Members EricMontreal22 Posted March 3, 2011 Members Share Posted March 3, 2011 To be honest, and this may sound defensive, I think AMC has fallen the same way the majority of the soaps have--it's just that in the 80s (and 70s but we have few clips) it was so very good. It's sad to see the things that really distinguished it from the other soaps--like the Dickensian comic characters, are all but gone. But I was watching some mid 90s episodes a while back, not a hugely beloved era for the show, and even there the show just feels so much richer. But then I feel the same about OLTL, etc, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khan Posted March 3, 2011 Members Share Posted March 3, 2011 Even with a reduced budget and smaller canvas, though, AMC still could be a fantastic show. Unfortunately, the people in charge just don't have the mental capacity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EricMontreal22 Posted March 3, 2011 Members Share Posted March 3, 2011 Oh totally agreed though I think that's true of the majority of the soaps on the air (that said, and maybe it's cuz I'm a fan, I find it all the more upsetting with AMC because I think it still has the potential). That said, I do have to admit that watching episodes of the show from even the late 90s, you can't help feeling that now it simply feels anemic. Did Pine Valley feel so small int erms of characters even in the early 70s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khan Posted March 3, 2011 Members Share Posted March 3, 2011 Probably not. Then again, judging from what I've seen, their production values weren't the greatest; and while they probably had as many characters then as they do now, the actors portraying them certainly had more skill, and Agnes Nixon and her team knew how to make each one more distinctive and colorful than the writers of today do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EricMontreal22 Posted March 3, 2011 Members Share Posted March 3, 2011 AMC was apparently notorious in the first half of the 70s for having incredibly shitty production values--a number of 70s soap books rant on about this. And yes, you're right, of course... And of course the network execs allowed the writers and everyone involved to do what they do a lot more than now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SFK Posted March 3, 2011 Members Share Posted March 3, 2011 I have to agree, it's really not saying much, but what we thought was "bad" then I'd take back in a heartbeat now. The sad thing is, some things simply cannot ever be remedied, i.e., when beloved characters who made the canvas so rich have passed away. It's great that there are Kanes, Martins, and Hubbards still around, but some Tylers/Wallingfords/Englishes would be nice too. So would simple things like Frankie mentioning his Grandma Pat in a conversation if we can't see her. Or I'd like to see Erica and Tad trade a quick funny line or anecdote about Phoebe for example, the way we bring up people who've passed away in real life. I feel like this is the kind of stuff that Agnes Nixon was so good at, the little things that make the show seem warm and familiar. Those are the moments where the "youngins" watching turn to their elders and say, "Who was Ann?" and mama explains. I'm just one person but those little things moments with my own family really went a long ways and that's why I'm still in it for the long haul. When the show is crap it's easy to say, "Well shut up and stop complaining, you can always NOT watch" but I think people underestimate the power of great writing that provided great memories, for me at least, I've been kinda "bought" for the long haul whether I tune in every single day or not. I don't say that so TPTB can take advantage of my "investment" and churn out crap that I'll gladly take, no, I'm just saying that I will never not have at least a passing interest in what's going on on AMC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted March 3, 2011 Members Share Posted March 3, 2011 When I tried to do that with my grandmother she'd just ignore me so she could keep watching Around the time of Daytime to Remember, Michael Logan said that seeing the episodes again proved that they weren't a lot better than what was on at the time (mid-1997). I didn't feel that way at the time and I feel that way even less now. I wonder how he feels these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khan Posted March 3, 2011 Members Share Posted March 3, 2011 Perhaps, if we were talking about GUIDING LIGHT or AS THE WORLD TURNS, I would agree. Whenever it came to AMC and OLTL, though, I wasn't as attached (for lack of a better word) to particular characters and families. I mean, I loved them, and hated to see them depart the canvas; but when they did, it was relatively easy for me to accept. Because AMC and OLTL were more "town-driven" than "family-driven," it mattered more to me that Pine Valley and Llanview retained their unique, respective feel, w/ distinct and quirky, yet entirely empathetic, characters, regardless of familial affiliations. When that was gone, though, and these towns were homogenized completely by the network, I truly felt something was lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khan Posted March 3, 2011 Members Share Posted March 3, 2011 Oh, wth does Michael Logan know, lol? Not that I'm so nostalgic to believe everything was so much better "back in the day" (no, if I thought it was crap then, time has changed my perception not a whit), but this is a man who praises B&B as good, old-fashioned melodrama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EricMontreal22 Posted March 3, 2011 Members Share Posted March 3, 2011 Oh totally--and that sense of history is one of the biggest draws of soap operas over other shows-- That they might mention a character you remember from ten years back--*just like in real life*. Every so often AMC *does* do this (and it's nice that they did bring back Kelly for Myrtle's funeral and Nina and Daisy for Palmer's--something, for instance, I'm not sure OLTL would do anymore) but it needs to be done a lot more. Like you said, it's those small details that make the difference, really. It's true that one thing AMC didn't do as carefully as some other soaps, for whatever reason (maybe Khan's point about it being more town driven is a valid point here) is make sure to provide a younger generation on canvas for the families. It's kinda odd considering Agnes Nixon has been involved in *some* respect (admittedly for the past decade a *small* respect I think) and that she didn't work at this. Although when people bring up the Tylers, I do have to say that the show essentially seems to have given up on continuing that family beyond Brooke and Phoebe by the early 80s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EricMontreal22 Posted March 3, 2011 Members Share Posted March 3, 2011 I think there's some truth that people prob have always complained that their show was better back in the day--honestly the bitching about AMC in 96/97 when I started readiing forums about it online was probably nearly as much as now (!) which is beyond weird to think about when you go back to those episodes now--that's just human nature. But I still say that critically the shows were still much better then (Another thing I loved about the mid 90s episodes I watched was Pine Valley actually still had a genuine poor district and felt like a real place with streets, not just a collection of a few random interiors and a random park... but some ofthat, *some*, is budget) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted March 3, 2011 Members Share Posted March 3, 2011 I will have to watch AMC 1997 again but at the time, sometimes I wanted to throw things at the TV... But at least I still cared. I'm not sure how many care now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EricMontreal22 Posted March 3, 2011 Members Share Posted March 3, 2011 LOL to be fair I think from what I've read, even in their golden age there were times people would want to throw thins at the screen... LESS times probably, but... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steve Posted March 3, 2011 Members Share Posted March 3, 2011 Very well said! I have to wonder if the current writers will even mention Jamie with Tad getting married next week. I know it's just a soap opera, but AMC used to be so good at the small details that Pine Valley felt like its own little world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FrenchFan Posted March 3, 2011 Members Share Posted March 3, 2011 They already mentioned it when Tad explained his past to Cara on Tuesday. I don't know if we can expect for more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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