Somerset Discussion Thread

[Paul Raven]

Russel Kubeck seems a bit of a mystery man as there is nothing about him on the web.

Was this name a psuedonym perhaps?

[vetsoapfan]

Soap opera history buffs who wish to read the complete histories of their favorite series may want to check out "Vetsoapfan's Treasure Trove," here in SON's Cancelled Soaps section.

 

So far, I have shared extensive articles on:

 

All My Children

 

Another World

 

As the World Turns

 

Days of Our Lives

 

The Edge of Night

 

General Hospital

 

The Guiding Light

 

How to Survive a Marriage

 

Love of Life

 

One Live to Live

 

Ryan's Hope

 

Search for Tomorrow

 

The Young and the Restless

[Sammo770]

Is there any way to find episodes to view?  Especially interested in the Henry Slezar years.

[Paul Raven]

Jill Grant (Susan McDonald)with brother David (Ron Martin) and Greg Mercer (Gary Swanson)

Edited July 7, 2020 by Paul Raven

[Paul Raven]

Daytime Dial by Lynda Hirsch

Be grateful 'Somerset' lasted as long as it did! It was bound to happen. The minute NBC confirmed that "Somerset" would air its final chapter on Dec. 31. the fans started writing. Most letters voiced the same plea. "How can we save 'Somerset'?' You can't. Just be glad that it lasted six years.

 

Despite efforts of talented executive producer, Lyle B. Hill, dedicated staff and good actors, from the moment Somerset started on March 30, 1970, it was suffering from a terminal illness only saved by miraculous remissions from time to time. Just when you thought, "This has got to go off the air," someone would breathe life into the ailing story line. In the beginning it was decided to make Somerset a spin-off of the highly popular "Another World." Two of Another World's popular characters, Sam and Lahoma Lucas, left Bay City to start life anew in the nearby hamlet of Somerset.

 

But the biggest audience pull was to be the return of soap opera darling Carol Roux. As Missy Matthews oh Another World, Carol had a huge following. When the actress decided to give up the serial for marriage and West Coast life, producers decided to write Missy off in a blissfully happpy sunset just in case Carol might return someday. When Carol agreed to star in Somerset, everyone felt a sure winner was at hand. Unfortunately for Somerset, Carol's permanent return to daytime drama was more like a month's vacation. According to a Somerset castmate, "Carol was a dynamite actress and a pretty girl, but she had a lot of hangups. Every week she came down with supposed illnesses. It was a drain on the show's time. Everyone tried, including Carol, but it just didn't work out."

 

With the Missy Matthews character gone, a focal point of the show was lost as well as several characters who had no place to go without Missy. All series, especially new ones, need regular characters an audience can grow to love, hate and feel sorry for. Somerset has always seemed like one giant transient hotel. In the first year characters from Another World and Somerset kept switching towns. Just when Somerset would hit on an intriguing character, he would be sent to Another World as in the case of Rachel's father Gerald Davis and the popular Robert Delaney. All the constant shuttling of characters from show to show weakened Somerset, so it decided to sever all connnections with Another World and strike out on its own.

 

Deciding to try a new tack, the show followed "Edge of Night's" successful mystery formula. Even though Henry Slesar, an Emmy-award-winning writer of Edge, took over scripting duties for a time. Somerset never had the same whodunit flavor. Instead of fully using a mystery tone, the show tried to keep an air of romance and only succeeded in confusing everyone. Jordan Charney (presently toiling on "One Life to Live" as Vince Wolck) created the character of Sam Lucas on Another World and was as confused as anybody. "On Another World, Sam was a great character. He was a garage mechanic who had a prison record. He worked hard and went to school, eventually becoming a lawyer. Then Sam went to Somerset and fell apart. "In the last six months that I played Sam," Jordan continues, "Sam had a different social problem every week. One week he was a gambler, the next an alcoholic, then a womanizer, a wife beater and neglectful father. Sam's true character was lost sight of and I don't think anybody cared what happened to him anymore."

 

Whenever Somerset hit a story line snag, everyone was promised an exciting new plot line and improved writing. But Somerset never came through. For example, an interesting May-December love story between Ellen Grant and student Dale Robinson was dropped in the middle of the plot and with it a powerhouse actor, Jameson Parker. One studio bigwig was aghast when Jameson was let go for a lack of story line. "You make a story line for someone like that." says the official. Obviously they didn't.

 

Instead Somerset came up with an offensive, ridiculous script and made three name performers look like fools. Certainly the show scored a coup when it signed Molly Picon, Mae Questel and Louis Jacobi all big name Broadway stars to play three elderly Jewish citizens of Somerset. During one show. Miss Picon spent three minutes talking about the high price of potatoes following with a two-minute speech on meat prices. Almost every sentence ended with "oy vey." Maybe the "oy vey" was the actress's personal opinion of the degrading script . The biggest gaffe, however, was when one of the ladies, concerned about finding a kosher butcher in the neighbornood, had a Christmas wreath on her door. .

 

When Somerset calls it a day next week, not one of the original 17 characters will be around. While most serials constantly revamp their cast of characters, all of them leave a few friendly faces around. ' Lately, watching Somerset was like watching a magic show first you saw them, then you didn't. It's doubtful we'll know what happened to Ellen,Dale,Jill, David, and the rest. When the network was asked what happened to certain characters and performers, they answered with the highly curious "They're still in town, just not on the air." In a soap opera if you're not on the air, you're not in town. A sad fact Somerset fans will learn after Dec. 31.

[danfling]

I disagree with the writer above.    I thought that Somerset, when written by Henry Slesar, was just as interesting as his The Edge of Night.   Ellen Grant also was a character throughout the run of the show, but was not on the final episode.

 

There was an excellent cast, many of whom should have been retained.    The writer was correct on that point.

[victoria foxton]

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[danfling]

I liked James O'Sullivan in his later roles on All My Children and One Life to Live.

 

But, I did not care for his Somerset character.   I far preferred Greg Mercer and Heather.    But, I guess that was not possible for them to stay together since they were siblings.

 

Who wrote the show when Greg and Heather learned the truth?

 

[Soaplovers]

I think Slesar writing off the popular India was a mistake..because she had a following, a good sisterly rapport with Ellen, and was a grey character...one that could have worked beyond 1972.

[danfling]

I agree.

I wonder if the actress (Marie Wallace was wanting to leave?     She would have been hard to replace, but it could have been done.

 

[SoapNewb]

I've been following this thread with great interest after some Googling and I'd love it if anyone has pics or more information on Somerset's infamous bad guy from 1972-73, Virgil Paris (played by Marc Alaimo).

 

I am trying to track down info/pics on Alaimo's early soap roles, but the info is sparse (save for "The Doctors").

 

Thanks for any help!

 

(P.S. I did register for an account, but it's been a week and they haven't validated me. Not sure what that's about.

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[DRW50]

I wish someone could ask Marie...

 

Anyway, this is Audrey Landers, I believe, so I wonder if the casting person for this commercial was a Somerset fan. Did Audrey and Ted Danson share story?

 

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[Paul Raven]

Feb 1971

Two Soapers Change Titles Hollywood (Special)

Two of television's most popular Monday-through-Friday daytime dramatic serials will have a change of title, after March 1, with "Another World Bay City" reverting to its former title "Another World," and "Another World Somerset" becoming "Somerset." ' , "Another World is colorcast at 3 P.M. and "Somerset" at 4 P.M. "Another World" started on NBC-TV May 4, 1964.

Another serial grew out of the storylines; it was set in a nearby locale and titled "Another World Somerset." This marked the first time that a daytime dramatic serial was the basis of a second serial The latter show started on NBC-TV March 30, 1970. Lyle B Hill is exective produc er of both programs. Joseph D Manetta is producer of "Another World" and Joe Kothenberger is producer of. "Somerset." Both programs originate in NBC s color studios in Brooklyn, N.Y.

 

May 1973

"Somerset" has switched its opening title film from a winter landscape to a summer scene, with much greenery in view.

Alan Posage, lighting director of "Somerset", has extended his talents by directing a segment of the series for vacationing director Joe Chomyn.

Executive producer Lyle B. Hill of "Somerset" is teaching a course in acting at the Weist Barrow tv school in New York.

[slick jones]

This picture showed up in a group on FB.  I don't know anything about Christine Laver, but I'm hoping someone might.

 

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[slick jones]

Turns out that her name is misspelled and she is actually Christine Lavren (Hildy James). (I had Lauren)