As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[lilyredd]

First post and what a fun thread to read. I watched ATWT regularly in the late eighties early nineties and this lockdown has me rehashing lots of past shows and books. 
 

I am curious why people assume that Hubbard did not like playing the villain? I have not read nor heard her say she wanted Lucinda to be the good guy. Is this from the Locher room interview? 
 

 

[titan1978]

I know I’m not her and I can’t read her mind- she has her feelings for a reason.

 

It is just strange to me when you look at how Lucinda was written for (and not) post Marland.

[DramatistDreamer]

Maybe she would have? I could see La Hubbard believing somehow that being written as a bipolar kleptomaniac might have made for a sympathetic portrayal. Sometimes an actor's POV can differ drastically from that if a writer's.

[BetterForgotten]

Ultimately, Liz has been very vague about her concerns about Marland’s writing for Lucinda. She complained he preferred writing for younger characters, and I know she wasn’t very fond of how Lucinda’s origin story unfolded in the early 90’s.

[Khan]

 

Not necessarily.  On more than one occasion, MTS has expressed how much she loves playing Nikki as a falling-down drunk -- a storyline that Bill Bell was right to eighty-six and sweep under the metaphorical rug BITD -- and hated when then-HW/EP Lynn Marie Latham gave her something to do other than lounge around the Newman Ranch and accuse Victor of cheating on her all day.

 

From what I can see, Elizabeth Hubbard would rather have played the Nancy Hughes role.  But, Liz, honey, even Nancy was a bad bitch way back when. 

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[DramatistDreamer]

 

Welcome

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From what I have been able to glean, it seems as though some interviews may have been out there years before the reunion live stream, but I admit, much of the talk recently stemmed from discussion that came specifically from those reunion live streams.

Edited January 1, 2021 by DramatistDreamer

[Khan]

 

And I just remember watching that story unfold, with all the flashbacks, and thinking it was so intense and raw and so not like anything that was going on on any other soap.

 

On the one hand, I can see where she's coming from in regards to Marland's preference for writing for younger characters.  But, you know, even Irna liked to write for younger characters, too.  I mean, before there was Luke & Laura, or Doug & Julie, there was Jeff & Penny.

[BetterForgotten]

Marland may have loved actors, but I know Liz was probably the type of actor who could drive him nuts, lol.

 

She openly admitted to only loosely following her scripts on both TD and ATWT and altering dialogue to fit her preferences. While men like Tony Geary have gotten away with that for years, that type of behavior is always looked down on when done by women. Knowing how much control Marland liked to have over the writing, this surely annoyed him at times.

[Khan]

 

Jane Elliot fiddled with his dialogue, too, but, like JE said he told her, he never cared, because she was just too good.  I can't see him not feeling the same way about someone like Hubbard.

[DramatistDreamer]

Every time I read about how much Liz liked to play fast and loose with scripts, the more it floors me that she is the same woman who once dated Paddy Chayefsky, who was notoriously controlling over his work in a way tha Marland could only dream of being.

[Khan]

 

Well, she doesn't have to gush all over it the way Martha Byrne does, but the implication is always there that, for her, Althea was the "better" role, and that just irks me.  Lucinda wasn't always written well, but even when she wasn't, she remained interesting.  Althea?  I was just glad to see the bitch gone.

 

 

Well, I do agree that Barbara playing the hapless heroine/victim was getting stale.  Any woman in her position would want to "wise up" after all the agony she had suffered with James, Gunnar and Brian.  But, even after Marland had tarnished her a bit in that quadrangle with Hal, Margo and Tom, it wasn't TOO long before she was back into heroine-ish mode.  And I think that's because, as exciting as it was to see Barbara "being bad," it was also very limiting for that particular character.  Unfortunately, it was Hogan Sheffer who took things a step too far, getting Barbara out of another story rut by turning her into a total loon.

Edited January 1, 2021 by Khan

[lilyredd]

Thanks! 
 

I just watched the ATWT 50th anniversary special episode from Soapnet via YouTube (sorry I do not know how to post it here) and Hubbard mentioned how Marland liked to write for young love but when she said it on the show she was very complimentary of him and didn’t sound negative at all. Perhaps, it is overblown as to her feelings on her character and Marland’s writing for her? 
 

I do, however, think Hubbard disliked how the John/Lucinda marriage ended and maybe that and the writers having Lucinda throw herself at John or Gavin Kruger or Craig only to be rejected may have informed her opinions on any love stories. 
 

And it is of note she always seemed to remember that pairing and John after he left the show. 

[Khan]

 

Perhaps.  I could be comparing her too much to someone like Erika Slezak.  In her final years as OLTL's Viki, Slezak often had to play material that was, quite frankly, beneath her as an actress.  Yet, the only times she ever complained publicly about the work -- during the Leah Laiman/Susan Bedsow Horgan era, for example; and later, when Dena Higley was HW -- the criticisms were very much warranted.

[DramatistDreamer]

Being that P&G, like most soap production companies, seemed to be chasing the youth demographic, I think most writers on the daytime dramas could be said to prefer to write for young love, because if you don't (or of you seem not to), you might find yourself looking for a new job. In Still, with Bob and Kim having some of the most consequential storylines in the mid to late 80s, Lisa not hurting for romantic pairings, it's hard for me to say that Marland preferred writing young love.

[Khan]

 

Good point!