All My Children Tribute Thread

[DRW50]

What bothers me with Natalie/Trevor is that beyond being nice, her entire identity seemed to disappear. She was just his "doll." Last night I was watching the episode when she was close to death, and Trevor was going on about losing his "doll," he was yelling in her ear as she was wheeled to surgery...it was like she was a toy.

[ellabelle]

^ Yep. But look at Greenlee. They did the same thing to her. She went from being this awesomely spoiled, obnoxious, mini-Erica who would do or say anything and had a high powered career to this whiny, needy woman who was nothing without Ryan. Even Kendall lost her edge when she settled down with Zach. Just like Natalie did. Marion also became a shadw of her formerly fabulous cougar self when she married Stuart. Erica was one of the few women on that show who escaped that fate.

[DRW50]

It didn't bother me too much with some of them (for instance, I thought Greenlee was always a mess, I thought Marian was always a very insecure woman and that kind of stayed even when she was with Stuart, along with her lewd comments and one-liners), but you have a point. I guess it jumps out at me more with Natalie because she was so very sleek and ethereal and aloof with Collins in the role - seeing her not just domesticated, but subjugated to just some fantasy figure for Trevor.

[ghfan89]

I think part of the transformation might have been due to the writers wanting Natalie to be juxtaposed to Janet.

[SFK]

"Her husband's probably dead, you know." LOL!

Brooke is SO cute!

[Jonathan]

Why did Taylor Miller leave in the first place? I remember my grandmother saying TM went "crazy" and was hospitalized. However, I think my grandmother read that in the Inquirer.

Edited January 17, 2012 by Jonathan

[DRW50]

I think Taylor just wanted to try new things. I have that article somewhere, no idea where though.

I'm watching the second 1980 episode (slowly!) and smiled when Brooke said she had become a cub reporter, and hey, maybe she'll be a journalist. With all the career changes on soaps, at least they kept that consistent with Brooke.

I wish they'd had it where Janet was a better mother than Natalie, and this caused angst for Natalie when she went back to her life.

[SFK]

I know they've got them beat by four years, but this reminds me of the first episode of Santa Barbara.

[ghfan89]

We Love Soaps: You left ALL MY CHILDREN the first time in 1984. Why did you leave?

Taylor Miller: They kept on repeating the same storyline over and over again. I likened it to being in pantyhose that were too small. I don't know if you've ever had that experience.

We Love Soaps: No! [Laughs]

Taylor Miller: I wanted and needed to play somebody different, somebody new. I went out to Hollywood and in the ten months I was there I did a nighttime guest spot, a commercial and a play. I guess that was a pretty good. Then I had the job offer to go to ANOTHER WORLD. I just wanted to play somebody different.

http://www.welovesoaps.net/2009/12/catching-up-with-taylor-miller-part-two.html

[DRW50]

It's too bad AW was such a mess. Then when she went back to AMC after that it was usually for short stints. I wish they'd done more with her in her 90's appearances.

[SFK]

Back to the masquerade ball, it seems very abrupt the way Palmer goes off on Ruth like that when he warmly greeted her when she and Joe arrived. So Daisy knew Ruth and Phoebe? I didn't realize she had a background in Pine Valley.

[SFK]

I was digging the band playing Something and sure enough Daisy called attention to it.

Langley looks like Michael Tylo in that wig.

[DRW50]

I loved that cheesy muzak Something.

What did you think of that Kennicott girl? She seemed like she was doing some Little Orphan Annie routine? Her speech patterns were annoying, along with her dialogue. And Sybil is like Betty Boop. I think if there had been boards back then they would have lit up over her and Sybil Thorne.

Edited January 17, 2012 by CarlD2

[SFK]

Oh geesh, yeah, they were annoying but mostly Betsy with her, "Sybil, that's not very good manners." I hope Agnes didn't write that early eighties Nickelodeon line. And no offence to anyone named Betsy, but the character and name are so perfectly matched. Sybil could have done voices for cartoons. I've never seen her in material this early, but I actually liked her voice in later Bobby/Cliff stuff where it drops a few octaves and she has a young Beverlee McKinsey thing going on.

Edited January 17, 2012 by SFK

[DRW50]

When I first started watching AMC people used to talk about how awful the Kennicotts were (I think the only one who had fans was Mary). I wonder why they kept going back to that family.

I said this in the other thread but I just love how gothic the Cortlandts are here. I know that's a cliche but what the hell. I especially love how Daisy is a little mad, like Quentin's crazy wife Jenny on Dark Shadows. And the way Myra skulks around, trying and failing to control these people. The chases through corridors, the scene where Myra is eavesdropping and realizes Daisy crashed the party...

I already mentioned this too but I LOVE the way Palmer gets so furious and practically spits fire through "Happy Birthday."