Determined to "bring order out of existing chaos", Mikkos Cassadine planned to implement his vision, his idea of world peace by creating a new world society in which all citizens of the world would live by his rules. Every country in the world should become self-sufficient. Mikkos Cassadine would use carbonic snow to control the world's weather conditions, thus controlling earth.
'General Hospital' was created by Frank and Doris Hursley. The show made its television debut in April 1963. Gloria Monty recounted, "I became producer in 1978 and the show was dead. It was not dead, but it was within a few months of cancelation. It had a very low rating and I was told it probably would last only a few more months." To keep 'General Hospital' on the air, Gloria would introduce the Ice Princess storyline. The origin of the Ice Princess storyline could be traced to the 'Flash Gordon' comics.
During 6 weeks on a tropical island in the Caribbean Sea, 10 people (4 were experts in their chosen field) convened mostly in the crystal room of an underground paradise compound to share in a moment of history as Mikkos Cassadine began delegating their new power of authority. The fate of mankind laid in their hands with Mikkos Cassadine holding the key to the new world.
Of the attendees there was Tiffany Hill - an actress. Mikkos told her, "I am the producer, writer and director of this unfolding drama. If you can’t take direction you can go sit in your dressing room." There was scientist Nigel Pennysmith played by Bernard Fox (best known as Dr Bombay in 'Bewitched') who discovered the formula to create carbonic snow, "something more powerful than a nuclear bomb."
General military commander Konrad Kaluga would be in charge of all world army in the "brave new world". It was revealed the House of Cassadine domination of the civilized world would not be swift but a gradual infiltration.
Diplomat Maximillian von Stadt would be in charge of the diplomatic side of affair, "the supreme arbitrator in any global conflict which may arise." Max was quick to remind Mikkos, "I am a representative of many nations and I have them to answer to and it is from them I draw my total support."
Victor Cassadine would become president of the bank, in charge of all financial matters and Tony Cassadine would be responsible for all the stock and the bond departments. The great Mikkos Cassadine would become the supreme commander, overseeing the entire operation. Mikkos did not mince words, "You should all know that each of you is expendable. Anyone who stand in the way of our success will be replaced."
Gloria Monty maintained, "I've always felt that we never condone evil and if someone has done something that is against society, yes, they are going to get it. But what we do is look at what people do with more compassion and we try to understand what the motivating forces are. If they have done something wrong, we look at it and find out some of the reasons why, and then we try to rectify it."
In homes across the United States, it was estimated in 1986, over 30 million Americans were counted watching soap operas. "Television represents a very, very old debate in America about high culture versus mass culture. Opera and ballet versus things that have been prepared for the masses," Professor Alison Alexander at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst observed. Between 10:00am and 4.30pm there was no time when there was neither an audience-participating game show or a soap opera available on one of the 3 networks.
By 1986, some of the 85.9 million households with TV sets were watching at least one of the 13 soap operas on the air. The key daytime demographics were women aged 25-54. Joe Rothenberger explained, "A soap is based on the audience having an emotional relationship with the characters. That is why the story is so flimsy. If they don’t love or hate the characters, they won’t watch it and if they do, the story doesn’t matter."
Of the game shows, Roger Dobkowitz of 'The Price Is Right' told Barry Koltnow of 'The Orange County Register' in 2000, "I was watching some tapes from old shows the other day and I noticed that our contestants used to be slightly older and dress in nice outfits. They even wore ties. Now (in 2000) we get a lot of college kids in sweatshirts, and I think I know why. My theory is that this show is like comfort food, in that it brings back all these nice memories.
"They walk by a television set in the dorm and they catch a glimpse of 'The Price Is Right'. They remember that they used to watch with their moms when they were little kids and home sick from school. It’s the same host, the same girls, the same games. It’s the same show they remember, and it feels good to watch something that hasn’t changed. It’s just a theory."
Peter Marshall of 'The Hollywood Squares' told 'United Press International' in 1972, "I really don’t understand the soaps. Their success has always baffled me … If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that television is a soft medium. You can’t come on too strong or oversell. Viewers at home want a certain amount of blandness. Well, I guess they don’t want you to be dull either. But they insist that you be comfortable.There’s a fine balance on games shows. We learned the game is more important than laughs to viewers. They get involved in the contest and the prizes."
Dick Clark of 'The $420,000 Pyramid' told John Goudas in 1977, "You'll never see the demise of the game shows. TV wouldn’t be the same without them, and younger audiences prefer them to the melodrama of the soaps." Of the genre, Agnes Nixon made the comment in 2010, "Storytelling will never go out of style. My kind of storytelling is geared toward the spoken word. It’s an ensemble effort. I say all the time that Susan Lucci has created Erica as much as any writer, including myself."
Alicia Minshew joined the cast of 'All My Children' in 2002. She made the observation, "Believe it or not, it's a tough job. Because we have to make this writing work. And it's a new script every single day … We have to learn 30, 40 pages a night. You don't get a lot of rehearsal time. You show up and you're expected to make this interesting writing work." Kate Jackson believed, "When used properly, TV can be the most powerful medium in the world … People seem to think that the logical progression is from television to movies. But they don't realize the exposure is greater on television."
By 1986, some of the 85.9 million households with TV sets were watching at least one of the 13 soap operas on the air. The key daytime demographics were women aged 25-54. Joe Rothenberger explained, "A soap is based on the audience having an emotional relationship with the characters. That is why the story is so flimsy. If they don’t love or hate the characters, they won’t watch it and if they do, the story doesn’t matter."
Of the game shows, Roger Dobkowitz of 'The Price Is Right' told Barry Koltnow of 'The Orange County Register' in 2000, "I was watching some tapes from old shows the other day and I noticed that our contestants used to be slightly older and dress in nice outfits. They even wore ties. Now (in 2000) we get a lot of college kids in sweatshirts, and I think I know why. My theory is that this show is like comfort food, in that it brings back all these nice memories.
"They walk by a television set in the dorm and they catch a glimpse of 'The Price Is Right'. They remember that they used to watch with their moms when they were little kids and home sick from school. It’s the same host, the same girls, the same games. It’s the same show they remember, and it feels good to watch something that hasn’t changed. It’s just a theory."
Peter Marshall of 'The Hollywood Squares' told 'United Press International' in 1972, "I really don’t understand the soaps. Their success has always baffled me … If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that television is a soft medium. You can’t come on too strong or oversell. Viewers at home want a certain amount of blandness. Well, I guess they don’t want you to be dull either. But they insist that you be comfortable.There’s a fine balance on games shows. We learned the game is more important than laughs to viewers. They get involved in the contest and the prizes."
Dick Clark of 'The $420,000 Pyramid' told John Goudas in 1977, "You'll never see the demise of the game shows. TV wouldn’t be the same without them, and younger audiences prefer them to the melodrama of the soaps." Of the genre, Agnes Nixon made the comment in 2010, "Storytelling will never go out of style. My kind of storytelling is geared toward the spoken word. It’s an ensemble effort. I say all the time that Susan Lucci has created Erica as much as any writer, including myself."
Alicia Minshew joined the cast of 'All My Children' in 2002. She made the observation, "Believe it or not, it's a tough job. Because we have to make this writing work. And it's a new script every single day … We have to learn 30, 40 pages a night. You don't get a lot of rehearsal time. You show up and you're expected to make this interesting writing work." Kate Jackson believed, "When used properly, TV can be the most powerful medium in the world … People seem to think that the logical progression is from television to movies. But they don't realize the exposure is greater on television."
