EricMontreal22

Ha, I admit I find it a little bizarre to use something about an actress' physical appearance, like hair colour, to anchor an article about a *radio* actress.

New York, like Loving. And don't forget Angie was on Loving (AMC of course had some major cross over stunts in '91 and '92 as well with Loving to try to spike ratings--it didn't work but that's how I started watching.) I don't think many people "couldn't stand" Loving, and that as part of the problem. Many people were apathetic towards it, or simply didn't watch. The City didn't get many new viewers, that's one reason, another is it still had Loving's crappy time slot, it also was given very little time to grow, and it didn't get good ratings--and was expensive. BTW who is this Fronz you think I am? Like The Fonz? I'm confused. I forgot Janet putting the vets in a truck--wasn't it in quicksand or going off a cliff or something?

Yeah that was a bad spring for AMC relatively speaking--at least soon the Kevin story sparked back up. I remember at the time, just as The City was starting to be very good (or at the least very solid) it was depressing because AMC was in a bit of a rut, and OLTL--I believe just before the Labines came on-- was an utter mess (I wasn't watching GH at the time at all...) So I was actually enjoying The City the best but its cancelation was already announced. (I also remember that all ABC's ratings were slipping *except* The City which was actually, for once, having admittedly tiny climbs each week.)

Sorry guys, when looking for Heartbreak High videos for the Loving/City thread, I stumbled across that (Vince P was a star from HH just like Corey Paige who was hired around the same time for The City.) While Broderick's era in the 90s was a mixed bag (although personally it's nonetheless one of my fave eras,) this story really was IMHO the nadir. Funny, it largely feels like something that would have fit McTavish's sensationalistic late 90s run--it has so many of the Hallmarks... Like bringing on a new character who is instantly disliked and who is written into such a plot driven hole that they have no way to return (to be fair, I guess Tanner perhaps was brought on with a short term goal and they never hoped to redeem him, but...), a he said/she said rape scenario which doesn't even have any intrigue because we know already who's in the wrong, etc. Ripa did have moments where she really raised to the challenge. Yeah they were few (especially in her last few years,) but...

A promo for EVERYONE's fave Lorraine Broderick story! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSBvM5T7HV0

It actually was pretty good--a sorta more "gritty" Degrassi, that aired on a basic cable station here in Canada but since then a friend of mine who grew up with the series in Australia has gone on about what a teen phenomenon it was there. Based on a movie with much of the cast (The Heartbreak Kid) it ran for about 6 or so years, but Corey was only in the first few--Alex Dimitriades, who is probably most famous for jerking off on screen in the (actually very very good) Aussie gay film Head On about the greek immigrant issue in Australia was the first main "lead" with Corey being supporting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQBcKlORvfE Vince Poletto (Tanner on AMC) came the second year http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOpGjpFAJ6U

LOL I agree, but that started to happen with OLTL as Nixon focused more on AMC (*glares at anyone who brings up the red-headed step child syndrom*) and carried over to Russell's early years. And still, reading those stories of the time, they seem like vintage soap to me.

I think Tracy helped add that jolt, but I actually kinda liked the element you describe. I remember around the time they were just starting to experiment with websoaps which were not great but were sorta done like youw ere eavesdropping on an apartment filled with characters for five mins (I forget the name of the specific websoap I'm referencing...) Watching The City often was like a much better done version of this, and it was fun tunning in for 20 mins (if I taped it) a day and just getting a brief update. Have you watched Heartbreak High?

Yeah he was always a drip. In the final story with him and Ally and Danny and Carla Soleito (why didn't that actress ever go on to more soap greatness??) the story only worked because everyone (yes, including Laura Wright) were strong in their material and Tonyw as kinda believable as the dumb guy. But wow--he was mildly cute, but the one City character (from the last 6 months) who I couldn't stand.

I somehow missed this post, but I think you perfectly defined Loving (at its best), why I find it so appealing but also why it never really stuck or had a full identity (things like time slot aside.) Its worse era for me seems to be some of the late 80s stuff (after Nixon's sting after Marland) under Ellis, etc, with all the corporate stuf fwhere it seems to have most lost its small town community identity. It's really too bad Soapnet never reran the full series--I think particularly to vintage soap fans now it holds a lot of appeal. Some of the problems are just in concept, IMHO--Agnes Nixon and Dan Wakefield apparently first created it with Dan (who wrote the book I always mention All Her Children and had then become friends with Agnes but also who was a very strong novelist with books like Starting Over and Going All The Way, both which he adapted into movies, and the cult 70s teen primetime drama James at 15 which Kevin Williamson says was the inspiration for Dawson's Creek). But he felt overwhelmed and backed down so she then worked with Marland (I suppose from the start she didn't think she had the time to be its headwriter) who obviously helped shape the initial setup himself, despite, it seems, finding it hard to work with her. Still both their concepts seemed to be a "return to basics" (basics being a sort of early 1970s AMC), just at a time when soaps, even AMC, were becoming more glamorous and about big business.

It's too bad they didn't hire a better actor to play transexual Azure C--I think that was part of the reason the story fizzled (though the early social stories they did--like the racial attacks on Angie's clinic--all fizzled, but the actress simply wasn't very good. (And man that OLTL commercial--sigh Joey and the Woman in White at the Lake or whoever... lol)

It really had its own special appeal, and I think you sum it up well. Actually, when the Seattle network started airing it after Nightline at midnight or so for its last 6 months (I as in grade 11 or so, so could stay up that late by then lol) it actually really felt "in place" as a late night soap for some reason--I'd enjoy unwinding to it right before bed. It never was too strong on story, honestly (though I think the writing for the final 6 months was very strong--lots of great character work, a good mix of drama and genuinely funny comedy like when Tracy hired actors to play her Quartermaine family), but the characters grew on you an were largely strongly defined especially once they settled on the final cast, and the style really felt fresh. I know much of the soap press didn't agree (and the first few months had some of the camera work trying too hard) but. I really think ti never had a chance with its time slot. If it had been late afternoon it could have caught more of a teen and university student audience who might have taken to the younger (dare I say slightly hipper) characters, mix of styles, and 30 minute episodes, but nobody I knew in university would watch a show at 11 am (where it originally aired here--with he news at 11:30 and then AMC). Though they probably would have make the cast teens, it actually would havge looked a lot better than much of the programming MTV tried at the time. I don't know if it was because it was greenlit before Disney bought ABC or what, but once it got on air there seemed very little faith behind it, though I understand it was expensive to shoot which is probably what ultimately did it in. " At times, the show reminds me of the European soaps (both the British and the German)." I definitely agree. When Burke moved to AMC I kinda hoped SOME of the City innovations would carry over there, though I guess they didn't wanna rock the boat too much. And yes, I loved Lorraine too. I also liked Nick--I know at one point Roscoe said it was his favorite role because it was just so refreshing to play a realistic guy and not a psycho. Even Zoey who at first came off too wanna be hip, grew into her own (and I liked her with Richard--ABC was all about Aussie hunksthen--Ingo was big on GH, and of course Richard and the despicable horrible Tanner Jordan on AMC were bothcast around the same time with well liked actors from Aussie teen soap Heartbreak High--which I admit I loved when it would air before school here in Canada).

Yes, apparently Nixon picked Russell herself, and helped fit him into the show. I wish someone would ask if Nixon was a DS fan... It;'s true that every so often she seemed to go for gothic stories (of course not to the same level), and she has said that she always wished she had had the foresight of Dan Curtis who, despite the cost, saved the show's videotapes, but that's all I've heard. And yet, Dark Shadows' co-creator and first HW (pre Barnabas) was Art Wallace who was a story consultant for the early years of AMC, and there were a few other connections. Of course some of this could have been ABC's suggestion (although Nixon owned her shows at the time,) but... Many DS fans and books have mentioned how it was Russell who gave Barnabas and other characters a more melacholic, soulful persona with long monoogues, etc. He truly was one of the best soap HWs, IMHO, it's too bad more of his work doesn't survive (OLTL did seem to suffer, ratings especially, for a while when he took over in terms of finding its style, partly as he seemed to do a more operatic version of Nixon's social issue stories OLTL had been most noted for--I wonder if he ever considered using Nicki Smith? Wiki said somewhere that he made the focus a bit less on social stories and more on haunting character studies, and that makes sense) From what I saw, I think Hall did a fine job, but wasn't quite up to the standards of when he wrote with Russell. That early 80s era pre Ruach is so confusing writer wise--the Corringtons replacing Hall, then Hall quickly replacing them with (I think) Slesar, etc. I wonder if Hall left on his own or was fired--ratings still seemed to be decent when they felt the need to change EP. I don't have a copy here, but I seem to remember Schemering's book said the Corringtons' year or so was too mob and violence heavy and confusing, and the blue collar family they introduced were not too popular. I think Peggy O'Shea had talent. Rauch wanted an increasingly campy, "rich people" show, and she seemed to still manage to include some depth and psychology into his concept--so I don't blame her for the direction the show was taking. It was still pretty strong on tis own terms. When she left (did she pass away?) and her associate writer S Michael Schnessel took over is when the show REALLY went all camp.

Don't forget they brought him back (was that under Rauch or just before) as a GH style Supervillain who implanted Larry with a mind control gadget and had a robotic arm! The network may not have cared as much--or it may have also been that OLTL's ratings were finally at the time on an upswing (as most of their shows were really hitting their peak). I really wish I could see more of AMC and OLTL from this era (77-80) as I think both shows were so strong, and they also seemed like they really complemented each other (down to OLTL being more urban and gritty, etc).

Me. Last year PP said, before it crashed, that Canada would be included as they knew how many viewers they had. I hope that keeps--maybe iTunes will allow it--I admit at this point I'd be willing to pay (within reason).

I agree with his view--to a large extent too, although I think part of the trap he did fall into, was the typical soap "supercouple" problem. And wow--I knew he had a rep at the time for having an ego--and I'm sure some of it was just his age but some of that interview made me just laugh, even if many actors prob feel the same about their talents. I do kinda enjoy how he sorta slams the show saying his role would never change--and at the same time keeps saying that he hopes they're open to him returning. Is he still acting? His official webpage is almost all links to self published sci fi he's written (!) that I think is based on his Andromeda character... Thanks for the link--I totally see what you mean Carl about Trevor and Michael I always wanted to see more of Brad--though the actor was straight and married, and Michael's was straight I think, Brad seemed more comfortable playing gay, and I remember people at the time saying that (as they manly patted each other on the back and gave each other bear hugs). RIP Daniel McDonals who played Brad and had some Broadway leads, who died suddenly at 47 of a brain aneurysm (I think.) Didn't she run into Donald Trump or someone at Nexxus? (or was thatg this episode lol)

Way way back in the early 90s, Canadian Jr High schools incorporated key episodes of Degrassi as part of our "Health" (aka mainly sex ed) classes. But even as a kid I never liked Kids of Degrassi...

Thank you kindly, Sir! Like I said I suspect it's the second one--not the first, very Melrose type one.

Random question, but this came up with a friend of mine. Does anyone know which of the two themes composer Michael Gore wrote? He's Lesley Gore's brother who is responsible for most of the Fame soundtrack, the infamous Carrie musical, as well as a few other one offs (Whitney Houston's All The Man I Need, which he originally did for a flop album for Linda Clifford he produced, he did the theme for Terms of Endearment and, randomly, the soap Generations, as well). Judging by his usual style and chord progressions, I'm guessing the second one, but anyone know?

I miss Enchantment OK, 'fess up, has anyone actually smelled the Fusion perfumes (were there two?) that were released... I believe they were exclusive to Wallmart (which says something right there--the last time I was at Wallmart was last year when I was desperately searching everywhere for the OLTL tribute magazine and had heard they were carrying it--the place smelled like McDonald's...)

I just read that article too--and wow. A great piece, and really true (back in the days when ew started and briefly had articles that were not quarter page soundbites).

Blah--it just seemed to me at the time like we were meant to wait for him to die because Al's spirit deserved his body. Vee--I somewhat agree with you. As bad as some of Malone's stuff was, if that was his origin al intention I think it may have been handled better (in terms of everything, pacing, sensitivity, etc). Since Higley took over (and maybe it was her idea to bring it in that direction) it was a mess. And Mark had barely even been on the show since the failed Love Shack or whatever it was called storyline of Malone/Griffith.

Of course Higley making him a gay psycho killer really did it in. I know when Josh Griffith left in Feb or 2004 he explicitly said it was because of network (ie Frons) interference. Broderick left as Associate HW then too, but I think it was due toher contract just being done--Malone lasted till sometime in the Fall.

I think this came up in another thread recently, but the Heaven Can Wait story was ick for me because it really seemed like for some reason (cuzhe was a bit of a jerk?) the real Michael "died" simply so Al could take over. Why did Al deserve the body more than this guy who seemed nice enough? (I can't even remember how Michael's spirit died--did Luna kill him? ). Also, at the time many people seemed to like about the four times we saw the Michael actor more than Al anyway. Yeah some were mad they killed off Al so soon, but people seemed over it by then.