In This Section
TV Guide Spotlight
Also on TVGuide.com
|
« Patch's Days Blog
My Middle Name Is Earl…
I recently taped an episode of Days of our Lives which included (in a scene with Mary Beth Evans, Kayla) one of my all-time favorite lines of dialogue. I won’t give it away but it happens at the end of the show in our final scene of the day, and there’s mention of Steve Johnson’s middle name. I remember fondly how “Patch” was given a name other than “Patch,” and how the character came by the middle name “Earl.”
First the story of how the character came to have a name other than “Patch.” Well, let’s see, we can even go further back than that. How did Patch come about? The story I heard back in the day was that an NBC Daytime executive mentioned something in a story meeting about the need for a “Falcon Eddie”-type character to go up against Bo Brady. Falcon Eddie was a character (with an eye patch) in the hit miniseries, Rich Man, Poor Man, starring Nick Nolte.
Doris Sabbah, who was the casting director at Days back then, called me at home and said, “There is a part on Days of our Lives… a bad guy. He’s crazy; he carries a knife and wears an eye patch." I thought, “An eye patch, that is interesting…. I can work with that.” She also said the part would last only a few months, if that. She said the character had to die.
Cut to maybe four months later. We were taping a scene where my character gets shot. Our director that day, Shelly Curtis, ran out onstage before the taping and said to me, “Oh, by the way, you aren’t dying.”
I have to admit I was ambivalent about this news. I had recently been offered a lead in a movie, Witchboard, and was performing in a hit play, Delirious, in Los Angeles. In those days it was considered “selling out” to be involved in a soap opera for anything other than a short stint. There was much less respect for the genre back then, and when I decided to take the contract my agents fired me.
So, I had a contract, and the character needed a name. I remember Deidre Hall (Marlena), Leanne Hunley (Anna), Drake Hogestyn (John), Kristian Alfonso (Hope) and a few others sitting around in the makeup room waiting for producer Al Rabin to come in and announce the name they had chosen. We were kicking around what we thought would be cool possibilities. It would be interesting to note what those were but, alas, I cannot recall. I can assure you we weren’t thinking Bolt or Thorn or even Zeke. Well, maybe Zeke.
Finally, the producer walked in briskly and said, “Your name is Steve." I said, “Steve?” He said, “Yes, Steve. Steve Johnson,” and he exited. Deidre, Drake and I looked at each other and said, “Steeeve?”
Cut to maybe a year later: We were riding a bus back from a location shoot in San Pedro, California (standing in for Florida). I had had a very good day. I was thinking of how grateful I was to be working, to have the success that I had and I thought, "I wish my grandpa were alive to see this." My grandpa was a surrogate father to me. (See photos at stephennichols.net.) I had not known my own father — he abandoned us before I was born — so in a way, Grandpa saved my life. I thought about this and how if it were not for him, I might not be sitting on this bus. I might not be able to provide for my kids and be a good father to them, which I learned by his example. I wanted to honor my grandpa, make him a part of my success. I turned to Al Rabin and asked if we could give Steve Johnson a middle name. He said, "Sure, what name?" “Earl,” I said. “Earl!!?” “Yes, Earl,” I said. “It would mean a lot to me.” “Sure,” said Al. Steven Earl Johnson. What a perfect name for this one-eyed dude. So I am proud to say, my middle name is Earl.
Last night I watched the documentary on Brando. For me there was never another actor who came close to him in any way. I can’t wait now to revisit all of his films. Martin Scorsese said Brando was the marker. There was before Brando and after Brando. Since his passing, I have turned to my wife on several occasions and remarked how I can’t believe he’s gone. I remember seeing Last Tango in Paris in the '70s. I could not get over the depth of reality Brando was able to bring to the screen. He did not “act.” He was simply being, and apparently Bertolucci had coerced him to dig into his personal life more than he had ever done before. Another thing I found fascinating was the screen test Brando had done for Rebel Without a Cause. It was enlightening to see Brando “bad.” He was doing everything wrong! Unmotivated crosses and hand gestures and pushing the emotion rather than letting it be there. Maybe he was not prepared or too nervous on the day of his first big screen test. John Turturro said it inspired him in the same way: To see that someone of Brando’s stature could actually be bad gave us all permission to miss once in a while.
I have read all of your comments on the previous blog. What a beautiful, intelligent group of fans Mary Beth and I have. I so appreciate that you take the time to comment and are so specific. It looks like MB and I will be seeing quite a few of you at our Patch and Kayla event in June. Be sure to say hello and remind me of something you said in the comments. That way I will have a reference.
Enjoy the show. Lot’s of exciting stuff coming.
Love,
Stephen Earl Nichols, aka The Patchman
|
TVGuide Links:
|
|
|
|
May 17, 2007 7:32 PM
|
Wow, what an a great story and memory you have shared about how Steve got his middle name. Very nice to honor your grandpa in that way.
Marlon Brando was a one of a kind actor and you are right in admiring him and his many talents. He is missed as an actor. I remember watching his movies and enjoying them. These two were not his most noted, but I always like "Sayonara" and "Mutiny on the Bounty"...great flicks!
I am looking forward to meeting you at the event in 2 weeks..2 WEEKS ...I can't believe it is almost here. See you then and tell Mary Beth and I'm looking forward to meeting her too! Oh, and you will remember me when we meet, I'm the one that always tells you we are exactly 2 months apart in age
Jayne
|
|
May 17, 2007 8:15 PM
|
WOW!!!!What a awesome way to honor your Grandpa. My dad passed away when I was 10.
I always promised myself that when I had kids and if I had a boy I would give him my dads middle Name. And that is exactly what i did.And my 13 year old is thrilled.
It is funny though cause my youngest has a hard time knowing which Grandma is on the phone. One day she asked before taking the phone: Mommy is this the Grandma with the dead Grandpa. After i got over the shock of what she said I said yes it is . So now that is how she adress my mom now.
But your story is very touching. thank you for sharing it with us.
I am not able to make it to the event in June It is a little to far away.However I have Made something for you and your wife and for Mary Beth and her husband and am hoping to get it sent out with in the next few weeks.
Looking forward to see more good stuff on Days
|
|
May 17, 2007 8:39 PM
|
AAAAWWW Stephen, hearing you talk about your grandpa brought tears to my eyes! It's so great that you are so appreciative of all he did for you. I know he'd be very proud of all you have accomplished.
YES, I Will be in LA in TWO WEEKS, TWO WEEKS... I still can't believe it, I will be the goofy one stumbling for words...just over look me
Thanks for another insightful plog, as always I LOVED it! This one didn't crack me up like the others but it touched my heart!!
Lisa
|
|
May 17, 2007 8:45 PM
|
Stephen,
Love your middle name my man. There are many things in a name. When my daughter was born, I thought long and hard about her name, wanting to give her something meaningful and special. Her name is Jenna Elyse. She is as delicate as her name suggests, but fiesty and strong too. She has grown into her name and says she likes it! When I look at her, I see that her name fits her; yours does too. As always, a HUGE thank you to you and Miss Mary Beth. You do a wonderful job and it shows. Looking forward to speaking with you in person.
Humbly,
Karen Weiss
|
|
May 17, 2007 8:48 PM
|
Yeah for the New PLOG!!!!
My eldest son has my grandfathers name for his middle name as well. I also wanted to honor my grandfather, he passed long before Jake was born. Thank You for taking the time to read all of the posts and taking time for us fans. Give MaryBeth a hug from us!
-April
|
|
May 17, 2007 8:54 PM
|
What a treat to find a new blog this evening. You and Mary Beth have a lot of fans this is true. As the days get closer the excitement level kicks up a notch. Two weeks seems like such a short time but so far way at the same moment.
Family is so important and should be treasured. Reading about your grandfather brings up the bitter sweet memories I have of mine. Bitter sweet because he is gone and that sadness never completely goes away.
What an interesting way to find out you were not losing a job. How lucky for us that you were able to continue with Days while filming Witchboard as well.
Dawn
|
|
May 17, 2007 9:06 PM
|
Stephen!
Thanks SO much for the new blog.
I have comments.
One...You play crazy well. I enjoy your performances every time. You and Mary Beth clearly give everything you can. I do have an issue with the pacing of the current story, since it seemed to have stalled sometime in February. How come?
There were almost no new developments for a long time. Steve gets put in the the hospital. Steve breaks out of the hospital. Now he's in. Now he's out. Kayla pleads with him to accept help. He insists he can handle it all. Um, he's not handling it. That went on for quite some time.
I hope he's going to be fine soon so we can get on with the business of gaining revenge on the DiMeras for what they set in motion. It seems that every Brady has reason to want to bring down the DiMeras. Steve and John especially, right now.
Another thing I'd like to see, and I think Days fans will agree with me here...Some honest to goodness romance is necessary. Days used to be all ABOUT romance. We miss it. I never thought I'd see the day when 11 months would go by and Steve wouldn't have given Kayla a yellow rose even once in that time. Granted, Steve's been a little busy fighting for his sanity, but I hope SOMETHING'S coming soon.
Imagine our dismay when Elvis Jr. was the first person to bring Kayla yellow roses after all these years. Rats!
And what I wouldn't give for Steve to arrange a romantic evening as a surprise to Kayla and pull her into a slow dance to the tune of "If Your Heart Comes Out Tonight." I know it was re-recorded, so why was it used only once? Can we have it back? Please?
I look forward to the next story that you get. I want action and adventure, too. I hope it is exciting. But don't forget the love. Don't forget the romance. And please...some yellow roses for Kayla? She's been put through the ringer by Steve these past few months. It's time for him to do something really sweet for her. He never really has for SO long.
It's time.
Oh, and thanks, Stephen. You really do a great job. I have no quarrel with you and Mary Beth or the work you do. You're both terrific!! I have issues with the story and the lack of romance.
Tell the writers, LOL!
|
|
May 17, 2007 9:06 PM
|
What a beautiful and touching post. It is a tribute to your grandfather. I am glad you have found successes in the roll of Stephen Earl and I'm glad we have had the opportunity to see that success played out on our screens.
Thank you for sharing.
|
|
May 17, 2007 9:22 PM
|
Hey Stephen! Yay - a new plog! Thanks for the little bits of insight you give us into your life every now and again. We really do appreciate it. I'm so happy to hear that things are still going well on the show. We have been writing to remind TPTB that we still need our Steve and Kayla on the screen, even with the return of Stefano and Tony, and did I hear that John is coming out of his coma soon! That will make lots of J&M fans happy. If we are ALL happy, the ratings will reflect it. Yeah, I know - I'm a-preachin' to the choir. I'll be seeing you and MB in a couple of weeks in LA! All of us goofy Skorks will we out in full force. I'll be the one everyone is calling "Nad"
Later, Nadine
The RadNad
|
|
May 17, 2007 9:30 PM
|
Thanks for the new PLOG!!!!! I am unfortunately not going to make the June event but I am one of the SKork "sisters" from S&K.com. I have always seemed to like Brando and was glad for the reference. I also loved the story of your Grandfather. I lost mine in 6th grade but his kind gentle spirit is with me always. I have been enjoying both yours and Mary Beth's performances lately especially. I also loved the last couple days of the island.....can we say HOT!!!! Days is blessed to have 3 of the more older sexier guys on daytime. Can't wait to see where this line travels to next. I do know that you and Mary Beth will "knock it out of the park".
Thanks as always for the plog and can't wait for this line we need to be listening for.
|
|
May 17, 2007 9:53 PM
|
You are a great man!
I love hearing about how Steven Earl got his name, it touched my heart. I have been enjoying your return on the show so much.
You and MaryBeth have been doing great with this storyline.
Can I ask you a question though?
How many more lollipops do I need to buy?
See you in June. 
|
|
May 17, 2007 9:53 PM
|
Hi Stephen,
Thanks for the latest blog. I loved hearing the history about Steve's name, especially how he came to have the middle name "Earl". It's great that you were able to give the character a personal touch by memorializing your grandfather. (By the way, my grandpa's name was also Earl and he was a very special part of my life as well.)
Thanks also for your comments about Marlon Brando and his body of work. I always enjoy reading about your insights into other actors. I have to admit that I mainly know Brando from the Godfather movies, but you've definitely intrigued me and I just might rent "Last Tango in Paris" to see what it's all about.
Now a few comments about Steve and Kayla: the last couple of weeks on DOOL have been very satisfying for most of us fans. I know that I am happy to see Steve out of the hospital (and those lovely white scrubs --- you wear them well, but it was time for a wardrobe change!) It was wonderful to see Steve and Kayla reconnecting, although it turned out to be only for a short time. I hope that we will see Kayla break through Steve's barriers once again as the storyline progresses. But overall, I think the story has taken a turn for the better. Once again I'm excited to come home after work and watch Days to see what's going to happen next. It's been a long time since Days has had that kind of appeal for me. I really appreciate all that you and Mary Beth put into the work that you do to make these characters so special.
All the best,
Janine
|
|
May 17, 2007 9:57 PM
|
Wow, what a great plog. What a treat it is to read everyone of your plogs. When you let us in on some insights to the show, it really is a treat to read and you always make them such an interesting read, thank you.
I really like this line "one of my all-time favorite lines of dialogue" if you think that I can't wait to see/hear it. I always loved the way Mary Beth said your name, she always puts so much passion behind it, just makes me all giddy to think about it.
Glad to see the story starting to pick up and make some forward progress. Steve and Bo on that island together are all kinds of hot. Can't watit till Kayla gets there to help Steve.
Love you, Love Mary Beth and I am loving Days right now. Thanks for all your great insights. I am headed out to LA in exactly two weeks and according to steveandkayla.com will be seeing you in exactly 16 days, 12 hours, 3 mins, and 5 seconds, not that I am counting down or anything.
Jen
|
|
May 17, 2007 10:02 PM
|
Hey Stephen,
Thank you for sharing that story about your grandfather. I was crying. i was real close to mine too and for you to honor him is very touching.
Thanks for taking the time to read all the comments.
I can't wait to meet you and Mary Beth in L.A.
Tammie
|
|
May 17, 2007 10:08 PM
|
|
|
