DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[Contessa Donatella]

Do you mean Jackee?

[AMCOLTLLover]

Yes 

[Contessa Donatella]

I had not noticed she's lost weight. I am so glad for her. Also, I enjoyed your full trip report! Thanks for sharing. 

[AMCOLTLLover]

You‘re welcome.

i know my english can be a bit confusing sometimes coz it’s not my primary language. Thanks for reading it anyway

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[Contessa Donatella]

I had no idea! You obviously do fine. I imagine it's something you are always aware of while other people very well may not notice. 

[Dion]

Mike and April were once, I believe, being groomed to be the next main supercouple to kind of takeover from Steve and Kayla (just as they had taken over from Shane and Kim who in turn took over from Bo and Hope) on the supercouple factory line that was Days in the mid-late 80s, Nick of course was to be their Jack/Victor/Larry.

But I think even before MTW left someone had realised they'd struck gold with Jack and Jennifer instead

[Contessa Donatella]

Well, I think they didn't know if they could solve the 'Jack Raped Kayla' problem. So, they couldn't invest in them as a future "Tom & Alice" until they figured out that very thorny problem. Jennifer Rose, who she was & also her being a virgin, Jack was originally a totally inappropriate choice for a pairing for her. 

[yrfan1983]

Hi @JAS0N47 I just read this article about a Pentagon official Susan Escallier who, coincidentally, was an extra in a bar scene on Days.

Maybe around 1983? Susan was born the week Days debuted, and she was an extra her freshman year of college.

The Times article references an original article, that might have more details. I tried googling but didn’t find anything.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/04/us/politics/susan-escallier-sept-11-plea-deal.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XU4.YbFN.4035xRkujhX6&smid=url-share

[asafi]

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[jam6242]

Found this from the August 20, 1984, Modesto Bee.  Looks like the appearance was on August 23.

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-modesto-bee/158442383/

[yrfan1983]

Amazing find, thank you! I pulled up the ep, and there’s a scene with Melissa, Pete and Chris at Shenanigans. There’s a few extras milling in the background and one of them looks like it could be her.

[j swift]

I know they're not exactly the same but, isn't it an odd coincidence that Jessica Blake's birth name was Angelique, and her father's name was Alex; while Alex Kiriakis's mother was named Angelica?!?

[JAS0N47]

That would put her appearance, which says AFTER her freshman year of college, if she went at 18, to around June 1984, which is the month that Cheatin' Heart made its debut (originally known just as Seedy Bar). So, with Days taping less than a month ahead at the time, there's a chance she could have been in the first ever episode of the Cheatin' Heart!

4731...6/13/84:

Cast: Alice, Mickey, Don, Marlena, Abe, Roman, Chris, Bo, Melissa, Pete, Tess, Carlo, Maxwell, Orby, Speed, Diane, Barney, Girl # 1, Girl # 2, Girl # 3, Man.

Sets: Abe & Roman’s Office, Shenanigans, Chris’ House, Seedy Bar (Cheatin’ Heart), Boat Dock on Lake, Maxwell’s Limo (Parked), Mickey’s Desk Phone (Limbo), Jannings’ Apartment Phone (Limbo).

 

I have the parking clearance lists for 6/8, 6/11, 6/14 and 6/15 but am missing the 6/13 Cheatin' Heart debut.

[dc11786]

I don't remember the canvas being that remarkable different, but later on he mentions a lot of the older cast was being used as U/5s basically. I don't feel that was entirely accurate and, when it was, it was a gross oversimplification. It wasn't being written as if the show needed to be an homage to 80s or the 90s, but rather trying to build for a future. Jen and Hope drove story throughout much of the run. Kate was a major player. Victor snarked as much as usual. It was mostly John and Marlena who were sidelined, but I thought Marlena was too cold to be the Matriarch the way most did. Hogestyn definitely felt like a goofy dad, but Hall presented Marlena as very clinical, which worked for the character. 

The only John and Marlena story I felt hadn't been told at that point was to have Caroline continue to decline due to her Alzheimer's diagnosis and begin to think of John as "Roman" and feel closer to him than the actual Roman. This scenario could have resulted in a lot of ugly feelings being unearthed and could have played the John / Marlena / Roman triangle in a way that would have allowed Josh Taylor to play the scorned son rather than the scorned lover which felt better suited for him.  

I don't remember hating all of the first half of 2015. There were defintitely problems. The elephant story was bad, but the dynamics between the characters was workable and had they shifted the story to something more domestic (Serena was a medical journalist and Nicole was back in television production if I recall). I think they also were testing Serena and Daniel as Serena was also friends with Melanie. I didn't dislike Serena, but in the absence of Sami, Arianne Zucker was more than capable of carrying the show had they told the right story. Which would have been Eric / Nicole / Brady / Theresa.

I didn't like Paige, but the set up with Paige, Eve, and Theresa worked for me. I would have played the Donovan girls as an extension of the Brady family more than they did, but it worked for me. Theresa was great. Kassie DePaiva was trying to find a groove as Eve. I didn't hate Eve and J.J. hooking up as much as other people did. It worked for me, but it was never going to be long-term. J.J.'s little crew wasn't as strong as the supporting crew a generation back though I do think Kevin Riggins was good as Rory. 

Ben and Abigail were fine. I can't remember when, but I think at one point the show tried to play a Clyde / Maggie friendship which was appealing given Maggie's farm girl past and the animosity between Victor/Clyde along with the Maggie/Kate dynamic. Incorporating Kate into the Horton set was always something I enjoyed, but the embers were never stoked into a complete fire. 

The Serena / Xander / Eric story ended quickly. Paul Tefler was a find. 

Paul Narita was great. Making Paul John's son was probably the biggest story John and Marlena got under Tomsell that was sorta centered around them. I also thought they should have gone with Theresa agreeing to be Paul's beard and nearly marrying him before he was outed. 

The one that was made public was Galen Gerring,who felt that Rafe was being written into a corner. Rafe had run his course. Tomsell could have dumped him and no one would have noticed. The scenario with Kate / Rafe / Jordan / Clyde was so disjointed mostly because I believe that Clyde was filling the Stefano role that Stefano couldn't handle because of Mascolo's advancing Alzheimer's. 

James Scott and Allison Sweeney both departed. Drake Hogestyn was dropped from contract and then went back on contract at different points. Hogestyn was open in his dislike of John attempting to sleep with Kristen to prevent Kristen from marrying Brady. Deidre Hall was supporting in the Will story, but she was no longer the only relationship that Will had of depth like when MarDar were present. Peter Reckell had left very early in Tomsell after being vocal about his guarantees in 2009-2011 after winning the Emmy. 

Alfonso may not have been thrilled from 2013-2014. After Reckell departs, they don't know what to do with Hope. There was some chemistry testing with Hope and Vargas, Nick's former cellmate who was involved in Eric Brady's rehabilitation program. Vargas was a promising character that was quickly dropped in August, 2013, when Theresa and he partied a little too hard and Vargas got arrested again. Daniel Cosgrove was hired in 2014 which started off with a Ciara / Chase bullying storyline that quickly became the enemies become lovers story. I thought the mystery invovling the late Meredith Jennings was interesting and the conclusion was probably one of the last well done big climaxes that Tomsell did. 

Reckell coming back to resolve the Bo and Hope story once and for all made logistical sense. I don't necessarily love what they did to Hope / Aiden in the process, but it was what it was. To blow up Hope / Aiden only for Bo to die weeks later was stupid. I felt they missed the opportunity to do something that 2009-2011 "Days" did really well which was turning the trope on its head. Instead of Bo saving Hope to escape from another wedding, why not have Bo save Hope and bring her to the wedding and give his blessing to let her move on. I know the Bope fans would have lost their collective minds, but the conversations on the boards would have noteworthy. There was still story to tell with Aiden regarding the fact that he had never told Chase that he (Chase) had murdered his own mother.

As I recall, Sami came back for Will's funeral, along with Sonny who had left town a few months earlier. Did she stay on much longer?

Steve's return probably had the most meat because they were trying to rebuild the Johnson family unit as Joey also came back. I think it was in 2017 that they remarried right during the Prague storyline? 

Justin and Adrienne were involved in the triangle with Lucas. That storyline made a lot of sense under Tomsell, but I do think Higley managed to make it more standalone with the breast cancer angle. Prior to this, most of the juice in that story was that Will's father was involved with Sonny's mother, which was more than enough. By the end of fall 2015, both Will and Sonny were gone so a pivot was needed.   

Andre essentially replaced Clyde, who had essentially replaced Stefano. Andre was too queeny. Clyde was too hillbilly. Clyde was more intriguing when they suggested he wanted Ben to marry into the Hortons for social mobility, which I think Higley recycled a year or so later with Eduardo wanting Dario and Abigail together for social mobility. 

Shawn and Belle were present, but I don't remember much. Did Shawn and Belle divorce fairly quickly? I remember Shawn and Lani became a thing for a minute under Griffith's solo run if I recall correctly.  

From what I recall, the older characters in 2012-2015 weren't guiding story in the way they had in previous decades and it was refreshing. Nick, Will, Sonny, Abby, Gabi, Chad, and Cameron (the weakest link) were solid. The pregnancy lie leading into the implosion of Will and Sonny and Gabi and Nick's wedding was great. The reveal of Nick's rape felt well planned (if not a little too on the nose) leading to a pregnant Gabi being kidnapped by the rapist when he escaped. Nick and Gabi's toxic relationship leading to Nick's "death" and the introduction of Percy Ruggles the bird watcher and Gabi, Sami, and Kate working together was great. Abby, Chad, and Cameron's triangle led to the great stripper storyline for Cameron (great might be a stretch but it was a level of fun that DAYS use to do well). Then, Chad and Cameron were both dumped and they went with the Abby / E.J. affair which was great. 

Doug and Julie were involved in the Martin House and the party, but I don't remember what else. Julie had more to do under Whitsell in the Nick dramas. 

Abe and Roman were definitely talk tos at best. Abe didn't improve much until 2016 under Higley/Quan when Valerie returned, which was awesome. I don't remember Roman having much, but maybe I'm forgetting. There was a very brief, and well done, triangle with Caroline / Victor / Maggie when Bo returned where Caroline's dementia got the better of her and Maggie and Victor moved her into their house, or so I recall. Maggie / Victor were married off to quickly. They had been better integrated in 2008-2011 because of the relationships onscreen that were developed.  

John and Marlena were supporting players to their children, and I felt that was incredibly generous. I didn't need to see another John and Marlena story; sorry, not sorry. What we got with John's backstory with Yo-Ling, or whatever it was, was really bad. 

I don't remember much romance in late 2015, just misery. The serial killer story set the tone for the start of the Higley/Griffith year. It was, at times, dramatically interesting, but I don't remember any big couples coming out it. Abby and Chad had been built up in late stage Tomsell to be the new big supercouple and they worked well with Mansi and Flynn in the roles (Mansi and Deidrick were great too but Flynn was given more dramatic material than Deidrick). Abby and Chad reunited with baby Thomas. I think there was some early Gabi / J.J. stuff I thought was appealing.

The younger set had some potential, but it never went anywhere. Jonathan McClendon was the strongest of the crew and he ended making some off colored remark about the rape storyline and the backlash was pretty bad (as it should have been). I still think  Chase was a character worth revisiting later in 2016 especially with Daniel Cosgrove's return. None of the couples really worked except for Jade and Joey, but only later under Higley / Quan when Jade became a bitch and was still being played by Paige Searcy. I wouldn't say they were romantic though. 

Because 2011 had set the standard, 2015's shift didn't feel so big. 2011 literally dropped every single thing that was happening onscreen with the exception of Daniel and Jennifer's relationship, but that was only to lead into Jack's return. The original reset was too drastic to really work, which is a shame because they did get some eyes on those first episodes after AMC faded to black. I remember 2015 felt more natural. 

I hated 2011-2012 when MarDar was there. Never been so happy to see someone leave the writer's chair in my time watching "Days," though had I stuck around with Ron they might have lost the title.

[Liberty City]

Oh see, I really liked their tenure. I found it solid with some good, solid writing.