DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[carolineg]

I mean, it definitely just sounds like Marlena and Carrie in the big city with some rich people thrown in and not a crazy hour of television, but AW was running on fumes.  And did AW cut costs?  Weren't they flying Jensen in on a helicopter?  It definitely still looked better than Days does now when it went off the air lol.  I honestly think something like Manhattan lives would have worked for a few years then they just would have spun the characters that were popular and Marlena/Carrie back to the main show.  It's hard to say though because if you took Jarlena's kids, Roman/Marlena's kids, and kept it moving it might have worked because that's like 75% of the Days cast now lol.  It could have killed it's own mother show lol.

I am really interested in the Bell soap.  I wonder if a half hour Bell soap and a half hour of Sunset Beach would have worked. 

[Vee]

They were, yes.

I also believe (and have for a long time) that Manhattan Lives was ultimately little more than a negotiation tactic to keep Deidre engaged during that soft period she had pre-Reilly. There may have been a serious consideration for it replacing AW early on, but I don't believe it got very far in that process. I suspect they kept it alive longer as vaporware to placate her.

Edited August 10, 2021 by Vee

[te.]

100% this. Marlena really just seemed to have nothing to do on DAYS before The Affair and JER moving her into the main heroine slot. I have no doubt she would've bolted if it wasn't for the promise of her own soap where she could be the exec producer, especially with having the Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story in the pipeline at the time.

[carolineg]

Yeah I believe that too.  I have no idea why Deidre and Wayne kept re-signing after their 6 month contracts expired.  It's like the show had NO PLANS for them after the Tale of 2 Romans, but again I thought this was a SG/Isabella thing that messed it up. I have always heard they pushed the entire Affair story back because SG demanded a lot of money and they were surprised she decided to quit when she didn't get it.   I believe Wayne actually did play some hardball and was off contract for a minute when he left town to figure out the Bo kidnapping (PR leaving/Rkk assuming the role) @JAS0N47would probably have the receipts on that.  I guess they just kept throwing tv movies and spinoffs at Deidre.  I don't think that time for Days was great backstage either.  

I think the Roger/Stella stuff started in mid-1992.  So she wasn't really on the sidelines that long, but it did seem like it because she never interacted with John or Isabella or anyone other than Roman and appeared at parties.  TM's Carrie being a total bomb probably didn't help much either.  I do think she filmed a few tv movies at the time too. 

Didn't the Deidre Hall story air on ABC not NBC?  So weird.  I LOVE you know the full title.  I definitely have that gem on VHS somewhere in my house still lol.

[Franko]

Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story (a title that just gets funnier with repetition) was the ABC Sunday Night Movie on Dec. 10, 1995. It lost to both Journey (airing as the Hallmark Hall of Fame on CBS) and Eddie Murphy's The Distinguished Gentleman, airing on NBC. As an adult, I now realize who Connie Ray's "Shane" was supposed to be.

Speaking of Shane (Donovan), it seems like DAYS was working out a lot of kinks from 1990-95. @carolineg mentioned this, but it bears repeating: the actors from the '80s supercouples kept leaving (and if you want to extend it, Matthew Ashford in '93 and Melissa Reeves in '95 -- yes, I know there were extenuating circumstances), plus you had actors hired that didn't work out (I think it was mentioned on this thread that Lynn Herring was supposed to be paired with Shane before Lisanne ended up entrenched in the Lawrence/Carly/Bo/Alamains stuff), actors returning that didn't work out (Wayne, but also Susan Seaforth Hayes, who admitted to not wanting to do other love stories, which made it harder for Julie to be viable) and a significant recast that ultimately didn't go the distance (Robert Kelker-Kelly as Bo).

Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story (you have to say the full title for full effect) is on YouTube, BTW. If I didn't already have lots of other things to watch, it could be a fun SON live-watch experience.

Edited August 10, 2021 by Franko

[carolineg]

I am not at all ashamed to say I may look that up on you tube today. 

I think Lynn Herring suffered the most from that shuffle.  Lisanne was a mess of a character.  Plus I think CC gave her a hard time about doing love scenes with MS?  I remember Wayne was quoted as saying 'calm down, it's acting' at the time and WN actively complained about LH's poor treatment on the set. 

Wasn't Julie in a love story with a young Dr at the time?  What was Bill Hayes doing at the time?  He couldn't have appeared on the show?

ETA: I just realized it was Jay Pickett RIP.

I am one of the few people who think Wayne could have remained on the canvas just maybe sans Marlena.  He basically left Sami hanging and I never liked that.  It just seems so un-Roman like to leave his kids.  I don't really see a love interest for him on the canvas in 1994, but I assume they could have found someone.

I actually think RKK was a good recast.  He was just a problematic person.  I don't think his actual work was bad and he had fire chemistry with Lisa Rinna.

1992 was such a mess with a bad Carrie recast, John with that Romulous diamond story, Roman's Mrs. Doubtfire story, the show toying with Lawrence/Carrie, Kayla/Shane, Hawk/Jack/Jen.  I think Isabella's death and maybe some Carly stuff are the only things that hold up.  The rest can be forgotten.  By 1993, the show just revitalized itself.  Jarlena affair, Austin/Carrie, Sami's re-introduction, bringing on Kate for Victor/Vivian, Bo/Billie, Kristen's introduction.......basically everything worked in that year. 

[Vee]

I've read the Hayeses talking about Doug and then Julie's solo returns and to this day I don't understand what that was about. I am not well-versed enough in Days BTS lore to have any insight. It just doesn't make any sense to me why they'd bring them back separately.

I think RKK was an exceptional recast at the time. I remember him being very popular, but maybe that's me imagining things as a kid who was horny for him at the time lol. I was shocked when he disappeared and this hick I'd never seen before (Peter Reckell!) showed up! But of course we know now there were extenuating circumstances BTS, namely RKK being a serial creep.

I don't recall the details of what happened with Crystal Chappell or which came first, her being pushed out by the show?/JER? or her always being a drama magnet and choosing to flounce?

I remember seeing Tracy Middendorf's debut episode on WOST years ago and really liking it despite having grown up with the immortal Christie Clark. But I have a fondness for Tracy from Wes Craven's New Nightmare.

[Gray Bunny]

 

Yeah, I wonder how a new soap opera would've done, premiering in 1993-1994 (pre-OJ drama).  That was the last era of ratings growth for the majority of soaps on the air. 

[carolineg]

RKK was a good recast and I think he was very popular.   I think he may have been one of the best Days recasts ever if he wasn't a creeper.  MBE and Drake are the only two who I can think of that were more popular. 

Crystal was just a drama magnet I think?  She got into it with Deidre too so I think the show cut it's losses with Michael Sabatino, but not CC.  I believe it was her choice to leave over his firing. 

I really liked TM on 90210.  I don't think she was that bad as Carrie, but she wasn't Christie and it was silly to fire Christie so she was just reviled.   And she was so much brattier and sexier than she should have been and was a jerk to her entire family lol.

[Vee]

I didn't know Christie was fired. Big mistake.

Crystal has never been the sharpest knife. Imagine getting into it with Deidre Hall in the early 1990s!

[carolineg]

Christie got fired for not looking mature enough.  They made her re-try out for the part with PM I think before they let her have the role again.  CC says TM was working the day she was auditioning.  Yikes!   I didn't think TM looked that much more mature, but whatever. 

Lol!  Crystal Chappell was like in her 20's fighting with Deidre Hall.  I think Hall is the one who had the issue though not so much CC.  With her airtime and professionalism.  

[Gray Bunny]

 

I'm more inclined to think CC had the "issue," or at least there was mutual resentment, especially after seeing how Chappell behaved on her way out the second time in 2011.  In 1991, she was the hot thing, a newbie getting tons of airtime, and then the show brings back its tried and true diva with Deidre. Yes, CC and DH worked on the show at the same time for the next two years, but I'm guessing there were egos on both sides. 

Side note: I, too, have Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story somewhere in a box full of old VHS tapes, lol. @Franko who is Connie Ray supposed to be...? 

[carolineg]

Oh, I definitely think CC was an issue, but Deidre was the one to actually push it.   And I don't fault DH for it.  I honestly don't think Dee was that worried about her airtime when she had other pans in the fire (mainly the now classic "Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story").  I think she was just annoyed at an obnoxious newbie being extra and holding up production.  Deidre had things to do in 1992 lol!!.  They didn't share a ton of scenes, but nothing ever showed on camera being awkward or weird, so at the end of the day that's kind of all you need. 

I think she also may have took a stance on MS/CC being mean to Lynn who is obviously a good friend of hers.   I mean, it's pretty obvious Deidre won this game.  CC has had a decent career, but DH is a living legend so I am sure it's all fine now.   There is a lot more of CC being problematic on the internet than DH, so I am inclined to believe that, but I am sure neither were the easiest to work with in their heyday. 

[Vee]

CC has been like that at every show she worked on. Dee was right to pull rank.

[te.]

I've actually never seen Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story, but I do enjoy the description of it that IMDB provides:

I really hope this is the description of Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story that ABC put out in their press releases.