AMC articles, interviews, behind the scenes

[EricMontreal22]

Oh I have no idea! Odd--it's interesting how her career never really started, even though I think she's good in SNF. Of course, for whatever reason, Fever didn't really help anyone's career except Travolta's. (Kinda interesting that five years later Donna PEscow was on AMC).

[Pine Charles]

Playing a lezzie!

[EricMontreal22]

I have a big chunk of her and Devon's storyline on VHS--she did a good job (There's a sad bit with her all alone on Xmas)

[DRW50]

This talks a bit more about what happened with Karen. Apparently other magazines said it was a firing but the Digest is more ambiguous. January 1978 Digest.

[All My Shadows]

I always figured Karen left the show to do SNF, but I guess not. It really is kinda sad the way Tara just fizzled out in the late 70s...I'm glad at least for the brief scenes of her and Chuck in that episode on YouTube.

Thanks for ALL of this stuff, I hadn't realized how many articles from the mid-70s you posted! That big cast picture is pretty gorgeous. I've always been very interested in Frank and Nancy, and I wonder how they were introduced (Frank in '71, Nancy in '73, IIRC) and if it was a conscious decision on Agnes's part to give them their own storylines.

[EricMontreal22]

AMC-0-what youtube scene do you mean? I'm not sure I've seen it.

FOr a character that was recast so much, it does feel that after Karen left (maybe the first time) they didn't really know what to do with the character anyway.

I believe Agnes did consciously decide to give Frank and Nancy their storylines. In *that* book I mention way too much, she talks about finally giving them a major story (this would have been 1975) and it was a conscious decision to not make it a race based storyline.

[All My Shadows]

They were in the episode where Erica married Tom. They're not on for very long, it's toward the end. As a matter of fact, the cliffhanger at the end of the ep is Jeff and Chris driving over to see Tara, not realizing that Chuck is there.

I didn't realize Caroline was on as early as '76. You never ever ever hear about AMC's black characters from the 70s and their storylines...it looks like Frank and Nancy were on-and-off all the time. I keep forgetting that Nancy's son isn't Frank's...but he is a character they could/should put on the show now. No clue who'd play him, though.

[EricMontreal22]

Oh--I have watched that *terrific* episode (numerous times--since aside from those great 4 or so episodes we've gotten from 1970 and 1971, it's the earliest full episode of AMC I've been able to see). I admit, I associate Karen and her "look" so much with Tara, that I often have trouble remembering that blonde is Tara. (I wish some of Tara's brief return in the mid 90s was up...)

I think Agnes did her best with Black characters, although the ethnic and racial diversity was never nearly as much a focus on AMC as she made it from the start on OLTL. I do get the impression that Frank and Nancy were liked by audiences though, even if basically B characters--it wasn't till Angie and Jesse that that really changed.

[SFK]

AMS, are you talking about Carl? He'd be a good character if they ever brought in an older than Frankie/younger than Jesse black male love interest for Kendall (yeah right) or even KWAK (?). A good character for that guy who does that Tyler Perry show and was on ATWT or B&B? You know who I'm talking about. At any rate, my mom and her best friend thought little Carl was the most *sick'nin* child actor ever, they were reminded of him when Max came on the scene.

[EricMontreal22]

Max? You mean "Maps"?

[DRW50]

From the January 8, 1980 Digest.

[DRW50]

[All My Shadows]

OH MY GOD I NEED TO SEE DISCO EPISODES!!!!!!!!!

I wonder how Fra and Hugh felt about being called "the geriatric set" while Ruth Warrick was working up a sweat on the dance floor with the younguns.

[DRW50]

I guess it was true to their characters (although I'd love to see Mona doing the bump). I guess that was also something Phoebe would say...

[SFK]

Mona doing the bump, LMFAO. Though I imagine her looking all frazzled getting *bumped* by surprise like when Erica would burst into Dr. Tyler's office.

There's a clip of them all dancing at the disco in the 25th anniversary episode, and I haven't watched it in years, but I think there's a disco scene or two in All About Erica.