edgeofnight

Truly wonderful...what a way to start my day! Thank you!

Dear MichaelGL, you can imagine my surprise when I saw an old family friend of ours at Ann Williams' wake. Margaret, who at age 95, is more active than some 35 year olds, God Bless her, knew Ann via Ann's Housekeeper, and were friends with Ann and her family. And, when I read Ann's children's book, you can also imagine my delightful surprise when my dear, dear friend of 28 years, Dagne Crane (Sandy, the 2nd Mrs. Bob Hughes on ATWT) was mentioned in the book. Apparently, during Ann's illness, Dagne took one of Ann's daughter for an outing. I will always remember the day that Ann Williams took me to the SFT studio. It was on April 30, 1974, the same day that President Nixon released the Watergate tapes and Agnes Moorehead died. I distinctly remember seeing Peter Simon and Courtney Sherman together backstage, and, it struck me that even though they were married, at the time to others, there was the beginning of a relationship between the two of them. I was so touched when I read in the book how Courtney Sherman Simon was able to secure for Ann her much needed medical insurance when she was so ill. Now, that to me, is a true friend.

My favorites, in no particular order were: Sally Gracie, Meg Mundy, Carolee Campbell, Elizabeth Hubbard and Ann Williams. It totally blew my mind when I received in the mail a beautiful photo of Ann with one of her beloved horses. Little did I realize that years later, I would be her guest for a day at the SFT studio (April 30, 1974). I was 18 at the time. I also never thought I would have the task of attending her wake in Dec. 1985. (As it turned out, we have two mutual friends) I've met Elizabeth Hubbard on several occasions, one of the first was when she was in the Broadway play version of 'I Remember Mama (1979). Being a presidential historian, I was, at first, a bit skeptical when Elizabeth Hubbard was cast as the second wife of President Woodrow Wilson, Edith Bolling Galt (1872-1961) in an NBC Daytime Drama special in 1976, but she won me over, and erased all my skepticism, and she went on to win her second Emmy for it, to boot. At the Paley Center tribute to ATWT in 2006, I told that everyone else may think of her as 'Lucinda,' but I would always think of her as 'Edith.' She was quite touched by my remark.

Don't know if this was addressed, but an early poster speculated that Judy Lewis was Loretta Young's natural daughter. She was! And her father was the legendary Clark Gable. Judy was a fascinating book about how she found out about her true parenatge. One early Secret Storm memory of mine was Susan (played by Judy Lewis) looking on in horror when her son Petey was run over by a car. I, much to my surprise, enjoyed the Laurie Stevens and Father Reddin storyline. Although, for some reason, after it was going great guns, the storyline, sort of, petered out. I don't recall the particulars. Maybe the storyline was ended due to viewer outrage.

Yes, I HAVE read Ann Williams' children's book. As a matter of fact, an old family friend of ours (who is 95 years old and is more active than you and me put together) was a friend of Ann's housekeper and knew Ann's family quite well. When I went to Ann's wake (Dec. 1985), I was surprised to see Margaret there, and she filled me in then. Small world. I read the Welch children's book on the train, from cover to cover, en route to the final GL Fan Club gathering in Oct. 2009. To my great surprise, my friend actress Dagne Crane is mentioned in the book. Apparently, when Ann was very sick, Dagne took the youngest daughter out for a day trip.

Just two thoughts about the early 70s SFT. When I was a guest of Ann Williams, on April 30, 1974, I could tell how close Peter Simon and Courtney Sherman (later Courtney Sherman Simon) were off camera. They were both married to other people at the time, but I could tell that they were an 'off-screen' couple as well as an on-screen couple. Next Sunday, I will have the pleasure of listening to the pianist Jess Beller while he accompanies the 1927 silent movie comedy classic 'The Kid Brother,' starring Harold Lloyd. Jess' daughter, Kathy, payed Liza on SFT from 1971 - 74. The event will be at a nearby library. I don't get out very much due to my medical problems, but i do hope to see him. It will be the first time since his wife (Kathy's mother) died, so, I want to offer my condolences.

I know what was happening on Edge...The first week of December 1971...the culmination of the 18 month long Keith Whitney/Jonah Lockwood storyline. I remember it as if it were yesterday! Nothing will ever top that, in my opinion.

I have an idea, so, I am throwing this out to the Administrators. I was wondering if you could reach out to Lynn Loring, an original cast member of SFT, and interview her to commemorate what would have been the show's 60h anniversary this coming September. Lynn was with the show from 1951-61. With the state of the soap world the way it is, it would do my heart good to re-visit the golden days with 'Patti.'

Do I ever! It was, peerhaps, the best storyline ever on Edge!

Last year, I attended 'An Evening with Ted Danson' at NYC's Paley Center, and they played a clip of his from Somerset. To me, that made the whole evening! He talked very warmly about his days on the show. Most actors, when they make it big, seem to want to 'forget' their days on soaps, but, fortunately, we have people like Ted Danson and Julianne Moore (ATWT) who appreciate the time they spent toiling in the daytime vineyards. I was thinking about Somerset, and was recalling the Jameson Parker and Georgeann Johnson pairing, which was quite controversial for its day (older woman, younger guy). Little did I realize that, I, myself, would play a 'real-life' Jameson Parker to my lifetime mate. My wife is 25 years my senior, and we've been together 28 years, and married nearly 24 years.

Congratulations to Jane Krakowski on the birth of her first child, a little boy! Best wishes to the new family!

In memory of AMC, I wanted to share an article I wrote about Susan Lucci several months ago. Susan Lucci will forever be cast in the American pop culture consciousness as Erica Kane, the dastardly empress of the daytime television drama 'All My Children.' With a reputation for playing one of the most outrageous characters in soap operas, she has managed to keep the role interesting and the program high in the ratings. Lucci was born in Scarsdale, New York, on December 23, 1946. She and her brother, Jim, now a management consultant, were raised in Garden City on Long Island. Her father, Victor, is of Italian descent and is a retired construction contractor, and her Swedish mother, Jeanette, is a retired nurse. The family was financially comfortable, and Lucci grew up with horseback-riding, piano, painting, and ice-skating lessons. However, since her brother was six years older, she was often alone, and filled her time watching soap operas on television. Her favorites were 'Search for Tomorrow' and 'Love of Life,' and she was also a fan of prime time shows as well. All she ever wanted to do was to act. At age 11, Lucci got her stage debut in a Girl Scout play, and at Garden City High School she appeared in all of the student plays. She had also overcome her earlier shyness to become a cheerleader, and she was also a staff member of the school newspaper. In addition, Lucci was an honor student who traveled to Norway on an exchange program and performed volunteer work at a local hospital. Her parents thus expected this high achiever to go on to college, but Lucci at 17, had plans to move to Manhattan to start going on auditions. Due to her parents' vehement objections, she instead ended up enrolling at Marymount College, in Tarrytown, New York. In college, Lucci began to mature as a person and an actor. She went on to appear in several plays with the theater department, and right before graduation, had made it to the semifinal round of the Miss Universe beauty pageant, but ended up not participating so that she could take final exams. She received her bachelor's degree in 1968. In 1969, Lucci answered a casting call at ABC for a new soap opera, 'All My Children,' which was about four high school students in the fictional town of Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, created in order to appeal to younger viewers. Although she initially auditioned to play the role of sweet and innocent Tara Martin, the show's executive producer decided that Lucci's chic aura was better suited to the headstrong, snobbish Erica Kane. "By the late 1970s, 'All My Children' was the top-rated daytime drama, toppling the venerable CBS sudser 'As the World Turns.' Susan Lucci had laid the foundation of Erica as the town's premier conniver and instigator. Throughout the years, she bedded and married a succession of men, back-stabbed, lied, and even attempted a murder. As the character aged, her deeds only became more despicable, but Erica's underlying vulnerability and element of camp humor added a complexity that seemed irresistible to fans. This "love-hate" relationship with Erica is one of the reasons that 'All My Children' remained so popular through the years. Although Lucci was a fan favorite on this highly rated soap and the best-paid actor in the genre, she experienced continued failure in snagging a Daytime Emmy Award for her portrayal of Erica Kane. She was nominated 19 times before finally snaring one in 1999. This element of her career became a pop culture mainstay; a song by alternative rock band Urge Overkill was even dedicated to her plight as they sang, "Erica Kane, another Emmy passed you by," in the song "Erica Kane" on their 1993 album, 'Saturation.' Since many past Daytime Emmy winners were known for heartbreaking, melodramatic scenes, Lucci began sending in tapes of episodes that included long crying jags, but she was still passed over. Nevertheless, it took her a few years to develop this grace. In 1982, it was reported that she pounded a table with rage when she lost, and the next year, she ran from the room in tears. Though subsequently, she held up better in public and even had the sense of humor to spoof herself on an episode of 'Saturday Night Live,' she was still angry when the industry repeatedly refused to recognize her. Lucci's children would try to cheer her up after her losses by baking cakes and making uplifting signs and posters, and her daughter even gave her a "Best Mommy" award as a consolation. Finally, in 1999, when her name was announced, Lucci was stunned and was forced to improvise a speech. Afterward, New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani gave her a key to the city. In addition to her long-running stint on 'All My Children,' Lucci also held a recurring part on the hit nighttime drama 'Dallas' in 1990 and 1991 playing Sheila Foley, a wily widow who seduces one of the other characters, Bobby Ewing (played by Patrick Duffy). She has also appeared in several made-for-television movies, though she limits the number of them she makes because she does not like to go on location. In interviews, Lucci has stated that her family is her main priority, and she thus liked her part on the soap because she could easily commute into Manhattan for tapings and remain available for her children, who are now grown. While they were young, though, her schedule allowed her to be home in the evenings and on weekends to take them to activities like ball games or help them with homework. Her contract for 'All My Children' included provisions for Lucci to have days off on her children's first day of school and their vacations. However, she has held hopes of perhaps breaking into feature films someday, or landing a gig on Broadway. Perhaps because her onscreen character is so ruthless and amoral, Lucci's personal life has been of keen interest to fans. However, her real life could not be more opposite from that of Erica Kane-in fact, her marriage is renowned for its enduring romance, and her family life is famous in the entertainment industry for its stability and normalcy. She has been happily married for 41 years to Helmet Huber, and is the mother of two children. Her daughter, Liza Huber is an actress, who followed in her mother's footsteps by being a regular on the NBC soap opera, 'Passions,' and her son, Andreas, is an aspiring professional golfer. On December 23, 2006, Lucci's 60th birthday, she received the greatest accolade anyone could ever hope to have when her daughter presented her with her first grandchild, Royce Alexander. Two years later, Brendan joined the family. In early January, 2010, Susan Lucci's daily commute to the studio got a little more complicated, when ABC moved 'All My Children' from its New York City studios to Hollywood. Susan Lucci has come a long way from her early days in Scarsdale. Over the years, she made detours to Garden City, Long Island, and Marymount College, in Tarrytown, before settling in to Pine Valley. Scarsdale is indeed proud to have been the launching pad for this very talented star.

I feel a special kinship, if only geographically, with Geraldine Ferraro, as her alma mater, Marymount, is not far from me in Tarrytown. May she rest in peace.

Many thanks, as always, for posting these pictures, particularly of Dagne. Can't wait to show her. Did you notice, as I did, a factual error in one of the photo captions that described Don Hastings as being an original cast member of ATWT? When, in fact he was part of the original cast of Edge. This coming April 2 (their original CBS premiere dates - 1956) will be very tough knowing that we don't have either of these two great shows with us anymore.

I remember watching The Doctors when Ann Williams was on the show. I remember her sending me a beautiful 5 x 7 B/W photo of her with her horse. Years later, I was otunate enough to be her guest at the SFT studio (April 30, 1974) to be exact. Little did I know that we had a mutual friend, Margaret, who grew up with my father, and is, God Bless her, still going strong at 94, going on 95 next month. I bumped into Margaret at Ann's wake. She knew Ann through her housekeeper. What a small world. I always thought that NBC did not do enough to promote the show. They had such a dynamite cast.

I found this article today (March 5). After reading this, I tend to believe David Birney... David Birney is denying that he abused ex wife, Meredith Baxter. Meredith, who recently penned a tell-all book about her life, claims that she suffered physical and verbal abuse by her ex husband during their 16-year marriage. Birney tells People Magazine that the claims are "an appalling abuse of the truth" and referred to Baxter's new book as "a kind of fairy tale." David Birney says he remembers their relationship much differently. In fact, after their divorce, which was over 20 years ago, he claims Meredith Baxter tried to get sole custody of their three children by making up false allegations against him. "During that time she arrived in court repeatedly with various lawyers and several therapists, 'recovered memories,' accusations of abuse – a common charge in custody disputes – and tales of our life together that bore little resemblance to truth – a mean spirited process that battered us all, especially the children," Birney said. "The court denied her suit on every occasion. This current recycled version of our family story is no more credible now than it was then." After 20 years this divorce is nastier than ever. It's hard to know which one to believe. Although, why would Meredith Baxter lie about David Birney's abuse now? Their children are grown, and they have no legal obligation to each other. Unfortunately this situation may get uglier before it gets better.

The book Meredith is writing is entitld 'Untied.' If she had not portrayed so many strong women, I would be more willing to accept her story at face value. I am going to reserve judgment until I read the book. I've always been a David Birney fan. It will be interesting to see how he responds, and in what manner.

I have wonderful memories of 'Love is a Many Splendored Thing.' Andrea Marcovicci has performed in my area many times, but, alas, my health issues have prevented me from seeing her. The last time, I actually had tickets for one of her performances, and, ironically, it was my wife who ended up in the hospital (with emergency gall bladder surgery. Bibi Besch graduated from the same high school as my mother. Meredith Baxter has come out (no pun intended) with a new book that details the spousal abuse she suffered at the hands of her former husband and co-star David Birney. i remember the series so well, 'Bridget Loves Bernie,' where the two met. It was quite controversial back in the day...a Catholic girl marrying a Jewish guy, I was brought up Catholic and enjoyed the show tremendously. Of course, I love David Birney since we happen to share the same birthday. I've always been keenly sensistive to domestic violence issues. A dear friend of mine was a victim of domestic violence and, sadly, spent 8 years in state prison. One night, her boyfriend had his hands wrapped around her neck in a bar, threatening to kill her. Both had been drinking. They went home, my friend blacked out, and when she came to, she found her boyfriend stabbed to death. She, initially, thought that it was a suicide and told the police. Sadly, it was not ruled a suicide, and my friend was arrested. To this day, 13 years after this terrible night, my friend does not remember the incident at all. She does remember fearing for her life, and was convinced that she was going to end up dead. She had been with this guy for quite some time. He was a volunteer fireman and his nickname was 'Hot Pie' because he liked pizza. As any Psychology book will tell you, most domestic violence cases will involve a person who goes from one violent situation to another. My friend, as it turns out, fits the psychological mudel to a tee. We all remmember the late Farrah Fawcett's chilling performance in the TV movie 'The Woman in the Burning Bed,' in which her husband set the bedon fire with her in it. Well, the same thing happened to my friend when she was with her (first) husband. So, I am aware of domestic violence. We may never truly know what happened to Meredith Baxter and David Birney. None of us are privy to what goes on behind closed doors. On one hand, I want to side with David Birney, but his silence, so far, about Meredith's upcoming book speaks volumes. Meredith has always portrayed strong women in all her TV and TV movie roles, so, I find it a little bit hard to believe that she was not as strong in real life. I will buy the book and make my determination then. We shall see...

Thank you, Goldensoaps. I will forever be grateful.

An ex-SFTer is expecting a little bundle...Jane Krakowski, who is now on 30 Rock, is pregnant. Congratulations!

Earlier today, I won a photo of Teal Ames (Sara Lane Karr 1956-61) on E-Bay. It doesn't take much to get me excited.

You should have seen the look on Forrest Compton's face when I told him that i could always remember the day that Mike Karr was kidnapped by Lobo Haines...it was the same day that the Duke of Windsor (the former Edward VIII died).

How did I obtain it? I am a very infrequent E-Bay user, but I noticed it about two weeks ago, and made the winning bid. Despite the post office's claim 'that no snow, rain or sleet would keep their curriers off their appointed rounds,' we did not have mail delivery on Monday (due to the Northeast storm), so, I received it on Tuesday, THE 26th anniversary of Edge's cancellation. Of course, I count myself as being so lucky that I was one of only two fans invited to the studio on the final day of taping. It was a bittersweet day for me, as you can imagine, but, one that I will never forget. It was one of two Christmas gift that I gave to myself. The other was an invitation to the 'US House of Representatives' Memorial Service for President James A. Garfield (from February 1882) and one of the Congressional signers of the invitation was the then-Congressman William McKinley, who, 20 years later, also fell to an assassin's bullet. I had it beautifully framed. What can I say? I have eclectic tastes.

On this, the 26th Anniversary of Edge's cancellation, I received something very special in the mail...A script from the Jan. 14, 1976 episode (#5148), just about six weeks after the show moved to ABC. What a beautiful keepsake!

It's good to know that I have something in common with Bruce Martin...I was an 'only child,' too (unfortunately). I'd give anything to try and track him down and write to him.