Y&R: Old Articles

[yr9190]

Thanks for sharing Carl!, I have something like this for B&B in one of my 1993 digests, I should post that on the classic B&B thread!

I think this article was right on the button to what Y&R was in its prime. The author is right when they say that the show didn't go all out for more viewers, and that Bell's slow pacing was the key to keep viewers in, and made it stand out over any soap.

I'm shocked though that they graded continuity a perfect A+. Bill's Y&R I hate to say probably had the worse continuity at the time. This was when Stories could be told on the same day and same episode, but yet there could be characters that have moved on from the previous days/nights events, and then there are characters who are still stuck on the day before the other character's time. Watch Y&R November 23,24, and 26 1993 on youtube and you will catch my drift.

If anything i feel like Continuty and character development should be switched.

[DRW50]

Please share the B&B article.

I don't notice continuity too much but that's a good insight.

I was surprised at the part about how a villain isn't good enough if you don't ever root for them, and that David could never be redeemed. In a lot of ways I think that was David's appeal - that he wasn't someone we were supposed to secretly love. That type of pointless ambiguity has killed Y&R.

[YRBB]

I really love that article because it captures a lot of my thoughts as to why I love(d) Y&R.

There are a few points I wouldn't exactly agree with; for example, I don't think it was ever uncomplicated. How can you say there's "too many possibilities" and also claim it was uncomplicated?

And, also, about it not being a tapestry... Hmmm, not sure. I always felt characters were appropriately involved in each other's storylines and there were always strong friendships.

Finally, continuity... Yes, the weird time jumps can be jarring but I have a feeling continuity was based on how well the stories were plotted, no character changes or forgetting of events that should not be forgotten.

[DRW50]

There was some criticism of Y&R during the Bell years for lack of stories intersecting. SPW praised Kay Alden for integrating stories. It did bother me a little at the time, but nothing serious.

I can see the idea of too many possibilities, but I think that was a good thing, because it showed characters had chemistry with each other. The only time this started to annoy me was the time when Bill Bell had written out Hope, wasn't doing Victor/Nikki, yet was going to try Victor/Christine. Thankfully he dropped this, which his daughter in law and others never would have had the integrity to do.

[yr9190]

As much as i wished there were some characters during Bill's tenure that had scenes together/ or scenes together more often. I agree that made Y&R seem a tad bit more real compared to other soaps.

I still think that throughout the 90's ( especially the early 90's) The only story that seem to exist in its own sphere was anything involving Scott and Lauren. I know Scott had Cricket as his sister and Lauren had Paul, and Brad but i guess minus a few "rare" events they never integrated them with all the characters. They did at one point ( I have an episode from 1989 where its Cricket's 20th birthday and Scott was dating her and the Abbotts are guests) but not really in the 90's I know its because they were killing off Scott and phasing out Lauren (Before she ran to B& but i still think its weird how those two were never guests at events held by Katherine, or The Newmans and Abbotts. I feel in a way Danny and Cricket had their own story, but where tied to more important people.... But then again so was Lauren in many ways so thats why i find that part soo weird.

Edited October 4, 2011 by yr9190

[DeeeDee]

Exactly.

[DeeeDee]

Pretty much.

Y&R isn't "small town America" like ATWT or GL where those type of stories always work.

[DeeeDee]

As bad as Y&R is now Cricket eating the show doesn't seem so bad.

[soapfan770]

Not really old articles but a few years ago I picked up these little trivia card games at a flea market and here's the Y&R one. Anyone want to try to answer these?

[DRW50]

Thanks for this. I know most of them, aside from the third on the last (Suzanne?).

I guess the first is supposed to be JoAnn.

[yr9190]

WOW, thanks for sharing this! when did the trivia game out? it looks a good 20 plus years old.

[soapfan770]

The copyright date for the game is 1987, and interestingly enough one question I found going through the cards I found at least question pertained to a story that happened in '87 regarding Phillip and Nina.

Indeed that answer about "unnatural attachment" was Joann, while the answer to who was spiking Kay's meds is Jill although not sure what story that occurred in. There's a lot of obscure Y&R trivia and references in it; I don't know if even folks in '87 could answer questions about Pam Warren's murder or what color was Gwen Sherman's hair.

[will81]

Jill spiked Kay's medicine. It was during the story about the affair in Nov 1983 with Jack after Kay got a hold of the pictures. She tried to have Jazz knock her off, when he refused she put vodka in her liquid vitamin bottle. This is how she had Kay fall off the wagon.

Thanks for the questions. Would be quite interesting to play.

Edited October 6, 2011 by will81

[DRW50]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJUILSyw8rg

[yr9190]

I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but i still can't believe that this person has all these 80's ATWT and GL episodes, but no full episodes of Y&R and B&B

I would kill to see all or most of Y&R 1989 since it seems like it set the pace of what the 90's on Y&R were going to be about.

Edited October 7, 2011 by yr9190