Seeing Stars by Watching Reruns

Growing up without cable television unlike most of my peers and watching syndicated reruns was a way of life. It is also a great way to see soap stars from years past or when they were younger. Luckily with the internet and certain television stations, some programs are available that haven't been shown on local stations for years.

Due to the digital television conversion, a channel is available where I live called Retro Television Network (RTN). RTN's programming most of the time though is anything, but new. The majority of the programming is more than 20 years old. Unlike Nick's TVLand and Nick-at-Nite, they air mainly drama and action programs like Perry Mason, The Incredible Hulk, and The A-Team.

This past week, Dragnet 1968 though has been a surprising way to see soap stars. This week John McCook (Eric from The Bold & the Beautiful), Susan Seaforth Hayes (though credited just as Susan Seaforth as this was before she was Julie on Days), and Don Stewart (Mike Bauer from Guiding Light) were guest stars.

John McCook played a character that was a new to the police force on one show. He and his partner were too brusque with a potential suspect. Earlier this week, he was on an old episode of Beat the Clock from 1979-1980, unfortunately GSN has decided to replace the block of programming which included Beat the Clock and Body Language (another good show for soap star sightings--the most amusing being when Cat Hickland was one of the celebrities and Kassie DePaiva still going by Kassie Wesley then was a contestant) with an hour of poker.

On the rerun episode that aired on Thursday, October 2, the main characters Joe Friday and Bill Gannon were investigating the past of a candidate for the LA police academy. Don Stewart played the particular candidate that they were having problems with. Susan Seaforth played his former wife. So, Mike and Julie were a couple? Since both actors started at their respective soaps in 1968, it makes it even more amusing.

The week before that, Susan Seaforth was on another episode of Dragnet 1968 as the main guest star. Her character named Eva was well known in the world of pornography. She acted demure at first, so one couldn't guess her real profession. It took me a few minutes to figure out who it was. Somehow she got a girl who was sixteen involved in that business. The girl was so horrified over what she did that she killed herself.