GH: Classic Thread

[carolineg]

Interesting.  I mean BW could deliver, but I could see why Riche/Guza might be reticent to cast him just based off of looks alone.  I certainly don't blame BW for staying for the money.  He did what he could with the role.  Do we know who the first SK recast was that didn't work out?

[Vee]

I don't. BW didn't name him and I assume he never aired.

[Liberty City]

Phelps and co. probably always intended to kill AJ off, and she probably told him it was a fake out to keep him around, because they easily could have recast the role to keep AJ on, or tried to get Sean Kanan back as he'd just announced his exit from The Bold and the Beautiful.

[depboy]

Continuing the summer of 1970:

Monday, August 3, 1970: Tom apologizes to Audrey, packs his bag and plans to move to a hotel. Howie secretly takes his and Jane's savings out of the bank to put into oil wells.

Tuesday, August 4: Audrey persuades Tom not to tell anyone about their separation.  Steve and Agent Adler plan to confront Henry and ask him to help breaking the drug syndicate.

Wednesday, August 5: Henry agrees to cooperate with the Narcotics Bureau.

Thursday, August 6: Jessie finds and reads an old letter from Phil; Peter sees the letters and asks Jessie to throw them out, she refuses.

Friday, August 7: Henry, suffering withdrawal, is rough with Sharon and is guilty about it; Agent Adler praises him for what he has done to help bring down the syndicate.

Monday, August 10: Arnie, Henry's pusher, calls wanting to see him.  Steve is surprised to see Tom eating dinner in the coffee shop instead of at home.

Tuesday, August 11: Scotty, Lee and Brooke have a surprise birthday party for Meg.

Wednesday, August 12: Meg has a nightmare about killing Brooke. Diana tells Phil she doesn't want to lose touch with Jessie; Phil says to leave him out of it.

Thursday, August 13: Diana gets confirmation of Jessie's wedding date and wants to attend; Phil says no.

Friday, August 14: Jane looks for the passbook to the savings account, but can't find it.

Monday, August 17: Diana is puzzled by Phil's unwillingness to buy a wedding gift for Jessie and Peter.  Meg, jealous of a dessert that Brooke made and Lee admired, spills the dish.

Tuesday, August 18: Jane and Howie argue when Jane discovers he took all the money from their savings account.

Wednesday, August 19: Sharon and Jane share husband problems.

Thursday, August 20: Tom suggests to Audrey that the strain of keeping up the pretense of marriage may make her sick.

Friday, August 21: Al gives Lucille an engagement ring.

Monday, August 24: Howie is elated when he hears the oil well he invested in is a good one.

Tuesday, August 25: Adler gives Henry last-minute instructions.  Diana tries to persuade Phil to go with her to Jessie and Peter's wedding.

Wednesday, August 26: Henry meets with Arnie at a remoter bar - without prescription blanks; Arnie and a pal beat him up.

Thursday, August 27: Henry continues to refuse to cooperate with Arnie; Arnie gives him a hypodermic injection.

Friday, August 28: Henry is taken to the boss, who offers to set him up with a nice private practice if he will comply; when Henry refuses, the boss orders to have Henry killed.

Monday, August 31: Sharon goes to Steve, worried because she hasn't heard from Henry; Henry arrives and tells how he led the narcotics squad to the big boss.

Edited May 30, 2023 by depboy

[FrenchFan]

Fascinating to read more about 1970 !

Clearly the Audrey/Tom/Steve and the Jessie/Peter/Phil/Diana stuff hold my interest. 

I guess Denise must have left. Do you have info on that @depboy ? Thanks again for your hard work !

[Paul Raven]

GH SOD review from 2016

Flip the calendar back a year, and you’d come across a very different GH. Indeed, May 2015 saw the advent of several story strands that proved controversial at best and outright unpopular at worst: Elizabeth’s decision to conceal “Jake’s” identity, Ava’s re-entry as “Denise DeMuccio”, Carlos’s brutal murder of Duke and Anna gunning down Carlos in retaliation, Nikolas ordering a hit on Hayden. A few months later, a new co-head-writing team was announced, and the material of Shelly Altman and Jean Passanante began airing in October. The show does feel like it’s in transition, as the scribes are still contending with stories not of their own creation (like the tug-of-war between Sonny and Ava over Avery) — and yet, it has a decidedly different feel under the new regime. Here, Digest gives the hospital a checkup.

Duty Calls: Animating GH’s workforce was a top priority for its new scribes, andthe results have been fantastic. The titular hospital was badly in need of an uptick in staff, which it got in the form of nuDrs.
Andre, Griffin, Mayes and Finn, plus Franco’s reinstatement as art therapist.
As a result, stories are once again taking place in the hospital, like Tracy’s health crisis, a stellar showcase for the beloved Quartermaines that was enhanced by the contrasting perspectives of her doctors —idealistic Griffin, sourpuss Mayes, offbeat Finn. The PCPD is also popping, courtesy
of fiery Commissioner Jordan, shady DA Paul, kickass special investigator Anna,and do-right cops Dante, Nathan and Valerie. Resurrecting Crimson via Dillon, Maxie and Nina was an inspired choice, giving all three characters new purpose. Equally refreshing is how much those in the mafia sphere seem to be questioning their chosen/inherited lifestyle.

We Got The Beats: Altman and Passanante heard fans who complained about GH skipping over important
emotional beats loud and clear. Their renewed focus on P.C. citizens talking to one another about the things that matter to them (sexually confused Kristina’s confessionals to her sisters and mom; the Corinthoses wrestling with how best to handle and support bipolar Morgan;Anna’s continued mourning for Duke) has yielded top-notch drama — and better defined characters.
Shining Stars: From powerhouse veterans like Finola Hughes (Anna) to charismatic newbies like Donnell Turner (Curtis), the cast rocks. ’Nuff said.

Mystery Tour: Our fingers are crossed that the mystery of Helena’s bequeathal to Laura will give Genie Francis some strong material to sink her teeth into — and wherever it’s leading, we hope it’s more rewarding than the reveal that Hayden is Rachel Berlin, a character with no ties to Port Charles (except
for the hastily constructed one of her Bernie Madoff-esque dad draining Scotty’s fortune). This felt like a real missed opportunity, especially considering that Hayden could have been a Quartermaine (Jimmy Lee
Holt’s kid, perhaps?), a Baldwin (Serena with anassumed identity and an ax to grind?), a Webber (Liz’s surprise sis?), etc.
Which leads us to....
Family Matters: There are many people and circumstances to blame for this going back many years
and creative regimes, but the fact that there are as many, say, Jeromes on the canvas as there are,
say, Quartermaines continues to feel like a real problem on this show, creating a feeling of disconnection
from its own history. However, bringing back Wally Kurth’s Ned and establishing Jason’s pull toward
the Q fold are supershrewd moves in the right direction.

Age Old Question: We finally cottoned to the character of Kiki, it’s a true boon to GH to have Lexi Ainsworth back as Kristina, and Bryan Craig is slaying it as bipolar Morgan ... but for the most part,
the show’s “younger set” consists of characters who were graduating from high school a decade ago. We’re all for focusing on vets, but the lack of teens on the show does make us question
where the next generation of heroes,heroines and supercouples is going to
come from.

With so many players to juggle, some get lost in the shuffle, ranging from full-fledged disappearing acts
(Rosalie, we hardly knew ye!) to the veritable vanishing of vets like Ric and Lucy (both of whom, happily, are now back in the mix) to the short shrift given to likable folks like Felix (he of the off-camera boyfriend), TJ, Lucas and Brad. We give a similar finger-wag to story points that were introduced only to lead to a whole lotta nowhere (yes, we’re still sore about the unknown contents of Luke’s goodbye
letter to Laura, and wonder if Monica is still dating that judge, etc.).

Those who missed the slice-of-life style of storytelling GH was once known for will find plenty to love these days, with some solid surprises thrown in for good measure (what, you thought Michael Easton’s new character was going to love lizards?). The show feels like it’s in caring hands, and is trending in the right direction.

[depboy]

@FrenchFanThe last record of Julie Adams being in the cast as Denise is Friday, June 26, 1970.  And while I don't have story summaries or character sequences to pinpoint the exit story for her, I do have a story projection, although what is in the projection may not have made it on screen.

Excerpts from Story Conference Memo dated February 25, 1970:

"The story as of April 1, 1970 (on the air)...Denise back to pursue Steve (until the end of June when her contract expires)."

STEVE STORY

Denise will return to the cast early in April and will continue to make a pitch for Steve who will be diverted but not sold. He knows that Audrey is not really in love with Tom - at least he believes it.

Before July 1, when the actress playing Denise is leaving the cast, the plan is to have Tom and Denise, both having failed in their efforts to win love, get together.  If Denise continues.  If she doesn't, a successor who does volunteer work will carry on with her function.

SUMMER MELODRAMA FOR STEVE

After the departure of Denise and the marriage of Audrey, we plan a melodrama for Steve which should last through the summer and into the autumn. (My note: This summer melodrama is the narcotics story with Henry Pinkham.)

STEVE STORY

While the actress playing Denise is still available, she will put more heat on her pitch for Steve.  But Steve doesn't buy it...Tom may turn to Denise, who, in spite of her efforts, is not making the grade with Steve.  (This, if Jim Young is able to retain the actress past the July 1 termination of her contract.  We cannot again agree to take an actress, however excellent, for only six months of the year.  If Denise is impossible, we will have to start building a new interest for Steve. Regrettable, takes time, but it is an unavoidable casting problem.)

Not really a clear indication on how Denise leaves, but I hope it helps!

[FrenchFan]

Thanks a lot ! Very fascinating to hear.

[soapfave06]

Wow, such an invaluable information, I hope I get this for OLTL one day, but love reading in such detail the history of GH. Thank you!

[MissPalmer]

Yesssss....it would be amazing and a dream for OLTL too! Thank you very much for the GH summaries....I love them and all the info related to them

[depboy]

September/October 1970:

Tuesday, September 1, 1970: Lee tells Meg that he has to work late; she imagines Brooke is with Lee.

Wednesday, September 2: Meg and Lee quarrel over Brooke.

Thursday, September 3: Peter and Jessie stop by the Main Street Restaurant and Diane enthusiastically greets them; Phil refuses to meet them and then bolts.

Friday, September 4: Meg and Brooke both see Lee, who is headed to Washington, off at the airport.

Monday, September 7: Sharon tells Henry she no longer feels like his wife, since he didn't trust her enough to tell her about the plan to bust the narcotics ring.

Tuesday, September 8: Tom tells Audrey that, after thinking about it, he feels like they must get a divorce.

Wednesday, September 9: Mrs. Taylor suffers a heart attack.

Thursday, September 10: Mrs. Taylor insists to Peter that the wedding must not be stopped, no matter what happens to her.

Friday, September 11: Phil reiterates to Diana that he's not going to Jessie's wedding.

Monday, September 14: Diana sees a picture of Jessie and Peter in the newspaper announcing their forthcoming wedding; she notices that Jessie looks a lot like the picture of Harold's wife.

Tuesday, September 15: After Meg tells Brooke that she shouldn't take Scotty to little league games since he can't play, they argue; Brooke accuses Meg of using her breast surgery to get pity and attention.

Wednesday, September 16: Meg finds a note from Brooke saying that she can't continue to live in the house with Meg while Lee isn't there.

Thursday, September 17: Jessie calls Diana to remind her of the wedding, and gets Phil instead; Jessie feels she recognizes the voice, but doesn't mention it to Peter.

Friday, September 18: Phil decides to go to the wedding.  Jessie finds a photograph of Phil, but is determined to never look back.  Jessie and Peter are married.

Monday, September 21: Tom tells Steve about the divorce, but refers Steve to Audrey for an explanation.

Tuesday, September 22: Jane and Mrs. Dawson pester Howie about the oil wells; when Howie calls the the investor, he gets no answer.

Wednesday, September 23: Al asks questions about Audrey's history of marriages and divorces and is bewildered by Lucille's answers.

Thursday, September 24: Diana asks Jessie how to go about becoming a nurse.

Friday, September 25: When Scotty falls ill, Meg begins to recover her old sense of values.

Monday, September 28: Steve examines Scotty, and asks Audrey to go on special duty.

Tuesday, September 29: Diana asks Phil if he would object if she went into nurse training.

Wednesday, September 30: Scotty has a staph infection in one lung; Audrey and Steve pull him through a crisis and find themselves enjoying their togetherness.

Thursday, October 1: Peter visits his mother, who is feeling euphoric; she tells him that he and Jessie have made her very happy and they must not grieve if she dies.

Friday, October 2: Sharon tells Steve that Mrs. Taylor died in her sleep; Diana speculates that possibly one of the reasons Jessie married Peter was to please Peter's mother.

Monday, October 5: Meg worries about Scotty's condition and wishes she could be nursing him.

Tuesday, October 6: Diana tells Jessie she has enrolled in nurse training at the hospital; she tells Phil that she told Jessie they (Diana and Harold) aren't married.

Wednesday, October 7: Scotty needs a transfusion of a rare blood type; Meg and Lee aren't matches, so they ask Brooke.

Thursday, October 8: Scotty does well after the transfusion from Brooke; Brooke tells Lee she would like to be a nurse.

Friday, October 9: It's Diana's first day on the seventh floor; later Diana tells Phil that Jessie loved Phil very much, but is determined not to let that interfere with her marriage to Peter.

Monday, October 12: Audrey confesses to Steve that her marriage to Tom failed because she was unable to give herself to him physically.

Tuesday, October 13: Diana gets Phil to help her study veins, and discovers he already knows the names.

Wednesday, October 14: Audrey tells Lee she will not contest the divorce, and that she is in love with Steve.

Thursday, October 15: Howie and Brooke have lunch together, and Meg disapproves. Jessie loans Diana a book, one that is inscribed by Phil; Phil leaves a note for Diana, and she compares the handwriting and suspects they are the same.

Friday, October 16: Audrey and Steve discuss getting married six months after the divorce; Audrey tells Lucille she feels queasy.

Monday, October 19: Dr. Morgan tells Audrey she might be pregnant.

Tuesday, October 20: Meg warns Jane that Brooke is not to be trusted with any man.

Wednesday, October 21: Diana is determined to solve the mystery of Harold's past.

Thursday, October 22: Diana asks Jessie how old Phil was when he died and when his birthday was; Peter agrees to come to the restaurant when Harold is working to meet him.

Friday, October 23: Audrey learns from Dr. Morgan that she is pregnant.

Monday, October 26: Meg tells Tom she saw Brooke and Howie holding hands.

Tuesday, October 27: Jane and Howie quarrel over his attention to Brooke.  Once Phil learns that Jessie won't be with Peter, he agrees to meet with him.

Wednesday, October 28: When Peter goes with Diana to meet her boyfriend, Phil puts on an act, pretending he doesn't want to be more than a dishwasher.

Thursday, October 29: Audrey learns from Lee that the only major revelation that could put a stop to the divorce is pregnancy.  Diana asks Jessie if Peter said anything to her about Harold.

Friday, October 30: Lucille tells Steve that Audrey is pregnant.

[soapfave06]

Awesome, the beginning of the baby story for Tom/Steve/Audrey. 
 

Did the show have a rather large cast at this time for a 30 minute soap? 

[FrenchFan]

I don’t think it was particularly large. It had 2-3 big stories and some collateral. Something 30-min soaps (B&B) are unable to do nowadays.

[dc11786]

@Vee re: Joseph Adkins. In what I've seen, Bobbie starts communicating with Joseph Adkins, a convicted cop killer who has written a book about how he has reformed as a result of his time in prison. Bobbie's decision to maintain this relationship put strain on her marriage with Tony. Several other women read Adkins' book (I believe Audrey and Simone were among them). The story started under Norma Monty in January, 1992. I'm not sure what the direction they were going to take with it.

The interim writers played into the idea that Bobbie believed in redemption given her own past, which strained her relationship with Tony because Bobbie was always concerned about how her past would haunt her in the present. The sense I got was that Joseph Adkins was suppose to be a sorta Luke Spencer figure which was why Bobbie felt connected to him. I believe Adkins was fairly young and had been involved in a robbery and had killed a cop in the process. He appeared genuine. Given the stories the Montys were trying to tell, I imagine there would have been many conversations that went no where about prison reform without even really digging into how the prison system impacted Adkins. 

I think under Thoma/Levinson they added some new layers. Adkins was revealed to be faking it. He had began threatening Bobbie. He escaped from prison during a storm. Tony and Bobbie worried because Robin was home watching the kids with her friend. I think Adkins tried to go to the brownstone, but eventually it was revealed he was the older brother of Cal, one of the guys who Jagger had been friends with before the robbery. Cal and Joseph I believe ended up harassing the teens on the island and then there was some sequence where Karen was helping Jason and Jagger to steal cars for the Adkins, for a reason I cannot recall. 

From what I can gather, it started as a social issue story that would have an impact on Tony and Bobbie's marriage. Then, it was more a complication in Tony and Bobbie's marriage with some potential to cause domestic drama if Adkins was released. Finally, it became an action story. It is a very ill-fitting story overall for a couple of Tony and Bobbie's prominence. Someone like Tom and Simone, who were barely frontburner even when they had meaty story (the whole Harrison Davis tale was played as a filler). To be fair though, this was not atypical of the Monty era. The veterans were kept by Monty, but so much of their stories were rough. 

[Vee]

That's wild. I remember some of the island business with the teens.

On paper someone writing to a con is a viable story, but I can't buy Bobbie being snowed given her history or jeopardizing her marriage over it.