DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[victoria foxton]

 

 

[AbcNbc247]

Big mistake.

There was so much they could've done with the character following her reveal as Brooke, and Bob's death.

[beebs]

Huge. Harrower dropped the ball so many times with that storyline, and to have it end on such a clumsy note really was the nail in the coffin for me that she wasn't up to the job of writing the show.

[AbcNbc247]

I wonder if Harrower would have stayed on as head writer if Al Rabin hadn't come on as EP. It does look like he was the one (or he was taking orders from the higher ups) that spearheaded all the firings. 

[Khan]

I realize DAYS' golden era had passed by this point, but even these scenes hold my interest more than anything that happens on the show nowadays.

 

[beebs]

The thing is, as much as I know Tomlin did a lot of damage to DAYS during his last run as HW, he did know how to write a decent story arc, and he and Michele Poteet-Lisanti did a decent job stabilizing the show and creating some degree of interest again after whatever the hell Nina Laemmle was trying to write. 

[Titus Andronicus]

This may be common knowledge already, but I found an interview with Al Rabin from 1980 and there's a few good tidibts, including a bit more on Laemmle.

New Orleans Times-Picayune
September 21, 1980

Excerpted.

About the number of characters dropped

Rabin admitted ratings dropped in April and May but were rising again. He also said they were trying to cater to a younger audience and move stories away from the Hortons.

The Times-Picayune said there were no plans to bring back Laura, Bill or Phyllis.

Rabin liked Joshua, Jessica and Liz as well.

Here's a fresh claim, quoted from the Times-Picayune.

Also, Macdonald Carey had hip surgery in June 1980. Wesley Eure was taking a break to do theater. Rabin was really eager for Eure to return.

edit: It looks like Laemmle's daughter died in August 1980, per records I've found.

Edited February 16, 2022 by Titus Andronicus

[Paul Raven]

Thanks for posting those interview snippets.

I can understand that the show had become moribund with a lot of 'old' characters but the problem was the new characters were nor very interesting. Pat Falken Smith showed when she returned how to spark the show with new characters.

Rabin claimed Guthrie and Eure had a future on the show but that never eventuated. Wesley claimed NBC canned him because he was gay.Did the same happen to Guthrie?

Never read that Laemmle was doing long term story. Perhaps she took a leave due to her daughters death and there was a mutual agreement not to return?

[AbcNbc247]

Haha the classic “We ran out of story” excuse. 

I guess in this case that was true for some of the characters, particularly Bob, Phyllis, Robert and Margo. But there was still so much the show could’ve done with Bill, Laura, Linda, Stephanie, Donna, etc.

Ironically, the article mentions Mike and David, yet at the time instead of writing something new for them, they revived the Mike/Trish/David triangle instead. Kind of sounds like they “ran out of story” for them

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 and just rehashed the same old stuff 

Edited February 16, 2022 by AbcNbc247

[Titus Andronicus]

The Days of Our Lives 1980 scorecard, with a few 1981 notes

I decided to put together what I could of the backstage happenings at Days that year as every new bit puts a bit more into context, but also makes it sound even wilder.

Apparently there was a TV Guide article in c. September 1980 that talked about Days' woes (it's referenced in the Rabin article). It doesn't seem to have been digitized anywhere, but it could be interesting. 

< January 18
Wes Kenney's departure as executive producer. Al Rabin, who has been directing for Days the last five years, is promoted.

A January 18 article in the Dayton Daily News features this quote from Kenney:
"When they dropped Ann Marcus*, I quit. It was a pretty sticky situation and I was very unhappy."

* Though Kenney is quoted as saying Marcus, the dates line up for it to be Elizabeth Harrower. Marcus had been gone since February 1979.

Kenney is credited on Days through January 18, per Jason's fantastic site. Rabin's name begins appearing January 21.

Late January
Pike's Peeks column mentions rumors are out there that Harrower is leaving.

January 31
Seemingly the first media mention that Nina Laemmle is to take over as head writer. The story is published often over the next few weeks in various papers.

But there's something weird going on. Harrower isn't gone.

Per Jason, Harrower continues to be credited as head writer through MARCH 14. 

February 7
The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that Days is about to clean house. 

Up to a dozen actors are gone, according to an unnamed NBC source. "Leaving, dying, disappearing, going to college."

[The source] declined to say which performers would get the ax since "They  haven't notified them yet."

The same article mentions Harrower has been replaced by Laemmle and that Kenney is gone.

< March 5
Nancy Reichardt's syndicated soap column said Laemmle's storylines "are slated to begin appearing this month."

March 17
First date of Ruth Brooks Flippen to air, per Jason. No newspaper articles in 1980 make mention of Flippen. 

Flippen seemingly only had recently returned to writing. A March 29, 1980 episode of The Love Boat was her first credit since a 1975 TV movie, per what's available on IMDB.

April 18
Last credited date of Flippen, per Jason. She does not appear to have been credited with Days in any capacity again.

Mid-April
Columnists Jon-Michael Reed and Lynda Hirsch both highlight all the changes going on at Days, specifically crediting them to Laemmle.

Who has yet to be credited as head writer.

April 21
First credited day of Laemmle.

July 29
Jed Allan is quoted in the Oakland Tribune and he is quite upset.

"I've just about had it," said Allan. "They've taken my character and decimated it."

Allan isn't quoted, but says the changes were initiated by Laemmle.

Other Allan quotes from the story:
- "The way it is now, they've got me playing a flunky to a bunch of characters called the Chandlers, but Don was never a flunky!"
- "I am very unhappy about the situation and I just gave them somewhat of an ultimatum. I told themif they don't change the script, I'm leaving the show. That's just how strong I feel about the situation."

Mark Tapscott was let go as Bob, he said, because they wanted to do more with Josh Taylor.

As for Ed Mallory, he "quit the show because he couldn't direct." With Robert Clary, Allan said he "should never have been fired. He was very definitive. It was a dumb thing to do."

Allan wasn't against bringing in new people, but felt it has been done very poorly.

BONUS INSIGHT INTO WRITING AT DAYS IN 1980
"I really can't say anything good or bad about her. But for a while she was giving outlines to be done by the other writers, which should only be done by head writers."

So Laemmle wasn't really even communicating her vision, but dumping it on the staff. I'm wondering if this is what was going on with Ruth Brooks Flippen, that she was doing these outlines.

August 11
Laemmle's daughter dies in California, per the California Death Index.

September 21
Article appears in New Orleans' Times-Picayune with quotes from Rabin. Laemmle is out as head writer, with Michelle Poteet-Lisanti and Gary Tomlin taking over

Rabin said Laemmle will still be involved in longterm story plans. He cites the death of Laemmle's daughter to be the reason she is stepping down from the post.

October 9
Last credited day of Laemmle as head writer, per Jason.

October 10
Michelle Poteet-Lisanti first credited as head writer. Gary Tomlin's name joins her days later.

Poteet-Lisanti looks to have joined the staff in late 1979. Tomlin earlier in 1980, possibly in connection with Laemmle's hiring.

Of note from Laemmle's writing staff is David Seidler, who's better known for witing The King's Speech. Days might have been his first Hollywood job. Yep, he was born in England. Laemmle was his only head writer during his short span.

Late October
Jon-Michael Reed column mentioning Laemmle is out because of "personal conflicts."

February 7, 1981
Flippen is credited with another Love Boat episode, which was probably her last gig.

July 9, 1981
Flippen dies in Marina del Rey of heart illness at the age of 55. Her obituary in the Los Angeles Times is the only contemporary mention of her work with Days. Surprisingly, though, it does not mention the Love Boat episodes.

Edited February 16, 2022 by Titus Andronicus

[victoria foxton]

 

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Edited February 22, 2022 by victoria foxton

[victoria foxton]

@Titus Andronicus Awesome info.

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[AbcNbc247]

Thanks for posting!

This was all so interesting to read.

[Titus Andronicus]

Added another date to the timeline, which indicates that NBC - more than anybody else - had decided to completely overturn the cast. It is from February 7, the gray area between Harrower's firing and someone else actually taking over.

Poteet-Lisanti and Tomlin deserve gold medals and possibly canonization for what they did over 1980-81 for Days. It should have been dead, dead, dead. 

Days was struggling and NBC, inspired by changes on other soaps, decided to do the same. In the Oakland article, Allan pointed to General Hospital doing it right, so NBC probably was trying to copy them. Except that they hired Laemmle to be in charge of these changes, which had only a minuscule chance of working. Surprise! It was a disaster.

Laemmle had never written for soaps. Her writing staff was largely inexperienced and also new to soaps, with Tomlin being an exception. Since NBC was all up in Days' decisions, I wonder how much influence she had on picking the writers. 

On top of that, it sounds like Laemmle like personal issues going on, on top of not knowing how soaps really worked. 

Edited February 16, 2022 by Titus Andronicus

[victoria foxton]

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Days 8-18-1976