All My Children Tribute Thread

[Maxim]

The past 5 hours I've been binge watching.

Have to correct my previous assessment. The Cindy story took a turn towards the really disturbing. Skye and her accomplice orchestrated her being locked in a room full of hate messages.  This is my first time seeing what the actress that plays Cindy is capable of. Ellen Wheeler. Loved her performance in this last episode.

I teared up.

It's such a dark storyline... That for a long time I disliked. Now it's getting interesting with Skye being close to exposed... and I'm looking forward to it. So yeah... This was the only storyline I was not engaged with and they've managed to pull me into it too.

I am also obsessed with what's going to happen with Erica, Travis and that viper woman that he started working with. She looks to be dangerous.

Obsessed with Barbara knowing that Adam plans to fire her. What is she going to do?

Obsessed with Erica planning a career as an actress.

Obsessed with Natalie and Silver's emerging feud. 

The show is firing on all cylinders to me. I have nothing to compare it to, but I can only say that March so far has been the greatest month. I still saw Lorraine Broderick being credited as head writer couple of episodes ago... So I don't know what the situation about the Strike is.

Up to March 28, believe it or not. Haven't moved from the sofa for hours and hours. I am completely in the Zone.

 

Edited February 6 by Maxim

[Maxim]

My heart skipped a beat, hearing Erica say "Too bad Joan Crawford isn't alive to play the part." Aaaaah 

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[DRW50]

Two and a half hours of AMC here, dubbed into Italian. I'm not sure how wide a span of time it encompasses - 1983? 1984? 1985? We go from Tad/Liza to the aftermath of Alex Hunter's murder.

Is any of this stuff that wasn't already around? 

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Edited February 6 by DRW50

[Maxim]

Back to watching. Nearing April 1988. I can't stand Nina. Like really can't stand her. Number 1 of insufferable characters. But that means she is working for me. I like characters that I can't stand for some strange reasons. Means she is doing something for me.

I am more and more drawn to Silver. A character that I underestimated in the beginning. I like the dramatic position she is in. Her husband in love with another woman and she becoming more and more desperate to maintain the relationship. Classic soap stuff.

 

[EricMontreal22]

I see what you did there. 

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I think it was about the mix AMC had.  And like I said, some of the soap press in the early days did NOT approve.  Later on Schemering would laud the show for its mix--but I believe also felt that sometimes it could be jarring going from scene to scene.

About the recap of the Paley Center talk, when Agnes Nixon's web page was launched, the most exciting thing were the two kinescopes of early AMC in such good quality (the page said her son found them in a closet when they were moving her into a condo from her house) and I DID save those (and posted them years back on YT as have others--I like to think from my saved videos but probably not )

But they also had other clips as I mentioned earlier--lots of not too exciting things (later anniversary episodes of AMC and OLTL that we've all seen) but they had at least two of her Paley Center--then the Museum of Television (Broadcasting?) talks from the late 80s for the anniversary of OLTL and then later from their Worlds Without End exhibit (I have the companion book) where Agnes Nixon spoke for a good hour, with others speaking and clips, about her shows and they were FASCINATING.  And I wish I had had the foresight to save those videos too--withoin a year the videos were all gone from her site and no one was updating it and I've never seen the videos of these two panel discussions resurface since

I believe the dates are roughly November 89 to early Summer 1992?  I started watching very late 91 and I specifically remember when Agnes Nixon was no longer listed as HW but Megan McTavish was (although to my young soap watching brain I didn't feel the show changed tone very much at the time--at least not at first, and Nixon was still involved in story meetings as she would be during the Broderick subsequent era--when I interviewed Hal Corley he said she was almost always at meetings offering input and would even phone him up a few times at 2am with sudden story ideas.  So maybe her involvement made the transition smoother, although in hindsight even in that first successful era, you see some of McTavish's more stunt heavy, and arguably mean spirited writing come in....  And there's some discussion that McTavish wasn't Nixon's choice though she got along with her at the time--Broderick and Wisner Washam, who had both assisted Nixon on her early 90s return, did not--Washam retired as we know and Broderick went to... GL?)

Edited February 7 by EricMontreal22

[Contessa Donatella]

Museum of Broadcasting 1976

Museum of Television & Radio 1991

The Paley Center for Media 2007

One of Agnes Nixon's two proteges Lorraine Broderick retired from DAYS in 2024.

[EricMontreal22]

There was definitely one in 1988 for OLTL's 20th (I swear!)  But now find me the videos!

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[Contessa Donatella]

Did it definitely have another name? I know it was there & functioning in the same way.

[Jonathan]

There were definitely some backstage politics at play. According to soap magazines at the time, Agnes was promoted to "Executive Head Writer," while Megan became "Head Writer." However, Agnes remained uncredited in her new role, which was unusual. Meanwhile, Megan gave interviews to the soap press, claiming she had been driving the show's storylines even before her official promotion. It seems there may have been differing opinions between ABC Daytime executives and Agnes regarding the show's direction. Regardless, on the surface it seemed things worked out at least in the short term—All My Children won its first Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, thanks to the Terrance Frye episode, where he was beaten in Tom's gym.

I'd really like to know whose idea was it to bring Janet onto the canvas. Was that Megan? Agnes? Lorraine most recently said that the Who Killed Will storyline was not hers (I think she was at GL at this point).

Edited February 7 by Jonathan

[Maxim]

Omg this woman that is trying to seduce Travis and is hiding from Erica... is... this-guy-that-Erica-had-relationship-while-he-was-married' s daughter.... from so many years ago!!! Omg... My jaw is on the floor right now.

And she is obviously trying to ruin Erica while working in the shadows.

This has become soooooo good I'm going to scream.

Up to April 4th 1988.

Aaaaaaaaaaaa

Edited February 7 by Maxim

[Efulton]

Does anyone know the names of all the Kinnecott siblings who appeared on the show?

[Khan]

I'd really love to know the source of tension between Megan McTavish and Lorraine Broderick/Wisner Washam.  Was it just your usual personality clash, or did something specific happen to make Broderick and Washam jump ship to GL?

[janea4old]

@Maxim  I'm enjoying reading your experience of this storyline for the first time. 
Erica, Travis, baby Bianca, Barbara.

I didn't have TV in 1988.  I lived in a household that didn't have TV or cable or anything.  But I know I watched that storyline.  I must have seen it on soapnet several years later?

Edited February 7 by janea4old

[Maxim]

Oh, that makes me so happy.

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Skye's accomplices just started the fire in Cindy's house and Skye went in to save her. I'm on the edge of my seat. Just taking a break to make another cappuccino. I was expecting this Strike material to be worse than Jan-Feb... But no... Maybe because I finally got used to everyone and know everyone but March has been times and times more exciting. 

If the show continues at this level I'll be happy. Hearing from people that 1989 to 1992 is even better makes me even more optimistic. I'm already so satisfied. 

I love everything - Erica trying to juggle motherhood and ambitions, this snake that is trying to sink her teeth into Travis, Natalie... and Palmer wanting to get her back, Silver and her insecurities, Barbara plotting a revenge and Adam and Brooke's marriage in turmoil, the youngsters having their drama, Skye and her absolute horrific treatment of Cindy, Nina and her unclear baby's daddy and marriage in jeopardy. What more can a soap lover want? All of the stories work right now.

[Paul Raven]

The Kennicotts were Mary, Dan,Betsy, Katie.

Each succeeding sibling arrived after the previous one departed.

Or did Dan and Betsy overlap?

If not, none  of the siblings appeared at the same time. Is that the only soap family where that happened?

 

Edited February 7 by Paul Raven