Handling the Frontburner

[dm.]

Aaah yes, Victoria Rowell did great when she had the chance to be on the frontburner. It really isn't that surprising that the only time the Winters family is on frontburner in a way is when Rowell was around. With Y&R being so good right now, can you imagine how good it would be if Dru would resurface?

[Quent]

I'm always amazed at those who extol the virtues of Susan Lucci. To me, she is the epitome of why soap stars are never taken seriously. Her over-the-top scenery chewing might pass muster in high school productions , but she is far from an actress.

[Ann_SS]

There are lots of reason that soap actors aren't taken seriously. Bad acting is only part of it. Susan can't act for her life, but she has the presence that has made Erica work all these years. Sap fans aren't the most discriminatory when it comes acting anyway. They just want to be entertained and Susan Lucci as Erica has been entertaining.

[DaytimeFan]

It's not about acting with Susan Lucci. It's about CHARISMA. There are many actresses who are much more skilled than La Lucci...but none of them (and I really mean that, none) have the presence she does. Susan Lucci is Erica Kane and Erica Kane is All My Children. It's really that simple.

[All My Shadows]

Erica Kane is an over-the-top scenery chewer! That's the whole idea. It's impossible to specify where Erica ends and Susan begins.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sometimes I say to HELL with being "subtle." If your character is a fabulous diva who struts her [!@#$%^&*] on a daily basis, there is no need to be "subtle!"

[quartermainefan]

I agree 100%. People who say other people are better actors are missing the point entirely. She has the screen presence and charisma that literally every other daytime actor lacks. That's why she is the #1 star of soaps and there is no #2.

[quartermainefan]

I just think that if people are looking for good acting as the prime requisite, they are looking in the wrong place when looking at soap operas. Between the horrendous dialogue, moronic stories, and the total lack of time to rehearse and actually act, it just isn't about technical skill. Soaps aren't where you go to find Maggie Smith. Lucci outshines everyone else in the same exact way William Shatner made Patrick Stewart irrelevent despite his theatrical background in shakespeare and the classics in that one film they made together. Some people are good actors, and some people have *it*. Lucci has it, no one else in daytime does.

[SteveFrame]

I totally disagree with most of that.

Daytime through the years has been graced by some of the best performers as far as talent that there are. The last few years as they shifted more to using looks as a requirement when hiring it has been less so but throughout the history no.

I would say that if you are looking for the performers that have "IT" then yes daytime is not the place to look but daytime has had some of the best talents out there.

You look at James Mitchell, Ruth Warrick, Marie Masters, Suzanne Rogers, Mary Stuart, Constance Ford, Joan Copeland, Larry Bryggman, Elizabeth Hubbard, Susan Flannery, William Prince, Erika Slezak, Gillian Spencer, and many others but those are the first ones that come to mind. Most of those rose above it even when they were given bad material, but none of them really had "IT." Mary Stuart even tried to make it in the movies and got some roles but never made it big. She thrived in soaps on her talent alone.

I would put many soap stars right up there with the best of them.

[Quent]

Steve, you are correct. Watching someone like Maura West, who gives subtle, understated performances, as well as raw and emotional be compared to hystrionic ham Lucci drives me up a wall. Daytime does have some great performers, they just don't happen to be on AMC.

[DaytimeFan]

You're just not getting it.

Those of us who extol the magnificence of Susan Lucci aren't talking about her acting, we're talking about HER, her charisma, her star quality, her IT factor that nobody in daytime can hope of radiating.

I agree with SteveFrame's list of fantastically talented performers...daytime is filled with talent...but NONE of them have the IT factor that Lucci has exploded with for nearly 4 decades.

[quartermainefan]

I am second to none in my loving James Mitchell and thinking he was one of daytime's alltime best. But in general most of the actors called great in daytime, I think would be seen as pretty awful outside it. Robin Strasser and her Z-rate Joan Collins impersonations come to mind.

[DaytimeFan]

I'm glad you said that because I've been biting my tongue till my mouth fills with blood about Ms Strasser's attempt to be Ms Collins for YEARS.

[All My Shadows]

Maura may be a better actor, but IMO Lucci is the better performer. There's a distinct quality about everything she does in her performances, and that's what makes her stand out. If she were like the rest, she'd be exactly that...like the rest. She'd be constantly lumped into the group with Flannery, Zimmer, Cooper, Slezak, etc. Which, it should go without saying, is a MARVELOUS category to be in. But Lucci is in a class of her own all the way. She'd probably fail big time in any other soap opera role, but no one on this entire Earth can ever possibly play Erica Kane better than she can. It's just impossible. It does not happen. Susan Lucci is Erica Kane, and anyone else who'd even try would just be making a damn fool out of themselves. That includes you, Meryl.

I respect your opinion, but I think that's an unfair assumption. I know that it's a tired argument, but you can't get around the difference between doing two or three movies a year and doing anywhere between 125-200 soap episodes a year. That doesn't even account for the fact that soaps are at least 95% dialogue and 5% action (except for GH!). There are different types of acting for different industries. Daytime is different from movies, which is different from musical theatre, which is different from sitcoms, which is different from porn, which is different from "Sesame Street," and so on. It's not to say that one group of actors is better than the others, but that there's a certain style/standard that is expected from each one. There are many Academy Award winners who would probably break their necks trying to keep up with the rigorous pace of daytime, but there shouldn't be competition between the industries, IMO. There should be nothing but respect.

[SteveFrame]

I disagree about some of them looking bad outside of daytime. Constance Ford stole many episodes of Perry Mason from more talented stars. Jeanne Cooper did the same. Constance Ford stole the movie A Summer Place from some very talented performers.

Robin Strasser gave a wonderful performance in the mini-series Baby M. And she was pretty good too in a supporting turn on Coach.

Leon Russom and Wings Hauser are 2 very talented long term soap actors from the 70's who have stolen many movies in the last few years.

Frances Reid has turned in some great performances on shows like Perry Mason in the past. And she did that movie with Robert Young about alzheimer's and she was wonderful.

Susan Flannery was one of the bright spots in the movie The Towering Inferno right up there in the midst of many great movie stars and she got some of the best reviews out of all of them and got a Globe nomination for it.

As far as Susan Lucci's IT fact. Yes she has it as Erica. But it never has helped her anywhere else. Her primetime motion pictures were never successful. She paled when thrown into Dallas. All the other actors ate her to death and made her look so amateur. She never got any good reviews at all in any of the made for TV movies she made. And that is the reason they quit asking her to do them because the ratings never were there.

I agree that Susan Lucci has IT but more of it is to do with the marriage of the right part. Her IT has never translated anywhere else onscreen.

[DaytimeFan]

Actually, the majority of the TV movies La Lucci starred in during the 80s and 90s were done because Lucci negotiated them into her AMC contract. ABC had to do them and in actual fact, several of them were big successes. 1986's 'Mafia Princess' and 1991's 'The Bride in Black' were both very highly rated.

After Frons took over ABC Dayime Lucci's TV movie clause was removed. It's hard to say whose choice that was, it is FRONS we're talking about.

The writing during her run on 'Dallas' was bad for everyone, I don't think anyone was any good that season.