Y&R: Old Articles

[sheilaforever]

Wow - a 1984 Y&R episode. Plus, Whitney Houston appeared on ATWT??? Please go off-topic and fill me in - I had never heard about it before.

[yrfan1983]

What a glorious episode!  It wasn’t even that eventful but it definitely kept my attention. The show was firing on all cylinders at this point.  Jack was in full scoundrel playboy mode… making kissing motions towards Diane as he walked past Andy… thumbing through his black book before Lindsey walks in… this is why Jack was the character viewers “love to hate”.

I’m frustrated by Diane’s indecision and was shocked at first when she was mad at Andy instead of being contrite. But their exchange had a true-life ring to it… I’m sure many viewers had found themselves in a similar situation. Overall, I really don’t like that this leads to Alex D being let go in a few short weeks, and Diane’s story ending on a very weak note.

I really appreciated the dialogue writing in this ep… Lauren K really sparkled in her scenes with Jack – verbally jousting with him… flirting and blackmailing at the same time

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And I adored Danny and Traci’s talk with Mamie! When Mamie complimented Danny’s singing, he said “Thank you” and she said “you’re welcome” and I just so appreciate that it sounds like an actual normal real-life conversation ❤ certainly a lost art on soap operas.  I also loved Traci and Mamie’s palpable familial bond. It reminds me that the ’91 scenes with Traci and Veronica Redd Forest’s Mamie rang totally false, with no feeling of true familial bond to me.

I feel like maybe I did see the original airing of this ep (as a 12-year-old), because the Danny Lauren performance felt familiar… I remember thinking how sexy and glamorous they looked, and how removed and sad Traci must have felt… that Traci felt it was unattainable for her to ever be in Lauren’s place.
Watching it now, I’m thinking – yikes, Danny and Lauren sounds terrible! Individually, they sound ok, but their harmony is non-existent. I blame Michael D because his harmony with Beth M also sounds awful.
But wow… “Alibis” by Sergio Mendes! Talk about a forgotten ‘80s hit. I had to pull up the original on Youtube… sounds great but I don’t think I’ve heard it in almost 40 years. Looks like it only hit #29 on the chart. Surprising, but then 1984 was a huge year for pop music! Madonna, Van Halen, Prince, Tina Turner, etc. etc. no wonder Sergio Mendes didn’t rise to the top.
Why did the camera keep cutting to the local “City Scene” tv host? Maybe IRL he’s a local celebrity or something? He did make me lol the way he was bopping his head…

I love playful touches such as the camera lingering on Marc’s bare legs. These small efforts really elevates scenes in way that soaps don’t have the time to do any more. Jill and Marc were fun, though I’m starting to see some signs that BrendaD is losing track of her grounded manner of acting, and is leaning towards campy… it feels more like Jill is flirting *at* Marc, talking past him, than truly trying to flirt with him. Anyway, seems like their affair, once over, was never discovered and never referenced again.

The one bust in this episode is the character of Eric. Such a slick “Ken doll”… why is Ashley wasting her time with him? I feel like Ashley would be drawn to someone with more depth and complexity… hmm like Victor!

I watched all the commercials and it brought back a lot of great nostalgia… like the “Hanes #12 inspector”, “Sizzlean”, and especially Robert S Woods (One Life to Live!) giving tips on how to “never let ‘em see you sweat!” ❤ 

[kalbir]

Same here, esp. since current Y&R feels so hollow and empty.

Thanks @BoldRestless for finding this ep.

Didn't Bill Bell attempt a triangle w/ Ashley/Eric/Marc but it tanked? Not long after that Ashley entered Victor's orbit and the rest is history.

ED's acting style overpowered all the love interests Bill Bell attempted for Ashley in her first three years. Once Ashley entered Victor's orbit and Bill Bell saw that EB was a match for ED's acting style, he created the eternal triangle. In a way Ashley/Victor was another accident pairing. 

[yrfan1983]

Yep… Ashley and Eric were engaged but she was destroyed to find out that Eric had previously been the lover of her mother Dina. She escaped to Paris and met Marc, who she developed feelings for. She returned to GC, reconciled with Eric, but was shocked to find Marc had followed her to GC.  She almost married Eric but fled the church the day of the wedding (I guess because she had conflicting feelings for Marc?)

This then led to a full-blown “triangle” but as you said, neither the Eric or Marc actors were a match for ED, so it was doomed to fail.

[Broderick]

After seeing how Eileen Davidson's acting choices completely neutered Brian Forbes and Eric Garrison, Bell probably thought, "I'll pair her with a FRENCHMAN, and his suave accent will counteract some of her mannerisms."  Didn't work at all.  She overshadowed him, too.  Victor Newman and Jack Abbott were really the only males on the show who could keep up with her.  

[YRfan23]

It's always frustrating when the Commercials don't really give a lot of hints, but I'm gonna say this episode aired Friday July 27, 1984!

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 based off of the promos saying "MONDAY" like I think they would on Friday! 

like @yrfan1983 said, not the most eventful episode, but still a lot of fun to watch!   I agree Jack was in full playboy mode flirting with Diane, and making out with Lindsay! This is the true Jack Abbott, who was a womanizer and a cad! My favorite part was him going through his little black book...I kind of like to imagine the Angela he mentions (who gained weight)  is Angela Lawrence, but I don't think they ever interacted....LOL   

Always love Lauren in full bitch mode, I agree, The singing is always corny, but I did get a laugh at the host bobbing along to the music! 

I didn't realize Ashley and Eric were still this close, after the aborted wedding. Echoing what everyone says, he's definitely just another generic "hunk" who wouldn't have been a good match for Ashley in the long run. The Jill and Marc Tennis date was fun, and Brenda D. Is definitely starting to play it up with the campiness! Not as bad as it became by 1986, but still noticeable 



 

[kalbir]

Broderick you are killing me 

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I always point out that Marc Mergeron was way too Dynasty, but I had totally forgotten that Frank Benard guest starred on Dynasty during its 3rd season. He also guest starred on Falcon Crest during its 5th season.

[Broderick]

I believe he also played that lil French weenie in the 1980 CBS miniseries "Scruples" (based on the novel by Judith Krantz).  There was a little Frenchman who boinked the heroine, then found out she was poverty-stricken and dumped her.  The actor was clearly cast based on his debonair mumbling of "mon cheri" while shirtless.  Pretty sure it was the debut of Frank Benard.   

Edited September 28, 2022 by Broderick

[kalbir]

@Broderick Yes, that was Frank Benard. Another miniseries he was in was Bare Essence.

[Broderick]

Thanks .... thought it was, although in the credits he was shown as "Francois Marie", or something equally French-like.  

[Paul Raven]

And he was married to Lee Warrick who was on OLTL as Julie Siegel and GH as Mary Ellen Dante in the 70's.He had done of print and TV commercials .

[yrfan1983]

Question - why do you think Traci is crying as she watches Danny and Lauren's performance?

(and no, I don't mean b/c their singing makes Traci's ears hurt 

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)

At first the answer seems simple, but the more I thought about it (while I was out exercising, my favorite time to ponder YR ), the answer seems more complex...

[Broderick]

Probably crying because Lauren had actually IMPROVED some

I know Tracey Bregman isn't "trained" as a singer, and normally you could tell it, because her vocals sounded hollow and flat.  But she doesn't sound half-bad in this particular clip.  

[YRfan23]

I think Lauren’s worst vocals was when she and Danny sang a cover of Survivors “I can’t hold back” from that December 1984 episode.

[Broderick]

That was horrific!  lol.  And when she "left" Paul and went to San Francisco with Shawn Garrett, she recorded a cover of Kenny Loggins' "Forever", which the show played a zillion times over a three week period, and it was plumb terrible too.