All My Children Tribute Thread

[SFK]

Geesh Brian, might we want to brush the sleep out of our snaggles before diving into Dixie's mouth like that?

[amybrickwallace]

The comments from you guys are even funnier than the clip itself - which is hilarious!!!

[Leoruby]

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What was Jesse so angry about in that flashback? He's ready to beat Dottie.

Edited June 22, 2015 by Leoruby

[amybrickwallace]

Today I got a through-the-mail autograph success from one of AMC's earliest cast members, Judith Barcroft (Ann Tyler). It was a outdoor cover photo of Afternoon TV magazine with her and William Mooney (Paul Martin). Her husband was one of AMC's earliest writers. Do any of you have memories of her as Ann? Was the character a typical heroine?

[danfling]

Judith Barcroft was a beautiful leading lady! She did not create the character of Ann, but instead was Ann #3.

The daughter of a minister, she made her Broadway debut in Mating Dance with Van Johnson (which had one performance). She then appeared in Dinner at Eight (Nikki Flaks of One Life to Live was a fellow performer in that). She was stand-by actress in Neil Simon's Plaza Suite. Her husband who mentioned was the stage manager and a fellow stand-by performer in that. I suspect that they met, although they could have known each other previously.

She first worked with Agnes Nixon on Another World, where she created the role of Lenore Moore. I don't know if the role was created by the show's producer (Irna Phillips) or Ms. Nixon. Lenore was paired romantically with Bill Matthews and, later, with Walter Curtain.

After Ms. Nixon had the job on Another World to create One Life to Live on ABC, she created All My Children. Ann was the daughter of Phoebe English Tyler and Dr. Charles Tyler, the sister of Lincoln Tyler, the half-sister of the deceased father of Chuck's father, and the aunt of Chuck. She had been married to and divorced from a European nobleman.

The role was played origianally by Diane van der Vegh, but I read that she was so nervous on her first episode that she vowed to never have a second episode. She was replaced by Joanna Miles (The Secret Storm, The Edge of Night).

I am not real sure about some of Ann's early stories, as the show did not air in my area. I know that she was quickly paired with Nick Davis. Nick, as you know, was the biological father of Phil Brent. Phil's biological mother was Amy Parker Tyler, who was married to Ann's brother Lincoln.

I believe that Ann took a job in New York City in advertising. I have seen a scene with her and Phillip, who had gone to New York and had some type of accident and was hospitalized there. Joanna Miles was playing the role at that time.

Anyway, about the same time that ABC cancelled A World Apart, it was announced that Ms. Barcroft was assuming the role of Ann. This was rather important news, and there were television commercials in which Ms. Barcroft told the audience that she was going to be the new Ann.

After Paul Martin returned to Pine Valley on the show after being a prisoner of war in Korea, he was attracted to Ann. Ann married Nick, who had never been successful in business. Nick owned a company that (as I remember) sold light bulbs. He hired Kitty Shea as his assistant. (Kitty was a failed movie dancer who had come to Pine Valley to look for her natural mother.) I don't know the exact circustances, but Kitty became pregnant, and Nick was the father-to-be.

Kitty had a miscarriage, but she had an intense hatred for Ann. She tried to poison Ann, but this was thwarted. Ruth interviened, and Ann lived. Ann forgave Kitty, who underwent some treatment.

Liincoln divorced Amy, and after a romance with Sidney, left town. When he returned to Pine Valley from Seattle, he and Kitty fell in love. Ann purchased The Boutique from either Amy or Sidney.

Ann and Nick had a break-up following Kitty's pregnancy. She began dating Paul Martin. Ann was returning to Pine Valley in an automobile from New York with one of them, and she told the driver that she was in love with the other one. Whichever was driving crashed the car.

Ann simply could never decde if she loved Nick or Paul.

Finally, she and Paul were married (her third marriage). Ann became pregnant, and was almost murdered by Margo Flax Martin. She gave birth to a daughter named Elzabeth, and Elizabeth suffered SIDS and died. Ann became mentally unbalanced at this point. She was sent away to a mental hospital, and during this time, Paul became attracted to divorcee Ellen Tucker Shepherd, who had just returned to her hometown from St. Louis.

As you mentioned, Wisner Washam was married to Judith Barcroft. He and Agnes Nixon were the headwriters of the show. He continued to write the show after Ms. Nixon stopped writing it. Their son, Ian Washam, was the first little boy to played Phillip Brent, Jr., son of Tara and Phil.

When All My Children expanded to a full hour, both Judith Barcroft and Francesca James decided to leave. They both remained on the show until the show was able to end their storylines. (Ann was sent away to the sanitorium, and Kitty died.)

When Ann returned later, actress Gwynn Gillis portrayed Ann. After about a year, Ann was killed in an accident that was intended to kill her husband Paul, who was the district attorney.

Edited June 28, 2015 by danfling

[amybrickwallace]

Thank you for sharing all that, danfling!! While I am not familiar with Ann #1 or #4, I am familiar with Joanna Miles, mainly for her Emmy-winning turn as Laura in 1973's production of The Glass Menagerie, an endeavor which also won her co-star Michael Moriarty (later of L&O) an Emmy.

You are correct when you said that the Washams met when performing in Plaza Suite - I read that in a couple of different articles about them.

[danfling]

I don't think that Diane van der Vegh has acted since her episode of playing Ann on All My Children.

Ms. Barcroft later joined the cast of Ryan's Hope playing a soap opera actress. After that, she played small, temporary roles on As the World Turns, The Edge of Night, and (again) Another World.

[DRW50]

I wish more of Judith's work was available...

[amybrickwallace]

So do I. I think she's great.

[danfling]

Her entire run on Ryan's Hope is probably available.

On The Edge of Night, she played the mother of Miles in a series of flashbacks (although it may have only been one flashback). She later returned to the show in another role during the final weeks of the show.

[Pine Charles]

[amybrickwallace]

I've seen that cover before and it is adorable. In the 2010 WLS interview Judith did, she said that Ian is now in the restaurant business.

[DRW50]

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[danfling]

I would love to read the article about Nancy Marchand and Paul Sparer (Love of Life and Somerset). Their daughter played Katie on All My Children (a waitress at Logan's, I believe).

[ghfan89]

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