Loving/The City Discussion Thread

[EricMontreal22]

That is fantastic! it's the kind of thing I've seen countless times for AMC, or OLTL or other shows I watch, but never for Loving. Thanks!

[DRW50]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'd also never seen this for Loving (as there was no Loving book) so I thought someone might enjoy this. Gary Warner had a great touch.

[EricMontreal22]

Loving really got a poor deal I think--we've said this before, but... Back when I started watching cuz of the AMC cross overs, I think I found out from a TINY piece in SOD. As it was SOD next to never said much at all about Loving it seems (except for the brief synopsis section). Here in Canada it was the ONLY soap at the time that wasn't simulcast or carried at a different time on a Canadian station, and I remember even talking at one point to a friend of my mom's who was soap opera obsessed--she had watched the P&G soaps and AMC and Y&R since the 70s, and was aware of all the others, and she had simply never ever heard of it. Even with the brief push given to The City it never really felt like ABC had their hearts in it (wehich brings us back to them canceling the City after only 18 months--well 13 or 14 months really before it was decided--why go through all this trouble to try somethign genuinely new, and then give it such a brief chance, especially knowing that soaps take usually a year to find their footing even in a traditional model?) I honestly remember a TON of a lot more promotion for PC--but wouldn't The City, with its new 'look" and Morgan Fairchild have deserved even more a primetime opener?

[EricMontreal22]

I don't think these Loving promos from 1984 have been posted here yet--I just found them, though they'd been up for a year. Which Ava is that in the first one?

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and one from 88 which seems to continue the Jack/Lily story from that 1987 episode that's online

[DRW50]

I hadn't seen those in a while. I think that's Ava. Seeing Gwyn's arrival always makes me feel sad, knowing what she became. I wonder when exactly the change to her being so sorrowful happened.

It's interesting how Anthony Herrera bounced between Loving and ATWT for about a dozen years. I wonder if he gave Cady McClain any tips.

I have some more Episodes stuff I will try to post later so I'm glad you brought this back up.

I may have already asked this but do you know what affect the 1988 strike had on Loving? Then again if any soap fans were used to out of nowhere plotting and casting changes, it would have to be Loving fans (or AW fans).

[EricMontreal22]

Oh I meant which actress--I think it's Roya Megnot as Ava, but can't quite tell (LOL I know, I know--) and was wondering if it could be the briefly used first Ava, Patty Lotz.

Even with what Gwyn became, it's a testament to the actress that she was an immediate favorite of mine.

Edited March 3, 2011 by EricMontreal22

[DRW50]

I think that's Roya - there's that old photo of her with Perry Stephens, both looking so smoldering and bare-chested (well he is anyway - we don't see her chest).

Don't get me wrong, I was very drawn into Gwyn's pain and her soldiering on throughout the murder mystery (which made the ending even more heartbreaking), I just wonder when she changed. I guess it might have been down to Christine Tudor gaining some weight as time passed.

[EricMontreal22]

She was GREAT in the murder mystery--the revelation is of course one of the great female soap scenes I think--but I thinmk you're right. I haven't seen much from the 80s (only what's online) but could it have been when she returned after a year or two in 1991?

[DRW50]

September/October 1991 Episodes.

[DRW50]

[DRW50]

[EricMontreal22]

That's fantastic--and going to take me a while to print and read. I have to admit, while he exemplifies the kind of "soap stud" I often find embarassing and am not usually drawn to--as a yougn teen I *loved* Trucker. Not a great actor, but I found him beyond handsome and also an exceedingly likeable character (and Trisha/Trucker were prob the closest Loving got to a true super couple who would get SOD time, etc--even if Ava and Alex and others came close)

[DRW50]

Don't be embarrassed (only be embarrassed if you were attracted to Tony Soleito...just kidding). I have seen little of him on Loving but when I see the ATWT episodes he was in, he is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. I hate the whole idea of men wandering around sans shirt for no reason and most of the time it does nothing for me but with him it really does.

It's too bad he kind of whimpered out at Loving, but then I guess just about everyone did, didn't they? Kind of odd that Deborah got the happiest ending.

I'm glad to know you haven't seen this before, as I always enjoy your thoughts on the show.

[SFK]

These are great Carl! I love Episodes, I wish my mom didn't take all of hers to the beauty parlor to share with the ladies under the dryers. And yes, that's Roya in that clip. I didn't know that Randolph Mantooth had been replaced for a while.

[DRW50]

He left for a few years and played a role he (and no one else) cared for on GH, then returned again.

I'm glad these are bringing back memories for you. They are so beautifully produced - while I wish they went into a bit more beyond what we already know, at least they did make an effort with Loving. It's too bad ABC didn't have this in the 80s.

Edited March 4, 2011 by CarlD2