SoapDope

Tom Hallick who played Brad Elliott said rival networks would scout around and see who was popular on soaps and try to lure them over with the promise of more money, Primetime TV deals etc....He said he left Y&R in 1978 because NBC signed him to an exclusive TV deal which never amounted to anything. He said it was the biggest mistake he had ever made and wished he had stayed on Y&R. He said he was unhappy on Days when they put him on there as a consolation for his crappy contract. He left Days eventually.

Brooks Prentiss is a character that should be brought back to the canvas. His mother Leslie and Aunt Lorie could make appearances. Snapper and Chris's daughter Jennifer Elizabeth and Snapper's son Chuckie with Sally could also be brought back.

During that lame anniversary Leslie/Lorie return when they were honoring Stuart, they talked about him in a past tense....like he had died. I guess we never will know the truth. I wonder what they would of had him doing at the 1984 Victor/Nikki wedding ? Giving the bride away ? Bell seems to have given Robert Colbert (Stu) the shaft the way he done Dorothy Green (Jennifer) years prior when no longer had any use for the character he played. Green complained to the press about it and how her character Jennifer and all the older women on the show like Katherine/Vanessa/Liz/ were written as downtrodden mothers. I remember as a child when all the Foster/Brooks/Prentiss started to disappear and it was a bit confusing the way it happened so quick without explanation.

Yes, Nikki was always a trophy wife type that married men that kept her up. If she had hooked up with Lance or Lucas, Vanessa would have had a heart attack.

Since Nikki has married into just about every main family on Y&R, I'm surprised they never had one of the Prentiss men hook up with her. She would have been good with Lucas, but maybe have Lance take a shine to her to piss off Lorie, since Lorie was involved with Victor.

Cash could have been used in several pairings, but I guess they felt he was only useful as a short term Gigolo bedding lonely women. John Gibson who played Cash was with Vanna White for years (I think even when he was on Y&R) and planned to be married, but he was killed in a plane crash in 1986. Gibson was a real life stripper and Playgirl model. I wish Bell had held on to a few more 1970's characters from the Brooks, Prentiss and Fosters families. Jill only survived because of her history with Kay. Lucas would have made a good leading man with several women.

Jaime Lyn Bauer said she had to quit in 1982 due to exhaustion. Bell wanted her on the show everyday and constantly wrote for her without letting her go back burner to get some rest. Her character was one of very few that he let cross over into all the characters storylines. She pretty much interacted with everyone 1973-1982. If Bauer had stayed he would had her continue to dominate and build the show around her. Bell seemed to lose interest in Leslie when Janice Lynde departed and realized Victoria Mallory's limitations. He made Eric Braeden the King of the show and catered to his demands. I never understood why they held on to Wings Hauser as Greg. Christopher Holder who played Kevin Bancroft would have been a better choice as Greg.

Thanks for all the details. Peggy Brooks is a character that Bell had a hard time writing for. It was the old throw it against the wall and see if it sticks. I assume Steve was gone by 1981. I know she went by the last name Solow later on. I could have sworn I read somewhere she was married to TV executive Herb Solow (who was 20 years her senior), but all his bios I googled mention one wife only whom he has grown children with and no mention of him having been married to Pamela Peters I could find. Yes, the Prentiss men were stuck in the Leslie/Lorie/Lance/ Lucas crap for years. Lucas did have a short thing with Casey, but he returned to Leslie yet again while pining for Lorie. A lot of viewers could not understand why Leslie and Lorie were so captivated by boring dull Lance and ignoring the more interesting Lucas. Even their mother Vanessa thought more of Lance.

Yes Victor was connected to Lorie from the start with him eventually asking her to marry him in 1982. I remember reading Jill and Eve shared a place together. Bell was playing around with characters left and right with the 1 hour expansion. I wonder what ever became of Pamela Peters (Peggy) ? She has no acting credits after 1990 and there is no trace of her on the internet.

Thanks for the info. I guess Eve wanted a financially secure future for her and Cole.

Thanks for that recap. I wonder what brought Peggy and Victor to cross paths ? I figured he never even met her prior to her showing up at his and Nikki's wedding in 1984. Peggy and Eve becoming chums is out of left field too.

Stu/Liz/ Vanessa would have been awesome. Vanessa would have met her match going up against Katherine. I doubt Peggy got a send off. Bell just didn't know what to do with her and probably dropped her. That 1980-82 period was a mixed bag of stuff that left viewers scratching their heads. You mentioning Victor giving Peggy the bedroom eye could have opened up story for her. She could have taken a job as his personal girl Friday.

No, Peggy was never tested with Andy or Kevin far as I know. I just wondered why Bell never tried that. Peggy may have been gone before Kevin's arrival. I don't know when she stopped appearing. She was on as far as late 1981, but I don't know if she made it into 1982. I think Chris insisted Nikki and Greg have their wedding reception in her fathers house in 1979 and Jill suggested to have the wedding there as well. Stu was concerned that it would make Liz uncomfortable since he was married to Jill at that point, but Liz thought it was a beautiful suggestion. Stu was also close to Greg and was OK with it. Peggy invited Nikki to stay with them in 1981 when she was on the outs with Greg and was stripping. Did Nikki stay there for a time or did that fall through ? It would be funny if they had done a scene where Stu, Liz, and Peggy a having breakfast with Stu reading the latest edition of The Chronicle and Nikki comes down in a baby doll nighty and sits at the table.

Victor and Vanessa would be unreal to see together in a scene. I bet there was tension to the max there. Also reading synopsis, I take it Stuart thought Nikki was trash and didn't want her living in his house when Liz asked him because Nikki was having to strip to pay the bills.....LOL. There was also a scene where Peggy also wanted Nikki to move in. I looks like Bell would have tested Peggy with Andy or Kevin Bancroft.

Victor and Peggy....WOW.....that is a little tidbit that got lost with time. Too bad nothing came of that. It does seem Bell never knew what to do with Peggy and just tossed her into storyline mixes to see what would happen. Another storyline that happened around that time was Jack Abbott sniffing around after Chris to break up her and Snapper and Chris not discouraging him.

I think I read that after Greg and Nikki divorced, Peggy became interested in Greg.

At one point there was a softcore type film with Marilyn Chambers on youtube that co-starred Winn. I wonder if that killed his career ? Roger Newman from GL was also in it.

I saw an interview on youtube a long time ago with graphic artist Sandy DeVore. He did the Y&R credits along with tons of other shows like The Waltons, The Patridge Family etc...He said he retired from title making in 1988, which would explain Y&R changing from the charcoal/pencil sketches to live action shots that year. They retained his Y&R brush stroke logo that first appeared around 1984.

Thanks for the 1970's episodes. I look forward to the 83/84 shows as well. I missed a lot during that time being in school, but watched during summers, vacations, holdays etc...

In the first season of Knots Landing cliffhanger Bottom Of The Bottle she played a prostitute. Val talks to her when they start looking for Gary.

Several actors actors played more than one character on Y&R. I read that Cynthia Eilbacher played a role on the show before she came back as April Stevens. Rod Arrants was on as Katherine's stable boy she slept with in the early 70's before he came back as Dr. Steven Lassiter in the 80's. Quinn Redeker played Nikki's father Nick Reed in 1979 before returning as Rex Sterling in the 80's. Grant Kramer who played psycho Shaun that buried Lauren alive in the 80's came back in a short term role in the 90's as a potential love interest for Ashley that quickly got scrapped. Kin Shriner appeared in a short term role in the 70's before landing GH in 1977. He returned years later as a fill in for Ted Shackelford and in the role of Harrison Bartlett. Shriner has always remained close to the Y&R cast over the years appearing at parties and events.

I have been waiting years to see an episode with the characters of Ron and Nancy Becker. I read Ron was a very troubled and sleazy character. Dick DeCoit who played Ron is still acting (mostly stage work). I saw a comedy sketch featuring him a few years ago on youtube. I think I read Ron's mother was played by Carolyn Conwell who of course came back in 1980 to play Mary Williams.

I think Christine was the first wife of Peter Bergman (Jack Y&R). Kevin Conroy (SFT, AW, Dynasty) has been mainly known as the voice of Batman for close to 30 years and his onscreen acting career came to a halt.

Debra Messing and Thomas Haden Church had a short lived Fox sitcom Ned & Stacey.