Members CSF Posted September 4, 2012 Members Share Posted September 4, 2012 I think he would have lasted until 1995-96. When he died, Laurence Caso didn't know what to do. He was an EP who was only as strong as his head writer. The big P&G switch at all 3 soaps was a result in the decline at ATWT which was due in part to Marland's death. Without Marland, the show was falling a part, AW was already going down and GL was on its way. Had Marland lived, I don't think ATWT would have been affected by the switch, it would have been just AW and GL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khan Posted September 4, 2012 Members Share Posted September 4, 2012 Several years ago, Julie Poll told a reporter from SOD that Marland had changed his mind about Darryl being Carolyn's murderer in mid-story, which was something he never did, apparently. I tend to think that's the reason why the story itself became hopelessly convoluted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khan Posted September 4, 2012 Members Share Posted September 4, 2012 I disagree, because I think The Great P&G Shakeup was due more to Ed Trach's retirement than anything else. Once he was gone as Executive in Charge of Production, I don't believe the corporation remained as committed to the model of traditional, character-driven soap opera. Therefore, I see the shakeup, and its effects on the P&G lineup as a whole, as inevitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CSF Posted September 4, 2012 Members Share Posted September 4, 2012 Possibly, but nevertheless, Caso was unable to lead ATWT without a strong HW. If the HW is weak, the EP should have able to at least guide them, Caso was unable to do that, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khan Posted September 4, 2012 Members Share Posted September 4, 2012 Now, that, I do agree with, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sjbeutel Posted September 4, 2012 Members Share Posted September 4, 2012 I read in an interview that P&G did not know what to do with ATWT after Marland's death. The interview was with Juliet Law Packer and she said they just came to her and Richard Buckas stated the same thing a few years back, to write the show. Both of them knew they could never fill the shoes of Marland and they did follow alot of his outlines that he had written in advance and it just seems that all came apart. It seems they wanted someone who was familiar with Marland's work until they could figure out what to do with the show. I dont think the show would have ended up being so bad if Marland had lived a few more years. Side note on this all does anyone think that Felicia Mieni Behr was picked to be the EP due to the fact the show needed someone who could guide it after the mess of Marland's death? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Y&RWorldTurner Posted September 4, 2012 Members Share Posted September 4, 2012 Behr was part of MADD's trend of hiring friends she had worked with at ABC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khan Posted September 4, 2012 Members Share Posted September 4, 2012 True, MADD hired Felicia Minei Behr (and later, Lorraine Broderick) primarily on the strength of their prior history at ABC Daytime. At the outset, though, I think very few would have argued against the decision. After all, FMB had been regarded by fans and critics alike for her ability to update ALL MY CHILDREN without alienating much of that show's core audience (although some, including yours truly, might argue that AMC wasn't really AMC anymore by that point). Moreover, ATWT, like AMC, was a character-driven show; ergo, there was little, if any, doubt that Behr and Broderick's mutual respect for character and history, combined with Behr's reputation for tasteful production values, would spark a major renaissance for ATWT. Unfortunately, though, two issues ultimately doomed Behr's regime. One was the near-constant interference from P&G; and the other, IMO, was Broderick's limitations as a writer. (Broderick might be a good associate writer, but she isn't what I'd call a "visionary.") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members P.J. Posted September 4, 2012 Members Share Posted September 4, 2012 Arguably, one of ATWT's best remote sequences ever. It is too bad the story itself was so weak---there were a decent amount of memorable moments bogged down in a who-gives-a-bleep story. Not only the tram chase, but Darryl and the bad guy falling through the window, Darryl and Frannie in Puerto Rico (with the cheesetastic "interpretive ballet on the beach" scene...) and the reveal that Babs had met and gotten preggo by Darryl in Europe. I think the guy who killed her was Arthur, her dweeby accountant---there was something about a three-way Carolyn and Gavin had had with him that there was a picture of or something. It was weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sjbeutel Posted September 4, 2012 Members Share Posted September 4, 2012 There was an interview Felicia Behr gave that stated that it was hard working at ATWT due to the fact the show had a core audience and that you cannot change that for any reason. Once you change the core of the show it is hard to go back. I think that was true of any show on the air from 1992 to the present. I feel that Douglas Marland would have left the show due to much interference from P&G later in the 1990's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CSF Posted September 5, 2012 Members Share Posted September 5, 2012 I agree with this, Broderick could be very boring at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ClassicsSoapFan Posted September 5, 2012 Members Share Posted September 5, 2012 I remember reading that Marland was working on the Bible for a new soap titled "Soul Survivor". It was supposed to be set in a Pennsylvania steel town. He said at the time he was working six days a week trying to keep up with ATWT and create his new soap.He said it was exhausting but he enjoyed the work. I wonder what happened to that? It is a shame that Marland's heirs couldn't have pitched that to the network and a good writer hired to bring it to the screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khan Posted September 5, 2012 Members Share Posted September 5, 2012 Granted, even "The Soul Survivors" wouldn't have stood a chance in the post-O.J. years. Nevertheless, I do imagine what it would have been like to have another, Marland-created soap on television. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ClassicsSoapFan Posted September 5, 2012 Members Share Posted September 5, 2012 I agree with you Khan on that point. I may be one of the few that liked Lorraine Brodeerick's time on ATWT.What I couldn't understand was how could they have fired her for Leah Laiman,often referred to as LethalLeah Laiman! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khan Posted September 5, 2012 Members Share Posted September 5, 2012 Didn't Leah Laiman join AS THE WORLD TURNS after ANOTHER WORLD's cancellation? If so, then I suspect it was done to fulfill the remainder of her contract with P&G. However, from what I understand about that time period, Laiman's tenure was a mess because the sponsor (and MADD, specifically) foisted many of the bad story ideas on her, giving her no creative control whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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