AMC Videos from 1997 and questions

[EricMontreal22]

THese were posted a few weeks back (

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is the first) July 24 1997 and july 25 (with One Life to Live as well).

This was the last era of AMC that I really felt was *brilliant* even though there certainly have been good eras or at least periods since then (namely Agnes Nixon's brief return even though it led into the disaster of Passanante's Ghost era) I know Lorraine Broderick was listed as HW for much of the 80s as well and I wish she would be given another chance at the show.

What these episodes remind me is actually Broderick's era had a lot of misfires... I believe Tanner Jordan was all her creation and I can remember how loathed he was on the Internet, and while people seem to look back almost fondly on the Maria/Erica Baby kidnapping storyline it was NOT liked at all when it came out--I can remember the AMC forums at the time--and I never warmed to Allie, and only really liked Jake initially when he was with Liza, until he was recast. But still despite these misfires it was one of the last times when it felt like AMC really had a thriving community--different characters and families who all interacted but also had their own lives and storylines, and it always seemed like several interesting storylines (as these episodes show) were going on at the same time.

It also probably helped that I basically came out (well not by choice but it happened anyway) and was the same age as Kevin Sheffield when these episodes aired--maybe a few months after I had. Just such a well written and acted storyline that felt liek classic AMC social issues but was also entertaingly done--I was *really* upset and disappointed when th echaracter disappeared in the Holidays explosion (i also miss Kelsey)--the actor seems to have disappeared as well.

I know the ratings continued to slip during this era but I can't help but think it wasn't really because of the quality.

The same poster also has great videos of Erica and Tom's 1978 wedding from when it aired on Soapnet that I had never seen before with brilliant classic Brooke stuff--just great.

[titan1978]

I watched back then too. I remember liking most of her work, but her characters/storylines started to burn out for me nearing the end of her run. I blame most of that on her EP at the time, and wish Behr had been left in place at AMC. I loved what she did with Liza though.

Was Laurel killed off during Broderick's era? I'm having a hard time remembering. What happened to Kevin was a tragedy after McTavish returned. I hate Passante, but I hope if she is replaced on ATWT, the new team takes care of Luke and Noah.

[EricMontreal22]

Yeah Laurel was killed off right at the start of Broderick's era under Behr still (ithink)--late '96? that was the start of the gay storyline that had switched focus on Kevin by these episodes... It is true Broderick's run started ot burn out--was she the one who gave us PIers number 3 (when really after all the problems with Piers, as much as I like Maxwell Caulfield, they shoulda given up on the character and no more recasts) and I think the start of the Jim Tomison mess (I think that was still Broderick) But I agree--that was probably more the EP/HW combo--which seems to be the missing component to a lot of what makes soaps work or not

McT got rid of a lot of characters who were working (at least for me) on AMC--Kevin and Kelsey being thebig two. However I know there was a lot of pressure to blame the falling ratings on controversy over making the gay storyline go on SOO long amidst complaints so it was probably seen as an easy fix (There are few things I hate more on soaps as when characters are written off without ever being mentioned again--the way it looks Jeff Martin now is about to be and of course Brooke just was--even when it's a character I HATE I find it so disrespectful to the viewers--they can at the least just throw in a small comment about them having to move--it's indefensible because it's so easily fixed. But when it's a major character you've tried to gain audience sympathy for about the past year and his last scene is in an explosion... I'm positive it wasn't done on purpose but *wow*--sloppy to say the least).

[R Sinclair]

I never enjoyed the Erica/MaddieSonya/Maria storyline, because I wanted Maria to have her baby and I wanted Erica to get caught. But I did enjoy the ups and downs and the suspense of the storyline. The birthmark; Maria and Edmund thinking their baby was a boy; Dimitri being on to Erica's suspicious behavior but not being believed because he was BaddyDimitri at the time...

I didn't enjoy Tanner Jordan -- but I think that had to do a LOT with the Italian actor using the horrible fake Australian accent at the time. I keep thinking of Friends and Joey Tribbiani's bad southern accent coming out Jamaican: "Dee South will rise again, mon!"

Laurel's murder was indeed under Broderick. Laurel was on the set of The Cutting Edge during that town hall meeting of an episode defending her brother (Mike Delany, who came out while teaching a history class on WWII and the Nazis and the use of the different emblems, such as the pink triangle) and that was all apart of Broderick's gay storyline. Kevin's brother, Jason, attempted to shoot Mike, but wound up shooting Laurel instead -- with Janet being caught on camera with the gun... and then Janet had to go on trial for murder and represent herself which was phenomenal to me.

I enjoyed that time because the teenagers were in high school while I was in high school. I literally graduated with Bobby, Anita, Laura, Kevin and Kelsey (Scott was SORAS'd so he had been in college for six months by that time). And the stories were realistic. Teenage pregnancy, Bobby and Anita's "romance" with Papa Santos looking disapprovingly on the couple, Kevin and the gay thing. And it wasn't caricatures like it's been for the last seven years. It wasn't just one or two leading teens (Bianca and Laura or Sean and Colby) and the rest are like Shannon, Heather, Mindy clones. All the characters in the teen scene were established and had stories that intertwined.

I think, like any writer, Broderick burned out. I mean, she'd been head writing or co-head writing AMC off and on for ten years by that point. But now that she's been gone for ten years, that's ten years worth of new characters and history she could find inspiration from. And I loved the dialog from that era.

[EricMontreal22]

R--Vince Poletto was Australian/Italian--the accent was all natural. (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0689003/) I used to watch him on Heartbreak High before he was on AMC--you may not have liked it but it was exactly the same accent as he has in interviews and on Aussie tv LOL. May7be you saw him play a role with an Americna or Italian accent later?

It was funny cuz around that time all of ABC seemed obssessed with Italians--Jaxx was massive on GH, Loving/The City had just got Corey Page from Heartbreak High as well (man I loved his character paired up with Zoey)... I guess OLTL stayed safe but...

ANyway my prob with the Tanner storyline--I found himself appealing but it stretched credibility--and was unpleasnat to see after all the perils Hayley had recently suffered--him forcing her to drink, convincing her he had sex with her, Matteo believeing him over her, etc etc.

I'm not sure Broderick really ahd time to burn out even though she did go thru a rougher patch--I know wikipedia etc claims that AMC was head written by Wisner Washam and Agnes Nixon all up till '91 but I have a good chunk of episodes over several years n the 80s that list Broderick as head writer--but then she wasn't at AMC for the 90s until she came in to replace McTavish and only ahd about two years or less as hHW. her only work I've seen since was One Life to Live where I think she was poorly paired with Gary Tomlin's over the top and VERY different direction as EP and her again very different stylistically co HW Chris W, but I liked some stuff--but I would like to see her back at AMC... Oh well...

(Speaking of I found episodes I had saved to DVD-R from Soapnet's 2005 I Love Lucci marathon--for the two 1971 episodes the associate producer is Felicia Minei Behr--I never knew her history with AMC went back so far)

R I was basically the same age as the high school characters as well and maybe that's what I meant parlty about the show feeling more like "Pine Valley" back then--the way it did in the 80s etc--the teens felt, more or less, real and liek they ahd their own individual lives--I've not seen such a balanced group of teens on a show since then I don't think (ugh don't get me started on Passanante's Mindy etc)

[Adam]

There was a rumour Broderick was asked by Frons to re-join the show as HW in 2003 but she passed.....

I don't know if that is fact but I remember hearing it around the time. Same with Alden and she passed too.

[R Sinclair]

I also heard a rumor he asked Hal Corley.

[DevotedToAMC]

1997 was not all a bad year I enjoyed most of the stories (Erica taking Edmund/Maria's baby, Bianca's anorexia, Kevin/Kelsey, Bobby/Anita, the plane crash, Gillian and David introductions)

[DevotedToAMC]

She was asked (this is at Wikipedia) and yes she refused...I cannot see someone like Broderick working under an egotistical jerk like Frons. She is a very professional soap opera writer and would not like him micromanaging all the storylines and dictating story to her.

[EricMontreal22]

WOw she must have integrity--to turn down the kinda salary HW gives like that... TOo bad