Y&R: Old Articles

[Broderick]

Deborah Adair makes her scenes interesting.  She's not as "obvious" and "over the top" as Brenda Dickson, and not as comical as Jess Walton.   She really created a 100% believable Jill, albeit a Jill who was far more down to earth than the other Jills.  

[Paul Raven]

Yes with Deborah you could believe that John Abbott could fall for her. She could play vulnerable, bitchy, needy etc.

 

[trainman]

Nice to see a 1982 episode!  I recall I really hated the story with Claire.  It bored me to tears.  It was funny hearing Jill talk about giving the Abbott house a makeover.  Here we are about 40 years later and still no makeover.  Of course, we've all seen what can happen when TPTB try to makeover an iconic set.  The "upgrades" to the Newman and Chancellor sets were pretty disastrous!!

I just saw the promo for the Edward story climax, and was surprised I could actually see that clip again.  Someone should save that to the vault.  I really enjoyed that story because of how well the Edward actor played the part.  I recall one part of the story being an on-location shoot of Nikki and Edward going on a picnic, but don't recall the particulars.  I also recall his conversations with "mother"...  One of the creepier creeps in the history of Y&R!

I wish more would turn up about Victor's bomb shelter, Kay haunting Suzanne Lynch, Douglas and Derek's duel, among many others.

[Broderick]

Deborah, even when she's being bitchy, seems far more *genuine* than Brenda Dickson.  With Brenda (in the 1980s), it was just such a camp festival.  I could buy Brenda Dickson as the heartless vixen who divorced John and took him to the cleaners, just as I bought Deborah as the vulnerable girl who married him and seemed mostly sincere with her intentions.  The actress switch occurred at just the right time for the story to work.    

[kalbir]

I haven't seen alot of Brenda Dickson's 1973-1980 run to judge her acting style, but from what I've seen of her 1983-1987 run, she starting getting OTT in her acting style around 1985. It got worse during 1986 and 1987.

[Soaplovers]

While the Claire story wasn't working...given that the actress playing her was known for playing ditzy blondes, she did quite well with playing the sadness of Claire.

DA made Jill a classic manipulator with her sweet concerned voice masking her true intentions.  She wasnt as broad as Dickson nor as sarcastic as Jess Walton either.

And I like seeing more of Lilibet's take on Patty play out.  No wonder Bill bell was disappointed when she quit.

[soapfan770]

Thank you @YRfan23 as always for sharing!! I am glad this finally made it in full as I remember you talking about the Jill & Liz scenes

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It’s funny that Liz called out Jill on how she talked down to Mamie as Jill obviously took over the “lady of the manor” act immediately. Yet here I almost could’ve imagined if Adair had stayed her and Ray’s Mamie could’ve easily become unlikely allies down the road against Dina and Katherine. 

Leslie still being on canvas felt so out of place with the rest of the episode. Was Leslie indeed  to kept on longer or was she dropped as soon as the Laurence family story went bust? 

 

[Broderick]

As we can see from the opening credits of this episode, Bill Bell clearly intended that "The Trials & Tribulations of Leslie & Robert" would be his "A-List storyline" for years and years to come.  Leslie and Robert were given the Pole Position in the opening credits, as the show's most important characters.  

When the Lawrence storyline ended, Leslie was shuffled off the canvas almost immediately.  And it happened over the course of one or two episodes.  She had a scene with Stuart Brooks where she said, "Dad!  Maestro has organized a concert tour for me."  Stuart said, "Why Les, that's just wonderful!"  And Leslie responded, "Yes, it is, Dad.  Oh, and by the way, I'm leaving in five minutes.  Love ya.  See ya later!  Bye."  And she was out the door and gone.

We can discern from this episode that Y&R had changed a lot during 1982.  The show had repositioned itself entirely.  The storylines that appealed to the audience by late 1982 and early 1983 were (1) the goings-on in the Abbott house, (2) the goings-on with Nikki and Her Men, and (3) -- although it isn't featured in this particular episode -- the adventures of young detectives Paul and Andy.   Plus there was just the right amount of "crossover" in these three distinct storylines, with Paul being the brother of Patty Abbott and also regularly involving himself in Victor's activities, Kay Chancellor running Nikki's life and also interfering in the marriage of John & Jill Abbott, Lauren tempting Paul and taunting Traci, Amy Lewis being Traci's friend and Paul's right-hand woman, etc.  ALL of this was set-up extremely well, and it shows why Y&R was winning the 1983 Emmy and moving higher in the ratings.  

The situation with Leslie, Robert, and Claire was just simply superfluous to the "real storylines" of Y&R.  It was disjointed and didn't integrate well within the framework of the show.  Claire's coma seemed hokey and old-fashioned, and this grouping of characters seemed to be "leftovers" from a different time and place.  It just wasn't working.  The Brooks family had outlived their usefulness.   The only thing truly WORKING for the Brooks family was what you see here -- Liz Foster Brooks trying to steer Jill in the right direction (and trying to keep Kay Chancellor sober when Jill started dropping bottles of vodka at Kay's house).  

Even though it clearly wasn't his original plan, Bill Bell did the only thing that could work -- dropped all of the Brooks girls one by one off the canvas and retained Liz, who still served a useful purpose in the storyline.   

[will81]

I have never felt Deborah got Jill. Jill's father walked out on her giving her abandonment issues. Her first love was killed by a woman she had looked up to and almost worshiped, her second love was also taken away by the same woman and she was left to raise her son alone. Jill had sociopathic tendencies because each time she got hurt she closed her heart off more and more. By the time she went after Stuart, it was almost understandable that she would be so desperate for security that she would betray her own mother.

Brenda and Jess got this and played it and Deborah, at least from what I have seen, never did. She played a sweet girl who was a little bitchy and manipulative and somewhat spoiled and entitled. I don't think she truly ever understood Jill's deeper motivations and scars. DA's Jill seemed like she would have married Andy, had more kids and lived in the Foster home happily ever after.

I do believe Brenda could have played the romance with John, she did so with Phillip and Derek.

 

[Broderick]

Deborah Adair definitely put her own spin on the character.  Wasn't there a period of time in 1982 when Deborah Adair's Jill went CAMPING & FISHING with Andy Richards?  Can you imagine Brenda Dickson (complete with hats, plumes, veils, and heaving bosom) catching a trout?  lol.  Deborah Adair certainly brought her down to earth, made her more accessible, while still retaining some of the underlying bitchiness.  

[will81]

Yes I agree Deb brought her down to earth and made her more accessible. For me, that isn't Jill though, lol. The 1974 ep we have shows even from the beginning she hated being poor. Her passive aggressive attiude towards Greg and her determination to get out of the dump she lived in was evident even in that small scene in the kitchen. You can tell Brenda as Jill wants to rip Greg's face off, haha. 

I like Deb and still enjoy her Jill, she is fascinating and great to watch, but Brenda and Jess will always be the more definitive for the character, in terms of the psychology of the character, which was so much of what Bell's Y&R was about.

 

[Paul Raven]

That was Brenda/Jill 2.0 

Earlier Brenda/Jill might have gone along with that to land a guy...At that point Jill had  been through so much that maybe she was resigned to having to settle. All her attempts to move up the ladder had come to naught.

Edited July 16, 2021 by Paul Raven

[will81]

Yeah true. Actually when Andy was like "i'm going to be a PE teacher" even Deb's Jill was like "Okay, well I'm gonna go over here now" haha

[Broderick]

Julianna McCarthy would be a rich lady if she got a quarter every time Liz had to say, "But Jill, Andy Richards LOVES you.  Are you gonna throw all of that away, chasin' after some PIPE DREAM with Mister Abbott?"  

[yrfan1983]

In honor of all the Deborah Adair talk from December 1982, I've updated my avatar to my favorite Jill December 1982 moment - her return to the Chancellor mansion the day after the disastrous dinner party. I love how she triumphantly strides in to savor her victory... caressing her new fur coat gifted to her from John... sticking the dagger into Katherine... "I'm rich now! Nothing can hurt me!"

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Edited July 16, 2021 by yrfan1983