37 minutes ago, All My Shadows said:

Who was the first of the true "warm, loving matriarch" characters? Maybe Alice Horton? It seems like by the 80s, soaps decided that viewers no longer were interested in those older females outside of them just being sweet and kind talk-tos for the younger characters.

I have to say, GL bringing back Meta was a great idea...(believe it or not it was McTavish who started it) and while she disappeared from the screen often (some due to Stuarts illness some not) when she was on she was a spot on tough but loving town matriarch. She had a short scene with Abuela Santos once where she firmly blew her off and put her in her place...(we needed more of evil matriarch vs. good matriarch...)

 

6 minutes ago, vetsoapfan said:

Irna certainly was sadistic, LOL. She was planning to have AW's Alice Matthews burn to death in a fire when she became annoyed at Jacquie Courtney's bubbly performances. No one was safe when Moss Phillips was vexed.

 

All of those deaths described above cracked me up and almost seemed like a soap parody. Did Seinfeld get the out of contol wheelchair idea from Ms. Irma?  Mo's death on GL was small potatoes on what she could have come up with (she would have been the original "crock pot" as death machine writer..)

8 minutes ago, vetsoapfan said:

Charita Bauer exuded a natural charm, joy and sweetness which made Bert's transition to loving matriarch believable, however. Helen Wagner (while I adored her) came across as much more aloof and reserved.

 I think this describes it well. Charita was just a force of joy that could not be contained so the writers gave up and no matter how hard they tried, Wagner kept a distance..(I have seen interviews with her that she is very firmly NOT sweet grandma) I wonder what the cast thought of her (besides her nakedness in the make up room...) It seems when she left in 80 there was not a lot of cast remarks on her leaving.

Wait - I really need to know or don’t really need to know what this is about Helen being naked in the makeup room. Please inform.

If memory serves, cast members who got out of line at ATWT had to answer to three individuals. First Don (who I think was described as more of the good cop), Kathryn and if it just wasn't improving, Helen.

New Reunion Alert!!! I think most of us will be looking forward this one!!!

Former soap publicist Alan Locher will be interviewing AS THE WORLD TURNS faves Scott Bryce (ex-Craig), Gregg Marx (ex-Tom) and Hillary B. Smith (ex-Margo) next week. The live chat will take place on Friday, June 19, a 2 p.m. ET.

 

 

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/new-as-the-world-turns-virtual-reunion/

4 minutes ago, Forever8 said:

New Reunion Alert!!! I think most of us will be looking forward this one!!!

Former soap publicist Alan Locher will be interviewing AS THE WORLD TURNS faves Scott Bryce (ex-Craig), Gregg Marx (ex-Tom) and Hillary B. Smith (ex-Margo) next week. The live chat will take place on Friday, June 19, a 2 p.m. ET.

 

 

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/new-as-the-world-turns-virtual-reunion/

Just now, Soapsuds said:

 

This!!

 

Let's have a prayer circle that there be no technical issues, lol.

14 minutes ago, DramatistDreamer said:

 

 

 

Let's have a prayer circle that there be no technical issues, lol.

17 hours ago, DRW50 said:

 

I did love Connor, but otherwise I see what you mean. Past similar characters under Marland, like Pam, felt more "real," even though they never had that much to do. I think Beau is the first character similar to what you describe (and he's one it felt like Marland quickly tired of). I wonder if Caso's arrival is one of the reasons for the flatness.

 

I feel like Irna used the Hughes family to work out her issues about repression in society. The idea that Jeff was a "bad boy" caused no amount of heartbreak for Penny - if Nancy and Chris had accepted his goodness sooner, then he wouldn't have lashed out so much and they would have been happier. Nancy then interfered nonstop in Don's relationships (isn't this what caused Don to leave Oakdale for years in the '60s?) and to a degree in Bob's, and was in general a cold and brittle personality. It seemed like, similar to Bert and Papa Bauer, Pa Hughes was the main one who could see through her and push her down the right path, it's just Nancy was cold and Bert was a volcano.

 

I do wonder why Nancy was softer on Lisa than on a lot of the more genuinely nice women that she gave hell to, like Janice Whipple and so on. Maybe Irna's soft spot blurred her writing, or maybe Nancy saw Lisa as the woman she wished she could have been - all emotion, all drama. 

Loved Connor too she was indeed IMO one of the best characters especially in that 1993-95 period.

 

Interesting as I never thought about how Nancy ever was to Don and Janice. I do recall reading something a long time ago about when Don returned in the late 60’s the Hughes were shocked to learn Janice had been dead for some time and Don had shipped the kids off to live with Janice’s family without Don even bothering to contact them when it happened. Sheesh!

 

Whatever happened to John and Marion Hughes? 

 

I have to say, GL bringing back Meta was a great idea...(believe it or not it was McTavish who started it) and while she disappeared from the screen often (some due to Stuarts illness some not) when she was on she was a spot on tough but loving town matriarch. She had a short scene with Abuela Santos once where she firmly blew her off and put her in her place...(we needed more of evil matriarch vs. good matriarch...)

 

 

Mary Stuart was quite good as the feistier Meta. Both her onscreen confrontations/rivalries with Maria Santos and Claire Ramsey were well-rooted in family loyalty. Meta could’ve mopped the floor with Jo.  I line to imagine that Vanessa would be that kind of matriarch today. 
 

Back to ATWT though...I felt that we were fortunate to have several ladies in that age range as the show ended, even if Emma and Lisa were underused. And they were all distinct and different types of matriarchs. 
 

Often wondered if Nancy’s fondness for Katie and Alison had anything to do with Susan. Perhaps Susan herself had been a handful too?

3 hours ago, All My Shadows said:

Who was the first of the true "warm, loving matriarch" characters? Maybe Alice Horton? It seems like by the 80s, soaps decided that viewers no longer were interested in those older females outside of them just being sweet and kind talk-tos for the younger characters.

 

https://www.welovesoaps.net/2011/04/as-earth-turns-original-story-bible.html

 

Mary Matthews on AW was warm and loving from day-one.  She didn't have the stern history of Nancy Hughes or Bert Bauer, who both evolved into warm loving matriarchs.   Oddly, Mary actually became less warm in her later years -- mostly because she opposed Alice's troubled relationship with Steve Frame.  And of course, Harding Lemay was trying to turn Mary into Liz Matthews -- which was foolish.   

6 hours ago, DRW50 said:

The Dobsons were very talented writers but they seemed to have no real idea what the concept of ATWT was. 

 

More likely, they had an idea, but P&G wanted them to concentrate more on "sexing up" the show and making it more competitive with the ABC ones.

 

5 hours ago, Soapsuds said:

The Dobsons were gone in 1982. Tom King and Millie Taggert took over as HW in 1983. Cynthia Benjamin and Susan Bedsoe Horgan took over in 1984 before Marland arrived.

 

Weren't there also Caroline Franz and John Saffron (and maybe a couple of others) during that time period as well?

 

I, for one, have always wondered what happened to Saffron.  Aside from writing an episode of KNOTS LANDING, the man seems to have dropped off the globe.

Edited June 11, 20205 yr by Khan

31 minutes ago, Khan said:

 

More likely, they had an idea, but P&G wanted them to concentrate more on "sexing up" the show and making it more competitive with the ABC ones.

 

 

Weren't there also Caroline Franz and John Saffron (and maybe a couple of others) during that time period as well?

 

I, for one, have always wondered what happened to Saffron.  Aside from writing an episode of KNOTS LANDING, the man seems to have dropped off the globe.

Franz and Saffron HW in 1983. I don't remember if it was before or after King and Taggert. 

 

And I've wondered what happened to Cynthia Benjamin.

12 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

And I've wondered what happened to Cynthia Benjamin.

 

I know she, too, wrote for several primetime shows after leaving ATWT.  She also penned several children's books.  Last I saw, however, she was writing mystery stories for online mags and such.

I thought they did a respectable job before Marland arrived. I don't recall who first penned the Whit McColl murder mystery but the ending written by Benjamin and Horgan was riveting and a ratings hit. I know Horgan stayed for a while after Marland arrived but I wish she would've stayed longer along with Bejamin, Saffron, King and Taggert. Marland only kept Franz. Their writing was better than what came after Marland death.Backus and Co. sucked.

Edited June 12, 20205 yr by Soapsuds

6 hours ago, Mitch said:

Ha..I just know her from the late 70s to 80s..

 

I didn't watch GL growing up in the 70s and by the time I started watching the show she was on very sporadically. The vast majority of GL material I've watched/listened to is from the 50s and 60s and she was a bitch on wheels back then! I think she became more of a sympathetic character in the late 60s and grew into the sweet grandma type in the 70s. 

4 hours ago, Forever8 said:

New Reunion Alert!!! I think most of us will be looking forward this one!!!

Former soap publicist Alan Locher will be interviewing AS THE WORLD TURNS faves Scott Bryce (ex-Craig), Gregg Marx (ex-Tom) and Hillary B. Smith (ex-Margo) next week. The live chat will take place on Friday, June 19, a 2 p.m. ET.

 

 

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/new-as-the-world-turns-virtual-reunion/

 

 

Now THIS is a reunion I can get behind! I so hope Alan doesn't drop the ball!