13 minutes ago, DeeVee said:

Yes, that's a really good point. Slimy villains have their place on soaps (usually short-term) but they don't work over the long-term. 

No one...and I mean NO ONE...could have come out of that Mark Evans story looking good. Not only sleeping with her mother's husband, but when he tells her he is entitled to Spaulding SHE HELPS HIM. She betrays her entire family for this clown. Yeah, they were recently acquired family, but they had all been loving and good to her.

Girl, no guy is worth that. Definitely not THAT guy.

Yea...when people look at Poser's Amanda they say..."Oh she would not be like THAT" I mean, yes, the actresses were completely different but Amanda was always willing to screw someone over a guy..I just wish they had wrote that Amanda was NEVER going to get screwed over and that she knew just what Roger was up to..( I would have her go in on forging the docs that claimed she was Brandon's as a way to get more, and to screw both Alex and her mother over.)

Question!  I'm watching September 3, 1997 and Michelle has another vision of Maureen, but this time she's talking to Ed.  But, this isn't Peter Simon. Did this actor ever play Ed before Simon, or did they just get a random to play the part? If the later, that's a bit disappointing and I'm surprised they couldn't convince Simon to come on for a day, assuming he still lived in NYC at the time.

6 minutes ago, alwaysAMC said:

Question!  I'm watching September 3, 1997 and Michelle has another vision of Maureen, but this time she's talking to Ed.  But, this isn't Peter Simon. Did this actor ever play Ed before Simon, or did they just get a random to play the part? If the later, that's a bit disappointing and I'm surprised they couldn't convince Simon to come on for a day, assuming he still lived in NYC at the time.

That looks like Robert Gentry to me. He played Ed during the late 1960s. He came back to the show briefly during the late 90s, so the timing for this is right.

5 minutes ago, DeeVee said:

That looks like Robert Gentry to me. He played Ed during the late 1960s. He came back to the show briefly during the late 90s, so the timing for this is right.

Ahh ok - that makes me happier about it  Thank you!!!

49 minutes ago, DeeVee said:

That looks like Robert Gentry to me. He played Ed during the late 1960s. He came back to the show briefly during the late 90s, so the timing for this is right.

Yea, it's too bad...a great idea to bring the original adult Ed actor back, but he had no chemistry with anyone and was too stiff. Too bad as that put the kibosh on Ed until Simon briefly comes back. 

Another question. HB just died in storyline in Sept 1997, and Billy mentioned he ‘finally got a hold of Hamp and he’s doing a world tour with Catch’.  While I'm very happy they acknowledged him, I'm a little miffed they didn't consider doing a tribute for him considering the actor had already passed. 

But, anyone know who Catch is? Did Hamp have a son or maybe just a band member we knew on-screen? 

Question!  I'm watching September 3, 1997 and Michelle has another vision of Maureen, but this time she's talking to Ed.  But, this isn't Peter Simon. Did this actor ever play Ed before Simon, or did they just get a random to play the part? If the later, that's a bit disappointing and I'm surprised they couldn't convince Simon to come on for a day, assuming he still lived in NYC at the time.

 

As already noted, that's Robert Gentry, who is actually best known from AMC, where he played Ross Chandler, Palmer's son and Adam's nephew, from 1983-1990

6 hours ago, alwaysAMC said:

Another question. HB just died in storyline in Sept 1997, and Billy mentioned he ‘finally got a hold of Hamp and he’s doing a world tour with Catch’.  While I'm very happy they acknowledged him, I'm a little miffed they didn't consider doing a tribute for him considering the actor had already passed. 

But, anyone know who Catch is? Did Hamp have a son or maybe just a band member we knew on-screen? 

Is it possible that Billy meant Kat? I know Hamp did have a son that we never met, but I don't remember a name or nickname for him. Sometimes they don't explain nicknames though---Hamp occasionally called Billy "Blackjack", and I've never caught the explanation for that either.

While it would've been a classy move to acknowledge Vince Williams' passing, I can't recall other shows acknowledging a past cast member's death. Yes, Chris Bernau had been gone a year, but Alan was still on canvas. Charita had been off-camera, but they listed her in the cast for quite a while, I think.

1 hour ago, SadPim8696 said:

As already noted, that's Robert Gentry, who is actually best known from AMC, where he played Ross Chandler, Palmer's son and Adam's nephew, from 1983-1990

Oh wow - I guess it's the (no) mustache throwing me off haha.

23 minutes ago, P.J. said:

Is it possible that Billy meant Kat? I know Hamp did have a son that we never met, but I don't remember a name or nickname for him. Sometimes they don't explain nicknames though---Hamp occasionally called Billy "Blackjack", and I've never caught the explanation for that either.

While it would've been a classy move to acknowledge Vince Williams' passing, I can't recall other shows acknowledging a past cast member's death. Yes, Chris Bernau had been gone a year, but Alan was still on canvas. Charita had been off-camera, but they listed her in the cast for quite a while, I think.

Ahh could be, I'll have to go replay it and listen again. If Kat, who would that have been?

You're right, but I think what bugs me about this in particular is that Hamp never really 'left'. He was just very slowly phased out without a mention - no exit, no acknowledgement, no closure. And then the actor passed very soon after his last appearance (not 1-5 years later). Had he had a goodbye/exit scene or storyline, then I totally agree on that point.

10 hours ago, Mitch64 said:

I think the issue with Pinter and Leplat both, is that they, or the characters, come off as inherently "sleazy" which does not make a good long term villain. Roger and Alan, despite their crimes, never came off, at least to me as..."yucky" and I think in a woman's medium that is important. Leplat looked like he should have been hanging out in a fern bar in the 70s, not a matermind of mischief...and Pinter, no matter how often they paraded him around shirtless (too skinny...) always, no matter what character, came off as..skeevy.  (his Brian McColl was dull AND sleepy to me...) And a big yes that Marland could not write a good villain to save his life. Tonio was supposed to be sexy darkness on a stick and I thought he was cardboard and completely without charisma...) He took a sexy villain 30 something  Tad Channing and recast with a guy who looked 50 and drank too much...a total sleaze. Johnny boy was already on his way to just being the town curmudgeon and flicking the Hughes and the Stewarts noses, but Marland made even him bland..rubbing feet with Emma...(UGH) and talking about honesty with Iva!

Thank you for someone saying that Jennifer and Amanda were dull...Cullen was a washout in the role..sorry. So bringing it back to Diana Ballard...I also though Poser would have been a great lost daughter of Dianes (I could see her giving the kid up to pursue her career..) not of Alan...she could come back for revenge and assume a new identity and seduce Alan (much better then him panting over 44 year old Reva..the eternal sex goddess..) I know so many viewers would not know who Diane was but a good writer could update them on her back ground easily. 

I can see your point about Andy and especially Mark, who has an oily charm about him from minute one. (Poor Van, at times, she seems one date away from a Looking for Mr Goodbar scenario...) I don't really recall Andy interacting with Barbara or Holly much, which you would assume they'd do to try and flesh out the character's motives. Even Roger had Adam.

It's not that I can't appreciate Cullen's presence in Springfield,, but for the most part Amanda is such a victim that it's hard to believe she'd ever get it together enough to run a international business competently. She's never dynamic, even when screwing her mother's husband.

I don't think it would've been hard to refresh the viewer's memories of Diane Ballard, even in the late '90's. You still had Ross, Vanessa and (sometimes) Ed for flashbacks (although I can't recall Ed and Diane having scenes), and Alan was still there as a character.

18 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Jon Michael Reed's column at the  time

While "Guiding Light" is taping sequences on location in the Canary Islands, Kristen Vigard, the freckled red head who originated the role in early 1980, has been "dropped" from the Cast and replaced by a blonde soap opera newcomer, Jennifer Cooke.

Several sources claimed that Ms. Vigard has been repeatedly chastised by the production office for frequent lateness on the set and laxity in learning her scenes which disturbed co-workers. The straw that broke the came!'s back apparently was drawn two weeks ago when production had to be halted due to Vigard's absence. Ms Vigard's performance  as Morgan has been lackluster, to say the least.

Despite obvious efforts by beadwriter Doug Marland to shape the character into the "teen queen" mold, a la Laura Baldwin on "General Hospital," on the show Ms. Vigard was woefully deficient in emotional range and projected zero personal charisma. Al the more mystifying, then, that she possesses impressive theatrical credits for an actress not yet out of her teens, including "Home to Stay," a CBS movie with Henry Fonda, and "I Remember Mama," a Broadway musical with Liv Ulmann. The grind of doing a daily serial, after all, isn't everyone's cup of tea, at least not Vigard's.

Like, which CBS publicist ghostwrote this column? I agree with Dee---Kelly and Morgan were wildly popular, but Vigard didn't have enough charisma? *sideeye*

11 minutes ago, alwaysAMC said:

Ahh could be, I'll have to go replay it and listen again. If Kat, who would that have been?

You're right, but I think what bugs me about this in particular is that Hamp never really 'left'. He was just very slowly phased out without a mention - no exit, no acknowledgement, no closure. And then the actor passed very soon after his last appearance (not 1-5 years later). Had he had a goodbye/exit scene or storyline, then I totally agree on that point.

Kat was Kathryn Speakes, played by Nia Long, and Hamp's daughter. She's Bridget's friend and dated David (Monti Sharp). I think Nia left in '94, and they didn't recast.

Billy's diction at times is bad.

Edited August 23, 2025Aug 23 by P.J.

6 minutes ago, P.J. said:

Kat was Kathryn Speakes, played by Nia Long, and Hamp's daughter. She's Bridget's friend and dated David (Monti Sharp). I think Nia left in '94, and they didn't recast.

Billy's diction at times is bad.

Ahhh ok!  Yes, I just found the scene again and listened.  You're right, he did say Kat. But he said "‘finally got a hold of Hamp and he’s doing a world tour with Kat. She just graduated..."  So the "Kat She" sounded like Catch unless you force yourself to hear Kat haha.

Thanks for the info! Not to sound like a broken record, but see, I need to go back and watch 93-94 so I can see her and more of Hamp (and Bridget/David!)   

39 minutes ago, P.J. said:

Like, which CBS publicist ghostwrote this column? I agree with Dee---Kelly and Morgan were wildly popular, but Vigard didn't have enough charisma? *sideeye*

Absolutely ridiculous. I'd say Vigard was the main one who made that pairing compelling. She also had potential for interesting relationships with Amanda and Jennifer if either of those characters had had more of a pulse.

I do think Kathleen Cullen showed more layers when the Dobsons were writing for her - I could believe her being torn between her sexual and emotional desires for Ben and the cage Lucille wanted her to be in. Marland's pen just didn't give her anywhere to exist. I wish we could see more of her last year on the show as supposedly she was much better.