Flame in the Wind/A Time For Us

[soapfan770]

This was an early ABC soap that ran for a couple years in the mid-60s. I guess there was a title change similar to how Portia Faces Life became The Inner Flame. Had no idea Irna Phillips was involved--that means she had power at all three networks! Here's what Matt P. Smith had to say:

Edited June 27, 2011 by soapfan770

[DRW50]

This is fascinating. I had forgotten the show lasted for 2 full years. That's quite a run compared to most of the soaps of the 60's (they usually seemed to either take off or die quickly). I don't understand why they would cancel the show after such massive ratings growth. They missed a trick, as Dark Shadows was on the way to make their channel much more youth-friendly.

I had no idea so many soap names were on this. It's funny because Don Hastings said that - I think - Irna Phillips got Richard Thomas replaced on ATWT because she didn't care for him. When The Waltons started, and Irna told him she was impressed with John Boy, Don told her John Boy had played Tom. She refused to believe him. I wonder if she knew Richard at this show.

The early story sounds very Peyton Place.

Here's what Schemering said. I will skip the early part and just cut to more of the story:

He also says the show was produced by Joseph Hardy and written by Don Ettlinger, and one of the directors was Tom Donovan.

Edited June 27, 2011 by CarlD2

[Paul Raven]

Barbara Rodell was fired as she didn't have the experience needed for the lead role. She stated this in a SOD interview in 79.

Edited June 27, 2011 by Paul Raven

[Paul Raven]

That's Conard Fowkes but not sure who the woman is.

[DRW50]

Conrad looks a lot like Don Hastings there. I can see why they cast him as Don Hughes.

[DRW50]

December 1965 TV Picture Life.

[DRW50]

I typed these two pages up a few hours ago right before SON went down. They didn't go through, clearly. So here are the scans.

[Paul Raven]

It seems that Margaret Hayes's daughter she mentions is actress Tracy Brooks Swope who appeared on WTHI and AW.

[dc11786]

Berrett Arcaya is the actress with Conrad Fowkes. Arcaya played Linda opposite Fowkes' Paul Davis. Linda dated Paul Davis due to his ties to the theatre and her desires to be an actress. Due to this plot point, I'd assumed Linda was the less sympathetic sister, but, after watching the episode saynotoursoap posted, my opinion seems to have changed. Jane seems like someone the audience wouldn't root for with the suggestion she may let Dave Simon take responsibility for this child. It seems a bit too calculating for the show's leading ingenue. Was Linda the nice sister or were they painted with shades of gray?

"A Time for Us" has always fascinated me along with 'Where the Heart Is' and 'From These Roots.' I think its the multigenerational aspects of these stories which seem to have inspired such interest.

In an article of Beverly Hayes and Gordon Gray, it is said that Jane was Steve's secretary at his grandfather's publishing company. This seems a bit different than Steve's construction work, which I've seen mentioned elsewhere. I wonder if Steve took the job with Al Driscoll after marrying Jane.

[Paul Raven]

Black actress Billie Allen was part of the Flame cast in 65.Does anyone know who she played? Allen went on to play Ada #1 on EON.

[DRW50]

I'd forgotten saynotoursoap posted an episode of this. I'll have to go watch that again.

I have one more interview, somewhere, with Tom Holland. I will try to post it when I find it again. Weird that he went on to direct Child's Play...

[Paul Raven]

Variety reported in April 65 that Billie Allen would be portraying a confidante to a Flame character newly arrived in Manhattan.Yje article goes on to say that GH and Young Marrieds would be adding black characters to their casts.

[DRW50]

GH didn't add a black character did they? Did A Time for Us?

[dc11786]

I believe Billie Allen is an African American actress. I would suspect her character was confidante to Linda Driscoll, who went off to New York to pursue her theatrical ambitions.

[Paul Raven]

The Variety article said that GH was planning a 4 week story arc based around a black couple.She would be a schoolteacher who is assaulted by a student she flunked. They stated that theater actor Bobby Dean Hooks was in the running for the male role.I guess he was later known as Robert Hooks.