Y&R: Old Articles

[DRW50]

Soap sets are probably like factories but these years must have been the toughest, working in buildings which probably weren't prepared for advancing technologies or such large casts and working hours, dealing with the aches and pains of expanding daytime. This was also before the era where you would have better ventilation or lighting. I think Janice Lynde said when she left every day she was escaping a prison.

I know Brenda Dickson also had complaints but was that more in her second run?

I guess a lot of people were more content but you don't pay as much attention to the happier comments.

Hey, at least the leading ladies weren't being punched out, like on DAYS, so they weren't too bad off.

[supes81]

What's interesting is that at the time most of the actors were said to be leaving because they wanted to become stars of primetime and movies. I wonder if the conditions had a lot more to do with it. None of the actors that I remember ever trashed the show itself or daytime. Though maybe someone else knows.

Yeah back then they were live to tape. Basically taped in sequence and only stopped if absolutely necessary, if you messed up, but it wasn't bad enough to warrant stopping, then you kept going. I also heard that by the 80's when they could edit and had more money if you messed up enough times your scene got shelved to the end of the day and they made all the actors in your scene wait around until they finished the rest of the taping.

The other thing I heard is that all the actors that were around in the 70's on Y&R had an escape clause that stated if the show ever went to an hour they had the option not to continue, that is the clause Brenda Dickson took, which is why her last episodes were literally just before the show went to an hour.

Edited December 28, 2010 by supes81

[alphanguy74]

Yes, although videotape was expensive at the time... luckily, Bill Bell wasn't a cheap skate and retained all the master videotapes. So most likely there are quite a few dubs around, too... since Conboy taped off the air every day. At that time, they probably used a Sony U-Matic videotape machine to tape off the air. The Sony U-matic tape only held 60 minutes of footage, and I was told the blank tape cost 10$, which was quite a chunk of change in the early 70's for a videotape. The master would have been most likely 2" videotape... that cost considerably more.

[DRW50]

From the October 12, 1982 Digest, Y&R says farewell to Jaime Lyn Bauer. I didn't realize so many Abbotts were already on the show by this time, I thought it was just Jack and John.

[supes81]

Thanks for the great article CarlD2. Yeah the Abbott's were introduced in 1980 with John (Brett Halsey) and Jack (Terry Lester) around the spring summer of that year. John left around Jan/Feb of 1981 and returned around April 1982 with Jerry Douglas in the role, shortly after that, also around spring/summer Ashley (Eileen Davidson) and Traci (Beth Maitland) turned up, then Mamie (Marguerite Ray) was added in Nov (I consider her an honorary Abbott).

Jaime left in Aug or at least her last scenes aired in Aug. I think Lucas (Tom Ligon) left around that time, with Chris (Lynn Topping) shortly after, I think in September and Leslie (Victoria Mallory) I think in Dec.

Dina was added around in the first half of 1983. I wish there was a database of start and end dates for actors on this show. I know most of the months but not actual dates. Though there are a few cases where I have managed to find the actual dates for some actors.

[DRW50]

Yeah the summaries around this time mention Traci too, even if she isn't in the photo. It's also mentioned in a September issue that Tom Ligon and Lynne Topping had been fired. I wonder why they just didn't have Chris leave with Snapper? Why did they wait until later to get rid of Leslie? Were they not sure about whether they should keep her around?

One of the readers writes in asking why they got rid of the woman who played April, because she was so talented, and SOD said that Wes Kenney, who had just arrived, requested that the entire Stevens family be written out. I wonder why.

What was this story with Katherine/Earl/Allison? I know it must have been summarized before by FrenchFan but I'm blanking on it.

I also wondered if anyone knew why they didn't keep Kevin around. The actor seemed to soap hop until the mid-80s and he's done little since.

In one of the Digests from mid/late 85 they talk to Tom Halick briefly, as he showed up for a DAYS fan dinner. He said after DAYS had fired him he and his wife got to go to China, which they'd wanted to do.

Did you ever see his DAYS role? Apparently he was Megan's evil father.

Edited January 17, 2011 by CarlD2

[supes81]

No never watched Days, I might have caught an ep here and there though. Y&R was the only soap I watched. The Earl/Allison/Kay thing, if I remember Alison and Earl were Kevin's parents. When he announced he was marrying Nikki they showed up. It turns out Earl and Kay had been an item in College or something and I think there was a triangle formed, but not entirely sure. I am pretty sure Earl left Alison, though I don't think it was for Kay and I can't remember how that ended. Alison got Nikki involved with Rick and tried to distribute a porno movie allegedly starring Nikki, but used Boobsie Caswell, I think she also kidnapped Victoria at some point. Sorry going off my memory which is fuzzy. Summaries would help if they are out there.

Not sure why Leslie left in December, her story whimpered out after the failed romance with Robert Laurence, I think she left on a tour and never came back. David Hasselhoff was planning to leave for a while, maybe they thought they could pair Chris with Jack and have her at Jabot, but it was felt she didn't fit in. When did Wes actually start on the show, that may explain the sudden shift. They had Chris sign a long term contract with Jabot as a model just as Snapper got a job in London, I think he even left with Jennifer (their daughter). I know Chris and Jack had a flirtation and he was interested (did Jackie boy ever meet a woman he didn't want to bed) so I think that may have been where Chris was headed.

Yeah the Stevens left pretty quickly and all together, the first two years of Y&R in the 80's was a big adjustment, not just because people were coming and going, it felt like Bill Bell wasn't quite comfortable with the hour format, though by 83 it seemed to be back on track. Though I was happy with the show it was still not as stable a show during that period.

[DRW50]

I have some summaries of this time, I'll post some of them when I have time. I don't have complete though...I think FrenchFan does, but not from the Digest issues.

I wish I could see the Laurence story, even though it doesn't sound very exciting (they were still telling stories about women in decades long comas in 1982, why?).

Thanks for your help. I have an article from the mid 80s talking about DAYS and Y&R actors soap-hopping. It might have already been posted here but I'll post again in a few days - it has pictures and talk with Halick, Patty Weaver, among others.

I wonder if Earl was mostly created just to give Mark Tapscott a job. I think he'd been written out of DAYS a few years before that. That photo with Ed Mallory, also recently hired by the show, was kind of sobering -- he'd aged a lot in only 5-10 years. I wonder if he'd been ill.

Edited January 17, 2011 by CarlD2

[DeeeDee]

Bill was going to keep them both then changed his mind.

To free up Paul.

Earl & Alison were married (and Kevin's parents).

Earl & Katherine had a thing in the past.

Alison asked Katherine for make over tips then used Katherine's help to win Earl back.

Victor/Nikki became insanely popular.

Once they got together there wasn't much need for him (shame though since he was cute).

[DeeeDee]

It wasn't.

It mainly consisted of Angela whining & Peter Brown looking bored.

Somewhat.

Though Tammy Grimes like Alison being the best.

Edited January 18, 2011 by DeeeDee

[DRW50]

Thanks for answering all my questions. I guess that wasn't much of a triangle then with Katherine/Earl/Allison. This must have been one of those times they weren't sure where to take Katherine.

Did they bring Lauren in right after the Stevens were written out or was it still a while before she was with Paul?

[supes81]

Thanks CarlD2, summaries would be great. I have such a bad memory of these things. I guess because they don't repeat episodes you really have to go on what you saw then, plus I have no daytime mags other then that 70's one that I partially posted and will add some stuff later.

It really does seem like Bell was going to keep certain characters longer and changed his mind or Wes may have helped change his mind. Chris definitely looked like she was being set to move into a new storyline as a Jabot model and possible antagonist for Jack, then she suddenly did an about face and left.

Peter Brown's story really should have ended with the trial. The Leslie/Robert stuff wasn't great in my memory, I don't remember there being a lot of chemistry, once that story wrapped up Leslie had nothing to do and left on tour.

Added after your post:

Lauren came in well after the Stevens and wasn't immediately paired with Paul, she was a rival for Traci who had a thing for Danny.

No the triangle for Kay was weak, nothing really happened. There were rumors all the time that Jeanne Cooper was going to be fired from the show. After Derek/Douglas/Felipe/Brock all left town and Jill had her own thing going on Kay had nothing to do for the longest time. I think the triangle was created for that purpose.

Edited January 17, 2011 by supes81

[DRW50]

It's funny you mention that, as someone said that Jeanne Cooper was going to leave in 1993 for ATWT, but then Doug Marland passed away. Katherine has had so many long runs without story. At least she was generally kept in character. These days I don't recognize her.

I have to admit I'm not a big fan of Peter Brown from what I've seen of him. He was a bit dull on B&B and almost strangely giddy on OLTL.

[DeeeDee]

The triangle wasn't bad it was just that Alison was much more fun alone (especially with Nikki) than in a relationship.

Plus Mark Tapscott wasn't strong enough to be paired with Jeanne.

It was like watching Clint Howard & Eileen Heckart.

Not really.

Katherine is one of the few characters in soap history to ALWAYS have story.

She hasn't always had the best relationships but beyond one particular period (and even then she had a fairly healthy amounts of story) she's basically been frontburner.

It was awhile.

And Lauren was with Danny & Traci way before she was with Paul.

[supes81]

I honestly only remember 1981 being a year Jeanne had no story for a period of time, which is when the rumors started. All the men in her life had left and Jill was busy with Jack and Jabot which had nothing to do with Kay. Then she met Cash, then started becoming a confidante to Nikki and the whole Earl/Alison thing in 1982, also Kay and Jill's storylines intertwined again by the end of the year.

Though I guess after Rex there wasn't anything major besides Jill and John's second divorce, what did Kay do between 1996-1998? maybe that was another quiet period.

I had no idea there were talks about ATWT. That would have been interesting. I can't imagine her in it, though I know Jeanne is a strong enough actor to do it, it would have been very fascinating to watch.

Edited January 18, 2011 by supes81