As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[Mitch]

LOL..Lucinda was the one character who retained (even gained some)a sense of humor and fun when Marland arrived. I love that whatever happened to her she didn't moan and cry like other characters, she LOVED being Lucinda Walsh!

Earl Mitchell, funny you should mention this, but under Marland's tenure is really when Lisa became the obscured and basically lone person she was when the show went off. I LOVED Lisa pre-Marland and as someone mentioned, with a big family of her own that she fought with and for, and coddled and butted into their lives (for their own good.) A much better use of Lisa then the "romantic woman," we see in this clip. I think Lisa as a wily crazy step mother fit her at that stage better then the endless woman in love with love. I do like that Marland remembered that she was always as much of a Hughes as Bob and Kim, but think they should have recast Diana and Kurt and Brian (talk about dull.)

And you forgot one think about Earl,..dull, boring and so, so GAY!!!! I am suprised Lucinda didn't laugh about that "Good God James, Lisa will always be the oldest living Fag Hag on earth won't she darling!!!!"

I am sure that the "Star," of the show was the Steve actor. I do love that when Calhoun and Marland got their he was obscured and left in a hissy fit that the show wasnt the Steve and Betsy show. Never liked the actor or the character much. And yes, the show was more freewheeling and just kinda messy and fun for some reason at that time.

Edited December 28, 2010 by Mitch

[Soapsuds]

Lucinda was always love to me.

I think the only reason Earl was created was because he(Granger) was invovled with the EP at the time. Earl brought nothing to the show. I cringed everytime Shannon called him...Uncle Earl....ugh. He was a fugly gay man..sorry....lol..... and speaking of Shannon...couldnt stand her sidekick...gawd what was her name.....she was such an annoying boring character too. The only interesting part about Shannon was when Lilieth appeared....loved her. Duncan and Shannon were so boring together. Michael Swan was such a boring character as well. When Shannon returned in the mid 90's she looked so rejuvanted..fresh....only to be written out.

The Star you think was Frank Ruyenon...hmmmm.....Was Steve still there when Marland started?? IF he was....then Marland is the one that sent him to jail for drug trafficing...and then put Betsy with Josh...which I found rather odd and dull....lol.....I did like Betsy freedom from Steve even though I was a big Steve and Betsy fan.

And I floved Lyndsay Frost as new Betsy....

[Mitch]

Well at least they could have made Earl a old queen out for Lisa's money, who then tries to kill her (strangling her with a featherd boa??) or something interesting ( I know GLADD woulda gone nuts.) I know he is supposed to be looking at her with awe and love, but Granger looks like he is about to say something bitchy about her dress or hair! I do think he was a good looking man for his age (in Strangers on a Train he is kinda hot) but not needed and boring (and cliched, "international spy," in Okey Dale????) Your thinking of Harriet, the wannabe Ethel to Shannon's wannabe Lucy (when they actually tried to make Shannon something other then selfrighteoulsy boring.) She was the world's cleanest and nicest homeless person when Shannon found her, only to be revealed to be an heiress with stock in Walsh Enterprises and then, nothing!!

Steve was still there when Marland started. Runyeon gave interveiws revealing his obnoxious ego, about how the show became an ensemble show and he had nothing to do, and Marland responded that when he got there, the show was the "Steve and Betsy," show and he opened it up to include others and that basically everything that could have happened to S & B did, and their story was over, which was true...(if only MADD, Rauch, B & E and Gautman would have done that, saw that endless Josh and Reva, Michelle and Danny, Lily and Holden and Jack and "KEERRLY," was detrimental to a show's growth.)

I was used to Meg Ryan's borderline retarded Betsy, when Frost came on Betsy grew a brain and about six inches, and she wasn't fun to make fun of, kinda just dull.

Duncan was interesting for about three weeks when he first came on, Lucinda brought him on to break up Shannon and Brian and he got involved with Babs..but then, Marland pussed him out by falling in lurve with Shannon and having that boring sister/daughter story. When he first came on he was a rogueish bad boy, but we know Marland liked his nice guys bland and boring.

[Soapsuds]

Harriet thats it...ugh...lol...horrible character..such a waste.

As for Marland....I think he was ready to freeze Holden and Lily when he had him lose his memory for good. I think he said they would have to fall in love all over again or nothing. So it was either to make Lily and Holden fresh by giving them something new to do or he was ending them as a couple. But that changed when he died and Caso and Co. gave him his memory back. I remember Jon Hensley wasnt happy with that decision.

I think Marland wrote the vets very well during his reign but didnt write the "sidekicks" co stars very well except for maybe Lilieth...Douglas Cummings...Tonio....James Stenbeck was already on the canvas and wasnt Marland's creation but I am glad Marland didnt write him off.

[Soapsuds]

Mitch..I think u also mentioned the whole fiasco with Scott Eldridge. I think that was one of Marland's worse stories ever. It did bring in a good character in Scott and his fights with brother Tom but the set up for his arrival was so badly written. So much of changing Lisa history and backstory.....I actually hated the story until Joseph Breen came to Oakdale. I forgot how Scott found out Lisa was his mother.

[Mitch]

Did it really change her history, as she was offscreen (in between "Our Private World," and Fulton's return to the show..) So anything could have happened. I do think its odd that Lisa, who matured into a good mother, would have allowed her son to be "motherless," especially with one kid dead and then her inheritance of all of McColl's wealth, she could have gone toe to toe with the Eldridges. I just think it would have been cool if Scott was as much of a skank (gay or straight) and manipulative as his mother was. As it is, Scott was suppsoed to have an "edge," but you know that Marland's men were either bland romantic leads or out right villians, he was much better with edgy women.

I did like the "pec-tacular," guy who played him the second time around. Much more in what I thought Lisa's son would be... a fun loving skank (maybe cause Breen was too old for the part and always gave me the creeps. He was always "Will," to me.)

[P.J.]

I think the story of Scott got derailed when Joe Breen was "let go" after being diagnosed as HIV+. It's too bad, I thought he was exactly what Oakdale needed, an outsider to stir things up without being "EVIL" like Tonio or James. The problem was he had NO chemistry with Ellen Dolan (or whoever was playing Margo at the time) and the rivalry with Tom felt forced. (Of course, it didn't help Scott Holmes has two modes, pissed and pissed like a wet hen...)

Doug Wert came off like the class clown.

[Soapsuds]

I remember fans complaning about all the rewrites in Lisa's past. They also were furious that Lisa would actually leave a child behind. Breen was outstanding as Will...loved that story with Michelle Forbes.

Yeah ..Doug Wert had nice pecs didnt he...lol I floved Doug Wert too.....sorry PJ........lol

That's why I didnt like Ellen in the role of Margo for the longest time because she had no chemistry with any of her men. I prefered HBS as Margo. There were two version of Scott..I mean written wise.....but I hated Scott being paired with Rosanna. They had zero chemistry. Later he got involved with Carly...again I didnt see any chemistry with them. They could have easily made Scott with Wert in the role gay. I would have bought it!

[P.J.]

Okay, I so wasn't going to admit to the ST:TNG connection...but since you posted the pic...

I can only imagine the chemistry had Joe Breen schemed with Carly...Doug Wert was like the second Caleb. Only not as carbon-copy in looks. Yvonne Perry---ugh. At least when Martha Byrne played the poor little rich girl, her poutiness and spoiled rotten persona hinted at more. Oh, and she was like 15, not 30 trying to be 18.

[Mitch]

And did we need another poor little rich girl who only wants to live at the Snyder Farm. Marland was repeating himself so much he basically ran out of steam. I wonder if he lived if he would have stayed at ATWT longer, been fired, or move on to that other soap he was working on?

[Soapsuds]

Some Doug Wert scenes with Rosanna...Yvonne Perry.

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=wTSD0rP5d-o

Love me some Connor

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Edited December 28, 2010 by Soapsuds

[Soapsuds]

And some Carly and Scott(Doug Wert) scenes.

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[DRW50]

I wanted to see more of Doug Wert's Scott with his family. He and Carly worked together but I just didn't care about most of that story, and he seemed to smirk a lot. If he had been with Lisa and Tom more often I think I would have been more involved. The Sam stuff didn't really work either.

I mostly liked Joe Breen because of his relationships with Lucinda and Neal.

I guess in some ways Runyeon must have resented the way that Steve's sexism and naivete were no longer presented as noble qualities, and were instead used as his downfall. He just had to have the best and most expensive house, even though Betsy didn't want any of that, because he needed to prove what a big man he was. Seeing Craig become the show's younger leading man must have been a strange adjustment too. I love the scenes where Steve gets jealous of Betsy's closeness to Craig. I think the show did a great job in redeeming Craig through Betsy. Frost and Scott Bryce worked so well together as close, true friends.

I'd really like to know what story plans Marland had for Holden after his brain damage. I was never a big Holden fan but his coldness and the obsession with Lily bothered me even more after his brain damage/memory loss.

Was Hensley not a fan of the memory loss or not a fan of reverting it?

FMB gave Holden his memory back as soon as Hensley returned in late 1996. I think it was one of the better moves she made as producer.

I've always wanted to see more of Lisa's menopause story, from 1986. Here's a little clip of it - very jumpy - where she is rude to Frannie, unintentionally.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2el0P4KXtMI&feature=related

[Soapsuds]

Hensley was not a fan of reveritng it back. He wanted all memories of Lily lost for good.

I floved Holden's return in 96..riding home in a motorcyle and showing the Snyder farm.

[DRW50]

Thanks.

Of course even when Holden didn't have his memories he just fell in love with Lily all over again. Zzzzz...

If it had been me I would have had Holden stay with Janice and get sucked into her quest for power.