Somerset Discussion Thread

[Paul Raven]

The final year of Somerset, quite a read, but good to have the storyline in one place.

Julian Cannell, the editor of the Somerset Register, finds his marriage to interim Register publisher Kate is floundering. Vickie Paisley, local heiress and co-owner of Paisley’s Department Store,makes no secret of her attraction to him. 

The marriage of Dr. Jerry Kane and his wife, Heather, seems to be faring no better, as Heather chafes under Jerry’s constant instructions and orders, feeling that he refuses to acknowledge her ability to function as a responsible adult. Finding that housework doesn’t fulfill her personal need for accomplishment, the newly married Heather |
Kane gets a job singing with Bobby Hanson at the local coffee shop. When her husband, Dr. Jerry Kane, curtly informs her ‘that it’s out of the question, her
job is demeaning to his career, Heather angrily moves out

Ellen Grant and her daughter Jill Farmer were both widowed last year, when their husbands died in a car crash in Italy. Jill inadvertently sidetracked the attentions
of the one man her mother has been interested in |since the tragedy, and Ellen herself suffered terribly when her new love, Jon Wheeler (reporter Carrie Wheeler’s —
father), was senselessly killed by a burglar.

Carrie is now falling in love with Greg Mercer, Heather’s half brother, also a reporter on the Register staff. 

In the past few months Somerset has undergone a  series of robberies, muggings and murders which has raised panic among the residents, and business is suffering, as the ere now fear to leave their homes.
 

Ginger Cooper is pleased when her husband, Tony, is promoted to manager of Paisley’s Department Store,but quickly finds that his longer hours are upsetting to
their little son, Joey. Finding that Tony is working closely with beautiful Victoria Paisley further complicates Ginger’s thinking, but Tony hastens to assure her Vickie’s harmless.

Ellen Grant, widowed last year,  befriended Dale Robinson, a graduate student at the university, and he’s renting a room in her home. Dale takes a parttime job as a toy-collection Santa Claus.

Greg Mercer is continuing his investigation into the murder of Carrie Wheeler’s father, despite police warnings that he not interfere.

Having deliberately aborted their expected child because she felt she’d lose Julian while unattractively pregnant, Kate Cannell sees that her actions have also killed any love he had for her. Determined to take revenge on him, she informs him she’s returning to the newspaper as publisher, which means he’ll be demoted back to editor. When Julian refuses to work under her, she coldly tells him she was going to dismiss him no matter what he said.

Now desperate for an editor, Kate forces the job on Greg Mercer. And, as she’s having trouble handling her job, Kate leans heavily on the young reporter,to Carrie’s annoyance and dismay. But finally Kate’s emotional guilts and pain become too much,
and Dr. Terri Kurtz gently suggests that she look for |psychiatric care. Fearing commitment, Kate attempts suicide and is hospitalized. As, her condition worsens,
her commitment is processed.

Tony, under increasing personal as well as business pressure, is having chest pains. Dr. Stan Kurtz, examining him, warns he must take it easy or he could have a full-scale heart attack. When Vickie gives Tony a cashmere coat for Christmas, he finds ‘himself involved in an affair. When Tony expresses regret at betraying Ginger, Vickie, who hasn’t gotten over her feelings for Julian, who rejected her, tells him that all wives know,-they just don’t say anything. Vickie assures Tony their relationship has no strings and warns him off when he suggests he’s falling in love with her.

Heather decides to try to work things out with Jerry and goes to their cabin to talk. Horrified to see another woman in her bedroom, she runs out and turns to Bobby for consolation. They spend the night in separate rooms, but in the morning Jerry walks in and chooses to make his own assessment, calling her a tramp. She slaps him and throws him out.

Vic Kirby tries to help Jerry and Heather to a reconciliation,but Jerry’s insistence on Heather’s giving in to all his demands infuriates her, and, unwilling to give up her independence, she walks out.

Dale and Ellen become lovers. Ellen tells him she’s happy to help him financially with his career—he’s planning to be a doctor—but she won’t consider his marriage proposal. Dale presses her to overlook the age difference between them, and finally coaxes her into agreeing they’re engaged. When he offers her an engagement present, half of an antique coin, Ellen is horrified, as she recognizes it as half of the coin Carrie’s father gave Ellen’s daughter, Jill, just before his death. Dale insists he bought it from a guy on campus but can’t go to the police, as he has a record
because of a teenage robbery.

Vic Kirby is overjoyed when his son, Chris, shows |up at his cabin. Chris took off years ago. Vic's happiness soon becomes despair, however, as Chris reveals that he is the murderer who’s been terrorizing Somerset. Vic realizes from his son’s ramblings that—
their misunderstandings during the boy’s youth warped him, and tells his son he accepts the blame and they'll go away together.

But Dale has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and murder.. One of the victims was attacked by a Santa in the area he’d been working. At the moment that the latest victim, Sarah Brisken, is clearing Dale,Vic persuades his son to let him call the authorities|promising to stand by him.

Ellen and Dale announce their engagement, to mixed reactions throughout Somerset. Jill rushes home from Hong Kong, where she’s been visiting her brother  David, convinced that Dale only wants Ellen’s money. Seeing her mother’s happiness makes Jill waver, but seeing how cavalier Dale is about letting Ellen pay for everything reconvinces her he’s out for what he can get. Ellen’s friends try to gently show her there will be problems—for example, can she give him a child?

Tony is angry to realize that Ginger and Joey have seen a great deal of Julian lately, and he’s jealous of his son’s growing attachment for their friend. Tony rushes to Vickie’s for consolation after an argument with Ginger and has a heart attack there. Vickie rushes him to the hospital, but Ginger arrives before she can leave. Ginger doesn’t believe Vickie’s account of ho the attack actually happened, but can’t confront Tony now.

Tony survives, but his recovery will take time. He confesses his affair to Ginger, insisting he still loves her and his son. Ginger is shattered, but decides to take him back for Joey’s sake. But Tony, who expected her to say that their marriage is over, now tells her he’s going to get an apartment when he leaves the hospital; he needs to be alone. Ginger is badly hurt by this.
 

When Jill continues to castigate Dale to Carrie, insisting he’s only out for a meal ticket, Carrie asks if Jill’s vehemence is perhaps due to her own attraction to Dale. Jill, taken aback, finally admits it’s true. Jill then gives Dale and her mother her blessing, telling Ellen she tried to attract Dale to make Ellen see how foolish she was. But now Ellen is having second thoughts. When she confides this to Jill, Jill suggests she look at it from
Dale’s side: Is he making a mistake by marrying Ellen?

Julian is stunned to learn that Kate’s condition has |deteriorated. She’s now catatonic, and her chances of recovery aren’t good.

Ellen goes away to think things out. Returning, she tells Dale he needs to live “wildly and spontaneously”now, that she’s already done that. Their needs are’ different. As he leaves, she tells him she loves him and they must not see each other again.

Dan Brisken, a retired millionaire publisher, has bought the Somerset Register.

Heather learns she’s pregnant but insists that Jerry not be told, as she’s filing for divorce. But, through a mix up in medical files, Jerry does find out. Stan makes him see that Heather’s fight is for her independence, her right to grow on her own. Understanding this, Jerry offers Heather a partnership in their marriage, promising not to take back responsibilities from her if she makes mistakes. On this basis they
reconcile. |
Somerset has been besieged by a series of fires that may be arson. Greg uncovers information which indicates two men, Gammidge and Bailey, were hired in Chicago to set the most recent fire and Bailey left Gammidge in the building so he wouldn’t have to share the money. Carrie is assigned to the human interest side of the story. Greg follows his leads to Chicago, and on the way back is threatened by a man on the plane. Policeman Lieutenant Price realizes that Greg has opened a major can of worms and places him under protective surveillance. Carrie, realizing how much she cares for him, confesses this to him,and they plan to marry. Julian feels he’s responsible for Greg’s situation—if he hadn’t printed the story,Greg would be in no danger. But the arson ring stations a man with a gun in the building across from Greg’s, and when he answers the phone, he is shot and killed.

Carrie, refusing to cry, because Greg wouldn’t have wanted that, returns to work right after the funeral. When Gammidge, under. police guard, regains consciousness before dying, she tapes his story, in the presence of his wife and the nurse on duty. When the
nurse disappears soon after, foul play is suspected. Carrie then volunteers to go through Greg’s things for papers needed to settle his affairs. Only now age
she break down. She is given sedation.

Tony, out of the hospital continues to badger Vickie into resuming their affair. Vickie, continuing to make a play for Julian, pointedly evades Tony, until he finally realizes she means it. He leaves Paisley’s and returns to his family’s company, Delaney Brands.
Tony’s father, Rex Cooper, returns from California |and tells his son he has no intention of losing his only grandchild: Tony is to reconcile with his wife or be disinherited.
Tony soon learns that without his trust-fund income he’ll be in bad financial shape, but he refuses to kowtow to his father. Ginger fears that Rex will somehow try to take Joey from her.

But Rex engineers a meeting between Ginger and Tony, which clears the air’ somewhat, leading to further conversations. When Tony suffers another bad
heart attack and surgery is necessary, both Ginger and Tony admit their part in the breakup of their marriage and pledge to not make the same mistakes again. Since
the recommended surgeon is in California, they decide to move there with Rex.

Vickie confounds Julian by suddenly putting their relationship on a strictly business level. She admits to Dan that this is a new tack to win Julian, but refuses to return to the old relationship, saying she’s no longer going to play those games.

Ellen, trying to forget Dale, has befriended little Brian Gammidge, son of the dead arsonist. They meet sculptor Lucius (Luke) McKenzie, who helps Ellen in her efforts with the disturbed child. They are gratified when the child begins to respond. Ellen is shocked when Luke is injured in a fall. Surgery is performed, but damage to his spinal cord cannot be assessed yet. He’s optimistic, however, and implies to Carrie that he’d like to start a family with Ellen and Brian.

Julian has hired reporter Steven Slade to replace Greg. Carrie resents Steve’s being there in place of the dead man. 
 

Tom Conway, who has been running the Grant law firm for Ellen since her husband’s death, is upset to learn that Ellen’s son David is coming home and may want to join the firm. Tom, who has been collecting powers of attorney from the firm’s clients and making highly speculative investments (including Heather’s stock), gives David his own version of the firm’s assets and situation and makes him an attractive offer.
Tom explains that David’s interest is litigation and his own is investment counseling, so they can work well together. Tom also introduces David to a local contractor, Mr. Harrington, who promises to speak to a friend in the district attorney’s office on David’s behalf.

Vickie’s business-only stance has piqued Julian’s interest, and finally, after a late supper at her home, they become lovers. But when, in the morning, Vickie begins to make decisions for them which would interfere with Julian’s work as well as his free time, he makes it clear to her that he won’t let her run his life.Vickie, seeing her mistake, quickly promises to change. Julian warns her they then might not find each other so attractive. 

The arson-ring trial begins. Steve is assigned to the defense, Carrie to the prosecution. She promises Julian she'll be objective even though she holds an almost murderous hatred for the men who killed Greg. Carrie and Jill find their apartment has been rifled and are unaware that it also has been bugged.

When Carrie finds a dead bird in her desk drawer, it gives credence to Steve’s contention that Carrie, a prosecution witness to Gammidge’s deathbed confession, may be in danger. He feels Carrie may have evidence pointing to the syndicate’s “Mr. Big,” even if she doesn’t realize she has it. She assures him that Greg’s papers offer no clue. When Carrie is subpenaed to testify, she’s warned that she’s the only
prosecution witness left and must keep quiet about this. Soon after, Carrie receives a threatening phone call, and when Jill mentions clicking sounds on the phone, David finds the bugs. When Steve goes to collect Greg’s papers for safekeeping, he is attacked, and they are stolen. The tape and Carrie are now the whole case for the prosecution.

The DA forms a Committee for Public Safety,composed of prominent citizens and police, to try to determine  the extent of infiltration  by the criminal element. This committee learns that Carrie is to be a witness. When Carrie is almost run down in a hit and run,Steve and Julian ask for police protection for her. An explosion in the D.A.’s office destroys the tape, and now Carrie is the whole case. And the harassment is increasing. Then, when Steve is shot at, and a lead he’s following is killed, and he finds a hit man in Carrie’s hallway despite surveillance outside, he persuades her to “disappear” with him. He later calls Julian to say they’ re all right, but refuses to tell him where they are. 
 

Television coverage of the trial has brought beautiful Avis Ryan to Somerset, and she’s intrigued with Julian. Vickie knows competition when she sees it and prepares for the challenge. Avis glowingly informs Julian that the network execs liked her tape with Julian and are considering offering him a job as her teammate. 
 

Heather, visiting Carrie, is found unconscious at the foot of the stairs. Despite an emergency Caesarean, the baby dies. Heather, who has a subdural hematoma, is in a coma.

Tom Conway, horrified, calls “him” and protests he was assured there would be no foul play. He’s told Heather was an accident—the wrong girl. Tom want  out but is threatened with disbarment (they have incriminating papers) if he doesn’t locate Carrie for them.
Heather remains comatose until Jerry, desolate,calls to her, telling her of his love. She finally opens her eyes. Later, learning of the loss of her baby, Heather comes to terms with it, and she and Jerry plan to have another child soon.

In their hideout apartment, Steve questions Carrie, trying to determine what she might subconsciously know about “Mr. Big.” A noise at the door precipitates their quick exit. Later, Lieutenant Price and Julian follow up a shooting report—the lock has been
shot off the door of the secret apartment. Steve then |shows up alone, claiming that someone shouting at them caused. Carrie to run away from him. Price implies that Steve turned her over to the syndicate, Julian fires him.
 

Nurse Fellowes is. found murdered, and Carrie’s shoe is found in the lake. Price has Steve arrested as an accessory in Carrie’s disappearance. Steve, ironically, hires Tom, who arranges bail.

When Vickie presses Julian on his seeing Avis, he tells her-he’s tired of her jealousy and tantrums. Vickie decides to get away from Somerset. Julian asks her to reconsider; she refuses. Dan learns that Avis lied about the -job offer to Julian. She admits it, but assures Dan that she wants Julian, and with her contract renewal pending, the other networks would like to have her and she can arrange it for Julian. She pledges Dan to secrecy.
 

But suddenly Vickie has a very important reason to stay in Somerset after all. Since he’s now cut off from contact with Julian or Carrie’s friends, Steve visits her secretly, explaining that Julian’s firing him was part of his own plan to allow him fo infiltrate —
the Organization and flush them out from the inside. Vickie senses that Steve is telling her the truth and agrees to be his intermediary with Julian. Vickie also realizes that if Julian is a partner in this scheme with Steve, he too is in danger.

After a‘ painful scene with Carrie’s grandmother Lena at the Hayloft’ Restaurant, Steve realizes he has to put Lena’s mind to rest. He visits her after dark, promising her that everything will be all right and Carrie will come through this safely. Lena, reassured
by him, informs him that she has Greg’s notebooks, which now everybody is looking for. Steve convinces her to let him have them on Julian’s say-so. To ease Lena’s heart, Steven has Julian drive her to a convent out in the country, and there they find Steve with Lieutenant Price. They take Lena inside, where she finds her granddaughter, safe and sound. Julian and, Lena are quickly filled in on what happened at the apartment. Realizing that they were only moments ahead of the hit men hired to eliminate Carrie, they created evidence that she had been either captured or drowned, and Steve hustled her into a taxi with orders that she go to Lieutenant Price’s home. She was then taken secretly to the convent, where she will stay until the trial.

Meanwhile, Tom is becoming badly frightened of his own deepening involvement with the Organization, and finally decides to go to Lieutenant Price and confess now, before he’s in even further. But Price is unavailable, and Tom is beaten up on his way home from police headquarters. Getting the message, Tom, when asked the next day by Price what he’d wanted, makes an excuse and passes off his bruises and
swellings as a traffic accident. Price finds Tom’s story unconvincing somehow.
 

When Julian instructs Steve to hand Greg’ s notebooks over to the police, Steve refuses; he’s sure of Price’s loyalty, but explains that they don’t know if the Organization has already infiltrated the department or not. When Julian finds that his car has been bugged,Lieutenant Price assumes the bug was installed after
their visit to the convent.

Despite warnings from Dan, his publisher, and Fred Harrington that he’s putting his life on the line, Julian has been making repeated statements about his determination to put the big man in the Organization away, once and for all. Tom is frightened when his
contact man from the organization hints that unles Julian shuts up, he will be shut up for good.

Steve now embarks on his plan to be recruited by the Organization. Picking a truck stop as a likely starting point, he returns regularly to advertise his need for. a job and his desire to get back at his former friends, making it clear that he doesn’t care what kind of work he gets. Finally, on the night before the trial,Joe Castor approaches him, saying that he has to be tested—you don’t just walk into the Organization.When Steve finds that he’s going along to pick up Carrie, and that the bug in Julian’s car was there before they visited the convent, he leaves all the lights in his place on when he leaves. Seeing this prearranged signal that something is wrong, Lieutenant Price has Carrie warned immediately. When Steve arrives with Castor they're informed that Carrie went with the police. Only after a complete search does Castor believe this: As Steve leaves with Castor, he winks at one of the assembled nuns: Carrie in disguise.

More to come....

[danfling]

I had realized until I read the post above that NBC had two different character with the same name but different genders:   Chris Kirby on How to Survive a Marriage (female) and Chris Kirby on Somerset (male).

[Paul Raven]

The Paducah Sun 29th October 1976

 Actor doubles work in 'soap' By DAN LEWIS

Joe Sirola and the producers of a daytime soap opera, "Somerset," seen weekdays at 3 p.m., aren't taking any chances on the possibility the show may continue. At the moment, the NBC network reportedly is considering abandoning its six-year-old show because of anemic ratings. But should the serial survive or move to another network, as has been reported, both Sirola and the producers are prepared for any and all eventualities including Sirola's unavailability should some other offer arrive. Sirola will be seen in the series, as Fred Harrington, the kind-hearted, friendly do-gooder who, in reality, is the big boss of the underworld (only the show's fans know this) through Nov 1.

To accomplish this, even though his services were required in Hollywood, while the show tapes in New York, Sirola worked double-time for two straight weeks. He trudged out to NBC's Brooklyn studios every working day in that period and taped two shows a day. In the desperate effort to keep the show alive, the rest of the company was willing to do double time with him to get his scenes on the shelf before Sirola returne to Hollywood for the "pilot season."

Sirola is the veteran Broadway actor whose rich, resonant voice was his gold mine in a unique behind-the-camera career. His voice is the one heard on literally thousands of commercials.His face rarely was seen. He was in such demand through the years, that his annual income, he confides frequently, ranges from $250,000 to $500,000 a year. The voiceover bonanza permitted him the luxury of picking his spots. Theater was a first love, but, in time, Sirola yielded to the Hollywood fascination of television.

A number of great appearances in dramatic series led to his own starring role in a very short-lived series, "The Montefuscos," which lasted exactly four weeks on NBC last season. But it didn't take Sirola long to find his way into another series. He became the manager of the magic club in Bill Bixby's series, "The Magician," which, although not renewed, has been drawing good ratings as an ABC late-night rerun series. ' Sirola also continued to be in big demand for commercial voiceovers.

[j swift]

I barely recall Somerset, other than the opening and my excitement as a kid to be able to watch the first episode of a soap opera.

So, I read the wiki on Joe Sirola and it revealed some interesting facts.  First, of course, there's no reference to Somerset (no respect for daytime in Wiki-land).  Second, he was a sales promo manager for Kimberly-Clark.  And third, his co-star on The Montefuscos was future AW star John Aprea (the actor so nice, they cast him twice).

Edited December 9, 2023 by j swift

[danfling]

Linda Dano, who later played Gretel on One Life to Live and other roles, was also in The Montefuscos.

[danfling]

I was told this weekend by a reliable source that actor and writer Doug Chapin (Tony Cooper #1 on Somerset; also Dr. Dan Stewart on As the World Turns) married Marilyn Chambers in the early 1970s.  It wiould have been before the time that he and Richard Hatch appeared together in the movie Best Friends (which Mr. Chapin also partially wrote).

It was also told that Mr. Chapin (who, I believe, is an heir to the Steinway family) had been playing bagpipes when he and Ms. Chambers first met.  

They divorced later.

Is this the same Doug Chapin who appeared on Somerset and As the World Turns?

[Contessa Donatella]

And Rae on AMC, PC & GH but was most famous for playing Felicia Gallant on AW. 

[danfling]

She was also on As the World Turns, but I remember her best for her portrayal as Gretel Cummings.    Gretel was introduced as an assistant for Adam Brewster.    She and Dr. Dorian Cramer Lord were competing for the attendion of Herb Callison.

I do not remember clearly what actress was then playing Dr. Dorian, but the boyfriend of Claire Mallis (Dr. Dorian #2) appeared on Somerset.   I cannot remember his name.   Could someone refresh my memory?

[Contessa Donatella]

Okay, I was just surprised that anyone would remember her short tenure as Gretel Rae Cummings on OLTL compared to her 18 years playing Felicia Gallant & winning an Emmy for it, on AW! And, then, Angela Shapiro had her go by her middle name Rae Cummings & had her go from one soap to another, over all 4 soaps, looking for her long lost child taken from her at birth. But, I'm glad that her early role on OLTL made such an impression on you. And, yes, her first role was on ATWT & she had something to do with I believe David Stewart. She also co-hosted Attitudes on Lifetime & she now has a podcast. 

[robbwolff]

Actually, Linda's first role was on OLTL, not ATWT. Gretel Cummings appeared in the late 70s. Then, from 1981 to 1982, she played the role of Cynthia Haines on ATWT.

[Contessa Donatella]

Oops. Thanks, Robb. I should never do dates or chronology off the top of my head.