Jump to content

DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos


DRW50

Recommended Posts

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Replies 7.3k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Members

Entertainment Weekly 5/28/2004

Say what you will about Reilly, but the show got attention.

Soap mastermind James E. Reilly resuscitates Days of Our Lives with a serial-killer story line that has some viewers seeing red.

The streets of Salem, USA--the friendly midwestern city at the heart of the NBC soap opera Days Of Our Lives--began running with blood on Sept. 29, 2003. That's when a figure in a black hood fatally shot mild-mannered police commander Abraham Carver (James Reynolds) on his front doorstep. Over the next seven months, Salemites lived under a cloud of fear as nine more residents--many of them played not by dispensable newcomers but by beloved veteran actors whose combined airtime totaled an astonishing 158 years--dropped like clay pigeons. Viewers recoiled in disbelief. Aside from seeming like a cheap demographic ploy (i.e., knocking off old folks to make room for a slew of models-turned-actors), the so-called Salem Stalker story line grew more graphic (and ironic) each day. Recovering alcoholic Maggie Horton (Suzanne Rogers) was bludgeoned by a liquor bottle. The bloody corpse of troubled teen Cassie DiMera (Alexis Thorpe) tumbled out of a turkey-shaped piñata on Thanksgiving Day. And the town's patron saint, Alice Horton (played since the first episode in 1965 by 89-year-old Frances Reid)? Poor thing choked on a doughnut--her culinary specialty--that was forced down her throat. Even a nonfan would agree: That's just cold!

Only one man in daytime has the gumption to off a little old lady with lethal pastry: prolific soap opera writer James E. Reilly, who churns out 10 hours of supremely bizarre story each week for Days and NBC's other sudser, Passions. Reilly used controversial tactics once before to resurrect Days--in the mid-'90s he imbued blue-collar Salem with kitschy gothic touches straight out of Dark Shadows, from a buried-alive saga to a demonic-possession drama. His stories elicited two distinct reactions from fans: I love this nonsense! or What the #@!* happened to my show?! Still, new viewers flocked in droves. Once Reilly left in 1997 to create Passions, an outrageous soap riff filled with witches, demon dogs, and shirtless hunks, Days lost viewers and creative steam--so last June NBC lured Reilly back. "I don't think it's overstating it to say the show's long-term survival was at stake," admits NBC Daytime chief Sheraton Kalouria. "We needed the fix, and we had the fix right here."

For many, though, Reilly's solution was just too drastic. Loyal fans were outraged, some vowing never to watch again. (Even Days devotee Julia Roberts says, "They've gotten a little wacko.") Soap critics derided the show's quick decline into death, gore, camp, and supernaturalism. "This whole story reeks of cynicism about the genre, the characters, and the audience," says Soap Opera Weekly columnist Mimi Torchin. "If we want to watch cartoons, we'll turn to Disney." Reilly, a former medical student who stumbled into soaps when he appeared as an extra on The Young and the Restless in 1980, understands fans' wrath but isn't fazed by it. "I was never trying to destroy the fabric of this show. But I did have to shake it up because it was really in trouble," he says. "Be angry at me! Hate me! It shows that you are involved. But watch the show to see what happens. Stay tuned."

According to the numbers, viewers--livid or otherwise--are doing just that: Last January, during the week that the killer was revealed to be Dr. Marlena Evans Craig Brady Black (played since 1976 by one of soaps' most recognizable actresses, Deidre Hall), Days earned some of its highest ratings in years, attracting 5.8 million viewers. (In fact, Days and Passions, along with CBS' Guiding Light, are the only soaps this season to post year-to-year gains among women 18-49, no small feat in a genre that's been losing viewers for almost 20 years.)

But Nielsen's good news didn't exactly appease an emotionally whipped, deeply saddened cast that has had to say goodbye--10 times--to its closest friends. "It was a tremendous grieving period," says Kristian Alfonso, who has played feisty heroine Hope Brady since 1983. "Every conversation started with the same question: Have you heard anything?" Hall carried the double burden of knowing that the deaths--and her coworkers' apparent unemployment--came via her alter ego's hands. "Survivor's guilt?" she asks. "Wow. I knew those people well. That's where the sadness was. I hated it." Adds Drake Hogestyn, who plays Marlena's valiant husband, John: "It became like Survivor around here."

In more ways than one. On May 24, Reilly will reveal his latest insane twist: "None of them are dead!" That's right, all 10 of the victims are alive and kickin' it in their new home--a copycat version of Salem that's been reconstructed on a remote Caribbean island. Reilly promises that by summer's end, befuddled viewers will learn how Marlena's murder victims survived their on-screen demises, along with the reason for her slashing spree. (All 10 actors who previously thought they had been dumped by the show have agreed to return.)

The question is, will Reilly's latest bamboozle soothe widespread disappointment among fans? Or is this just a hasty remedy that ultimately devalues soaps? "Jim's stories fly right in the face of this form," says Jack Smith, an exec producer and head writer at CBS' long-running Restless. But, he argues, "financial pressures and dwindling numbers force writers to tell atypical stories that are not consistent with the genre." ABC Daytime president Brian Frons worries that Reilly's risky story could end up hurting Days' longevity rather than cementing it: "They've gotten the hype, but were they right? The danger with this type of storytelling is that you come for the girl in the piñata, and then you turn away and say, 'Call me for the next installment of CSI.'" Counters Reilly: "Remember, every fairy tale ends with the phrase 'And they lived happily ever after....' But in order for that to have an impact, it meant that they had a horrible, god-awful time before they got there."

Hall likes to knit during her downtime on the Days set--even when she's about to be buried alive. While waiting to shoot Marlena's "funeral" (Dr. Evans is actually bound for what the show calls New Salem), the actress climbs into a coffin clutching the bright red beginnings of a blanket. As Kirsten Storms and Alison Sweeney (who play her daughters, Belle and Sami) kneel over her in faux mourning, Hall's hand pops up, offering a homemade treat: popcorn drizzled with chocolate syrup. Her good humor seems to stem from her confidence that Days will ultimately thrive, even if it doesn't look quite like the show fans have loved for nearly four decades. "I have to trust that Jim's smarter than the rest of us," she reasons.

Most of the Days cast is used to trusting Reilly from afar: An informal on-set poll found that at most, they'd caught a passing glance at the writer during one of his rare West Coast visits. Says Peter Reckell, who originated the role of popular antihero Bo Brady in 1983, "I've never shaken his hand.... I think I waved to him across the room once." Adds Tanya Boyd, who plays the tea-leaf-reading psychic Celeste Perrault, "Hey, however he wants to do it is fine by me. I would like to know if he likes my work, though." (Reilly's explanation for his evasive nature? "The characters are my friends. I can't find out that my ingenue is a bitch. I don't want to know that my heroes beat their dogs.")

The effects of Reilly's far-reaching story decisions have yet to play out, but he'll be around to see their consequences: NBC has renewed Days through May 2009, and the show recently outpaced Restless to become the season's highest-rated soap in the women 18-49 race. Meanwhile, rumors have been bubbling for months that another soap, possibly a Days spin-off, is in the works. Reilly wants it to happen: "I need to tell stories every single day. I could use my Fridays for a third project. Where, goddamn it, is my third show?!" (Kalouria insists the rumors are unfounded.)

For now, Reilly will have to content himself with wreaking havoc in Salem--and that suits the actors who play out his silly, sweeping stories just fine. "When Jim came back, I felt like a guiding hand had returned," says Sweeney. "I had faith that he was going to bring this show back. And there was a belief that whatever nightmare he was going to put this entire show through would be worth it." For the record, Reilly says the more traditional Days of yore will return--someday. "I wanted to reawaken interest, get everybody talking, and then take them back to the Days that they know and love." But the next time ratings require a jolt, how will he top his own storytelling madness? For once, Reilly seems stumped. "A lot of people ask me that, and I get nervous! I don't know," he says. "Maybe I should just get myself taken away to that island."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

This is an October 1974 interview with Bryna Laub, publisher of Daytime Serial Newsletter.  She talks about several shows but the largest portion is regarding Susan Seaforth Hayes and the way Bill Bell wrote for the character of Julie.

Please register in order to view this content

Edited by jam6242
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

The description of Julie being sensuous is always how I think of her from that period.  Bell wrote Lori on Y&R in a similar manner.  I was disappointed with Susan's material at Y&R.  Supposedly, Bell created the role of Stephanie on B&B with Susan in mind but she turned it down because she wanted to go back to Days.  I guess it would have been better for her career if she had accepted it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Agree.  Susan got her chance (several, in fact) to return to DAYS, but by that point, DAYS was such a different show, and I don't think she fit in anymore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • Members

 

I think the writers in 1981 were Michele Poteet Lisanti and Gary Tomlin. although Nina Laemmle had been there just before them and really screwed up the show, so perhaps the damage David Johnson was referring to came from her.

 

Kellam Chandler was one of the nine mostly-dud characters Laemmle introduced (she axed 13 others) and the story with Kellam raping Marlena happened under Laemmle, as did Mary's marriage to Alex. As boring as Poteet-Lisant and Tomlin were, Laemmle's material was boring, stupid, and destructive to the entire show. She was by far the worst writer ever to work on Days up until that point (Reilly was years in the future), and she had the nerve and the audacity to announce that the show had before "dull and repetitious" before she arrived. HA!

Edited by vetsoapfan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   1 member




  • Recent Posts

    • https://www.tvinsider.com/1180503/denise-alexander-dead-general-hospital-lesley-webber/ Alexander made her soap opera debut as Lois Adams on The Clear Horizon in 1960, but her big break came in 1966 when she was cast as Susan Hunter Martin on Days of Our Lives while still attending college at UCLA. As Susan, Alexander played a host of dramatic tales, including murdering her husband David Martin (played by Clive Clerk) in May 1967 after the death of their son. “She started out as the bad girl and was thrown out of boarding school for smoking and drinking,” recalled Alexander to We Love Soaps TV. “The character caught on and sparked something with the audience, and that is how Susan became an important part of the show. I was there for almost seven years…. I had such a wonderful time on Days. It was like going to camp every day for me. I loved the people, loved the show, and loved what I got to do. They loved the character and liked me as an actor and gave me lots of neat stuff to do. I didn’t even ask for a vacation for five years because if I worked 365 days a year, I thought I was great. It was a very good time in my life.” In 1973, Alexander was in contract negotiations with Days when ABC offered significant perks to the actress to join General Hospital to play Dr. Lesley Williams. Though Alexander loved her time in Salem, she decided to leave. “It was [Days’ Executive Producer] Betty Corday who sent me to General Hospital,” Alexander told welovesoaps.net. “She said, ‘You must do this.’ So when I went to General Hospital..."

      Please register in order to view this content

    • Now that GL and LOL synopses are being added I'd welcome requests for specific soaps from 1976.
    • By 78 NBC daytime was struggling. They knew what the issues were but failed to make the changes needed to get those young gals watching.  Jan 78 Plans for NBC's daytime programs - which are in third place -are apparently less well defined at the moment. Michael Brockman, a former daytime programer at ABC, took the position of vice president in charge of daytime for NBC just a few weeks ago. He and his chief assistant, Mary Alice Dwyer (an associate of Mr. Brockman at ABC), are in the process of analyzing the network's schedule to determine where to begin making changes. One thing Mr. Brockman knows, he said, is that NBC needs more women18 -49 (NBC is currently last in that category in daytime). "Whatever you design," he said, "has to fundamentally appeal to that demographic." He indicated, however, that he is less concerned with the network's afternoon serial block than he is with its morning game show and rerun mix, and, like his counterparts at the other networks, Mr. Brockman discounts the notion that recent drops in daytime viewership may be attributable to the one -hour serial form. The first changes were indeed in the morning. In April 78 Card Sharks replaced Sanford and Son reruns at 10am and High Rollers was introduced at 11am knocking Wheel of Fortune back to 11.30 replacing Knockout. Sanford and Son moved to noon replacing To Say the Least. On paper that looked like a stronger schedule. The next move in July was the disastrous America Alive at noon, replacing Sanford and The Gong Show,which set them back even further. Finally in October 78, Jeopardy was brought back at 10.30 and Hollywood Squares moved to 1pm replacing another flop For Richer for Poorer. The only major change for the soaps apart from cancelling FRFP, was Linda Grover as headwriter for The Doctors as of April 78.
    • Yeah, Ben and Evie don't start interacting in a 'we're going to pair them together as a couple' way until Feb/March 1977 when she recommends Ben paint a portrait for Jackie.  And Evie's working for Jackie so she and Ben interact and start to become friends.  That happens after Tim breaks up with  her and she's forgiven her sister.. and he and Hope break up after he covers for his younger brother for a crime that he had committed.  Jackie does come onto the canvas in December 1976 and the first months are her trying to snag Mike while she and Justin seem to play a cat and mouse game with one another as he's trying to restart things with Sara again. I often wonder if the Phillip story only came about because the show was going to be expanded to an hour.. and the Dobson's deciding that some of the new characters they were introducing could be tied to Justin/Jackie's back story.
    • Seems like the Dobsons were aiming for a Joe/Sara/Justin triangle or, having decided that Joe would be killed off, Justin would be waiting in the wings. But that never came to pass and I don't think there was much reference to Justin/Sara as time went on.That was something that could have been used later on but Doug Marland may not have known or cared. Also, when the show went to an hour they could add a lot of characters and not rely on the stalwarts, hence Jackie/Alan/Elizabeth. And after Leslie died, Mike went into Dad mode with Hope. Hope/Ben never took off and Hope was replaced and then dropped and Ben moved on to Eve, whose romance with Tim fizzled and Jordan Clarke left (by choice?)
    • Please register in order to view this content

       
    • Would anyone have any of these Y&R episodes they could add to the vault? It would be very much appreciated. November 11, 1987 February 16, 1989 February 17, 1989 February 1991 episode - Brad vs Paul fight April 10, 1992 November 16, 1992 November 17, 1992 November 23-27, 1992 July 11, 1993 October 5, 1993 June 17, 1994  - english version June 29, 1994 September 15, 1994 May 16, 1995 August 4, 1995 October 27, 1995 March 11, 1996 April 8, 1996 September 6, 1996 November 26, 1996 January 3, 1997 January 27, 1997 February 17, 1997 February 18, 1997 March 5, 1997 April 22, 1997 June 16, 1997 September 23, 1997 September 24, 1997 September 25, 1997 December 11, 1998 January 12, 2000 September 27, 2000 March 5, 2001 March 6, 2001 March 8, 2001 - english version March 19, 2001 April 5, 2001 April 6, 2001 October 7, 2002 January 30, 2004 August 23, 2004 August 24, 2004 June 15, 2004 June 21, 2004 November 8, 2004                                          
    • When I was a kid, I would watch DOOL with my mom. I remember Denise as Susan so well. And later, of course, on GH. How sad to hear she has passed. RIP.
    • I have to dig that scene up on YT. I'm glad they gave them some kind of happy ending, even if it was really late. Interesting! I remember Justin and Sarah being involved, but I either forgot or never caught their backstory. The girl with money and social position of course turns out to be Jackie. He sort of did to Sarah what Vanessa did to his brother! I do remember Justin started out as not the greatest guy. Kind of a horn dog. It's only when Ross comes on that he becomes the "good" brother. I only have some vague memories of Ben and Hope, mostly of when they were in a positive relationship. He certainly changed over time. "Chill" would be the way I would describe Ben (along with "handsome but kind of a yawn") for most of his time on GL, so hearing he once had a violent temper is very surprising.
    • Yes. That's called good writing.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy