All My Children Tribute Thread

[Maxim]

Hahaha that's his inner struggle... because deep down he waaants to join me on the sofa and spend all his free time watching horrible looking vhs tapes of 36 year old soaps with his husband (thank God for these people who recorded them... I'm not complaining... )

And now you are making me ask myself... Am I been Agnes-Nixoned without even realizing?! Is she the one pulling all the strings?

(wink wink, Megan McTavish)

[EricMontreal22]

It's hard to know.  Hal Corley said the entire time he was there she was a regular participant of story meetings even when she wasn't credited (we do know that when McT became credited headwriter they created an "executive headwriter" position for Nixon though that was never on screen and I'm not sure how long it lasted.)  Corley also said, though, that for the most part when Nixon wasn't credited HW she would be respectful of story decisions and only occasionally interfere in them and suggest her own.

[DemetriKane]

@Maxim Cady posted a clip today from the Gaslighting storyline on her Instagram.

[alwaysAMC]

I just came on here to say this too!  What a coincidence that we've been talking about this storyline and here Cady comes with a flashback clip from that era!  Love that she cherishes those days.

[Maxim]

I have to find her profile and check it out. I love this.

Yeeees. Amazing that we are also talking about it.

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[Marco Dane]

Natalie was better with Dimitri then Trevor. I still dont understand why Trevor stayed on longer than Natalie. Natalie "Kate Collins" was the better actor than Trevor in my opinion 

[alwaysAMC]

That sparked a memory...  do y'all remember when Kate left and the NuNatalie came in?  I think there was a house fire, if I remember correctly, and she was blind for awhile and then regained her sight (a Christmas miracle! - right?).  But, she left soon after that I think...  I guess she ended up dying, I can't quite remember how?  Hard shoes to fill and the actress just wasn't able to do so.

Edited March 26 by alwaysAMC

[Marco Dane]

Hated newNat. She was trying to hard to fill the role. 

[Khan]

I think it goes without saying how foolish TPTB were to recast Natalie, lol.  Melody Anderson was and is a very pretty woman, but she was NOT Kate Collins.

If I had had my way, Trevor and Natalie would've left town with little Amanda after Janet was sent off to jail or the sanitarium for killing Will, arguing that they needed a fresh start.

IIRC, Adam and Natalie had learned that Laurel was a con artist who had stolen some money from some foundation or benefit or something.  Natalie took off in her car (with Adam in the passenger seat) to expose Laurel.  However, Natalie was either driving too fast, or she swerved to avoid hitting something.  Either way, she crashed the car. 

Natalie lingered for awhile in a coma, then opened her eyes briefly before being declared brain dead.  Adam survived, but was paralyzed from the waist down, thus setting in motion the "Lady Chatterley's Lover"-esque storyline with him, then-wife Gloria, and Alec McIntyre, whom Adam hired to look after his company, I think?  But don't quote me on that, lol.

[alwaysAMC]

Oh YES!  The car crash - you're right.  Thanks

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[Contessa Donatella]

Alec McIntyre who was played by Grant Aleksander more usually Philip on GL. Does anyone recall when he'd wear a Speedo at the pool?

[Maxim]

Thank you for this context, Eric. Now I'm even more interested to see what Agnes will bring in 1990. I'm scared that now I've hyped myself too much for her material. I should be more realistic and not expect that big of a change... to then be WOWED in best case scenario. 

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Edited March 26 by Maxim

[Soaplovers]

Kate Collins said she liked how Melody played the part, that she infused the part with warmth and a kindness.  From what Ms. Collins said in the Locher Room interview she did, she was getting married and he had gotten a job in Chicago so she wanted to support him.  Given the backstage issues, she probably was relieved that she had a new chapter in her life for her to go to.

That said, the Carter/Nat story was well done and was one of the last of the gothic stories that AMC did until attempts in the late 90s to bring the gothic storytelling back.  

Melody did give it her best shot, but the show was less interested in writing for Natalie now that Kate wasn't playing the part.. and truthfully.. Natalie was a character that seemed to fit more in the 80s/early 90s era then in the newer era coming into play.

[Maxim]

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Never laughed so much in my life. 

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[EricMontreal22]

I remember at one point they had a montage of him working out at the Chandler (?) gym (when he was working for the company but trying to seduce or turn on Gloria) and poor sheltered teenager me was so nervous someone might walk in and see me watching it...

Yes, it was a part of the Carter Jones storyline I was kinda obsessed with and crossed over with Loving (which made me start watching that show which I had never even heard of before at that point.  Melody Anderson (who 12 year old me already knew from Flash Gordon) was the recast and it was such a different take on the character--I guess they felt it made sense to make her more meek after the accident, but...  Carter felt guilty (he wanted to harm Trevor) and then became obsessed with Natalie, posing as her nurse when she was blind and I guess falling in love with her.  This included a Cape Fear inspired houseboat storyline (I think the Scorsese remake of that film had just come out.)  Though my timeline is off and I can't remember if this was before or after or *during* the Loving crossover stuff (I think that was the climax of the Carter story so probably before.)  Carter wanted revenge on Trevor I believe for Trevor representing Galen (remember her?) in her harrassment case against her ex Carter.

And all I remember about her regaining her site was that she looked up at a Christmas angel on their tree and realized... She could see it!  And yet after all that, within a year, she was dead (she had found out that Laurel was embezzling if I remember correctly from her charity--and her and Adam drove to confront her and got in a car accident and Natalie ended up braindead.  I always find it in hindsight kinda amusing when a character goes through a health crises, is healed, and then a year later is killed off anyway.

*Apologies to Khan who I see basically gave this outline more succinctly above, which I didn't read until I went on my rant down memory lane.*

It was Agnes' return to AMC that hooked me on the show, and on soaps in general (I was a kid who thought they were the most awful thing ever--probably, not that I watched them and I didn't grow up in a family with a tradition of mothers/grandmothers watching) so I might hold that era of AMC in too high esteem, I'll admit.  But I absolutely love it.  Will be interested to hear your take.

Edited March 27 by EricMontreal22