Recast the behind the scenes talent

[titan1978]

Looking at the 70’s and 80’a ratings threads and seeing all those soaps got me thinking about moving talent around.

I think Bob Guza would have been excellent as HW for Edge of Night (if it had been airing when he made it to the top spot). I also think of all the soaps back then the only one I can really see Gloria Monty at instead of GH is Edge.

Likewise I wonder what Henry Sleasar would have been able to do with GH once we got to the WSB/Anna as police chief era.

When the rumors came up back in the day I was really excited to see Wendy Riche as EP of As The World Turns, but it didn’t happen.

Bill Bell turning Bold over to James Reilly might have been a real treat instead of what Brad has done.  Not supernatural Jim, but his camp would fit well.  He would have given Darlene Connolly fantastic material.

Kay Alden’s rumored almost All My Children run could have been fun I think.  She had the skills to pull off grounded material and still play larger than life characters, which is what you need to keep Erica front and center.

As much as I loved Claire Labine I’m not certain where to put her.  For some reason her style seems like it would have been fabulous on Another World with the characters/actors from the early 90’s.

[Faulkner]

I think AW is an inspired idea. Lots of actors who could have made music out of her literary dialogue like Mark Pinter and, of course, folks like Charles Keating, Linda Dano, Vicky Wyndham, and Stephen Schnetzer. Plus it would have been interesting to see how she would have handled the young scene (Lorna/Dean/Jenna/Matt et al), similar to how she handled Brenda, Robin, and that crew over on GH. I used to think Claire might have been a good fit for AMC, but I’m not so sure anymore. Then again I wouldn’t have naturally assumed she’d be good for GH, but she on paper should have been a decent fit for OLTL.

[Paul Raven]

How many of those headwriter switches over the years have really worked out?

The Corringtons were well received at Search but subsequent gigs at Texas, GH etc didn't pan out.

The Dobsons at ATWT didn't blow us away after their GL stint.

Henry Slesar at Search? Ann Marcus at Days?

It does seem to be very hit and miss. 

 

[titan1978]

I think if she had arrived with Wendy it would not have worked.  For Labine to work, we needed characters like Anna and Robert to be gone.  Luke and Laura were larger than life, but unlike Robert and Anna their foundations were rooted in much more grounded substance, which suits her.  The action became grounded. But again, Frank Smith was a blast from the past that worked.

That period of time Riche was with Levinson really shaped a tone that Labine could run with.

 I didn’t enjoy her OLTL run overall, and for some reason I also find her misplaced on AMC. But I could imagine her work on Another World pretty easily.

[Planet Soap]

Interesting thread. I'm curious as to what a Frank Valentini/Ron Carlivati run on Y&R would look like in the post Bill Bell era. I'm sure that pairing would be able to capture Y&R's's old school, dark vibe, sort of what they brought to OLTL's in the 2000s.

William J Bell could write for AMC.  Grounded storylines with sort of a glamour/business aspect and middle aged characters.

I'd put put Aaron Spelling on B&B.

[BetterForgotten]

Y&R was such a singular vision, but if they had to have someone other than Bell, I think Marland (had he lived) would have loved the corporate intrigue, gothic undertones, and psychological atmosphere the show had become known for. He’s the only non-Bell talent I think could have really taken to that show (even if it wouldn’t necessarily be in Bell’s tone). 

[Liberty City]

I have said it before and I will say it again: replacing Chris Goutman with Frank Valentini as executive producer at As the World Turns would have been golden.  Cast would have been respected (a.k.a. Martha Byrne's 2008 exit would not have happened) and I do think we could have kept some things about the soap that we loved (sets).  Gary Tomlin, despite my actual not-to-favourable views on him, might have worked as executive producer as Guiding Light over Ellen Wheeler (who should never have been hired).  Under Tomlin's production, One Life to Live did win Outstanding Daytime Drama in 2002, their only time winning the award.  As @titan1978 posted, Wendy Riche would have done wonders at either P&G produced soap.  Hell, she'd even be a shoe-in for The Young and the Restless in today's world.

Ron Carlivati would absolutely TANK The Young and the Restless into oblivion, but he'll never get the chance to touch the soap.  Sony/CBS don't want him there.

[Beetle Bailey]

Instead of Falcon Crest hiring Camille Marchetta to write season 8 and Miami Vice's old writers in season 9, they might have been better off hiring Eileen and Robert Mason Pollock to write those seasons because I think their writing style would have suited the show better.  Although FC was my favorite primetime soap of the big four (Dallas, Dynasty and Knots Landing), it was more plot oriented than the others.

Instead of Days hiring Ron Calivati to be the headwriter, I think Pamela K. Long would have been a better fit for the show.

I think Chris Goutman would have been a better executive producer at either Edge of Night or Ryan's Hope.  I saw the interview he did with Alan Locher and he still has an affection for Edge.  I do not think he really liked ATWT, he said more than once it was very midwestern.  Whatever that means.  I don't know why Alan did not press him about that.  Maybe the show was not edgy enough for him.  

[Vee]

He's very well loved by most and for very valid reasons, but there's some pretty interesting stories about Frank's handling of certain folks at OLTL and GH. When he freezes someone out or wants to placate them he'll allegedly say a lot and do something else. I think he can be a control freak, but he's never treated his shows with contempt in the way I feel Goutman did near the end. (The audience is another story)

But yes, I do think Martha would never have left. I've said before the vibes with her and Goutman are very strange and make me think there is a huge story there that's just barely never been told. I have never gotten vibes like that off FV with anyone, ever.

Edited June 25, 2023 by Vee

[MichaelGL]

The Labines are a popular group on this thread. I would be curious to see what Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer could have done with Search for Tomorrow or The Doctors after they departed Ryan's Hope in 1982. Or perhaps instead of creating Ryan's Hope, both Labine and Mayer were brought onto DOCTORS in 1975, which was a pivotal point for the show as the Pollocks had just departed, and it seemed like the show was toying with going to an hour, they just needed a HW with a vision that would get viewers watching right away and someone that the networks would have enough faith in to be allowed time to get the show back on top. 

If Claire and Paul's first few years at Ryan's Hope is any clue as to what they would have done for SEARCH, I think their vision would have fit perfectly with the show. Mix of medical, romantic, and political drama seems what Search was about in the early to mid 70s. Claire's tackling of social issues on GH in the 90s, I could see being a vision that could be applied to Search as well, with Jo and Stu running their bed and breakfast with new and intriguing characters of all ages. Labine's ability to infuse light hearted humor also could be applied to SEARCH too. 

I've always wondered how Gordon Russell, Sam Hall, and Peggy O'Shea would have done at The Doctors. They also had stories where the backdrop was the hospital and could tackle social issues very well too. I could see a storyline like OLTL's baby switch playing out on DOCTORS. Or a restless doctor's wife resorting to prostitution to fund her lavish lifestyle. Or a character like Marco Dane terrorizing Madison, targeting a young Penny (like he did with Tina) and butting heads with Althea. ABC seemed to have had a monopoly on talented writers in the mid to late 70s, sucks that networks like NBC couldn't or wouldn't take note.

Edited June 25, 2023 by MichaelGL

[Liberty City]

Same.  It's clear Valentini has his "favourites", but I also feel that with most executive producers.  To me, that's nature of the beast with any job.  Byrne has always stated those final years on World Turns just plain "sucked" in her words.  I do think Valentini could have softened the suck, because it's clear Goutman was just not up to par with what was happening.  All she wanted was episode guarantee, and with Valentini being a numbers man, I do think he would've given it to her.  For Goutman, it was a power move to say "no" and immediately send a casting notice out.  Replacing Felicia Minei Behr (who I like as an executive producer) with Goutman was a choice by way of P&G.

[titan1978]

What do we think of the pairing of Malone and Gottlieb at Y&R?  That Victor Lord storyline- first the book, revisiting Dorian’s culpability, and then all Viki’s alters really fits the gothic tone Y&R often dipped into.  I would think Gottlieb (or was it Bedsow-Horgan that liked the dark orchestral music) would have certainly kept the music cues going, and the lush filming style.  I agree that Marland would have possibly worked too.

I wish Martha Byrne would just tell her version of events when it comes to working with Goutman.  When he first got there with Hogan, they gave her a second character to play!  The whole show felt very Lily/Rose focused to me.  Then they killed Rose off and it seemed all downhill from there.

I cannot imagine Carlivati on any other soap. I think he did great things at both OLTL and GH, but both often went off the rails and felt very shallow.

I keep thinking how strong all the generations of characters would have been with Alden at All My Children.  Especially creating a younger set of compelling characters, which is part of the DNA of that show since Tara/Erica/Chuck/Phil days.

 

[Vee]

I can't see Michael Malone at Y&R or understanding the show. It was its own very rarefied world. I also am not sure how Gottlieb's modernist approach would've jelled with that same deeply insular house style and tone. Gottlieb and Malone with OLTL were simply a perfect marriage of materials.

Edited June 25, 2023 by Vee

[MichaelGL]

The only soap I can see Carlivati on is Sunset Beach.

[slick jones]

I wouldn't wish Carlivati or #firefrank on any show. Especially since FV just can't quit forcing Roger Howarth and Michael Easton down the throats of viewers (along with that teenage kid that played Sam we get every summer). Did the three walk in on his casting couch for the Ford brothers or what?