As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[Soapsuds]

I've got to say Liz hasn't lost a step. She was brilliant during the final reading. In a blink of an eye she became Lucinda all over again. It's times like those that I wish ATWT was still on the air. 

[DRW50]

 

That's a good point. I didn't want to ramble on even more than I already had, but I should have said I feel like the plot device facility for Lucinda ramped up heavily around the time of Duke's arrival. Up to that point I think Marland gave her a little more character-based writing. Of course, the show became more blatantly plot-driven in general around then, IMO. 

 

I don't mean to make requests of anyone, but I almost never make the chats. If any of you happen to be on the one with Cassandra and Lauren and Napiera, can you ask Cassandra and Lauren what it felt like to play rivals early on and if they got any type of fan response? And also just asking Cassandra what fan response to her was like, as she seemed to be very unpopular online at the time (the character, not the actress), from what I remember, until they moved her away from the Lily and the Andy and Ben storyline.

Edited November 15, 2020 by DRW50

[gimmetoo]

Hubbard made this comment in her first Locher Room reunion w/ Martha Byrne.  

 

During much of his era, Marland gave more time to his senior cast than the younger set.  And Tom, Margo, Barbara, Hal, etc. were all in their 30s when Marland kept them front-burner...not what I consider "young love."  

 

Edited November 15, 2020 by gimmetoo

[NothinButAttitude]

 

I'd wanna hear some of their thoughts on the writing period. Some of that stuff between Camille and Denise came off as real colorist to me. 

 

But we all know Alan won't delve that deep...

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[mango]

 

I'm going to hop on during real time, and I will do my best to ask.

 

I wasn't following ATWT related things online during the time, and I'm surprised to read that. She gave Kim another grandchild and brought some well needed spunk to the show. I liked how Denise wasn't polished, admitted she had made mistakes, and her character was showing growth. I particularly liked her at WOAK; she had found a place to work and probably could've been a bigger fixture there, but they moved on with Katie and Molly being more prominent on that set.

[Soaplovers]

Marland wrote Lucinda as the bad guy..the heavy especially when it came to Lily/Holden..and later Duke.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Much of it definitely felt like colorism at play in those storylines, which is why, honestly, I couldn't get through much of it.

 

I'd love to hear from Larry Bryggman on how he felt about the writer(s) who wrote his character, John Dixon as a rapist and a blackmailer. John Dixon's level of malevolent bad guy >>>>>>> Lucinda Walsh's level of bad guy.  

[DRW50]

I'd also be interested in knowing Lauren's thoughts on working briefly with Monti Sharp.

 

(Lauren had a very sudden exit from the show - I believe she signed a new contract then was fired not long after - but I assume she will talk about that anyway)

[NothinButAttitude]

 

Was it you or @P.J. that said that Denise used to call Camille "high yella?" I remember bits and pieces of that era, but what stuck out mainly with me was that they wrote the obvious trope for Black women--light-skinned Camille being nice, educated, a doormat basically. Meanwhile, Denise, being of a darker hue, being angry, uneducated, etc. That irked the sh-t out of me seeing as once again they failed us Black viewers by providing us with real complex characters. 

 

 

If Alan will allow her to discuss it. His interviews lack mainly because he spends more time trying to protect people/companies that are no longer existing. I think he'd have WAY more viewership if he allowed folks to spill all the tea on these shows. 

[Vee]

Why Locher insists on protecting bad soaps and their incompetent TPTB when they're long gone is beyond me, and it grates when you see him trying to shut down the actors.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Oh, it definitely wasn't me, lol. I cut cut out on that story so fast! I don't have much tolerance for stories that were that level of problematic. And so much about those storylines were problematic.

[DRW50]

@NothinButAttitudeI think it may have been me. There was a Soap Opera Weekly item at the time which criticized the show for this choice.

[Soaplovers]

I'm hoping both Lauren and Cassandra are more like Susan Pratt ,Alyson rice Taylor, or Sharon Gabet..where they spoke up about behind the scenes tea.

[NothinButAttitude]

 

Sorry about that. I remember the comment being mentioned on here. 

 

 

Well I hope this is addressed in the interview but I doubt it will. Alan is definitely a company man despite there no longer being a company. 

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I wanna know too what writer thought it was OK to greenlight that drivel. 

 

While I can tip my hate somewhat to these shows trying to diversify in the 90s, I still can't get over how atrocious the writing was at the same time too. It just remains to be a constant reminder why soaps are so antiquated now. Look at them now even. Still using Black and Brown characters as window dressing; meanwhile, primetime, streaming platforms, and finally film are starting to realize the power of diversity. 

 

This. 

 

Does he know something we don't know? Last I checked, none of those people in power are producing anything nowadays anyway. Why protect them? 

 

I would've loved to hear the actors in the last few years of ATWT and AW ream Goutman for his mismanagement on their shows. Same with actors on GL about Wheeler/Kreizman or even Rauch years earlier. 

 

Sometimes, this makes me wish that Daytime Confidential would've capitalized on this because despite their many flaws, they were messy enough to ask the questions many of us were thinking. 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Had it been written in 1987, it might have been more excusable but in 1997, just seems especially embarrassing. I thought 'School Daze' already covered this in the satirical context in which it deserved? The actresses did their best with the material they were given to work but sadly, each actresses got pulled into some of the worst, most stereotypical storylines ever written on the show (let's not forget Bonnie being involved in the Marshall Travers rape storyline as well as that stupid castle swordfight story with Billy.