Y&R: Old Articles

[BoldRestless]

 

That's great! Thank you for all you do, really.  If we keep it up, we'll eventually get all of them in full, haha 

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Edited March 8, 2020 by BoldRestless

[DRW50]

I've been rewatching old SNL episodes in time with a blog that recaps them, and one is from spring 2001, with the repulsive Charlie Sheen. Toward the end of this they have another of those interchangeable wacky Molly Shannon characters appearing on Y&R. Chris Parnell is playing an actor on the show. They only say "Eric," but he seems to be doing an Eric Braeden impression. This is already slower than it normally would be because the uploader slowed it down for copyright reasons, but that combined with Parnell's low-talking and lack of energy makes me laugh. 

 

It starts about 52 or 53 minutes in. 

 

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[DRW50]

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[Paul Raven]

1999 Peter Bergman interview. Interesting comments on Jack/Jill in light of recent hints that they might go there again.

 

t's rare enough for a performer to play one memorable daytime character, but Peter Bergman has portrayed two. Throughout the '80s he was romantic lead Dr. Cliff Warner on All My Children. After being let go from that show, he quickly found work in his current role of Jack Abbott on The Young and the Restless.

Audience acceptance didn't come overnight —talk show hostess Rosie O'Donnell still maintains that Bergman will always be Cliff to her — but Bergman did make the role of smilin' Jack his own, picking up two Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor and a slew of nominations over the last 10 years. With the return of core Abbotts John and Ashley (Jerry Douglas and Eileen Davidson) and Jack's status as an eligible bachelor, Bergman's got a lot to celebrate. The gracious actor recently invited TV Guide Online into his dressing room to discuss Jack, 10 years in Los Angeles and the rejuvenation of the Abbotts. — Michael J. Maloney

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Does it feel like an entire decade has passed since you joined Y&R?

Actually, no. It feels like maybe four years. The most amazing thing is that I was on All My Children for 10 years, but now I'm about to pass that mark on Y&R. To me, that feels strange.

Cliff Warner still comes to life on the occasional AMC anniversary episode, and, of course, Rosie O'Donnell keeps him alive, too.

It's a very common experience to this day for people to ask me "Aren't you [the guy who plays] Cliff Warner?" I'm often tempted to say, "Haven't you noticed my storyline has been a bit light lately, say, over the last 10 years?" New York and Los Angeles are pretty big ABC towns, so I'm constantly recognized as Cliff.

Was Cliff written out because he was too closely identified with Nina, and her portrayer, Taylor Miller, had decided to leave?

Yes. It became a case of the show asking, "What are we going to do with Cliff?" They were also in the middle of the Cliff/Angie interracial storyline that they couldn't find their way out of. The audience absolutely hated it, I think, in part, because they could only see Cliff with Nina and Angie with Jesse. It's always easy for an actor to say, "Well, this is where they could have taken Cliff," but the truth is Cliff had no family in town. It seems logical now, 10 years later. It didn't at the time, however. It was pretty devastating.

You and your wife, Mariellen, were expecting your second child at the time.

Yes. Mariellen was eight-and-a-half-months pregnant when I finished my last day. It was a very powerful experience. I'd love to be able to say that I was strong and confident about the future at the time, but I wasn't. It was very frightening. It set things up so that I have never truly unpacked my bags here in 10 years. I have a comfortable job here and I like it. However, I'm well aware that things can change with the best of jobs even if you haven't done anything differently.

When I thought it was all over and here I was working 3000 miles away, I started to get the impression that everyone here at Y&R knew Jack Abbott better than I did. Then, Jack became more a part of me and I became more a part of him. I won two Emmys, but I still hadn't let go. I wondered what was I was supposed to learn from this experience? Just pick myself up, dust myself off and go find another soap? That can't be the whole lesson. I grew to realize that the whole lesson was that I should believe in myself. Yes, I survived it, but I should have believed from the beginning that I would have turned this around. And that was a great lesson.

Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki) was the one who suggested that you play Jack.

Yes. Melody was in Canada doing a personal appearance where she had heard [I'd be leaving AMC]. She turned to her husband Ed [Scott, Y&R's executive producer] and said, "He could play Jack Abbott." I'm forever indebted to Melody because I don't know how she could ever watch me as Cliff and see Jack Abbott.

When did you realize you were truly comfortable as Jack? That he was finally "yours," so to speak.

There was a show where Jack, in his desperate love of Nikki, found he was unable to stop her while she was dealing with her alcoholism. He came close to hitting her and stopped when he realized what he was about to do. The next day, he went to his father and said that he was out of control. Those scenes were so deeply personal that Jack was mine forever. It wasn't over Jabot or making a clever come-on line. It was a man being in torment about real issues that some men face.

Your 10th anniversary coincides with the rejuvenation of the Abbotts.

It's thrilling and has made my life so much happier. Jerry Douglas being back [as John] and Eileen Davidson [who plays Ashley] has been the magic difference. I love Brenda Epperson and Shari Shattuck [two former Ashleys], too. I always thought that Shari would have made a better love interest for Jack rather than his sister. Eileen is the linchpin in the success of the Abbott family over the last several months. The Abbotts are once again a family force to be reckoned with.

While Cliff was pretty much tied to Nina for your entire run on AMC, Jack's been linked to many, many women including Leanna, Nikki, Luan, Mari Jo, Diane and Ramona.

Yes. Though no character stands alone, some stand alone better than others and I'm thrilled to say that Jack is one of those characters. Even when I'm not tied to one leading lady or another, I have lots of storyline, which is always great.

You've said that when you decide what tapes to submit for Emmy consideration, you always look at scenes involving Jack and Jill (Jess Walton).

Jess is just that good. She's on fire. As a viewer, I like scenes on television that have pace. I like rapid fire, so when I'm putting together tapes that's what I look for. When you talk rapid fire here, you think Jess Walton and now, Eileen Davidson, as well.

You and Jess play an interesting backstory harking back to the affair your characters had, even though other actors played them at the time.

We've decided that Jill was the best lover that Jack ever had while Jack was not necessarily the best that Jill ever had. He wasn't on top of his game that fateful night in the cabin, let's say. It's always disturbed Jack. No matter what the scene is about that Jess and I are playing, that dynamic can be there between our characters. Jack's as close to smacking Jill as he is to kissing her.

You channel-surf to the other soaps. What's catching your eye these days?

I've always liked As the World Turns. And General Hospital does its young storylines very well. These days, I'm a great fan of One Life to Live. It's intelligent, adult, textured stuff that's hard to beat. Some would argue that the show moves too fast, but I gotta tell you as a guy who works in this medium, I love to see it. It just keeps coming and coming. They're either going to run out of stuff or make a bad turn, but I love it. I love the Bo/Nora/Sam/Lindsay quadrangle. And it's still harder to sell me on anybody better than Erika Slezak (Viki) on daytime television. That woman is so true. Erin Torpey (Jessica) is very capable and the whole death of Megan's baby was well done. Robin (Dorian) is very good, too. They have an amazing ensemble.

Do you ever think about juggling a role outside of Y&R?

Yes. As my kids get older, I might be able to do it more easily. I said good-bye to theater for quite a while because the rehearsal schedule was such that I'd have to disappear as a father. [Once my kids get older,] I'd love to return to the theater. My ultimate goal would be to save enough money to do theater all over America, doing great plays in small towns, banking on the celebrity that I've established in my years on daytime. It doesn't have to be fabulous, just good theater. Mariellen and I would really like to see the country.

[yrfan1983]

^ Thanks, good interview. Never been a fan of PBs Jack (I still agree with Rosie that he will always be Cliff) but I like how humble and grateful he is.

[kalbir]

So we have MTS to thank for PB getting hired.

[BoldRestless]

Pleasantly surprised to see him comment on another's shows plot in some detail. Many soap actors seem embarrassed to even watch their own show.

[YRfan23]

I posted this is the Video Thread, but here's the 1993 Soap Opera Update awards. I had them gathering dust for a while and wanted to post.

 

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[titan1978]

Something from another thread reminded me of Bill Bell once saying he would

love to just recast and restart the original Y&R all over again.  Just update the scripts for contemporary pacing and language.  I remember this from after he had left the show as hands on HW.  That he felt it would still work, the show was that strong.

 

What a fascinating idea if he had pulled it off.  Also- he really loved the first version of this show.  It is pretty clear in everything I have read that he was very proud of the show as it existed when he left, but he loved the original version.

[BoldRestless]

Anyone have a Betamax player? Someone on ebay is selling a couple of Y&R videos from the 80s.

[kalbir]

 

Is it legal to sell your VHS recordings of television programs on eBay?

 

AFAIK CBS/Sony never released any VHS/DVD/BluRay episode compilations of Y&R. 

[BoldRestless]

 

They get around it by claiming that they are just reselling them as blank tapes to be used.

[YRfan23]

Here's a Y&R/B&B Catfight Compilation that was just uploaded. 
 

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[BoldRestless]

@YRfan23 nice, that user is posting a lot of good content!  Also I decided to follow your lead with the soap awards and I started a thread for Daytime Emmys in Video Bash, if anyone wants to check it out.

Edited March 31, 2020 by BoldRestless

[Legacy]

Oh that would be nice they have recordings from the early 80's, everyone would be interested in that era