As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[Forever8]

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[jam6242]

Thanks for tagging me!

[FrenchFan]

Oh no problem

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 we are so many on this forum. 

[slick jones]

Nice find @j swift  Thanks for the tag @DRW50 I'll be watching this tonight.

[DramatistDreamer]

Thanks for the reminder. Strangely, I had completely forgotten about this.

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[jam6242]

I liked Marcia McClain's Dee very much.  Took me a long time to warm up to Jacqueline Schultz as a result.  I was rooting for Dee to end up with Beau, when she and Annie both fell for him.  I thought I remembered Dee having an issue with her weight, but I can see that isn't the case here.  I'm now wondering whether I'm wrong about that, or the show was being ridiculous in insinuating that she was overweight.

[DRW50]

I remember when Schultz first showed up and she had more energy than she did when the Dobsons overloaded her with material about being frigid and repressed. I know she had the potential for more, but yes, this Dee (Marcia McClain) is a much better contrast to this Annie, and just has more life in general. She also feels very real, which is rare for soaps.

I'm sorry we didn't get to see a few more characters who were being mentioned (like Kevin and Sandy), but I was glad to finally get to see Ralph and Beau. The actors remind me a bit of each other. I wonder if the casting director had a type. Beau was more charismatic than he looked in photos. Keith Charles is always charismatic. 

The energy level does seem less stodgy. Even Mary, who often seemed ready to go into a coma in the 79-80 scenes I've watched, is more present.  I wonder if morale backstage worsened and led to what we got by that point.

Only Annie is about the same...for better or worse. 

The scene with Melinda and Beau is nicely paced, allowed to breathe without seeming dead. And his marital problems with Annie seem believable instead of just "___ is his true love," like we got with dullard pornstache Brad Hollister a few years later. I wish that Ariane Munker hadn't been chased off the show. Melinda feels like a special character. 

I appreciated the moment with Bob and David (although I did laugh when David said walking  Annie to school felt just like yesterday - no wonder!). The best scene is with Nancy, Joyce and Bob. The atmosphere is perfectly pitched - the warmth between Nancy and Bob, the initially friendly but increasingly strained interaction between them and Joyce, and Joyce absolutely flailing to try to explain why she wants to go to the party. The part where Nancy, after Joyce leaves, coolly works out that she wants to go to see Ralph is just perfect. It reminds me of everything @Mitch64 has written about how Nancy was written in these years compared to Marland and onward. 

Can anyone tell me more about Laurie? I have little to no knowledge of her. 

Watching this I did wonder if they might have let her go for this reason, although I hope not. 

[vetsoapfan]

Thanks @j swift and @DRW50!

[Soapsuds]

 

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Edited November 2, 2022 by Soapsuds

[Paul Raven]

adding my thanks also.

John Colenback in a SOD interview intimated that Marcia McLain was dropped because of weight issues.

Even if she were a little heavy (doesn't appear so in the clip) it gives gives her a real life quality and she seems appealing as a more down to earth contrast to her sister.

Jacquie Shultz seems completely different. At least they should have kept her a brunette. Martina Deignan is similar to Julie Ridley so physically Ridley was a good recast. Did Martina leave at the end of her contract or was she fired also?

I think there was more mileage to be gotten out of Beau/Annie than the quick divorce and Melinda moving in. It set Annie on a path that led to 3 marriages in about 5 years and storyline oblivion.

Laurie was always a supporting character, back in the day when they used to have those talk to types.

There were a lot of older characters at the time and some trimming/fresh blood was needed but the next writers Hunt/Ellis and then the Dobsons made a lot of poor decisions.

[FrenchFan]

Laurie was first Jay’s secretary. She was a secondary character for years. 

[DRW50]

Thanks @FrenchFan @Paul Raven I liked Laurie. She felt 'real,' which was what ATWT did at its best. Just sitting around talking about her boyfriend, chatting with Melinda. IMDB gives her run as 75-79, I think (they also have some surprisingly exact dates in some cases, like a September 1978 episode - I wonder if someone has more copies out there we haven't seen and added to IMDB with them).

Annie is so generic to me I didn't even realize this wasn't Julie Ridley. Martina does fit the part a bit better than Julie did, now that I look again. She also sort of has an Annie Hall chic in her styling that would be lost with Annie later on.

 

[victoria foxton]

 

 

  

Edited November 2, 2022 by victoria foxton

[FrenchFan]

Here what I collected about Laurie from her beginning until mid 1978 at the time of the episode. I don't have explored the DNS / SOD for later dates.

 

Laurie Keaton was first mentionned in April 1976. As Jay Stalling’ secretary, she broke up a fight between Jay and Tom Hughes because of Jay’s infatuation with Natalie. She lied to Carol – Jay’s wife – about the reason behind the furniture being broken in Jay’s office. Laurie answered several long distance calls from Kilborne and she knew it was connected to Natalie’s past. She asked Mary Ellison, Jay’s other secretary, not to tell anything to Carol.

Laurie was worried when Natalie tried to find an appartment in the same building as Mary and Laurie. In October 1975, after Jay spent the evening with Natalie, he ran into Lisa Colman and told her he was working with Laurie. When Lisa said Laurie she was working too much, Laurie didn’t comment. She realized Jay had been with Natalie but refused to be involved this time. When Carol came home after a trip abroad, Laurie went to Natalie to tell her about Carol’s return. Jay also used Laurie to buy a Christmas present for Carol.

In April 1977, Jay and Carol were divorcing. Drunk, he picked up some contract at Laurie’s and went to Natalie. When Laurie went to Natalie to retrieve her iron, she saw Jay’s briefcase and told him Carol was trying to reach him. Carol told Jay she was willing to try and save their marriage. Jay told her he was tempted by Natalie again and Carol forgave him since he has been honest this time. After a lunch with Natalie, Mary noticed she was nauseated at the thought of food and she told Laurie that Natalie might be pregnant.

Newcomer Melinda Grey became friend with Laurie and got a job in November 1977 at Jay’s office. When Jay’s construction firm was in serious trouble in March 1978, Jay was ready to lay Laurie off but Mary qui first. Laurie realized her job was not safe. She interviewed with Jane Spencer at the Spencer Hotel but she didn’t want to be the equivalent secretary. She became Ralph Mitchell’s secretary and referred her friend Melinda to Mrs. Spencer.

As Ralph’s secretary, Laurie noticed Joyce Hughes was interested in him but so was Mary. She advised mary to let her feelings known before it was too late. Laurie also worried about John Dixon’s interest in Mary.

 

BTW, in the September edition of the DNS, it was mentionned that Heather Cunningham had joined as Dee Stewart. Was Marcia McClain replaced? I didn't find any other source.

Edited November 2, 2022 by FrenchFan

[DramatistDreamer]

They’re Live.

https://youtu.be/7aaZi8ChaCw