DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[Paul Raven]

Vince and Mav Jaroslavski were in two episodes that month so I assume they were Leslie's parents.

I like that they brought on the parents as often new  characters have no relatives which is always a little weird.

 

Nice to see Hank from Maggie's farm was also brought back.

 

Mike and Margo were last seen on May 21st.

Mike had a few appearances June 9th, June 20th, June 25th which seemed to be phone call scenes from the farm.

He was then back on July 29, 30 to wrap up Margo's death. It seems she got an offscreen funeral.

 

It seems Mike the went to work at Andersons. He appeared Aug 5, 19, 22nd.

 

Tune in Tomorrow said

Chris promoted Mike, who's pitted against David at the plant.

Mike wants to join Chris' new marina project. 

 

Richard Guthrie's last day as David was August 25th

 

I wonder why they decided to ditch David? I think Richard Guthrie was popular and there were plenty of things they could do with David.

Trish and Mike gravitating towards each other again woukld have been a natural story to tell at this point.

[AArredondo02]

Tommy and Linda appeared to have potential. Here's an idea: Tommy gets involved with dying, single mother Joanna Barnes and her young daughter, Janice. Tommy and Joanna become an item and marry, and Tommy becomes a stepfather to Janice. 

 

Tommy moves on with Linda following Joanna's death, and Linda wants to have a family with her daughter, Melissa, and Tommy, excluding Tommy's foster daughter, Janice Barnes Horton. Linda could have been the wicked stepmother, putting a wedge between not only Janice and Tommy, but also Janice and Melissa, who would have been as close as sisters.

 

Janice could have been sent away to boarding school and returned years later in Salem as a doctor like Tommy and get involved with Tommy's own brother, Bill, to spite Tommy! Tommy and Bill were also rival brothers similar to Mickey and Bill.

 

 

[Khan]

AFAIC, Lee has been written into a corner.  I mean, how do you bring someone back from paying someone to kill their husband's ex-wife?  In my book, you can't.

 

And after waiting around for twenty years for Margo to die, the LEAST this show COULD have done for viewers was give them a damn funeral.

[asafi]

 

 

https://www.welovesoaps.net/2009/10/suzanne-rogers-interview-part-two.html

 

The Suzanne Rogers Interview, Part Two

We Love Soaps: One of Maggie’s struggles in the early years was with alcoholism.
Suzanne Rogers: Yes, and that’s when I won my Emmy. The sad thing about it was that the audience was so in love with her being who she was, when they decided to turn her into an alcoholic, they were just appalled.

We Love Soaps: How did you feel about that choice?
Suzanne Rogers: The writer at the time was Ann Marcus [DAYS head writer 1977-1979]. How it used to be years ago was that when the writers would change hands, and we would get new writers, they would sit down and talk with each one of us individually and try to get to know us so they would know how to write for us. They would ask if we had any opinions about where we wanted our character to go. So when Ann Marcus took over the show, she called me in for a meeting. I went into her office and sat down. And she said, “Well, I’m just going to tell you: I don’t know how to write for you.” And that was the conversation! My mouth dropped open. She said, “I just don’t know what to write, you’re just so good, you’re a goody two-shoes. If you have any ideas, just give ‘em to me.” I said, “I don’t have any ideas at the moment, but I’m sure I’ll think of something.” At the time, you think, “Well, I don’t want to be a prostitute. [Laughs] So what can she do? If something traumatic happened to her, maybe she would start drinking.” So the next time we had a meeting I said, “Well, I have an idea. If some trauma happens, maybe she would start drinking.” [Ann] said, “Oh, let me think about this.” So that’s how it started. It was my suggestion, but I felt like if I didn’t say something I was going to be gone.

We Love Soaps: Maggie was a fan favorite right away.
Suzanne Rogers: She was on the farm. It was a different look. The show had taken place in a city and this was on a farm. It was checkered tablecloths. There were things that were appealing to a large number of the audience. It was like middle America. She ran this house on her crutches. She had a handyman and she had a beau who had loved her from the time they went to school together. The very first time Mickey comes up to the door he doesn’t know who he is because he’s lost his mind. He doesn’t remember who he is. He has an “M.H.” on his belt buckle and says [his name is] Marty Hanson.

We Love Soaps: This story between Mickey and Maggie was so popular that you told me there had been talk of a spinoff.
Suzanne Rogers: When the show takes off they talk about taking a couple and spinning it off. The audience liked the setting so much, it was so different. They hadn’t seen a soap take place on the farm, in the rural areas . County fairs, animals, working on tractors, things they had never seen before. Wes Kenney [producer of DAYS from 1968-1979] said, “Oh no, we’re signing you to a contract, you’re not going anywhere.”

We Love Soaps: I don’t know if people realize that Maggie being on crutches wasn’t a plot gimmick, she was really crippled for the first two-and-a-half years.
Suzanne Rogers: It was almost three years.

We Love Soaps: After three years, how did the decision get made to allow Maggie to walk without them?
Suzanne Rogers: They wanted to bring Mickey back to town, and they felt there was a strong storyline between Bill [Horton] and Mickey. He was beginning to remember. There were pictures taken at the County Fair. Tom Horton and Bill had seen this picture and Tom is the one who said, “That looks like my son.” That’s how it started.

Suzanne Rogers: Eventually Tom, Bill, and Laura [Horton, played by Susan Flannery], came out to Brookville to see who this man was. And by then, this man had married me. Mickey had always said, “You need to get yourself checked and see if there’s anything we can do about your legs.” So when I went into town, I went to this main hospital. They told me to sit in this one office and on the desk was a picture of this woman and this man...and the man was my husband! But I didn’t know he wasn't Marty [and really] was Mickey. [Laura] was still legally married to him. Then Bill ended up operating on me, and I started in physical therapy. Bill kept saying, “There’s nothing wrong with her.” Of course Mickey is saying, “Then why can’t she walk?” I didn’t walk because I thought if he didn’t have me to take care of then he would go back to Laura. Here’s this famous woman doctor, and I’m a nothing on a farm. I thought I was going to lose him. It was psychological thing as to why I couldn't walk. [Mickey] gave me a pair of red shoes, and this was the famous scene. He said, “You walk, and I’ll take you out dancing.” This was his way of telling me it was going to be okay. But I was still afraid of Laura. It all the hit the fan when Mike came to the farm to see Mickey. Mike, his son, came to the farm, and got hurt working on a tractor. When they went to do a blood transfusion, he didn’t match. And that’s how it all came out that Mike was not his son.

We Love Soaps: And I think again people need to realize that this whole story you’re describing played out over the course of seven years.
Suzanne Rogers: And when he found out Bill was Mike’s father, he tried to kill him. He did shoot him in the hand. It was an intense story of family. The family was so strong. That’s how Maggie got [introduced]. The people who remember her then just love her because she’s been through so much, so many things.
 

[JAS0N47]

"DAYS" CHRISTMAS 1973...

For the first time online, take a look back at Christmas 1973 on "Days of Our Lives." Read about everything that happened, including Alice hoping for a missing Mickey to return home to Salem, and Doug buying a train set in case the pregnant Addie gives birth to a boy. http://www.jason47.com/days/christmas1973.html
 
All of the "Days" Christmas episode scripts are now available from 1965-1973, so if you've missed reading any of the others, they are all available at http://www.jason47.com/days/dayschristmashistory.html 

[Paul Raven]

A great read. So Marie, Tommy and Sandy were there for Christmas but we just didn't see them...

[asafi]

Wow, just saw the Christmas episode from 2001.. the actors played out of character and fans were treated to vintage rare scenes from the 60's and 70's.. loved it!

 

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJHDtxDs5O2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link 

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Edited December 23, 2020 by asafi

[JAS0N47]

Just got these Horton Christmas tree photos in the last hour. Thanks Days! 

 

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Edited December 24, 2020 by JAS0N47

[DRW50]

 

@JAS0N47thank you for all the time and love you give in helping to keep a Christmas spirit alive for DAYS fans.

[victoria foxton]

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1052945005219327  

[JAS0N47]

 

You're welcome! I don't know if my browser is acting up, but the 6 photos of the tree I posted above don't show in my browser today. Were you (are you still) able to see them?

[DRW50]

 

Sadly, no. 

[JAS0N47]

 

Trying again:
 

 

DEIDRE HALL LEADS YEARLY "DAYS" RANKINGS FOR FIRST TIME...

Deidre Hall (Marlena) is the yearly episode leader in 2020, the first time she has ever led the "Days" episode rankings. Her previous high in the rankings was 2nd place in 1981, 1982 and 1983.

[soapfan770]

Thanks @JAS0N47!!! I’m amazed she has never hit #1 before.

 

Don’t know if you had seen it but the official Days Facebook page posted a lot of closeups of Horton ornaments including the elusive Spencer.

[JAS0N47]

 

I hadn't seen that. I'll check it out, but I've been posting the exclusive close-ups the show sent me on my FB page for the last 5 years or so.

 

As for Dee, if the numbers hold this week, the character Steve (109 episodes) will actually beat Marlena (108 episodes) for the most appearing character. So, Dee is finally # 1 herself (when you include the Hattie episodes, in which she appeared in a few as Hattie only), but Marlena the character will be just 1 episode shy of leading this year.