Jump to content

As The World Turns Discussion Thread


edgeofnik

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 17.1k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • DRW50

    2971

  • DramatistDreamer

    1958

  • Soapsuds

    1716

  • P.J.

    823

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • Members

In some ways it's impressive that P&G let ATWT be pulled back from the brink and let Marland do as much as he wanted to do. I'm not being fair but so much of what I've seen of early '80s ATWT, up to about 1984 or so, is just a mess, a mess, and so alien to what the show should have been. Even what did work, like Tom and Margo, was full of overwrought musical montages and hysteria. That and the casting and focus on pieces of ass and "adventure" and so on are the first real signs of the ABC-ization of ATWT that would kill it in its last decade. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

 

Well....the thing is I don't exactly recall Tom/Frannie as being "close". I don't doubt over the years they were shown having a bro/sis bond...but Tom was out of Vietnam before Frannie was even born. He'd been married at least three times before she was a teen. He was protective of Frannie, and at the point you're talking about, he'd known Sabrina probably about a year. The other problem is that it's Scott Holmes, who a lot of the time, came off as cold and prissy in the role. The man rarely exuded warmth. But this is also Marland's Oakdale. So, I'm sure at some point, Sabrina was forgiven and accepted into the Hughes clan.

 

I don't think Babs "ruined" Frannie/Darryl. Darryl was a lying dawg in the first place. It's completely different situation, going after your sister's man and having a ONS that happens to show up in town years later. Besides, being told that truth wasn't going to stop Frannie. She already knew he was a married man with a crippled wife when she started crushing on the man. Caroline was barely cold in the ground before Darryl was proposing to Frannie.

 

I liked Frannie a lot. But sometimes she acted like the world owed her nothing but roses and rainbows. Yes, it's always better to tell the truth, and Babs' should've just told Hal from the beginning he wasn't Jen's father. But at the point Darryl came to town, Frannie expecting Babs to blow up her marriage to Hal to warn Frannie away from a douchebag liar seems a little much to expect.

 

Barbara's reaction to Sabrina was more than just about Seth. She had a hard time accepting that Bob and Kim had had an affair behind her mother Jennifer's back, and it resulted in a child. I can't recall if the affair was well-known factoid around town or not before Sabrina's arrival. And even if it was, it's one thing to kind of accept that "something" happened, and seeing the living proof that your mother was cheated on, kwim? Kim had really stepped in and become a second mother to Barbara (as well as Betsy and Frannie, for that matter), and it really kind of tore at the image Kim projected to the town by then.

 

I don't think there's any doubt ATWT had a hard time transitioning from the mold of soap opera they helped create to the "new" mold post GH-resurgence-Luke &Laura. But I think if you'd go back, most soaps would seem overwrought. I do think they particularly suffered under a string of bad HW's. Or if not "bad"---ones that didn't really fit ATWT, like the Dobsons.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

I thought Gregg's Tom and Julianne's Frannie had the more blatant bond, at least under Marland - she would call him "Tommy" and had a certain happiness and emotion for him that she often didn't have for others in her life. It wasn't quite there with Holmes, as you say, although they did sort of keep it going with Holmes and Mary Ellen Stuart. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

My understanding was that Barbara disliked Sabrina because she was a constant reminder of Bob and Kim's perceived treachery toward Bob's estranged wife, Jennifer, Barbara's mother and Kim's sister. I wasn't watching back then (either I was a baby or not yet born)  but in the 87 episodes I watched I remember Barbara asking Lisa at Fashions "What about my Mother?!" when Lisa explained that Bob and Kim felt that they had to do right by Sabrina because she was their daughter.

On another occasion, Barbara snapped at Sabrina when Sabrina tried to give Barbara a compliment on her design talent and asked whether Barbara's mother was an artist too and Barbara replied "No!  My Mother was a nurse and I loved her very much!" and stormed off. Oh, the irony in Barbara naming her love child after her Mother!

Please register in order to view this content

 

I don't think it had to do with Frannie at all, even though Frannie and Barbara were close. I don't remember seeing any scenes of Barbara confronting Sabrina. Maybe they're just missing from You Tube, but I haven't seen any. In fact, didn't Seth and Frannie's broken engagement coincide with Paul leaving Oakdale and staying with James at the Stewart Cabin? And James kept harrassing Barbara, who was forced to keep James' whereabouts a secret?  Barbara was pretty preoccupied at that point.  I remember recently seeing a scene where Barbara was at the hospital with a group of other people (maybe Lisa or Dusty and Lily? I don't remember who she was with) and they were talking about how sad Frannie and Seth's broken engagement was and even though Barbara seemed sympathetic, it struck me as odd that it hardly seemed to register with Barbara- my guess was that she was too very preoccupied with what was going on with Paul at that time.

 

I agree with the poster who said that Tom was probably taking out his marital woes on Sabrina but when he first met her, he seemed mostly shocked and somewhat indifferent, oddly.  Tom, even when portrayed by Gregg Marx, seemed to have a close bond with Frannie and I think Scott Holmes portrayed that bond also when he took over the role. He did seem especially concerned and sympathetic to Frannie, not just after he found out Sabrina's part in the whole affair but also from the time Sabrina arrived he seemed concerned about what it meant for Frannie's sense of identity. That just from what I saw.

 

Also, I'm dubious about Julianne Moore's ever being fired. She was an Emmy award winning actress who was well liked by the rest of the cast and crew. If anything, I noticed that even during her last year, she seemed to want to cut back (perhaps to audition more?) on her workload. Perhaps by mutual agreement, she stopped playing Frannie and just portrayed Sabrina (Frannie was sent off to Boston to attend university), perhaps find the dual roles too much. And immediately after her departure from ATWT, you can see that she tried her hand at Prime Time TV, mainly TV movies and TV series for a few years before going full-throttle into movies.

 

I can't speak to the revolving door of early 80s ATWT but toward mid-end of the 80s, I think the actors were being noticed for their work (back when soapstars could still make their way to Primetime and Movies) and had a lot of other options and wanted to explore them. Margaret Colin, does Silk Stalkings after leaving. You had Marissa Tomei who was on a TV series less than two years after leaving ATWTs then after A Different World gets into the movies, soon winning an Oscar. You have Finn Carter doing movies soon after leaving, Craig Bryce on Prime Time TV shows like The Facts Of Life and Murphy Brown. Larry Bryggman always went from stage, to indie films back to the show before leaving for good. Benjamin Hendrickson also did indie films while he was on ATWT (although going into the 90s, with lower ratings, it became harder for soap actors to make it big as the soap brand was not the star-making or ratings juggernaut it once had been). Lots of soap actors from ATWT were exploring other opportunities, building from their success on the show. Gregg Marx I think just wanted to leave because the work got to be too much and he wanted to sing (he was in a Secret commercial that oddly enough, used to run during the time that "Tom" was in DC. So while everyone was wonder why Tom wasn't in Oakdale, we'd see "Tom" snuggling some woman on a Secret deodorant commercial day after day.

 

Edited by DramatistDreamer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

I don't mean to be dismissive of the relationship. And you're right...everything was more blatant under Marland. Family was always up in each other's business. For a long time, Frannie was the only sibling Tom had. Chuckie died in the early '70's. Lisa was supposedly hiding Scott, and Bob wasn't into fathering half the town like Hal, John or Victor Newman.

 

Re: Babs/Sabrina/Bob&Kim...I was kind of shocked to realize years afterward that Bab's mother Jennifer wasn't some kind of saint. Being too young to remember her in any way, I'd always relied on the way Kim and even Bob spoke about her to build an image of her. I guess that's silly, given that it was a soap opera, but realizing Bob and Jen weren't some version of soul mates kind of stunned me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Actually, Melanie did write something about it on her FB: 

 

(BTW, D-Dreamer:  sorry to miss your reply to me sometime ago on Billy Shank and Ashley Crow.  To the best of my knowledge, they are no longer together.)

Edited by Limenade
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Thanks @Limenade from what I saw on her professional website, she has endured some tough personal losses and it seems that overcoming her personal losses, along with the love for her son and the personal/profession choices that sprouted from that, that has given her a very philosophical holistic outlook.

I am not where she is in terms of current outlook, I don't know when or if I can get there but I do appreciate where her words are coming from. It sounds that she is struggling with the results as well but still hoping for good things to flow.

When I ventured on her FB page (I hadn't looked too deeply) I was struck by the fact that she appears to have kept in touch with Karina Arroyave (Bianca Marquez Walsh), I think she has kept in touch with quite a few of her ATWT colleagues and I think that's nice.

 

In terms of Ashley Crow and Bill Shanks, yes I read somewhere that they divorced a number of years ago, I think sometime in the late 90s? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

^You're welcome. Hers was a hopeful prayer, but for many, the feelings are still too raw for it.  Incidentally, other ATWT alums, e.g. Margaret (Maggie) Reed (Shannon), did not take it so well, looking at her FB.  Incidentally, she has a major birthday coming up - she's turning 60 on 11/15!

 

On another note, if anyone's interested in Melanie's take on her time at ATWT (and in case no one had already mentioned it), I really enjoyed a podcast interview she did earlier this year: site: http://seincast.libsyn.com/seincast-interview-melanie-smith  The whole interview is a little over an hour on her career to date, but she spoke very positively about her time at ATWT during the beginning quarter of the hour - mentioning Doug Marland and referred to her cast-mates as "thespians," e.g. Larry Bryggman, Julianne Moore, Parker Posey, etc. 

 

See here for Bill Shanks bio, mentioning a spouse after Crow.

Edited by Limenade
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • What a wonderful photo! It really is a shame that Peacock will not show those early years. I know I'd love to see them!
    • With the death of Days and GH actress, Denise Alexander, someone posted this in the Days thread, a '60s-era photo of some of the cast, which lists the names. In the upper left, is a young Susan Flannery, who obviously ended up playing Stephanie Forrester on B&B, who was one of a few actresses to play Dr. Laura Horton [mother to Mike and Jennifer Horton] on Days. Here is a link to the photo: https://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/topic/38014-days-behind-the-scenes-articlesphotos/?do=findComment&comment=2022200  
    • https://parade.com/news/days-of-our-lives-star-susan-seaforth-hayes-pays-heartfelt-tribute-to-denise-alexander-a-friend-to-treasure

      Please register in order to view this content

    • Sorry, there must have been a error, while creating the file. I redone it and it has audio
    • Tamara Tunie was on a local CBS affiliate in Baltimore the other day talking about a few things she had going on, BTG amongst them: "Beyond the Gates" star Tamara Tunie is in Baltimore for the Reginald F. Lewis Museum's 20th anniversary
    • Kobe/Long had their own template and pretty much gutted the cast. As soon as contracts were up established characters were dropped. They needed to free the budget for the new characters. Going back to Ann,I wonder why the Dobsons renewed her contract around 78? After her initial story she became supporting and they didn't seem to want to pursue a romance with Mike. Maybe the feedback was that viewers blamed her indirectly for Leslie's death. If Mike hadn't taken on her case etc. Did she decide not to disrupt her son's life? Seems odd after everything she didn't claim him back. 1976 continues... Joe Werner is just not bouncing back after his recovery as he should, and Sarah, concerned about his sometimes morbid-seeming depression, consults Justin Marler. They agree that Joe is becoming a “cardiac cripple,” and know this kind of overcompensation for illness and overprecaution can not only be a permanently depressed condition but can actually cause a setback for him physically.  Marler releases Joe into Sarah’s care, but it’s soon apparent that just being out of the hospital hasn’t done anything to boost Joe’s spirits about his return to a normal existence. Marler finally lays it out to Joe—the choice has to be his. He can choose to lead a normal, productive life as a doctor and as a husband to the best wife he could have, or he can choose to become an invalid and live on the outside looking in for the rest of his days, sentencing Sarah to the same fate. Realizing the selfishness of what he’s doing to —Sarah as well as the narrowness of the confinement he’s set for himself, Joe begins to see his preoccupation with his illness as the self-pity it really is and decides he’s ready to return to the hospital for a one hour shift each day. Sarah is overjoyed by his turnabout, but full happiness is hers on the day she overhears Joe telling a fearful patient that the world is beautiful and worth any. effort to get back into it. Steve and Adam are thrilled to learn that Cedars has been the recipient of the Levy Grant for expansion of hospital property. But they have learned, as they report to Ed, that the land they were hoping to build the new research facility on, the land immediately adjacent to the hospital, has been purchased by Dr. Justin Marler. Both Adam and Steve feel that Justin is expanding a power base at Cedars and the land purchase is just one more block in Justin’s power play. When Ed asks Marler why he purchased this particular parcel of land, Marler explains that he bought it with the express intention of someday building his own offices and facilities convenient to the major facilities of Cedars. When the subject of the hospital’s needing the land arises, Marler meets with Adam, and they agree that he should realize a fair profit from his property and that an unbiased assessor should be engaged to evaluate the market value of the land so they can agree on a selling price. When Sarah comments on the fact that Marler is to realize a profit on the land, he bitterly replies that no matter what he’s done since coming to Cedars to prove that he has changed. since she last knew him, she refuses to see him as anything but what he was all those years ago. Sarah insists this isn’t true. But Marler then calls Adam for a meeting and informs him that the land is not for sale at any price. As Adam begins to grow alarmed, Marler continues that the site for the new building will be his personal donation to the hospital. As Adam expresses profuse thanks and appreciation, Marler wryly notes that the tax deductions he’ll realize on this contribution to a charitable institution will benefit himself almost as much as Cedars. When Steve Jackson learns that Marler is to be elected head of the research wing that will be built on his property, he expresses the conviction that this was the exact intention of the gift. Adam, however, assures Steve that the donation wasn’t a factor in the hospital  board’s decision, they were concerned only with Dr. Marler’s reputation as a doctor. | After lengthy consultations and meetings. with the hospital  staff, Ed assured by the head nurse that her nurses performed commendably despite the added pressure of the train wreck, presents his findings to the hospital review board. Steve arrives at two possible explanations for the facts. Either Grainger, more active than usual due to the previously delayed medication, reached for the writing pad and inadvertently disconnected the breathing tubes, or he was in a state of extreme upset because of the delayed medication and.in the excitement a surge of adrenalin within his system caused his brain aneurism to start hemorrhaging. " Upon learning that the review board has ruled out negligence in Grainger’s death, Ed tells Rita, who takes her first free breath in a long time. But Ed hasn’t thought to tell Rita that he’s been in touch with Grainger’s attorney, Mr. Schafer, who, knowing that a woman was at the base of Grainger’s investigation, is coming to Springfield to try to find out who the woman - was who walked out on Grainger when he collapsed —in the restaurant. Peggy, learning that Rita’s “forgetting” to deliver Holly’s message was instrumental in their divorce ‘being finalized, tells Ed that Holly wanted to reach him to stop the divorce. Immediately after, Peggy is torn by doubts, wondering if she did the right thing.She confides in Barbara, who then discusses the situation with Ed. He tells her he and Holly have discovered a new closeness now that they are building their separate lives. Barbara quickly contradicts him: Holly is not building a new life. Barbara gently cautions Ed, saying, “People change, feelings change, and what seems right now may not be right a year from now. No decision is irrevocable.” Ed agrees with this. Now that Ben has declared his love for her, Hope finds herself apprehensive, fearing that she might be making a mistake, as she did a few years ago, when she was sure she was in love with her college professor. Explaining that she doesn’t want to make another mistake, she asks Ben to be patient, and he agrees. When Mike expresses his disapproval of Ben’s overstated independence, his need to be beholden to no one, Hope quickly jumps to Ben’s defense, and Mike apologizes. But Ben, surprisingly, accepts Mike’s assessment as constructive criticism. Later Hope, examining her feelings and desires, tells Ben she does love him and wants to belong to him. Later that evening, after they’ve made love, Ben asks Hope to marry him.And, delighted, she replies that she will. At Hope’s instigation, Bert has a family dinner to which Ben is invited, and Hope announces their intention to marry over glasses of wine. Mike politely offers best wishes while Bert thrills the couple with her offer to' make a Christmas wedding for them. Bert later tells Mike he must accept this engagement with good spirits for Hope, and later, seeing the joy she’s feeling, he gives his daughter his approval. But Ben finds another problem on his very own doorstep: his brother Jerry, who announces he’s left home after several bad fights with their parents. He refuses to tell Ben what they were fighting about. As Ben is showering, Jerry borrows his car and goes out for an hour. The phone rings, but Ben can’t hear it. Shortly after, two uniformed officers visit Mike at home to tell him that his late wife’s car has been involved in a delicatessen robbery earlier in the evening. Since Ben bought Leslie’s car, Mike accompanies the officers to Ben’s apartment. Ben curtly informs the police that he had nothing to do with the robbery and makes it clear that he feels they wouldn’t be there if he didn’t have a record and that his exoneration doesn’t prevent his being hassled like any ex-con,as they tell him he has to go to the police station for questioning. Hope tells Ben she called him earlier, and when he replies that he must have been in the shower, she accepts his word unhesitatingly.Jerry finally returns to Ben’s place and under questioning from Ben admits that he robbed the store,explaining that he has debts. Ben is now in a quandary,as he feels he must protect his brother but doesn’t want to be unfair to Hope. He tries to ease the situation by withdrawing $185 from the joint checking account he opened with Hope and repaying the delicatessen owner. He then sends Jerry out of town to stay with a friend. His relief at having solved the problem is short-lived, however, when Mike informs him that, despite the reparations, the robbery was a felony and the police will continue to investigate. Hope is badly upset to learn while making a deposit that Ben withdrew’a sum which Mike tells her is equal to the amount stolen. This shakes her belief that he _was really home when she called, and she goes to him, asking for an answer to put her mind at rest. Ben can’t betray Jerry and asks Hope to trust him, promising she will have the whole story eventually. But Hope can’t accept this; she needs complete honesty and openness in her relationship and without it cannot goon. She painfully tells her father that the wedding is off despite her love for Ben, and tells Bert to stop preparations. Mike goes to Ben, reminding him that half the money in the account is Hope’s and she has the right to an answer. But Ben won’t say any more and refuses Mike’s offer to represent him legally, again stating that he doesn’t need a lawyer, because he’s done nothing wrong.     
    • And not since. I recall it was quite small for a house that size. And I don't know why you would walk down a narrow corridor to get to the main living area. I hate when the sets on soaps don't have a logical layout! As for Andre his clothing is fashion forward and suitable for his character.He ain't gonna wear no blazer!
    • The last I remember seeing Ben, he was divorcing Amanda. He came to tell Evie that he still loved her, but was leaving town so that Amanda wouldn't blame Evie for his divorcing her. I'm not exactly sure when, but Evie doesn't leave town until sometime after Nola and Quint's engagement ball. I'm not sure if she leaves before or after Justin leaves in Sept(?) of '83. I grew to like Helena when she became friends with Vanessa, once she's edging her way out of Quint's life.
    • Please register in order to view this content

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy