amybrickwallace

Thanks for sharing that article, Carl. She's another who went too young.

Has anyone ever read the 1987 book Soap Opera Babylon? There's a blurb about Kerry Sherman (Amy): Kerry Sherman, who created the role of Amy Perkins on Santa Barbara, recently became the soap world's latest single mother - and hardly suffered a single moment's doubt or anxiety over her decision. Even though Kerry and her boyfriend, cameraman Jack English, aren't married, Kerry's pregnancy wasn't accidental. "Like many women my age," says Kerry, who's over thirty, "I had gone after a career, not a family, but then I realized I didn't want to miss out on motherhood. And I'm glad I didn't. Erin's father and I have been living together for four years, and we've agreed that if we should split up, our daughter Erin will remain with me. So far, marriage isn't something we've discussed. I don't really think about it." Kerry worked on Santa Barbara all through her pregnancy, and shortly before Erin's arrival in 1985, the other actresses on the show organized a baby shower for her. "But the men got very upset that they were excluded," laughs Kerry. "They said, 'This is 1985 and we want to be invited, too!' So the men all chipped in and bought a crib for the baby - then they tried to storm the celebration!" Santa Barbara's head writers, Jerome and Bridget Dobson, sent Erin a pair of mink booties (with a note saying that it's never too soon for a girl to start wearing mink!) and the show's producer, Mary-Ellis Bunim, let Kerry install a crib in her dressing room so Erin could come to work with her. "Everyone on the set adores Erin," says Kerry, "especially the single women who've never had children. Some of the actresses fight over who gets to hold her next. I can't help laughing when they come into my dressing room to play with her, and she throws up all over their cashmere sweaters. Judith McConnell (Sophia) is great with her, though. She'll say, 'Kerry, the baby's crying. Let me take her. I know how to make her feel better.' And I'll laugh and say, 'OK, Judith, knock yourself out!'" Even Kerry's mom, 1940ish film star Peggy Ryan, has accepted Kerry's decision to stay single. "Jack's family and mine would have preferred us to be married," admits Kerry, "but they know this is our choice and they respect it. Actually, Judith Anderson (who plays Minx Lockridge on Santa Barbara) is the only one who's upset. Dame Judith calls Jack up all the time and says, "So when are you going to propose to her, young man? I think it's high time you two got married, you know!" Dame Judith Anderson?! Can this possibly be the same woman who's one of the most renowned stars of the English-speaking stage? Who, as Medea and Lady Macbeth, gave new meaning to the term "blood-curdling?" Turns out even if she is a WASP - and a dame to boot - she's really just a Jewish mother at heart. P.S. Kerry Sherman and Jack English did eventually marry, and are still together. They are the parents of three children: Erin, Kate and John. (Funny that her real-life son and fictional son on SB shared the same name!) Now she is a family counselor in Burbank. Erin posted this photo of her dancing parents (from 2012) on her Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/EnglishErin/status/206965798462427137/photo/1

Interesting...I never knew all that. Thanks.

Yeah, and didn't Richard Backus also play Barry Ryan on RH?

Thanks. I do know that she and Diana van der Vlis stayed friends until the latter's passing. Diana's husband was in the publishing business and was instrumental in launching Louise's first novel (according to Louise on FB).

"Sister Rocket" - sounds like a punk band. LOL

Was Louise Shaffer on WTHI before or after EON?

Sad that with a few exceptions, none of them went on to real TV success. Of course, Rod Arrants went from this to a highly successful six-year run as Travis Sentell on SFT. Nancy Marchand went on to primetime success and Emmy wins with Lou Grant and The Sopranos. I wonder what the rest of them are doing now.

Yeah, I read that HG and KT had done a play together, and that's how the latter came to the attention of Labine/Mayer.

It's so hard to believe that Kate was only 20 when RH began. She had that maturity, wise-beyond-her-years aura about her and such a screen presence!! Kate dominated every scene she was in - no wonder she went on to primetime success, but she never forgot her RH roots. On a side note, in 2000, she very nearly became the First Lady of my very own home state of Ohio when her husband Tim Hagen ran for governor.

Mary Carney also seemed to have a spring in her step whenever she moved around, just like her TV mom, Helen. It's a shame MC couldn't have stayed around.

Sherri Saum will be guesting on SVU next week (Wed. 3/12).

I know a good portion of the cast has since passed on, and there are only a handful still in the limelight like Alec Baldwin and Nancy Stafford, but it seems like the rest of the surviving cast has vanished without a trace. Or is that just my feeling?

Which is no mean feat!!! (Why did TL leave, anyway? Was it his choice or was he fired?)

Yeah, but another actress was hired to play Carmen when Ric (Peter Love) was on the scene, so she'd look younger. (Ridiculous!) Carmen Zapata did come back to reprise the role at least once before the show went off the air for good. Here's a very touching scene between Mama Castillo and her son as they get ready for his wedding to Eden in 1988: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJwqKmwHmK4

Speaking of the original Five-O, the actress who played the secretary Jenny Sherman was Peggy Ryan. Peggy Ryan was the mother of Kerry Sherman (Amy, SB). So there's another soap connection there.

No problem!! I love how the GH cast all dressed in tuxes, and Ann Flood's sunshine yellow dress looked so pretty with her red hair.

The "Ryans" (and "Ryans" by marriage) take on the "Quartermaines" on Family Feud, 1984!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLU6xlP45pU

RH vs. AMC on Family Feud, 1978: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFBP9h9u6Jg

EON vs. GH on Family Feud, 1982: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFPv8hUhPsM (Part 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJRGIqkIixg (Part 2)

Carmen Zapata (Carmen Castillo) got a notice in the "In Memoriam" segment of the Oscars last night. (Sadly, she passed on only two days after A Martinez's real-life mother - and ironic.) A had this to say about the tribute on his FB page: "It was a beautiful picture of a most gracious and beautiful woman."

All I knew about Fawne Harriman was that she used to date Charlie's Angels showrunner Ed Lakso back in the 70s, after she guested on that show a couple of times.

Yes, that's awesome. I wonder if fellow Y&R alum Don Diamont will be involved with it in anyway, as he has been an MS awareness champion for many years (his niece suffers from it).

That interview with Carol Roux posted a few pages back was very, very interesting. I wonder what she is doing now. Does anyone know if she ever married or had children? P.S. Apparently, she never did wed Rick Coonce of the Grass Roots, whom she was mentioned as dating in that article. Sadly, he passed on in 2011, leaving a wife named Nancy and two children.

Getting back to Anne Wyndham, there is an awesome photo of her and Mark Hamill in character from 1972 in Gary Warner's General Hospital: The Complete Scrapbook. The book is no longer in print but can easily be found at libraries or online venues such as Amazon and eBay.