DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[Bill Bauer]

Deidre Hall was a GREAT actress in the 70s and 80s. I think she just stopped trying somewhere along the way and kind of went into autopilot. 

[JAS0N47]

FROM THE VAULT: "DAYS OF OUR LIVES" BIBLE, DECEMBER 1964...

 

"Days" history fans are in for a treat. The "Days of Our Lives" bible from December 1964! This is a longer version of the "Days of Our Lives" proposal which was posted online many years ago. First up: the first 9 pages, including the story of Tom Horton. Coming soon: the story of Alice Horton! 

 

https://www.jason47.com/days/daysbible.html

 

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Edited September 26, 2021 by JAS0N47

[carolineg]

She's a very likable actress as well.  There's always been something very comfortable with watching her on screen.  I think she's actually underrated.   She's always had the ability to generate good chemistry with co stars and play a very rootable heroine.   Days rarely got credit for anything in the 70's or 80's acting wise and I think DH was like screw it-I give up.  Watching her 70's and 80's stuff does make you really appreciate her.   I am not sure who she was up against back then for her emmys, but I would have at least given her an emmy nomination for the Possession because it was so ground breaking and she did some good work with it.  I imagine she's okay with it.  She got to make The Never Say Never: Deidre Hall story instead

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[titan1978]

I have re-watched a ton of Marlena stuff from her return, the affair, and the early possession lately.  The tale of two Romans, while kind of a disaster in that Roman was ultimately ruined, was also really an emotionally complex story that had a lot of depth and every beat was played.  From the early part of Roman’s return, it feels like the affair was inevitable.

It is also very interesting seeing John in two viable romances while Marlena is with Roman and fighting her lingering feelings for John.  Isabella and Kristen both had rooting value with John, and at the time I wasn’t so sure he and Marlena were going to end up together until much later on in Reilly’s run.

Its so easy to forget how good and not campy Reilly’s run was before the possession (and really, that story being stretched out).  It was a fantastic time to watch the show.  Reilly lost me about a year before he left though.  I missed his earlier run.

[carolineg]

I find Isabella highly annoying, but I will allow the Izzy/John romance as being viable.  One of my favorite scenes from the tale of 2 romans is when Marlena is talking to Abe and says you get to love them both I don't... All the tears for me.  And when she tells John she loved him, loves him.  I die.  And then it fell off to nothing for about 2 years but it ended fine.

I never liked Kristen/John much.  She was just so secretive and weird.  ED and DH had chemistry, but Kristen never felt like a real option.  He was still so clearly into Marlena.

[victoria foxton]

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[carolineg]

More possession:

It's weirdly about John/Kristen did they just change lanes midway through?

Sami/Austin is really funny.  Sami is so delusional.

John/Marlena continue to be everything, but Kristen is always hanging around

DH's mullet is legit and a lot

When MarDevil stops using Kristen and whores herself out to John it's way better.

 

[Vee]

I haven't watched the story since it first aired but I remember thinking they were very committed to John and Kristen for awhile (and I felt they worked). I do wonder how Kristen was first conceived when she was a heroine for a long stretch, and when they decided to take the turn, or if she was always intended as a spoiler for an eventual John/Marlena reunion. I don't know when they decided John and Marlena were endgame, I'm sure others know.

Edited September 26, 2021 by Vee

[carolineg]

I think the Possession is where the show decided Jarlena endgame.   I think it was full on Kristen/John until then and the network wanted Drake to be with someone younger.  I think Kristen and John were  just not that popular until she went bat [!@#$%^&*] and Jarlena have a very strong fanbase that just won out.   And the Possession wouldn't have worked if John wasn't crazy in love with Marlena.

The entire Possession would fall flat if John wouldn't be willing to die for Marlena.  

Edited September 26, 2021 by carolineg

[Vee]

I wonder. I always assumed they'd committed to Dee and Drake as endgame as early as the Titan boardroom because they realized the chemistry was too much to deny, and that's why they threw over poor Northrop.

I remember liking Kristen even before she was nuts and liking them together, but she may well have been unpopular as a heroine - I was too young to take stock.

[Dion]

From 93 - 95, John and Kristen were outwardly written as if they were a traditional supercouple but I think that was really a giant red herring all along; the seeds for a John/Marlena reunion were always there. Notice how John never really accepts anything that Kristen tells him even if it's the truth, but trusts anything that Marlena tells him implicitly even if it's actually the MarDevil (until MarDevil threatens to keep Belle away from him, which John knows is something Marlena would never do). It's a theme that carries on during Aremid (this time with Marlena trusting John and Kristen not) and finally pays off at the Elvis wedding when John instantly knows that it is Marlena who is telling the truth, not Kristen.

Anyway, yes, outwardly the writing seems as if its pretty much John/Kristen with Marlena as the problematic ex pretty much all the way up until Marlena dies. After that it's John/Marlena but it's been seeded all along.

 

Oh and yes it wouldn't surprise me if NBC wanted John/Kristen but Reilly, who could play the long game like no other except for Bill Bell, just went along with it until he got his own way.

Edited September 26, 2021 by Dion

[carolineg]

Bringing back Northrop was an entirely different mistake.   I love him and Marlena but it just all felt weird and flat.  Romar were cute and fun but it was literally chemistry on all cylinders with Dee/Drake and no one wanted to write Roman well.

I think the reaction to John and Kristen was okay, but it wasn't in JER's vision.  I actually think the weird Tony stuff hurt her more than the Jarlena stuff.  Because marrying your brother is straight up bizarre.

I just don't see how Eileen or Kristen could unsurp years of Jarlena when even Wayne couldn't and they were fire back in the day.  JER just saw where the story was at and went with it.  He wasn't wrong..

[Vee]

I remember finding the whole Tony plotline tedious and strange, yeah.

I don't think JER was wrong either. I do think they could've done right by Roman though, and didn't. Even if he was a mandate (from Deidre, I believe) he was an asset to the show.

I wouldn't be surprised at all.

[carolineg]

The Tony/Andre [!@#$%^&*] is tedious, but I do love the epic plan of it all

Dee pushed for Wayne and I think it was a mistake.  John should be Roman.  The two characters are entirely redundant to this day.

[Franko]

Just looked it up: Dee has only been thrice nominated for the Daytime Emmy, in 1980 (supporting), 1984 and 1985. 

The 1980 nominees: Francesca James, who won, plus Dee, Lois Kibbee and Elaine Lee and Valerie Mahaffey.

The 1984 nominees: Erika Slezak (Winning on the strength of the Echo story?), Ann Flood and Sharon Gabet, Dee (marital angst with Roman plus the Salem Slasher stuff) and Susan Lucci (the first go-around with Adam, I guess).

1985: Winner-winner Kim Zimmer (whose reel included the "Slut of Springfield" episode, if I'm not mistaken), plus Dee (Marlena's widowhood), Susan Lucci (more vs. Adam, plus the Mike Roy romance) and Gillian Spencer (for the lead-up and execution of Who Killed Zach Grayson?) and Robin Strasser.

And for the record, 1995's nominees were Erika (the big DID story won it for her in '96, right?), followed by Leslie Charleson (who could/should have won for Monica's breast cancer), Marj Dusay and Maeve Kinkead and SuLu.