Y&R: Old Articles

[kalbir]

 

Haha, The Nanny, I haven't thought of that show for years. There were some Y&R/Nanny connections come to think of it: series stars Charles Shaughnessy (brother of Y&R producer David Shaughnessy) and Nicholle Tom (sister of Heather Tom and David Tom); Eric Braeden guest starred on one episode as a theater critic; Peter Bergman, Jeanne Cooper, Shemar Moore, Joshua Morrow, and Melody Thomas Scott appeared as themselves on one episode. Perhaps Fran Drescher was a fan of Y&R.

 

 

[SoapDope]

I think that is him. According to his bio he went into the swimming pool construction business after leaving acting in 1981. I wonder if he played the part before Brett Halsey or if he was just filling in ? He looks like Terry Lester. According to his birth year, he was only 12 years old when Terry was born in early 1950. I know that doesn't mean anything in soap world, but interesting. I think he would done great as John from what little I saw of him in those scenes. I actually like Bond Gideon as Jill. I liked her scenes with Liz and John. 

[titan1978]

Really the first time I’ve seen Bond as Jill.  I like her fine for this Jill, same with Adair (who I loved as Kate on DAYS).  But I started watching the show after Brenda came back and was in full Dynasty mode.  She was sexy, hard, cruel, campy, and a diva.  Then Jess came on and matured what Brenda had been doing, refined it.  Brought her own humor and less camp.  Jill really is a different character before Brenda came back and after.  Like night and day.  As a viewer I really respond more to the version of Jill that Brenda and Jess play.

 

These shows are fascinating.  Because Y&R is really nothing like those two episodes by 1988.  Nothing.  The glamour and mystery and corporate intrigue and Cricket of it all are so far removed from this.  Nikki is so different.  Paul is so different.

 

Even though I know it was sexy for its time and lushly produced, it still reads to me as old fashioned soap.  I’m not slamming that at all.  I see a kindred spirit and not evolution between Bill Bell here and Bill Bell on DAYS.  But by the late 1980’s to around 1992, I think his style evolved a lot, as did the look of the entire show.  That lush thing was turned up.  The drama and intrigue was turned up.  Not campy, just dialed up.  I’ve posted before about finding many of Bill Bell’s characters kind of cold, aloof.  That does not seem to be the case in his earlier show.

 

 

[Sapounopera]

 

Brenda Epperson also appeared on the Nanny. 

[MichaelGL]

I actually agree with you. It's not the lushly produced soap that we would see later in the 80s, or what some have described Y&R as being under John Conboy. Watching episodes of other soaps around the time this aired, it's interesting how it compares to AMC and GL at the time. I guess many of the changes that occurred during the last half of the 80s were mostly due to Wesley Kenney and later continued by Ed Scott. 
 

[Sapounopera]

 

I think that it has also to do with the fact that Dynasty hadn't premiered yet and changed the meaning of "lushly produced soap". John Conboy's 1982 Capitol is very similar to classic Y&R as we know it. 

[amybrickwallace]

Whatever happened to Bond Gideon? Was she ever on another soap?

[SoapDope]

According to imdb, she has no acting credits after 1980. It says she is now an acting coach in another state. Her husband is the one who alerted on facebook about purchasing episodes with her in them. 

I wonder if someone should contact Tammy Taylor via youtube and send her scenes as Patty to her for her page ?

[Dax7000]

I don't know if anyone has posted this link, but someone uploaded several Victor and Nikki scenes to Google Drive https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B5mFy--WwGtzeVpsQjVQSWYyRlk

 

 

[yrfan1983]

^ Wow, thanks, cool find! The first clip, from 12/31/81, is the "dirty stinker" scene

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 unfortunately, the scene ends with the kiss, right before she calls him a dirty stinker. I saw this ep at Paley.

[Chris B]

I just watched the two 1980 episodes and have to speak on this slander against the asthetic of Y&R. I think the show looks beautiful not only here but in other older episodes, not to mention the music and casting. Bill Bell just knew how to create a world and he did that so well here. It’s also a testement to Conboy’s work that the Chancellor and Brooks mansion sets are still in use to this day. When the P&G soaps were released on DVD a few years back I bought almost all of them and it’s shocking how different the quality is compared to these Y&R episodes. The sets were very bland and washed out, make up and lighting was bad. Y&R just had an essence of class that worked for it. 

 

In terms of content I had some comments on some actors....

 

Wings Hauser was such a horrible Greg. Brian Kerwin couldn’t have been worse. It just isn’t possible. James Houghton was always going to be difficult to replace but my god. I know Houghton reprised the role in 2004, but I think Hauser played him again when he came back in 2010. They did a good job recasting Snapper (in fact I’m shocked they never brought Hasselhoff back full time), but Greg seemed to be a huge problem for them. 

 

I enjoyed Bond Gideon as Jill but I definitely see why they didn’t keep her. She was definitely in line with what Dickson gave up until then, but I can see why they replaced her before Jill basically took over the show. Deborah Adair was a perfect Jill to bridge the gap and being the glamour to that role. I wish we still had the mashup of her, Jess and Brenda taking turns on the show in the late 80s. I remember Deborah came back for a full week then Jess started temp so it kept going back and forth between them. 

 

The other big surprise for me as a different Patty. I thought Lilibet was the first Patty. Tammy Taylor was by far my favorite based on these episodes. It’s a shame she didn’t stick around. She was very grounded and could’ve elevated the role in a way the others didn’t. 

[YRfan23]

It’s fun to see how the production gradually changed from the 70s to the 80s, John Conboy definitely liked to use lots of close ups as u can see in some scenes but it looks like he was starting to balance it out more with lesser close ups but still making sure he got every details of the sets....I think my favorite was seeing the early Jabot set in the second episode...the blue walls and the logo names were the same as today but it was obviously a new set at the time and probably was very limited to what it became..it’s amazing to think we wouldn’t see the Abbott house for another two years.

 

im on board the Wings Hauser train of him overreacting, though I’m still glad we got to see him and scenes with Nikki...I do agree what the little I’ve zeen Jim Houghton was the best Greg hopefully some episodes of Kerwin and even later material with that Howard Mcgillian will surface someday..

 

Bond is definitely a sweeter Jill, I want to see more as she definitely impressed me, I would really have to see her in scenes with Jeanne to see if her Jill can be just as tough as the others, but I guess buy this point they decided to move on from those two for the next couple of years.

 

i really liked Tammy Taylor and think she could have definitely been the definite Patty.

[slick jones]

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[vetsoapfan]

 

What does it say about me that I recognize and can name everyone in this photograph, but I have trouble remembering what I had for lunch on the weekend, LOL?

[Soapsuds]