Y&R: Old Articles

[will81]

Yes in 1980, around Jul/Aug. JLB had complications with her pregnancy and had to leave early. Wesley Ann Pfenning came one for a few weeks then took Brooks to NYC for a book tour. JLB didn't return until Oct 80 and didn't seem to be on too much initially. 

Also found this TV By Day Sep 73. Anyone know who Paul Tulley played? I am guessing a somewhat minor role over the summer. Maybe Jane Wilcox fiance who didn't want Suzie???

 

 

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Edited August 15, 2021 by will81

[yrfan1983]

Interesting- Paul Tulley returned in ‘81 to play Crazy Edward

[SoapDope]

Paul Tulley would return to Y&R in 1981 as crazy Edward. He also has a listing on IMDB for being on Y&R again in 1997. Who did he play or was it a flashback credit ? He appeared in several daytime and primetime soap roles. He played the teacher Lucy accused of attempted rape on Dallas in 1978 and returned in another role in 1986. Here he is today.

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[will81]

Thanks for that info. I don't know how I forgot Paul played Edward. Apparently Edward was going to have an exorcism and return to "normal" and remain on the show. Instead they blew him up, lol. 

I assume all the occult/satanic cults fascination of the 70's was probably the original influence. I doubt he would have been Marlena Evans style possessed, rather it might have been much like the book The Exorcist, where you are never sure if she was possessed or just mentally unwell. 

 

Based on Paul's age, I feel Jane Wilcox fiance seems the likely role he played, but who knows.

Edited August 15, 2021 by will81

[Paul Raven]

I'm drawing a blank on Jane Wilcox,Can you fill me in? Thanks.

Variety reports in July 79 that Kathleen Engel, formerly of CBS press department is joining Y&R as a writer.

Her only IMDB credit is a writer on Texas.

I wonder how long she was there? She joins a select group of writers in the 70's.

 

[will81]

Maybe I got the name wrong. So in 1973, probably summer, Sally told Brad that she had a High School sweetheart Frank Martin (Jay Sanderson) she got pregnant and they gave up the baby. Frank turns up and tells Sally that he is engaged and his future wife is unable to have children, so he asks Sally to help him locate their daughter in the hopes he and his fiance can adopt her. However Frank and Sally grow close and Frank calls of his engagement.

Eventually they find a nurse Jane Wilcox and she has Suzie (Frank and Sally's daughter) Jane's boyfriend doesn't want the girl and leaves Jane and Frank, feeling sorry for her, begins spending time with her and the girl. He and Sally drift apart (I believe this prompts Sally to forgo her birth control with Snapper) and Sally find out later that Frank and Jane married. 

[soapfan770]

Thanks!! I had read somewhere years ago that when Sally returned in ‘81 she revealed that both Frank and her daughter were dead was that true or some made up fan fiction? 

[will81]

Never heard that, but it could have happened. Bell often had random call backs like this, but not sure. 

Also @mikelyons I assume you might be interested in this info for your Y&R writers thread?

@Paul Raven I have a 1979 interview with Kay Alden I will post when I can find it. She mentions she and Bell write the show with one other person. I assumed it was John F. Smith but I guess it was Kathleen. 

Here it is from February 1979. They mention the other script writer is in Los Angeles. Though since this is from Feb I guess this was before Kathleen joined. Elizabeth Harrower was there from at least 1977, not sure when she left to do Days, so maybe it was Liz and then Kathleen came on in the summer and left in 1980 to do Texas, and that is when Jack Smith came aboard???

Also confirmation that the lesbian story was ditched due to negative viewer reaction. Kay mentions the audience was largely single women in the mid west. I wonder if they might have been more open to a bisexual man?? I always thought Jack should have been bi, and he and Ashley should have fought over Eric Garrison.

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Edited August 16, 2021 by will81

[Paul Raven]

Thanks for the info re Jane.

I wonder if that story was a writers strike effort, in that by focusing on Sally's past and bringing in those characters they could keep going without altering Bill Bell's template for the main characters?

In a May 79 Variety article CBS daytime changes were discussed.

Mike Ogiens vp daytime announced expansion of Y&R due to loss of MASH reruns in daytime and suffering  in not programming at 1pm.

The new lineup

noon Local

12.30 - 1.30 Y&R

1.30 - 2.30 ATWT

2.30 - 3.30 GL 

3.30 - 4 SFT

4 - 4.30 LOL

They obviously rethought that schedule.

So as far back as May 79 Y&R was preparing for the expansion. I had always thought it was much later and Bell/Alden/Conboy were under the gun to deal with the changes.

[will81]

I am betting anything from summer 73 was writer's strike material. Bell's projections would have been there, but he just wasn't writing the daily scripts. Then of course the show lost approximately two or three weeks over spring/summer due to Watergate pre-emptions. 

In terms of the move to an hour. It was supposed to happen in autumn 79 and was pushed back twice apparently, and this was at Bell's insistence as they said they were not ready. So yeah probably they were under the gun and asked for more time. 

[Titus Andronicus]

Jason's first known credit for Harrower at Days is May 2, 1977. She was credited as head writer from February 27, 1979 through March 14, 1980, though she was effectively fired two months earlier. (Nina Laemmle was announced as incoming Days head writer in late January 1980.)

It appears Days' handling of Harrower cost them Wes Kenney. He quit in January 1980 and an interview with him that month quoted him as saying it was the head writing situation. Kenney was quoted as it being Ann Marcus (there prior to Harrower), but it seems to be a gaffe on his part.

Edited August 16, 2021 by Titus Andronicus

[will81]

Oh right, thanks for that info. Maybe she was writing on both in 1977 as she is listed as a writer on a May 09, 1977 script for Y&R (though that is the airdate so the script was obviously written in April) or maybe this was her last Y&R credit for 1977. I know she returned to Y&R by 1982 or around that time. 

Oh so wait Kenney was on Y&R at the same time Elizabeth was in 1982. She was there until about 1984/85 when Sally Sussman became a script writer (she had previously been a story consultant only, from 84 she was both)

Edited August 16, 2021 by will81

[Broderick]

All of that business with Jane Wilcox, Frank, and Sally seemed to be WAY off-track regarding the actual storyline, which of course was the triangle of Chris, Snapper, and Sally.   I could never tell if it was merely "writers strike material", or if it was a device Bill Bell designed to postpone the marriage of Snapper and Chris, realizing that although the audience wanted to see them married, their marriage would likely be fairly uneventful and dull, effectively killing the appeal of two of his major "finds" (William Grey Espy and Trish Stewart).

In hindsight, I'm pretty pleased with the culmination of the Joann/Kay Chancellor storyline.  I appreciate that Bell left a certain amount of ambiguity in Kay Chancellor's intentions toward the girl.    Yes, Kay declared that her feelings toward Mrs. Curtis were maternal, but Kay Chancellor was a character known to lie.  Bell seemed to wink at the audience and say, "It's up to you whether or not you believe Kay Chancellor."   Audience members who were horrified by lesbianism or bisexuality obviously chose to believe Kay's assertion that her feelings were maternal; the rest of said, "Yeah, right."  lol.  

[will81]

I do think much of the summer of 73 was probably a diversion until Bell could get back and write the show. He would have known the strike was coming up and maybe put some things in place so the strike writers couldn't mess things up too much. 

It seems like a somewhat uneventful summer from the pieces I have been able to put together but not a waste by any means

Chris was most likely at Legal Aid with Greg pining away and Snapper attempting a reconciliation. She finds out Stu is paying her salary and quits

Liz was probably in the hospital with her cancer story (And Jill was probably playing supporting to that - maybe her mysterious boyfriend Brent was added at this point) Maybe this health scare pushed Chris and Snapper back together shortly before her rape which happened in either late Sep or early Oct

Jen and Bruce may have reconnected but I doubt anything significant happened

Leslie and Brad would have been hanging out and doing the Pygmalion/My Fair Lady story and I am sure he was pushing her to play piano professionally. I do believe Leslie's big summer story was trying out for a symphonic ochestra and getting a place and going on tour in the autumn

Sally and her diversion with Frank, though Bell did use this story as motivation for Sally to get pregnant to Snapper

So there was movement, but I assume it was slow and nothing heated up again until September when Bell's scripts were most likely airing (I think the strike ended in Aug or around there)

As far as the lesbian story. yes I do think Bell intended Kay to be bisexual but did what many Hollywood writers did during the Hays code years did and made it subtext.

On Days there was the story with Eric Peters when his brother Greg finds out he has a young, attractive man living with him. I believe the way it played out, Bell had the audience and Greg intially believe the two were lovers, and there were always rumours about Stanley Kamel. I think those in the know probably saw Eric as gay or bi and his "roommate" as his lover, regardless of whatever was explained on screen.

 

[Paul Raven]

That was the story that brought Ma Henderson to town?

It always seemed odd to me that that character was brought on (never to be mentioned again) Liz always presented as an 'elderly' character, although she was only 44 in 1973. 

What 44 year old looks like that nowadays? Of course she was supposed to present as careworn.

However Dorothy Green (Jennifer) was 53 and presented much more 'with it' to use a 70's term.

Although I always found her overly tanned and blonded looks a little harsh.