As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[Wendy]

Maybe, but hammy is better than boring or sanctimonious, which, to me, summed up his role as Michael Donnelly on Santa Barbara a few years later.

[DRW50]

Quent, I was also shocked when Shannon appeared. I read that everyone at the show worked hard to keep this a surprise. I was initially very happy to see Shannon again. I think this was probably one of the last real surprises on any soap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffeMIgAIvQs

[Mitch]

Marland had said when he joined the show it was the Steve and Betsy show, which it was, and he wanted to make it an ensemble and focus on the Hughes as the main core family. By that time S and B were played out, (which would never have stopped a show now, look at GL with Chele and Danny) and he said he was happy to write for them, but not neccessarily together and not as a super couple. Runyeon had his ego stoked by Bunim all those years, who told him and he beleived it, that he was the star of the show (he was the one an actor could not hit on screen as he was "the star.") Runyeon began to complain to the soap mags that they werent writing for him (obviously trying to get his fans to complain) so it was a mutual agreement I think when he left (he thougth another soap would make him the star.) I don't know if Marland wanted to force him out or knew he was leaving but he made Steve more and more unsympathic with him actually yelling at Kim and Bob and Ellen and David (they did stop short of him yelling at Nancy who was in the same scene.) You KNOW when you yell at Bob and Kim you are on your way out!

[DRW50]

Steve kind of skirted that line...there's a clip from 1984 or so, when Meg Ryan was still around, where he's berating Kim, and it made me very uncomfortable. I think they wrote this off as being him being under a lot of pressure, and he did apologize, but it bothered me (although Kim's hair was so awful - a limp perm the color of a dish detergent bottle - that he might have been driven to rage).

I wonder what would have happened if the show had gone with the Iva/Steve/Betsy triangle.

Watching those chunks of early 1994 remind me of some of the strength the show still had at this time, even as some of those elements were being whittled away. Moments like the tender, slow pace of Mac's Alzheimer's, John's cancer. Life unfolded, day by day, in Oakdale. Duke showing up for a few episodes and clearly having a lot of doubts and a personal rut, but this mostly being left offcamera, something he will deal with in his own time, when we don't see him. Life goes on even outside of Oakdale.

I miss this so much on soaps. The only place I can see this day-to-day storytelling now is on South African soaps, or in soap reruns.

[soapfan770]

Marland and at least some of his successors in the 90s knew how to keep true to ATWT's history and how to keep it vibrant. Characters past connections were not forgotten.

Unfortunately that all got tossed out and burned under Sheffer with stuff like Molly getting pushed into the Snyder pond by Dusty(Eh, I could buy the stretch of her being all pre-Lily and forgotten but really!!) or the great moment Dani had sex with Craig and called him Daddy. I suppose if Duke came back under Sheffer he'd be some serial rapist anti-hero in love with Katie.

Edited January 20, 2012 by soapfan770

[DRW50]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MH_uxoNT3Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWBJBBCYcdk&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cZwJgJYf9k&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

[soapfan770]

Edited January 20, 2012 by soapfan770

[P.J.]

First....Carl, you're killing me with the 2004 stuff. It's a very bad time for Carjack. ;0

Thanks for posting those pics, soaps. Imagine, there was actually a time the 'soap press' acted like ATWT was important and worthy of coverage. I've always loved that pic of Finn/Scott and I've kept that 35th anniversary issue of SOD all these years.

[DRW50]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy6vgLgOIC8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAW-U6OYafQ&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCANKD7tacI&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

[DRW50]

Ew Mark/Connor.

That special SOD issue for ATWT is very hard to get. I guess it's that alluring cover photo of Joyce McConnell in her Dr. Joyce Brothers disguise.

I never quite knew why they cast Martin West on ATWT when he was such a very different character on GH.

[DRW50]

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3jqB4S_S7Y&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Edited January 21, 2012 by CarlD2

[DRW50]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf8hn-djq68

[soapfan770]

As for the 2004 episodes I think we're about to see Randolph Mantooth take over as Hal again. He had temped the year before but this time the casting was a little more permanent with it lasting a year. My biggest complaint I think was the change of physique. They could have gone with James Kiberd again but didn't. Not to mention Mantooth looked like a lot like Michael Zaslow .

When in 1998 did Region stop announcing? I've always thought it was a mistake to get of him.

[Matt]

I never realized that 1977 ATWT SOD Special was that hard to get. I've had my copy for a few years now. lol

[DRW50]

I've only seen it going for big amounts of money.

Is there anything interesting in it?