yrfan1983

Watched the 12/26/84 ep – it was interesting/sad to see Victor and Nikki in bed together. It seems like they had such a short happy marriage before things fell apart. They joked around about Nikki “taking care” of Jack and Victor “taking care” of Ashley, but that is indeed what happened and what split them apart. Also sad thinking about Traci/Beth Maitland… at this point BM had been expertly handling front-burner stories and would win an Emmy (YR’s first acting emmy) the following year. But for whatever reason, TPTB decided in ’85 to shift Traci into a supporting role, and she was never really given the front-burner spotlight again. Loved Jill’s fantasy of driving Katherine off the cliff! And love seeing BD before she went full-on camp. If only she could have stayed in this more subtle and relatable style…

^ yep, Tyrone was undercover as "Leon". In the 12/6 and 7 eps, you see that Tyrone/Leon's death was faked, and in 1985, Tyrone goes undercover again, dressed as a white man! I've never seen that story but it doesn't sound good. Lauren was a bitch to Andrea, in hopes that Tim would reunite with Traci, pulling Traci out of Danny's orbit...and freeing up Danny's time to perform with Lauren.

Watched 12/6 and 12/7/84 - they take place on the same day in Genoa City. Traci’s bedroom scenes were so bittersweet. She is fragile, hopeful and optimistic but her dreams are just a fantasy. I think Jack and Ashley know this but don’t want to dash her hopes – Danny too. Danny and Lauren’s singing was not music to my ears. Their voices do not blend into harmony. I don’t think TEB was a singer by trade – wonder if the show wrote her as a singer and she just had to play along. Lauren’s nastiness to Traci always takes me off guard. It’s so stinging. It’s comforting to know that BM and TEB have always been close friends. Nice to see SSH as Joanna. She looks much more glamorous than in her ’84 Days appearances. Was surprised to hear Neil mention that Joanna had another daughter who died…? Very cool to see the beginnings of the Ashley paternity story, which is still fueling story 33 years later. And interesting to see early Victor/Ashley. Don’t see the romantic chemistry yet – the scenes were more adversarial. Strange to think that Marc will be gone by month’s end, when he is so involved in this plot. DD was literally yelling during the detective agency scenes. Steven Ford’s ears must have been ringing. The scene in Amy’s bedroom was off – one second she was telling her dad not to touch him and to give her space – the next second, she says she needs to be with him. Interesting how Miguel had a heavy accent and called Ashley "seniorita" - guess that faded over time.

The summary is for the wrong day.. it's probably for a couple episodes before 11/2. It says that Danny confronts Patty, but in the posted ep, she has already left town.

Thank you so much @DRW50! Just watched 11/2/84. The summary on the page doesn't match up with the actual episode posted. The ep has a grim, grey, hopeless feel to it, especially all the Traci related scenes. Paul's confrontation with Danny and Traci was painful, as these are people who should really be getting along. I felt particularly bad for Tim's fiance Andrea, who for a moment I thought was the same actress who played Brad's crazy ex, Lisa. It's not her, but looks like a mix of Lisa and the soap actress Jessica Tuck. TEB looks gorgeous, with her wild mane of hair. I didn't recognize ED at first with her brown hair pinned up and her glasses. BD looked simple and glamorous with her hair back in a braid and her "stealth mode" leather jacket. She was mostly silent in her scenes and didn't have a chance to get campy All the mob scenes were painful. Phil Morris is a talented actor but he can't spin s**t into gold. Grabbing the guy and calling him "turkey" - so cliche. Poor Stephanie Williams - I think she's very charismatic and enjoyable to watch, but the show never found her a suitable romantic match.

I can't believe DR was on the show for less than 2 years. His character influenced plot for the next 40 years!

LOL...you'll love all of it...it's like a late-80s Greatest Hits CD!

^ I was riveted by the story, thanks to the excellent acting and tight plotting. Sad when it ended

Thank you @ltm1997! I finally had a chance to watch these. The 3rd one is really great. It’s a bummer it’s in Italian, but it still has many key scenes from ’86 to ’89, including: Jill’s press conference where she almost spills the beans about sleeping with Jack, and John stops her; Nikki’s fake illness; Ashley telling Victor in the rain that she had the abortion; Ashley in the sanitarium with Steven and then getting married; weird fantasies of Leanna dropping spiders on Victor and then strangling him; Brad and Traci’s wedding; Brad in a cage with Lisa; Lauren and Jack rescuing Brad; Brad collapsing in the courthouse at Traci’s divorce; Steven shot and Ashley in mourning; Nina sleeps with drunk Phillip (he’s basically unconscious and it looks disturbing); Nina and Phillip’s wedding; Phillip’s drunk car crash and everyone watching him die in the hospital (baby Phillip is crying and it’s so sad!); Jessica’s story (we see her taking a big handfull of pills – is that how she dies?); Jill and David grooming the bum Rex; Rex and Katherine’s marriage; Clint, Robert and Shirley meet Marge; Marge dressing for the 1st time as Katherine; Paul and Cassandra’s courtship and the George Rawlins saga.

Just read this interesting Terry Lester interview from SOD dated 12/1/87. I always had the impression that he did not get disenchanted with YR until around '88, when the storyline focus went too heavily towards Cricket. But according to this, he was already conflicted about staying, going way back to '85. Does anyone know what he is referring to when he says the show trashed his character in mid-'85? This is around the time of the Jack/Nikki/Victor/Ashley quadrangle. I can think of one really lousy thing Jack did around this time... blackmail Ashley by threatening to tell John he wasn't Ashley's bio-dad. Here's the story: YR star Terry Lester once quit his Jack Abbott role for a smorgasbord of reasons. "I was convinced that if you are going to be in daytime, that's all you can do. That's what I was told." The mega-popular he-man also cites exhaustion, boredom, and disgust with his role as explanations for his brief 1985 departure. "They had trashed the character", Lester maintains, "and I was not willing to continue under the same circumstances". The execs decided to call his bluff. "I was told, 'Well then, too bad.' So I said, 'I'm sorry to hear that. Goodbye.' They really didn't believe I was leaving so they didn't do anything about it. When I said goodbye, it was certainly goodbye". Two months later, he was back at work with a salary hike, a refocused character, and plenty of "outs" - an industry term for the ability to leave one's soap on virtually a moment's notice to accept a short-term job in TV or flicks. "I was more surprised by my return than anybody, I think", Terry notes, acknowledging that other stars in a similar position haven't met with such a happy ending. But is he content now? "When my contract came up a few months ago, I again seriously thought about leaving." It's not actual disgruntlement, he says, but rather more of a general actor's neurosis. Even though he agreed to sign on for another round, "Pretty much daily, I ask myself, 'what the hell have I done?' It's just a habit I have of questioning everything - and it's not because I'm unhappy. Although sometimes I think I've just totally screwed myself up." Without doubt, YR's prominence in the ratings remains an enticement. Reveals Lester, "I would not be interested in being in a low-rated daytime show. Like everybody else, I'm here to make the most of my career - and where you do that is on the number-one show"

Those scenes sound amazing and hilarious.

Yea, in the vid posted here yesterday, AE is the one who shot Jack. Maybe LS also filmed a version of it before leaving? I read some of the '83 synopses last night... what happened was Nikki is working hard at being a devoted wife to Kevin, but she is kinda bored... and her old friend from the Bayou Leroy talks her into coming back and doing a few strip performances, because the Bayou is not doing well financially. She agrees (because she's Nikki and she's bored, lol). The mobster Pete Walker (the evil guy in your vid from yesterday wearing the glasses) is secretly at the Bayou and films her, and then blackmails her with the tape. So that's how she gets pulled into the mob story... haven't come across any mention of Victor working in a diner yet...

Yea, I think they were in different orbits for a while there that year... Victor was more with Julia and Eve, Nikki with Kevin and Rick. Victor definitely had no interaction with Tony DiSalvo, lol From the recaps, Stuart only had a few appearances in 1983, mostly in the newspaper office setting, before disappearing...

I previously considered 1983 to be YR's finest year. It does seem to be the year that all of BB's efforts to revamp the show came together. Highlights include the Abbotts and Victor/Nikki, etc. But as evidenced in the above vid, much of the year's plot, I think January through September, was focused on this mob story... which, IMO, is not YR's forte. Now, I would consider either 1986 or 1991 to be YR's best year. Hard to choose between them.

^ Thank you LTM1997 and YRfan23! What a treasure! Margaret Mason’s Eve is scary AF! It’s really refreshing to see Victor so vulnerable. Loved how he was so drained that he couldn’t speak, and he just waved everyone away. The Jack hospital scenes were fantastic. Is it wrong that I was thinking Terry Lester looks hot in his hospital speedo? Loved the glimpses of DA’s Jill. She can do so much with just a look. The fact that she is married to John doesn’t matter – she is insecure as ever. I didn’t realize that Patty was initially going to shoot herself before Jack talked her out of it, and she shot him instead! What a shame that Lilibet Stern quit right before then. Those scenes would have been even better with her. The fact that Patty has no memory of the shooting and is being a supportive wife lends a creepy subtext. Wow, that whole action sequence with the Williams family was so expensive and elaborate! Exploding houses and ranch location shoots. It was all well-done… but to me these mob stories don’t fit the YR brand. Like at the end of the sequence, when the guy (Alex?) was dying, Nadia’s theme was playing… doesn’t feel like these 2 things go together. Were fans clamoring for this type of story? Or was BB chasing trends that were doing well on other soaps? Anyway… never thought I’d see Mary Williams in the midst of a fight scene, lol! Pretty cool. And Steven Ford is in his element as an action hero. More so I’d say than a romantic lead. One crazy side-note of this whole mob story is that Tony DiSalvo got married to Nikki! bc he had a sex tape of her, and she married him to get it back. I think the marriage wasn’t legal? But imagining Nikki in that story at all is pretty funny. And then BB does an entirely new mob story from ’84-’85 with Tyrone and Jazz… which seems not to be too well-regarded either. Full credits, how cool. From sometime earlier in ’83…Lilibet Stern is still listed. And looks like Amy’s mom was on, Loretta Lewis - don’t think she was on much. Directed by Edward Mallory – that’s Bill Horton from Days. Never knew that. I remember these Traci pool scenes from the first week I watched YR! Really uncomfortable to have her detailing her weight loss efforts in front of all those people :\ If you couldn’t tell, Lauren was bending the truth that Danny asked her to marry him Great to see the clips again of BD’s first day back – they used to be on YT. Her acting was good here. Jill's dramatic reaction to Dina is more understandable once you realize she’s been drinking. First time seeing the follow-up scenes with Jack – really demonstrated the tension btw these two. Cool how Victor and Miguel were speaking Spanish to each other. Wonder when/why they dropped that… I just can’t buy Dorothy Maguire as Eric Braeden’s mom. Didn’t find these scenes moving. Anyone remember the explanation given for Victor having a German accent? Nice scenes near the end with Ashley and Traci - haven’t seen many one-on-one scenes with ED and BM. They have good sibling chemistry – affectionate one moment, angry the next. Love Traci’s elaborate bedroom set, complete with giant Burt Reynolds poster. Back when soaps had budget for sets. Carol!! Loved her relationship with Jack. Terry Lester, of course – not Peter Bergman, lol. First time seeing Rick Daros (other than on the beach trying to kill Victor). He’s appealing. Trivia note: Randy Holland was also a writer for the show. Nice finish to the video – Steven Ford in a bathing suit

Does anyone exactly remember when Joanna talked John into getting an eye-lift? I would love to see that scene again someday. I think it was sometime in the late '80s. I remember watching the original airing as a teen, and thinking it seemed really strange. It was like a PSA. Joanna was reassuring him, "everyone's doing it these days", and "don't be embarrassed to do it just because you're a man". It felt like "Katherine Chancellor's Facelift, the Sequel" I'm not sure, but I imagine the point of the scene was because Jerry Douglas decided to have an eye-lift in real life?

Yep, and it was the end of TB's 3-year contract - it was his choice to leave. Agreed that Phillip and Nina's marriage did seem rushed. I guess Bill Bell had a deadline to set all the story pieces in place before TB left.

John Enos (ex-Bobby) is on Days right now as a Vegas Elvis impersonator, lol

No, when Andy came back, he said he was divorced, which was sad... I guess that freed him up to a possible reunion with Susan Walters' Diane... which went nowhere. From reading the earlier '87 synopses, I think the hotel suite is actually Joanna's, and Lauren moved in after splitting with Paul. And of course, Joanna eventually disappears but Lauren stays. Hmmm Lauren's "compliment" seemed pretty back-handed! As soon as she said that, she says she can't imagine why Brad would stay with someone like Traci To give Lauren credit, she does try to help Brad and Traci reunite after he is freed from Lisa's cage.

^ Yes, Conci Nelson is Kay Alden’s daughter… she played Betsy and came back to play Heather Stevens in the 90s. Fine young actress. Thank you LTM1997 and YRfan23! This was a good ep. 1987 was not YR’s best year, IMO, but this December ep was setting up some good ’88 stories. The first scene with Paul, Nathan, and Amy was not good… it seemed like all 3 of them were reading from cue cards. Colleen Casey was a real find. Lovely presence and strong acting. Somehow the story was a dud, and she and Andy had to be written off. Maybe Steven Ford, as much I love him, wasn’t the right pairing for her. Nonetheless, these final scenes were very touching. Doesn’t seem like CC went on to do much more acting – shame. I’ve seen comments on this site about Faren’s “Sweeney Sisters” act – anyone have that link? Leanna as a scheming threat is 100% times more enjoyable than the “comedic” version of 1991. I’m watching April ’91 now and she is insufferable. Terry Lester! Always such a pleasure to see him. He hasn’t started wearing those ugly glasses from his final days. I liked how firm John was with Jack – that’s unusual.

Yes, I follow it obsessively. My only complaint is that it only gets updated once or twice a week.

In the "80s compilation #2 vid that yrfan23 posted in the Lost Era playlist, there is a quick clip at 0:06 of LS' Patty fingering a letter opener, looking murderous... I want to see that entire scene so bad!

Finally watched episode 4. I am entranced by Lilibet Stern’s Patty! Combination of great acting and writing. What a loss her departure was. Her Patty has so many layers. It was fascinating to watch Carl slowly dismantle Patty’s Stepford demeanor, and present some excellent arguments against Patty’s plan. Carl smartly did not criticize Jack, no matter how much he wanted to. He accurately pointed out that it’s not fair to Jack, or anyone, for Patty to get pregnant in this manner. But she is completely lost in her fantasy, and can not process his advice. Is Patty’s mindset within the realm of normal behavior, or is she demonstrating the beginnings of mental illness? She grew up in a stable household with loving parents. Reading the ’81 synopses, it appears that Patty went off the rails when she learned that Paul was not taking responsibility for baby Heather. She couldn’t believe that her big brother, who she admired so much, could act this way, and this threw her belief system awry. Soon after, she snuck out to a country bar and met Jack. I guess she transferred all her hopes and dreams of a stable life, from her own family to Jack. On a superficial note – is that a mullet hairstyle she is rocking? Not the most flattering, nor the dress. But LS’ beauty shines through ☺

^lol, yea, that made no sense

^agreed, I bet BB had the Abbott house set built in spring '82 when he decided to expand the Abbotts past Jack. If Mamie appeared before that, it was probably a one-off.