DAYS behind the scenes, articles/photos

[DRW50]

I know a lot of this is already out there, but since I was mostly posting old articles in the cancelled soaps section I thought I might start posting some stuff on the current soaps here, just under different threads for each soap.

If you're interested in this, let me know, and I'll post more, or someone who has a lot of good stuff can post more.

This is from the July 1976 Afternoon TV Stars. Lorelei Publishing Inc

Edited November 22, 2010 by CarlD2

[DRW50]

[DRW50]

(son) says she reads the script a couple of times and tests herself before bed.

JOHN CLARKE (Mickey Horton) reads his script through the night before a couple of times, and then learns it on the set along with the blocking.

DEE CARROLL (Adele Hamilton) says if she can come home and do twenty minutes of meditation, then the study goes very easily. If not, then home chores interfere - phone calls and things - and then it's more difficult later.

ED MALLORY (Dr. Bill Horton) says, "Primarily, I don't." He does admit that he reads his script the night before, but ordinarily just rehearses it during blocking.

MAC CAREY (Dr. Tom Horton) says he just sits down and reads his lines until he's learned them. Mac used to use all sorts of devices like cue-ers, and tape recorders, but now he finds this is best - just sit down and learn it - usually before dinner.

JED ALLAN (Don Craig) says he's going to get an exercycle and exercise on that and get one of his sons to cue him. He said his wife escaped that little job long ago, and each of the kids try to escape it now. Jed is off to Europe in May. It will be his and his wife's first trip there. They're leaving the kids at home, they've got just a wonderful itinerary, including the south of France.

TINA ANDREWS (Valerie Grant) says she likes to study in the nude...in bed, with a tape recorder before going to sleep, with absolute silence...no radio, and no TV...and no other person around. That's right, no physical distractions.

As for SUSAN OLIVER (Dr. Laura Horton), I find it best to stay in my dressing room after we all finish work for the day, and learn my lines right then and there. I'm the only one that does that. It's nice and quiet, and I can pretty much learn all the next day's script. It's different when I'm at home because there are so many phone calls and mail and all that to attend to. Sometimes I bring the script into the kitchen and study while I prepare supper.

Then some time during the day - after we've each done our studying in our own way - we go over our scenes together. We're all fully clothed, of course.

How's that for signing off? Bye...

[Darn]

Her face is my reaction to him shirtless. Hmmmm, yes.

[Vee]

Damn.

[DRW50]

I probably had the same reaction she did...he probably sums up what works best in the '70s soap hunks.

I wonder if any of the David/Val stuff is on Youtube.

[Khan]

I'm just glad MacDonald Carey didn't say he liked to learn his script in the nude, too. Because, Halloween is scary enough, know what I mean?

[Elsa]

Patti Weaver... Wow!

Mike, Trish, David and Valerie shouldn't have been written out so early. (I consider later Mikes brand new characters with new careers and personalities).

I understand that DAYS had to choose between Mickey & Maggie and Bill & Laura at some point, but there was no reason for the younger generation to leave. The soaps became so arrogant in the eighties

Edited October 30, 2010 by Elsa

[TC]

Susan Oliver.

She's tilting her neck in that photograph. I half expect her to turn into that Star Terk character she played, as she really was.

[DRW50]

I know someone already answered this for me but I've forgotten -- did Patty Weaver leave for lack of story? I wonder if the show would have done anything with her if she'd stayed. It seemed like Liz sort of took her place.

I know there were some issues with Mike after Eure was written out, and then they did recast Valerie some time after Tina Andrews left, but I guess their efforts were half-hearted. Did the show make an effort?

I never understood why they didn't do more with David. You have some pretty handsome or talented actors playing him, but then he just goes. Was Gregg Marx the last David?

[TC]

I know someone already answered this for me but I've forgotten -- did Patty Weaver leave for lack of story? I wonder if the show would have done anything with her if she'd stayed. It seemed like Liz sort of took her place.

I know there were some issues with Mike after Eure was written out, and then they did recast Valerie some time after Tina Andrews left, but I guess their efforts were half-hearted. Did the show make an effort?

I never understood why they didn't do more with David. You have some pretty handsome or talented actors playing him, but then he just goes. Was Gregg Marx the last David?

I don't know if Gregg Marx was the last David, but he was the coolest.

[Paul Raven]

Gregg Marx was the last David and he worked without a contract after his expired.I remember this being reported in SOD and him saying that he hoped to stay but had to wait and see.

it does seem crazy to cast off David but I think there were a few factors in play. The show seemed to want to divorce itself from its roots and the characters that were popular in the 70's.Also because David had been heavilty SORASED he had been through a lot of story (2 marriages etc) and maybe it was felt the character could be rested. I'm sure quite often when characters are dropped, there are vague plans to bring them back,but as time goes by,they are forgotten.

The show was going in a new direction and losing David also meant a connection to Julie was lost, thus lessening her importance and making the dropping of Julie less important.

I think Patty Weaver's contract was up and she was approached by (or approached )Y&R and quickly moved on to the role of Gina.I think Bill Bell was very flexible in his forward planning and if say, Wes Kenney said Patty was available and interested he would quickly come up with something.

[DRW50]

Even now they could bring David back -- Guthrie has passed away and I guess Marx might not be acting now but they could recast and it would be a way to bring a fresh character in, along with his son Scotty. They could even get Rick Hearst from his pointless B&B role. The show seems more willing to bring back Hortons now so the timing is right.

[DRW50]

From the July 1976 Daytime TV. Sterling's Magazines, Inc

Edited November 22, 2010 by CarlD2

[Bright Eyes]

One of the best soap tales of all time. And personally, I feel the whole Bill/Laura/Mickey et al story was Bill Bell's best in his history.