vs661966 Reviews

Woman on the Ledge (1993 TV Movie)

Bad Movie Featuring Daytime Soap Opera Stars

[3/10 · 8 March 2008]

Woman on the Ledge is a made-for-TV movie. I saw it when it first premiered in 1993. In my opinion, from what I remember, it's a rather bad movie that features some of daytime TV's most recognizable actors. The cast includes: Leslie Charleson (General Hospital), Deidre Hall (Days of Our Lives), Colleen Zenk Pinter (As the World Turns), the late Michael Zazlow (Guiding Light/One Life to Live), Peter Bergman (Young & Restless/All My Children), Josh Taylor (Days of Our Lives), Kale Browne (One Life to Live/Another World), Ken Kercheval (Dallas), and even Sarah Chalke (Scrubs/Roseanne).

Most of the actors listed still appear on their respective daytime soaps, so if you are a soap opera fan you may want to watch this if just to see your daytime favorites as different types of characters than they generally play on their daytime shows.

The plot leaves a lot to be desired and sometimes appears to be a rather predictable "soap opera type" of story. Which woman ends up on the ledge? Does she really jump? Can she be saved? You'll just have to watch for yourself!

It wasn't the worst TV movie I ever saw, but it's certainly far from one of the best. My rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Lawrence Welk: Milestones & Memories - A Musical Family Reunion (2001 TV Special)

Wonderful Reunion Extravaganza

[10/10 · 6 March 2007]

This two hour reunion special from 2001 features 47 members of the Lawrence Welk Show's "Musical Family" including several Champagne Ladies prior to Norma Zimmer (and the late Alice Lon) who were with the Welk band prior to the national TV series debut in 1955. As one would expect, there is a lot of archive footage of Mr. Welk. Highlights include the opening segment featuring all the cast singing and dancing together leading to a taped opening sequence announcing each performer by year they joined the band/show; Bobby Burgess dancing with all three of his partners: Barbara Boylan, Cissy King and Elaine Niverson Balden; Norma Zimmer and then Guy Hovis serenading the (prior to 1955) Champagne Ladies; pianists Jo Ann Castle and Big Tiny Little performing a number together; a jam session featuring all the cast; and an "in memoriam" tribute to all the deceased members of the show. Sadly, there are a few who have passed away since this special was filmed, such as Myron Floren and Henry Cuesta. Astute viewers will notice that the Lennon Sisters are all the originals except for Mimi Lennon, the younger sister who replaces Peggy Lennon. I taped this in March 2001 from my local PBS station and watched it with my parents, who used to watch the show every Saturday night. It's a great nostalgic reunion special and a wonderful trip down memory lane. Highly recommended for all fans of the original series. 10/10

Friendships, Secrets and Lies (1979 TV Movie)

Worth a View

[7/10 · 10 September 2006]

This is not an excellent movie, but it's not that bad and worth a view. Like other posters have mentioned, there are no men in any of the scenes of this movie. Its six lead actresses are like a who's who from (mostly) the 70's era of films and TV comedies: Cathryn Damon ("Soap") is Martha; Paula Prentiss (The Stepford Wives) is Sandy; Shelley Fabares ("The Donna Reed Show"/"Coach") is Mary Alice; Tina Louise ("Gilligan's Island") is Joan; Stella Stevens (The Poseidon Adventure) is Edyth; and Loretta Swit ("M*A*S*H") is B.J. Sondra Locke, one of Clint Eastwood's many girlfriends, plays Jessie the reporter who is trying to determine which of the Sigma Beta Chi sorority sisters is the guilty party. The supporting characters are: Clarissa, Joan's maid who was the sorority housemother to all of the women in the mid-50's; Layne Plowden, the woman who stole Martha's husband from her; Livia, Sandy's daughter, and B.J.'s two daughters, who aren't given any first names. Oddly, none of these characters or the actresses portraying them are listed in the cast credits.

Watching this movie is like watching "Dynasty"... it shouldn't be taken too seriously and it's a "guilty pleasure" of sorts. The plot seems like it could have been taken from this show or any other nighttime soap of that era. I have an old tape of this movie, taped from TV in the 80's. I wanted to see it again after recently viewing the original The Stepford Wives movie in which both Paula Prentiss and Tina Louise co-star with Katharine Ross. Paula Prentiss steals all the scenes she's in in both movies and Tina Louise portrays similar characters in both movies. This movie is worth a shot if only to see if you can figure out "whodunit."

A Patch of Blue (1965)

Excellent Movie... One of My Favorites

[10/10 · 23 January 2006]

I just saw this again on TCM tonight. It's one of my favorite movies (if not THE favorite) and I never tire of watching it.

Elizabeth Hartman should have won the Oscar for her role as Selina D'Arcy. Sidney Poitier is excellent, as usual, in the role of Gordon Ralfe. Shelley Winters portrays Rose-Ann D'Arcy, Selina's mother, who is such a white-trash evil slut. Ms. Winters' portrayal makes you HATE Rose-Ann... you just want to smack her! Wallace Ford plays Ole Pa, Rose-Ann's drunken father. Ivan Dixon plays Mark Ralfe, Gordon's brother. Elisabeth Frasier plays Sadie, Rose-Ann's white-trash slut friend.

It's great to see the friendship and love develop between Selina and Gordon as well as Selina's growing strength and independence due to Gordon's involvement in her life.

***Movie Ending Spoiler***

Gordon helps locate a school for the blind for Selina. They are in his apartment when the driver comes to take Selina to the school. Gordon asks Selina if she wants him to escort her and the driver to the awaiting bus, but she says no because she doesn't want to have to say goodbye again. After she leaves he notices the music box he gave to her (it belonged to Gordon's mother) and he tries to reach her before the bus pulls away, but he's too late. He then goes back into his apartment building with the music box. The ending is bittersweet in that the viewer knows that Selina will now have the chance at a better life. There's also the hope that Gordon will visit Selina and give her the music box and, more important, that perhaps they will continue to see each other and possibly marry someday. The ending is realistic and not a true "happy ending" where everything is neatly tied up.

For me, this movie also has such a special place in my heart because actress Elizabeth Hartman herself apparently was a tortured, sensitive soul (having dealt with depression and then committing suicide in 1987). It's so sad and tragic, especially since she was such a gifted actress. She could have made many more movies. I think her performances, but especially this role, always touch viewers in a special way. Her sensitive, naive and endearing portrayal of Selina make this movie special.

A Patch of Blue is a true gem. There's no other movie like it! 10/10 Stars.

The Nutt House (1989)

Hilarious

[22 January 2006]

"The Nutt House" with Cloris Leachman (Phyllis from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show") and Harvey Korman (from "The Carol Burnett Show") is truly an underrated gem. It was broadcast on ABC for about one month in 1989. If you blinked, you missed it. This show was full of funny and witty dialogue, zany sight gags and screwball antics. I think its humor was way ahead of its time, but unfortunately it was never given a chance to find an audience.

A DVD release would be wonderful. Or maybe a mini-marathon on TV Land. This might help to get the word out on this great, hilarious Mel Brooks series!

Dempsey and Makepeace (1985–1986)

Great Show!

[22 January 2006]

I used to watch D&M here in the US in 1985. It was broadcast on the local NBC affiliate after "Saturday Night Live" and was on for about a year. I stumbled upon it by accident and quickly became a fan. I liked the lead actors (Michael Brandon and Glynis Barber, who are married in real life) and the premise of the show (NYC cop who is set up by his partner is sent to work in London on some kind of exchange program for his own safety). The location shots were also terrific and really added to the plot. I really miss it, as I haven't seen any cop show quite like it ever again. I have some VHS tapes of the show. I read some comments about a DVD release, which would be great. I'd love to watch all the episodes over again. I can't believe it's been more than 20 years since I first watched it! Check it out if you get a chance. Highly recommended. I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Dynasty: The Reunion (1991)

Dynasty Reunion Movie... For Fans Only

[3/10 · 22 January 2006]

I remember watching this, but not too much of the exact plot. It was put together to tie up the loose ends from the last season of the show, which I wasn't watching at that point anyway (I gave up after the Moldavia massacre mess!), but I was curious to watch and see all the cast together.

The part that sticks out in my mind is the end when the whole cast of characters, apparently all getting along so famously well after they kissed and made up (which didn't quite make sense to me), is together watching "home movies." Home movies, you may ask? Yes, but they never explained WHO was capturing all this on film for them to relive! This ending was so lame!!!

As for the actors, this fiasco wasn't their fault. Anyway, it was nice to see them back together again. Al Corley was back as Steven Carrington, the role he originally played. I always liked Pamela Sue Martin as the original Fallon. Too bad she couldn't be here, but she left the show on her own so she probably didn't want anything more to do with it. And I loved Pamela Bellwood as Claudia, but since the character had died a few years before, she of course couldn't be on this reunion. I'm sure the recasting of Adam had more to do with the fact that Gordon Thomson was unavailable (he was on Santa Barbara) rather than not wanting to be part of this project. Unfortunately, his replacement was not up to the task. But I'm sure whoever played this part other than Gordon would not seem right in the role to loyal fans. I was surprised that there was no Amanda, the long-lost forgotten daughter of Blake and Alexis. (There may have been some mention of her, but I doubt it although I don't remember exactly.) There were two actresses in this role, so I'm sure it wouldn't have mattered who played her if she were there. Amanda Carrington would have made more sense than Kirby Anders being there, as someone else in another comment also thought this was odd.

It's for die-hard fans only. Anyone else should stay far, far away! Three stars for getting most of the cast together one more time. (Zero stars for the plot, or lack thereof... but this show was always more concerned about the style and size of the shoulder pads for the female leads rather than good plots.)

Terror Among Us (1981 TV Movie)

Early 80's TV Movie

[7/10 · 3 December 2005]

I vaguely remember watching this television movie around the time it first came out, but it was a rather good drama/suspense film. Simply put, it's a story about a paroled rapist who threatens to get his revenge on the group of women (I think they were all airline flight attendants) who testified against him and put him in prison in the first place. It's noteworthy to watch for Ted Shackelford, who plays the rapist, since he portrayed Gary Ewing on "Knots Landing." This character is NOTHING like Gary Ewing, that's for sure! He was was joined by Kim Lankford, as one of his victims, who was his "Knots Landing" co-star; she played Ginger Ward in the first four seasons. I would guess that this was probably made before "Knots Landing" premiered, even though it came out after that show began in late 1979. It stars a lot of mid to late 70's TV actors, such as Sarah Purcell ("Real People"), Jennifer Salt ("SOAP"), Sharon Spelman ("Angie"), and Pat Klous ("Flying High" and later "The Love Boat" as Lauren Tewes' replacement) as well as Don Meredith, the former football player who used to peddle iced tea in those commercials. It's worth a viewing if you're a "Knots Landing" fan or like TV movies with lots of actors from classic, cheesy 70's shows.

Filthy Rich (1982–1983)

Hilarious Series

[13 August 2005]

I remember watching this show during the summer. It was truly hilarious, especially if you were a fan of "Dallas" and "Dynasty" and other nighttime soap operas since this show was a spoof of them. Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Nedra Volz and Ann Wedgeworth were are all hysterical in their roles and made the show the side-splitting comedy it was. We all know Delta Burke and Dixie Carter went on to play the Sugarbaker sisters on "Designing Women." Nedra Volz was a guest star on many shows and played one of the maids on "Diff'rent Strokes" for a while. Ann Wedgeworth played Dan Conner's mother on "Roseanne" and also played sex-starved neighbor Lana on "Three's Company" for one season (1979-1980); she was always hitting on Jack Tripper. (She was probably added to fill the void left by Mrs. Roper, who was also sex-starved, when the Ropers left "Three's Company" for their own spin-off show.) Like many others posted here, it would be great to see this show again.

I would also like to see "The Nutt House" with Cloris Leachman (Phyllis from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show") and Harvey Korman (from "The Carol Burnett Show"). This show ran on ABC for about one month in 1989. If you blinked, you missed it! If you liked "Filthy Rich" you would most likely enjoy this show, too. It was full of funny and witty dialogue, zany sight gags and screwball antics. But it never got a chance. I think both shows were, unfortunately, way ahead of their time in their type of humor and just did not catch on with most viewers.

It's a shame both of these shows did not run for years. Hopefully, they will show up soon somehow. DVD releases would be wonderful. I'm hoping that the great cable channel TV Land will at least trot them out for a mini-marathon. Are you listening, TV Land??? :)

Knots Landing (1979–1993)

Excellent Show

[9/10 · 28 September 2004]

Knots Landing was an excellent drama. I watched all 14 seasons of this series. I especially liked the first few seasons when the show focused on the families in the cul-de-sac, but after the fifth season the show's story lines became similar to other prime time soap opera fare with more of a focus on greed and the desire for wealth and power. Although the show changed direction, the writing, directing and especially the acting remained top-notch and were always superior to the other shows.

Knots Landing premiered on CBS in December 1979. It followed the lives and relationships of Gary & Valene Ewing (Ted Shackelford & Joan Van Ark), recently remarried and new to town; Sid & Karen Fairgate (Don Murray & Michele Lee), the strong married couple with three children; Richard & Laura Avery (John Pleshette & Constance McCashin), the couple with marital problems; and Kenny & Ginger Ward (James Houghton & Kim Lankford), the young newlyweds.

Abby Cunningham (Donna Mills), Sid's younger divorced sister in the "bitch" role, came to town with her two children at the beginning of the second season; she was added to stir up the pot, so to speak, and began trying to seduce everyone's husband; she eventually set her sights on Gary and married him after ruining his marriage to Val. Donna Mills, who had for years played weak female and "victim" roles in various TV shows and movies, was thrilled to play a strong, powerful female lead. In fact, the show had many strong female characters.

In the beginning, these characters were a lot like people that lived down the street. They wore jeans and did the dishes... something you would never see on "Dynasty" or "Dallas"! Also, the early episodes (first 2 seasons) were self-contained and did not have the serialized format that was standard for most of the other nighttime soaps.

Early in the third season, Sid Fairgate died during emergency surgery after a car crash because Don Murray wanted to leave the show. By the end of the fourth season, original characters Richard Avery, Kenny Ward and Ginger Ward were all written off the show. The new characters of Mack MacKenzie and Gregory Sumner became more prominent.

The biggest mistake was when the powers that be fired actress Constance McCashin during the 1987-1988 season due to her real-life pregnancy. They had written her two previous pregnancies into the story, but they did not plan to do so this time. Granted, the storyline involving Laura's brain cancer and subsequent death was very well written and poignant, and superbly acted by Constance McCashin and William Devane as her husband Greg Sumner; however, they could have just had Laura leave town or written the character out of a few episodes to accommodate the actress' pregnancy since Laura was not very heavily involved in a big story at that time. Apparently, many other reviewers liked this character and felt that letting this actress go was a mistake.

There were many great actors on this show, but special mention must go to Julie Harris as Lilimae Clements, Valene's mother, and Michelle Phillips as Anne Matheson, Paige's shallow, self-absorbed mother and Mack's ex-girlfriend. They both brought lighter comedic moments to the show with their roles.

The fact that the show lasted 14 seasons demonstrates that it was far better than the other prime time soaps. The show managed to stay true to form for the most part throughout the entire series run by focusing on the characters and their motivations and not on overly outlandish plots.

Designing Women (1986–1993)

Witty and Extremely Funny

[9/10 · 30 November 2003]

"Designing Women" centered on four Southern women who worked at an interior design firm in Atlanta, Georgia. The original cast included Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Annie Potts, Jean Smart, and Meshach Taylor. The humor was outrageously funny, witty and topical and the actors all worked well as an ensemble since their characters were so well-defined and very different. I am puzzled by the many negative comments about this show stating that it was not funny. Were these people watching the same show that I was?

In 1991, both Delta Burke and Jean Smart left the series and were replaced by Julia Duffy, who had played Stephanie on "Newhart," and Jan Hooks, an alumna of "Saturday Night Live." Both were fine actresses but their characters were not well fleshed-out. Duffy's Allison Sugarbaker was a New Yorker and, in my opinion, just never caught on with viewers. Hooks' Carlene Dobber was simply a nitwit, which is a shame because Jan Hooks was hysterical and very versatile on all the seasons she was on SNL. They never developed a multi-layered character that utilized her full comedic potential, but rather one that was mostly a one-note caricature. So, this truly fine and funny actress was wasted in a silly role. Julia Duffy was replaced the next and final season by Judith Ivey, whose character was again a Southern type who fit seamlessly into the ensemble.

I often think the best character was Bernice Clifton as played by the outrageously funny and talented Alice Ghostley. Next to Suzanne Sugarbaker, this character had some hilarious and unforgettable lines.

There are many terrific episodes of this series. They are currently being rebroadcast on the Lifetime Network along with "The Golden Girls," another great series. Those who commented that "Designing Women" is a rip-off of "The Golden Girls" are mistaken; both are fine situation comedies in their own right but are also very unique and distinct from one another. The only thing common to both is that each show starred four wonderful comedic actresses. It would be great to have some solid programming such as both of these shows on the networks today.

Super Friends (1973–1985)

Best Version of the Super Friends

[29 November 2003]

I agree with all previous comments that this was the ultimate of all versions of the Super Friends. I remember watching this particular show when I was 12 years old. The basic plot of each episode involved the Legion of Doom shown at the beginning of each episode in their headquarters nestled in the murky swamp hatching some diabolical, evil plan to rid themselves of the Super Friends and gain control of the world. Their plans would always be thwarted by the Super Friends, but, just when it appeared that the Super Friends would capture the Legion of Doom in the end, the evildoers would always manage to escape until next week's installment when they would again devise another nefarious scheme.

My only complaint is that I never understood why there were only 11 Super Friends to combat 13 members of the Legion of Doom when there were other Justice League members such as Hawkgirl, Atom, El Dorado and Rima the Jungle Woman, among others, who could have been added to the show. I just think it would have been better to have had an equal number on each team of good and evil.

For a time in 1979, the episodes containing the Legion of Doom were shown with 2 half-hour shows featuring the principal Justice League (Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Batman & Robin, and featuring the Wonder Twins & Gleek) bringing the total time of the Super Friends show to a full 90 minutes.

For all you fans of this series, two VHS videos have been released in 2003. (Most likely they can be found in DVD format. I just found the videos today at my local Hollywood Video store.) Each video contains 4 full episodes.

The first is called "Challenge of the Super Friends: Attack of the Legion of Doom." It contains the following 4 episodes to which I will add a brief synopsis for each. In "Wanted: Ten Super Friends" the LOD uses mind control over the SF to make them steal gold, antiques and other riches; the SF turn themselves in to the authorities, but it is a trap set by the LOD to eliminate the SF and gain control of the world. In "Invasion of the Fearians" the LOD makes a pact with three-headed aliens from Venus, who plan to colonize the planet Earth and then destroy the SF so that the LOD can gain world dominion. In "The World's Deadliest Game" the LOD lead Wonder Woman, Hawkman and Black Vulcan through a black hole in space and onto a strange, desolate planet where Toyman terrorizes them in several "games" (pinball, dollhouse, etc.) while the other SF race to find them in time before the black hole closes permanently. In "The Time Trap" the LOD lead several of the SF into different time periods in order to steal riches and frame the SF for the crimes so that they will be caught and remain stuck in time and, therefore, cease to be a threat to the LOD in the furture.

The second is called "Challenge of the Super Friends: United They Stand." Following are the 4 featured episodes. In "Trial of the Super Friends" the LOD charges the SF with crimes of fighting injustice and evil; the LOD then finds them guilty and proceeds to punish them. In "Monolith of Evil" Solomon Grundy leads the other members of the LOD to the center of the Earth to the power source that made him evil so that they can gain new and more powerful sources of evil to use in their latest scheme against the SF. In "The Giants of Doom" Sinestro and Captain Cold lead the rest of the LOD around the world to collect vital elements needed to make a formula that will transform them into giants in order to conquer the SF and rule the universe. In "Secret Origins of the Super Friends" the LOD travels back in time to change the course of historical events so that Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern never became Super Friends and it's up to the other SF to go back in time to undo the damage done by the LOD.

These are great! Watching these episodes again was like reliving a part of my youth... it seemed like Saturday morning all over again. I hope they release all of the episodes, because there are others that I remember that were not included on these tapes. If you can, check them out!

As a general comment, I wish the Cartoon Network would feature this show more prominently again. I don't think it is on the schedule anymore, but I am not positive. (If it is, I cannot find it.) This channel seems to make a lot of new shows (and airs each new show at least 5 times per day) and completely ignores old favorites, except for Scooby Doo, which is also a great show (but I am referring only to the orginial shows from 1969 & 1970 and NOT the Scrappy or Scooby Dumb or "guest star" mysteries). The same thing has happened with the Game Show Network. The people in charge of these cable stations are missing the point... viewers want to see the shows that they remember and grew up watching. Fortunately for viewers like me, there is a channel that does understand this basic philosphy... TV Land!

Super Friends (1973–1985)

Good show, but the Legion of Doom episodes are better

[29 November 2003]

As a kid I used to watch this show every Saturday morning on ABC. This show featured Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Batman & Robin, and the Wonder Twins, Zan & Jayna, with their pet monkey Gleek. I did like the Wonder Twins but Gleek was annoying. Aquaman was my favorite character, although he was unfortunately relegated to flying around with Wonder Woman in her invisible jet whenever the action took place on land or in space.

A previous reviewer was correct in the format used: there were three mini-episodes, approximately 10 minutes in length, with one half-hour episode. The first mini-episode featured a pair of the Superfriends battling evil scientists or scheming enemies. The second mini-episode featured the Wonder Twins in stories about adolescents who were either up to no good or were in dangerous predicaments. The third was the half-hour episode with the entire cast, generally battling aliens or other life forms from far away galaxies. The final mini-episode paired one principal Superfriend with a guest Superfriend such as Green Lantern, Flash, Apache Chief, Samurai, Black Vulcan, Rima, Atom, or Hawkman & Hawgirl.

The stories were good but were definitely preachy. I liked the mini-episodes that paired Aquaman and Superman together. My favorite half-hour episode dealt with an evil zombie woman named Minerva or Medusa or something like that(she didn't have any eyeballs, just white eyes!) who, along with her other female assistants, planned to transform all the women of Earth into similar zombies in order to use them to help her rid the planet of all men by changing them into microchips to be stored on tape so that she could ultimately conquer the world. When Wonder Woman and Jayna, thinking they would be undetected as females, infiltrated her base of operations, they were transformed into zombies with white eyes. They then transformed Aquaman, Batman, Robin, and Zan into microchips and stored them on tape. They thought they also did that to Superman, but he had substituted a statute of himself; he then singlehandedly saved the other Superfiends, changed all the women of Earth back to normal, saved all the men by reversing the deeds of the zombies, and finally caught the main zombie woman.

Also, there originally were several brief spots throughout each program that featured the Superfriends dispensing health advice and safety tips to children and teens.

It's a Living (1980–1989)

This show actually first aired on ABC from 1980-1982

[30 August 2003]

Since this is such an excellent database, I was surprised at the glaring omission of this show's initial history. "It's a Living" first ran on the ABC network for two seasons before it popped up in syndication three years later. The show always centered around the lives of the waitresses who worked at Above the Top, a posh restaurant in Los Angeles. The five original waitresses were Ann Jillian (Cassie Cranston), Barrie Youngfellow (Jan Hoffmeyer), Gail Edwards (Dot Higgins), Susan Sullivan (Lois Adams), and Wendy Schaal (Vicki Allen). At the end of the 1980-1981 season, Susan Sullivan and Wendy Schaal were gone. Louise Lasser ("Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman") was cast the next year as a new waitress named Maggie McBurney and she lasted for just that season. At this time the show was renamed "Making a Living."

When the show started its run in syndication, it was known as "It's a Living" again and much of the original cast was back. Ann Jillian left after the 1985-1986 season.

Marian Mercer, who played authoritarian supervisor Nancy Beebe, and Paul Kreppel, who played egotistical lounge pianist Sonny Mann, were with the show from the beginning and remained throughout its entire run.

Though it was never as immensely popular in its original run as it could have been, the show was light and humorous with a talented, comedic ensemble cast. I agree with the previous comment regarding Marian Mercer. She is truly an underrated comedienne and anytime she is in a scene it is 100 times funnier. Marian Mercer could read the telephone book and it would be hilarious! (Catch her in the comedy movie "9 to 5" with Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin. She has a secondary role as ditzy Missy Hart; she plays the wife of Dabney Coleman's character, Franklin Hart, the boss who makes life hell for his office staff.) Paul Kreppel was also very funny. I especially liked the sparring between the characters of Nancy and Dot, who disliked each other. Actually, all the waitresses hated Nancy, who was their supervisor, and they were always exchanging verbal barbs with her.

FYI... For you true "TV Trivia" fans, here is an update on the two waitresses who left after the first season. Susan Sullivan went on to star in the CBS prime time serial "Falcon Crest" as Maggie Gioberti for almost its entire run. More recently, she appeared on "Dharma & Greg" as Greg's mother. And let's not forget those Tylenol commercials she did! Wendy Schaal starred for one season (1981-1982) as Mr. Roarke's god-daughter, Julie, on Fantasy Island. She shared hosting duties with Tattoo, played by Herve Villechaize (who was in several Dunkin' Donuts commercials featuring mini donuts--a career highlight, I'm sure!--before he committed suicide). Julie and Tattoo were both replaced in the next and final season by Lawrence, played by Christopher Hewett, who later starred as "Mr. Belvedere" and on and on it goes...

As the World Turns (1956–2010)

Tune into this great daytime drama!

[8/10 · 17 February 2003]

If you have never watched ATWT, do yourself a favor and check out this wonderful program. I have been a faithful viewer of this show since 1986 when the legendary Douglas Marland penned those well-crafted stories that incorporated the show's history and kept the viewer glued to the television set. Actually, if you count the time that my mother watched when I was a little kid, then I have been watching a lot longer than that! Incredibly, there are still many talented actors (and their characters) whom I remember from that time who are still on the show today: Helen Wagner (Nancy), Don Hastings (Bob), Eileen Fulton (Lisa), Kathryn Hays (Kim), Larry Bryggman (John) and Marie Masters (Susan). There have also been many great actors who have appeared later who are equally as brilliant and have been on the show for more that 10 years: Elizabeth Hubbard (Lucinda), Colleen Zenk Pinter (Barbara), Benjamin Hendrickson (Hal), Tamara Tunie (Jessica), Scott Holmes (Tom), Ellen Dolan (Margo), Kelley Menighan Hensley (Emily), Jon Hensley (Holden), and Martha Byrne (Lily/Rose). Other notable actors who just grab your attention in the current storylines include: Maura West (Carly), Lesli Kay (Molly), Michael Park (Jack), Mark Collier (Mike), Lamman Rucker (Marshall), Scott Holroyd (Paul) and Hunt Block (Craig).

The entire cast is great and the stories are more rooted in reality than most other shows (no aliens, demonic possessions or stereotypical mobster types here!) and this is exactly why I watch this show! Yes, there have been people coming back from the dead (remember James Stenbeck?), the premature aging syndrome of children (Bonnie is supposed to be 11 years old in "real time"!) and some things that seem odd to the very astute viewer (I must have missed the episode where Ellen Stewart left town and entrusted her home to Susan Stewart, her ex-daughter-in-law with whom she never really got along!), but, for the most part, things make sense and characters behave in ways that are logical and therefore help to maintain their integrity. Hogan Sheffer is doing a fine job of writing and developing stories. Actors Marie Masters and Courtney Sherman (Dr. Susan Stewart and Dr. Lynn Michaels, respectively) are also on the writing team.

Another thing I appreciate as a longtime viewer is characters who come back for brief visits and are played by the original actors. Caleb Snyder and his wife Julie recently came to town to visit their son Aaron and the rest of the Snyder clan. And Iva Snyder returned when the Lily/Rose story was initially unraveling. It would be great to see other old favorites come back to visit or permanently move back to town. It was a real disservice when Patricia Bruder, who played Ellen Stewart, was let go in 1995. She joined the show in 1960 and was the last remnant of the Lowell/Stewart family. She should move back (and reclaim her house!) and then get involved in the life of her granddaughter, Emily. She might even help Alison (she needs it!) who would be both her step-granddaughter and great-granddaughter. (Too long to explain here!) It would be great if the other Snyder family members would return. Or, perhaps, the other lost members of the Hughes family--they've been in fictional Montega long enough! Personally, I would like to see these actors and their characters again: Allyson Rice (Connor Walsh, Lucinda's despised relative & a great business foil for Lucinda); Greg Watkins (Evan Walsh, Connor's brother & Rosanna's old beau); Scott DeFrietas (Andy Dixon, son of Kim and John & Paul's cousin); Lindsay Frost (Betsy Stewart Andropoulos, Ellen's other granddaughter and Emily's half-sister); Anne Sward (Lyla Montgomery Peretti, mother of Margo, Craig, Cricket and Katie); and Robin Morse (Pamela Wagner, John's niece who was a no-nonsense, independent student nurse trainee). Allyson Rice (Connor) and Daniel Markel (David Allen/Stenbeck) should never have been let go! It would be great if Trent Dawson (Henry Coleman) and Anne Sayre (Mitzi Matters) were given contracts and more air time--their characters are really outrageously funny!

So, watch this soap opera that will soon be turning 47 years old this year. What other program--daytime or nighttime--can boast that it has a character (Nancy Hughes McClosky) that's been played by the same actress (Helen Wagner) since the premiere episode for the last 47 years??? Not one!

There's also a book called "As the World Turns: The Complete Family Scrapbook" by Julie Poll that was written to coincide with the show's 40th anniversary in 1996. This will help new viewers get the entire storyline (up to 1996) of the members of the Hughes, Lowell, Stewart, Montgomery, Walsh and Snyder families and all of their friends and enemies.