1976-1980
1976
Mike was in an accident at the farm in 1976 and required a blood transfusion. When Mickey's blood type didn't match, the truth of the boy's paternity came out. Mickey bought a gun and dhot Bill before being admitted to a sanitarium. Then, during a supervised visit with Mike, he told the boy that Bill was his father. Mike was devastated.
Meanwhile, Trish was dealing with the revelation that her mother had once been a prostitute. Mike's lack of sexual interest in Trish caused him to question his sexuality, and he ended up having sex with Linda. Through the help of a new psychiatrist in Salem, Dr. Marlena Evans, Mickey was eventually released, and he returned to Maggie. They adopted a daughter, Janice.
Jennifer Rose was born to Laura and Bill in a farmhouse during a snowstorm. Marlena helped Laura through her post-partum depression. Neil and Phyllis married, but he was still in love with Amanda. When Amanda lost her memory because of a brain tumor, Neil selflessly stepped aside and let Greg, who also loved her, move closer to her.
Julie and Bob divorced, and she and Doug reconciled. Hoping now to have children with Julie, Doug told Neil he no longer wanted the surrogate child he'd fathered, and Rebecca was happy to keep the baby. Julie and Doug finally married in spite of his ex-wife Kim Douglas' scheming efforts to hold onto him. They celebrated with a honeymoon all through Europe.
Rebecca was still in love with Johnny, but when he skipped town, she married Robert LeClair.
Brooke's mother Adele died, but not without first letting Bob know he was Brooke's father. Phyllis became pregnant with Neil's child. She went into premature labor and the baby died.
David became engaged to Valerie, who was unaware of his one-night stand with Trish, and in spite of her parents' misgivings
1977
g.jpg>Trish's stepfather, Jack, became obsessed with her and attacked her in early 1977. When she killed him in self-defense, Mike took the rap for the murder, and Trish developed a split personality. After a hospital stay, she moved in with Brooke. When the details of Jack's death became known, Mike was cleared and he began working as a mechanic. He and Trish resumed their relationship, but she discovered she was pregnant and the father could only be David. Valerie and David broke up and she left for medical school in Washington, D.C. Mike saw David and Trish growing closer and accepted defeat. Though Trish still had feelings for Mike, she knew she could build a family with David. After their quickie marriage, Trish gave birth to a son, Scotty.
Brooke got caught spying on Anderson Manufacturing and left town. She was presumed dead when her car crashed and burst into flames. The woman who had been driving Brooke's car arrived at the hospital wearing Brooke's locket.
Sharon and Karl Duval moved to Salem, and both were romantically interested in Julie, but she remained happy with her husband Doug.
Rebecca, meanwhile, remained torn between her old flame Johnny and her husband Robert. She finally left town with her son.
Neil began an affair with Phyllis' daughter, Mary.
Tom survived a heart attack.
Marlena's twin, Samantha, came to Salem. She managed to impersonate Marlena while keeping her sister committed in Bayview Sanitarium. Marlena's lover, Don Craig, figured out the switch and had Samantha arrested and Marlena freed. For a while, Marlena and Don split, but eventually, the couple got back together. Marlena also reconciled with her disturbed sister.
Tommy Horton proposed to Linda, and she eventually accepted. Mary became involved with Chris Kositchek, a foreman at Anderson Manufacturing. Bill became involved with Dr. Kate Winograd, an anesthesiologist at the hospital, deeply hurting Laura.
Sculptor Larry Atwood schemed to break up Doug and Julie.
1978
The New Year in 1978 brought problems for Doug and Julie. While out of town, Doug was arrested in a bogus drug bust and Julie was raped by the sleazy Larry Atwood. When Larry was later found dead, Julie was arrested. Eventually his henchman confessed and Julie was absolved, but Doug and Julie's troubles were far from over. They ran into Julie's brother Steve in Paris and he came back to Salem with them. They had no way of knowing that he would cause Julie trouble at her boutique by overpricing, skimming from the till, and counterfeiting antiques.
Bill moved in with Kate, but quickly realized his mistake and tried to repair his relationship with Laura.
Lorraine Temple's arrival in Salem shook things up for Don and Marlena when Lorraine introduced Don to a daughter, Donna, he never knew he had. Don did not initially accept the girl. Don and Marlena almost married, but the wedding was interrupted when Donna threatened to jump off the roof. Don fell while rescuing her, but he survived. Donna eventually became involved with Neil's cousin Pete Curtis, and she became pregnant with his child. She thought of leaving town, but Don finally accepted her as his daughter and she stayed.
Linda took over Anderson when Bob's heart problems became more serious. They married, but Linda had an affair with Neil during Bob's hospitalization. When Bob found out, he hired an investigator to follow Linda, who was still not completely over Mickey.
Maggie and Mickey almost separated over Maggie's discomfort with his close friendship with his old flame Linda, but they repaired their relationship. Then Janice's natural mother returned to town and kidnapped her. The two were found and, out of goodness, Maggie refused to press charges. She invited the mother to stay in Salem for just a little while; she became a housekeeper for Linda and Bob, planning to stay indefinitely to be near Janice. Maggie began to drink and temporarily lost custody of Janice.
Mary and Stephanie Woodruff vied for the attentions of Chris Kositchek, and Stephanie ultimately won. Trish left town with Scotty, but David tracked her down and returned to Salem with his son. Mike became involved with Margo Anderman and they wed, even though she was diagnosed with leukemia.
1979
Neil and Linda split up in early 1979 after she suffered an accident that caused selective amnesia, making her forget their affair. Newcomer Stephanie was really presumed-dead Brooke, but she kept her identity a secret and was steadily gaining financial control at Anderson. Bob was fond of her because she reminded him of his daughter. When Stephanie helped Alex Marshall steal some plans from the plant, Linda was blamed and Bob cut her out of his will. She faked a pregnancy in an attempt to regain his trust, hoping that Dr. Neil Curtis would back her story, but he would not.
Trish and David reunited.
Marlena and Don married, and spent their honeymoon on the West Coast. Later in the year she became pregnant.
Maggie and Mickey regained custody of Janice, but close friends convinced Maggie that the child was better off with her birth-mother.
Mike sank into debt while denying how very ill Margo was.
Laura became suspicious of Bill and Kate, and it played on her mind. When her mother Carrie committed suicide at the sanitarium, Laura became haunted by her mother's ghost. After a suicide attempt of her own, Laura was committed to Lakewood Sanitarium.
Julie's face was scarred in a kitchen accident at Maggie's place. Convinced Doug could no longer love her, she left town to obtain a divorce. Meanwhile, Doug's half-brother Byron died, leaving Doug a fortune that Byron's pal, Lee Dumonde, wanted for her own. Julie returned, and when Doug saw her with another man, he retaliated by marrying Lee.
Amanda and Greg split up, and she became involved with Chris, but that didn't stop Mary from vying for Chris' attention. When Amanda became pregnant, she asked Greg for a divorce in the hope that the child was Chris', but he refused, insisting the child was probably his own. Amanda had complications and had to have a hysterectomy, after which she split from both men.
Trish stole some diamonds, which she gave to Margo to hold, but Margo gave one as collateral to loan sharks to protect Mike. Loan shark Earl Roscoe terrorized Margo to get Mike's money.
Marie returned briefly and was shocked to find her ex-lover Alex Marshall in town. Memories of a sadomasochistic relationship, drugs, and the death of Alex's brother Harley haunted her, and by year's end she returned to convent duties.
After Steve's marriage proposal to Mary Anderson was rejected, he left town. Alex set his sights on Mary, and on Anderson Manufacturing.
1980
When Bob learned of Linda's faked pregnancy in 1980, he wrote her out of his will, but offered her a settlement on the condition that she take Melissa and leave town. She agreed, and they left. In spite of Stephanie's irresponsible behavior, Bob refused to fire her, but trained Mary to take more control. When Stephanie confessed that she was actually his daughter, Brooke, he added her to his will, but she was killed in a car accident.
Alex and Mary married, but Bob died of a heart attack at their wedding, and Mary blamed Phyllis, who left Salem. Mary was distraught and unable to respond to Alex for weeks. She was also still attracted to Chris, and she opposed the way Alex interfered with the company.
Don had a brief affair with singer Liz Chandler. Marlena's baby was born prematurely and died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Don blamed Marlena for working too hard and not taking care of herself during the pregnancy. The marriage ended.
Mike confessed his debts to Mickey, and he and Margo went to live at the farm, out of harm's way. Meanwhile, Trish confronted Earl about how he scammed Margo out of the diamond; he left town for fear other illegal dealings would come to light, too. Margo died shortly later.
Marie attempted to find the child she'd given up at birth, and discovered Jessica Blake was already in Salem. Although unaware that Jessica was his daughter, Alex tried to rekindle a romance with Marie, but she resisted.
Liz and Neil became involved, but her father, Kellam, kept them apart, and Neil took to gambling again.
When Lee saw Doug and Julie growing closer again, she hired a hit man, Brent Cavanaugh, but the murder attempt was unsuccessful. To use guilt as a lever and keep Doug and Julie apart, Lee deliberately misused medication and became ill. Doug stayed by her side.
Alex tried to manipulate the Chandler takeover of Anderson, and Mary opposed it; she divorced Alex and told David to leave town when she discovered he had been spying for Alex. When he realized he'd failed some powerful men, David deserted Trish and left for a while, fearing for his life.