JANUARY and FEBRUARY 1975
All My Children
Written by : Agnes Nixon
Produced by : Bud Kloss
Since her recovery from pneumonia following her miscarriage, Erica had been emotionally unable to face the fact that she lost her baby as she subconsciously realized the child was the primary reason Philip married her. Phil was close to the breaking point and, when finally goaded beyond control, he blurted out to her that there was no baby, she lost it. When Mona confirmed the miscarriage, Erica was sure that Mona and Phil were trying to drive her out of her mind and make her miscarry. She later wiped this confirmation out of her mind and was again delightfully obsessed by the child she insisted she was carrying. Tara told Phil no matter how Erica acted, she really loved him and needed him now, that he was all Erica had. However, Dr. Mary Hansen, a psychiatrist, visited Erica under the guise of being Mona’s friend and convinced her that she might risk losing the baby unless she was hospitalized, preferably at Oakhaven Sanitarium. Erica, who had confined herself to a bed to insure against miscarriage agreed to enter Oakhaven believing it best for her baby. On the morning before she left, however, Erica asked Mary Martin to tell Tara to stay away from Phil and not try to break up her marriage in her absence. Erica was angry when Mary said she couldn’t do this and she summoned Tara to visit. She asked Tara directly to stay away from Phil, adding she might have convinced Chuck that she was over Phil but she, Erica, wasn’t fooled. Tara angrily replied nobody could be Erica’s friend and if she was more sure of her husband she wouldn’t mistrust everyone. Phil left the tearful Erica at Oakhaven promising to visit her as soon as the doctors would allow it. Learning this might be weeks, Phil was in deep depression asking “What have I done?” Phil recognized a pair of gloves in his living room as Tara’s – she forgot them when hastily leaving Erica – and realized she was there. He visited her and was agitatedly pressing her to tell him what Erica said when Chuck walked in. Chuck was annoyed that Phil felt he had the right to freely visit and question Tara. Tara reluctantly admitted Erica did bring up the past but tried to make excuses citing Erica’s illness.
Charles told Mary her physical condition was fine and she and her husband Jeff planned to start a family.
Ann was finally able to gain a little perspective on the recent tragedy she became involved in while working on the “COPE-Child Abuse” Hotline and understood that adopting a child couldn’t make up for the death of the little girl whose mother contacted Ann on the hotline. Ann had been dating Nick to whom she was married several years ago, but Nick felt Ann was waiting for Paul and Margo’s marriage to breakup. Linc told Kitty that Ann was still in love with Paul and their marriage would not have ended if Margo hadn’t interfered. He added Margo was a tough, bad woman who ruthlessly took what she wanted without regard for anyone else and she wanted Paul. Determined to get over a few rough spots in their marriage, Margo and Paul had been making a tremendous effort to keep their marriage smooth and happy and Paul even sought reassurance in his marriage from his mother Kate. Kate worriedly told Joe she felt Paul and Margo had to try too hard. Margo learned her daughter, Claudette Montgomery, had joined her husband Spencer in Europe where he was on a business trip. However, Claudette later called saying she was on her way home and would come to Margo’s. She arrived telling Margo she had left Spencer for good because she was not happy with him, never loved him and wouldn’t have married him if Margo hadn’t pushed her into it because of his socially prominent family. Margo refused to believe this, sure the Montgomerys drove Claudette away as she was below Spencer’s social station. Margo covered up Claudette’s confusion when Paul referred to Margo’s visit the previous summer and Margo later made Claudette promise never to tell Paul she didn’t go to visit her in Newport – she actually had a face lift in New York -. Margo was upset to realize Claudette expected to go on living in her current style even without alimony for, as Claudette pointed out, that’s how Margo raised her.
Phoebe returned from her world cruise unannounced expecting to find her family biding its time until her return. She was furious to find that Ann was dating Nick and was shocked when Ann made it firmly clear Phoebe had nothing to say about how she, Ann, ran her life. She was amazed to learn that Paul was married to Margo and appalled to find Linc had been dating Kitty, a reaction Kitty had fully expected. Linc told Kitty not to concern herself – Phoebe would just have to learn to live with it. However, the greatest shock was Phoebe’s realization that her husband Charles had been seen in public with his secretary Mona. Mona had been a source of contention between Phoebe and Charles before her departure as she felt his friendship with his secretary was imprudent and embarrassing. Charles who often enjoyed Mona’s company in Phoebe’s absence finally told Phoebe he missed her but his life went on smoothly in her absence and if she disturbed this tranquility he wouldn’t tolerate that and was putting her on notice.
Tragedy struck when little Philip, staying with his grandmother Kate while Tara toured art galleries in New York, fell from Tad’s tree house. Rushed by Joe to the hospital, he was unconscious and had a ruptured spleen. The surgery would be risky in any event but was complicated by little Philip’s rare B- blood. Tara, the only woman donor, couldn’t be reached. But Phil, refering to his army ID, discovered he had the same rare B- blood. Chuck fervently hoped Phil wouldn’t learn that when a mother and child both had B- blood, the father almost certainly must have it too. But the hematologist assured Phil was the baby’s father and told him why – the blood factor. Shaken, Phil tried to think this through.
When Tara's son, little Phillip, required surgery following an accidental fall from a tree-house, Phil was happy to donate blood upon learning his namesake had the same rare B- blood that he had. Until learning Phillip's blood type, Tara was the only other known donor. Phil was astounded to learn that when a child and a mother shared this rare B- blood type it was almost inevitable that the father had the same type. He began to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Everyone had admitted that Tara was pregnant when she married Chuck, but nobody said that it was Chuck's baby - Tara and Phil married themselves years ago before he left for VietNam. Then when he was reported dead and she found herself pregnant, she married Chuck Tyler to give her son a legal father. - Little Phillip survived the spleenectomy, but while his condition was critical Phil watched Chuck comforting Tara and realized that in crisis, Chuck and Tara were like one - Chuck was her strength and virtually her life. However, when Tara's grandmother Kate told Phil that the baby was born on December 21st four years ago, Phil triumphantly admitted to himself he knew it all the time. He came right out and asked his mother Ruth if little Phillip was his son. Ruth tried to evade the question, but Phillip persisted saying he had to hear the answer from her. He wanted to protect little Phillip and realized Chuck and Tara needed each other but had to know as it would prove that Tara did not set aside her love for him as easily as he had thought she did. He could then accept not having Tara and his son if he knew the truth. After Phil promised her he would not tell another living soul, Ruth, in tears of agony, told Phil that little Phillip was his son. Phil and Ruth discussed the baby's security and Phil promised he'd never claim the child or destroy the security he had with Chuck and Tara. Indeed when Tara and Chuck dropped by to visit him, Phil managed to conceal what he had learned remembering Ruth's warning that the baby's future was on the line. Chuck and Tara feared that Phil might put the pieces of the blood type puzzle together and watched for any sign that he might know but decided that he didn't. Ruth warned Phil about becoming overly preoccupied with little Phillip, but Phil replied he loved his son and would give his life for him and just wanted to get to know him. Ruth feared the overabundance of energy Phil was turning towards the boy might reveal that he knew the truth. Little Phillip recovered and was released.
Meanwhile, Phil's wife Erica, at Oakhaven Sanitarium for an emotional breakdown evolving from a recent miscarriage which she couldn’t emotionally accept, was undergoing shock treatment as she had shown no improvement at all.
Having recently returned from a world cruise, Phoebe was shocked to realize that her husband Charles' friendship with his secretary Mona had become closer during her absence. Phoebe was aghast to learn Mona had Christmas dinner at the Tyler home neurotically insisting Mona was insinuating herself into Charles' life and trying to take her place even in her own home. Phoebe's daughter Ann cautioned her that this reaction could indeed drive Charles to Mona, if she wasn't warm and loving she would lose her husband. When Ann warned her father Phoebe was out for Mona's blood, Charles angrily replied Mona's friendship was his most precious possession and he'd fight Phoebe to the end on it. However, Phoebe went on and on about the shoddiness of the relationship implying it was a shabby and embarrassing middle-aged affair, disgusting and infuriating him. Phoebe finally landed the ultimatum - either fire Mona or we could no longer live under the same roof. Incredulous at accidentally learning of Phoebe's ultimatum to Charles, Mona went to Phoebe and informed her she was resigning her job - not because Phoebe's ultimatum was justified but only to make Charles' life a little easier as he was a good friend, something everyone but Phoebe seemed to understand. But upon learning what Mona had done, Charles confided to her his feelings for her had indeed deepened beyond friendship. When Mona interjected they couldn't talk about this Charles replied his life was intolerable and he had to make changes.
Linc told Kitty he was falling in love with her. She replied that they were comfortable with each other and always enjoyed being together but she hadn't thought beyond that.
Paul was annoyed at the way Margo's daughter Claudette “didn’t lift a bejeweled finger” to help around the apartment. She was visiting with them as she had separated from her socialite husband Spencer Montgomery. Margo, who engineered Claudette's marriage to Spencer, was dead set against her daughter throwing away the Montgomery money and social position. Margo admitted she raised Claudette solely to be a wealthy man's wife. Claudette, who made a repeated point of the age difference between Paul and Margo, noticed the scar behind Margo's ear and guessed about her face lift. Margo finally admitted it but warned Claudette that Paul was not to know as it would spoil everything. Claudette promised but when Paul firmly refused to be Claudette's lawyer in the divorce because Margo was against it, Claudette told Margo either Margo convinced Paul to be her lawyer or she would tell Paul about the face lift. With nowhere to turn, Margo asked Paul to represent Claudette saying she lied about visiting Claudette the previous summer, that she went to New York to think things over, hoping her absence would make Paul realize he loved her and wanted to marry her. She explained that since she didn’t visit Spencer and Claudette after all she didn’t understand until then that the marriage really should be ended. Paul forgave Margo for lying about the previous summer but added he hoped this would be the last lie he uncovered. Margo then told Claudette that Paul knew about the facelift, but was angry she lied about it so Claudette was not to mention it to Paul as it would cause tension. She hoped they would never compare notes on this.
Unable to live with Phoebe's constant interference, Ann moved into her own apartment. While working for the child-abuse program, COPE, at the hospital, Ann ran into an old friend, Stacy Coles, who brought her 2 year old son, Jamie in for treatment after a tricycle accident. After seeing the child’s injuries and the fear he had for his mother, Ann was convinced the child was a victim of child abuse. Joe was skeptical until Jamie’s x-rays showed previous fractures. He visited the Coleses, a socially prominent family, and asked to check Jamie for what Stacy called his accident-prone nature. She nervously refused but her husband Wyatt, who was upset that everytime he was away on business Jamie had another accident, agreed to discuss it with Joe. Stacy and Wyatt agreed about his heavy work schedule which she acidly pointed out still didn’t provide for her the way her wealthy father did.
____________________________
Coming in March:
"The presence of Claudette in Paul and Margo’s apartment was causing increasing strain, especially when Claudette started to make advances towards Paul. Both Paul and Margo thought she was man-crazy and she confirmed Paul’s suspicions when she picked up a man at the movies and finally made an overt pass at Paul, saying she was not asking for marriage, just an afternoon in the hay."
No comments:
Post a Comment