Matt the character had a lot of potential and it is unfortunate that he was forgotten. He had relationships/friendships with both Ashley and Nikki - similar to Lucas Prentiss and Leslie/Lorie. There was some mystery hinted at about his past in South America but for whatever reason bill bell lost interest and Matt was gone.

i hoped that he would return-he could have been the Chet character that kidnapped Victor-maybe he turned bad and resented his wealthy brother. Or Victor gets word that Matt has died,leaving a teenage daughter who comes to live with the Newmans. Just the frustrated writer in me...

Paul, although there are almost no scenes of it on youtube... Amy and Traci were basically best friends. They had tons of scenes together.

i always found Quinn Redecker a little annoying as Rex

Best Katherine relationship by a mile.

Amy was never officially written out

She was.

Brian Anders

Brian Forbes.

I know she had the stuff with Marc and then with Victor's brother.

Ashley's only serious relationship before Victor was Eric.

Was Matt supposed to be a bigger character?

Yep.

Unfortunately he didn't have any chemistry with Eileen or MTS.

Edited January 19, 201114 yr by DeeeDee

Ashley in the beginning went from one man to the next, or so I remember it that way. She was with Brian, then that ended but she had already met Eric, though I don't think she like him straight away, then I remember her going to Europe and meeting Marc and I swear she called off her marriage to Eric and dated Marc, is that right? Something along those lines. Was Eric the guy who had a relationship with Dina? I am sure that was him.

Also When she first appeared Jack was trying to get her to help him undermine Jill and John's relationship and she also battled Jack at Jabot. Someone just posted some old clips of Ashley confronting Dina when she first turned up in Genoa City and Jill (then Deborah Adair) telling her to get out of her house. Also one scene where Ashley is lying on Traci in a hospital bed and yelling at Dina to leave them alone, it looked like Traci was dead, was this a dream? I don't remember this happening.

Yeah Amy was great, sorry she didn't get more to do. She was friends with Traci and hated Lauren if I remember, also stuck up for Traci where Lauren was concerned. I thought Amy had better chemistry with Steve Ford who played Andy and Doug had more chemistry with Colleen Casey who played Faren.

Jill and Victor worked chemistry wise, but Jill became such a little girl when she thought Victor was going to propose and was crushed when he didn't, that annoyed me, Jill was never like that with any man but Phillip Sr. I always liked that she never loved another man like him, that she had hardened herself after that, when Brenda was playing the role you could never be sure if she loved John or not, she would have these scenes when she was fighting for her marriage after the miscarriage and when Dina and John's divorce was declared invalid, where she would cry and strongly state she loved John and wanted their marriage to work, then she would be on the phone to Liz acting like it was all a game.

I remember my favorite scene was when Jill was being kicked out of the Abbott home in 1985 and she gave this heartfelt speech to John about how much she loved him and wanted him to be okay and happy, then walked out the door and said if it's a divorce you want, it's a divorce you'll get. Gee when Brenda was good, she was amazing in that role, sorry it ended the way it did.

Wanted to add Terry Lester was definitely leaving the role in 1985, or at least the rags at the time were stating it that way, then the show Paul Raven mentioned didn't get picked up he was back. I don't remember his replacement, but then I didn't remember Melinda O. Fee filling in for Brenda in 1984 either until I saw it on youtube, so glad that is around and thankful you guys write up the synopsis you have and have these discussions, I have such a bad memory, I blame childbirth

Edited January 19, 201114 yr by supes81

Jill definitely loved John. That's always been consistent.

Someone just posted some old clips of Ashley confronting Dina when she first turned up in Genoa City and Jill (then Deborah Adair) telling her to get out of her house. Also one scene where Ashley is lying on Traci in a hospital bed and yelling at Dina to leave them alone, it looked like Traci was dead, was this a dream? I don't remember this happening.

Can you post a link to these videos please? I love vintage Y&R

I am so curious what would have happened if JLB hadn't left the show in the early eighties. What would have happened to Lori Brooks? Was there even room for Lori back then? Would she marry Victor, fight against Ashley, marry Jack and basically have Nikki's stories? Or perhaps Jill's once Brenda Dickson was out?

Edited January 19, 201114 yr by Elsa

I wonder if Lorie would have worked without her family? I think they sort of provided another side for her.

Do you think it was a mistake to kill off Jennifer Brooks?

On the subject of Terry:

From the 9/24/85 Digest, Tony Rizzo's Reel to Real.

It was a sad day Terry Lester who confessed at his going away party on the set of Y&R, "I'm really happy about moving on to other things, but at this moment, I am unhappy to be leaving the many friends I've made here...I doubt I would do another soap for a long while." Despite these words, the producers were hoping he'd change his mind, and sure enough, he did! Y&R managed to lure Terry back with a contract containing a generous out clause (and reportedly, big bucks!).

That's good news for daytime fans - it would have been tough for any actor to fill the charismatic Lester's shoes. Meanwhile, a lot of people are anxious to see how CBS's BLADE IN HONG KONG rerun fares in the ratings - when it is not opposite a DYNASTY cliffhanger!

I wonder if Lorie would have worked without her family?

No.

By the time JLB left Lorie had become obsolete.

Which was painfully apparent when she returned years later.

Do you think it was a mistake to kill off Jennifer Brooks?

Yep.

But that was more about other stuff than the actual story.

Edited January 19, 201114 yr by DeeeDee

What was it about?

I thought Lorie's return might have worked better if they hadn't had her mooning over Victor. I didn't like that at all. I also felt like Sam Behrens kind of stuck out like a sore thumb for some reason.

What was it about?

Bill & Dorothy were having problems.

I thought Lorie's return might have worked better if they hadn't had her mooning over Victor. I didn't like that at all. I also felt like Sam Behrens kind of stuck out like a sore thumb for some reason.

JLB is a lot like Brenda Dickson's Jill in that they were fine for what they were but unable to adapt to current Y&R.

Sam Behrens couldn't carry JLB & didn't have any chemistry with MTS.

That's a shame about the stuff with Bell and Dorothy (Green?). I remember reading that during the breast cancer story, her mother and a close friend died very suddenly. I wonder what her mental state was during all that time.

Do you think there were any major cast members from Y&R's first decade who could have adapted to the new format if they'd had the chance?

I know she was more in the "new" era, but I thought Meg Bennett was pretty good in that embarrassing cameo she had during Victor's big stud tour.

Do you think there were any major cast members from Y&R's first decade who could have adapted to the new format if they'd had the chance?

John McCook, Tom Ligon, Anthony Herrera, Kay Heberle & Donnelly Rhodes.

William Grey Espy & James Houghton could've adapted too had they stayed.

I know she was more in the "new" era, but I thought Meg Bennett was pretty good in that embarrassing cameo she had during Victor's big stud tour.

Meg is a perfect example of adapting (as are Beau Kayzer & Roberta Leighton).

I guess that was one of the reasons they had to clean house around 82 - a lot of the actors you mentioned were gone. I wish Tom Ligon could have stayed. Did they pair him up with someone else, or try, after Lorie/Leslie? I thought I saw that in a synopsis but wasn't sure.

Bill & Dorothy were having problems.

JLB is a lot like Brenda Dickson's Jill in that they were fine for what they were but unable to adapt to current Y&R.

You mean that they wouldn't fit in the new storylines or that they represented a very different Y&R era? From the little 70's Y&R I've seen on YouTube, the show was very similar to JER's first DAYS run.

a lot of the actors you mentioned were gone.

Yep.

It was for the best though & Bill was extremely lucky with new cast members like Terry Lester, Eric Braeden, Meg Bennett & especially MTS.

Braeden (like Geary) is given most of the credit for Y&R's current success but like Genie it was MTS that really carried things.

Did they pair him up with someone else, or try, after Lorie/Leslie?

He had brief relationships with Casey & Karen but mainly was a shoulder for Leslie & Lorie.