Thanks for the @. I really don't know enough about Capitol or Beck to comment. I've seen a couple docs on the Friday films but I don't recall if she's ever mentioned these circumstances - it would not surprise me though. Most of those actors do the horror convention circuit and have many stories. I'll check my copy of the book version of Crystal Lake Memories and see if there is anything.

On 9/18/2025 at 11:46 PM, Vee said:

Thanks for the @. I really don't know enough about Capitol or Beck to comment. I've seen a couple docs on the Friday films but I don't recall if she's ever mentioned these circumstances - it would not surprise me though. Most of those actors do the horror convention circuit and have many stories. I'll check my copy of the book version of Crystal Lake Memories and see if there is anything.

@Vee Let me know if you find out anything, Vee.  I would like to know if Kimberly Beck ever felt that Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter was a double-edged sword and/or an albatross around her neck.  After all, it's my understanding that a lot of critics bashed and trashed the Friday the 13th feature film franchise during the 1980s, not just Siskel and Ebert.  In any case, thank you.

@DRW50 If Kimberly Beck had somehow remained with Capitol all the way to the bitter end, do you think her career would really have been that much better?  Capitol was a mess during its final months on the air, was it not?  I wish that Ms. Beck had left Capitol on considerably better terms than she apparently did.  As far as daytime-soap supercouples are concerned, it seems to me that Santa Barbara's Cruz and Eden are much better remembered today than Capitol's Trey and Sloane.

Edited September 21Sep 21 by FlyRightOrchestraGuy
Felt need to tag Vee

7 hours ago, FlyRightOrchestraGuy said:

If Kimberly Beck had somehow remained with Capitol all the way to the bitter end, do you think her career would really have been that much better?  Capitol was a mess during its final months on the air, was it not?  I wish that Ms. Beck had left Capitol on considerably better terms than she apparently did.  As far as daytime-soap supercouples are concerned, it seems to me that Santa Barbara's Cruz and Eden are much better remembered today than Capitol's Trey and Sloane.

The show was apparently a mess for a few years before the end.

It's tough for me to say, as Deborah Farentino stayed to the end and had a decent career, but generally I'd say soap actors are better served if they leave after a few years. I do wonder what they would have done with Julie without Hickland - if they still would have had a doppelganger for Julie. Maybe some who know more about the show than I do could help.

@FlyRightOrchestraGuy What makes your post so compelling to me is how it highlights the limits of soap gossip reporting in those times. Columnists like JMR and LH weren’t working from official press releases. They were piecing things together from sources who may or may not have had direct access. And without knowing whether a source was close to the production or personally aligned with Ms. Beck, it’s easy to see how misinformation could slip through. In hindsight, many of their scoops probably landed close to the truth, but when they couldn’t confirm a story, they’d either float it as a blind item or wait until after the fact to frame it as verified. That ambiguity made it harder to separate fact from speculation.

But regardless of whether the actress was fired or left on her own terms, the recasting turned out to be a smart move for the story. Julie’s return was a reinvention. The character shifted from a central figure to a narrative antagonist, and that transformation wouldn’t have worked with the original actress. Audiences would’ve been too anchored in Tyler’s version, expecting continuity rather than conflict. The Zeb Diamond arc needed a Julie who could stand in opposition to Sloan, not echo her past. So in that sense, the recast wasn’t just functional, it was foundational to the story’s success.

@DRW50 @j swift In any case, Kimberly Beck never had a long-term role on a daytime soap opera or, for that matter, any other television series ever again.  She did have a recurring role as Claire Prentice on Dynasty during the 1986-87 television season, but it only lasted four episodes.

Edited September 19Sep 19 by FlyRightOrchestraGuy

Beck was also let go from Eight Is Enough after the pilot. She was replaced by Diane Kay for the series. I never knew that David Mason Daniels was let go from Capitol. I assumed he left on his own. I didn't care for Dane Witherspoon in the role. Same for the Brenda recasts. 

If I recall correctly Catherine Hickland said she had tested for Julie before Beck was cast. 

Capitol was a beautifully produced soap, but the writing was a mess. All the constant recasts hurt the show as well. 

Kimberly Beck was on GENERAL HOSPITAL in 1975 as Samantha Livingston, who married Bobby Chandler, Lee Baldwin's stepson. She was also replaced in that role by Marla Pennington. Pennington left in early 1976 and is best known as "crazy" Leslie the teacher in love with Jimmy Baio's character, Billy on SOAP.

 

Edited September 20Sep 20 by slick jones

1 hour ago, SoapDope78 said:

Beck was also let go from Eight Is Enough after the pilot. She was replaced by Diane Kay for the series. I never knew that David Mason Daniels was let go from Capitol. I assumed he left on his own. I didn't care for Dane Witherspoon in the role. Same for the Brenda recasts. 

If I recall correctly Catherine Hickland said she had tested for Julie before Beck was cast. 

Capitol was a beautifully produced soap, but the writing was a mess. All the constant recasts hurt the show as well. 

Actually, Kimberly Beck was granted a release from her Eight Is Enough contract so she play a significant role on the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man Book II.  (Both Eight Is Enough and Rich Man, Poor Man Book II were ABC shows.)  Keep in mind that initial attempts to sell the Eight Is Enough pilot were unsuccessful after it was completed in the spring of 1976.  In any case, Beck was not rehired when the pilot finally went to series.

I do wonder if Beck was offered roles on other daytime soap operas after she left Capitol.  Imagine her in a scene with, say, Judith McConnell on Santa Barbara.

By the way, it's "Dianne," not "Diane."  Yes, Catherine Hickland did audition for the role of Julie Clegg early on, but she was unsuccessful at the time.

Edited September 20Sep 20 by FlyRightOrchestraGuy

12 hours ago, slick jones said:

Kimberly Beck was on GENERAL HOSPITAL in 1975 as Samantha Livingston, who married Bobby Chandler, Lee Baldwin's stepson. She was also replaced in that role by Marla Pennington. Pennington left in early 1976 and is best known as "crazy" Leslie the teacher in love with Jimmy Baio's character, Billy on SOAP.

 

Marla Pennington also played the Mom on the 80's sitcom "Small Wonder" about Vicki the girl robot. Dick Christie (B&B) played her husband. 

11 hours ago, FlyRightOrchestraGuy said:

Actually, Kimberly Beck was granted a release from her Eight Is Enough contract so she play a significant role on the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man Book II.  (Both Eight Is Enough and Rich Man, Poor Man Book II were ABC shows.)  Keep in mind that initial attempts to sell the Eight Is Enough pilot were unsuccessful after it was completed in the spring of 1976.  In any case, Beck was not rehired when the pilot finally went to series.

I do wonder if Beck was offered roles on other daytime soap operas after she left Capitol.  Imagine her in a scene with, say, Judith McConnell on Santa Barbara.

By the way, it's "Dianne," not "Diane."  Yes, Catherine Hickland did audition for the role of Julie Clegg early on, but she was unsuccessful at the time.

Thanks for the info. Yes, it is Dianne no Diane. There are so many different spellings of that name. Like Dian as in Dian Parkinson the model from the 70's & 80's Price Is Right. 

19 hours ago, SoapDope78 said:

Capitol was a beautifully produced soap, but the writing was a mess. All the constant recasts hurt the show as well. 

Do you think the writing for Santa Barbara was generally much better?  What is your favorite daytime soap opera of all time, SoapDope78?

5 hours ago, FlyRightOrchestraGuy said:

Do you think the writing for Santa Barbara was generally much better?  What is your favorite daytime soap opera of all time, SoapDope78?

I have not seen enough Santa Barbara to judge the writing. I am a fan of its creators The Dobsons and the writing they did on late 70's GL. I was always a viewer of the CBS soaps with Y&R being my favorite during the Bill Bell years. I was also a big fan of Marland's ATWT. 

I love watching classic episodes of all the soaps (CBS ABC, NBC). I just wish more episodes were available. 

On 9/19/2025 at 7:44 PM, slick jones said:

Kimberly Beck was on GENERAL HOSPITAL in 1975 as Samantha Livingston, who married Bobby Chandler, Lee Baldwin's stepson.

Kimberly Beck had no storyline of her own as Samantha Livingstone on General Hospital, did she?  Given the time period, I presume that most (if not all) of Beck's GH episodes have been "wiped."  *sigh*  

Edited September 22Sep 22 by FlyRightOrchestraGuy

2 minutes ago, FlyRightOrchestraGuy said:

Kimberly Beck had no storyline of her own as Samantha Livingstone on General Hospital, did she?  Given the time period, I presume that most (if not all) of Beck's GH episodes have been "wiped."  *sigh*  

Her character romanced and married Bobby as well as being pregnant, so I'm assuming she obviously had story. The character also had a father (Ian -- newspaper editor) portrayed by Richard Eastham, but I'm not sure if they shared scenes or if he shared scenes only with Pennington.

3 hours ago, slick jones said:

Her character romanced and married Bobby as well as being pregnant, so I'm assuming she obviously had story. The character also had a father (Ian -- newspaper editor) portrayed by Richard Eastham, but I'm not sure if they shared scenes or if he shared scenes only with Pennington.

@slick jones Was Samantha Livingstone always on the back burner?

I was 5 years old at the time, so someone  like @vetsoapfan or @depboy that researches GH would probably have a better answer for this question than I would.