MovieChat Forums > The Edge of Night (1956) Discussion > Flower Children gone bad....

Flower Children gone bad....

posted 13 years ago by rhettsamigo2003
7 replies | jump to latest

In a documentary about the Manson Family Cult, I've heard the narrator mention the underlying fear of hippies in the late 1960s. That despite their communal love fests, protesting Vietnam, and totally radical clothing and hair styles, that the "bad apples" would some how manifest themselves in the culture. He talked about elder conservative people who feared those scary, long haired, barefoot rebels known as "hippies" and that the Manson Family was dope infested, murderous, and violent, giving credence to middle America's distrust.

It still gives me a chill, thinking of Jonah Lockwood/ Keith Whitney and what all he managed to get away with as his "hippie" bearded persona. There were other long haired rebellious types on the other soaps, but Jonah was to me, a Charlie Manson psychopath.

[–] abajasds 13 years ago

Edge did another cult storyline around 1978 which I believe was taken from around the time of the Jonestown massacre with Jim Jones. The cult was ran by Elliot Dorn.

My job is to inform, not persuade- Dan Rather

[–] rhettsamigo2003 13 years ago

OMG, forgot about THAT storyline! Thank you for reminding me! What was freaky about that is that Henry Slesar came up with the cult plot BEFORE the Jonestown massacre. The storyline was going strong. One of Elliot's disciples, she was a very troubled young girl, threw acid in Mike Karr's face, blinding him for several months.

Well, when the Jonestown Massacre happened and it was world-wide news, ABC network panicked and demanded that the EDGE OF NIGHT cult story be cut off immediately. P & G acquiesed (spellcheck?). The bad girl reformed and left Monticello. All that was left of the cult was sexy Elliot, who became like a gigolo, and Starr, a gorgeous disciple who fell in love with Calvin. Calvin and Starr married. I forgot why they broke up, but she left Monticello, too. Elliot was eventually stabbed to death by one of the clown puppets at his Unicorn Night Club. If any of you fans can find that on youtube, it still gives me shivers, like a brilliant horror movie.

YOUNG & RESTLESS did a cult storyline afterwards. I recall Paul being involved and either Nikki or Patti, it wasn't too popular with fans.

I'll have to research THE EDGE OF NIGHT HOME PAGE to see what happened to Starr. I don't think that she was murdered, I'm pretty sure she left Calvin and Monticello of her own merit.

[–] abajasds 13 years ago

You are correct, and also did you know that Elliot's henchmen, Cody, was David Garrison who Is famous for playing Steve Rhoades on "Married With Children"?

I've only seen bits and pieces of that storyline. It was smack dab in the middle of April's murder case as well as Winter Austin's porn storyline. Great stuff from 1978. Also, Deborah Saxton joined the cult or almost. Elliot wooed her in.

They faded Starr out I think sometime around 1981 or '82 and then later on Calvin married Didi Bannister. I don't know if they got divorced or she was killed.

I remember hearing the full story about what happened with the cult storyline on a website called WOST, World of Soap Opera Themes. I thought that Henry Slesar wrote it off the event, if you looked at Lee Godart who played Elliot he did have similar looks to Jim Jones. (IMO) I'm happy they kept Elliot around for 2 years, he was one of the best villains from the ABC years.

This is stuff we will never see on TV in reruns.

My job is to inform, not persuade- Dan Rather

[–] cluvonj 12 years ago

I'm just starting again to watch the available episodes from 1979 to 1980 that are on youtube but I saw it from like around 1975 until it ended in 1984 during its original airing. I also saw and recorded some of the re-airings back in the mid 90's so I can remember some things here and there. I had completely forgot about that Cult storyline with Elliot Dorn. I also had forgotten that is where Starr came from. Starr was also an entertainer, actress, singer or something and I believe that is why she left town because she really wanted to make a career and Calvin already had a career as a police detective and could not go with her. I hated that they ended as a couple for I really liked them together so later when Didi Bannister came along I was just not keen on their relationship.

I also remember that Young & Restless storyline about the Cult. You are right about 2 of the people involved. If my memory serves right this was like right when Paul first came on the show so his sister Patti was not even introduced yet. Paul was not yet of course a police detective that he later became.

All I can remember now is that Nikki got involved in the cult and was beginning to be brainwashed. Paul was worried about her and somehow he got involved. The other person I remember is the youngest Brooks daughter Peggy (there were 4 of them) who had red hair was a reporter or something and she was going undercover into the cult to investigate it. I remember they did some pretty bad stuff to her and I think started brainwashing her. I can't remember exactly.

[–] Diamond97 8 years ago

Starr was also an entertainer, actress, singer or something and I believe that is why she left town because she really wanted to make a career and Calvin already had a career as a police detective and could not go with her. I hated that they ended as a couple for I really liked them together so later when Didi Bannister came along I was just not keen on their relationship

I loved Star and Calvin, too. I thought they were sweeter together and had better chemistry. I hated when they broke up.

[–] wbf200 13 years ago

The Jonah Lockwood persona of Keith Whitney wasn't a hippee persay, it was just a disguise he adopted until the heat was off Keith for the murders of Rosella Gray and Suella Duvall. Of course while he was Jonah, he offed a few more people including his own uncle, but again that was just to protect himself (Keith). Hippies were just trendy in the late 60's/early 70's and that gave Slesar the idea for Keith to adopt that disguise. And by letting his hair grow very long plus the long beard, Jonah bore little resemblance to Keith which was important because for months even the audience didn't know that they were one in the same. The whole Whitney family political storyline was probably my favorite on EON.

[–] Nicki63 13 years ago

Starr & Calvin got a divorce and Starr left town.