DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[slick jones]

@Bright Eyes has been requesting soap hopper profiles for actors from Days in the mid - 1980s in non contract roles. I'm currently working on David Blackwood and David Morgan (Harry and Milos).

@JAS0N47  Is David Blackwood the same D. B. that appeared on Seinfeld several times?

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Is this actor, David Morgan, the one that portrayed Milos?

https://tma.byu.edu/directory/david-morgan

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

[DRW50]

Fascinating that Marie's last appearance had Don (soon to vanish himself) and also involved Eugene (who was representative of a DAYS so different than her own).

That line in the 83 script about Marie's "Horton temper" made me wonder if the family was seen as more volatile then - in recent decades I'd say they have been more placid, although the women in the family, sans Alice and Addie I suppose (and poor Sandy, wherever she is), aren't afraid to throw down. 

I find Launa Sanders so compelling to watch. 

[JAS0N47]

Those aren't actors I am too familiar with, sorry. Days has had 1000s of actors through the last 40 years, and most of my episodes are on videotapes, so it takes a lot of time to find the tape and watch it on an old VCR to see if they match up to those specific actors in the photos. Plus I only started watching Days in 1990, so the 1980's stuff a lot I've only seen in passing or in fast forwarding for the cast/set lists. Hopefully someone who has quicker access, such as the computer drive that has the Days episodes from the 80s can check these quicker than I could!

[Paul Raven]

Lanna saunders always delivered as did Gloria Loring. Their talents were the only thing that made Marie/Neil/Liz watchable because Marie's involvement with Neil never rang true to me.

She'd just come out of a disaster with alex and you'd think she's steer clear of Neil, knowing his reputation.

I get that she might be vulnerable but still.

To me it was another case of putting some vets in a triangle to keep them on air rather than a real investment in their characters.

See Don/Maggie/Mickey.

I think Lanna would have been out the door in 85, illness or not.

Mickey, Neil  and Marlena were the only survivors of 70's Days. Marlena was re-invented.

I guess Neil and Mickey were useful as a doctor and lawyer and John was an original cast member like Frances and Mac so somewhat untouchable.

I think Suzanne returning was an admission on Days part that too many vets had been cut.

[jam6242]

I'd say both Tom and Bill had tempers, and Julie definitely had (has) her moments too, lol.

[j swift]

Marie is an example of my least liked form of soap character, an older seemingly innocent character, who has a puritanical reputation, but is actually more sexually experienced than her rivals.  We've seen many of these over the years.  And while it may be ageist, I can tolerate a virginal ingénue more than a prude in her forties.

I mean, at least Liz married most of her lovers.

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[JAS0N47]

"DAYS" OF 1972: THE FIRST-EVER LOOK AT MONTHLY DETAILS!

With monthly "Days" synopses already available back to 1973, Jason47 will now be posting a look at some episodes each month from 1972, the first time specific monthly data will be available for that year! Up first: January 1972. These synopses will be inserted into the daily episode guide as well.

 

JANUARY 1972...

 

1565 (1/21/72)- Addie has lunch with Scott, again sounds him out on how the reconciliation is going, presses the idea of Julie's having another baby, moving to a house, to keep her occupied. After Scott leaves, Addie again remembers Julie's telephone conversation, where she duped Addie into thinking she was talking to Scott. In Tom's hospital office, he talks to the police just before Alice arrives. He explains to her there are no leads as to the recent theft, the police theorize the tape will never be found. Alice informs him of Mickey's visit, Laura's decision to get a divorce, and Mickey's attitude toward Bill, should Laura marry him. Laura enters, and the whole matter is discussed. Laura admits she loves Bill, but would fight for Michael's custody. She decides she must tell Michael of the divorce. As Julie and Doug snuggle in his apartment, a plant of forget-me-nots is delivered. Julie teases him, but he claims to not know where they came from. In the elevator outside Doug's apartment, Addie waits, shows the delivery boy a picture of Julie. He tells her the same girl is inside. And now Addie decides to look into Doug's background.

 

1570 (1/28/72)- In Laura's clinic office, she and Susan discuss Susan's dilemma. Although Laura is not overly surprised Susan didn't go through with the abortion, she realizes the problems ahead. And yet, knowing Susan's past history. her tenuous relationship with Doug, she is understanding. Susan expresses a hope Greg might turn to her, but is definite that one way or the other, she'll never be alone again. After she leaves, Laura reflects on the problem, then calls home, is surprised to find Mickey already there. Is it to court Michael she wonders? Mickey and Michael set the table in Laura's absence. Michael comments on his father's consideration for his mother. Yet the boy senses there is something wrong. He mentions he'd like to go ice skating again after dinner, and after learning his homework is done, Mickey gives him permission. Michael asks about his Uncle Bill, why he is not operating as a surgeon. But before Mickey can answer, Laura appears at the door. Bill stops by to pick Doug up for work. Doug, knowing Bill is on cloud nine, instructs him about love by singing "Love Is a Simple Thing." Bill is quietly happy as he listens to the lyrics, painting his dreams. After dinner, Michael says he's going skating now. Laura is against the idea, for logical reasons, but realizes that Mickey apparently has already given him permission. Rather than start a argument before the boy, she agrees, if Mickey will drive Michael there. As the boy goes to get ready, Laura suggests she and Mickey have a talk upon his return. After Mickey leaves, Laura remembers her love scene with Bill, and her declaration of faith regarding the Kitty Horton affair. She wants to believe Mickey will make no issue out of the matter. Meanwhile, a junkie sits on the floor of an unkempt room, opens a metal container, takes a tape out and looks at it sinisterly. 

[JAS0N47]

FEBRUARY 1972...

1579 (2/10/72)- Julie has called Tom to see him, but since he's in the neighborhood, he's stopped by her apartment. She tells him she's not ill, only wants more birth control pills, explains why she feels she must not be pregnant until the reconciliation is firmly resolved. Tom understands, mentions he's pleased that both Julie and Susan now seem on their way to happiness. Doug is with Julie and feels something is bothering her, again the subject of Susan comes up. Doug insists there's nothing Julie can do about this, and it's high time she forgot the past. At the clinic, Greg is a little concerned at Susan's feeling of fatigue. She deftly tries to explain it away, and assures Greg she'd love to have him at her place for dinner that night. At home, after David leaves to play with a friend in the building, Scott tries to make love to Julie, but she puts him off, saying she's ill. She maneuvers that Scott will call Greg to stop by and see her, and we know exactly what's in her mind. 

1585 (2/18/72)- Susan, in tears, has told Greg all about her past with David Martin, She's not at all sure of his response as she stands in the clinic hallway, waiting for him to come to her. When he does, Greg takes her into his office and tells Susan her past couldn't matter less to him, unless it's going to matter to Susan. He wants to go forward, not backward, feels that Susan's already done this without knowing it by building the clinic and being able to live with the fact of working there day by day. In a blissfully happy state, Susan goes into Greg's arms, knowing she's found love and happiness at last. At lunch, Tom and Alice discuss Susan's chances for happiness, and Alice is glad there's someone for this little waif at last. However, the problems of Mickey and Laura weigh heavily on her mind. She mentions the tape to Tom, but he reassures her that the police feel it's been thrown away by the junkie who broke into his office to steal dope. Meanwhile, in Rick's apartment, he's staring at the role of tape as the phone rings. Ruthie answers it and it is Greg, phoning his brother Eric. Ruthie knocks on Eric's door and, after the conversation in which Eric tells his big brother he's busy tonight and cannot go home to dinner with the folks to meet Greg's girl, Ruthie stays to ask a favor of Eric. Could he help her help Rick kick dope by enlisting the aid of a doctor like his brother? Eric doesn't want to drag Greg into his life. Besides, he feels the mission down the street could do the job, if Rick really wants to get the monkey off his back. The problem is, does he? Ruthie returns to Rick's apartment to find him, as usual, in many moods. The net result is Rick's ultimatum: Ruthie is going to run an errand for him again, but this time she won't come back without the tape recorder he wants in order to play the stolen tape. Later, Laura is embracing a euphoric Susan. Susan says she is going to meet Greg's family tonight. She tells Laura she will go to New York in the next week or so to end her pregnancy. She tells Laura that she wants to have Greg's children, not the child of some man she doesn't even know.

1590 (2/25/72)- Laura phones Bill at Sergio's and asks him to meet her in the park. She leaves the house, unaware that Michael overheard the conversation, but did not know it was Bill to whom she was speaking. As he pulls on clothes over his pajamas, Mike recalls his phone conversation earlier with his Uncle Bill, wonders if it is too late, what he can do about stopping his mother from going to see the man she loves. At Sergio's, Bill asks Doug to solo the last set and Doug agrees. As Bill leaves, Susan and Greg enter from a very happy evening with his parents. Doug, deeply moved by Susan's happiness, orders champagne to toast the happy couple. However, when Greg later mentions to Susan wanting her to meet his brother Eric later in the week, Susan confesses she has to spend a few days in New York. Totally unaware of the underlying reason for this trip, Greg jokingly says he refuses to let her out of his sight that long. Tom and Alice, ready for bed, discuss what could happen if Bill decides to tell Laura the truth, that he knows Michael is his son. And, in the park, Bill and Laura meet. She tells him that Michael's asked if she's in love with another man. And that she couldn't answer him because of her fear of what Mickey might say about Bill to her son. And, she asks once again, if Bill won't go to Mickey with the truth about what happened the night Kitty died, for Michael's sake. At a distance, Michael stands with tears on his face, staring off into the darkness at the back of the man whom his mother loves.

[JAS0N47]

MARCH 1972...

 

1594 (3/2/72)- A weary Tom returns home, explains to Alice that Mickey's attitude is bitter, that he fully believes Laura, Bill and Mike have gone somewhere together. Alice is firm in her conviction that Laura would never leave this way, slipping out in the night while Mickey was asleep. Tom tells Alice that Mickey has determined to file for divorce in the morning. In the hospital, Dr. Larson completes Michael's spinal tap, Nurse Marston takes the fluid to the lab for tests. But when Laura and Bill enter, Larson says the fluid was clear, which would indicate no hemhorraging. The three discuss Mike's condition, with the knowledge they can only wait to see. They hope it's nothing more than a concussion, but know it could be worse- even brain damage. Before Larson leaves the room, Bill apologizes for taking over in emergency. Larson gently tells him to forget it- it's just good to see him back in the hospital. After Larson leaves, Laura and Bill stand, looking down at Mike, sharing their fears and dreads. Laura also says she must call Mickey, and when Bill offers to do it for her, says it's her duty. Mickey calls Tom, Alice speaks to him. She senses his bitter mood, his desperation, yet feels for him as his world comes topping down about his ears. After Mickey hangs up, Laura calls. After a sarcastic volley of words from Mickey, Laura tells him where she is and why. A stunned Mickey says he'll be right over. Bill, alone, stands over Michael, apologizes inwardly to his son for what he's done. And as he explains to the unhearing boy, he recalls what happened earlier, leading up to the accident. He bends to kiss the boy, asking silent forgiveness, and Mickey, who has arrived, stands in the door watching.

1597 (3/7/72)- In Michael's hospital room, Laura has a nightmare, as she sleeps in a chair. She dreams that Tom emerges from her son's room, and when she enters, she finds him covered with a sheet, dead. She cries out in her restless sleep, Tom and Bill awaken her. And when she races to the boy's bed, she is grateful he's still alive. From Bill's office at the clinic, Susan calls Dr. Lloyd in New York, makes an appointment for her abortion. Greg enters, saying he needs his assistant. Susan starts to leave when the phone rings. It's Bill calling from the hospital, saying he won't be in. He returns to Michael's room to find Tom will give the boy an EEG in Dr. Larson's absence. Bill assists Tom in giving the EEG, and finally it is concluded that so far, no brain damage has been sustained. Now the three can only wait for some sign or symptom. Tom says if Michael is still unconscious in another few hours, the tests will be repeated, Laura, close to breaking, wonders how long she can wait. A patient arrives in Greg's office carrying an infant, which Greg asks Susan to hold while he treats the patient. As Susan holds the child, she tries to steel herself that an abortion is the only way out, but she remembers her last time in the clinic, her eventual rejection of the operation then. After the patient and baby leave, Greg comments what a great mother she'll make someday. At the hospital, Bill and Laura are alone with Mike, They relive their own agonies, holding onto their love, although both feel guilt for what it has brought to Michael. But suddenly the little boy's hand moves, and Laura and Bill have a sign that he is coming out of his coma.

 

1606 (3/20/72)- Julie goes to see Doug at his apartment because Scott has taken her son to a father-son cub scout meeting. However, instead of their regular romantic routine, tonight is a little more introspective and serious. Julie's disturbed that Bill and Laura have sacrificed their personal happiness for the sake of Michael. Doug sees some possible repeat of that situation when the time comes for Julie to walk out on her son. Julie says no, that as much as David means to her, and he means quite a lot, she's a survivor who knows that life is short, that you have to take happiness where you find it. She'll never let a child stand in her way of being with Doug. Meanwhile, in Susan's apartment, she and Greg have returned home with one of the kittens from the litter that a neighbor brought by the Peters home to have put to sleep. Susan and Greg get into a serious discussion of life and death, with emphasis on Greg's respect for Susan's obvious respect for all living things, animal or human. After Greg leaves, Susan is haunted by his words. She goes to the book on pregnancy, looks again at the human fetus, is haunted by the memory of holding a baby in her arms. At this moment, the phone rings. It is Dr. Lloyd in New York, saying he has a cancellation one day after tomorrow, does Susan still want to terminate her pregnancy? She says yes, she definitely does. She makes an appointment to meet him at the hospital, then hangs up, breaking down into sobs as she looks at the picture of the human fetus in the book,

 

1614 (3/30/72)- In the Horton kitchen, Alice tells Bill what Michael made her promise to tell him, that Bill please stay away from his mother. At Susan's apartment. Susan asks Laura to disassociate her pregnancy with the rape, never wanting her son to learn from anyone the nature of his conception. Susan says she tried to tell Greg how the child was conceived, but it didn't make any difference to him. Susan tells Laura she told Greg nothing about the rape. Laura tells Susan she must tell Greg the whole truth, but Susan is adamant on the subject. No one else can find out how her baby was conceived, only her baby matters. Laura feels Susan is too emotionally distraught to think straight and that she'll think more logically in a day or two, and in the meantime offers to tell Greg. Susan reiterates she wants no one to tell Greg! Susan asks Laura to please return her engagement ring to Greg. Laura tells Susan that if anyone is going to return it, Susan is. Meanwhile, Alice and Julie are having coffee at a drug store booth. Julie instinctively feels that Alice is pleased that the Mickey-Laura marriage hasn't broken up, at least not yet. Julie still hopes her Uncle Bill and Laura will get together. Alice notices Sheila walking by. Sheila says it's a coincidence that she should run into them, she was thinking of calling Bill, asking him to be her escort, but then thought better of it when she never heard from him again. Alice encourages Sheila to call Bill. Later, Sheila calls Bill about the country club affair and he half-heartedly accepts. Meanwhile, in her office, Laura gets a call from Rick. She recalls Rick's voice early in the conversation from his call at home last night. He says he got hold of some information about her son and wants to talk to her. He warns her if she says one word to anyone about him or his call she'll only be hurting her son.

[yrfan1983]

Thanks for these invaluable recaps Jason47!

[Paul Raven]

This move to primetime was during Summer, a non ratings period. It was not a success and Days moved back to daytime.

 

[Contessa Donatella]

Russell, M. (1995). Days of Our Lives: A Complete History of the Long-Running Soap Opera. McFarland and Company, Publishers, Ltd. ISBN 0-7864-0112-5
beginning on page 56

This is a Bill Hayes chapter.

Bill Bell is speaking:
"You can't write in a vacuum, you can't create story for an actor who doesn't give you something in return. The writers conceive the characters, but the actors bring them to life. And some actors have brought their characters to vivid life, creating more than the writer ever hoped. One prime example is the character of Doug Williams, crafted by Bill Hayes. There's no question but that Bill Hayes has not only made the character come to life, but has also become very popular with the audience. He's really quite a unique character among all of daytime largely because we've incorporated his singing talent into the show. However, as this character gestated over many months, what has emerged bears only slight resemblance to our original brainchild. This is in no way a criticism because due to the casting of Bill Hayes we now have a much more faceted character than originally planned. However, over the months I think we all became a little carried away with this character, your head writer being no exception. We had something very delightful, charming, and unique, and we played these qualities to full advantage. But in the process we tended to forget that Doug is essentially an opportunist, a very likable and lovable one to be sure, but nonetheless a man who is dedicated to feathering his own nest, a man who you can never be certain is completely sincere, that you want very much to believe and believe in. These are the qualities that make a Doug Williams so potentially devastating."

Bill Hayes speaks:
[After crediting the writers with collaborating with him] "Bill Bell was wonderfully creative about Doug. I wrote him a letter describing Doug as I saw him, and he wrote back and talked about Doug as he saw him. And I remember one thing that I wrote to him, which was so wonderful about Doug--you never knew if he was helping a lady across the street and being nice or unhooking her brassiere as they went across the street. You never really knew. And as long as he had that quality, he was wonderful to play."

Bill Bell speaks:
[After mentioning Doug's rogueish charm he went on to speak about his singing talent]
"I was there for that casting (Doug's) and Bill Hayes came in. I had adored him going back to Your Show of Shows and I could not believe it was the same Bill Hayes. And it took me six to nine months to have him sing. People didn't sing much that way. But I thought that music, if used prudently, could have a lot of impact. And if you remember when he sang to Julie, 'The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,' that was electric." 

Frank Parker speaks: "Bill Hayes is one of my favorite people. I miss him so much. I miss listening to him sing. In the original wedding of Roman and Marlena, when Wayne was playing Roman, Bill sang a great song. It was magic."

Bill Hayes speaks:
"What they did was to write in the song, not just as entertainment ever, but as part of the show. And it always made a comment on either Doug or Julie's plot or somebody else's plot and it was great. The only songs that we repeated were those that Columbia owned, such as 'I'm a Believer,' 'The Look of Love,' 'The Last Train to Clarksville.' But they owned those so it didn't cost as much money. And, fortunately, 'The Look of Love,' was a terrific song and we got to use that frequently. And it was a wonderful part of the show. People loved the singing."

The author speaks:
Doug and Julie stayed apart as long as Bill Bell remained head writer, but when he left DAYS to create Y&R , the decision was made to marry the two characters. A dazzling wedding was planned.

Bill Hayes shares:
"The first marriage of Doug and Julie, those were our [Bill & Susan's] wedding vows. They wanted to know what we wanted to use. The producers & the writers asked us, and we said, 'Why don't we use what we wrote, what we used to get married? And, of course, they couldn't do the whole thing, it was too long. But do you think Susan was acting that day? When Doug and Julie got married? That was not acting. That was total involvement."

The author again:
And that involvement mesmerized the fans. Bill Hayes has proof, 

Bill Hayes again:
"Do you know how many people came to our [Doug and Julie's] wedding? People sent us snapshots. They took off work the day we got married. And they got dressed up, and they would set up a card table with champagne & doilies. And the ladies wore hats, and they came all dressed up, and they came to our wedding. And when we got married, they announced that we would have a reception at NBC, and there were about 4,000 people out there that day. They had a big cake and champagne for everybody. They were out in the midway, like a driveway. That is where it was. And we finished shooting the show--it took us a long time--and they just waited out there, and they watched. They showed the wedding on monitors. And then we came out, and we were all dressed up, and they threw rice, and they came to our wedding. It was a national experience."

[Liberty City]

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The writing. The directing. The acting work of Philece Sampler. Brilliant. Pure brilliance.

[dc11786]

"Thanks again for the synopsis as I know I enjoyed the that era too, at least from May 2009- at least February 2011 or so when the show gave us Faux Rafe/Arnold (funny he’s back now), the whole Taylor/Fay debacle, and Chloe the hooker with the inexplicable Vivian’s beloved but never mentioned son Quinn. Although Sonny’s introduction was definitely a highlight at the time. 
I recall I was indifferent to Dario mainly because it seemed fruitless at the time especially on the heels of losing Ariana just as she finally became interesting as well as losing the original Gabi. 

MarDar was a fatal blow to me because once EJ and Sami slept together again later on in 2011 I was so repulsed I tuned it out, regardless of Will’s reaction. "

@soapfan770 I figured I'd respond here to your comments from the Francisco San Martin thread. 

I got back into Days in fall 2008, but what sealed the deal for me were two moments: Nick's arrest after drinking and driving (Berris delivered a phenomenal performance of Nick at the end of his rope) and Arianne Zucker's performance as Nicole after losing EJ's baby at the clinic. I felt real emotion from the show for the first time in what felt like a decade. 

February 2011 was defintely a marker. The return of Taylor should have worked, but Natalia Livingston was very wrong for the part and Tamara Braun came in too late to salvage it. I would have preferred what seemed to be coming in fall of 2010 (E.J. and Arianna).  

I hated losing Fay who had delivered one of my favorite monologues in December 2009 when she told Nicole it was her (Fay's) fault that Nicole was always involved with dangerous men because of Fay's involvement with Paul Mendez. Definitely a Richard Culliton script. 

I didn't hate Chloe the hooker as I felt they had positioned that well enough for it to work. She was coming off post-partum. Phillip had fled Salem and there was a custody battle for Parker. She feel into it when Quinn offered her the money and decided to stay with it. Somewhere in 2010, Nathan had questioned whether or not Chloe had a sex addiction based on her behavior. I thought her saving Kinsey, who had glamorized prostitution and was broke after her family lost all their money (the actress had just appeared in the Facebook movie so I think they threw her a bone). I thought having Kate be involved in was a wicked choice that felt on brand for the era, but bordering on crossing a line. I thought having Kate and Carly in the orbit of Vivian's newly discovered son was too delicious to pass up. 

I HATED Quinn for a hot minute, but I was able to justify him in my head that Vivian having her son kept from her is what drove her to be so possessive of Lawrence and Nikki. It was nice seeing Nikki in 2011, but Cody Longo too has passed way too young. Nothing onscreen justified Quinn though, but I was more disturbed when he was brought back under MarDar to do very little. 

Sonny's arrival was special. I loved all the work they had put into Adrienne and Stephanie's relationship the previous year and was afraid that Adrienne was going to fall off now that Shelley Hennig was gone. Seeing Adrienne and Justin back together (remarried off screen) and welcoming their out son was a treat. I wish that little family unit had been highlighted more in the MarDar period, but Sonny was sidelined quickly. I also enjoyed Sonny and Chloe's friendship though I never completely could figure out what the angle was for it as that sort of pairing usually led to something plot wise, but it was too late in the game to ever see it materialize. 

I liked Camilla Banus immediately as Gabi and felt that she was a step in the right direction. She seemed more mature where as Gabriela Rodriguez, bright and energetic, always came off as a bit naive. The Gabi / Arianna dynamic was fascinating and I love that Tomsell ended up naming Gabi's daughter after her and then allowing Gabi to suffer the same fate as her sister by ending up in jail for a crime based on a domestic partner. 

I thought the construct of Dario was brilliant given that you had cop older brother Rafe and the now dead sister Arianna who had been the criminal sibling (reluctantly) while now Dario was proudly a con artist. Pairing him with Melanie seemed to work, but there wasn't that big story that they would have needed to keep them front and center. I would have worked Dario into Vivian and Quinn's orbit and played the tension of Carly's daughter involving herself with people so closely tied to Carly's sworn enemy. Didn't Quinn buy the Salem drug operation from EJ in the summer fo 2011? I felt like that was going to go somewhere, but so much groundwork was laid that never got followthrough because of the turnover. 

The initial reset list left me put off by MarDar because I didn't miss the story restraints of the super couple era. The dropping of the big couples had opened up storytelling in a way that was much more rich and interesting than what was being put out in late 2011. Also, these were essentially newly returned characters forced on the frontburner which was a mistake because now all the stories were in the beginning stage which is boring. The moment I knew this was no longer my Days was when Jack told Adrienne why he was out of town offscreen denying us Adrienne's reaction to propel the idea of "the secret." The 2008-2011 era was all about the reaction and those Days were gone. 

[asafi]

Phyllis Sampler reflects on her Days of Our Lives co-star Brenda Benet, who portrayed the character of Lee DuMonde on the show