ATWT: P&G to release ATWT DVD Collection

[DRW50]

The soap magazines of the 70s and 80s are definitely so much better than anything today.

I've never heard of that Soapbox Newsletter. You may want to ask saynotoursoap (not sure if they still post here) or FrenchFan.

[Soapsuds]

So this means more ATWT DVDs??

[Soapsuds]

1991 must be included in the next release if there is one....

Lily and Holden wedding

Darryl Crawford and the whole affair with Barbara and the murder mystery.....

Connor taking control of Walsh Enterprise from Lucinda

Tonio and Sabrina....Tonio dying...the wonderful remote

Barbara confessing to Hal about here affair with Darryl.

Paul and Emily...Andrew Kavovit and Melanie Smith

[soapfave06]

I would love to see the end of the Willows storyline with Lisa facing Hester in December 1979, Kim-Bob-Susan and the conclusion to the Darryl Crawford story.

[Soapsuds]

Greg if you are reading this...some of the episodes contain Mark Collier as Mike.

[Chris B]

Could you let us know more about the Lisa story in 1979? It's nice hearing from a fan familiar with that time frame. Hopefully they do consider your input for future releases. I actually really enjoyed the episode from 1979 so I'm hoping to see more from that year and the early 80s.

[Soapsuds]

I would love to see the Whit McColl storyline with Eileen Fulton's return. I loved the McColl's during Bunim's run as EP.

[soapfave06]

I wasn't watching then but I looked into the story using those old google newspaper archives which had some soap opera recaps dating back to 1976. Lisa had left Oakdale due to problems in her marriage to Grant and her car broke down in a storm and Bennett Hadley saved her and took her to his Inn, the Willows, where she stayed. Lisa and Bennett fell in love as someone began to spook Lisa with several incidents that seemed connected to attempts on Grant's life. It seemed Bennett was responsible until Lisa realized it was his housekeeper, Hester, who knocked Bennett out and then threatened Lisa with a knife until Bob rescued her. Lisa and Bennett ended their engagement and she reconciled with Grant.

[DRW50]

There are some photos from this time of Eileen Fulton being put into a death mask, since she was supposed to look like the dead woman Hadley loved. The photos are kind of creepy, but if you want to see them, let me know and I'll try to find them.

[soapfave06]

I would love to see those CarlD! This is one of the stories I want to see most from ATWT even though it seems unusual for the time.

[Paul Raven]

A summary of the Lisa/bennett story that ran thru most of 79.

. Grant is puzzled when Tom claims Lisa never came to Switzerland. Lisa has decided to take a cross-country tour without telling anyone. Lost in a raging storm, Lisa is rescued by innkeeper Bennett Hadley. Grant worries because no one has heard from Lisa. Bennett is asking Lisa not to contact anyone in Oakdale. At the urging of his housekeeper, Bennett Hadley calls Nancy to let her know tha Lisa is all right. Grant is worried about Lisa and decides to search for her. Grant discovers Lisa at Bennett’s inn and tells her that no one in Oakdale knew of her whereabouts. Astonished, Lisa leaves without waiting to hear Bennett’s explanation. Bennett and Lisa share jolly times while Grant eyes him suspiciously. Nancy and Ellen fret that Lisa is using Bennett to make Grant jealous. Lisa dines with Grant, which set Bennett in a rage. Grant learnes from one of Ruth’s old pals that Bennett married Ruth hastily, and kept her virtual prisonner. Bennett storms out of Lisa’s party for him when he overhears Kim and Carol remark that Lisa and Grant should reconcile.Lisa accepts Bennett’s marriage proposal.Bennett and Lisa are muffed that Grant won’t give Lisa a quickie divorce. Lisa declines Bennett’s invitation to live at the Inn until her divorce is final. Chris is arranging Bennett’s divorce from Ruth on grounds of desertation. Grant worries that Bennett will carry out his threats if Grant doesn’t let him have Lisa. Bennett’s housekeeper, Hester, curses the fact she lost Bennett to Ruth and now Lisa. Hester stood in the garage shadows as Grant borrowed Lisa's car. Grant was injured in an accident and suspected that Bennett had tampered with the brakes.Grant raged at Lisa for giving Ben nett a fake alibi.Bennett realized Lisa's not sure she trusts him now.Ralph saved Grant from a “fixed” elevator accident after Grant was knocked unconscious by a masked person. Lisa moved into the Inn. Bennett accused Lisa of wanting to see Grant when she wanted to comfort Kim in Oakdale. Hester returned from a trip to find Lisa living at the Inn.Bennett refused Lisa's offer to live in Oakdale giving her a week to return to the inn.Hester told Bennett that someone at the Inn loved him and that Lisa would leave him just like Ruth did. Grant gave Lisa a Haitian divorce, then regretted it after learning that Watkins was responsible for only one of the attacks on Grant. Grant's convinced Bennett committed the other assault. Bennett threatened to fire Hester unless she gets over her jealousy of Lisa.Jealousy reared its ugly head when Bennett spotted Lisa getting chummy with Dr. Bickford's nephew, Derek, while discussing Bennett's book. Lisa's convinced that Hester is trying to scare her. Derek told Lisa and Tom that Hester had been in a mental institution after her brother Martin ran off with Bennett's first wife Ruth.The "presence” at the inn played trick-or-treat games with Lisa's mind. Someone secretly peeped while Bennett took Lisa to his bed.Grant went to Moorciiff Sanitarium to find out what happened to Ruth.Grant learned at Moorcliff Martin has been catatonic ever since finding Ruth with another man shortly after Martin took her away from Bennett. Lisa asked Derek to snoop into Hester's room while she dined with Bennett. Derek was later reported to be killed by a hit-and-run driver, although he was followed by a "shadow" at the inn. Bennett was absent from Lisa's dinner for 20 minutes. Bennett railed at Hester for keeping Martin's existence a secret.Kim found a note that Ruth had written about being locked in her room at night. Bennett accused Hester: he claimed Hester locked up Ruth to keep Ruth from meeting Martin.Bennett and Lisa went to New York where he had recurring head pains and nightmares about Ruth. Dr. Bickfod found Hester dressing up like Ruth. Hester claimed a woman at the inn knocked her unconscious. Bennett's eyes glazed while overhearing Lisa tell Kim that she still has feelings for Bob.Bennett fired Hester and was shadowed by a woman. The "shadow" almost beat Lisa to a pulp with a shovel. Lisa's wedding gift from Bob was smashed, and she received a shroud as well as a call from a woman claiming to be Ruth who asked for a meeting. It was learned that Hester killed Ruth. Derek and Martin "had hypnotized" Bennett into believing he was responsible and had almost convinced Lisa that Bennett tried to kill Hester. Bob and Tom rescued Lisa from Hester, who later did die. Bennett said goodbye to Lisa because of his unctrollable temper.

[DRW50]

Thanks for showing us all that.

[RogerNewcomb]

Have encountered some music rights issues while researching potential additional shows. This may be common knowledge but something new that I learned this week was in the early 1990s, in some cases, the soaps started replacing the pop music songs with other songs right after the show aired on the master tape. I don't have the whole background, I'm thinking they pay for the rights to use a song one time and never again (in repeats on Soapnet or on DVDs like with ATWT). I remember a case a while back where the OLTL episode on Soapnet played a different song than the daytime version. If you pay for more rights then I guess you can air it however many times you pay for.

Anyway, in looking at potential other shows for the future from all the P&G soaps I started thinking how some of my favorite scenes involved very memorable pop music. The rights can cost upwards of $100,000 so no way that's happening. And to replace it with another song (if it's an older episode where that didn't happen in the master) costs money as well. So it will definitely be much, much harder to include those types of episodes on future DVDs (unless, like I said, the show actually paid for more usage). One non-ATWT episode that comes to mind is Rita in the Hall of Mirrors on GL. Donna Summer's "Enough is Enough" really made that for me. But it's not a option because of music rights. I don't have the exact breakdown but someone like Lisa or Lyla singing a popular song is more feasible.

Anyway, I think we got lucky on the first ATWT DVD not encountering any rights issues other than old commercials.

Please keep submitting your choices for future episodes for ATWT and the other soaps. It's very helpful to get a sense of how many people like the same things.

[RogerNewcomb]

Eileen recounted a story about that in my interview with her. It may be an old story I'm not sure. Doug Marland wrote the ending during his 13 weeks at ATWT that fall and it perfectly matched what was happening in her real life at the time and they had never met. She thought it was very "spooky."

[Mitch]

The Bennet Story has some similarities to the Doug Cummings story that Marland later did. I know they both hark back to Rebecca with the mysterious first wife and the threatening housekeeper, but the twist that both Bennet's and Doug's housekeeper/assistant were in love with him and violent is familiar. Wonder if Marland had stayed if they would have Lisa find Bennet's dead wife ("Old dead Ruth," as Fulton tells the story,) freak out, think he is attacking her, then they find Bennet dead with Lisa on trial for murder.

Speaking of, a good idea for a DVD would be to get the vets all together to talk about their time on the show, their fave stories, their worst, who they loved working with, etc (read something from the actors, maybe Fulton or Hastings that the actor who played Grandpa Hughes was totally different and a ladies man with a younger wife, a bit wild.) Like I said on the GL thread, love to see Fulton, Hastings, Hayes, Brygman, Hubbard, the Susan actress, etc, all sitting around having a few drinks and letting loose on some of the things that happened.