WHET Jim Reardon?

Who was Jim Reardon to Peter Reardon?

r1

a great uncle i think

Whatever happened to Christopher C. Fuller is what I want to know!

I'm rewatching summer 2000 of ATWT. It's actually surprisingly good. Basically, this is where Hogan Sheffer was fixing Leah Laiman's storylines. He was at his best doing that, IMO. The Rose posing as Lily storyline starts out so stupid, but gradually becomes very fun as the summer goes on, and not too campy as Sheffer would later get. You can tell the actors start to have fun with the material as it very slowly gets better as the summer goes on, to their own surprise.

One of the other major storylines is Andy faking being paralyzed after getting surgery from Ben. There are so many episodes full of Scott DeFreitas in a hospital gown with closeups of his legs and feet. You so know that Douglas was smiling down on us from heaven :) I don't know why TPTB did not find him hunky. He's a stud.

There is one really weird episode where Tom gets drunk while playing pool with Chris and Andy and gives both of them a drunken piece of his mind. It's seriously so bizarre and out of nowhere. Must be one of the only times Scott Holmes' Tom ever showcased a personality (Holmes doesn't really pull it off either, and that may be why they never tried again for the next 10 years.)

Didn’t care for Scott Holmes’s Tom but I always wanted him to shoot babies in me.

I was watching some episodes from around then too the other day. Denise's chest is so enormously distracting.

R4 Shaffer taking over was ATWT's second renaissance in my opinion (Douglas Marland's reign was its first). I think Scott deFreitas was great as Andy, and when Marland wrote him as a teenager, he showed his acting chops against very strong actors - Kathryn Hays, Larry Bryggman, Elizabeth Hubbard... There is a scene where Andy is in jail after hitting Lien, and Kim & John go to see him, to tell him they aren't bailing him out. Kim goes ballistic on him and at one point yells "LOOK AT ME!", which I think was off-script cause Scott had his back to her, and she wanted him to see Kim's full fury by looking directly at her.

If you ask Scott today, I think he would tell you those formative years as an actor were extremely important to him, and that he learned a lot from the veterans. There was a YouTube reunion not too long ago with Kathryn and Don Hastings, and Scott surprised them. There is genuine love and fondness among the three of them, and you can tell Scott feels very close to both "Kim and Bob", still, after all these years.

A shame Hogan Shaffer passed away this year.

Of all the stupid decisions that TPTB at ATWT ever had, sidelining Andy had to be near the top. Almost as bad: killing off legacy characters Bryant and Jennifer.

[quote]Of all the stupid decisions that TPTB at ATWT ever had, sidelining Andy had to be near the top.

I can think of nothing worse. No, not even Luna as Connor was as bad as getting rid of Andrew.

The new reunion will be with Rick Hearts, Frank Beaty, and Satra.

Oh, my!

R8 Agreed. Love how Marland wrote both Andy and Paul losing their virginities to Julie and Emily respectively. And the friendship between Andy and Paul looked real to me; I wonder if the actors were friends off-screen as well.

I do understand why they killed Bryant and Jennifer. They needed to give Emmy-worthy storylines to Craig (Hunt Block) and Barbara (Colleen Zenk).

Speaking of killing characters, I never understood why GL killed Hillary Bauer (who was dating Jim Reardon at the time) and Jackie Marler, especially given Phillip being told by Bradley Raines that Alan Spaulding wasn't his real father. Hillary and Jim were involved in the Dreaming Death storyline; she followed him to San Rios (?) but he was really still at Cedars, having being discovered by hospital admin Warren Andrews, who was involved with Lesley Ann Monroe. Hillary ends up with the dreaming death virus while in San Rios (?) while Jim finds a cure while still in Springfield.

I think I got that right... LOL!

[quote] I don't know why TPTB did not find him hunky. He's a stud.

He started working out and he really bulked up his upper body and was all muscle

But Goutman disliked him enough to give him the heave-ho, despite him being a fan favorite

[quote] The new reunion will be with Rick Hearts,

Oh, dear.

[quote] Who was Jim Reardon to Peter Reardon?

Great uncle is correct.

I think Sean Reardon, who we either seldom saw or never saw, is Bridget's father, and Sean was one of the Reardon siblings along with Nola, Jim, Tony, Maureen, Chelsea and, if I remember correctly, a seventh unseen sibling named Lana.

r12 I thought it was MADD in her infinite wisdom that did not like DeFreitas.

R13

Yeah, fuck off! I hadn't had my morning coffee yet.

It was Lucy Johnson (CBS) who forced DeFreitas off the show during his last run. Not MADD. Idk Goutman’s opinion on DeFreitas, but why would Maura have contjnued to work for that clown if he hated her husband so much? CG just didn’t care for the Hughes-Dixon brigade and Andy was a casualty. The show could have and would have recast the character if they had any interest in that group of characters.

[quote] Basically, this is where Hogan Sheffer was fixing Leah Laiman's storylines. He was at his best doing that, IMO.

Almost every head writer has their best reviews in the beginnings of their runs, especially if they take a messy canvas and clean it up.

[quote] why would Maura have contjnued to work for that clown if he hated her husband so much?

Because she needed the job. They had five kids and Scott was able and willing to stay at home.

Goutman really had lots of haters and lots and lots of issues.

OP what were you thinking by not posting a picture? Why would you not post a picture? That's so rude that you come here and create a post like this but then you don't post a picture to use as an example. What kind of person would do this type of thing? Who? A very, very selfish, self centered person who is only thinking of themselves. OP you didn't even think of others and the fact that we may have NO idea what you're talking about and we have to either google your shitty subject or wait for someone else to post a picture that you should have done in the first place. That's just RUDE OP and it speaks poor of your parents as well. You need to grow up OP. Realize that not everyone lives in your little rat infested world and post a picture of the crap you see in that shit brain of yours. Grow up OP.

R20 There is a raging grease fire with your name on it. Run now and you won't miss it!

Responding to the best Opening theme For GL:

It has to be the My Guiding Light with the revolving openings. The best was the explosion with Beth, Lujack/Beth riding the horse on the beach.

The music was sweeping/ epic/gorgeous and grand. I know MARY! People I know who didn’t watch GL loved it. It was better then Y&R. It was dramatic and exciting with how they edited the characters. I loved the hot air balloon rising and the shot from Barbados ending. No soap had a better montage.

Ok, I was not born during the dead leaves opening, hated it the first several times listening but you guys have won me over. Watching YouTube clips of that time I now really like the theme. I’ve always like the Hold on To Love theme as well. Second best. Of course the old soapy opening with the organ are great.

[quote]I thought it was MADD in her infinite wisdom that did not like DeFreitas.

She hated him first, starting whenever she flew in on her broom to Oakdale. Goutman started EPing in 1999, and they became co-haters. Scott was gone as of 2000. I did not watch the show religiously after the "Lisa sues John" storyline. Did Scotty work consistently from 1995-2000?

R11, Hillary Bauer blew up real good after opening something which exploded. I think it was a music box intended for either Tony or Annabelle because they were poking too much in Susan Piper’s business.

R22, in my opinion the 1983 version of the GL theme is by far the best soap theme of all time. As you wrote it’s epic, sweeping and gorgeous. It also has this mournful quality leading to a triumphant sounding climax. I know...MARY. I never get tired of listening to it. It always makes me think of Judi Evans’ Beth more than anything else. It was a great way for Gail Kobe to herald in a new era for the show.

R22 My favorite opening was the 2002/3 lighthouse opening.

R25 that one wasn’t bad, either.

I'd have to say my favorite GL themes are a tie between the original 1983 theme in that arrangement (of course, they sped that theme up and made it sound peppy for the rest of the 80s, but I prefer the original, more melancholy theme) and the one that followed it, which is just so majestic and reminds me of a nighttime show theme.

And especially the first mix of photos/images from when it was first unveiled.....so fabulous, captured the essence of the show so well.....

It still boggles my mind that Joan fucking Collins was on GL.

I mean, I remember it, I was there, but still.....

I think Christopher Goutman was a horrible EP and helped ruin ATWT. Same goes for Allen Potter for GL, when he abruptly fired Jane Elliot during her amazing performance as Carrie Todd Marler, which caused Douglas Marland to quit in protest.

Bonus points if anyone knows who Carrie killed during her storyline (two characters specifically). Extra points if you tell me how they died. :)

R24 Absolutely right, Hillary was killed when a music box exploded, which was intended for either Tony or Annabelle (and made by Susan Piper - she was an evil woman). While I was not a fan of Pam Long as HW, I do like how she wove in the Reardon clan with her new Simms family, and enjoyed the storyline of the real reason why Tom Reardon left Bea and family. And how she introduced the Lewis clan (Trish and Josh were already on the show), and of course, she created one of the most iconic soap characters ever, Reva Shayne.

The closing credits in the '90s played my favorite version of the theme.

It stuns me to realize that even the 2002 GL - cited by many as the last great time for GL - was almost twenty years ago.

That Nancy Curlee's golden era of GL was THIRTY years ago.

That Marland's golden era, and the days of Nola Reardon are, I cannot even form the words to say it, FORTY years ago.

And that Marland has been gone for almost 30 years.

R32 I still remember the time when Quint McCord (aka Sean Ryan) discovered Nola's garlic necklace, and Mrs. Renton(?) and him were filmed via a mirror, thus dismissing the notion that he was a vampire, which Nola and her bf Gracie(?) were positive was the case. It was tongue-in-cheek but very much in the Nola Reardon genre. Amazing that Lisa Brown had two great soap opera roles - Nola and Iva Snyder on ATWT. A definite Marland favorite, that's for sure.

I still remember watching GL for the first time. It was the Alan/Rita/Ed triangle, and Ed trying to save Rita from Roger Thorpe (apologies if I have this wrong), when they filmed on location in the Caribbean and Roger fell to his "death". That was around the time of the Amanda Wexler/Jennifer Richards storyline, with the Lucille Wexler murder mystery. I even remember the sets they used for the guest house on the estate where Jennifer and Morgan were living. In order to get to the door, you had to walk behind the set, which was a wall of windows looking out at a garden, so you could see who was approaching. Sets were much grander back then.

Mrs. Renfield!

That old hag!

Lisa Brown should have a whole hour of her own on the Locher Room.

I agree, R35! And wasn’t she also an acting coach when she wasn’t acting herself?

R36 yes!

OOOOH!

Rick Hearst, Frank Beaty and Sonia Satra on an upcoming Locher Room!

R31 I think that is my favorite as well. Epic music.

I’m glad to see Rick Hearst ditched the hair dye. Curly Locks looks terrific.

R29, I HATED that opening. Why did those round things containing the performers look like coins? And Crystal Chappell at the end of it it hilarious-bitch didn’t seem to know where to look!

R29 not only was she there, but she was ready to GET IT ON!

LOL!

I'm remembering a queen I knew - he watched GL though he always liked the things I didn't (like the clone story)

Anyway, he called that opening the bookstore token opening!

Oh yes the My Guiding Light theme was fucking grand. Musically, it is the best soap theme of all time hands down. The cast videos within were always on point. Others were very good; this Theme was great.

I remember it being compared to cough drops.

So the 1983 theme is called My Guiding Light?

Loved the disco theme too

R44 Yes

The disco theme has grown on me

With ATWT, the 80s theme is universally regarded as the best.

With GL, there is an 80s camp (My Guiding Light) and a 90s camp (Hold On to Love.) GL was the rare soap that had two legendary theme songs.

Did AW have any legendary theme songs? Maybe the 70s one was the best. The 80s one was corny and terribly dated by 1995 and the 90s one (ER rip off) also seems terribly dated now.

R49 The 70s theme is the classic. The one that someone said when Vicky Wyndham farted, her ass played those notes.

But seriously, it's the most elegant and touching one. And it opened the show at its most successful time(s).

Tomorrow on The Locher Room, Steve Grand. I wonder if he ever watched a soap.

Probably not but Alan will still ask him if he remembers his first day working on one.

R41 They were lighthouse lenses.

I never liked any of ATWTs opening. I found them annoying. I’m also a huge fan of the GL 83- 85 theme. I was born during that time but upon hearing and seeing it I’m shocked they changed it.

r51

I hope he asked when the last time he was fisted

.....

R55 Or at least asks Steve to provide more details about his butthole trimming and cleansing procedure, since he made such a point of how important that is in his interview with Logo.

From opening theme to behind the scenes:

I know the GL studio is no longer there (the building on East 44th was demolished and is now a high-rise) but are there any photos that exist of the former sound stages and dressing rooms? It was their home for almost 20 years and I've never seen pictures, even in social media as it started to exist in the 00's. Anybody know of a site or treasure trove of photos out there?

Here you go R58 - rare BEHIND THE SCENES at Guiding Light, they even go into the hallways!

R54 I liked the last few openings - the first one that showed cast members, followed by the next two. After that, the brownish/beige one sucked, and then the final one was pretty much a f/u to the fans.

For GL, loved the disco opening (that was when I first started watching), and liked the lighthouse opening - I will always remember Harley strutting her stuff in one of the opening shots.

R60 The final ATWT was horrible, because it was little more than a title card, yet the original 1950s title card was better and had more personality. I didn't mind the brownish/beige one.

I don't know what it was about P&G but they weren't great at openings. And, when they got a great one, they had to then mess it up. Almost all their shows had horrible openings when they ended. But the soap that had the worse opening of all time was the short-lived internet version of OLTL with a theme song by Snoop Dog, it was amateurish. The same company's AMC opening was basically a mix between AMC's classic photo album opening and GL's final opening, it wasn't great but it looked like Dallas next to the OLTL one.

I checked out when it became the Harley show.

His life ended one night at the Viper Room

Where does a Frank Beatty live? Is he gay?

Wonder if they'll ask him or talk about the mental breakdown at the tail end of the Marion/Brent story when he had be replaced. Sonia Satra alluded to it in her interview (last week?) with that other guy who's doing one-on-one's with some of the actors (not Alan).

bump

R64 A few years ago, Beaty appeared to be in the Charleston, South Carolina area running the Middleton Place Organic Farm.

(cont.)

But late last year, Beaty obtained "Ecocert" certification (related to organic food), and one business information website puts him Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Whether he actually moved there, though, would be in question.

(cont.)

And whatever you do, don't bring up the subject of raw milk.

Back in 2013, Beaty felt compelled to pen four letters to the local paper after they ran an article on the subject.

Oh, damn. Frank seems to be some sort of conspiracy theorist, and a right winger to boot.

Everyone prepare yourself........

Alan's next guests are Martha Byrne and WILLIAM FICHTNER!!!

And

still

no

Lisa

Brown.

I think at this point, he needs to say "We have asked Lisa but she has declined."

Well Locher Room just managed to nab

William Fichtner for a webcast! and have booked Martha Byrne as well

I'm sure Locher asked Byrne to ask Lisa Brown to appear - and since she is not part of the show, she obviously said NO

R71. Should be good! I do hope that Locher will remind him that “she’s your baby.”

I saw backstage at GL *squeee* but it was not when the footage was taken shown above - that looks like it was somewhere circa 1988-89.

R70 Raw milk seems to be one of those areas around which far-right and far-left people seem to congregate, along with anti-vaccination, organic farming, and antisemitism.

[quote] I'm sure Locher asked Byrne to ask Lisa Brown to appear - and since she is not part of the show, she obviously said NO

I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying here.

He was saying that he is sure Locher asked Martha Byrne to ask Lisa Brown to appear and since Lisa Brown is not announced to be part of the show that Lisa Brown obviously said no.

Martha Byrne and Lisa Brown are still very close even to this day

R77 thanks. seems obvious now but I thought they were saying b/c Lisa wasn't part of ATWT or something.......

not enough coffee, sorry!

R70 I couldn't figure out what the heck he was rambling about in his screed.

R81 He seems to believe there's a giant left wing conspiracy to give raw milk a bad name. How he came to that conclusion, I have no fucking idea.

I get the passionate-about-raw-milk business but how it turned into a lefty plot....who the fuck knows.

[quote] Martha Byrne and Lisa Brown are still very close even to this day

Link?

R82 While I don't agree with him, it is actually easy for someone to make that leap. It is government regulations that ban raw milk, the left loves big government and regulations, therefore it is a leftist plot. In actuality, it is one government regulation that has strong approval across ideologies, except for libertarians and anarchists.

Raw milk has regulations because thousands of people shit themselves to death over milk borne illnesses.

Start a raw milk thread. Seriously.

Oh, r86...you should have signed that post "Julianne Moore." Missed opportunity.

Martha at the wedding of Lisa Brown's daughter

I think Lisa has gained a little weight and maybe doesn't want to get on camera.

She's got a right to relax. Her kids are grown, she's enjoying grandkids and according to her FB she has one of the cutest dogs ever. Maybe she's just done with it all.

Moo.

R85 I completely agree, I was only trying to point out his train of thinking. Plus, he was writing those letters in South Carolina. To think there is a leftist plot inside the SC state government is cuckoo whackadoodle.

Now back to P&G soaps...this segment brought to you by milky smooth Ivory, it is 99 44⁄100% Pure!

I baptize myself the Slut of Springfield!

With raw milk, of course.

Lisa Brown was also the director of Martha Byrne's post-ATWT webseries, "Gotham". She also also showed up as one of Byrne's "VIP Friends" for the premiere party when Byrne was kicking-off a subsequent project called "Weight" (2014). Brown had no creative involvement in that one, so like the majority of ATWT/GL stars who showed up, they were there to support Martha as a friend.

Plus Lisa Brown always showed up to Martha's "St. Jude's Fundraisers" every year and this long after she left ATWT

If Lisa is concerned about her appearance, she could always have her voice streamed, and have them put up an old picture of hers.

But I don't think her appearance is the reason. I just don't think she wants to go down memory lane

He send his love!

[quote] I just don't think she wants to go down memory lane

That's possible too, and I totally respect that.

I just hope Lisa Brown knows how much she is still loved by her fans.

R98 Yes! Totally agree.

My husband saw Lisa Brown in the original Broadway production of 42nd Street with his great aunt. When Lisa first appeared on stage his aunt said, rather loudly, “Oh, there’s Nola!” And then she repeated it every time Lisa appeared.

A Lewis reunion(even though SOD has it as a Newman reunion lol)

I was thinking Alan might do a tribute session in August as Beverlee's birthday was/is in August.

But her son is, I think, back at work at GH and people are trickling back to work otherwise.....

R101 that SOD website is shitty! Really bad

SOD is hanging on by a thread. Garbage publication. The podcast is interesting if they have a good guest, but Stephanie Sloane and Mara Levinsky are insufferable fangurls

I saw an actual copy of SOD in the supermarket last week. It was so pitiful. The pages are smaller and there were like 10 pages. And then I realized I couldn’t remember the last time I bought SOD. Maybe 20-25 years ago?

R103 yes, it's total garbage and has been for years.

And it brings up ads and terrible sponsored content/Taboola bullshit in your face after you've been on it for, like, three seconds.

I have over 22 years of Soap Opera Digest (every issue) from 1982 to 2004

It is great to curl up at home when their is bad weather, and read old synopsis of old shows - it is like reading a romance novel that doesn't have an ending

I wish I had that library, R107!

[quote] I wish I had that library

In early 80s the synopsis were very detailed, they even included actual dialogue from the show e.g. Viki asks Dorian "Why did you go over there last night?"

Then in the middle of the 80s, it was streamlined. Dialogue from the show was dropped, but it was still pretty detailed, even humorous at times - poking fun at some of the outlandish storylines

But as the quality of soap diminished, so did the synopsis, as it is presented in bullet points/point form. So it doesn't flow as if you were reading a novel.

So after 2004 I just gave buying it

New Lochar Room announced: Allyson Rice, Rom Wiggin, Yvonne Perry & Judson Mills.

Tom Wiggin

Locher Room with Frank Beaty and Rick Hearst starting now

Frank Beatty drops out of the Locher Room at the last minute

Surprising no one

Rick Hearts looks pretty darn great at 55 years old. Seems like a nice guy, too.

Did Alan say anything about Frank not being there?

[quote] Did Alan say anything about Frank not being there?

Scheduling conflicts prevented Frank to be with us

Yeah, Frank had to go yell at the clouds about raw milk.

Now then, Rick, let's talk about you. How big IS your cock, anyway?

LOL r118

I may have to go to the Allyson Rice and Yvonne Perry one! They used to join us in AOL chatrooms (Yes AOL) back in the day.

Damn, Rick Hearst looks so great. Sonia Satra looks exactly the same.

I really wish we could see Kristi Ferrell up close on The Locher Room although she probably looks like an old hag.

I find it odd how Judi Evans follows so many soap stars on Twitter from shows she was never on but doesn’t follow any GL stars except Vincent and Tina.

Scheduling conflicts? ROTFL

A cow had to be milked.

[quote] I find it odd how Judi Evans follows so many soap stars on Twitter from shows she was never on but doesn’t follow any GL stars except Vincent and Tina.

she made a statement after getting out of the hospital and thanked her "families" from Days of our Lives & Another World for reaching out and sending well wishes

However many of Judi co-workers from Guiding Light sent warm wishes, but Judi OMITTED any mention of Guiding Light from her statement.

How many ways do we need to say "Judi didn't like her GL coworkers?"

Frank Beatty didn't show up today? This is my shocked face.

I'll have to watch for Rick Hearst and Sonia Satra nonetheless. Hopefully it went better for her than the other guy doing interviews, where his network connectivity would lag and thru out he looked like a creeper staring at her instead of getting on with the next question. I know there was a delay in the connection but it looked awkward as hell.

[quote] This is my shocked face.

Why do you say that?

Chris Goutman did only two things right at ATWT's end...he took a very limited budget and somehow never made Oakdale look cheap (like GL at the end), and he also brought Larry Bryggman back to close out the show. Everything else he did was shit. He had more advance knowledge of his show's cancellation than any other producer, and totally wasted it. Instead of bringing back fan favorites, he brought in even more hammy ABC stars. He could've brought back Martha Byrne, but he was too vindictive. Instead of giving us Katie/Simon at the end , we get Katie/CHRIS? I'm no fan of Eileen Fulton, but she was a major reason ATWT became a success in the early days, and she gets one throwaway line in the last show? Where were the Snyders? Connor? Duncan and Shannon? Lyla? Andy? Jessica? Ellen? And he has James Stenbeck killed off by Henry Coleman's mother, NOT Barbara or Paul? CG had almost a full year to tie up loose ends. I hate him for what he did.

I hated how Goutman didn't included 25 year-vet Kathleen Widdoes on the final show. They wrote out her character weeks before the final show.

R129 Couldn't agree more about CG and what he did to ATWT, even before news of the show's cancellation. I think bringing back Larry Bryggman was the right move too, but he should have begged Martha Byrne to come back. Noelle Beck is said to have called Martha and offered to give up the role so Martha could return for the end, but because of the bad blood between MB and CG, Martha turned her down. CG should have been the bigger person and done whatever he could to bring her back as Lily. Overall, one of the worst producers ever of ATWT, in the same category as Allen Potter over at GL.

Supposedly Goutman fired original Craig , Scott Bryce, while he was on Christmas break in Florida. Classy move, huh. CG wanted Craig to be more of the hammy cartoon-villain that Hunt Block did. Bryce knew Craig always veered between good and bad.

As for Hogan Sheffer, he really did revitalize the show for his first year and a half. He took one event (the break-up of Barbara and Hal's marriage) and spun it off into a million great storylines. Unfortunately, he ran out of ideas, and he started spewing out crap like Noah/Ameera and the Z Twins. Awful at the end.

[quote] Unfortunately, he ran out of ideas, and he started spewing out crap like Noah/Ameera

He wasn't writing the show at that time

R128 Well based on comments above, he may have some 'interesting' views or quirks. For my part, he was fantastic in the Marion/Brent story in the mid-90's, but it came with a very heavy toll and a well-publicized breakdown right at the climax of the story. It's a part of his past he may not want to talk about, although I suppose prior arrangements could be made with regard to the Q and A so that it's not brought up.

R134 were you shocked that he agreed to do the interview in the first place?

fuck, without that story, what do they really have to talk with him about that anyone would want to hear about?

R129 I couldn't agree more.

R130 To give Goutman a tiny bit of fairness, I think Widdoes was ill in some way around those final tapings. She had some kind of issue and her lymph nodes were incredibly swollen - I think she taped as far as she could. The Synders were a tattered mess at the end, anyway. Holden was the only one standing, practically. Cousin Jack ate the show, they ruined Meg and practically pretended the others never existed.

R137 oh I didn't know that, okay that explains it.

[quote] . The Synders were a tattered mess at the end, anyway.

The Snyder Farm wound up being the oldest used by the end. They kept the set standing, because the writers were moving the action more and more to the Snyder Farm!

Ironic because when Doug Marland died, CBS finally gained control of the show and the entire Snyder clan was decimated, and Holden was the only one left standing

It was only because Jack was introduced, that the Farm got its relevancy again,

They should have had Emma facing some life-threatening illness, which brought all the Snyders to her bedside. Of course real-Caleb was dead, but they still could have his replacement, Seth, Iva, Holden, Ellie, Meg, Julie, Jack, Angel, Lily, Josh, etc all show up to rally her back to health. No, instead , Goutman gives us Janet and Liberty.

Omg.

Goutman's reign of fuckery started with killing Bryant Montgomery and sorta went down hill from there

He had a hot ass but he couldn't live forever

Besides bringing back Bryggman, Goutman also kept Dr. Reid around longer than originally planned (I think the character was only supposed to be on a few times). That's the only other good thing he did IMO.

Sad that soap social media has all but collapsed, except for a few "stans" of couples on current shows.

Weekly is closed, SOD is really shitty, We Love Soaps is all but dead (no real updates for almost a year). The older blogs like Marlena Delacroix and A Thousand Other Worlds have a few recent posts but nothing like they used to post.

Daytime Confidential has actually survived longer than most others, but then again they did have corporate support for a while, so that's something.

R145, my favorite soap publication was a newsletter that came out bi-weekly, I think. Was it called Soap Opera Now? It had BIG scoops like Bianca on AMC being a lesbian and Barbara burning her face on ATWT.

Yes, I think a few people have mentioned that newsletter here.....not sure when it existed but pre-social media it was very good about scoops, apparently

A new generation of fans has taken to soap twitter and podcasting.., but let me tell you, they are garbage. They were like 5 years old when these shows were canceled.

[quote] not sure when it existed

"Soap Opera Now!" started in 1983. You can find issues for sale on eBay at times (like the one from 1985 below).

In 1988, the y brought a lawsuit against Soap Opera Digest in 1988 and it was still going on in 1990. It had to do with whether SOD could be forced to continue running ads for the newsletter or not.

[quote] From 1983 until November 1987, plaintiff advertised its newsletter in the Digest. During those years, the relationship between the parties was somewhat stormy, with the Digest from time to time threatening to terminate SONOW's ads and imposing various conditions on their continued publication. In November of 1987, the Digest cancelled plaintiff's advertisements, and thereafter, on February 16, 1988, plaintiff moved by order to show cause for a preliminary injunction requiring the Digest to publish SONOW's ads. In its complaint, SONOW alleged that the Digest was guilty of an illegal attempt to monopolize trade in violation of § 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, as amended, 15 U.S.C. § 2 (1982), and damages resulting therefrom.[1] In addition, the complaint alleged that the Digest, by its refusal to publish SONOW's ads, had breached an alleged contract between the parties.

If anyone's interested, the complete summary of the case is at Justia.

Everybody's doing podcasts and interviews - including Frank Beatty now who answers caller questions.

In one of the videos - rambling and filled with technical glitches though they may be - he mentions that when he had his breakdown on set, he was also pining after an actress on GL. Anybody know who this was?

[quote]If you wanna get young and sassy, bold and brassy, there's one place to get it on. If you wanna get your whole world turned, let your light burn, the best place to get it on. Go ahead girl, get it on. Don't be afraid now, get it on. Get it on, yeah, get it on.

If he didn't say it wasn't Sonia, it was probably Sonia, but who knows.

Crawling inside the mess that is the inside of his head is too much for me.

R154 You’re not kidding - he is intense and very hard to follow. He’ll say stuff like ‘I’m going to be concise’ but then spends the next 20 minutes going in circles about whatever. Or he’ll say it’s nobody’s business (his breakdown) and then keeps bringing it up. He comes off very “off.”

Something I did find interesting: he originally auditioned for the role of Matt Reardon in 1994, which went to Kurt McKinney. GL made the right choice - I can’t see him opposite Maeve Kinkead. They remembered him from this and called him back for the Brent role in 1995.

[quote] GL made the right choice - I can’t see him opposite Maeve Kinkead.

Matt Reardon was not suppose to be with Vanessa - I think they wanted to pair him with Lucy - but only after he had his fling with Vanessa. However their chemistry was off the charts and the audience response was so strong, that the writers ditched that plan - and changed direction with Lucy by introducing Brent .... and we know how that went,

Michael C. Hall (Dexter & 6 Feet Under) playing Molly's cameraman on "As The World Turns"

Just reading that rant of his that someone shared (the letter to the editor) has scared me away from digging any deeper.

[quote] Just reading that rant of his

Maybe it is good that he dropped out of the Locher Room

R156 Yes! But even as the story originally stood - Matt and Vanessa having a brief affair at the lake - Beatty would have been an odd choice. I think he would have brought an intensity and slickness to the part that wouldn't have made it believable that Vanessa would relate to him.

I can't see him being 'contained' in a group chat - he starts to say weird shit spontaneously, like at one point getting up for a glass of water and then making comments about his belt and butt on the way back. And he rambles and contradicts himself.

There was some mention recently about other actors who auditioned for Matt but I cannot remember who it was.

What is weird is both Rick Hearst and Sonia Satra absolutely ADORE Frank Beaty - when he left GL, Sonia told the soap press that she wished the show could find someway to keep Frank, Not the character but the actor

And on the Locher Room - Sonia was gushing about Frank.

[quote] There was some mention recently about other actors who auditioned for Matt but I cannot remember who it was.

The guy who played Mallet said he was up for Matt, I think, in his Locher Room.

R163 And the feeling is mutual - he praised them to the moon and back. That's why I didn't think Sonia was the object of his unrequited affection. But who knows, maybe that was part of the whole breakdown and all is/was forgiven.

There is, however, some beef between him and Justin Deas. Respects him as an actor but says he (Justin) disparaged him in some interview recently (the Locher Room?) and he can’t forget that.

R165 it would've had to be in The Locher Room because that is the only interview Justin Deas has granted (to the Soap Press) in over 30 years

30 years, and that is NOT a typo!

r165

Justin said something bad about Frank or Rick?

R167 Frank. Goes on and on about respecting Justin as an actor but he said something disparaging recently and that seems to be the crux of his issue.

It's long been rumored that Frank Beatty had a thing for Rick Hearst. So, its entirely possible the person he was talking about when he said he was pinning over someone was Rick.

Now, whether Rick returned those feelings, who knows.

R169 I'm pretty sure he says 'actress' and 'she' during that bit. Usually I'd go back and rewatch to confirm, but I can't subject myself to that stream of consciousness trainwreck again.

[quote]I'm pretty sure he says 'actress' and 'she' during that bit.

Like no on in a same-sex relationship or even a same -sex attraction has ever switched pronouns.

Rick Hearst seems like a sweetheart of a guy in that interview. And he and Sonia seemed to generally care about each other. I remember watching that storyline at the time and I always wondered how it affected them all personally. I know Frank had a tough time but everyone who has been on there has talked about what a great set GL was. I really miss the show. I do wish Lisa Brown would come on. Maybe do a Reardon episode.

R164 Yes! Mark Derwin said it. Thank you, I could not remember.

That's one thing I wish more of the actors would talk about. Those little bits of minutiae fascinate me. I want to know who was up for a role, etc. I know they can't talk shit about who they feuded with. I mean, the Locher Room ain't that kind of party. But more details about who wrote what, what decisions were from CBS or P&G....these are the things that are not always asked.

Martha talked to SOD about how she left ATWT, she should come on sometime by herself and talk about it. She is the standard bearer/poster child for all the dumb decisions P&G made.

Matt Reardon debuted in July 1994.

AC Mallet debuted in July 1990. Mark Derwin played the role until Sept 1993, when Mallet and Harley left town together. The character returned in 2005 played by Rob Bogue.

Maybe they were supposed to bring on Matt earlier? I dunno.

I remember he said something about it, will have to go back and watch what it was.

I'm fascinated by how these actors can talk glowingly about former colleagues where you KNOW the history was not good, and they do it with grace and you wouldn't know any different.

For example, Gina talking about Tom Pelphrey, or Rob and Mandy talking about Beth Ehlers. Like PRAISING them and meanwhile 10+ years ago there was major screaming drama.

The only one I've seen thrown a little was Kimberly Simms when she was asked about Vincent Irizarry. Hey there's an idea for a Locher Room - all of his exes. Software probably doesn't allow for that many participants in a chat.

I think for as much as they ALL sing the 'we were a family' mantra, like some families, it was also very dysfunctional and toxic at times, especially with regard to the sex lives of the cast.

Yeah it was one of the Mark Derwin interviews - either the Locher Room or the other guy doing one-on-one's. I can't put my finger on it, either, but I remember he mentioned something.

For Matt, GL mainly looked at people with prior soap experience, not newcomers. Kurt McKinney had previously done GH (original Ned) and I think somebody remembered him and asked him to fly out to NYC from LA to test for the role. He hesitated because he didn't want to move again, but the way it stood, he wasn't exactly getting flooded with offers in LA, so he took the job.

The runner up for the role of Matt was one of the A.J.'s on GH - can't remember which one. As others have mentioned, the screentest was with Sonia Satra, since Matt’s intro as designated affair boy for Vanessa was supposed to be short-lived, and then he and Lucy were to hit it off when the character made his way to Springfield.

[quote]I know the GL studio is no longer there (the building on East 44th was demolished and is now a high-rise) but are there any photos that exist of the former sound stages and dressing rooms? It was their home for almost 20 years and I've never seen pictures, even in social media as it started to exist in the 00's. Anybody know of a site or treasure trove of photos out there?

Should we be worried?

R176

I can understand Gina/Rob/Mandy speaking kindly about Tom & Beth. It's been 10+ years and people move on. Gin married someone else and Rob/Mandy married. Time heals old wounds.

I was reading the DOOL thread and there seems to be a rumor that Goutman is going to DAYS.

That will seal its doom, if true.

I don't see Goutman getting back into the soap grind. He's a professor now.. WTF would want to get into the pressure cooker of being the EP on a soap?

Especially since he'd have to deal with Ken Corday and Albert Alarr, both of whom would have more power than Goutman would.

[quote] I'm fascinated by how these actors can talk glowingly about former colleagues where you KNOW the history was not good

Seems like this is just part of the entertainment industry.

R181 and R182 true.

I also don't see him wanting to be on the West Coast. Who knows?

Maybe Lisa Brown doesn’t want to come on Alan’s show because it’s still too painful to think back to when Doug Marland took her to some fancy NY restaurant to tell her she’d be fired soon. And then he died not long afterward. I think I read that in the NY Daily News at the time.

Who the hell is Jim Reardon? How random.

r185

interesting... any more stories?

R187, that’s all I remember reading about, sorry.

[quote] Maybe Lisa Brown doesn’t want to come on Alan’s show because it’s still too painful to think back to when Doug Marland took her to some fancy NY restaurant to tell her she’d be fired soon. And then he died not long afterward. I think I read that in the NY Daily News at the time.

Lisa Brown disputed that story - she said she was crying because she was getting a divorce

Just as there are FOJ (Friends of Jill's) there are friends of Marland. And Doug Marland would NEVER let Lisa Brown go, she was one of her favorites.

Lisa Brown was fired I think two years after Marland had died

Marland's death was BAD news for Jane Elliot. She and Marland talked about her joining World Turns, and she was up for it. But she had to leave General Hospital. So she gave notice and prepared to leave. Then Marland died, and Jane Elliot was out of a job.

r189

thanks, I love these stories... WHo was Jane going to play?

R190 they never got that far - Marland just promised her a role, and Jane trusted him enough to make the leap

R185 It took ATWT a while to fire Lisa, then, because she was on the show until January 1994, a year after Doug died.

Jane has never said who she was going to play, but the rumor was that Jeanne Cooper would play Jane's mother, and ATWT would have a big coup by having Cooper and Jane Elliot.

It sounds like a great idea, but I'm wondering who would have been cut, because ATWT already had such a surplus of mature women at that point.

And to placate the Where Are Your Sources queen - Jane mentions ATWT in this interview

R185 who does that? Was Douglas an aspie?

From Jeanne's book

It was also Terry who saw to it that I met the “Bill Bell of As the World Turns,” the extraordinary head writer Douglas Marland. Terry had left The Young and the Restless in 1989 for reasons too idiotic to go into, and after a brief stint on Santa Barbara, he’d signed on for a role on As the World Turns, which Douglas Marland had created just for him. When Terry introduced us at a party at his house, I said, and meant it, “It’s an honor to meet you. I’m a huge fan of yours.” As luck would have it, he was a fan of mine too, and by the end of the conversation he told me he’d love to create a part for me as well, if I’d be willing to do it. I wasn’t about to say no to Douglas Marland, and frankly the thought of moving to New York, where I’d always dreamed of living, tackling a part written just for me by the likes of him, not to mention working with Terry again, sounded almost too good to be true. “Doug,” I said, “you write it and I’ll be there.”

After which Douglas Marland flew back to New York and promptly died of a heart attack. The loss to daytime television was and is incalculable . . . and once the shock wore off, I couldn’t help but selfishly feel a little robbed and wonder what could have happened.

R195 it seems like that was an untrue gossip item

[quote] And to placate the Where Are Your Sources queen - Jane mentions ATWT in this interview

That is a great Jane Elliot interview - great to hear she said that All My Children was the tightest community of actors and crew she ever worked with

She is right when she says stuff on streaming is putting Soaps to shame - what they are doing on streaming, soaps should be doing. Saying

' That s--t is remarkable! And then you put all that up against our soap operas and the disparity just gets bigger and bigger. It makes me crazy. This is not the best that we can do. Yes, there are limitations in daytime with budget and time but then we need to write material that accommodates those limitations. Don’t write shootouts on the pier. Don’t write explosions and fires. If you don’t have the time and the money, make the stories small and intimate and heartbreaking. I also find it completely irresponsible to play guns the way do on GH and as often we do."

R198 Yes!

She's had three different interviews with Michael Logan, and in all of them, her bag of fucks was COMPLETELY EMPTY.

She's like, "What, they're gonna fire me? Bring it, bitches!"

Wow, I love that Jane Eliot interview. Thanks, R194.

Jeanne Cooper sort of simplifies what really happened to poor Doug. He died after complications following surgery.

R196 I wonder what the idiotic reasons were that Terry Lester left Y&R? Peter Bergman certainly made Jack Abbott his own, but Lester was great in the role.

Royce Keller was an "interesting" role for Lester on ATWT. I loved how Douglas Marland wove his and his sister Neal's backstory into Lucinda's history. Maybe the Royce Keller storyline was what Marland always envisioned for Carrie Todd on GL but never had the chance to fulfill it to its fruition? Royce was a murderer too (or at least one of his personalities were), so there was that thread. Was a real tragedy when Douglas died, since so many were affected by his passing not only personally but on a professional basis too.

Imagine Jeanne Cooper and Jane Elliot together on ATWT??? Mind blown!!

Cooper was a huge GL fan. If Doug had stayed on GL I bet he could have gotten her to join.

I’m no fan of Cooper’s-she was awfully hammy and that eye rolling drove me crazy-but I could have seen her as someone Henry Chamberlain married on an impulse and who drives Vanessa crazy.

As much as I liked Terry Lester (and thought he was hot in his 80s days) I really never understood Royce as a character on ATWT, and I thought Mary Kay Adams as Neal was a tragic waste of a very fabulous performer - she and Liz Hubbard had great chemistry.

I think Douglas may have been trying to depict what poverty and abuse can do to people, but whether it was the limitations of the story, or the fact that Lester was either ill or just not at his best as the story proceeded, it didn't quite come together - it was interesting, for sure, but at the end I'm not sure why the story was told.

(And then bringing on Samantha......zzzzzzz)

R204 Correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember Scott Eldridge finding Neal's body and then leaving right away, with actor Joseph Breen never returning to ATWT after that. I found it a really strange way to get rid of two characters, Neal and Scott, and then a third when Terry Lester was written out.

Definitely agree that Mary Kay Adams and Elizabeth Hubbard had great chemistry. I wish they had dealt with Lucinda's feelings about losing Neal more than they did. But a change in writing teams usually means a change in direction, and that's what happened after Douglas Marland passed away. Any good writer would have followed Marland's rules of writing for soaps, but most want to make an immediate impact and make the show their own, so they throw most storylines out the window and start fresh with new characters.

Most of the time it does not work.

Terry Lester never worked out as the "Royce" character - he would have been good as a "Craig" recast, if they decided to make the character a bit evil again (not totally, but a bit scheming). But Marland about Bob Calhoun wanted to make the role available for Scott Bryce

Scott Bryce will always be Craig Montgomery to me, though I will admit Hunt Block did a good job portraying Hogan Shaffer's version. It's a shame that Bryce's last attempt at playing Craig toward the end of the show, before they recast the character with Jon Lindstrom, was a total bomb. Even Bryce looked uncomfortable in the role.

R207 we've talked about it here recently.....Bryce was given almost nothing to work with from Goutman.

Royce was supposed to be shorter term, but when Mary Kay Adams decided not to continue at ATWT, Doug shifted story to Royce and kept him. Royce was supposed to die, not Neal.

There's another Jim Reardon who you're more likely to find in that other Springfield from a long-running TV show…

What a coincidence!

There are no coincidences in Hollywood even though GL was taped in NYC until they sent it to Peapack to die.

R209 Interesting... I didn't know that. I always wondered why she left so quickly. Do you know the reason(s) why she chose to leave ATWT?

She's the kind of actress who doesn't like to stay anywhere for a long time. Doug hoped to convince her to stay.

Ain't got no receipts, so don't ask for them.

[quote] . Do you know the reason(s) why she chose to leave ATWT?

She only signed a six month contract and though they wanted her to stay, she wanted to go

In response to who Judi Evans follows on Twitter- she follows a Pam Long but that Pam seems very right wing. Is that THE Pam Long, former HW?

[quote] In response to who Judi Evans follows on Twitter- she follows a Pam Long

Pam created the character of Beth

R217 yes we know I just hope that Pam is not the HW because she is very right wing.

R218 We have no idea without looking at the Twitter page of which you are speaking.

Perhaps you could be a darling and post a link for us to view?

Beth’s return story was very well written. You could tell Pam loved the character. Having Beth bludgeon Prof. Blackburn with a boat oar was a nice touch.

I tried to find Pam Long on the list of folks Judi follows but didn't see her.

However I did see Chuck Woolery and James Woods.....but, I also saw Debra Messing and a few other progressive types. So maybe she's not very political

R221

She has a different last name. Long is the middle name now. Judi follows way more progressive types. No doubt she’s progressive. She does follow a hodgepodge. She follows Emme Rylan, ex- Lizzie. She follows Francis Fisher but I doubt because they worked together on GL but more because FF is a big name. She follows all the stars of Nashville except Hayden.

Pam Long Jordan and yes her a Twitter is now private.

[quote] She follows Francis Fisher

Frances Fisher played Lujacks' music manager on GL

R222, she wasn’t on GL the same time as Hayden Planetarium.

I dunno if Pam Long Jordan is Pam Long, the writer.

It doesn't look much like her at all in the icon photo.

"Pamela K. Long" -- writer-producer -- joined twitter in March 2009 with her husband's help, using the handle @pamelaklong, but only tweeted three messages and soon after stopped.

Pam Long Today

R228's photo is perhaps a few years old but relatively recent, and definitely is NOT the same person as the Twitter account for Pam Long Jordan shows, so to answer R216, it does not appear the fundie lady with the Pam Long Jordan account is "our" Pam Long.

[quote]The only one I've seen thrown a little was Kimberly Simms when she was asked about Vincent Irizarry. Hey there's an idea for a Locher Room - all of his exes. Software probably doesn't allow for that many participants in a chat.

YES! I love this idea! It would still be a Guiding Light show since all his exes were connected to the show:

Kristi Farrell

Kimberly Simms

Ann Hamilton

Barbara Crampton

Signy Coleman (although she and Vince were together while they were on Santa Barbara)

And who knows how many others he may have been involved with that we never heard about!

I'm sure there's lots of dirt to dish! Make it happen, Alan!!

Good to see a fairly recent photo of "our" Pam K. Long. Thanks for posting it.

She still looks good for a 67 year old. But I gotta say, the long hair does not flatter her at all. Definitely an ill advised choice.

She collaborated with Dolly Parton on two TV movie based on her "Many Coat of Colors" song, serving as Executive Producer and writer

Well, she is a former beauty queen. So maybe that explains the long hair.

The photo is from one of the Coat of Many Colors film, which means it's either around 2 years old or around 5 years old, either way pretty recent.

Oops, wrong, the second movie was in 2016 not 2019.

This scene b/w Bradley and Beth is outstanding. Bradley tries to intimidate her into not testifying against him for raping her. Beth does say hardly a word then stands up and says one sentence to him that sucker punched his ass. If Judi submitted this for her Emmy, I can see why she won.

I think I *just* really started watching every day not long after the scene at R235.

I remember the big story when I really started recording it every day, etc. was that Beth was blinded and Phillip set off the explosion that made it happen.

I was curious about Barbara Crampton b/c she always read as SO much older to me than Krista or Kimberley Simms.

But she's only 5 years older.

She's 61. Simms is 56 about to turn 57 and Krista is 56, as well.

She had a very “old fashioned” look which is hard to describe.

OK, I hate to say it but I am getting bored w/the Locher Room now.

I love Zimmer but I really don't need to see her for the fourth or fifth time. (Especially after that weird session with her own kid.) Now the sessions are filled with every C lister. All the Marahs? Really? REALLY? Next it will be all the Spaulding lawyers or something.

Still no Lisa Brown or JW Shipp. Still no members of the original Snyder family, or any of the Stewarts. Or EILEEN! (We won't even ask about Vicky Wyndham....or Ellen Wheeler, even)

I appreciated seeing many favorites like Maeve K and Mo Garrett, but with all due respect Alan is just asking the people he knows to come on, and that only goes so far.

I agree, R239, he’s only bringing on his pals from his days working on those shows.

[quote] he’s only bringing on his pals from his days working on those shows.

The Tony Award winning composer of Avenue Q (and he is also an Oscar nominated screenwriter) had expressed interest in appearing on The Locher Room as he was a dayplayer on ATWT

But he only got silence as a response.

John Wesley Shipp expressed interest

Silence

Locher Room with Martha Byrne and William Fichtner on now

Martha Byrne said she talks to Lisa Brown everyday - and her husband works with Lisa's husband

Alan Locher tells Martha to send Lisa Brown love from the fans, as they always ask about her.

I know Lisa loves dogs and thought the fans should do a fundraiser for her, and if the amount gets over XXX dollars then she MUST do a Locher room

R245 did she say that?

No, sorry, I'm saying I thought that might be a way to convince her to appear.

What do Martha & Lisa's husbands do for them to work together?

I thought Martha's husband was a cop. Or he used to be. Though he would have been eligible for retirement a while back and may be in private sector now.

If Alan could get Anne Heche & Anna Stuart in an interview I'd do a cart wheel. I know they have remained very close after all these years.

Then I'd love it if he got Dano, Aprea,, Coppola and Karot.

[quote] I thought Martha's husband was a cop.

He is a private detective now

[quote] If Alan could get Anne Heche & Anna Stuart in an interview I'd do a cart wheel.

He is working on an Anna Stuart & Kate Browne interview - those two have remained close friends. They even play together a few years ago.

How about Susan Sullivan, Beverly Penberthy, Nicholas Coster and David Ackyrod.

Or perhaps Christine Jones, Bill Espy, Janice Lynde, Dorothy Lyman and Leon Russom.

Or Robin Strasser, Judith Bancroft and Sam Groom.

Alan probably doesn't even know who the majority of those people are. Likely most of the people reading this thread don't either.

Richard Bekins, Stephen Yates, Larry Lau and Russell Todd.

Peter Simon, Richard Van Vleet, Robert Gentry, the rotting corpse of Mart Hulswit

Pam Long would be an interesting one, and Nancy Curlee too.

R253

Surely you jest. I would wager the vast majority posting here knows who all those people are.

Real simple R239 don’t watch. I for one appreciate all the effort Alan has put into these interviews and no one including him is getting paid. He is doing it for the fans. And I hope he continues. So pipe down Mary.

We have been Muriel'd, my dears.

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