There were some really brief scenes in the 80s clips hinting at Brad's past. In one scene he told Traci he was inviting his parents to the wedding, but then hid the invitation in his office drawer. Lauren found it, but it didn't amount to anything. Then there was a scene where he met up with his mother (played by Marilyn Alex who later portrayed Molly Carter) and talked about how the family was poor and he was sending money for his siblings. Bill Bell never picked up any of those threads, but I wonder what he eventually had in mind for Brad. 

10 minutes ago, Khan said:

Exploring Brad's pre-Genoa City past was an intriguing idea,

I was always stuck on the idea that he had met his first wife Lisa (of the infamous Brad-in-a-cage story) in a similar fashion to how he met Traci.  He worked for the family and seduced the most vulnerable person.  So, that was the thread that I always wished had been explored.  If we found out that Brad had been a serial seducer and con man, it would have vindicated Jack's initial impression of him.

The Nazi thing was so weird because (1) the persistent use of the word reliquaries, which was such an odd and nonspecific term when I think they meant religious artifacts like the gold adornments that go on Torahs in a temple, (2) it did not fit with Brad's age, I know they were family pieces, but WWII would have been closer to his grandparents generation if he was in his early 20s when he was introduced, and (3) nothing was ever done to explore his Jewish heritage.

Whatever happened to Lisa? she locked brad in a cage for months and just escaped never to be seen again? 

1 hour ago, asafi said:

Whatever happened to Lisa? she locked brad in a cage for months and just escaped never to be seen again? 

She escaped and was never mentioned again.

I'd heard back when Sally Sussman was up for the head writing job in 2005 that her outlines mentioned bringing Lisa back to finish that thread and explore how he had decided on her family.  But I guess Latham's reliquary pitch won out 

There’s a SFT/Y&R/ATWT promo at 10:46!!

Edited January 24, 20223 yr by ltm1997

You'd think any story pitch would've been preferable to the Reliquary Nonsense.  I could appreciate wanting to recharacterize Brad as Jewish (since Don Diamont himself had a similar experience), but it should've been done in a more introspective way, omitting the Evil Nazi Art Thieves, the mother who vanished into thin air, Brad walking around snacking on treats during Yom Kippur, and Victoria constructing faux reliquaries with supplies from Hobby Lobby.  

Thirty years later, the detail of the Brad-in-a-cage story that still leaves me with questions is why Lisa hired Rich Little.  Little was a famous impersonator, but I don't think he played himself, I think they gave him a fictional name for story purposes.  Either way, Lisa hired him to imitate Brad and give an excuse for why he left Genoa City.  However, in the actual scene they used Don Diamont's voiceover, with Rich Little lip-syncing his way through the episode.  

So, why did they hire Rich Little if he wasn't going to impersonate Brad?

They explained every other detail, even where Brad showered and how he went to the bathroom, but the voiceover was BS.  And, because it was Y&R they replayed the scene as a memory for Traci over and over again during the time Brad was in captivity.  I get that Don did not have a distinctive voice in order to impersonate, (although he had a strong Long Island accent when he began on soaps) but then why use that detail rather than just have him write a letter and use a forger? 

All that being said, it would have been fun to see one of Lisa's family members come back to try to avenge her name even years later.

1 minute ago, j swift said:

All that being said, it would have been fun to see one of Lisa's family members come back to try to avenge her name even years later.

It certainly would've been more fun than watching Patty Jane Williams wreak havoc on Genoa City again and again and again (...and again).

1 minute ago, Khan said:

It certainly would've been more fun than watching Patty Jane Williams wreak havoc on Genoa City again and again and again (...and again).

Having Pattyy come back was wise...but how they bought her back was all wrong 

It also always amused me that none of the other men in Genoa City liked Brad.  Paul, Jack, and Victor all disliked him immensely. 

Edited January 25, 20223 yr by j swift

1 hour ago, j swift said:

So, why did they hire Rich Little if he wasn't going to impersonate Brad?

 

I was disappointed that they didn't actually show Rich Little impersonate Brad's voice onscreen. Are some actor's voices too hard to mimic for someone like Little? 

They definitely did say he was really suppose to be Himself though, as Lisa kept referring to him as Mr. Little in those episodes. 

6 minutes ago, YRfan23 said:

I was disappointed that they didn't actually show Rich Little impersonate Brad's voice onscreen. Are some actor's voices too hard to mimic for someone like Little? 

Like I mentioned in my post Don had a rather thick Long Island accent when he was on Days, that tempered a bit on Y&R, but it was probably not distinctive enough to be mimicked.

Although Brad himself later attempted some character work in this classic scene that hinted at his Jewish roots.

 

Edited January 25, 20223 yr by j swift

Just now, j swift said:

Like I mentioned in my post Don had a rather thick Long Island accent when he was on Days, that tempered a bit on Y&R, but it was probably not distinctive enough to be mimicked.

Although Brad himself later attempted some character work in this classic scene that hinted at his Jewish roots.

 

Oyy...that rapping!  LOL

I do notice the accent a time or two, but didn't Diamont also have a bit of a LISP? It sounds like sometimes he couldn't pronounce his S's and still sounds that way sometimes now.

2 hours ago, j swift said:

It also always amused me that none of the other men in Genoa City liked Brad.  Paul, Jack, and Victor all disliked him immensely. 

Why wouldn't they?

Brad married Cassandra and inherited her money from under Paul and he was fooling around with Lauren, Paul's ex that he always cared for.

Brad broke Traci's heart and then went after Ashley as well as almost marrying Jack's ex Nikki.

Same for Victor-he didn't like the idea that his exes could prefer another man over him.

It's crazy to think that Brad Carlton, who'd been a major player in Genoa City for so long, would wind up frozen like a popsicle in some lake.