DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[te.]

I mean, considering the main complaint with Ann Marcus was that she burned through story quickly, maybe expanding it to 90 mins would've worked under her?

[Titus Andronicus]

Harrower was head writer at this time. She was fired in January 1980, though she continued to write a few weeks longer. 

I'm trying to imagine 90 minutes under Laemmle in 1980 and my first thought is how many more characters could she have killed off with 2 1/2 more hours a week.

[carolineg]

Yes.  Danielle came to town recognizing John's eyes from a newspaper or tv or something.  At this point the cannon was he did have plastic surgery and his face was not the same.  She was said to be he wife and he was the jewel thief Romulus.  Long, boring story short- Danielle was actually the jewel thief, they weren't married, they were in love until he found out she was a thief, and John let her get away from the cops.  No one has spoken of her again.

The show had no clue what to do with Roman or Roman/Marlena as a couple.  They at least gave John/Isabella (bad) stories.  I agree the show did the Tale of 2 Romans and was like what now with all characters involved. 

[soapfan770]

The first half of 1992 was so bad from what I recall. Roman & Bo had that ridiculous Rafi Torres story, Jennifer was in deep with Hawk, John & Isabella had the Danielle story, all the while Brian/Ginger/Tanner/Molly ate the show alive. Yikes. I always felt that it was Lisanne’s murder and Stella kidnapping Marlena to take her to the pit is what got the ball rolling again for the show. 

[Dion]

I also recall a storyline in 1992 where Days blatantly ripped off a Rock Hudson and Doris Day movie (Send Me No Flowers); Jack misheard his doctor talking about a terminal patient and thought his hodgkins was back and set about trying to match-make Jennifer with Brian.

Agree. Both plots re-energised the show and set it up for a very dynamic 1993.

[carolineg]

I would say Isabella's death got everything rolling, IMO.  It caused the cast we actually liked to start interacting again because that was lacking in 1992.  I felt like Julie was hanging out with Molly instead of people she should.  

Stella throwing Marlena is probably my fave story of 1992 though.  They let DH look rough in that Pit lol.

I watched full episodes of 1992 fairly recently on you tube.   The Jack/Jen/Hawk stuff is just awful.  Hard to watch.   And MA's Jack was at his slap-stick worst.  I honestly switched half way through the year to couple specific storylines because it was too hard to get through the whole episodes back then.   Still better than today, but a BAD year.

[Paul Raven]

The headwriter change was probably the reason for the upswing in stories.

According to Jason 47:

The first  half of 92 was Richard Allen/Beth Milstein following on from Gene Palumbo.

Sheri Anderson came in mid 92,later joined by Reilly who went solo in 93.

[AbcNbc247]

What was their storyline?

I like to think that I’m good with my Days knowledge, but I can’t tell you one thing about that crew lol 

[soapfan770]

The Scofield invasion of Salem from like 1990-1992 lol. Vern was the father and dated Jo Johnson and he had three kids, Brian, Tanner and Cassie. 

Brian was a Salem PD detective. He and Melissa dated a little bit.  Jack tried to arrange for Brian to be Jennifer's wife following his death (when Jack believed he was dying). He later dated the stripper/dancer Ginger who was Molly's mother, then resigned from the police force and opened a dog-obedience school. It wasn't a success, however, so when Ginger was offered a job to write for a newspaper in Chicago, she and Brian left Salem.

Tanner and Molly-- this was the pairing that Days tried to turn in the next big supercouple but they tanked the show with a 4.7 rating instead. Tanner had a job as a bartender at Wings. Molly was taken under Julie's ward when she first came to town and Julie gave her a job and Molly lived with Julie as well. Molly was drawn to Tanner, and he helped her to solve the mystery of Molly's dead mother, who was really the Cheatin' Heart waitress Ginger much Molly's horror. Molly was also the half sister of the notorious Hawk Hawkins, the guy who swindled/conned Jennifer big time as well. Hawk's dad was also Molly's dad.  Molly started attending classes at Salem U but they was sexually harassed and raped by one of her college professors. Brian and Tanner worked together to take down the professor who as it turned out was also the man who murdered their mother.  Tanner and Molly then started singing careers and they left Salem for LA when Philip Collier told the pair they had a future in showbiz.

I don't think Cassie ever did much except appear as troublesome teen. There was once a that Spencer Olson was going to be introduced as her new love interest but Spencer of course never materialized after Julie's mentions of him. 

[beebs]

Brian and Tanner were Vern Schofield's kids. Brian was a cop, and Tanner brooded because his mom died by suicide. I think Tanner worked at Wings or something? Can't remember how Molly got found but I remember something about her skinny dipping in a pond in the middle of nowhere and not understanding why Tanner would be uncomfortable with this, then she came back to Salem and was Julie's ward. Everyone in town loved her and she was only ever good and sweet and virtuous and was absolutely insufferable to watch. Tanner fell for her.

I think Brian fell for Ginger, who was a ditzy waitress at Alice's Restaurant, and was the only person in Salem who didn't get along with St. Molly. So of course, Ginger turned out to be Molly's mother.

The one story I remember of theirs was Molly enrolling at Salem U to become a nurse, and one of her profs was played by Daniel Pilon, who tried to rape her, and then of course was a threatening d-bag for weeks afterwards, trying to keep Molly from blabbing. Turned out, Pervy Professor Pilon pulled the same shtick with Mrs. Schofield years before, and Tanner found some diary that proved it, and that was why she killed herself. Pervy Professor Pilon pulls some more pscyho s#!t, and is caught, I forget how, Molly and Tanner leave town together, Vern and Tanner make up, Ginger convinces Molly to forgive her too, and Ginger and Brian leave town in Ginger's RV or something that she parked on the pier for some unknown reason.

I'm sure I'm leaving out a bunch of stuff, but ultimately, I don't actually care LOL.

 

AH you remembered more than I did! Haha. Yeah that's about it. On paper, none of this was that bad, but the day-to-day was just so frustrating. Add to that the fact it made Jack look like an absolute putz, and Molly was quite possibly the biggest Pollyanna on the face of the planet, and...well..yeah. Hardly must-see viewing.

[victoria foxton]

@beebs @AbcNbc247Molly was introduced. When she found an injured Eve. Eve had fallen from a helicopter. When Shane and Kayla were rescuing. Jack, Jenn, Melissa,  Brian and Fluffy. Who were lost in the wilderness. Thanks to Johnny Corelli. Who had someone unhinged one of the train carts. As the gang searched for the gun that killed Nick Corelli. Molly was part of the god awful Howard Hawkins story. beebs your knowledge of Days is fierce. Liked Brian with a Brunette singing Melissa. Didn't care for him with Ginger. By this point the good girl with the bad boy had been done to death, One of the many reasons Tanner & Molly didn't work.

Edited August 17, 2021 by victoria foxton

[beebs]

Thanks @victoria foxton 

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 I wish I knew this much about something that could make me some MONEY, too! Haha!

I am REALLY hoping Fluffy was a dog. I think I remember that being the case, but this is DAYS, and grown women are named Calliope, so...I just want to be sure.

[victoria foxton]

Fluffy was Brian's canine police partner. And one the better characters from that era.

[carolineg]

I actually liked Brian as comic relief.  He was pretty funny with RoJohn and the Salem PD.  Everyone else was awful.  Tanner was the beginning of Michael Easton being given leading roles for no reason.

[Franko]

Can I just say that I'm delighted that we have not one, but three extensive recaps of the Scofield invasion, with the consensus being that Tanner and Molly were just plain awful? (Luckily for DOOL fans, the next teen scene of Carrie/Austin/Sami/Lucas was much more successful.)

Also, am I the only one who sees a little Timothee Chalamet in young Michael Easton?