Loving/The City Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

This is another episode that used to be on Youtube, I think, but I don't see it now so I reuploaded it. I'm not sure of the exact date as the original title said Thanksgiving 1991. It may be late October as the wedding that wasn't with Ava and Paul was on November 5 - if anyone knows I'd appreciate it.

I can't remember who said this was the best opening, but I tend to agree. It's very Lifetime commercial for this period but the images and music fit the show.

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Edited July 10, 2024 by DRW50

[DRW50]

I found four City episodes on a disc that I don't think were on Youtube anymore (if I missed them my apologies and I'll take these down).

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[chrisml]

In watching the 1991 episode above, I'm reminded Robert Tyler was such a gorgeous man. Don't know why he didn't have a bigger career. 

[DRW50]

He was. And over time he became a decent actor too. I think he may have retired not long after leaving daytime.

[chrisml]

That would make sense then because I can't imagine another soap not wanting to snap him up. He's charismatic and while not the best actor, you can't take your eyes off him. It's so odd that Tyler and Christine Tudor (after her electrifying performances as Loving was winding down) didn't show up elsewhere when most of their castmates did.

[j swift]

It is one thing to retire at 70, or even 60.  But, Robert Tyler was 35 when Loving was cancelled.  He could not have made a ton of money in daytime, or in his previous work as a model.  According to IMDB, he then went on to work on a single episode of Star Trek.  So, he must have really not enjoyed the entertainment business, because he would've had to find work in some other field in order to support himself for the past 29 years.

I wonder if his ex-wife Jessica Collins ever mentioned him in an interview during her time on Y&R?

Also, as a member of the tribe, I am always fascinated by Jewish actors who changed their names professionally (he was born Barry Kaufman).  It seems so old-fashioned, like something out of the old studio contract days.  So, it still amazes me when entertainers drop their last name in order to assimilate. 

Edited July 18, 2024 by j swift

[Vee]

I was under the impression Tyler came from money, so dipping out of acting was not an issue for him.

[te.]

A lot of people will also give themselves a time limit - ie if I haven't made it in acting/singing/etc before the age of x I will do other things. That's why you see so many actors who've not quite made it dip out at around 30-ish.

[Soaplovers]

I think when the ladies did the Loving Reunion, Christine Tudor mentioned that after she was written off Loving.. that she had told her husband that she wanted to take a brief break from acting.. and she joked that it was a very long break.. longer then she thought she would take.   

 

[DRW50]

I remember when she gave an exit interview, she said something to the effect of wanting to get her body back. I do wonder if that affected her chances of work post-Loving. It's rare to see someone who is as phenomenal as she was in the endrun of a show not get more of a chance. 

Then again I thought Amy Van Horne would be a bigger name after The City (not saying she was the same as Christine) and that never really happened.

[Joseph]

I would like to inform you all that The First week of "The City" is currently available on Internet Archive!

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[te.]

Honestly, I wonder if it would've been better to just do something entirely new with The City instead of doing it as a spin-off - it feels like by continuing Loving they alienated both Loving viewers and potential new viewers. 

 

Of course, a soap oriented at the 18-34 demographic also shouldn't have aired at noon...

[Khan]

If you're going to spin off from another show, at least spin off from a show that's successful and that people watch.  LOVING never really took off as a show until the end, and that's because the serial killer storyline was kind of a well-executed novelty that created some buzz within the press.

Edited July 20, 2024 by Khan

[Joshua Montgomery]

Thank you for sharing that Joseph!  I have been searching everywhere for the entire run of The City and would love to see more episodes.

[DRW50]

Most are scattered on various channels - beyond the ones I had that I linked above, I know Jim Muneco and a number of channels that haven't been used in years have some episodes. Still, there's a big chunk missing. 

Thanks!

 

At the time I was definitely alienated as they didn't bring over characters like Ava and Gwyn, but by the end of 1996 I tried again and was fine (it wasn't a great show but was entertaining enough on a daily basis). 

If the writing had been better from the start, that would have helped - from what some said at the time, there were barely even any stories for months. I think they made the right choices with most of the characters they brought over, but many of the new characters for The City itself seemed to lack as much value. Even Roscoe Born I think most found a groove once they imported Lorraine over from Loving.

I love Morgan Fairchild, but then and now I also question whether it was really worth bringing her on as I think most of what they were trying to do with her was more of the past than what was popular by 1996 (another reason why The Monroes failed around this time). 

I wonder if The City ever would have existed if they'd had "GH2" ready by that point. 

Considering that Port Charles, which had all the help and ingredients that The City never did, also didn't ever really get traction, I wonder if it was just impossible. By this time there were no successful new soaps, really (unless you count Passions, I guess, even though it didn't run that much longer than soaps that were not considered successful and in some cases like Loving ran for less time), and the genre was sliding into a long death.

To be honest I enjoyed The City period with Jane Elliot as Tracy more than I ever enjoyed PC.

Edited July 20, 2024 by DRW50