As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[SoapDope]

Y&R did do a lot of social issues in the 70's.

 

Chris Brooks was raped. I think it may have been the first non marital rape on daytime TV. The attacker (played by Tony Geary) got off free and told Chris she asked for it.

Jennifer Brooks mastectomy.

Katherine's alcoholism and attempted recovery.

Katherine and Joann's relationship that border lined on being sexual.

Nikki and Casey Reed were sexually abused by their father.

Leslie Brooks mental breakdown and put in a mental hospital.

Sally McGuire's attempted suicide that could have harmed her unborn child.

Jill being a unwed mother and her child declared a bastard in the eyes of society at the time.

Liz Foster respecting her husbands wishes to be taken off life support and her pulling the plug.

Paul and Nikki contracting STD's in the era of free love and disco.

 

 

[P.J.]

Maybe I'm not giving Y&R enough credit, but all of television was changing at the time. It's not like Oakdale was full of Puritans who simply yakked over coffee. Most of what I've read credits Eileen Fulton's Lisa for ATWT's meteoric rise in ratings---and she was a selfish, social climbing bitch. It wasn't by accident that Agnes Nixon created Erica Kane. 

[DramatistDreamer]

I never knew that Bill Shanks (Casey Peretti) was once married to Ashley Crowe (Beatrice McKechnie McColl).  Wow add them to the list of formerand current couples on this show!  I've lost count.

Edited February 23, 2016 by DramatistDreamer

[SoapDope]

Bill Bell co-wrote ATWT in the early 60's and created the character of Lisa in 1960. He wrote for the show till 1966. Irna Phillips had him go to Days to help Ted and Betty Corday with the struggling show. Bill made the show a ratings winner. CBS then approached him in 1972 and he and his wife Lee created Y&R.

[Khan]

Granted, I was not alive back then to witness this first-hand, but I tend to suspect Y&R in the beginning was little more than ATWT with bigger hair and skimpier outfits.

[DramatistDreamer]

1990 must be one of, if not the darkest years for storylines on ATWT.  Coming off the revelation that a father murdered his son.  Breakups galore, half the town in extensive therapy, Margo has to 'pull the plug' on her stepfather.  The storylines are very well written and highly compelling (it beats the hell out of today's soaps!), don't get me wrong but the pathos is seemingly unrelenting.

[P.J.]

LOL....I understand that the soaps that debuted in the '70's pushed boundaries. But it's not like they reinvented the wheel. Y&R, after all, IS the show that gave us The Hoff. I credit Y&R more with an upswing in production values that made the show more visibly attractive. But can you imagine what social media would say about Bell now?  That he was ripping off his own stuff (inventing Lisa and Y&R's scheming Jill), relied on rape way too much, and cast a bunch of models instead of actors.

 

 

[DRW50]

I'd say 1992 is even worse, but then, 1990 is a year I haven't actually seen a ton of. Marland's tenure became increasingly dark, for whatever reason. 

[DramatistDreamer]

I, on the other hand, probably didn't get to see much of 1992.

 

I wonder whether Marland may have had some sense of his own declining health.  In 1990, he seemed to be examining the end of the things.  End of relationships, end of innocence, the end of the notion of rosy colored romance and picket fence family life, the end of life...

[SoapDope]

ATWT fell apart after DM's death. I think 1996 really was one of the worst for sure when all the newcomers all but replaced the vets. Soap Digest even slammed the show for it.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

 

Oh.  1990 was terrific quality but it just had a very dark tenor in terms of storytelling and the pathos was unrelenting.  

 

1996 was a busy year for me, I'd be surprise if I caught even one episode from that year.

Edited February 24, 2016 by DramatistDreamer

[Mitch]

Yes, 1990 was the year I stopped watching ATWT on a regular basis and started again with GL, which was just getting going with its "golden years,"   GL was fun and bright and still had serious storylines, while ATWT was dank and depressing and incestuous and just unpleasant. I know Marland was a good writer but he needed someone to pull him in there.

I mean, really, did we need Mack (who I hated ...he always looked like he stank like ciggies and was dirty to me) have Alzheimers? What were you going to do with that Marland....there are some things, like Margos rape and that, that is too real and dark and I don't need to watch it to prove how "adult," and unsoap the show is.

[DramatistDreamer]

I was watching both GL and ATWT in 1990, come to think of it and GL was superb that year!

 

As depressing as ATWT was in '90 (Casey's last days were brutal!), I still think the writing was several cuts above any of today's daytime soaps.  I'd rather watch 1990's episodes than any of the four remaining soaps now.  In fact, I am.

[Mitch]

Those years of ATWT were almost like. "Oh see how SERIOUS we are!" I missed the days of Kim's Stalker, and James back from the dead...(the first time) after that, it is as if Marland got caught up in his own reputation. A show should always be fun to watch, and fun does not have to be "dumb."  GL at that time was like "Hey, look, we're a soap and we're proud of it and we care going to trot out every soap convention in the book and write the hell out of it..enjoy!" ATWT was the dour sibling while GL was the fun one....(though the days my friend were numbered.)

Edited February 25, 2016 by Mitch

[victoria foxton]

Your assessment of ATWT and GL is dead on. Still the tail end of DM's ATWT is still vastly superior to present day soaps. ATWT and GL were on fire back in the early 1990's. In a couple of years there slow and steady decline would begin.

Edited February 25, 2016 by victoria foxton