I don't think anybody ever found out what was up with Penny. Doug Marland started this story and it was dropped when he went over to GL to start writing that show.
It would've been wonderful if Ellen had been brought back at least as a visiting (or recurring) character in the 2000's. It would have been interesting seeing Ellen be a thorn in Susan's side, and also being a part of Emily's life.
This is a classic example of late 70s ATWT; slow; plodding; calm; concerned mostly with love triangles of doctors and lawyers in their 40s; my Mom watched this from the 50s until 81--82 when new writers tried to make it like General Hospital with Luke and Laura; they should have stuck with these slow-moving family-centered storylines.
It's ashame your mom did not start watching again when Doug Marland returned as headwriter in 1985. As he centered the show again. And this episode was a, Doug Marland written episode as he was headwriter briefly from September of 1979 to December of 1979 before switching with the dobsons and going to guiding light and ohh your mother complaining about atwt looking like gh during the dobsons time makes sense because bridgette and Jerry dobson wrote for gh and bridgette parents created general hospital and ohh Doug Marland during this time just cake from general hospital after quiting bevause Gloria monty wanted to do a Luke and Laura pairing which of course she did but Douglas was not having it because he wrote Luke raping Laura so he told Gloria off and quit. Now that's integrity.
I remember as a child watching the show, and there was an episode when Andy Dixon (still an infant) was christened. Judge Lowell appeared with the Lowell family christening gown for the baby to be dressed in. I didn't understand then who he was--Ellen seemed as old as Nancy and Chris (even though she was supposed to be the age of their daughter), so it seemed strange that her grandfather was there.
@@MsTexas73 Right--I learned that later. But the early aging of Dan Stewart--so he was married to Kim, making him of the Bob and Kim generation, seemed to age Ellen into the Chris and Nancy generation.
@@stanbrown32 I looked at it as Ellen marrying a much older David Stewart. But still the really young mom of Dan so when they aged him, she was just a young looking mom of him. But still in Bob, Lisa, and Kim’s generation. 🤷🏽♀️
@@MsTexas73 I think it's the way the writers handled the characters. Ellen by the mid-1970s (maybe even before) was being written primarily as a worried mother of Annie and Dee and grandmother to Betsy and Emily. She wasn't a leading lady like Lisa and Kim. Maybe part of the problem was that her mother Claire was killed off, and so Ellen replaced Claire as Nancy's friend. Lisa had all her romantic plots, famously was not a grandmother, and had her mother Alma fretting over her, and so seemed younger.
This was Doug Marlands first brief stint as interim headwriter which was from September of 1979 to December when he and the dobsons switched places and he went to gl and the dobsons came to atwt. Of course Douglas would return in 1985 and oakdale would be forever transformed Doug Marland along with harding Lemay were just the best ashamed Doug Marland never headwrote aw because he would have brought it back to how harding Lemay wrote the show. But he was the best headwriter atwt ever had period.
Any idea who the headwriters were at the time? I always liked Jeff Ward. Vicki Dawson was a better Dee. By the time Julie Ridley grew on me she left. The Campbell's are pretty dull. I can see why they did not last. Loving these shows and seeing so much from each hour episode, thank you!!!
I believe Doug Marland was writing these shows ... he had quit GH over his dispute with Gloria Monty and went to ATWT, but didn't last that long as he was curried over to Guiding Light. He started a mystery story that involved the long-absent Penny, but this story was dropped when Marland left for GL.
Mitch S. I had always liked Jeff also. Robert Lipton. I was surprised they never brought back the quads later on as teenagers to expand the Stewart family generation. 🤔🤔. I was quite surprised to learn that Robert was married to Marie Masters, (Susan Stewart), and I believe I knew at one time that his sister was the late Peggy Lipton.
The Reading Wizards Do we even know if these 1979 episodes are the complete episodes? I feel that they're not. I would love to see these episodes again. I would love to see the complete Willows story again with Lisa, Bennett and Hester. I vaguely remember seeing these originally in '79 when I was 15. Obviously I was in high school at the time so I just remember seeing certain episodes whether it be during the summer or on holiday break. I think most of that story started in the fall snd lasted through Thanksgiving. 🤔🤔
Guys this was Doug Marlands brief first stint at atwt which lasted from September of 1979 to December of 1979 when he and the dobsons switched places as I suspect Doug Marland did not want to work with Mary Ellis bunim who was coming in as ep. And I don't Blame him one bit as she stopped Nancy and Chris to recuring caused Eilleen Fulton to quit. And almost ruined Craig but what happened was is that Mary elis bunim was out as ep in 1984 akd Bob Calhoun came over and also millie Taggart started getting the show on track in 1984 then it was Susan bedsow organ doing double duty for a few months as producer and headwriter and then the other great writer harding lamay transitioned the show for the great and best headwriter atwt ever had which is still the one and only headwriter or should I say Doug Marlands return to atwt in 1985 as his stuff started airing in November of 1985.
That's Dana, an old friend of his sister Penny in London; she and Bob started dating. Dana's ex-boyfriend was Ian (the patient Bob talks about) who was played by Peter Simon (later Ed on GL). Ian tried to break the two up; Dana and Bob did break up on their own terms and Dana left town; Ian died of a heart attack during sex with virginal Dee Stewart because of his heart condition.
Frannies mom was not Dana it was jenifer Ryan. Kim's sister Dr Bob was Frannies dad. And jenifer died so Kim was basically like Frannies mom but biogically her aunt.
Corect this is Doug Marlands first brief stint as headwriter which was from September of 1979 to December of 1979. before he switched places with the dobsons and went to guiding light.
