Jump to content

Generations Discussion Thread


Max

Recommended Posts

  • Members

In those early rough days, Mina Kolb's Aunt Mary was a highlight for me of the original version of "Generations" when it was trying to do drawing room drama fretting over things like Adam Marshall living with two white women, Jessica's scandalous past, and attempting to humiliate Ruth Marshall  when she joined the Women's Art Council by bringing up Vivian's work as the Whitmores maid. I know Kolb's background was comedy so I can see why they shifted in that direction, but it is a shame. When the initial change is made, Marla Adams' Helen Mullens fills that role before they soften her with the domestic abuse angle, the dead daughter Karen, and the connection to the Reubens family. 

I grew up on the NBC daytime lineup so I can see why "Generations" made the changes it did and it was creatively more engaging as a result. I am not sure anyone could have matched JER after 1997, not even JER. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 368
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • 3 weeks later...
  • Members

From reading the back pages, it sounds as though Sally S structured the show exactly like a Bell soap with two families linked together by past, present, and future events.

Like what happened to B&B, one of the families took off (Marshalls) while the other family basically was scaled back with only one member taking off (Sam).

Seeing Marla Adams as Helen made me think maybe she should have been Rebecca instead at the start of the show.  She had a commanding presence and she could have played out the corporate and more romantic aspects of Rebecca's character.  And she knew how to play mother and daughter angst.

And I do agree that Ruth and Doreen were an important element to what made the soap work.  And my late mom was pissed at the final episode where it was left open if Mr Marshall was alive or dead.

And I do agree that recasting Chantal and Mr Marshall was due to getting bigger names, and I have a feeling it was also due to story dictated decisions.  The Chantal real father story needed a proven powerhouse and with Mr Marshall looking in Doreen's direction..you needed someone a bit more sexy (the daddy version of sexy) to make that work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Sussman definitely centers the connection between the Marshalls and Whitmores from the start. The original plan had a love triangle between married women Laura McCallum and Ruth Marshall over a childhood friend with Ruth being the unlikely leg of the triangle on the sidelines wanting someone she couldn't have. Also, it seems clear in the bible that Sam and Adam would have been end game at some point. The show appears to be developed as an hour long show because there are so many characters and stories presented in the bible. Once you start cutting away, the Whitmores just weren't functional anymore. J.D.'s storyline was too controversial for daytime in 1989 (his love interest was a trans woman). Laura's story was tied to a character who no longer existed (a plastic surgeon who's name I never remember). Rebecca's story wasn't set to explode until Peter Whitmore returned. The pivots (a possibe Trevor / Jessica / JD triangle and Ruth joining the arts council) didn't really work as well as longterm though I loved the Art Council story. 

I know that the Dobsons said NBC wouldn't let them bring on too many older characters so I suspect the show was going to struggle to get both Peter and Rebecca onscreen on contract. I am not sure Marla Adams would have changed the character's trajectory, but she was a good choice. While I can't see Sussman sidelining Adams, Rebecca's absence left Sam anchorless which allowed her to be flighty and reckless in a way that would have been harder to justify with her mother on the canvas. 

Debbi Morgan comes in to play the Eric / Chantal murder trial. Morgan arrives teh last week of March and Eric arrives the last week of May. Initially, Chantal is being drawn into the investigation into the mob which starts in February as sort of background noise for the cop shop and to give Sam and Kyle angst. By March, I think they have revealed that Jordan and mob boss Mitchell Taylor are half-brothers. It's unclear when it was decided that the Taylor organization was going to be the reason that Peter left town, but Peter doesn't arrive onscreen until early October. 

I think you may be right about Reynolds. Reynolds arrives in August, Rick Fitts departs as Martin Jackson in September, and Harper arrives as Peter in October. I think they were definitely looking to shift Henry from businessman to viable romantic lead. I think Taurean Blacque and Jonelle Allen would have been fine together, but I think Reynolds would have fought Harper harder for Pringle. 

Daniel and Doreen have angst until September when they finally sleep together. Martin uses Doreen and Daniel's sexual tryst at the beach to blackmail Doreen into doing his biding and stay with him. Once Martin skips town after the embezzlement is discovered, Daniel and Doreen are free to be in October, which is the same month as the infamous Maya / Doreen catfight. 

I don't always find myself drawn into the final months (and sometimes I am) but I think Daniel peters out around November. By December, Doreen's nephew Tyrell Dawson starts to live with her and starts to flirt with Maya so the story for Doreen is already evolving. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • Members

Elsewhere I've just posted an article that I wrote because March 27th is this show's anniversary of premiere date & I grabbed the YouTube video of what I call the Best Catfight to ever exist, written by Michelle Val Jean so I thought to post it here, too. 

Please register in order to view this content

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • Kelly was a horribly-written character overall. Just think, two Emmy-winning actresses (including Cynthia Watros, Nina, GH, and Annie, GL) couldn't make it work. Pamela is campy, but so are Dani, Vanessa, Leslie, and Joey. And, I don't want to be too judgy because my love for camp changes depending on the show. OLTL, DAYS, and some eras of GH had me rolling with the camp. However, Passions was overkill and I hated it. And, here, I can take it or leave it. It's ok in small doses (note to RC). I see this show as more of a serious drama.
    • I think one of the reasons that pilot didn't get picked up was because Vicki L was associated more with being Thelma Harper and playing older then she was playing her own age.  It was a blessing it didn't get picked up, or we would have been deprived of the syndicated era of Mama's Family. And the other pilot had a pre Fran Fine.. Fran Drescher as the best friend.  I think that pilot might have been picked up if Karen Valentine and Fran Drescher switched roles.
    • So, on rewatch....did Rick and Mindy never have sex? 
    • Cady had a fairly posh accent or manner as Rosanna - the character was a 180 from Dixie when she went to ATWT, and it was a huge success initially. As someone mostly only familiar with the nagging, miserable or clueless Dixie of the mid-late '90s and early 2000s it was what convinced me Cady could act. I thought she was incredible in her first run. Later, in future stints, her hair and story and performances were all over the place but a lot of that was down to the show for me. She brought some of Rosanna back with her to Dixie in her ill-fated return and a lot of people didn't like it, which I understood but I did think the character needed some change. I think she's had a little bit of the same persona and arch performance in every role she's played since, including Jennifer Horton at DAYS or Kelly at Y&R, who later became a maniac and was easily the worst work I've ever seen Cady do. It has kind of infected her overall mannerisms, I'll allow that, but I do think she brought Dixie back together as herself while still evolving the character when she returned to AMC again in 2012-13. Nonetheless, for me the upshot is that this is a character where Cady's kookier recent performance style suits the role. But I can understand it grating for people.
    • Yeah, Loretta Swit's passing stings. My late dad LOVED the show (he died last November) and watched it religiously. In first run and repeats.  And I was literally born the day after the show's premiere, so I grew up with it! I know many loved later, softer Margaret, but I loved Early Hot Lips. In real life, I'm all for less misogyny, but to me, the early years of M*A*S*H were just funnier. May Loretta Swit rest in peace. Thanks for all the memories connected to my dad!
    • FROM THE VAULT: WEEKLY DAYTIME NIELSEN RATINGS: WEEKS OF 10/29/73-11/2/73 & 11/5/73-11/9/73:  

      Please register in order to view this content

    • I agree that she isn't Dixie or Rosanna and shouldn't be acting like either. I just found it strange that she had a naive Southern character and a wealthy urbane character in the past and didn't experiment with accents before (unless I missed it, correct me if I'm wrong). She used to do improv characters on YouTube. She's probably doing something similar here.

      Please register in order to view this content

       
    • And here I thought I'd never think about Lauren Tewes again after her brief appearance in Twin Peaks Season 3.
    • I may be the single person who does not mind Transatlantic Campy Pamela. I think it perfectly suits this sort of Absolutely Fabulous-esque supporting character she's playing much more than it did when Cady tried weird and often broad stuff at AMC* or Y&R, or later stints at ATWT. She's not Dixie and she's not trying to be. I will freely admit some of the other chances she took at other shows often came off stiff, hammy or downright mortifying (Kelly Andrews, come on down). (* - and I say that as one of the few who was somewhat into Cady trying to make Dixie more cosmopolitan in the Rosanna Cabot mold in mid-2000s AMC, just to liven the character up again)
    • There’s absolutely nothing exciting happening storyline wise but I’m always happy to see the vets on my screen so I’ll take what I can get. It’s also just nice to see them all dressed up in the same room, it always gives classic Y&R vibes. The best part? No Phyllis. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy