Handling the Frontburner

[SteveFrame]

See I disagree with that part in bold.

To me the better performer - and don't get me wrong I love Lucci - but to me the better performer is the one who can make any role work. And not just the better actor can do that.

As I said Susan Lucci makes Erica work but I have never seen any other role that she makes work. Not every actor can make every role work but a good performer can shine in any role - even a bad one or a badly written one.

If they truly have "IT" it shines no matter what role they are in. Lucci just does not do that every time. She is wonderful as Erica and wonderful on stage presenting and things, but I have seen her try in so many other roles in primetime and she just never did it. She never connected and she never rose above the material at all.

I have seen Susan Flannery play so many different types of roles, and she was wonderful in all of them. Same with Elizabeth Hubbard. James Mitchell has had several different roles even dancing in the movie Oklahoma and he was always wonderful. To me that just means more.

[All My Shadows]

The types of movies that Lucci did back then wouldn't fly today anyway. The old school steamy soapy TV movies fell out of favor long ago, unfortunately. Probably not considered "sophisticated" enough. Hell if I care, they were good television!

Lifetime and Hallmark come close, but even Lifetime has distanced itself from the way it was in the 80s and 90s and Hallmark is more heart-warming than pot-boiling.

I guess it just boils down to what definition of 'performer' is being spoken of. I think of who puts on a better show, who engages an audience more, who keeps the attention longer. And then, it's subjective and can go by each person. I appreciate the talents of those like West and will watch and support and praise and love them forever, but the Lucci type holds a special place in my heart. IDK. I do agree that Lucci in any other role is a step down from her as Erica, but I don't think of it as a bad thing. It'd be embarrassing if she constantly left AMC thinking that she could make it big somewhere else. I think she knows her talents and is aware of what she can do.

[SteveFrame]

I love those type of movies but I never enjoyed any of hers at all. The only way that I came close to enjoying was The Bride Wore Black.

There were so many others that starred the soap stars that I enjoyed a whole lot more esp. the one The Woman on the Ledge with Josh Taylor, Deidre Hall, Colleen Zenk, and Leslie Charleson. And then the other one with Wyndham, Francis and Walker in it. Forgot the name. I thought both of those were more entertaining.

[All My Shadows]

I like Lucci's, but yeah, there were many, many others that were better. My favorite of hers is probably "Seduced and Betrayed," but there are several others that I'm thinking of that I liked better.

[Ann_SS]

I never liked any of LaLucci's movies because she can't act. Of course, she was fortunate to be married to the role of Erica, but if she didn't have the presence or the determination and fearlessness to infuse Erica with the flouncy spoilt mannerisms and attitude, the character could have sunk. Consider how many young soap vixens start off hot and run out of steam quickly. I don't think that LaLucci has enough IT to make her shine over other more talented actors like Susan Flannery and Maura West, but I do think when Susan is on the frontburner on AMC, the show is brighter, stronger and more interesting. Erica was seriously damaged after kidnapping Maria's daughter, but LaLucci like the phoenix was able to help the character rise from the ashes.

While I think that there have been good acting and actors on the soaps, I think that truly good actors on the soaps are so rare that anyone who is half-way decent and makes the effort is considered good.

[SteveFrame]

Susan Lucci though used to be like Deidre Hall - she was a good actress.

You look at the Erica Kane of the 1970's. Susan Lucci acted. When Erica was onscreen she captivated you not because she was beautiful or not because she had IT but because she truly made you feel what she was saying and how she was saying and delivering it. Occassionally that Lucci still comes out but more often it is Lucci the star that we see and not Lucci the actress. Just as the Pine Valley and AMC of the 70's and early 80's was a totally different place - the Erica Kane of the 70's and very early 80's was a different character too. And Lucci was a different actress.

Same with Marlena Evans on Days. Really Hall stayed that way until JER's material got a hold of her and carried her way too over the top. You will never find a better actress than Deidre Hall when she acted opposite Jed Allan. Her scenes around her rape and the death of her son DJ were remarkable. But Deidre and Marlena have been like Susan and Erica - they both got bigger than the shows they were on. Occassionally they capture that magic again but it has been so rare for both.

Oh I cannot believe I left Jane Elliot off that list of great actors above. I was watching that terrible Elvis film the other day where Jane Elliot played the nun. Even in that terrible film Jane Elliot still delivered a good performance. She doesn't have the IT to make her a star but she has the talent.

[Money]

Renee Goldsberry on OLTL. She turned a bit part and turned it into gold. When she was elevated to front burner status she easily became on of my faves. Hated some of the storyline she was in but I never got tired of watching her. She brought class every time she appeared on screen and the added diversity was a wonderful plus.

[juniorz1]

UGH! I never understood the hype behind REG. Frankly, when she was swallowing OLTL whole, I thought the show sucked and suffered due to the emphasis on Evangeline.

[quartermainefan]

Maura Who? And that's the bottom line, isn't it? Maura Flannery combined didn't have what it took to become the famous celebrity Lucci became. Their time on the frontburner didn't do anything special for anybody, including themselves. Lucci's made her a true celebrity--the only celebrity in daytime.

As for shining and being able to shine with more talented actors, Lucci has acted with David Canary and she shined, Finola Hughes and she shined, Vincent Irizarry and she shined, Kate Collins, James Mitchell, Ruth Warwick, Julia Barr...it's an endless parade of AMC talent...she she shined with every one of them. That's the special it factor that she has. I don't think Maura West would even be noticed in the scene if Lucci was at the top of her game.

[juniorz1]

Um, have you watched ATWT? It would be freaking impossible not to notice the divine Maura West in a scene.

[nicknack]

The only reason why Susan Lucci can be the No1 of Daytime is because she is short/a bad enough actress/has a platic look/is aware enough of her shortcomingst that she doesn't try to move into primetime.

There are plenty of people who could have rivaled her in charisma, but the difference is that those people usually tried their shot at primetime (like Vanessa Marcil for example) and didn't come back.

[Queen]

I always felt Eva LaRue outshines Lucci in their scenes. Every time Maria was on screen, I gravitated toward her.

[detroitpiston]

Melissa Clare Egan kicked ass and made AMC watchable in 08. She took mediocre writing and made it work.

Is that the one with David Charvet and Gabrielle Carteris? It's one of my favs as well, I even bought it on DVD.