Jump to content

All My Children Tribute Thread


Toups

Recommended Posts

  • Members

I did not know that. She was Senior VP of ABCD from 2000-2004, so you're saying they fired her & brought him in instead of giving her another term. Geeze Louise! When Michael Kape, of Soap Opera Now, first interviewed Frons in 1983 he already hated the genre, hated soaps & literally wanted to kill them. That far back!!! That early on!!! It says so much of the awful underlying psychology of the US daytime organization & business that someone who wanted to do away with them was in a position of power for so long over it! He's not called the Daytime Destroyer without cause!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 10.4k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • Members

Please register in order to view this content

 

 

A lot of AMC episodes uploaded in the last 24 hours by this retro channel. And some of it in really good quality. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Always loved it when AMC did gothic. This Dixie/Adam/Brooke storyline would always be my favorite for that reason.

The Julie/Jackson flirtation had potential. 

Same!! This was a great beat in the storyline and really made me like the character. 

I do find it interesting that you are not crazy about Nico/Cecily they usually get a lot of praise from fans. I much preferred Nico with Julie, I can't resist the classic good girl/bad guy trope.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I was soooo excited for the 25th anniversary week (even if I had no idea who half the character cameos were) and the primetime special.  As someone who had only been a viewer for 4 years but was obsessed with the history--and with no way to see old episodes, it was a godsend (and of course around the same time they released the coffee table book, I think the first for a soap opera.)

It was a few pages back now that we discussed Gothic Agnes Nixon storylines, but in general I loved when AMC would dip into the Gothic too (Hell for the intro to Wildwind they were riffing on no less than Rebecca, Jane Eyre AND sensation serial classic Lady Audley's Secret all mashed up together.)

I wasn't a regular viewer back then but I do like Nico with Julie best (I couldn't believe how appealing I found Nico actually, since I've NEVER been a Sonny fan...)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Randomly, through several different rabbit holes, I came across an interview with Jean Passanante when she retired from soaps in 2017.  As most here know, after the disastrous McTavish second run at AMC, Agnes Nixon came out of her semi-retirement (she had still, and would continue to still, attend most of the story meetings even when she was "retired" but apparently would try to keep her input to a minimum) to help refocus the show (her previous last credited stints as a HW had been AMC in 89-92 as we've discussed, and Loving in 93-94.) 

Though Wiki lists Elizabeth Page as her co-HW, she wasn't in the initial credits (I remember being thrilled when I saw Nixon's name.)  This was a bit before the Bianca coming out story, but what Nixon did best was to return a sense of Pine Valley as a community again (even bringing back characters to add colour like Enid Nelson)  She also, as she does, did some retreads with mixed results (introducing Leo/Greenlee/Becca which played into past character tropes for "the young lovers" Nixon would always have during her runs at AMC--I think Greenlee was meant to be a new take on Erica Kane back then, with some similar issues but... rich.  Becca, was a throwback to Tara but for a variety reasons that kind of character did not play very well in 1999) 

This was June 1999 or so.  But by the Fall, Jean Passanante had started being credited just under her as co-HW (and I only really knew Jean as a HW from her brief year at OLTL which was not good, but to her credit she says she was always told she was just an interim writer until the Labines came in and so was not meant to do long term story.)  I still think AMC remained good for a year (certainly better than under McTavish) but after that the show did start to seem pretty schizophrenic with some great and some not good at all material (Libidizone!  Dog boy!) and choppy storytelling, which of course I blamed on Passanante and not Nixon.

And that's probably unfair, though I still blame it primarily on Passanante and once Nixon's name left the credits the show became close to unwatchable (I'd say it was at its worst, but the worst was yet to come...)  It does sound like they worked pretty separately which was clear on the show.  According to Wiki, Passanante started getting solo credit in January 2001 and was out by the Summer, with a month or two with no credited HW (I remember the gossip at the time was she broke her contract to go to ATWT.)  Then we got the year of Richard Culliton which was odd, filled with potentially good stories that were dropped or poorly resolved, and Culliton seems to have blacked out the entire experience (he was left to wrap up the extremely convoluted PROTEUS storyline Passanante started.)

ANYWAY that's me rambling on about AMC history.  But I found Passanate's interview answer about her time there, kinda interesting (and LOVED what she said about Nixon's "vertical storytelling":

After AW’s cancellation, you went to ALL MY CHILDREN and worked alongside Agnes Nixon from 1999-2001. What was that like?

Passanante: Working with Agnes was a revelation. The network execs and producers I’d worked with up until then had generally demanded we write fairly detailed long-term documents before we launched into a story. But Agnes, being Agnes, didn’t really have to do that. She wasn’t wedded to a document or preconceived notion of where the story was going, at least in terms of its details; she approached each day one scene at a time, and all the plot points came straight out of character. She also believed in “vertical scenes” — scenes that advance character, not plot, say, a chat between Myrtle and Erica just to illuminate the audience as to Erica’s frame of mind. Sometimes the powers-that-be on certain shows don’t love that kind of scene if it isn’t precisely moving story forward, which is kind of a shame. I really saw her as a mentor, though we had different styles of working. She couldn’t believe I actually thought in terms of building story toward some kind of climax or cliffhanger at the end of the week on Friday. She asked me once if I was good at jigsaw puzzles — I’m not — because of the way I like to piece plot points together. She really didn’t think like that. I’m not sure that was a compliment! She had a great, raucous cackle. And she loved a juicy piece of gossip. When my [AMC] contract was up after two years, I had a chance to go to WORLD TURNS and I grabbed it. Over my time with her on the show, Agnes had gotten increasingly less involved at AMC and frankly, at that point, I thought my days were numbered.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Thanks. That was around the time I quit watching on a regular basis (I thought the show had just become dull and unpleasant and that hadn't really changed even after McTavish was fired), but I appreciate hearing her thoughts. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I don't fully remember.  It was a teen boy who had been kept in a cage much of his life as he was abused and I think was somehow connected to Alex and Anna Devane and their evil megacriminal mother (??)  At any rate there was a new teen scene in 2001 (I believe) including a mean jock, Marcus, and one of the younger Santos daughters (Rosa?)  And they were trying to acclimatize him back into society, and Rosa (or Anita?) had a connection to him, but Marcus was jealous, and the mean kids would call him dog boy.  Oh also all this teen scene (including I think Laura--second Laura) also were involved in a typically unrealistic story where the kids were all doing a lot of Ecstacy.

I swear I'm not making any of this up...

Passanante also was responsible for Gillian's death (which again I think was connected to the Devanes' mother) which led to a Heaven sequence where we got to see past characters (kinda a mini version of OLTL's Vicki in Heaven) which fans liked--well they liked seeing past characters--but it got extended much further, Gillian possesed Opal so she could kiss Ryan at one point, and Ghost Jesse actually SAVED Tad from almost walking into a nboose (which made no sense if he was a ghost, but...) etc  That as well as Libidizone were both just too out there IMHO for AMC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

His name was Gabriel. He was their half-brother. He was initially mute. Bianca was heavily involved in parts of his story, which made some fans wary that the show was going to try to "turn" Bianca (I think they just wanted to avoid writing a romance for her).

I think it was Rosa. I think people also pointed out how old the actress seemed for that part, although I may be wrong.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Posted (edited)

It was Passanante who ATWT asked if she could take her experience writing on the team who gave us "Bianca comes out as gay on AMC" & do it again only with a guy, Luke. Later, of course she created Julie Pinson's character Julie patterned after herself but unfortunately she ate the whole show.

Edited by Contessa Donatella
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Please register in order to view this content

 One of my favorites. Every episode she is in... I'm thankful for. I wish she has a more leading storyline. I can only hope so. 

Ah, I feel like I'm just in the very very beginning in my AMC journey and hearing your history with the show is just fascinating to me. I am still slowly going through 1989... 1-2 episodes a day. Slowed down from my marathons, because of work. I can't wait for the first Agnes Nixon episodes to come.   

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • How did I never notice how tall Colton was?

      Please register in order to view this content

    • They didn't need to have some slutty gay dude as their representation. Just a 'normal' guy getting involved with another guy or two (or three). Just like the straight characters. Thinking about it, they missed the boat by not having a few other single charcters at the beginning. Maybe Naomi or Ashley could be shown meeting Derek/Jacob and  we could follow their romance. Too many characters were coupled up at the start. As a tattoo hater I was surprised to see Tomas so inked. Don't find it attractive or sexy. I'm surprised an actor would do that as it's definitely a statement and may not be appropriate for some roles. Suppose they can cover if necessary. I didn't buy Kat being all girly and then paying off Darius to get into Eva's room. Way too cliche. She should have just come along when the housekeeping was leaving and breezed in saying it was her room. And her smug looks in the hotel room and 'Now I've got you!!' talks to herself at Orphey Gene's...no.  
    • Omg I was so annoyed. Like girl calm down. Coming on way too strong. Omg I forgot about this

      Please register in order to view this content

    • I thought it got stale before Jocks death lol. His death picked things back up for me.
    • 1976 Pt 5 Tony is summoned to the reading of the will in the Llanfair library,as he’s a principal in the will. He tells Joe there’s not a chance of coming to terms with Dorian, as he is sure she brought about Victor’s death by torturing him emotionally when he was her helpless prisoner after his stroke. Ironically, Chapin hand delivers to Viki a letter her father wrote before his stroke, praising Dorian and asking Viki to befriend and support his widow when he was no longer there. Viki feels a responsibility to her father’s wishes and vows to try with Dorian. Victor’s will leaves the expected amounts to members of his family and staff, with the lion’s share of his stock and property going to Dorian. Victor’s will explains that his son Tony expressed the desire that he not be “bought from the grave,” and, in keeping with his son’s wishes, the only bequest to him is the knowledge of his father’s love and respect. Tony is deeply moved. Dorian’s first attempt to use her new power is the recommendation of Peter as head of the Merideth Lord Wolek hospital wing, claiming that naming Larry would be virtual nepotism. Peter, who has devoted considerable time and effort to helping Jenny get over Tim’s death with gentle, affectionate support, is happy at this suggestion, but Jenny points out Dorian is merely using him to hurt Larry. Viki disregards Dorian’s ingenuous assurances that she’s not trying to wield her new power but is merely putting Peter up for consideration for a future opportunity, if not this one, and tells her she won’t be able to fulfill her father’s desire that they be friends unless Dorian stops interfering. Larry, fully understanding Dorian’s personal motives, warns her he’s going to fight for the appointment no matter what. Realizing that she has made a tactical error, Dorian announces that she won’t even attend the board meeting but will give her proxy to Jim. She admits to Matt McAllister, still her confidant, that this was humiliating, but it was a necessary protective tactic. Dorian manages to win her next round at Joe’s office when, after he praises her decision to yield on appointing Peter, she expresses concern for Viki “at a time like this.” Joe, of course, jumps on her words, and Dorian, pretending great distress at having mentioned something she shouldn’t have, is “forced” to explain that she knew about the congenital heart condition Megan had and that any child of Joe’s is likely to inherit it. She overheard the doctors discussing it at the time of the accident, she continues, and naturally assumed that Joe already knew.  Joe arranges a meeting at home with Viki and asks her how she could live a lie like this; how she could go through their lives as if everything were fine while every moment was a lie. He is further upset when, in trying to explain that it was out of her love for him that she kept the truth from him, she mentions that Jim and Larry also know but Cathy still hasn’t been told. Viki tells Joe that Dorian deliberately told him this way to hurt their marriage, and she is very upset when he starts toward the door, pleading that they have always talked things out in the past. Joe coolly points out that she didn’t do that when she learned about Megan and continues out the door.  A tearful Viki is shaken and when Joe later returns, having spent several hours in a bar drinking only soft drinks,she breaks down, crying that she was convinced he’d left her. Joe assures her they can get through this despite everything, because their relation is based on love and mutual respect. 
    • If you think about it, DALLAS and DYNASTY grew stale right about the same time, even if the ratings were slow to reflect that.  FC and KL, on the other hand, tried to stay fresh, but KL was way more successful at it, I think, than FC.  (That [!@#$%^&*] with The Thirteen does not hold up well, lol).
    • GH 1976 Pt 8 Heather takes advantage of the situation by asking Jeff to come and look at Tommy. She uses sympathy, compassion, and her own feminine wiles, together with his misery and his pills, to lure him into bed. Later, sober, he apologizes. Learning from Pearson that Monica has seen a divorce lawyer, Jeff confronts her, and she insists it’s a lie. Avoiding his attempts to kiss her, she musses her hair and tears her blouse, then rushes to Rick’s, claiming that she can’t stay with that maniac any longer. They wind up in Rick’s bed, and after making love he confesses he always loved her. Rick replies to her question of whether he wants to marry her by saying he has to talk to Jeff. Monica insists that Jeff not bear any pressure from their problems. As she leaves, Rick gives her a key to his apartment. Jeff, having spent the night drinking, misses his surgical assignment, and Steve, informing him that his personal life can’t interfere with his profession, puts him on suspension. Rick can’t persuade Steve to reverse his decision, but Mark, sensing what’s at the heart of Jeff’s problem, convinces Steve to lift Jeff’s suspension and transfer him to Mark’s service. Rick asks for his key back, telling Monica they can’t do anything as long as she’s under Jeff’s roof. So she has a duplicate made and moves into intern’s quarters, explaining that Jeff’s violence drove her out. She tells Jeff she needs privacy to work things out, and tells Rick Jeff wanted her out. Thinking that this is the preliminary to a divorce, Rick tells her she can come to his place. In New York, Leslie’s abortion is delayed by a mix-up in scheduling, and she calls Terri to commiserate. Rick overhears Terri’s conversation and forces the whole story from her. He flies to New York to stop Leslie, feeling responsible for pointing out how evil Cam was, and arrives to find that she has decided she can’t deny her child the right to live. Monica, meanwhile, expecting that Rick will be home, uses her key to let herself into his apartment and is shocked to find Mark there; knowing that Mark was uncomfortable at the hotel, Rick offered Mark use of the apartment in his absence. Monica is upset to learn that Rick is in New York with Leslie, and Mark doesn’t know why. Mark does advise Monica to play fair with Jeff, but she resents his interference. The next day, while covering for Leslie at the clinic, Monica discovers Leslie’s lab test report and jumps to the conclusion that the baby is Rick’s. When Rick and Leslie return, Monica wastes no time in accusing him. He is dismayed to see that she is still as suspicious and possessive as she was before he went to Africa, and points out that her making a duplicate  key proves she hasn’t changed. Terri encourages Leslie to see Rick in a romantic light and then suggests to Rick that Leslie is interested in him. Rick likes this idea and tells Mark he’s growing ‘unwilling to cope with Monica’s unreasonable demands. But Monica immediately recognizes the threat Leslie represents and decides to attack. She goes to Leslie and tells her flatly that she and Rick are having an affair and he’s her exclusive property. Leslie, who realizes she has been falling in love with Rick, is hurt, and Rick is mystified when he feels Leslie pulling away from him. Monica’s big moment comes when she brings Rick a housewarming gift and seduces him into letting her stay overnight. She is in the bedroom when Leslie stops by to apologize for refusing his dates, and makes a dramatic entrance into the living room draped in Rick’s bathrobe. Leslie turns and runs out. Rick later informs her he’s disappointed in her, because she prejudged Monica and him rather than giving him the benefit of the doubt. Heather tries to arrange another tryst with Jeff, but he replies that he still loves his wife. Heather decides there’s only one way to get Jeff to be pregnant with his child. She manages to overhear Monica putting Jeff down by telling him he no longer turns her on and should look for someone he does. Heather goes to Jeff and tells him that she heard Monica and that she is the one he’s looking for. She manages to get him into bed again, and sweetly assures him this is right. She then sets the stage for future meetings. Steve, meanwhile, offers to help Monica and Jeff work out their problems. Jeff is willing, but Monica turns the idea down. Instead, she presses Terri to convince Jeff to end the marriage. Terri now knows that Monica isn’t a good wife for Jeff and promises to try. But Jeff makes it clear to Monica that he still loves her and won’t let her go. She is bitter and upset, as she has already implied to Rick that she will soon be free. Audrey is upset to find that Florence Andrews has been inquiring about Tommy and herself. She goes to Florence’s home and finds she’s away now. Florence has gone down to Mexico to sign a sworn statement that she purchased a false death certificate for Tom, to protect his son after his wrongful conviction. Tom, learning from her that Steve and Audrey are to be married and Steve is planning to adopt Tommy, tells  Florence not to do anything, as there’s still no assurance that he’ll ever get out. But the judge does accept the statement, and, ironically, on the day that Steve  and Audrey are married, Tom is released from prison.
    • 1976 Pt 12 Final part Laurie agrees with Stuart that Peggy is rushing into marriage to prove that the rape didn’t ruin her life.  She points out that the only way Peg can be sure is to make love with Jack before the wedding. Stuart admits she’s right but points out that he can’t suggest that to Peggy. As the wedding approaches, Peg seems happy that Jack’s become close to the family. However, her happiness is shattered by a nightmare in which her loving bridegroom turns into a leering Ron Becker, forcing her to cancel the wedding. Jack reassures her he’ll wait as long as it takes, and Chris confides that she and Snapper didn’t consummate their marriage on their wedding night because of her own rape experience, but Peggy tells Chris she might never be ready.  Despite her desire to keep Karen as her own daughter, Chris helps a police artist create a sketch of Nancy so it can be printed in the newspaper as part of a search for her. When the attempt proves fruitless, however, Chris asks Greg to file application for permanent custody of the child. Greg points out that adoption is the only way to prevent Ron from returning and claiming the child, and that it will take quite a while. Meanwhile, a nurse in the psychiatric ward sees a resemblance  between the newspaper drawing and her autistic patient, Mrs. Jackson, but since “Fran” doesn’t respond to the name Nancy and no one else sees the similarity, she fears she’s mistaken. Jill is horrified to overhear Kay, when brihging baby Phillip a Christmas gift, telling the child she remembers the night he was conceived. Kay has to then admit to Jill she saw her with Phillip in the bunkhouse that night. Jill is aghast to realize that Kay new the truth all along and put her through such agony in spite of it, denying her baby his father’s name. Lance tells Laurie they’ll marry on Valentine’s Day. He laughs that it’s corny but agrees, secretly wishing it were sooner, as Vanessa has vowed to prevent it. Indeed, Vanessa makes an unprecedented venture out of the house to visit Brad, telling him to rebuff any advance Leslie might make to him, as she’s reaching out to him only from a sense of duty. But Laurie then makes a concerted effort to reach Vanessa. Without being sure why she’s trying so hard, she tries to assure the woman she’s not losing Lance and she, Laurie, will help her find a plastic surgeon somewhere who can help her. Grudgingly, Vanessa seems to be reconsidering her view of Laurie, and Laurie is delighted when Lance offers her a choice between two diamond necklaces, explaining that her preference will be Vanessa’s Christmas gift. Learning from Les about Brad’s blindness, Stuart tells Brad he could have turned Leslie away only out of great love. Knowing that Les is going to see Brad again, Laurie warns him not to bring the baby into their discussion, as Leslie will come back only she’s convinced he loves her, not for the babies sake. Leslie finds Brad disheveled and sloppy, and proceeds to straighten the apartment, stating that she can't respect him if he lets himself go. Realizing that neither Brad nor Les will make the first move, Laurie hurries things along by refusing to help Brad with his grooming, saying he should ask his wife. Then, having learned  that Brad offered Les the use of their piano, Laurie untunes the Brooks' piano forcing Leslie to accept his offer. By refusing to cater to his  blindness, Les manages to get Brad to stop wallowing in pity, and by the time Leslie’s Christmas braille message of her love and her need for him arrives, they are husband and wife again Lance takes Laurie on a business trip on New Year's Eve, and tells her, on board his plane, she won't be  won't be able to call him “Mr. All Talk and No action” after tonight. When Laurie protests that waited this long and will continue to wait until married, Lance delights her by instructing his pilot to land in Las Vegas, where they are married immediately.
    • Yeah, not sure why Jack and Jen didn’t rush to Marlena - or even Carrie - to offer their condolences. A few flashbacks would've been a nice touch too. Instead, we got a whole episode of them talking about Chad and Abby? Come on. On the bright side, I loved Anna’s scenes with Marlena and Carrie - sweet and heartfelt, felt like a real 80s throwback.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy