Y&R: Old Articles

[DRW50]

Thanks!

Very moving scene with Mamie and John. Is that the most Margeurite Ray ever had to do as Mamie?

Ashley broke my heart with John. Wonderful work from Brenda Epperson.

You can see where they'd tailored the writing for Jack and Ashley due to the recasts. Eileen's Ashley would have stomped Jack into the ground for blaming John's 50th heart attack on her.

Victor seems to genuinely care so deeply about Cassandra. Yet this isn't some true love forever situation. Very refreshing. In recent years women are just hookups or property to Victor.

Lots of loud sweaters on the guys.

I see that Bill Bell was reusing his "I was raped in the park" story for Nan's lie to Doug Wert. Too bad they didn't have Chris Brooks on to talk to her about it.

[YRfan23]

Edited January 24, 2014 by YRfan23

[YRfan23]

I didn't realize Marguerite Ray got to play Mamie as secretly longing for John, like Veronica Redd has. It's interesting yet I still can't see her as the Mamie getting into all those verbal confrontations with Jill.....though I guess she got to do some with Brenda's Jill from what I heard.

The writing is definitely starting to show Jack's "weeping" side people always seem to get annoyed at with PB's Jack.....I love Brenda's warmth and tenderness but I do wonder how Eileen would play these scenes, you are right about her getting in Jack's face about him blaming her for John's attack.

I wonder if Victor and Cassandra as a married couple would have worked in the long run.....probably not, but I always like how Cassandra was independent and Victor always seemed to take that trait seriously.....I wonder if it would take Paul or somebody bringing up Cassandra's name to knock some much needed sense into him now.....I doubt it and Victor would probably just remember her as the "conniving gold-digger" who got Paul framed for murder.....

[YRfan23]

[sheilaforever]

Thank you for sharing these! It's great to see full episodes and even moreso consecutive episodes!!!

[DRW50]

I couldn't tell if the scene was intended to have a romantic slant, but it was interesting to see Ray's interpretation. She seems a little softer than VRF.

I think Cassandra/Victor would have been a fascinating storyline, especially if she faced off against Nikki. I could see her learning about Nikki's pill addiction and keeping it to herself, and she would have had a very volatile relationship with Victoria, even moreso than Ashley did. I don't think she would have gotten on that well with Douglas either.

[YRfan23]

I would have loved to have seen Cassandra Scenes with HT Victoria, I'm sure any scenes they shared would have led to an all out catfight! and with Nikki too.

[YRfan23]

[SoapDope]

A while back when the 1974 Y&R episode was posted there were several people asking who was the actress who played Katherine's maid Teresa.

Today I was watching a 1970 episode of Adam-12 and she popped up. Her name is Ann Morrison. IMDB lists she died in 1978. In the A-12 episode she played a woman who's house is broken into. It turns out it was a member of her bridge groups son. The son was played by Butch Patrick and his mother was played by GH's Norma Connolly who had a theft raquet going to keep up her ritzy lifefestyle. Also according to IMDB Ann played a character named Mrs. Nelson on GH in 1971.

[DRW50]

Just watched the Jill visits Marge clip.

I'm glad to finally know how the David/Jill association ended - David beating her at her own game. I guess I'm not surprised Jill never considered that he was putting blackmail stuff together about her, but I wanted her to punch him out. He's just so unlikeable.

Jeanne Cooper giving another wonderful, understated dual performance in this episode, as Marge tried to ignore Jill and Katherine buttered up Morey. This all could have been hamming but she made it more low-key.

The scene with Esther and Lil was very sad. They make us see the human side of the kidnappers, but in a natural way, not forced.

Marge was right to not want to do anything with doctors. Clint seems very naive.

Victor was thisclose to saying, "Who put those ideas in your head?" when Nikki was berating him about John. I do roll my eyes a little at the idea that she would only think these things because Jack had spoken to her.

I wonder if Bill Bell had more plans for Jim/Nikki but realized it was a nonstarter.

[YRfan23]

Thanks for letting us know about her SoapDope......I wonder if they had Teresa die on the show......I recall an interview where Jeanne was talking about them hiring Kate as Esther and she mentioned that she needed a maid because "the old one" had gotten very ill.....I assume now she meant Teresa.

Now we just need to find out who played Hazel.

[YRfan23]

I thought Jill was gonna punch him too....It's also too bad that they decided to cut off her calling him either a lousy bastard or SOB......I seem to notice Y&R had limited profanity compared to most soaps (I guess ABC limited more though).....

I loved the Jill/Marge scenes. I had wondered if they even interacted though it would be stupid if they didn't.......I liked how Marge looks visually intimidated and annoyed, You would think that Jill would have realized that she wasn't really Katherine, since I believe that Katherine would have slugged the crap out of Jill for saying those things to her.......I only hated the part where Jill talked about her funeral because.....well.....we know why.,..

I liked the scenes with the kidnappers and getting to see there softer sides....especially with Lil and Esther.......It makes you realize why Lil choose the lifestyle she did.....though I wish we got to know more about Morey, as it seems like he was brought up well and given the opportunity at a young age........that's probably covered on an episode I don't have....

It was great seeing Nikki sort of stand up to Victor about the Jabot takeover/John's heart attack. Today Victor would just blame everything on Jack's drug addiction.....and use it to get Jack fired or something........I also like how they are writing him as feeling guilty but not disagreeing about the situation,,,,,,,I think most people think that way a lot IMO so it's not totally malicious....

Edited January 26, 2014 by YRfan23

[sheilaforever]

Thanks for sharing this!

[DRW50]

Watched the next one.

Bell really got heavy use out of Leanna at this point, as she breezes between Brad, Victor, and Jack. I was shocked at the flirtation with Victor and Leanna, and his propositioning her. I didn't know they had that type of interaction after they split. I love that she was the one to turn him down and tease him, and that this wasn't presented as being a whore or a bad woman. How sad that we were so much more progressive in 1990 than we are now.

Paul was an idiot to go and see Cassandra when they knew Adam could have come back at any time. Nina Arvesen was superb in this episode and especially in those last scenes - she is so fragile and so broken as Cassandra, truly making you feel everything for the character.

Lots of T&A with Leanna in this episode, especially that jiggle walk on the way to the front door. I don't remember her having that role a few years later. I did laugh when she slammed the door on Brad in time with the Y&R theme - good reaction from Don Diamont, and a kookier type of humor that Y&R did well with her.

This plan to replace Marge is very exciting, even though I know it won't end well.

I love love love Marge's line about how she and Katherine came out of a ketchup bottle. I'm sorry that they brought back Marge later on. I wish we'd just gotten to believe she was happy and alive offcamera.

[soapfan770]

First off, thanks so much for that Christmas 1987 episode! It's been ages since I had seen the full episode but I absolutely loved it when I first saw it re-air Christmas Day 1997. Here's hoping that the classic Christmas 1988 episode pops up again.

Sony really should have done a nice 40th Anniversary DVD set for Y&R last year if they're so concerned over old episodes on Youtube it's a shame.

Second, thanks for sharing the 1990 episodes! A few thoughts:

-This IS the Victor I knew, liked, and loved to hate. Victor was aggressive, ruthless, cutthroat, and power-loving no doubt about that. Yet he always had that human side that was his redeeming quality. Victor's love was the polar opposite of his coldness. It was the "It's just business nothing personal..." attitude that was always his downfall. For the most part in the last decade it's a side to Victor we rarely see anymore. The best part is Bell got to show off his famous penchant for psychological drama for the scenes of Victor and Nikki. They deep down love each other, yet so much conflict and lack of trust they can't truly be together.

-Nina Arvesen as Cassandra is up there with Diana Barton's Mari Jo as characters that should have lasted a lot longer than they did in my opinion. Arvesen was stunning while Cassandra's character was truly something else. I love the idea you guys presented of Victor and Cassandra, that would have been something fierce. I think if I recall right Victor slept with Cassandra to prove she was a "black widow" while helping Paul out after Paul faked his death. I also have to give props to Melissa Morgan Squire. I have always usually disregarded Brittney as one of Smilin' Jack's throwaway love interests or that goofy purse swinging lady from the opening credits.

-Poor Chase Benson ended up getting the short end of the stick lol.

-Morey Amsterdam

-I really enjoyed the scenes between Jill and Marge. I really was fascinated by Jill's reaction and storming the Chancellor mansion. I really do also have to appreciate the nice easy going chemistry Jess Walton and Quinn Redeker have together. Even from those earlier 1987/1988 episodes, it was believable for me to see Jill fall for Rex herself. Jeanne Cooper did a fabulous job with the dual role.