AMCHistory

As much as it pains me to say it, and I am sure a lot of AMC fans would burn me at the stake, I actually really liked this temporary recast:

Especially since it was not like Nader was even trying to act well anymore.

Can someone please explain to me what was the point of the Marissa Tasker character?

Especially after they just killed Babe, and basically gave all her storylines and familiar relationships to a less trained/seasoned actress. Love or hate Amanda Baker, but she was Meryl Streep in comparison to Britanny Allen.

And the hair... yes it was a monster, but it was so 90's. It was so different from what the other ladies on the show looked like (most of them chopped off their long locks in the 90's e.g., Donna, Natalie, Dixie, Julia, Maria etc.). It is funny she kept the look for as long as she did, because by 1998 that huge 80's teased style was definiatley not in anymore.

I loved her look when she married Adam on Fidelity (how ironic that he would name his yacht after the issue that broke their marriage apart

OMG, my love for Terry Blake knows no bounds. I wonder if her marriage to country star Mike Maguire falling apart in 1998 had anything to do with her departure.

I love that she did not have any family, as she was introduced as a grifter. She manipulated her way into St. Dixie's purview, then turned around and slept with her husband. The fact that she would leave after catching AMC's next con, Ryan Lavery, in a scheme was well done. I agree, Gloria's roll-off was perfect. There was no great fan fair, just a series of perfectly timed events that made it clear her time in PV was over. I loved that as much as she loathed Dimitri at that point, for making her an accessory in the Maddie kidnapping, she still seemingly saved him by blackmailing Ryan into donating his blood to save him.

She floated between stories so well. She romanced, and had chemistry, with so many of AMC's leading men. From Adam, to Tad, to Dimitri, and even flirtation with Jackson. I think she filled a void that Natalie once filled, floating between stories seemlessly. I thought Babe under Alexa Havins had potential to fill that roll, but she kept on getting suckered back with JR.

I also love that Sydney Penny said that Terry Blake was the first woman to break rank from the "Mean Girls" clique (Eva, Kelly, SMG).

Agreed, and that's the only place I've seen him as well. Lowry was just awful in the role. Yes Jake has had a myriad of problems under Peck and Goldin (who only really became likeable for me his last few months when Broderick's writing seemed to mesh with him), but I prefered both, even Goldin in some awful moments, to Lowry who I *never* liked in the role. I used to always simply blame Lowry, but I actually kinda liked his brief run as Ross recently on OLTL despite it being a thankless role...

ANd yes, he changed his name to sound more grown up apparently and also because at the time he didn't want to be so associated as the Jr to his father... (I guess kinda like JR not being called Adam Jr, etc...--I admit personally, unless you're named for a dead relative, I think naming a child after his parents albiet with a Jr is never a good idea, even if it used to be done for family legacy reasons).

I think that RPG's interpretation of Joey favoured Brainards. Both had the brooding-dark side, and both of them played up the comedic side of the younger Dr. Martin.

Lowry was not terrible in the role, he just was not "Joey." He was more of the stero-typical soap-hunk. I felt bad for him too because he joined at the time that the Martins were really being marginalised. Charlie and Ruth were getting the boot. The Martins began existing is separate spheres, only playing together at Christmas and Thanksgiving. He definitley did not get the benefit of the Martin family living room scenes like Brainard did (and to an extent RPG in the more modern Tad Martin Boarding House scenario).

I will definetly catch up with these AMC masquerade episodes this weekend. That was one of my favourite eras of the show. I especially loved the beginnings of the Palmer/Phoebe relationship. Finally, Phoebe found a match in Palmer. Everyone in town had to "keep up with Phoebe" ala the Joneses, but now Pine Valley had someone with a bigger fortune, a bigger personality, and a bigger house... and he moved in right next door to the English Estate.

I think despite her despiration to one-up Palmer, which lead to many an argument and a mild rivalry, at the end of the day Phoebe and Palmer were closer friends than either realised or wanted to admit.

Here is a great photo from that evening:

Any chance anyone has a picture of Bill Mooney (ex-Paul Martin) from his OLTL run? I would love to have a photo to add to his Quick Guide biography on my site.

I think Kathleen was so captivating in the role of Ellen. Though a major supporting player in the mid-80's story-wise, she was definitely a scene stealer. I loved that she went toe-to-toe with Erica, but was never a rival. She was precursor the "Erica/Opal" relationship under the Larson recast. I also think that she shared so much chemistry with James Mitchell... a Palmer/Ellen relationship would be so interesting not only because of her marriage to Ross, but her closeness with Adam. I could see Adam and Palmer and rivals for Ellen's affection.

I love what Bill Mooney (ex-Paul Martin) told me about Kathleen:

Kathleen Noone...whose eyes were so large I always kidded her that she must have had silicone injections in them.

I think the undoing of the Paul/Ellen relationship is what sidelined the Paul Martin character. I would loved to have seen him as more of a rival to Mark. This was especially unfortunate because the Anne Tyler recast, Gwynn Gillis, was such a failure. Mooney would even admit that Judith Barcroft was a hard act to follow.

I have always tried to fall in love with my leading ladies. And It's nice when they can return the favor. That doesn't mean that you are off doing hanky-panky someplace, just that there is a mutual feeling of admiration and respect. I was very lucky to have worked with Judith Barcroft. She's an extremely skilled and inventive actor, and a gloriously beautiful woman. I think we have a very special chemistry together.

Kathleen decided to leave on her own volition. The show was at an inflecting point, where they fell into a bit of a slump with a lot of veterans floating around doing nothing (e.g., Vasili Bogazianos, Candice Earley, Robert Gentry). It was the Behr revolution that saw most of those actors part ways with the company.

Noone's departure I remember was a biog deal as she was a fan favourite. I do think Mark LaMura was forced out as a result of Ellen's departure (giving the long-standing couples decade long romance the proper send-off).

Noone would of course reprise her role only once, for the 25th Anniversary show... a very welcome cameo.

I loved how they played up Barbara's guilt when she was pregnant with Molly. She was afraid of being a bad mother because of what happened to Laura under her watch. She still carried so much guilt over the incident. I mean talk about penance and redemption, soaps, especially AMC in recent years, just do not write this way anymore. It was so clear there was a longer term plan when Laura Cudahy met her untimely demise.

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Richard Shoberg remembered the Laura storyline fondly in my interview with him: http://pinevalleybul...iewShoberg.html

One of Shoberg's most memorable scenes opposite Barr was when Tom had to tell Brooke that a drunk driver had killed their daughter, Laura. "I believe in committing myself as much as I can and when it is over, it is over. You go home," Shoberg said. "When Brooke and Tom had the scenes relating to the death of their child, that was difficult to work on. I may have backed off a little that day, more than I should have." The episode won Barr her first Emmy Award as Supporting Actress.

Sometimes, I forget how much I loved writing about AMC. I wish my job gave me time to continue working on the History Project.

Here is a blog entry I wrote about my general disdain for recast of Ruth Martin. I loved Mary so much, seeing Lee was always a hard pill for me to swallow: http://amchistory.blogspot.com/search?q=mary+fickett

Watching the 1995 Anniversary clips makes me miss Mary Fickett's Ruth even more. She brought so much compassion and sympathy to the role. I think so many people forgot how imperfect Ruth was in terms of her life's experience. She made so many mistakes as a mother, as a wife (both times)... but because of those mistakes, she was able to look past the other's sins, for which others in the community would have vilified you for.

All those women, many of whom committed the same or worst indiscretions as Erica, turned their backs on her. Ruth, despite not being Erica's biggest fan from her teenage years stayed behind.... knowing no one should be alone, or without a friend, in the Martin abode.

Oh man, I miss Pine Valley.

Michael Brainard (ex-Joey, AMC) auditioned for David Rampal, which went to Trent Bushey: http://pinevalleybulletin.com/Features/InterviewBrainard.html

Michael was relieved to outlast Trent storwise and duration wise with the show. It was unfortunate that he was let go as Joey. He and Michael Knight had a wonderful chemistry, and he was quiet the looker when he showed up on Santa Barbara.

Bill Timoney (ex-Alfred, AMC) auditioned for many roles while an under-five, most notably Tad Martin and Wally McFadden: http://pinevalleybulletin.com/Features/InterviewTimoney.html

He used to be the fill-in for Matt Anton as Tad when the actor had school conflicts during rehearsal times.

and my dear Carmen Thomas-Paris actually auditioned for Ryan's Hope when AMC took her in. She never even came to NYC for an audition. She taped her screen test in Georgia.

How far did the show go in the Matt/Erica pairing? It reminds me of Erica/Stamp - people bellowing at each other in a somewhat stagey manner. I wonder why they didn't just make Michael Tylo play a Quint type character again.

Michael Tylo talked a little about what went wrong with his run at AMC, and Taylor Miller's second run, in an interview I did with him a couple of years ago: http://pinevalleybul...rviewTyloM.html

I was just watching the August 5 94 episode, when Erica had just found Mona and called Joe. Susan played the shock of it all very believably; I can't say enough good things about that long, quiet scene at the end where Erica looked through Mona's purse. Nothing like that would be on TV now. What was it she said Mona always had - a stick of gum? The part about the driver's license, expired, got to me. I was never a fan of Ray McDonnell in these dramatic scenes - he often relied on a nervous grin - but I was moved when he told Ruth "Our circle has become smaller." It was a touching nod to that original core and how special they were. In a lot of ways I'm kind of glad AMC left soon after most of that original core was gone - the show without Mona, Myrtle, Phoebe, Nick, certainly functioned, but wasn't quite hte same.

Is this on youtube? I would love to watch it.

I think that was her first exit. Cecily's second exit was in January or February 1996, when she and Charlie left town.

Is it true that Rosa was asked back based on a poll on aol at that time? I cannot remember where i heard that...

I think the only thing lacking about GHNS was the music, the show seemed so quiet without the traditional soap music.