconscious body.  

[NothinButAttitude]

Yay! Someone I can share in the joy with! 

 

That scene with Lilith, Duncan, and Tonio was funny. I don't know whether to tremble in fear or burst into laughter. But she is a joy! She's the type of deranged ex-wife character I like. She's proactive and not inactive. She doesn't just pine for Duncan like a sap. Instead, she spreads love around to Tonio and James. It's just something sexually liberating when it comes to Lilith, which is a huge contrast to a lot of the women on the show at the time. 

[DRW50]

Jennifer Ashe is superb in that part of the story (her last few months on the show, minus some later guest stints). As SOD said in 1989, it took a lot of work for any young heroine to emerge from Lily's shadow in the late '80s. Meg was the only one who did - and sadly, just as she did, she was leaving the show...

[NothinButAttitude]

Well who else would be in the same category as them around that time? Pam? If so, it's no wonder why she didn't emerge from Lily's shadow. She's been a bore in all the episodes I've seen her in. 

 

Would we consider Frannie and Sabrina to fit in the young heroine category too? 

 

And I know you like Julie too, who is about to soon arrive on the scene. You don't think she emerged from Lily's shadow? But then again, she was more of a antiheroine/vixen (alongside Emily) if anything. 

[DRW50]

Julie was a different type of character so I never compared them.

 

I don't think Sabrina was ever really a heroine, per se, when Julianne was in teh role. Frannie, yes, but Frannie, whenever I watch Julianne's last few years on the show, feels fairly detached from the canvas, I guess because Julianne also had to play Sabrina.

 

I liked Pam. She was normal to me, not boring. She was much more tolerable than most Marland junior heroines (Lily, Courtney, Rosanna). But she was mostly a supporting character.

[NothinButAttitude]

Very true assessment; however, you gonna stop shading my Rosanna!  Yes, she was a drip throughout the 90s but she came into her own towards the end of Yvonne Perry's reign and Cady McClain taking over. 

 

But thanks for post the 1983 episodes! I really enjoyed them. It broke my heart to see Margo go from being on cloud nine to a wreck. It was actually good to see Justin Deas be subtle and gentle instead of screaming all the damn time. Why wasn't he like this on GL? 

 

I thought Kim was going to slap the tar out of Craig too when he kept interrupting her call with Betsy. And seeing her with blond hair was jarring. I'm used to her black or gray hair. The blond was just too much. 

 

I really wish someone had the Mr. Big storyline. That's the one ATWT story I wanted to see after The Willows story, which I've seen thanks to WLS.