Y&R: Old Articles

[vetsoapfan]

 

Some of the actors who later commented on their experience with Y&R (like Janice Lynde and Tom Hallick) admitted that they had been foolish not to realize how good they had had it while on the show. Lynde, particularly, was given amazing good material to work with, which any actress should have been thrilled to do, so her badmouthing the character in the press was baffling.

[DRW50]

 

JLB talked about how horrible the working conditions were - I guess that couldn't have helped. I do find it telling how many cast members who left seemed to have regrets of one kind or another. I often how many others had regrets and never really spoke about them, like Terry Lester possibly. 

[vetsoapfan]

 

Yes, I remember JBL talking about how exhausted she was from overwork, but they never wanted to reduce her appearances or give her a break. Janice Lynde injured her back once and her doctor advised her to take time off from the show, but TPTB (allegedly) did not want to acquiesce. The infighting among the people running the show must have made everything worse.

[SoapDope]

That is strange Peggy was in the middle of a rape trial and was off screen during it. I have read that many viewers liked actor Dick DeCoit (Ron Becker Peggy's rapist) and was hoping he could have been redeemed.  It would be interesting to find out why Bell fired Herrera after the Peters incident and what her problem was. I saw a 1980 SOD blurb about Peters and she was talking about being excited to be back on the show and her new short hairstyle. I guess her last storyline of any kind was when she was seeing Greg Foster because I don't think she was on beyond 1981 till the 84 wedding.

 

I also remember reading on a message board about the power struggle between Bell and Conboy and Conboy going behind Bell's back to CBS to have him replaced as head writer on his own show. Someone said Conboy thought the show was getting stale.

 In Jeanne Cooper's book she said Terry later regretted burning his bridges with Y&R and the Bells. I think years later Terry ran into Bill at a restaurant and they made amends.  

[vetsoapfan]

 

Herrera said that Bell told him the ratings were low, and Pamela Peters had walked out, so it was decided to drop hererrara's story and go in another direction.

 

Peggy Brooks kept disappearing for stretches at a time, usually without explanation. This was a recurring problem on Bell's shows. Characters like Tommy Horton and Susan Martin (DAYS) or Peggy Brooks, Stuart Brooks, and Carl Williams on Y&R would drop off the face of the earth, leaving viewers scratching their heads wondering where they went.

Edited January 26, 2017 by vetsoapfan

[SoapDope]

 

Pamela Peters sounds like she either didn't want to be on the soap for long periods or Bell just didn't know what to do with the character or didn't think she could carry front burner storyline material. There was a poster at the old media domain boards that couldn't stand Peters or Peggy and would slam her on occasion when she was brought up in memory lane threads.

 

 Yes, Stuart and Carl just stopped appearing. Carl was brought back in the late 90's out of the blue for that lame amnesia storyline where he stayed in Virginia with that Ruth woman. What was the point ?

[Soapsuds]

 

Good for both because we wouldn't have gotten Terry Lester on ATWT or Anthony Herrera.

[vetsoapfan]

 

I think the problem must have been the actress, and not Bell's inability to know what to do with the character. He created a major, longterm storyline for Peters in 1976 when Peggy was raped by Ron Becker. He would not have done so if he did not plan to use her through it. Also, there's no reason he would not have used her alongside her sisters when their on-screen mother died. I have no proof, but considering the story told by Herrera, about Peters' just walking off the set one day, I think Peggy's absences were brought on by Peters' own behavior.

[SoapDope]

 

I wonder if Conboy was the one who kept letting Peters return to the role and if Bell was fed up with her ? 

[DRW50]

I was looking at some old commercials and it looks like someone put up part of a Star Games episode that features some Y&R cast members in various athletic events (and, of course, Eric Braeden as their coach). 

 

 

 

[YRfan23]

Thanks! Never heard of that show before...

 

i still swear Braeden seemed a lot more "closer" with the cast in those days then later on......

[DRW50]

I guess it was pre-PB (Bergman...).

Edited January 30, 2017 by DRW50

[DramatistDreamer]

Wow, wonder what Stephanie Williams is up to these days.

[DRW50]

 

[YRfan23]

Thanks! Fun video, hope there is more, I'm a little upset they cut it before Kimberlins intro though.....I said on the video "damn Eric Braeden i thought u never go to these" because I was expecting Kimberlin to come after Laura Birn (Lynne) lol

Edited February 4, 2017 by YRfan23