DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[Titus Andronicus]

When was Mike sorased? The Daytime Serial recaps say Uncle Bill's helping him with chemistry experiments in early 1973 . September 1973 describes him as a teen. November 1973 says he's in college.

 

MIKE WAS BORN IN NOVEMBER 1968.

 

I knew the sorasing was really bad, but this is even more insane than I thought, especially since it's under Bill Bell.

[jam6242]

Stuart Lee was playing Mike when Mickey had his heart attack in 1973.  Stuart was reportedly 15 at that time.

[Franko]

It's interesting, though ... Steve Olson had temporarily returned to the show during the summer of '72. What on earth happened to make the writers decide to get rid of a relatively established potential young male lead and have a new one?

[Titus Andronicus]

Steve was on barely a month in 1972, it seems. The actor playing him, James Carroll Jordan, was 22, so that seems perfect for a young adult. 

Steve seems like such an under-utilized character. Seems that most of his role over the years has been to pop up on occasion to cause trouble for Julie, then disappear again.

For whatever reason, it seems Bill Bell had no interest at all in the character.

Steve briefly appeared in 1965, then not again for several more years. That's a shame as he would have been interesting to have around before Julie and Doug became a stable couple. Except for that brief run in 1972 - wonder what that was about - he just doesn't exist any key moments, including Addie's death. It doesn't look like he was even around for Ben's death.

They had a few options for a young adult male in 1973. I can understand wanting a slightly older actor for when Mickey's and Laura's marriage fell apart. But for whatever reason, Bell seems to have made a kind of a snap decision to go much older. SORAS no doubt would have happened to other characters, but arguably the decision to age Mike by a decade was the first thread in the unraveling of the Horton family as the show's core.

Combined with the effort to age David Banning dramatically, you now have Hortons who are older than they need to be, caught in family storylines rather than independent ones. Ten years later, most of the Hortons are gone and Susan Seaforth Hayes leaving because of that, and because Julie's been aged out of the action set.

e: Steve was aged normally in his 1972 return, actually a little under-aged (Flip Mark had been 17 when portraying Steve in 1965 to Jordan's 22 in 1972), which makes it even weirder that Mike was aged so dramatically.

Edited October 26, 2020 by Titus Andronicus

[AbcNbc247]

I don't even mind SORASing that much, but even I admit that DAYS took it to the extreme with Mike and David and a lot of other characters.

 

I mean, Tom and Alice lived long enough to see their great-great grandchild reach adulthood. Is that even possible in real life lol? I get the need for younger characters, but the show could have spent more time showing these characters in their teen years rather than marrying them off and giving them families of their own so quickly, or de-SORASing them when they were brought back into the show.

Edited October 26, 2020 by AbcNbc247

[OzFrog]

 

I watched that clip on Youtube a few months back, and was captivated by Tracy Bregman playing Donna (knowing that just a few short years later she would begin her iconic role as Lauren Fenmore on Y&R). But at that time, Tracy had only just turned 16, and yet there she was already matching it with the likes of Frances Reid. She was definitely a star in the making.

[Paul Raven]

Seemed a mistake to drop Donna in the great wipe out of 1980.

Donna was like Nikki on Y&R, a magnet for trouble. She would have provided extra story for Don and Marlena and could have got involved with the new characters eg Tod Chandler.

[JAS0N47]

 

For the first time since the episode originally aired on October 27, 1975, here's the complete synopsis of Episode # 2500, which featured the debut of Valerie Grant. This is the episode where Eli's parents (Valerie and David) meet! Pictured: NBC's telecast report for the episode.

 

Bob comes to Neil's clinic office, reads the riot act, scathingly denounces Neil as a gigolo interested only in Phyl's money, and warns Neil he'll be watching him every step of the way. After Bob leaves, Neil calls Phyl, arranges to meet her for lunch at Doug's Place. Brooke arrives with a wedding gift. Phyl is touched, and Brooke asks Phyl if she'll go to David's memorial service.

 

In the Grant living room, a reluctant Valerie helps Danny get David comfortable on the couch, where he passes out. As a third year student nurse, Valerie deftly checks his symptoms, even as she argues with her brother about bringing a stranger into their home. After visiting the memorial chapel, Don brings Julie to Doug's Place for lunch, insists on her having a brandy for her nerves. And Julie wonders, since Tommy has convinced Alice she must attend the service if it means her grandmother has started to forgive her and Doug.

 

Tom and Tommy discuss the situation in Tom's office, and Tommy says Alice is still adamant in her feelings that Julie is carrying Doug's baby, wants nothing to do with her granddaughter. Tom is crushed. How can they get through to Alice?

 

David wakes up disoriented, asks Valerie who she is - where he is. She explains her brother brought him here after he collapsed in the diner. She questions David, who is reluctant to say much, which Valerie accepts, only warns him if he makes trouble for her parents, he'll be in hot water with her.

 

Trish and Mike have driven to the lake house to make Brooke more at home, but no one is there. As they discuss the situation Brook arrives, on the brink of hysteria - and in a terrifying scene, the girl snaps, castigates her mother, her background, Julie, herself - won't accept that Davis is dead because if he is, it's her fault. Don and Julie arrive in the midst of Brooke's breakdown. Don slaps her, then holds her as she sobs.

 

At Doug's Place, Neil and Phyl discuss Bob's visit to both. Neil is seemingly reluctant to have Phyl put her checking account into his name as well. But Phyl, angry at Bob's interference, insists - Neil finally agrees.

 

Trish enters Doug's Place, now deserted. Doug listens as she tells him about the grim scene at the lake. Ben is rehearsing. Trish wanders to the piano, sings, and Doug reminds her of her promise to sing at the club regularly. It's agreed she'll be there two nights a week from now on. Danny returns home, finds David's fever broken, the boy sleeping - and Valerie has not called the police, nor does she intend to.

[beebs]

Alright, since I'm waiting for the laundry to finish, it's a good enough time to do the rest of 1978.

Turns out Steve has a French lover named Mimi who is deep in debt. Apparently so deep that he has decided to fleece his sister to get this woman out. Soon they will apparently be married. Regardless, once Steve returns to Salem for Julie's antiques store opening, he asks Mary out, and ends up giving her a job at the antiques shop.

Back in Salem, Doug is mopey because Julie deigns to have a life outside of him and his full-time business for her OWN business. This irks him so much he tells Julie he wants to get her pregnant.I'm sure the idea is to bring them together despite their separate lives, but it reads as egotistical and chauvinist in retrospect. Doug becomes suspicious of Steve after running into one of their customers, who were charged a $2000 Special Handling fee [!!!] that Doug's never heard of. Doug gets Steve to admit the truth, but as long as he returns the $2000 and never does it again, he won't rat to Julie. Of course, Steve is still plotting the second Doug leaves the room. Upon seeing a gift Theresa has bought in order to woo Robert (who she's now in love with, but he's too insecure to reciprocate), Steve has an idea for how to scam Julie's customers to his advantage again. The gift, a replica of an antique jewellery box, looks so good, Steve pays a visit to the man who created it, a disabled man named Earl. Steve orders a dozen more replicas for Julie's antique store. You know damn well he's gonna charge full price for them and take the difference for himself.

 

 

 

Joanne decides that because Maggie showed up to threaten her while day-drunk, maybe Janice isn't in the best of hands. Janice finds Joanne's locket, with a picture of herself and Joanne inside. Janice hurls insults at Maggie, and reveals she knows Joanne is her real mother. A screaming match ensues, then when things calm down, Maggie explains that Joanne gave her up for adoption. Maggie then tells Mickey what happened, and he tells Linda that if she's any kind of friend, she'll fire Joanne (hoping Joanne will finally buzz off out of Salem). Linda doesn't want to, but ultimately does fire Joanne.

 

On her way out of town, Joanne calls Janice, asking for one more visit after school that day in the park. Too bad Maggie overhears the entire call, and spends the day getting drunk to work up her courage.

 

Maggie plans to drive Janice to Mickey's to make Janice reveal the truth of what her and Joanne are talking about, forcing Mickey to actually do something definitive to once and for all get Joanne out of Salem. Maggie intercepts Janice after school, and gets the girl into the car to head for Mickey's office. Except, she's so drunk and worked up, she crashes her car into oncoming traffic. Janice is unconscious, but Maggie only has some scratches. The Salem PD question her, give her a Breathalyzer, and put her under arrest for drunk driving. Mickey is pissed, but Tom and Alice rally to her side.

Joanne, finding out about the accident, decides to stay in Salem to fight for custody, since Maggie is evidently too much of a lush to handle the job. Mickey blames himself, and Janice is distant and cold to everyone. Legal Aid tells Joanne that if Maggie pleads guilty to the drunk driving charge, Joanne stands a chance of gaining custody. But Mickey threatens to slap Joanne with a kidnapping charge once again for the Florida trip debacle. Maggie is fined $500 for the drunk driving charge, and is determined to stay off the sauce. I'm sure this will last a whole five minutes, as Legal Aid finds a loophole that gives Joanne legal recourse: Maggie adopted Janice as a single mother, while Mickey was in Bayview. This constitutes fraud.

 

Dumb Don finally figures out that Donna is scheming to break him and Marlena up, and kicks Donna out when she drops by to swoon at Don. Donna goes to Pete's, feeling sorry for herself, and Pete immediately gets Donna drunk and they screw (Pete's just as much of a sleaze as Neil, I see). Pete is revealed to be a bit of a bad seed, confessing to Neil that he got expelled from high school and lied to his parents that Uncle Neil INVITED him up to visit. Neil couldn't possibly rat out his nephew (my eyes are currently lodged in the back of my head). The Sleaze Jr. invites Donna over for a weekend while Neil's out of town. SURPRISE! Donna thinks she's pregnant! Donna goes to visit Toni, who now apparently works for the unwed mothers' clinic. Toni tells Donna to tell Pete right away. Pete wants her to abort, Donna doesn't. 

Don, meanwhile, grovels at Marlena's feet, and tells her that (WTF?) Donna may actually be his daughter after all? Ann Marcus retconning her own stories. Great. He tells Marlena that while he was away visiting his mother weeks before, he spotted photos of his mother in childhood, and did a double-take. She and Donna could've been twins. Marlena goes digging, figures out their blood types match. So he goes hunting for Lorraine, as Marlena has said she won't marry him THIS TIME until they're able to prove paternity, and they need a tissue sample from Don, Donna, and Lorraine to do it. Don does track down Donna's birth certificate, which lists Don as Donna's father. Marlena thinks he's doing too much too fast because he's remembering the loss of his first daughter, Betsy. Ultimately, Don decides to take on the responsibility of being Donna's father regardless. Marlena grins and bears it. But the night he plans to tell Donna that he's her father, Skeezy Pete leaves town to avoid having to take responsibility for Donna's baby, and so Donna spikes Don's drink with a sleeping pill. Once he's passed out, she strips him naked and leaves, then acts despondent when Marlena calls to ask how the talk went. ICK. ICK. ICK. Don, for his part, doesn't remember a thing that happened, and Donna is being vague about "an encounter with an older man". Donna momentarily has second thoughts about her vile plan, until Pete calls to apologize for being a big baby, and promises to help her out...by paying for an abortion. Donna refuses, and plans to leave town.

 

STEPHANIE ARRIVES. Bob hires her as a new PR person in his fight against the envionmental group Chris is supporting to stop that plant being put in the wildlife refuge. Stephanie sets up a TV debate between Anderson and the environmentalists almost immediately. Mary, in particular, is suspicious of the similarity between Stephanie and Brooke. But Bob slips first, and accidentally calls Stephanie "Brooke". Stephanie is, herself, having flashbacks to the car accident. Seems they weren't working too hard to hide the fact Stephanie and Brooke were one in the same.

 

David is attracted to Stephanie. This displeases Amy.

 

The TV debate is a winner for Anderson. To hell with the wildlife, Bob promises JOBS! Even to Chris, who he offers one to after the matter is settled. Except he has Linda ask him, and Linda doesn't want Chris within 100 miles of Anderson, so she "accidentally" tells Chris that Bob wants him to head up the Green Oaks project that the environmentalists and Chris had been so dead set against. Chris, of course, refuses the job. LOL OOPS! Silly Linda!

 

Linda regrets this after Bob becomes so overworked from taking on so much work with two fewer employees, he suffers a heart attack. Linda jumps into action and, thanks to her first-aid training, saves Bob's life. But Mary still blames Linda for putting the stress on Bob to begin with, and Linda retaliates when Mary convinces Chris to go offer his help at Anderson. Linda refuses him, and kicks Chris out of the office. Still actually in need of help, Linda instead reaches out to Stephanie! Ultimately, Chris does end up reinstated at Anderson, after Stephanie, who has become fast friends with Chris, speaks to Linda on his behalf and smooths things over. They're trying to build a triangle with Stephanie, Chris and Mary, I see. Linda insists on sending Stephanie on a business trip with Chris instead of Mary, who's now helping out again at Anderson after Bob's attack. When Stephanie arrives in Dayton instead of Mary, he calls to Salem to find out "what da hell is goin' ahn". Mary's on a date with Steve! So Stephanie decides to sleep with Chris to get one over on her sister.

 

Stephanie is WAY too overwrought by the news of Bob's heart attack, and everyone notices.Stephanie has more migraines, and flashbacks to the accident. She then, after visiting Bob in the hospital, goes to visit Adele and "Brooke"'s grave. Vowing not the make the same mistakes Brooke did, she will take over Anderson and get what's rightfully hers. I guess there was some misdirection here to maybe make folks think Stephanie was Brooke's twin or something.

 

As Bob recovers, Linda goes for another power grab, and seeks to become power of attorney over Bob's affairs. Mickey draws up the papers, Bob signs them. Bob also wants to split his new will three ways. 1/3 to Mary, 1/3 to Linda, and 1/3 to Melissa, who he's planning to adopt soon. I suspect this will be important later, especially with Stephanie lurking around. Linda, who seems genuinely in love with Bob now, is feeling down after his heart attack. Neil, being the skeeze he is, uses this opportunity to hit on Linda. After trying repeatedly, Neil succeeds, and the two end up in bed together.

 

 

Greg calls on Doug to organize a charity variety show (I think this has been on YouTube in the past). But he won't be around long, Amanda has decided to put Greg's career first, and be the dutiful wife and leave town with him if that's what he wants. So they're off to Chicago shortly. Tom tells Greg he wants to succeed him as Chief of Staff. Alice doesn't like the idea of the extra workload.

 

 

 

I've only just finished October and I have a headache from this. I'll save November and December for later. Lord help me.

[Titus Andronicus]

 

WT absolute F?

 

Everyone in the Joanne vs. Maggie/Mickey story sounds awful, except Janice. Still no Bill and Laura.

[JAS0N47]

 

What magazine/etc are you typing these out from?

[beebs]

I started off just filling in some folks on the transition between PFS and Ann Marcus via the Daytime Serial Newsletters you had posted, actually. Now I'm into 1978 and reading the writeups from SOD and Tune In Tomorrow, again thanks to your lovely self. I think I thanked you upthread for posting these gems, but I didn't tag you.

 

And, for the record, I am, of course, definitely editorializing as I type it all out. Haha. I honestly wasn't planning to report back on what I was reading, but a few posters got a real kick out of the writeups I was doing, so I thought I'd keep at it!

Yeah, from what little I see Bill and Laura mentioned, they're essentially talk-tos at this point. Bill and Mickey debating whether Tom is up to taking over as chief-of-staff from Greg, and Laura being Maggie's confidant, if not therapist (they don't make it clear if she's seeing Laura professionally or not).

Edited October 29, 2020 by beebs

[Franko]

Catching up with both juicy posts ...

 

1975:

-- It's always interesting to see the colder side of Alice Horton. Trying to remember ... was the estrangement with Julie because she conceived Doug's baby while still legally wed to Bob?

(ETA: Nope, the baby was Bob's. My homegirl, Brooke, just made everyone think Julie was cheating.)

-- I'd love to see that Brooke scene. Whether Brooke or Stephanie, she's always so fascinating. Another of the characters who shouldn't have been lost in 1980.

 

1978:

-- Considering how negatively affected Doug and Julie were by SORASing, it's frankly a good thing they didn't have a kid of their own.

-- I first accidentally misread the sentence and thought Linda's friendship with Maggie was being questioned. I didn't know Mickey and Linda were still on friendly terms, but I guess it helped that there was Melissa, plus being members of Salem society ...

-- If she doesn't have one already, Donna's gonna end up with such an Electra complex ...

-- Hooray, Stephanie is here. And I see Bob has a Make Salem Great Again platform.

 

Edited October 29, 2020 by Franko

[Bright Eyes]

 

Alice was more pissed because she thought Doug and Julie had an affair while Addie was dying.

 

[Franko]

Ah, thank you. Realistic of DOOL, to depict a long estrangement like that.