Y&R: Old Articles

[YRfan23]

I probably won't ever get that lucky to meet any soap stars in person....the closest is seeing a few of the ABC soap stars at the Thanksgiving Parade...

[amybrickwallace]

Hey, you never know!!

[YRfan23]

Oh yeah....I forgot that a couple years back I technically got to asked Kimberlin Brown and Don Diamont a question (not at the same time).....It was during a podcast this lady named Olivia Wilder does and she's a big fan of the Bells shows so she's had a lot of the actors come in, and it's one of those things were as you are listening to the interview by live, you are allow to post things into the chat fourm, and also call in to ask questions.....I didn't call but I typed out a question for Kimberlin and Don and she asked them, and they both answered it!....

.I was literally shaking though it wasn't actually me who was talking to them but still...haha

[YRfan23]

Just some more comments on the episodes that Days22 has been uploaded....I'm at 6/29/89 so far.

The rape scenes were really really disturbing and quite graphic for that time....Derek is pretty scary during those scenes and the fact that the used the loud music during the whole time Cricket was raped was creepy. Lauralee did a good job here. I know she usually got a lot of grief for being a "air hog" and Bell's daughter but I think if it weren't for those facts people would be willing to admit she's better then they say she was.....

The scenes with Nina interviewing the potential Nanny's made me laugh.....the type of soap comedy TPTB are ashamed to put in now unfortunately....I especially liked the cigarette lady. I laughed when Nina was like "put that thing out" after she dismissed her....

I guess this was the debut week of Nina's "new" apartment, they seem to show it off a bit.....I miss that set and it pisses me off that it's now probably preoccupied for Chelsea and Billy to F**K....(sorry...)

The Brad/Traci stuff is the one draw back....just doesn't interest me that much and him forcing her to let him stay for 2 months is stupid....

Jess is killing the scenes where she mourns Phillip and curses Katherine and Nina....these were the type of things that made you understand Jills complexity as a character, and why she always comes on so strong..... 25 years later and now we have a character far beyond being a former shell of their character's self.....

Those Victor and Cassandra scenes were very well done....I like how they are both cautious of the other's motive but the fact that they are a bit vulnerable because of recent events draws them together.....

I can't wait to watch the rest!

[amybrickwallace]

I never understood why Nina Arvesen never became a bigger name in the soap world. She and Doug Davidson certainly had plenty of chemistry.

[vetsoapfan]

I am thrilled and grateful that the vintage 1970s material is being uploaded. Kudos to those who have generously taken the time and made the effort to share such treats with the soap community.

On an ancient, fragile tape (which I am afraid to play for fear it will disintegrate, LOL), I have the episode in which Stuart confronts Lorie about her parentage, and there are scenes from another story that was also running at the time: Lorie's sister Peggy's relationship with Jack Curtis.

The other scenes of that day's episode have Peggy talking to her mother, Jennifer Brooks, about her feeling for Jack Curtis. Later, Jack seeks guidance from Brock Reynolds about how best to handle his depressed wife, Joanne.

In another episode on my ancient, fragile tape, Lorie lets her sisters know that their mom has died, and they gather at the family home to remember their mother's past words to them, and to grieve their loss. Stuart reads Jennifer's heart-wrenching farewell letter, which she had intended to be opened upon her death.

Finally, my earliest episode centers on Pierre Roulland, who is in the hospital, critically injured and deteriorating, while his new wife Sally begs him to hold on.

Here I thought I was the only fan out there obsessed with vintage episodes containing long-forgotten (at least by the powers that be!) characters, but the enthusiasm in this thread for the 1970s material proves that there is still an interest in quality soap episodes from decades ago.

With the dreadful Charles Pratt, Jr., descending onto Genoa City, I would personally prefer for CBS to put the current version of Y&R on hiatus, and start broadcasting the show from its earliest episodes in 1973, instead.

I bet the ratings would be better, LOL!

[YRfan23]

Wow good for you for actually saving those episodes! I would like to see the whole episodes somedays, but if you fear for your tapes I understand, haha.....but still it's amazing you have those after 30 plus years....my goodness......

If we really want to see y&R from the beginning that may just happen since I know in my heart Chuck Pratt will most likely be Y&R's final nail....

[vetsoapfan]

I do agree that Pratt will great harm to the series, as he has done so often in the past, but at least for me, my emotional attachment in Y&R remains rooted in the halycon years of William J. Bell's writing of the original cast of characters. I no longer watch the series, and so will be spared the agony of watching it further torn apart. I was watching THE EDGE OF NIGHT after the great Henry Slesar was replaced by (vomit) Lee Sheldon. I was watching THE GUIDING LIGHT during the heinous Gail Kobe and Pamela Long Hammer years when the show gutted 2/3 of the cast, and low-brown camp took over. I was watching ANOTHER WORLD after Harding Lemay's departure, and the series simply...fell apart. It's very hard being a current lover of a soap, and watching it be destroyed by hacks. I have sympathy for the present Y&R fans!

[SoapDope]

I remember seeing Cricket's rape when it aired in 1989 and being repulsed how Derek acted like it was no big deal. The Cassandra story was one of my favorites at the time along with Leanna Love's antics.

I think the first 20 years (1973-1993) of Y&R was the golden era.

[alphanguy74]

Wow... great to hear you have some additional 70's footage. I think your tape should play, you should really transfer it to DVD, I'm an expert in the video transfer department, if you need any advice or help, let me know. ALWAYS remember, if a VCR "Eats" and important tape, never throw it away! Tapes can be taken apart, and spools changed to a different cartridge, broken tape can be spliced... there is almost always a way to preserve things. Keep in mind, they recently found episode of Dr. Who in Nigeria on 40 year old tapes, so most things can be recovered, even if they are in bad shape.

[alphanguy74]

Tonight, some GREAT scenes of Lorie and Leslie during the custody battle for Brooks. The emotional tug of war in these scenes, all the while trying to keep Brooks from noticing what's going on is just heartbreaking. Especially the end of the scene. JLB and Victoria Mallory really hit it out of the park here!

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[vetsoapfan]

I agree about the earlier years being Y&R's golden era. So many soaps hit their greatest strides in the 1970s: not only Y&R under William J.Bell, but TEON under Henry Slesar's masterful writing, AW under Harding Lemay, DOOL under Bill Bell/Pat Falken Smith, OLTL under Gordon Russel, GH under Douglas Marland and Pat Falken Smith, AMC under Agnes Nixon and Wisner Washam, LOVE OF LIFE under Claire Labine, TGL under the Dobsons and marland...the list is almost endless.

Knowing that so many of the greats are no longer with us, and that the remaining soaps are being handled by hacks, is heartbreaking for anyone who remembers the quality, adult drama that used to be seen on daytime TV.

[vetsoapfan]

Howdy, Alphaguy74,

I've managed to make back-up copies of some of my rare stuff, but sometimes, the source material LITERALLY falls apart. I have some old Beta tapes that (how do I describe this?) are dropping "specks" into the sleeve, and the spool of the actual tapes look worn. I was transferring the series finale of HOW TO SURVIVE A MARRIAGE when the tape started to drag and "slur", and tons of teensy pieces of the tape fell off into my machine.

I am one of those technology-phobes who is mechanically illiterate, and always thought that if I didn't play the tapes over and over again, I wouldn't wear them out and they would remain safe. Now I realize that I should have made the effort to learn how to make back-ups years ago. Feel free to slap me for my ignorance, LOL!

(That's great news about DOCTOR WHO, for fans of the series. I have some rare primetime TV series which I HAVE managed to make "safe " copies of, thank God, and it's always wonderful news when other long-thought-lost material pops up intact!)

[vetsoapfan]

Once again, you are very generous, and your efforts are appreciated. Thank you so much.

[alphanguy74]

yes, that is one thing you can't help, when you get complete disintegration. But definitely back it up sooner than later, as it will only get worse with time. One thing you need to do, is keep your finger poised on the stop button, and when something starts to go bad wrong, stop it immediately. Luckily, with Y&R, at least wer'e not talking about something REALLY precious, meaning footage that no longer exists in a broadcast archive... as Y&R's entire run is intact. I did the original DVD transfer of "Welcome to my home" that went onto youtube, and luckily, that tape was only from 1987, and was still in pretty good shape.