Y&R: Old Articles

[Antoyne]

It's always fascinating for me to see pre-Campy Brenda Dickson. For a while on youtube, that was all I ever saw. She seems to have been a pretty grounded actress at some point. What the hell happened?

[DramatistDreamer]

 

A few years ago, I had read something where she seemed to indicate that there were some sexual harassment issues but I don't really know enough about the situations.  Her writing was laid out somewhat haphazardly, in a sort of incoherent manner so it was a little difficult to make sense of it.

Seeing what we're seeing about the likes of Weinstein et. al, I certainly won't dismiss the possibility that her mental health could've been impaired by something like this.

[YRfan23]

Your very welcome!!

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I had know idea that garage  was part of the Abbott set, until it was mentioned in the dialogue, I guess we didn't see it too much way later on.

BM has a good voice usually, even if that song was clunky, You can always tell she was more of the trained singer over Bregman....
I don't know the exact time the regular concert series with Lauren, Traci etc...singing stop, but I guess maybe after 1989, since that "Danny Rocks On" episode was posted not too long ago....

It does make more sense seeing Victor sort of grow "bored" of Nikki at this point, or at least getting so fed up with her.....I kind of view the Nikki/Victor relationship a bit differently not that I read an old interview where EB said he thinks Ashley is really Victor's true love..

I forgot that 6/27/85 clip is still around!  at least that episode has the full cast credits, LOL

 

[Khan]

 

I've always chalked it up to the fact that Jill had become harder and more driven by power and a need to outdo Kay on every level.  She wasn't starry-eyed Jill Foster anymore, working as a manicurist to provide for her family, and dreaming of having the kind of life she'd read about in movie magazines.

[SoapDope]

I sometimes wonder of MTS and EB just tolerate each other. I remember MTS said in a recent interview that Nikki needs to dump Victor and be done with him once and for all. EB seems to be more fond of ED. He also seemed to be very fond of Meg Bennett who played his first wife Julia. I remember reading an old interview from around 1984/85 and he said he was going to miss her deeply when she decided to write full time. They also use to travel and make personal appearances together. 

[YRfan23]

Yeah sometimes I wonder about that too....EB apparently said once that he's "close" to MTS as far as their working relationship, but he still doesn't know that much about her after all these years...who knows really.....this is also the same guy who said he respects and admires Jeanne Cooper, but wouldn't say they were "friends" yet she clearly thought otherwise according to her book...

Edited April 18, 2018 by YRfan23

[Sapounopera]

 

TPTB were crazy to kill off John Abbott.

 

With these random episodes from the 70s and 80s it is fascinating to watch the story/and the evolution of Jill Foster. We have seen her work in a salon and read magazines about the rich and famous, meeting Kay for the first time, wanting to work at Jabot, talking with her mother about her choices. Now in this 1985 once again she is not happy with her life.

 

I am mad at Y&R for erasing Jill's history and then dropping the character. These days she should be living her worst nightmare; living  in the Chancellor mansion and having turned into Kay with a younger woman trying to take over her life. 

Marla Adams has always been such a stunning woman!

[DRW50]

 

Brenda said as much in an interview - that Jill had changed in her years away and she had to adapt her performances. 

 

What confuses me is that reading about some of Jill's late '70s stories, she sounds very scheming (even hurting her own mother), so I wonder how Brenda played that material. 

 

Even at this point Brenda's work seems somewhat restrained to me. It seems like she went way off the rails in that last year. 

 

That's a good point. I guess as the only link she had who still appeared at times was Casey, Bell felt there was nothing left. It's too bad they didn't have some other tie to her past - maybe some cousins who could have stayed at the ranch and caused problems. 

 

For me John was pretty played out by those last years, but the problem was the family itself was not in strong shape.

 

She also said she had to work in spite of very bad health problems, or something. It's always hard to know the full story with her, but she isn't the only actor to complain about the Y&R set. It seems to have been a tense, unhappy set for many years. 

 

Melody fascinates me, especially since that story from Jeanne Cooper about MTS not speaking to her for (was it years?).

[Khan]

 

At the VERY least, she should be disapproving of Billy's choices and trying like mad to manipulate his life (in between tumblers of alcohol).  And Billy should feel resentful, of course, believing that Jill is only trying to mold him into the kind of man she had hoped Philip would be (you know, if he were still dead).

 

As much as I enjoyed Kay and Nikki's relationship, I wonder if Nikki wouldn't have been better served having a mother or aunt all these years as her personal sounding board.  And who knows?  Maybe Nick Reed was a big enough louse to have OTHER children out there, like a half-sister or -brother (or two) for Nikki and Casey.

Edited April 18, 2018 by Khan

[SoapDope]

 I agree with everything you said. Brenda did come off the rails in those final days. She seemed to start speaking with a eurotrash accent. I guess trying to channel Joan Collins as Alexis. That story about MTS and Jeanne Cooper was interesting. I have a feeling Melody may have gotten an ego after marrying executive producer Ed Scott. 

 

Yes, Casey was the only tie to Nikki's past pre Victor. Even though Paul was on the show, most younger viewers probably had no idea that they were even an item at one point, and Nikki's early marriages to Greg and Kevin were swept under the rug. I remember back in the 90's when Nikki was going to marry Brad, Jack was talking to Ashley and said " Nikki Reed Foster Bancroft Newman Abbott soon to be Carlton. I was shocked at how random that was thrown out there. I guess Bill Bell would do stuff like that at times to give long time viewers a laugh. The same way at John & Jill's second divorce hearing, Katherine on the witness stand starting naming all the men Jill seduced and she mention Stuart Brooks and Derek Thurston. 

 

Yes, some cousins of Nikki at the ranch would have been good. One male cousin could have been a ladies man that run the ranch like Ray on Dallas and laying pipe all over GC. After bedding Jill in the bunk house, she would want him be the face of the men's line. His sister could have been like early Fallon or Sammi Jo from Dynasty and going to work at Jabot and sleeping and slapping her way through the company. Women with big ole 80's hair dueling in the offices at Jabot. Cat fights galore. Nikki should have gotten so bored that she started to have men in during the day while Victor was at work. 

[kalbir]

 

Thank you both

 

What a great episode! The eternal feud is slowly starting here.

 

 

[titan1978]

Having Jill turn into her version of Katherine would have been amazing.  Add to that sometimes her hearing Katherine’s voice.  Not a ghost, but hearing her voice at times. 

[YRfan23]

 Your welcome!! 😁😁

 

im literally praying something new pops up everyweek!! Lol

[OzFrog]

 

Holy frickin hell! I have been wanting to see that Brent/Ashley scene for YEARS!!! Now I just need to find the subsequent Ashley/Dina showdown... 

[ltm1997]

I'm so hoping that the entire months of March, April and May 1985 will surface someday! If someone taped one episode from this era, I can't see them just stopping at this one! There's got to be more out there and by God we'll find them! LOL