B&B: Jeff Trachta

[AMCHistory]

Was Jeff fired? Did he leave on his own. They really took the character in a different direction when they hired Winsor.

[DRW50]

I know there were gay rumors about him, I'm not sure if that affected his firing. They seemed to struggle with what to do with him for his last few years on the show. I think they were looking for the opportunity to replace him and make a new character of Thorne. And then they've never done much with Winsor so it was for naught.

I still remember those photos of the women outside the studio, picketing.

[MikeGoldy]

I don't think he was a viable romantic straight lead. Kyle Lowder is butch in comparison

[bellcurve]

LOL. I remember seeing that in Digest too. Totally random.

[DaytimeFan]

And that's saying something! Whenever Kyle Lowder has to shout I'm on the edge of my seat wondering if he's going to break into song.

[DRW50]

And yet Jeff was the only Thorne who had a longterm successful romance. Winsor could have had one with Brooke, or with Darla, but not with the ADD-addled B&B of the past 10 years.

I thought Jeff's Thorne and Bobbie's Macy were a very good couple. Not in heat, but in a sweeter chemistry.

The first Thorne I don't remember, although he looks very handsome.

[y&r_fan]

That's how I feel about Jack Wagner. He hams it up like nobody's business! And the sailor talk doesn't exactly help matters.

[NorrthCafe]

LOL, I didn't picket, but I was sorry to see him go. I thought he was wonderful. It's the first Thorne who never seemed to fit. The first guy (Clayton Norcross) made me think RM's Ridge could snap him like a twig. I love WH in the role.

[sheilaforever]

Trachta was FIRED because Brad Bell really liked Winsor Harmon and wanted to have him on B&B.

His main idea was to put a break on Macy/Thorne and to start Taylor/Thorne which proved to be a total bust. Anyhow, back then WInsor was still great eye-candy material and also shared good chemistry with Bobbie Eakes and ignited with KKL so this wasn't such a bad decision after all. I liked Jeff Trachta but Macy&Thorne had a total 80s feel to them - even they ONLY acted opposite in the 90s. LOL!

[MarkH]

Romantic straight viable lead....

Like Ronn Moss?

Yeah, he's ultra-butch, and that is a variant of the soap hunk that's needed.

But, truthfully, some of the less -- ahem -- ultra-butch guys can play that total fulfillment of the melt-your-hard romantic guy. You know...massages, croon to you, etc.

Some folks roll their eyes at that...but the truth is that there is a place for that saccharine "my heart needs your heart" stuff. Ultra-Butch Moss can't play that FOR ANYTHING.

So, for me, Trachta's Thorne was in perfect counterpoint to Moss' Ridge...soft, sensitive...and that made the brothers more interesting to me. Clayton Norcross tried for the same thing, but he was not a very capable performer.

I miss having a viable ALTERNATIVE to Ridge-Brooke (and Thorne-Macy was definitely that).

They tried to get that "soft" romance stuff with Rick-Phoebe...but of course if failed because it was so eye-rollingly bad. That never happened, IMO, with Trachta and Eakes. They surpassed the material.

You know, who knows what Trachta's sexuality is? But he was a PERFORMER, with a RANGE, capable of expressing EMOTION. That made him a rare standout on this show, and it also made him internationally popular. Though Winsor seems to have many fans here, it seems to me he has NEVER matched Thorne's popularity.

[bellcurve]

Yes he can and he has. I have to totally disagree here.

I love him, but Ronn Moss is far from "ultra butch lead." Both on camera and off. Even though he's straight, Moss could have a West Hollywood Yard Sale with some those jackets, scarves, and shirts he wears to events. And Ridge is painfully a wuss underneath his breathing, yelling, and his "RICK!"s.

Even when Ridge has his womanizing moments or moments of "gravitas," he's still not ultra butch. He's more like a ten year old whining to his playground girlfriend or throwing a temper tantrum telling his mom to get out of his room.

Yeah, I know this is a thread about Jeff Trachta, but I thought I would add my .02 Re: Moss. And I can't speak for knowing any of his scenes.

[MarkH]

Okay, I acknowledge the Moss scarves and stuff.

But here is an signal example of Moss. When they used to show the Forrester dining room (sort of "in front" of the living room set we usually see), folks had to seat themselves at the table.

Everyone else pulled out their chair and sat.

Moss MOUNTED the chair (not in a dirty way). But he'd throw one leg over the chair seat and then the other...like he was climbing on a motorbike. Like he was too manly to pull it out...he was gonna RIDE that chair.

I should separate...I'm guessing I'd like Moss a lot more than Ridge . But Ridge is a very butch guy, IMO--for a dressmaker. Steely, emotionally closed, tough-talkin', makes the chicks come to him and not vice versa...

Suffice it to say, I miss Trachta or SOMEONE like him on the show. And no, Kyle Lowder doesn't count.

(OT: What's the deal with Lowder and Zuker? They reconciled, but Canadian TV Guide Blind-itemed that they might be splitting up again. Given the "vibe" many get from Lowder, any word on any of this? Lowder was NOT pictured at Zuker's recent comedy club improv performance (shown on the Michael Fairman site))

[Cat]

I just assumed that KL was one of those creative, So-Cal, I'm-an-actor-I-also-sing-and-do-tap types. Like Rick Hearst.

As for Trachta, I heard an unkind rumor that said that Hunter Tylo lobbied to get him off the show as soon as she heard about Bell's plans to pair Taylor with Thorne. Apparently Trachta had sided with Kimberlin Brown when the Brown/Tylo friendship broke down and supported Michael Tylo when their marriage went south. But Sheilaforever's explanation sounds more plausible.

As for Ronn Moss, dude thinks he is Keith Richards. Hence the scarves/ponchos.

[MarkH]

Now, see, I'd have thunk more Steve Tyler

[Cat]

^^ LOL, very true. I just remember the salt-and-pepper hair and the long, feather earring the Ronnequin wore once which screamed "Keef" to me. But now that you mention it... Love in an Elevator seems uncannily like it could be Ridge's Theme Song.

Ronn seems very comfortable with his feminine side, I think. As you say, he is a man's man with all the leg's standing apart business but his hair, face, nose and mouth has always had a certain feminine grace to it. Plus he is a rocker from the 70s. They were all rocking the Bowie eyeshadow and unisex mulletes back then.

Also, Ronn does NOT age. LOL, I know that Dr. Botox may have something to do with that. But I'm also wondering if Moss has Native American genes, too, because those genes don't crack until late.