As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[Paul Raven]

From summaries of that time.

Bob is charmed by Dana, his sister Penny's friend, who has come from Europe to settle in Oakdale. Although attracted to Bob, Dana warns him she has a sad experience in her past.When Bob mentions ballet to Dana, she becomes misty-eyed. Barbara assures Bob that if he cares for Dana, Dana is not too young for him.

When Bob asks Dana not to leave town, she agrees to stay, revealing to him only that she was once a ballerina.Dana reveals to Bob that she left the Joffrey Ballet because she wasn’t the best.Dana reveals that her husband changed from a shy and unassuming man to the egoistical image created by the press.

Ian McFarland makes up medical excuse to meet Bob. Bob learns Ian has no intention of giving up on his estranged wife Dana. Ian tells Dana he’s willing to stay in Oakdale for a year in order to win her back. Confiding to his manager, Ian says his layoff will only be for a month – that’s all he needs to win Dana back. Bob finally admits his love to Dana. With Ian’s consent, his manager Barry plants a sensational story about Bob and Dana in a rag mag.On their anniversary, Ian insists on taking Dana to dinner.Ian lures Dana back into his career business,Dana is jealous to see Ian with another woman, Monica.Bob frets that Ian’s trapping Dana back into Ian’s life, but she becomes a ballet school teacher to avoid Ian.

Ian arranges to play the piano at a pre-nuptial party for Val and Alex to get Bob and Dana’s goat.

Bob suspects Dana has deeper feelings for Ian than she is willing to admit. In an attempt for more togetherness, Ian rents a studio in the same locale as Dana’s.Bob noticed that Dana stuck to Ian's hospital bedside after Ian suffered a heart attack.. Ian hired Dee as his secretary. Dana admitted to Bob it's not so easy breaking off with Ian.followed by a "shadow" at the inn. Bob and Dana set a Valentine's Day wedding date while Ian agreed to give her a Haitian divorce

. Dana postponed her divorce to meet with the choreographer of Ian’s ballet.in Philadelphia. Bob was off to New York to try and see Dana.

Kim offered Bob sympathy when he broke off with Dana.

Deborah Hobart played Dana.She then moved to AW to play Amy.

Peter Simon was Ian.

[DRW50]

Thanks. She was pretty good as a schemer on AW, I can't see her as a heroine.

At least they were still using Penny's name.

[DRW50]

Ellie is wearing possibly the ugliest outfit ever.

Never seen Jane having such fun!

That first Gavin was more of a looker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DTmns48LWY

Edited October 21, 2011 by CarlD2

[P.J.]

LOL...that jacket looks bigger than she does!

[DRW50]

It's Little House: The Corporate Years.

[juniorz1]

That's all I could come up with. Allison.

I can't blame her for trying to shag Larry. At all.

[Mitch]

That Gavin was hot!! The show was a bit top heavy with corporate types at this time, especially since corporate to Marland always equaled at least morally corrupt.

Lucinda was being kind of a prude about Jane...what is up with that. Why did they get rid of Jane and Ambrose (I know Ambrose died in real life)?I loved them and I love Jane rolling her eyes at Lucinda.

I remember thinking this Lily was unattractive, but she wanst. I guess she was so cold..and as annoying as MB's Lily was she wasnt cold. I love that everyone is still talking about being worried about Lily, though now she is 7 foot tall and could go bear hunting with a switch as they say.

Was this the start of drab drepressing Angel and her rapist dad?? God I hated that crap! Add in Seth Snyder and you have a boring depressing snooze fest.

[DRW50]

From a May 1983 Digest.

[P.J.]

Thanks for posting that Carl. I know I'd heard stuff about the troubles the Spain shoot had, but it's neat hearing a first person account from the time.

[DRW50]

Thanks for reading. I didn't remember this was the troubled one until they mentioned the bullfighting.

This seems like such an odd time for ATWT, although it sounds like they coped with the crazy, action adventure type stuff better than a lot of the P&G soaps did. The Gunnar/Barbara/James/Karen/etc. ground seems like an interesting mix. Gunnar doesn't come off like the typical ATWT leading man to me. I wonder what Marland would have done with him. Probably conflicts with Duncan.

I always wonder why they thought giving Annie quads was a good idea.

[Paul Raven]

The quads got some publicity at the time but there was no long term plan-typical of soaps at that time.

[P.J.]

Yeah, I think the quads were mostly about the novelty. I do ususally read the older articles you post, but I usually don't have a real good connection to the '70's stuff. The Spain trip still gets a write up every once in a while in the mags, and CZ testifies to the unusual Spain cold snap, having to get a special dispensation from the Spanish government not to kill the bull, etc.

Didn't know CZ was there with her fiancee (and subsequent first husband) who must have been either connected to the show or some kind of musical composer. I knew she'd been married before Mark Pinter, but I never knew to whom.

[DRW50]

All I knew was that for a while she was credited as Colleen Zenk Crouch, which sounded a bit like a martial arts move.

[P.J.]

^^^Zenk-Crouch? That just sounds wrong.

[juppiter]

Watching some YouTube clips of early Sheffer.... it was fantastic then, and it's still fantastic now. Great writing that lets the actors shine.

When do you guys think the honeymoon with Sheffer wore off?

I consider him such a hack, and I have for so long, so it's weird to me that I used to consider him good and upon further review his early stuff is still good.

For me, he was at his best in 2000 wrapping up Laiman's story lines and did an amazing job paying them off after they had seemingly dragged on forever. But 2001 as I recall was still good. I'm kinda fuzzy on what went on between the boathouse explosion and early 2002 spa disaster/scotland disaster/julia rapes jack disaster. I feel like somewhere in that 6 months it went downhill but I can't pinpoint it. Thoughts?