Y&R: Old Articles

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whether a show is a success or failure. Despite all the odds against having a new daytime hit, CBS decided to take the plunge and introduce a new drama in 1973. In the beginning, the show was to be called The Innocent Years, but along with many other changes, that fell by the wayside before the premiere date. William J. Bell, creator and writer of Days Of Our Lives joined with Elizabeth Corday and John Conboy to create for Screen Gems what was to become the freshest and most contemporary daytime show on the air. The Young And The Restless premiered on March 26, 1973, replacing Where The Heart Is in the 12:00 to 12:30 (E.S.T.) time slot. At first, the show had few stations picking it up, but as the show became more popular and sponsors began to take note of the tremendous audience reaction, CBS began to realize that they had a winner on their hands.

The cast, composed primarily of attractive young faces with little professional acting experience, has proved to be tremendously talented and appealing, and no one deserves more credit for the success of the show than they do. When cast, crew, producers and writers joined together to celebrate the first anniversary of The Young And The Restless, it was truly a time of joy and personal satisfaction for each and every person associated with the serial.

Usually when a new show is launched, producers try to come up with an attention attracting gimmick. When ABC debuted All My Children, they assembled a cast of primarily new faces but just for added insurance persuaded well-loved Rosemary Prinz to return to daytime TV for their show. Rosemary was glad to oblige but stipulated that she would remain with the show only for a short time. However, by the time she left the show, audiences were so absorbed in the plot and infatuated with the cast members that her absence didn't bother them much. Earlier this year, NBC took the same tactic when they lured Rosemary to NBC to launch How To Survive A Marriage. But, the creators of The Young And The Restless wanted a cast of fresh faces that that daytime audiences hadn't seen before. Sure, the first few months were rough, but they knew they had characters and a plot that had sure-fire audience appeal. Once women tuned in to give the show a try, they became sold on it and continued to watch and even wrote fan letters expressing their enthusiasm.

While many other new daytime dramas have come and gone in the past ten years, it appears that The Young And The Restless is in for a long run. It is giving the other soaps a real run for their money in the ratings race and by the time the cast is celebrating their second anniversary, it wouldn't surprise us if they are also celebrating being number one in the Nilesen and daytime magazine polls!

Most of the original cast members were on hand for the first anniversary party and many enjoyed reminiscing about the events that have taken place in the mythical town of Genoa City since the show's debut. Located in the upper part of mid-America, Genoa City has a population of about a quarter of a million people. The time is today and the plot centers primarily around the Brooks and Foster families. By far the most popular member of the cast is William Gray Espy, the handsome young actor who portrays Snapper Foster. William is number one in daytime popularity polls and daytime magazine readers constantly scream for more stories and more pictures on this elusive and talented young man. However, William is a modest and somewhat shy young man and he doesn't really like giving interviews or having a lot of publicity about himself. William plays a 24-year-old medical student who seems to have a knack for attracting women and getting into complicated situations with them.

The plot has moved very fast from the beginning. Snapper became involved with two beautiful young women, Sally McGuire, a waitress at Pierre's, and Chris Brooks, the wealthy young daughter of the town's newspaper publisher. Snapper spent many nights with Sally and it didn't take her long to fall in love with him. Snapper knew loved him and he used her very cruelly to satisfy his own physical needs while giving her very little in return. Sally was deeply hurt when Snapper began seeing Chris Brooks, but she didn't protest too vigorously for fear of losing him altogether. In the meantime, Chris was falling in love with Snapper and he was finding himself in the dubious position of having two girls in love with him and not wanting to be tied down to either one. In the weeks that followed he hurt both of them in various ways and it appeared as if he was nothing but a two-timing playboy, but finally he decided that his loyalty belonged to Chris and he told Sally he couldn't see her anymore.

The Brooks family didn't approve of Snapper and felt that Chris was making a great mistake in trying to win his love. Stuart Brooks felt that Snapper was just a fortune hunter and did everything he could to discourage the romance. He had Snapper followed by detectives and learned that he had been spending nights with Sally McGuire after making early dates with Chris. Despite his deep feelings for Chris, Snapper didn't feel he was ready for marriage and he almost lost Chris to his brother Greg, who also loved her. Chris was interested in Greg mainly as a link to Snapper but he fell in love with her and the situation soon became very sticky indeed. Stuart Brooks confronted Chris with the information about Snapper and Sally and she ran away from home. The family finally found her and her father talked her into taking a job with Greg in his newly opened law office. Chris later learned that her father had been giving Greg money to pay her salary. She quit her job and decided to move out of the Brooks home and into an apartment. In an effort not to lose her, Greg proposed, but Chris finally admitted that she was still in love with Snapper. Living on her own and looking for a job, Chris wandered into a singles bar late one night. A man who had been secretly following her for several weeks came into the bar after her and managed to spill a drink on her. He offered to walk her home and to her horror forced his way into the apartment and raped her.

The next few weeks were to be some of the most dramatic and emotional of the entire year. The rapist was taken into the police station for a traffic violation and Chris identified him as her rapist in a police line-up. His trial followed after Chris finally made up her mind to press charges and go through with the grueling hours of testimony. Chris almost suffered a nervous breakdown during the trial because the rapist's attorney tried to twist the testimony to make it appear that Chris had had intercourse with the man willingly and that no force had been involved at all. Chris protested tearfully, but the verdict was that the man was not guilty. Chris was shattered by this and began to have doubts about herself and her relationship with men. She began to have fears about marrying any man, much less Snapper. Once again, Greg asked her to marry him and once again she refused. Finally Snapper persuaded Chris to see him again and convinced her that he really loved her and wanted to marry her. Snapper realized his love for Chris when she donated her blood to help his mother during a serious operation, but he didn't know if he was ready for marriage at that time. He realized during the trial, however, that he had to help the woman he loved and prevent her from being hurt again. Chris wouldn't agree to marry Snapper until finally the rapist confessed that it really had been rape and that Chris was not lying. She overcame her shock and fear and she and Snapper proceeded to have one of the most beautiful weddings daytime TV has ever seen.

The plot has become increasingly more complicated with each episode. Chris' sister, Laurelee returned to Genoa City and soon began vying for attention with her sister, Leslie, a talented pianist. Leslie was in love with Brad Eliot, the town's mysterious newspaperman. (He is actually a famous psychiatrist assumed dead by the Chicago authorities). Brad cared for Leslie but could not ask her to marry him because of his past. Lauralee soon fell for Brad and set out to win him away from Leslie. Brad doesn't realize that Lauralee is responsible for Leslie's mysterious disappearance and the resulting mental breakdown that she suffered. While Leslie ties in confused paranoia in a mental hospital, Lauralee is having an affair with Brad and trying to sell her scandalous novel.

Back to Sally, the poor waitress that Snapper ditched for Chris...Sally found out soon after Snapper left her, that she was pregnant with his child. She was delighted at first, thinking that she would be able to win him back that way. But she soon realized with the help of Snapper's mother, Liz Foster and her good friend, Brad, that trapping Snapper would not be the right thing to do. He wold only hate her and it would make things worse. So, Sally kept quiet as Snapper married Chris. Pierre, the restaurant owner, then married Sally to give her baby a name but Sally couldn't be a wife to Pierre. She still loved Snapper and couldn't bear to share another man's bed while carrying Snapper's child. However, she respected Pierre and believed that he would be a good father for her child. Just when Sally and Pierre were beginning to feel they had a good future together, he was killed by an armed robber who entered the restaurant after closing one night. So, once again, Sally was left alone, pregnant and worried about her child. She fears that her suicide attempt earlier in the year may have affected her unborn child and she has been meeting with Snapper discussing her pregnancy.

Snapper is trying to secretly help Sally and make provisions for their baby. His mother, Liz Foster, does her best to help Sally also, and has every intention of helping her grandchild when it arrives. Right now Snapper's mother and Chris' parents know about Snapper and Sally's child, but Chris does not. There is every indication that she is bound to find out sooner or later, however. Possibly through Snapper's brother, Greg, who is very suspicious and still in love with Chris.

Chris has just learned that she is pregnant and Snapper is very upset. As a struggling medical student he can barely make ends meet as it is. He would like Chris to have an abortion, but she is violently opposed to the idea. She wants a baby very badly and Snapper feels she tried to get pregnant on purpose even though she says it was an accident. As a result their marriage is becoming troubled and it looks as if Chris is in for more heartache in the future.

This is only a brief synopsis of some of the events that have taken place in Genoa City, but it gives you an indication as to why the cast and audiences are so enthusiastic about The Young And The Restless. From all us here at TV Star Parade to everyone at The Young And The Restless, "Happy Birthday, and may you have many, many more!"

By Amanda Jackson

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November 1990 Weekly

[yr9190]

Thanks for sharing the VIctoria Rowell article Carl! She looks stunning in that picture.

She really seems like a cool person, despite the fact that her honesty about some of the things behind the scenes at Y&R, rubs people off the wrong way.

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I know she's become very controversial but I will always miss her on daytime.

I put another article on the last page, if you get a chance to read it. It's from the first anniversary of the show. They go into a little more detail on some early stories.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJLxL4uCgw8&feature=channel

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLourMhd2-o

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I just read that Lori Saunders, who was the "dumb" sister on Petticoat Junction (Bobbie Jo), played Nurse Cynthia in 1976, who had designs on Snapper. She was quickly recast with Heather Lowe, who also seemed to have little success in the role. Those who were watching back then - what did you think of Saunders? Did you think the character had any potential?

[will81]

From what I remember (from synopsis as I wasn't born at that point) Cynthia worked in the clinic Snapper opened after he was fired from the hospital due to his father's death (Liz had pulled the plug, but a nurse walked in on Snapper and assumed he was the one who euthanized his father , as Liz was going to tell the police what really happened, she had a stroke and she forgot what happened). I don't think anything happened between Snapper and Cynthia, maybe a mild flirtation on his part, though I think she did try, Snapper didn't do anything as far as I am aware. Though this all happened mostly in 1977, so not sure what she was doing the year before.

Cynthia, I think, also went after Brad Elliot, just as he was getting a divorce from Leslie. She traveled with him to get an operation on his eyes, Brad hoped that if the surgery was a success he could get to Leslie before she signed the papers, the surgery worked and Cynthia was supposed to send word to Leslie, but she waited until Leslie signed the papers. Brad still rejected Cynthia and went after Leslie. Not sure how Cynthia exited the show, I think she just left town.

Thanks CarlD2 for the articles. Now that I am back online, hopefully I can get back to sharing all the synopsis I have from the SOD mags I have.

Edited March 6, 2012 by will81

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Thank you for all those details, Will. I appreciate them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE3S43z0DRM&feature=channel

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZpa1V0Gxk4

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld97i3QADbo

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This story was so confusing to me. The guy Paul was talking too was a recast of the guy Phyllis had dated to make Danny jealous, right? Or is this another man??

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gddxmpyoHI&feature=channel