DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[carolineg]

It's funny no matter how many times that question about JER and the murders is asked no one has ever had a definitive answer on what his original story was.  He really must have kept it secret.  You'd think by now all these years later someone, somewhere would know the answer lol.

[jam6242]

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[asafi]

powerful scene

 

 

[Lye-C]

Is there any chance you could post the scene of Stefano reading Sami’s diary and finding out Belle was John’s?

God I looooooooved Sami vs Marlena! The slaps Marlena gave Sami were epic. Deidre’s gasp and wind-up were always *chef’s kiss*

In addition to that, I’ve always wanted to read JER’s original bible for Passions. I believe JER had a sister and she probably has all these documents. 

[Contessa Donatella]

12-23-91 Day 31 (2-10-24) No one was a jerk. Cmdr. Brady back at an ofc in the cop shop, been a long time. Welcomed & met cops who are new to him. Marlena there but she leaves. Bo wakes Carly & they make love. John has a speech to make to Isabella abt the baby. "I want this baby." Then he asks her to be patient with him. The satchel only had 3 items in it & none help with his unknown identity. He says he can't stay there in her apt. During this winter Christmastime episode we see John outside, just wandering, seemingly lost. Izzy has a good talk with Marcus. Marlena comes back to see Roman, says she likes seeing him in his element. Then, she holds him down & thoroughly & passionately kisses him. He did not resist.

[Contessa Donatella]

Just saw this on UglyX. Not mine. Just passing it along. 

Rehire Arianne Zucker - Sign the Petition! https://chng.it/qkDMrvvJ via Change.org 

[Contessa Donatella]

Usually their papers go to a specific university where they are kept in an honored place within the archives. Do you know where he went to college? Although sometimes their papers go to several places. 

Continuing with my OG Roman project ... 

12-24-91 Day 32 (2-14-24) Today is Christmas Eve. All the Bradys seem to have the spirit. Bo & Carly are at a restaurant & Isabella comes in & joins them. She says that John is getting farther away - not just from her - but from everyone. We see him just wandering outside. He sees a little boy with a problem with his ice skate & he stops & fixes it. Little boy thanks him & says how lucky his kids must be to have him for a Dad. Jack says somehow he has to get to see Jennifer tonight & then he pretends to be a bell-ringing Santa Claus. In the Brady kitchen we see Carolyn with a humongous jar of horseradish. Kimberly tells Shawn that if he will peel the shrimp she will de-vein them. (This is the first I've seen industrial sized horseradish & the first I've seen people on TV talk about peeling shrimp & de-veining them!) Marlena & Roman exchange gifts & kiss for awhile. Right now they kiss as much as Bo & Carly do. I guess they're both newlyweds in a way. John went into a church & found Izzy there, crying. That night at the Bradys Kayla & Kimberly put the angel on top of the tree, together. John was the last to arrive. All the Bradys hugged him except Roman, who very jovially sorta pounded him on his arm. They were all glad to see him. He took gifts over to the twins & at first they wouldn't take them but Kayla gave Sami a little nod & she reached out & so Eric did too. It's really hard seeing John struggle so.

[carolineg]

I actually feel really bad for John and Isabella in this era.   I have no love for Isabella as a character, but she really tries to stick by John and really goes through it too.  Marlena coming back, being pregnant, finding out John isn't Roman, losing her bond with the twins, the Danielle/Romulus stuff, and then she dies lol.  It's a rough road for her.

Obviously it's awful for John, but that poor girl tries her best to help him and once they are married and have Brady she lives for about a month longer lol.

[Contessa Donatella]

I loved Isabella! During so much of this she was miserable but always put on a happy face & a stiff upper lip & John couldn't have asked for a better & more steadfast lover, friend & advocate. No matter how poorly he treated her, she was okay with it. She understood his reason. And if she was ever jealous of Marlena she sure didn't show it. Uh-oh, sounds like I'm describing a saint & a saint on a soap is always a very bad sign!! 

[carolineg]

I used to hate Isabella when I was a kid, but now re-watching I don't mind her.  She's nothing that special, but not irritating either.  She was just a very good partner to John.  I think in the beginning Isabella/Marlena were jealous of one another, but that was dropped very quickly once Roman/Marlena and John/Isabella reunited.  For the most part all four were shockingly civil and friendly.

I don't know where you would go with a character like Isabella in the end.  I would guess if SG didn't leave Isabella may have become a villain and obstacle for John/Marlena.   The show could never outright make Roman evil during the affair, but I bet JER would have loved to make Isabella evil.

Edited February 16, 2024 by carolineg

[Contessa Donatella]

Now that would have been a soapy possibly award-winning turn for Isabella to go to the dark side! Very exciting idea!!! 

[carolineg]

The only thing about it is that it would have made Kristen redundant, so it all worked out the right way.   If the affair played out with her, I could only see Isabella ending up villainous.  John/Marlena were JER's golden couple so they would never be portrayed in a negative light.  I could also see Isabella playing the Sami role-catching them, changing paternity tests, blackmailing Marlena, etc.  Sami still could have been evil like she was because she wanted Austin and was jealous of Carrie just without all the affair and black market kidnapping baggage.  In the end though, the story played how it should have.  

[j swift]

What's timeline of Marlena's return to the change in writers?

I barely recall an “E!” Behind the Scenes special about DAYS when Deidre Hall previewed that John and Marlena would reunite.  IIRC the special was pegged to the Salem Place set which was new at the time, and Marlena was dressed as a clown for some reason.  And, it feels like they dispensed with Isabella, and the entire Toscono clan, fairly quickly.    But, I have no concept of how long that was from the time that she returned to the show, or when changes occurred within the production team.

[carolineg]

There were quite of a lot of changes from Deidre's 91 return till JER took over full time

Gene Palumbo-6/91-1/92 (Deidre returned in Aug. 91, I believe)

Richard Allen and Beth Milstein-1/92-6/92

Sheri Anderson-6/92-7/92

Sheri Anderson and Gene Palumbo-7/92-8/92

Sheri Anderson-8/92-12/92

Sheri Anderson and JER-12/92-4/93

JER starts to be credited alone in late April 93

Sheri and JER did the Affair story.

Isabella died in May 1992.  She was the last remaining member of the Toscano family.  Marina (her sister) and her "dad" were killed off long before Deidre/Wayne returned.

I believe Marlena was dressed like a clown for The Groucho Marx movie festival at the Salem Place Cinema.  They did that for a couple of years for whatever reason.

ETA-these dates are from wiki, so do take that for what it's worth lol.

Edited February 16, 2024 by carolineg

[Contessa Donatella]

I see what you're saying. But, what if Kristen & Isabella teamed up? Just imagine as effective as Kristen was if she'd had an equally effective partner with both of them with this huge hate on for Marlena!! There would be plenty of opportunities for Sami to do her worst.