All My Children Tribute Thread

[AMCHistory]

I wanted to share some cast photos from an issue of SOD I have.

The first, 1973:

Karen Gorney (ex-Tara) was missing. This was the time when so many of the leading ladies had the same darker complextion (Tara, Erica, and Kitty)

1976, also known as the end of the small repertory company feeling as the canvas would expand to accommodate the 1/2 hour to hour long expansion (characters from this expansion include Brooke, Myrtle, Benny, Donna, and Edna... all beloved long running characters):

Actors who prominently bailed in response to the expansion were Judith Barcroft (ex-Anne) and the Franks (ex-Jeff, ex-Mary).

Here is 1982:

I have a version of this where Kathleen Noone (ex-Ellen) was edited back in. Also, Hugh Franklin is noticeably missing from this photo. You can see how inflated the cast became in the early 80's.

Here is what is allegedly 1999:

I am have a feeling that is actually 2001. Eden would not have been around for the 1999 Crystal Ball since she joined in the summer and the ball happens in New Years. For the 2000 ball, Mary Fickett was present as Ruth and Hayley had the famed "water fountain" hair-do. Great cast photo either way. I miss that Wildwind set greatly.

Edited April 10, 2012 by AMCHistory

[DRW50]

When was the Crystal Ball each year? Was it New Year's? Becca was gone by summer 2001, I think.

I wonder what so many of them are looking at in the first photo. Not the camera, obviously.

Judith Barcroft didn't seem to take cast photos well.

[AMCHistory]

The Crystal Ball happened the first week of January in conjunction with New Years and show's anniversary. Becca's last episode was Ryan and Gillian's finale wedding at Wildwind. She was watching over Sammy and Maddie. So technically, Michael Nader left the show prior to Abigail Spencer (by a couple of episodes), and both are in the above Crystal Ball photo.

Here are some photos from the 2000 Crystal Ball contradicting the looks of some of the players above:

Myrtle and Phoebe looking back on the scheme that brought them together:

Hayley and Mateo working towards a reconciliation after Raquel's machinations:

Alex tossing David down a flight of stairs:

Of course the 2000 Crystal Ball was so well recorded because it served as the show's 30th Anniversary Celebration.

[AMCHistory]

Shane was wonderful as Scott, but he was so asexual. My favourite romance for him was the one that wasn't with Anita Santos. I hated that he was the good guy who lost the girl.

I liked Cosgrove's first run. In my head when I think of an adult Scott, it is he that I see. I hated that he left when he did because the Chandlers were growing really close at that time and spending a lot of time together. Scotty's absence was greatly felt.

Also, one thing they did not revisit after Cosgrove's departure was his closeness with Liza. He stood by her as her Best Man at her wedding with Adam. They worked together, and she became very protective of his future and the women who sought to use him for his money.

[EnglishTea]

Thanks for sharing the SOD article.

I think this is 99/2000 for Crystal Ball Celebration, I remember being in love with Brooke's dress.

The next set of Crystal Ball Photos (with FH in red velvet dress) was 2000 into 2001.

[DRW50]

I thought Scott was always asexual. So were all the teens on AMC at that time. It didn't bother me. He and Laura worked as puppy love. When you had the much older looking Cosgrove all over Laura, it just seemed wrong, not helped by lack of chemistry.

[DRW50]

Wow, the guy who played Jamal iwas a really terrible actor. What is all the hands on hips, and avoiding eye contact? The scene where Annie said how can she tell her daughter that her father is a molester, and he says, "There's a way to handle it without going into graphic detail" was unintentionally hilarious. Awful.

[ellabelle]

The cast photo of the Crystal Ball is 2000 into 2001 where Bianca was publicly outed by Donald Steele, thanks to a tip from Greenlee.

The second set of photos with Alex in the red velvet dress is 1999 into 2000 because David and Erica attended that ball together, and she saw him at the bottom of the stairs and freaked out after Alex pushed him. Finola was on maternity leave at the 2000 into 2001 Crystal Ball, and Alex was written as disappearing mysteriously from the IncredibleDreams.com party where David dumped libidizone in the punch. David attended the 2000/2001 Crystal Ball with Dixie, and Erica attended with Dimitri - they ended up in the hunting lodge together after the ball turned into Bianca's coming out party, and Dimitri consoled her. It seemed like there might be something there, but then Edmund showed up with cigars and killed the moment.

[AMCHistory]

SOD has been really slacking on their fact checking. Or perhaps just AMC, I cannot speak about the other soaps because I do not known as much about them. In not one, but two photo captions, the wrongfully identified Dr. Grant's second wife Caroline Grant (Pat Dixon) as his first wife, Nancy (Lisa Wilkinson). Nancy and Caroline look very different from each other.

The grade 4 color scheme of the pages does not help. Though, guess I should find some solace in the fact that they even cover AMC anymore.

I think the 1999 (actually 2000-2001 photo) is the best of the lot as everyone can be clearly seen and they are all looking at the camera. AMC seems to have a tradition of unfortunate cast photos. The first one especially, looks like a candid joke. Susan's mouth is open, and poor Agnes is falling over.

[ellabelle]

The 1973 pic they used is an outtake. I've seen another version of that photo taken from the front, not from the side like that, and everyone is looking at the camera. I'm not sure where they got that particular photo, but then again, soap magazines have never really been known for their amazing journalism.

[AMCHistory]

What I would do to have access to their photo archives. In spite of the fact that I have amassed a pretty good collection for use with my History Project website, individual cast shots of the 70's cast in good quality and color are so hard to come by... even if the character made it into the 80's.

I was hoping to get some good shots with the 40th Anniversary, but they kept pretty recent in their "memorable moments" and "memorable couples." Neither Paul & Anne showed up as a memorable couple, nor did the death of Beth Martin, one of the most bone chilling moments I have seen on daytime. Probably second only to the death of Laura Cudahy.

[DRW50]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH3zlHT0xjU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM4zX4iNA_w&feature=channel

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[AMCHistory]

Carl, you are posting some of the hardest scenes for me to watch. That era of AMC was good on paper, terrible on screen, compounded by the new shaky cam.

[All My Shadows]

But on the bright side, Colin was absolutely flawless and completely beautiful. I miss seeing that man on a daily basis.

I love the early cast photos. I especially like how Erica isn't "Erica" who has to be up front and center in the group pictures. It's rather cute and charming to see her mixed in amongst the other young leads without having the big flashy signs pointing to her as the star of the show.

[DRW50]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx293WamddY&feature=channel

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