All My Children Tribute Thread

[vetsoapfan]

 

And didn't someone (maybe even Lucci?) later acknowledge that he had said he couldn't care less about the show's history?

[DRW50]

 

That sounds about right. Lucci was so diplomatic, at times almost painfully so - for her to let loose shows you how awful he was.

[vetsoapfan]

 

I wish I could remember for sure if the comment did indeed come from Lucci. Maybe another poster will remember better. The same person also criticized ABC for giving the writer almost two years to gut the show, and then Agnes Nixon and Lorraine Broderick a matter of a few months before its demise to repair all the damage.

 

Edited May 1, 2021 by vetsoapfan

[DemetriKane]

I’m not saying he didn’t say that! What I’m saying is, I don’t believe he wouldn’t acknowledge the death of a veteran cast member. A lot people have unwarranted hate towards Pratt for a reason I will never understand!  believe it or not, everything 08-09 that you didn’t like wasn’t solely his fault.  The guy didn’t even get to tell his true stories.  [Cough] Jr and Annie [Cough]
 

Speaking of Lucci, the truth is mama needed to speak up years before Pratt graced that set. But are we pissed at her? Absolutely not! 

Edited May 1, 2021 by DemetriKane

[John]

Frons didnt care but neither Pratt who told Cast that their characters may be doing things they never would and just to deal with it. 

Maybe he would have been out if she had. I remember when Erika Slezak on her newsletter how then HW, Dena Higley didnt tell story just plot, Higley was out. Slezak never spoke out before. At AMC maybe the zctors were worried they would lose their jobs if they spoke up

[ghfan89]

A lot may have already listened to this one, but Kate Collins talks about her father in this interview around 6:20

https://www.soapcentral.com/radio/news/2012/121207-collins.php

[DemetriKane]

@John I know it’s hard to believe but Brian did care for the shows. You don’t do that level of meddling without caring imo, he was the head cook in charge for a decade LOL. Did he understand Pine Valley? I would say not necessarily, but he did try to make it work. All the promotion and press opportunities he gave to some of the talent proves he wanted the show to succeed. 
 

I think he had his favorites like every viewer/higher up. It’s subjective to say his choices were wrong, even though they was LOL. I’m a long time fan, love the history of the show, always been passionate about the show but that doesn’t guarantee the general public would love my version of the show. 
 

Im sure it was just a job for Pratt though. I still would like to see some real receipts he really said that about shows the history. 
 

I definitely understand actors fearing job security if they spoke out. Not Lucci though, she was the one person that was safe. Cool, she threw her lil shade in the book, I would’ve love it much more if she spoke out before it got cut. And she had plenty opportunities!

[titan1978]

I think there is an inherent disconnect between someone caring for these shows while not understanding them.  And the amount of creative meddling is a hallmark of network executives that really took off at NBC in the mid 1990’s.  They all do it now.  It’s one of the reasons many talented writers have fled from network TV.  Promotion and press is also part of his job!

 

If he cared about the genre the network would have invested in bts talent, specifically writers.  What he did was try to reinvent them into what he thought they should be.  And he was often wrong.

 

I’m not saying the guy was evil or anything, just wrong on almost every level.

 

And Pratt is a plot driven writer.  GH and it’s characters have a long history of that style of writing- it can work there.  But Y&R and AMC are not those shows.  It’s exciting but shallow, and then also leaves a huge mess in its wake when the constant plots wear the audience and the characters out.

[AmandainNC28655]

I always loved Myrtle and while I did enjoy this episode, I wish they would have given her one that didn't revolve around Zach.  Myrtle had such a history in Pine Valley throughout the years. 

[DemetriKane]

@AmandainNC28655 Yes it would have been nice. I didn’t find anything wrong with it tbh, cause my last memories of her were with Zach, so I was ok with it! 
 

@titan1978 I been a huge fan of the tv/film business all my life! I think I understand what the job of the executive consists of by now LOL! And yes I know all about the meddling. All I’m saying is that his Meddling at AMC was completely different from what he did at the other two shows. You could say he just did routine checkups and gave heavy notes and let Guza practically run free. he dictated almost everything at AMC, And Vincent irizarry  has spoken about that too! It got so bad that he and Pratt fell out! As for the special promotion, I’m speaking about having certain actors become regulars on the view. Pulling strings to get Rebecca Budig on “Castle”. Having Cameron host the enmys. Sending Susan On DWTS. Sending Debbi & Darnell to the Monique show and so much more. I remember seeing promos airing on the Cartoon Network, I have never seen a soap commercial while watching cartoons, ever! Even their big move to the west coast was a move to save them, He put a lot of effort into this show!!

 

Are kidding me? The man changed the show’s writers almost every year. And that was a bad move imo. It takes months to a year to steer a show into a new direction. The team that brought Angie & Jesse back were just hitting their stride when they were let go! If you’re talking about promoting from within or ushering in a new team with fresh ideas. No he didn’t do that but he should have.

 

The show needed to be reinvented! It’s just too bad we didn’t agree with his vision. Just because he was wrong, still doesn’t mean he didn’t care though! Many of our parents have made the wrong decision, taught us the  wrong things, and gave out terrible advice. does that mean they do not care for us? No! His heart was always in the right place imo. 
 

you’re entitled to your opinion about Pratt. I will respectfully disagree, because I enjoy reading your commentary on the soaps. writers like him benefit from being paired with greats like Lorraine Broderick! He’s a great visionary, he had great ideas I just wish everybody got to witness them. Pine valley was a plot driven mess long before Pratt came along. 
 

For the record, I didn’t say he didn’t understand the shows, I said he didn’t understand AMC!!! It’s always been a hard show for others to get. The last few writers just made it look like a generic soap and that was a true disconnect.

[Forever8]

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[DemetriKane]

F.Y. I Wisner interview was filmed today. The guys said he was a bit standoffish in the beginning but it turned out decent.

 

@Forever8 I love that promo and the one with Erica. That was a magical time to be watching the show. Almost flawless!

[ghfan89]

The Wisner Washam interview is up:

https://anchor.fm/the-chatpodcast/episodes/S4E13-64-An-Interview-With-Wisner-Washam-e1093mi

[DemetriKane]

I was just about to come and post it lol

[Jonathan]

Who was the co-host of the podcast? I felt bad for him because Wisner could not understand him.