All My Children Tribute Thread

[Pine Charles]

Erica’s first encounter with Opal!!

It’s amazing how they eventually became BFFs!! 😂

[All My Shadows]

By the time of the 1985 episodes I've been watching, Erica was determined to turn it back into that.

I'm digging into the '81 episodes, and it's interesting to see the show in a time of transition. In the first one from August 18, only Kate and later Charles are characters who'd been around since the early 70s. No more Linc, Kelly, Nick, Phil, Tara, Anne, etc. I wonder what the initial reaction to the Cortlandts was as their introduction coincided with the fading out of so many characters who'd created the show's identity in its first decade. I know Cliff/Nina were huge, but by this year, people had to be tired of watching them fight against outward obstacles, especially Palmer.

I didn't realize how important Betsy Kennicott was (or how important they wanted her to be).

Mark La Mura continues to prove to be AMC's most handsome actor and one of its most charismatic. I ain't mad at that one scene of him shirtless digging in the refrigerator. Uncle Mark had cakes.

Dorothy Lyman never missed a beat as Opal, but wow, I never thought I'd ever see her and Jenny first showing up. Now I see what they always meant by Opal being less comedic and more villainous in the beginning. Early Jesse with Frank and Aunt Bess is also a treat that I never thought I'd see any time soon. I'm three episodes in, and Opal and Jenny just pulled up at Foxy's. Great stuff.

Is this between John E. Dunn leaving the role of Tad and MEK showing up? Everything I've seen of JED means that his Tad would be younger than Kim Delaney's Jenny, but he's supposed to be older, buttttt doesn't MEK show up in the following year? How long was he missing from Pine Valley?

Also great to see Tudi Wiggins as Sarah Kingsley - yet another character I thought I'd never see. These episodes are awesome!

No disrespect to the late Harriet Hall, but she sucked.

Sorry for my habit of saying so much when I binge classic AMC, but I have so many thoughts and observations lol Alan Dysert was so cute and clean-cut, stereotypical early 80s.

Edited September 9, 2018 by All My Shadows

[j swift]

Every time I see this actress's name I think her name sounds like a Harry Potter character.  I appreciate an actress with a better name that her character.

 

Is it pronounced Tud-ee or Tood-ee?

[victoria foxton]

I've been watching AMC from 1988. By then Cliff & Nina feel really played out. They don't feel played out in 1981 They still have a freshness to them.. Never knew Sean was after Nina. But it makes sense. Since Nina was a wealthy heiress. And Sean does go after Cecily 7 yrs later. I recently saw an episode from 1988 with Huey the sleazy manager of Foxy's. I was very surprise to see Huey running Foxy's in 1981. That's great continuity.  I had no idea Sean and Daisy were lovers. Tempo always came across as Pine Valley's version of Time magazine. When Brooke was running it.  I'm dying to see scenes between Tudi Wiggins and Susan Lucci. I'm loving seeing Dorothy Lyman as Opal. And the late Kay Campbell as Kate Martin. The stuff with Devon/Betsy/Wally is BORING. I'm loving seeing the very beginning of Jessie and Jenny friendship.

Edited September 9, 2018 by victoria foxton

[Pine Charles]

Tempo was a national magazine, with offices in NYC.

Adam purchased the magazine, and moved the offices to Pine Valley so Brooke could run it (she didn’t want to move to New York).

[All My Shadows]

I've always assumed Tood-ee, rhyming with Judy. She was on Match Game, so if anyone ever finds an episode, we can hear Johnny Olson say it.

Do we have any information whatsoever on where the house used for exteriors of the Martin home is located or if it's still standing? I'm assuming somewhere in Connecticut, probably near real-life Pine Valley Hospital.

Edited September 10, 2018 by All My Shadows

[DRW50]

 

I get vibes of Cynthia Preston's son and Will Cortlandt as they seem to have this character type with potential and he always ends up becoming a murderer or going psycho. It's a shame, as Dysert is very good. As is Linda Gibboney, who is just enthralling as messy, messy Sybil. I was watching the August 20th episode and the way she toys with poor pathetic Devon is something to behold. Poor Linda never seemed to get the real break in soaps she deserved.

 

Opal is just horrible in these early episodes. Not only exploiting her underage daughter to perverts, but slapping her around. I notice they made sure we didn't see the slap - I wonder if they were worried about complaints. AMC always had a rough edge compared to the other soaps, as shown by how popular Billy Clyde became in spite of being a violent pimp, but I'm still a little surprised at how beloved Opal became after watching this. 

 

I can't believe they already had the seeds of the Jesse and Jenny friendship planted only three episodes into Jenny's arrival on the show. It's been such a long time since I have watched a soap that was intricately plotted. It makes me feel sad. 

 

I may be wrong, but I was sure he was not wearing underwear. 

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 Soaps in the early '80s were really something.

[Vee]

IIRC John Dunn, the first(?) Tad, left the show and memorably played a foul-mouthed teen who got mutilated in the horror classic Sleepaway Camp a year or something after exiting AMC. I had no idea the guy was on the show until I read up on the cast after rewatching it recently.

Edited September 10, 2018 by Vee

[Franko]

With Jenny and Jesse on the scene, I take it Greg and Liza debuted fairly soon after these episodes.

[All My Shadows]

Yep, Andrew Preston is who immediately comes to mind every time Sean appears. That preppy guy with the devious eyes who is clearly up to no good. It's a soap trope that I've never really paid a whole lot of attention to, but now it makes sense.

 

I'm loving Sybil. It's just so fun to see how these characters really were as opposed to how I've always perceived them via summaries and short clips over the years. Sybil could've been a fun character to have through the 80s when so many of PV's women had become either pillars of virtue, villainesses, or Erica. Maybe it's because I've just never been huge on Cliff and Nina.

I, too, was surprised at how quickly the ball got rolling with Jesse and Jenny. The Gardner storyline as a whole happened way more quickly than I always thought it did. I like that Opal and Jenny remain in Kate's orbit and are only introduced to other characters through her and the Martin porch. There's just a stirring feeling underneath every scene that the sh!t will hit the fan soon.

 

Mark was such an exhibitionist, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he went commando in many episodes.

 

I'm assuming whenever Jesse and Jenny end up in school, Greg and Liza will make their debuts. I'm heartbroken because it seems as though there aren't any more episodes in this consecutive set. Seven episodes are better than none, I suppose.

Edited September 11, 2018 by All My Shadows

[Jagger1966]

 

 

     I didn't know Harriet Hall had died.  I remember her brief time as Brooke.  I thought she was pretty and an ok actress but she was no Julia Barr for sure.

[danfling]

The clip above from 1981 features my two favorite All My Children actresses:  Linda Gibboney (who became my favorite actress on the show upon her first appearance) and the late Kay Campbell.

 

Tempo magazine goes all the way back into the early 1970s when Erica had her first modeling career and Grayson Hall (from Dark Shadows) came to Pine Valley to write a story on her for Tempo.

 

John E. Dunn was the second actor to play the role.   The wonderful child actor Matthew Anton (who was later in Pretty Baby with Brooke Shields and Keith Carradine) originated the role.  His co-star in Sleepaway Camp was Kathy Kalmi, who later appeared on All My Children as Brandon and Sarah's daughter.

Alan Dysart as Sean was wonderful the first time that he was on the show.   When "Sean" returned from prison and was working for Adam Chandler, he had little to do.   He was still just as good, but the storylines were not there  for him to play.

[Pine Charles]

Was that when she was being managed by Jason Maxwell??

[danfling]

Yes.   Jason did much of the same work that a press agent would.   He arranged for Grayson (not sure of her character's name) to come to Pine Valley and to write an article about Erica and Jeff and their life in Pine Valley. 

[slick jones]

Grayson Hall was Marge Grey in 1973