DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[Titus Andronicus]

 

Went back and found the post with the info about the fight.

 

Despite the line that Stevens wanted to stay with Days, she was gone by the time this article appeared in April 1979. Not surprising. I don't think you're going to get many scenes under the headwriter whose daughter you belted. Stevens was still there after the fight (in c. January), but her last episode seems to be in early March.

[beebs]

Thank you for that. Yes, this was the one I'd read earlier. I still stand by my thought that Jeri would've been better off being Larry Atwood's killer, and have that be her exit to the show. Especially considering how little she's used after that story ends.

 

Alright, shall we start on January 1979? Only one more month of Ann Marcus after this. Let's see.

 

 

The Cathode Machine Variety Show finally happens! Maggie sings! Mickey plays a piano! Julie and Alice do some Marx Brothers impersonations! Margo and Donna dress up like flappers and do a Charleston routine! The show is a rousing success and they make more than enough money to buy the cathode.

 

And then Margo starts feeling weak as the night goes on. Nearly fainting at one point. She checks herself into the hospital without letting Mike know in the middle of the show. He doesn't notice until he can't find her afterwards. Finding a note in her dressing room, Mike rushes to the hospital, annoyed that she snuck away, but relieved when Tom finds she's just feeling weak, and her cancer is still in remission. She recovers quickly, and is soon released, but feels weak and dizzy often.

 

 

 

Backstage, Donna sneaks off while everyone's busy after her number to meet Pete, who'll take her on his motorcycle out of state so they can elope. Pete doesn't want to, but Donna threatens to kill herself again if he doesn't (this child is literally the worst, but then again, most 15 year olds are).

 

Off they go! INTO A DITCH! Pete crashes his bike and he and Donna are being brought into UH. Donna's in critical condition, and has internal bleeding. Don is called and rushes to the hospital. Donna loses her baby, and Don feels guilty for not letting his 15-year-old daughter have a shotgun wedding like she wanted so she felt she had to elope. Weeeee!

 

Now Donna's depressed, having lost her baby, and feeling like she only ever causes problems for everyone around her. Marlena picks her up from the hospital, and makes it clear that, despite everything, she and Don are there for her and love her and will be her family. God help them both.

 

Pete, meanwhile, has been accepted back at his prep school (thanks to Neil), and pisses off back to wherever he came from, never to be heard from again. Buh-bye!

 

 

 

Theresa and Robert go to Doug, certain Steve is being shady after Theresa found a copy of her replica jewellery box in Julie's shop. Doug, knowing Steve is up to some bulls#!t, goes to visit Theresa's neighbour Earl Roscoe, who made the box for her. But Steve got to Earl first and Earl says nothing. Steve, meanwhile, is being threatened by loan sharks, because of course he is.

 

Julie asks Steve to go back to Paris to buy more antiques for her shop. Doug thinks this is a rotten idea and that Julie should go, but won't tell her why. He also refuses to join her on the trip. Julie expresses her confusion to Steve, who, having seen Maggie and Doug's closeness during rehearsals for the benefit, implies that Doug wants to be rid of her to spend more time with Maggie.

 

So when Doug tells Julie he's going to Chicago to work with a lyricist, Julie becomes suspicious. He usually interacts with the lyricist by phone or mail, why the change now? Steve further causes problems by telling Julie that he caught Doug and Maggie in a "passionate embrace", and that Maggie's planning to go to the farm the same weekend Doug is planning to go to Chicago. Julie falls for it.

 

Maggie, incidentally, is actually going to the farm, but it's to escape the memories of Janice. She hopes to find herself once again, and insists Mickey go with her. He can't, as he's too busy with work.

 

Steve manages to con one of Julie's regular customers, Mr. Trask. He first promises them to be secondary partners in the business, which he never asked Julie about. Now, he's convinced him to shell out thousands to finance his buying spree in Paris. 

 

Doug is indeed going to Chicago with ulterior motives, but not what Julie thinks. He takes the infamous jewellery box to an expert who confirms that it is a quality replica. Here we go!

 

 

 

 

Trish returns to LA after the movie she was meant to shoot turned out to be a non-starter. She can't find Jeri, panics when the hotel Jeri was living in said she moved out and didn't leave a forwarding address (she's now moved in with David and is Scotty's new babysitter, now that Amy has left for college). Trish calls David. Except Stephanie's there, and Stephanie is insecure about Trish's continued presence in David's mind despite David having just told Stephanie he loves her (David wastes no time, didn't she just get hired like two months ago?). So Stephanie tells Trish that David hasn't seen Timmy in ages. I guess she isn't strictly lying, since David renamed him Scotty, lol.

 

Trish takes a singing gig to get enough money to move back to Salem. Once she does, she makes a beeline for David's, where David finds Trish hugging "her Timmy". David, ever the cool head, rips the boy away from his mother and orders Trish to leave them alone. Considering the stunt she pulled sneaking him away to California for no discernible reason, I can't say I blame him. Trish tries to explain why she left (I'd love to know myself, but they never tell us), but David tells her to buzz off.

 

 

 

Chris wants to marry Mary (quite contrary) right away, but Mary isn't so sure, and wants to live with Chris for six months, just to see if they don't kill each other first. Chris is certain they'll be together forever (good luck with that), and insists on three months max. 

 

 

 

 

Kate, who's left town after being fired from University Hospital, gets a call from Tom, asking her to come back as Chief of Anesthesiology. She agrees and moves back, but insists upon talking to Laura before finalizing her taking the job. She wants to reassure Laura that she's over Bill. Laura claims to be forgiving and understanding. But she's also not naive, and is going to keep an eye on Kate.

 

Kate starts work, and meets with Bill, who she'll again be working closely with, and swears up and down in a totally blasé and completely convincing way that she is no longer interested in him and their relationship is strictly professional and will remain professional and nothing more will ever happen between them and that is a fact forever and ever, Amen. Totally over him. Yep. 100%.

 

 

 

 

Linda is FOUND OUT! The PI gives Bob enough info that Bob is prepared to strike. He quietly strips Linda of her power of attorney without saying a word to anyone. Then waits. One evening, when Linda goes to meet Neil "at the regular time", Bob corners her at Neil's doorstep, and demands she leave with him to the lakehouse, where they'll discuss things.

 

Once there, Bob drops the bomb: He's had a PI follow Linda around for weeks, he knows all about her affair with Neil, and knows she's been plotting the entire time to take control of Anderson from under his nose. Laying into her, Linda initially fights back, but soon realizes she's been found out, and runs for the staircase (presumably to lock herself in her room so Bob can't throw her out?). Bob follows her, and chases her up, grabbing her midway up the flight of stairs. Him grabbing her causes Linda to lose her balance and she falls down the stairs, ending up unconscious. Oops!

 

He calls an ambulance, and finds out she's hit her head, and they need to do surgery to get the blood pressure down around her brain. Bob is feeling mighty guilty, and wonders how he'll explain this to Melissa, and to MARY (LOL too bad she knows already!).

 

Bill, of course, has to perform the surgery, which requires him and Kate to work together. Which, of course, irritates Laura. 

 

The operation is a success, but...wait for it...LINDA HAS AMNESIA! She can't remember anything past when she married Bob. *slams head against his desk*

 

 

 

One more month of this, and I snuck a look at some of the summaries for February, and boy, it's...something.

Edited November 3, 2020 by beebs

[Franko]

LIVE, from Salem, it's the Cathode Machine Variety Show! I've heard of the Marx Brothers routine, and I remember reading that Julie also did a striptease while Doug sang, but it's news to me about Donna and Margo's dance number. I mean, who doesn't want to see those two do the Charleston?

 

Well, duh.

 

Oh, Mary, you should have let him put a ring on it.

 

*dramatic chord*

[JAS0N47]

"DAYS" ANNIVERSARY WEEK...

 

 

 

12th Anniversary, 1977. Top Row: Bill Hayes (Doug), Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie), Paul Henry Itkin (Johnny), Michael Dwight Smith (Danny), Corinne Conley (Phyllis), Mark Tapscott (Bob), Frederic Downs (Hank). 2nd Row: Brooke Bundy (Rebecca), Robert Clary (Robert), Natsha Ryan (Hope), Deidre Hall (Marlena), Peter Brown (Greg), Rosemary Forsyth (Laura), Jed Allan (Don), Adrienne LaRussa (Brooke), Edward Mallory (Bill), Richard Guthrie (David). 3rd Row: Mary Frann (Amanda), Kaye Stevens (Jeri), Macdonald Carey (Tom), Frances Reid (Alice), John Clarke (Mickey), Margaret Mason (Linda). Bottom Row: Sally Stark (Sharon), Barbara Stanger (Mary), Tina Andrews (Valerie), Suzanne Rogers (Maggie), Patty Weaver (Trish).

 

 

1978 Cast Photo. Front Row: Mark Tapscott (Bob), Margaret Mason (Linda), Suzanne Rogers (Maggie), Martha Nix (Janice), John Clarke (Mickey), Macdonald Carey (Tom), Frances Reid (Alice), Natasha Ryan (Hope), Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie), Andrea Hall (Samantha). 2nd Row: Elaine Princi (Kate), Cindy Fisher (Patti), Stephen Manley (Billy), Jed Allan (Don), Deidre Hall (Marlena), Wesley Eure (Mike), Edward Mallory (Bill), Bill Hayes (Doug), Richard Guthrie (David). 3rd Row: Francine York (Lorraine), Tracey Bregman (Donna), Suzanne Zenor (Margo), Fran Ryan (Rosie), Mary Frann (Amanda), Joseph Gallison (Neil), Kaye Stevens (Jeri), Robert Clary (Robert), Kate Woodville (Marie). Top Row: Marty Davich (Marty), Tom Scott (Jim), Chip Fields (Toni), Don Frabotta (Dave), Frederic Downs (Hank), Jocelyn Somers (Jean), John Lupton (Tommy), Stewart Bradley (Lt. Danton), William H. Bassett (Walter).

 

 

14th Anniversary, 1979. Front Row: Executive producer Betty Corday, Mark Tapscott (Bob), Margaret Mason (Linda), Debbie Lytton (Melissa), Andrea Hall (Samantha), Frances Reid (Alice), Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie), Martha Nix (Janice), Suzanne Rogers (Maggie), Patty Weaver (Trish), Robert Clary (Robert). Middle Row: Edward Mallory (Bill), Rosemary Forsyth (Laura), Jed Allan (Don), Deidre Hall (Marlena), John Lupton (Tommy), Bill Hayes (Doug), Richard Guthrie (David), Eileen Barnett (Stephanie), Josh Taylor (Chris). Top Row: Fredric Downs (Hank), Fran Ryan (Rosie), Joseph Gallison (Neil), Mary Frann (Amanda), George McDaniel (Jordan), Lanna Saunders (Marie), Elaine Princi (Kate), Don Frabotta (Dave), Marty Davich (Marty).

 

 

15th Anniversary, 1980. Front Row: Meg Wyllie (Mrs. Chisholm), Jean Bruce Scott (Jessica), Frances Reid (Alice), Macdonald Carey (Tom), Suzanne Rogers (Maggie), Patty Weaver (Trish). Middle Row: Richard Hill (Kyle), Lanna Saunders (Marie), Quinn Redeker (Alex), Brenda Benet (Lee), Gloria Loring (Liz), Bill Hayes (Doug), Joseph Gallison (Neil), Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie), Jed Allan (Don), William Joyce (Kellam), Deidre Hall (Marlena), Dianne Harper (Leslie). Back Row: Paul Keenan (Tod), Charles Bateman (Maxwell), Harold Sylvester (Warren), Don Frabotta (Dave).

 

 

January 1982 Cast Photo. Top Row: Scott Palmer (Joshua), Jean Bruce Scott (Jessica), Jack Coleman (Jake), Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie), Joseph Mascolo (Stefano), Bill Hayes (Doug), Gregg Marx (David), Gloria Loring (Liz), Roger Aaron Brown (Danny), Jed Allan (Don). Middle Row: Joseph Gallison (Neil), Quinn Redeker (Alex), Deidre Hall (Marlena), Patty Weaver (Trish), Macdonald Carey (Tom), Dick Billingsley (Scotty), Frances Reid (Alice), Brenda Benet (Lee), Diane Sommerfield (Valerie), Lane Caudell (Woody). Bottom Row: Catherine Mary Stewart (Kayla), Philece Sampler (Renee), Melinda Fee (Mary), Robert Clary (Robert), Lanna Saunders (Marie), Wayne Northrop (Roman), Paul Coufos (Mike).

Edited November 3, 2020 by JAS0N47

[jam6242]

Here is some of the CT Scan Revue.

 

[Franko]

Why, it was the Nurses Ball before the Nurses Ball!

[JAS0N47]

 

Fun Fact: Bill Hayes got a writing credit for those two Days variety episodes!

[Franko]

I love it!

[Titus Andronicus]

That Marx Brothers segment gets me every time.

 

January's summary reminds me so much of Reilly's later writing. It's funny how many problems could have been solved if everyone just talked to one another. Bob and Linda were the only ones who did. The amnesia storyline just seems so pointless. Linda was the best character going at that point and it just completely kills that.

 

I don't think any woman on Days has her own agency at this point. Mary does slightly, but the rest are caught up in relationship drama and Linda, the only one pushing any story, is now going to be in stupid medical drama.

 

Excited to see Kate pop back up. Even more excited that Marcus won't have that many chances to ruin it. I don't know Harrower's writing well enough, but Marcus has taken the strength out of every single character.

 

Independent Julie's now trusting her recently-appeared ne'er-do-well brother over Doug. 

 

The Donna pregnancy story ends as tastelessly as it started. At least it ended. I haven't seen any complaints in old newspaper articles, but it has the feeling of someone above Marcus telling them to just end the story now. All of it.

 

The Margo story is going to drag on forever, isn't it? Does she have any personality besides being sick?

 

And, if you couldn't tell, Chris Kositchek was one of Ann Marcus' favorites. She said she saw so much in Josh Taylor, a.k.a. the Daniel Jonas of his generation.

Edited November 4, 2020 by Titus Andronicus

[titan1978]

Looking at all those photos Jason47

has posted make me wish so much that I could see more of Bell’s DAYS.

 

Was Rosemary Forsyth well regarded as Laura?  Flannery is in a class all her own of course.  It just seems like Laura was so important and then just faded away.

[Franko]

I jumped ahead and skimmed the SOD summaries for 1979. Elizabeth Harrower seemed hell-bent on getting Susan Seaforth-Hayes an Emmy, to the detriment of Rosemary Forsyth in particular (in my opinion).

[Paul Raven]

Well the amnesia is an old trick  that can stop the story and delay the inevitable. 

 

Flannery was a hard act to follow and by the time Forsyth was cast Laura and Bill were settled so she didn't have much to do and there was nothing for viewers to invest as they would have had Susan F still been there.

 

Wait till Julie's burn story...

[beebs]

I've gotta say, the revue was delightful to watch again (I remember watching it when it popped up on YouTube years ago), so thank you for sharing it again @jam6242, it's a REAL treat! 

 

Maggie's macabre "Come On, Get Happy" performance always made me chuckle. C'mon everyone! We're all gonna DIE! Woohoo! 

 

 

Never knew Marty Davich was actually a DAYS cast member! Thanks for sharing the photos @JAS0N47!

 

So, basically, nepotism was in full display during her run. Great.

 

I find it interesting how greatly Laura's role on the show diminished once Susan Flannery left. It's as though they just lost all interest in writing for the character, even introducing a vaguely similar blonde female psychiatrist a year after Flannery left named Marlena Evans. While I feel Pat Falken Smith's intention with Marlena was more to utilize her in Mickey's recovery specifically (as it would make no sense to have Laura treat him when she's so attached to the situation, regardless of Mickey's feelings about her), it seems Ann Marcus really dropped the ball with Laura at that point. I wonder how much of that was not being able to find an organic way to cause problems for her and Bill that the audience would accept, and how much of it was Marlena being more of a blank canvas that she could fill in the backstory for without upsetting the applecart as much.

 

I also remember reading how excited Marcus was at discovering Deidre Hall had a twin, and ran with the information to create the Sam story, which I think contributed to it. Hacky writers will always take the easy way out instead of working with what already exists.

 

Considering it takes her until the Spring of 1980 to finally die, and, if I remember reading the Tune In Tomorrow recaps right, the last couple months of these consist of literally weeks of "Margo is about to die"..."Margo won't live much longer"..."Margo is barely hanging on..." like they're SNL reporting on Francisco Franco's death or something...we're in for a long haul here.

[Franko]

I wonder if the writers were being cheeky, having Maggie, a recovering alcoholic, singing and dancing to a song made famous by fellow substance abuser Judy Garland.

 

You're gonna flip when you read some of what I read. It's hard not to imagine Elizabeth giving barely coded pick-me-ups to Susan through the writing.

 

As awful as it sounds, at this point I just want Margo to die already.

Edited November 4, 2020 by Franko

[Khan]

Is Tracey E. Bregman off-contract with Y&R?  If so, I'd love to see her pop back up on DAYS as Donna and inform Marlena that Don has passed away.  I know it's been a long time since he was still on the canvas, but I feel like longtime DAYS fans deserve some kind of closure in the wake of Jed Allan's death.