Jump to content

ALL: Are you a Nixon or a Bell??


Recommended Posts

  • Members

Having spent my past week of flu-ish delerium, watching hours of old soap operas, I've come to realize there is a sharp devision in the 60s, dividing Irna Phillips' soaps. Bell made a masterful example of the almost hypnotic, super soap. Music, sex, beauty and tragedy were intermingled. Nixon's soaps were some of the first to have humour--sometimes overemphaszied--but no less soap elements highlighted.

It seems to me the modern soap fan is a variant of either of these two cliches.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 109
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members

I would have to say I am a mixture of the two with a slight lean to Nixon.

I loved Bell's Days. I love what he did with early Y&R esp. but he was very poor early on at incorporating social issues into Y&R. Nixon was much better. Nixon had a way of incorporating things to not make them preachy. I can remember the dialogue as written by Bell and Alden in the 70's was atrocious. You would have Chris talking to Snapper and one of the would say stuff like "Did you know that 1 out of every 4 teenagers gets pregnant out of wedlock?" And the other one would reply "Oh no what can we do."

Even his biggest stars criticized the dialogue in those days.

I can remember Daytime TV magazine finally giving Bell a kudo on a socially relevant story done right when he had Snapper and Casey (played by David Hasselhoff and Roberta Leighton) playfully demonstrate the Heimlich Maneuver. They were flirting with one another and it just kind of played into that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

MarkH,

Try doing searches around for tape trading on the Internet. I have seen them at several locations before.

I know there is one site that sells several episodes of the old soaps:

check out - http://www.tvdays.com/soaps.htm

I have never bought those tapes but have wanted to. They have Hawkins Falls, Love of Life, Guiding Light, and others available.

Also The Another World Home Page has several old episodes of Another World available for sale.

I have always wanted to buy these but never have. But I see the tape trading things all the time. Sometimes if you don't have any to trade, they will sell you copies of what they have - I have been told.

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Now that is a hard one.

I would have to say no. I love Harding Lemay. Although I despise his firings of Reinholt, Courtney, & Dwyer, I love Lemay's writing. His 8 years of AW were great.

I would have to say I rank my favorite Daytime writers in this order:

1) Douglas Marland

2) Harding Lemay

3) Agnes Nixon

4) William J. Bell

5) Jerome & Bridget Dobson

6) Eileen & Robert Mason Pollock

7) Henry Slesar

8) The Soderbergs

9) Wisner Washam

10) Claire Labine & Paul Mayer

11) Pamela Long

12) Gordon Russell

13) Sam Hall

14) Pat Falken Smith

15) Margaret DePreist

16) Lou Scofield

17) Roy Winsor

18) Frank & Doris Hursley

19) David Cherrill/Elizabeth Levin

20) Tom King

I think all 10 of those are good writers, but not only that I have pretty much enjoyed all of what they put onscreen at the time. If I was just going by BEST, I would of course have to put Irna in there somewhere, but I never got to see much of her actual stuff in my lifetime. But those 20 are the ones that based on writing skill and my enjoyment of their shows are the best for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I just had an epiphany: imagine a soap written by Bill Bell and Harding Lemay. That would be the best soap opera ever. Harding was a really multifaceted storyteller: he could do family drama, business intrigue, social issues... Everything. Whereas, Bill... He had some problems in some areas.

Although... Whether those two would clash frequently is another matter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I would have to say I am a blend....

Growing up watching All My Children on the surface you could say I am a Nixon, but I too enjoyed the extravegance that came with a Bell writing style. The glitz, the glamour, the scandal. It was always fun to see on Y&R in its hay day.

I would definitely say I am a hybrid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • Does Jack ever dress in drag during that early '00s period where he was trying to get Jennifer back...or does he just fake being gay around then?
    • Here you go, by special request! https://www.instagram.com/p/DJlXDnWJImW/ DAYS 9-26-90 Matt Ashford as Jack Deveraux in drag
    • Concluding 1976... Raymond Schafer arrives in Springfield and begins an extensive probe into Malcolm’s death, puzzling Ed, who wonders why most of Schafer’s question sessions keep turning back to Rita’s involvement with Malcolm. Ed assures the man that Rita’s only connection with Malcolm was as his nurse; he is unaware that Schafer knows a great deal more about Rita than he does. Just to protect Rita, Ed has Mike check on Schafer’s credentials, and learns that he’s a  well-respected criminal attorney. The waitress at the restaurant where Malcolm suffered his stroke tells Schafer that the woman who was with him reacted very professionally to the sudden emergency, as if she were a nurse. Realizing that her little sister has fallen hard for Tim, Rita warns him that she’s very vulnerable and innocent, but Tim tells Rita her advice isn’t necessary. But Tim then receives a plum job offer to be chief neurological resident at a prestigious Philadelphia hospital and can’t pass up the opportunity. Evie is crushed by the news and spends the next several days at home crying. Joe Werner, fully recovered, has accepted a post as a medical aide in a destitute village in India and leaves alone, with Sarah to follow him later. Justin asks Sarah to consider a partnership with him in private practice, but she explains that she thrives on the hospital atmosphere. When a call comes from India that Joe has had another massive attack, Sarah leaves on the next available flight and arrives only moments before he dies. The painful news is relayed back to Cedars at once. Sara returns from India a heartbroken woman, but the day-to-day involvement of raising T.J. and of her career seem to be her salvation. Justin shows a surprisingly compassionate and understanding side to Sara, but, ironically, Justin’s ex-wife, Jackie, arrives in Springfield with her diabetic father, who is suffering from a heart attack. In the process of consulting with Justin on her father’s condition, Jackie comes face to face with Sara for the first time since their college days. Evie’s heartbreak at Tim’s departure turns to fury and hatred when she inadvertently discovers a letter which Tim wrote to Rita just after he left. In it he concedes that Rita was right about Evie’s vulnerability where he was concerned but reminds Rita that he badly hurt her in the same way she feared Evie would suffer. Evie is now sure that Rita somehow forced Tim to leave town and is livid at the idea that Tim was Rita’s lover. She insists she’s cutting off her relationship with Rita and will pay her back for any help she’s received in the past. Ben and Hope’s wedding plans are off, as Ben, while still insisting he’s innocent, won’t explain why the robbery evidence points to him. Hope feels his unwillingness to tell her the truth makes marriage to him impossible, but confides to Ann that she is miserable without him. Ben has echoed these sentiments to Mike but won’t confide in him, either as Hope’s father or as an attorney.   Holly is trying very hard to build a life without Ed, but since she sees him virtually every day at work,she’s unable to put him out of her mind. She accepts a date with a member of the hospital administration staff but is unable to avoid making comparisons between Ed and this young man and winds up alone, sadly holding Ed’s picture and recalling how much she loves him. Believing that the hospital board’s conclusions on Grainger’s death have settled the question once and for all, Rita has regained her self-confidence, and her romance with Ed is growing daily. They admit their love for each other, and Ed confides that he intentionally  held back with Rita for fear of making another mistake. Rita then tells Ed she has never married because for her marriage must be forever. Rita’s mother realizes that Rita is truly in love when she confides in her that she doesn’t understand why she’s been so lucky in having him love her and how she wants to be the very best person she can be for him. Ed proposes marriage to Rita and gives her time to think about it before answering. Rita painfully realizes that her past could, if it rose again against her, make a life with Ed a lost dream. But Raymond Shaefer has been quietly but efficiently carrying on his investigation and has learned that Grainger argued with Rita at her apartment. He presents the evidence he’s compiled to District Attorney Eric Van Gelder, who decides the case warrants further investigation. Rita goes to Ed’s office to tell him she loves him but can’t marry him, that she doesn’t deserve him and “can’t do it to him.” As she turns from a confused Ed to leave, she finds the district attorney and a police officer outside Ed’s door, waiting to arrest her. Ed, insisting that a serious mistake has been made, calls Mike to help her as Rita, shocked and humiliated, is taken under arrest through the hallways of the hospital in which she works. Mike manages Rita’s release on bail only after she has had to submit to the degrading booking procedure. Mike sees her alone at her apartment, explaining he can help her only if she tells him the whole truth. Rita equivocates until Mike mentions Texas, indicating to Rita that he knows at least some of the story. Van Gelder has, in fact, let Mike see the bulk of evidence in the case against Rita, to convince him her arrest wasn’t a capricious whim. Rita explains to Mike that Malcolm believed she intentionally vilified him to his father, to do him out of his rightful inheritance, and then wanted his father dead to collect her money. Mike expresses his appreciation of Rita’s honesty, promising to help her. But Rita’s tormented dreams confirm that she hasn’t yet told all the truth, and after Peggy visits, expressing firm support, Rita tells Roger she has to reveal his part in the story. Roger painfully tells Rita about his being Christina’s father to show her that if Ed knew, it would end Rita’s chances with him forever. Rita, who was ready to tell Ed the whole story, now realizes how risky that would be. Adding to Rita’s pain is her forced leave of absence from the hospital until she’s cleared and the embarrassment of seeing her name in the headlines.
    • Please register in order to view this content

         
    • Yes, but the stories are all pretty awful Seeing Victor rehashing his hatred of the Abbotts  when he married one of them and has a daughter that is half Abbott as well as walking around with Traci's daughter's heart keeping him alive makes him look worse than he already is. And I remember he and Jack chatting amicably in the past few years. Victor interfering in Kyle/Claire is just repeat of Billy/Victoria. Sharon, Nick,Phyllis etc are around but again the stories are lacking.
    • I think Kevin's 1996 Emmy was fair enough. He barely appeared for his second. I don't think anyone else on the list is that deserving but I might have gone with Moore as he did try with the whole Keesha AIDS story. @alwaysAMC Thanks to slick jones' cast list I was able to see that Nikki Rene played Tina. Not much on her, as you mentioned. Tap and a few Broadway listings (it doesn't help that a younger actress with a similar name is in a lot of roles). Nikki Rene: Credits, Bio, News & More | Broadway World https://onceonthisisland.fandom.com/wiki/Nikki_Rene Nikki Rene - IMDb
    • Thank you. That does ring a bell. I remember Theresa and Julian's drunk, giggly fake wedding (with Julian asking "Whassup?" to the minister). Was Bruce tricking the pair as a prank, or did somebody put him up to it? I especially liked Katherine recalling how dashing young Alistair was when he'd pick up Rachel for dates, and how she wished she could be her sister, then feeling guilty once Rachel had her boating accident ...
    • And Kevin Mambo beat Shemar Moore for those two Emmys. I chalk up the wins to the voters not wanting Jonathan Jackson to eventually end up with a five peat (he won 1995, 1998, 1999). These were the 1996 and 1997 Younger Actor races. 1996: Nathan Fillion, Jonathan Jackson, Kevin Mambo (winner), Shemar Moore, Joshua Morrow 1997: Steve Burton, Jonathan Jackson, Kevin Mambo (winner), Shemar Moore, Joshua Morrow
    • https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/denise-alexander-obituary?pid=209074143
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

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