AMC Tribute Thread

[AMCHistory]

It is nice to remember an Erica before she there was an "Erica Kane."

Despite the fact that Susan was always front and center of the cast photos in the latter years, I think AMC paid respect to all their veterans. If you notice starting the 90's, the same vets were always featured in the front row of the formal group photos:

Ray MacDonnell (Joe)

Ruth Warrick (Phoebe)

Susan Lucci (Erica)

Julia Barr (Brooke)

Eileen Herlie (Myrtle)

James Mitchell (Palmer)

It did not matter their height (though I am sure the photographers always found it hard to place someone behind the very tall Ray MacDonnell). I think it was a nice nod to those who had stayed with the show, through thick and thin for 20+ years (each of these actors premiered in the 70's). With other casts, those actors who played leading roles got the honor of being front and center; but with the AMC cast, it was as if they knew they had to step aside for true set of vets. Even the likes of David Canary, MEK, and *gasp* Cam Mathisonwho were arguably the higher billings were more often than not given front row billing.

Of course, child actors seem to be the exception to the rule solely by fact of their smaller dispositions:

1995

L to R: Eileen Herlie (Myrtle), Tommy Michaels (Tim), Julia Barr (Brooke), Harold, Jamal Williams (Jamal), Phoebe Cutter (Amanda), David Canary (Adam), Sean Marquette (Jamie), Susan Lucci (Erica), Ray MacDonnell (Joe), Kevin Alexander (JR), MEK (Tad), James Mitchell (Palmer)

2000

L to R: Alexis Manta (Amanda), James Mitchell (Palmer), Ruth Warrick (Phoebe), Susan Lucci (Erica), Agnes Nixon (Agnes), Ray MacDonnell (Joe), Julia Barr (Brooke), Zachary Kady (Jamie)

2001

L to R: Zachary Kady (Jamie), Julia Barr (Brooke), James Mitchell (Palmer), Ruth Warrick (Phoebe), Susan Lucci (Erica), Eileen Herlie (Myrtle), Ray MacDonnell (Joe), Eden Riegel (Bianca)

2005

L to R: James Mitchell (Palmer), Ruth Warrick (Phoebe), Eileen Herlie (Myrtle), Ray MacDonnell (Joe), Susan Lucci (Erica), Agnes (Agnes), Julia Barr (Brooke)

Edited April 11, 2012 by AMCHistory

[DRW50]

Ruth Warrick...as much as I'm glad she made one last appearance, it hurt.

[AMCHistory]

Still breaks my heart. I am so happy to have her last appearance stills in high res. I got them from a kind newspaper editor. I only wish she could have spoken one word, maybe an, "Oh, Erica" for posterity. Nonetheless, we were blessed to have her when we did. Ruth got to say goodbye to AMC, which I think makes her so lucky.

[DRW50]

I agree with you and AMS about the 2006 stuff, but I did enjoy those cheesy scenes of Josh imagining various characters killing Madden. The one with Del is terribly acted, but the others are good. The best is the one with Julia. I love the potential of this bitter, ass-kicking woman. I'm sorry it amounted to nothing.

[AllMyDaysatGH]

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[ellabelle]

I felt the same way about James Mitchell's appearance in the 40th anniversary show. I did a double take when I saw him because I almost didn't recognize him, he looked so bad.

[DRW50]

I know. I was touched when I read the comments at the time he passed, that he had kept talking, as Palmer, even after the scenes were filmed (and they used a little of that in his goodbye episode, or were going to - I can't remember). The executives who destroyed daytime didn't seem to realize just how much the older actors often lived for these shows, and how they in turn kept these shows going. I know it probably would have happened no matter what, but I do think it's notable that AMC did not go on long past Palmer and Myrtle, among others.

[Khan]

It didn't go on, because TPTB simply failed to develop characters who could carry on the legacy established by the vets. Even if AMC were on the air today, I'd fear for a show where the likes of Ryan, Marissa, and even Greenlee are the best they can do for tentpole characters.

[AMCHistory]

Khan, this is so true. As much as those "front-row" vets were beloved by the viewers and at one time tptb, those six actors were not around when the curtain call came. Within the ten years from the 30th Anniversary we lost Ruth, James, and Eileen (seeing how fast each of them aged from the 2000 picture just breaks my heart. I had never seen that time phase before, but it really captures their loss of vitality). Then you had Julia and Ray, who were basically forced out by tptb (Julia refused to go recurring (rightfully so) and Ray took pay cut after pay cut before being forced out in the west coast move).

Really, I shudder at the thought of who would take that front row. The six actors mentioned above were matriarchs/patriarchs of core families. They had tenure of 20+ years. Come 2012, that type of leadership and tenure just did not exist anymore.

There were some characters in the recent past had they been kept/groomed could have taken one of those pillars. Off the top of my head, MEK and David Canary would have been front runners. Of course, Canary was too forced out in the move, and his presence sorely missed. I could have seen John Callahan's Edmund taking the Myrtle role. Wildwind in the mid-90's was so much fun in how it operated a Boarding House for Edmund's distant relatives, in-laws, and friends in need of a rood over their heads. I loved when Edmund's compassionate side came out. It was unfortunate that real life circumstances and network short-sightedness dropped Edmund from the canvas.

Who else was worthy of the front row? Darnell and Debbi? Jill Larson? Vincent Irizarry?

Who do you think would have gotten the front row had tptb kept on the trajectory they did pre-cancellation? Cameron Mathison? Thorsten Kaye? Jacob Young? All actors and characters that did not come into prominence until the MMT 2003 reboot.

I guess my question to the group is along with Susan Lucci, who would have been the new "front-row" in 2012?

[ellabelle]

Susan, MEK, Debbi Morgan, Darnell Williams come immediately to mind. In terms of longevity after the four of them... Walt Willey started in 1987, but he's usually in the back because he's so tall. Jill Larsen has longevity as well and could go near the front.

If David Canary, Julia Barr and Jennifer Massey had stuck around, I'd put them near the front. If not, then I guess the next row of longevity would be Cam Mathison, Rebecca Budig, Vincent Irizarry, Alicia Minshew, Thorsten Kaye...

But really, there are cast photos where the front row is all women because they're shorter. So if you're factoring in height, Walt Willey is still going in the back, and Rebecca Budig, Alicia Minshew, CBL, SG, Lindsay Hartley, etc. would go near the front.

[Khan]

Frankly, the "front row" would have to be Susan and Agnes, with everyone else standing behind them. Any other configuration wouldn't have made sense to me.

[Cheap21]

AMC's Kendall and Griffin reunite!

http://abc.soapsinde...iffin.html#more

In my mind, 8 months after AMC ended, she had already dumped Zach and is now back with Griff

[Khan]

But only after Zach became mentally unbalanced (an unfortunate side effect of David's miracle resurrection tonic) and kidnapped her.

[Cheap21]

Of course. And Griffin saved her life

[Khan]

Unfortunately, there ARE clouds on the horizon: Griffin and Kendall have reunited...but Sara Kennicott, Dan's daughter and a new nurse at PVH, has learned she is pregnant as a result of her and Griffin's drunken one night stand.