AMC: James Mitchell has passed away

[detroitpiston]

RIP James

[Vee]

Re: Tara, Karen Lynn Gorney strikes me as being a hair's breadth away from R Train Station Cat Lady. But I've long advocated for them to recast and reintroduce Tara, and change the dynamic by having Tara be the antagonist targeting Erica for some reason or another. It would also allow them to reintroduce a different Charlie Brent and family to mix up the canvas.

I can't blame Palmer for AMC going "corporate" because IMHO the show retained so much of its municipality/family feel well into the '90s, regardless of the business/elite stories. Also, it was the trend at the time, and just about every soap picked it up. It worked for the show and they were able to still tell intimate stories. And James Mitchell was just incredible, note to note, moment to moment, everyday.

The problem is AMC has almost no one (save Angie and Jesse) to serve as tentpoles for the future; Tad just comes off pathetic and sad without Dixie, who should be driving story for the Martins, while the Chandlers are a mess. This is why Frons' plans for the LA move were so foolhardy. He allegedly saw it as an opportunity to clear out "deadweight" like Canary and Lucci, but without them there is nothing holding the show together. How exactly will the Chandlers go on? Is Hayley waiting in the wings despite the fact that we just saw Kelly Ripa? Skye? Annie and JR cannot do it alone and losing Adam/Annie is a big mistake IMO.

As for the Cortlandts, there are plenty of people to reintroduce to reinvigorate that family, more necessary than ever now thanks to AMC's insane willingess to lose David Canary with this move. I've always wanted Taylor Miller back on recurring. They need a good Petey, though I personally never had a problem buying ubergay Daniel Kennedy in the part - for those of you claiming Mitchel Federan's Lil' Petey was a junior pussyhound, I suggest you go back and watch his proto-James Mitchell dance routines, what he said versus what he actually did. That kid was as flaming as a four-alarm fire, he put little Hunter Allan to shame. That aside, straight, gay or in between the show needs a Petey, and probably a Ross. I personally would bring back Gillian Spencer as Daisy to serve as an Opal/Tracy-esque tentpole for the family - the show needs as many old familiar faces as possible if it really intends to lose David Canary.

[DRW50]

I think they should write out the Chandlers if David Canary leaves. JR has been drained dry, Colby has yet to have a strong recast, Scott is vanilla. After a break, bring in a new Colby, or a new Skye (since I doubt Robin Christopher is returning).

There are plenty of Cortlandts they could bring back -- it's actually remarkable how intact that family is, both in terms of living relatives (aside from Dixie and Will) and avoiding character decimation. I guess the question is whether that will be allowed or whether Kriezman and Swajeski will be yet another regime which think they need to make their mark by taking out the hammer or introducing pointless newbies.

[ghfan89]

They could bring back Nina with her sons with Cliff to help re-establish the Cortlandt family. I don't think the younger son, who is actually biologically Nina's, has ever been SORASed.

[MarkH]

OMG #1

OMG #2 :lol:

[ghfan89]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FtNBN1ySy0

[quartermainefan]

GHfan, what a great clip, is that yours? I hope whoever posted it, posts the second part, anyway.

[marceline]

What a loss. I wish that someone would've gotten oral histories from these vets (Mitchell, Herlie, etc...) while they were still around. I can only imagine the stories Mitchell had about everything from his time in the Golden Age of musicals to being a soap icon. How many amazing stories died with these people. I only hope Agnes has a novel tucked away somewhere to be published after her passing.

[EricMontreal22]

Yeah it's too bad--the Paley Center who did those 4 hours interviews with Bell and Agnes Nixon did some--they did one with David Canary but I guess not James. That clip/profile is great!

[SFK]

That's a wonderful little video. I clicked on the 40th anniversary episode that's listed in the related clips, and maybe it's the vodka, but I found myself shedding a couple of sentimental tears.

[EricMontreal22]

I can barely remember Gorney from her breif return in '95 or whenever, but that jives with what I've heard. But I agree, a new Tara would be a great Erica foil.

No, you're right. I tried to imply this but wasn't clear--he was the start of the show going more corporate, but it wasn't atthe time really a bad thing.

Frons is stupid, but I've never bought any of those alegations. Frons knows what an asset Lucci is.

Palmer himself, while far from ubergay, was by modern standards slightly gay so it would be keeping in the family line LOL at your Federan comment. Gillian Spencer retired from acting full time in the 80s and Agnes has spoken a few times about how hard she's tried to get her to change her mind, but aside from some cameos (let's hope she returns for the funeral like Francesca James did for Myrtle's) she simply won't--apparentlyshe told Agnes she simply didn't enjoy it.

[SFK]

So did Ruth Warrick. I really appreciated how she didn't pull punches.

[EricMontreal22]

Where on earth did you find that!

[SFK]

Yeah, I guess Gillian Spencer's last go at soaps was as ghost Jennifer on ATWT? I want to say that she did that after she came back to AMC a couple of times. The last time she was on AMC, she kinda looked like Erika Slezak's first few says as Jean Randolph, the hair and all.

I remember when Tara came back, but only as a phone call to Kelsey. They aged her by putting a few silver streaks in her hair, I am almost positive that they were not natural. I've also heard that she was a little at-bay it-shay. I ended up forgetting about it and missing it, but about two years ago, she played Gertrude in an off-Broadway production of Hamlet.

I know she's probably not interested, but Sharon Gabet would make a good Tara, a Tara with teeth. She'd be wonderful against Lucci.

[LoyaltoAMC]

Bringing Tara back is a terrific idea. I mentioned that Barbara Niven would've made an interesting Tara when she was let go from OLTL. She is mature yet very attractive and actually kind of looks like Nancy Frangione, my favorite Tara. She's a pretty good actress, and interesting to look at. She could easily slip into the heroine/matriarch role for Martins that Erica serves for the Kane/Montgomerys (or what's left of them). They need some new blood to energize the show, but sadly I don't see that happening.