AMC Tribute Thread

[DRW50]

July 1973 Daytime TV

Gregory Chase replaced Jack Stauffer in April as Chuck Tyler. Jack left to go to Hollywood.

[danfling]

In the scene in the restaurant with Cecily and Josh, I did not recognize any of the other characters. Chet or Chad had more lines than any of the other characters, but I do not remember him. Cecily was evidently smitten with Sean Cudahy. I think that the show was trying to emulate the Liza/Marion relationship with Cecily/Bitsy.

[danfling]

The show, I understand, did not want Jack Stauffer to leave. They offered him and his wife contracts which would have made them the highest paid couple in daytime television. But, it was she (Rene Jarrett) who wanted to return to Hollywood (where she had starred in the NBC sitcom Nancy with Loving's Celeste Holm). I don't know what role they offered her. I am thinking that it may have been Claudette.

[DRW50]

I guess it worked out for the show in the long run, although Stauffer in the role makes more sense with the character outline than studly RvV did.

I wonder if he kicked himself later on, as he and Jarrett were not married too long.

[ghfan89]

I have an old AMC episode where Cecily mentions Chet, but that was the first time I remember seeing him. I did find this on a good search, a sypnosis from Feb 1990

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-02-03/entertainment/9001100223_1_evan-interview-perfect-couple

All My Children: Emily Ann was stunned when Chet told her that Donna had worked as a hooker. Tad brought Emily Ann home after she went to the bar where Donna used to pick up johns. Benny came to Pine Valley and told Emily Ann about Donna`s past, but praised her for overcoming it to become successful. Donna thanked Chuck for helping her with Emily Ann. Donna nixed Benny`s suggestion that they get back together.

[DRW50]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBc6rBxnaao

[AllMyDaysatGH]

HOT! Just watched this episode & the ones that followed again. Could've been interesting if these two got closer ;-)

[Jonathan]

Wow, I have not seen that in FOREVER!

[DRW50]

We can thank Canada for that ad.

I thought Tad came back in 1993 but I guess the return must have been built up starting late 92?

I like how seriously everything is taken in that ad. No overdramatic narration or fake campy "soapy" crap. Just a character and a story.

[ghfan89]

Yes, MEK returned late 1992.

[ClassicSoapsFan]

My litteral first exposure to AMC was in 1990 when Billy Clyde died and Tad got amnesia. Is that clip/storyline on youtube? I know like 15 years ago, I found an old tape that had Billy Clyde kidnapping Dixie (from October 1990.) It involved a phone booth. The tape got taped over :'(

[ghfan89]

I don't think it's on youtube, but this site has it:

http://tadndixie.com/favorite3.htm

[DRW50]

February 1975 TV Radio Mirror

[DRW50]

ued. "I think it's a very healthy institution, if you're willing to work at it. And I love children. I've always, shall I say, intellectually wanted children."

It may have come as a surprise to TV serial viewers when Stephanie Braxton, the lovely actress who achieved great personal popularity as Laurie Reddin (the girl who married the priest) on The Secret Storm, took over the role of Tara Tyler on All My Children. However, it came as no surprise to Stephanie. She was approached to step into the part more than a year ago when Karen Gorney, the original Tara, first expressed a desire to leave the show. Karen later changed her mind and stayed on. But if she had quit when she threatened to, Stephanie could not have replaced her. She was not free to make a new daytime commitment because she was bound by a long term contract with Storm.

They say that in show business, timing is everything. In Stephanie's case that proved to be true. After more than 20 years on television, The Secret Storm was cancelled this past February - just about the same time Karen Gorney left All My Children. Stephanie and the part of Tara became available simultaneously (incidentally, both for the first time in four years), and Stephanie is now adjusting to her new role and new life.

The day I visited the ABC-TV studio to interview Stephanie, castmate Ruth Warrick (Phoebe Tyler) with whom the new Tara shares a dressing room, told me: "When Karen handed in her notice, the producers didn't know that Stephanie would be free to take over the part so they auditioned just about every actress in New York for it - and on the West Coast too. But they couldn't find anyone who suited them. If Stephanie hadn't become available when she did, they probably would have written Tara off the show."

It would seem appropriate to say: All's well that ends well. But it's just beginning for the beautiful Miss Braxton. And she's delighted about the whole thing!

"I won't say I prefer playing Tara to Laurie but I will say I'm carrying more responsibility now. There are fewer characters on All My Children than there were on Storm and the part of Tara is more central to the main theme. As Laurie, I was one of the offshoots of the regular story line."

Tara is a new challenge to Stephanie, a young woman who thrives on challenges. Just recently the actress faced another when she returned to her alma mater, Smith College, to lecture the students there (majoring as she did in Theater Arts) on the practical aspects of breaking into show business.

"I get a lot of mail from aspiring actresses in the TV audience, asking me how to get started in the theatrical field," Stephanie explained. "I don't really have the time to go into detail in my letters but I wish everyone could benefit from my experience.

"The first thing I'd advise anyone who wants to be an actress is: Be sure it's something you are serious about because trying to break into show business is not fun and games. Some kids think acting is a very glamorous profession - and I'd be lying if I said it didn't have its glamorous moments. But basically it's a lot of hard work - and there is a great deal of heartbreak attached to it. You have to be prepared for periods of depression and loneliness - and periods of financial stress. I've eaten a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in my time.

"If despite all the warnings, a girl is still determined to pursue a theatrical career, I'd suggest she come to New York where most of the casting is done. If she lives in California, she could start in Los Angeles. She may have some success if she's eye-catching and talented. But the casting people on the Coast are very impressed with New York actors who have had stage training and theater credits."

Stephanie, born in Boston and raised in Cuba (where her French-born father held down an important executive position until Castro assumed control of the island), came to New York to establish herself as an actress shortly after she graduated from college. "I wasn't sure I was serious about becoming an actress until then."

But once she knew she was serious, she let nothing stand in the way of achieving her goal. She took a job as saleslady at the Drama Bookshop and worked there for three years while hunting theatrical jobs in her off hours. "They were very understanding at the shop and I could generally get out for important auditions. I once took a leave of absence for three months to tour with a show.

Be flexible

"I can't exaggerate the importance of taking a regular job - not a challenging one necessarily but a flexible one - when a newcomer is in the process of breaking into show business. Unless she's particularly lucky - and affluent - she will need something to tide her over until she can work regularly as an actress. And if she doesn't have something that keeps her busy, something that gets her out among people (preferably not other unemployed actors) and pays the rent, she can get very discouraged. The psychological aspect is so important. It's very unhealthy to sit around and brood over the roles you've lost. You have to constantly fight that feeling of rejection.

"I've been talking about auditions. But when you're fresh from out-of-town, it's hard to figure out how to line up auditions. The ideal solution is to find an agent. But an agent usually has to see an actress in action before he/she agrees to handle her.

Stephanie didn't have an agent for her first six years in New York. Yet she managed to appear in countless stage productions and even achieve stardom in daytime TV drama. "I didn't have an agent when I was hired for The Secret Storm," she revealed.

How then did she manage to land so much theatrical work?

"I attended open casting calls. I bought all the theatrical publications: The Ross Report (a monthly manual that lists the names of producers, advertising, agencies, casting heads, etc.), Back Stage, Show Business, Variety, trade papers that tell you what shows are in production and what parts are available. I started doing workshop productions, children's theater, dinner theaters, stock, anything I could get. Then I went to Bermuda to play leads in The Tender Trap and Luv. Later I went to Texas to play the title role in The Star Spangled Girl. Eventually I started to get jobs from directors for whom I'd worked before."

Stephanie broke into serial drama as an extra on Love is a Many Splendored Thing. She was called back to do an "under-five" part ("That means under five lines and much less money than an over-five part"). The writer of the show saw her and told the producer to sign her. For a short time she played a blind girl. Then the producer, who was also at the helm of The Secret Storm, offered her the major role of Laurie. The rest is soap opera history.

But although Stephanie admits she has been lucky, she believes she has worked constructively to get ahead.

"Knowing the ropes can save so much time. That's why I feel I should pass on what I've learned. After a girl gets settled in New York and makes some show business contacts, she'll need professional pictures (8'' by 10'' glossies) and resumes. It's not always easy to find the right photographer but she can do pretty well if she asks around. It's even harder to write up a suitable resume if she's young and inexperienced. My advice is: tell the truth. Don't make up mythical jobs.

"When a girl is very young, a producer doesn't expect an illustrious background. They like fresh faces. If she's in doubt about what form to use, she should look at other actresses' resumes. As you get more experienced, surprisingly enough the credit list gets shorter. You fight the temptation to list the Romeo and Juliet you starred in in high school."

As well as she's doing in her chosen profession, Stephanie doesn't believe in resting on her laurels - or her talents. "When an actress finally does get a break, she should continue to train. And when she's out of work, she should always keep something going: speech, voice or dancing lessons. She may not have money for all but anything is helpful. You've got to practice enough to keep the machinery going."

Stephanie is studying singing and when her busy TV schedule permits, she intends to join a jazz dance class.

"Life is pretty hectic right now," she said, beaming broadly. "When I'm not on the show or at rehearsals or learning lines, I'm usually at home scrubbing the floor, doing laundry or cooking. Keeping body and soul together can occupy quite a good bit of time."

Stephanie sounds very domestic for a girl who's not married at the moment and who isn't expecting to be in the near future. Divorced from her husband of four years (Al Podell) since December, Stephanie spends all her time with Dan.

The attractive couple started seeing each other socially last year when they were co-starred in a workshop production of Othello. At the time, daytime television reporters were concocting a romance between Stephanie and David Gale, who was playing her husband, the priest, on Storm. But there never was more than friendship between the TV mates - friendship that exists to this day although the serial is no more. As a matter of fact, David recently directed Dan Hamilton in a workshop production of Joe Egg and Stephanie was at the theater every night to lend moral support to both director and star.

Reluctant to dwell on her personal life, Stephanie switched back to the subject of budding young thespians. "I tell them not to be afraid of working any place as long as they can maintain their integrity. Some actresses don't approve of working in dinner-theaters. But they are good experience. If you have no moral aversion to a job, don't pass it by because it's not prestigious enough. Work where you can, providing you're not required to do something to which you have an aversion - like appearing in the nude! And don't go into this business lightly because it never stops being difficult. You have to prove yourself over and over again.

"Most of the girls with whom I studied Theater Arts in college have dropped out of acting. Only two of us have survived. And we've had to make compromises. When I started out in non-commercial theater, I had shiny ideals. Then I got into the commercial end and I discovered the entertainment field wasn't Art with a capital A, but Business with a capital B. I used to be ashamed to take $50 a week for something I loved doing so much. That was when I was doing Ibsen and other classics. But there isn't much of that around now. If not Ibsen, take commercials!" (Stephanie has done about 15 commercials herself - since she got an agent.)

"I love doing TV serial drama," she confessed, "and I get angry when people knock it. There is so much professionalism on soaps. The finest actors are doing them. You're lucky if you do one play a year in New York but a serial allows you to work at your craft all the time. It's like a repertory company. There are different scenes every day, a new mood to capture. You can give just as much on a soap as you can doing Shakespeare."

Though Stephanie recognizes the negative aspects of her chosen career, her approach to it remains positive. And she's trying to imbue other actresses with that same practical yet upbeat spirit. It has paid off for her. La belle Braxton is a very successful young woman - and what's even more important, a very contented one, now that she has her career and Dan Hamilton!

- MARILYN T. ROSS

[ghfan89]

Erica on Libidozone sings a top the piano at the Valley Inn.