B&B: Old/Classic Discussion & Articles

[BoldKara]

It was one of the repeats shown during the covid production shutdown…Lauren vs Sheila…We also got it on TV in Australia.

[BoldKara]

I’ve just finished 835 in my in order re-watch! The build up to Caroline’s death was just as gut wrenching as the first time. Joanna Johnson never looked more beautiful with her longer hair in her last couple of months’ worth of episodes, until they went with the sudden grey makeup in her final episodes. To this day I still think this is the saddest death of them all. Interesting that they filmed Sally Jnr getting her diagnosis the same way Caroline did, with the silence and view from outside the doctor’s office…until they retconned the writing and made Sally well again.

I didn’t remember that they quickly dispatched with Caroline from the opening credits immediately after her death, and added Taylor in. Usually the show can take its time adding in new or returning faces.

[BoldKara]

What does everyone think of the dating they're giving the Season 1 episodes on the official YouTube page? It's as though there haven't been pre-emptions yet in 1987, but there surely would have been some along the way? To me it seems like they're just assuming the dates without preemptions? Thanks.

[slick jones]

Question for you B&B-ers.   @jam6242 found this photo for me for Michelle Manning. Is she the right actress?

 

MICHELLE MANNING

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL                         Pam Wilson 1987

                                                                             Nurse1991; 1995; 1997-2001; 2003; 2004; 2006

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS           Nurse 1994

 

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Thanks in advance!

 

[YRfan23]

I wonder if maybe they are going by the script # Pages? Hopefully they correct themselves. I personally have said before that I think these are the following dates that Iran/Contra preempted both Y&R and B&B in Summer 1987 (not sure about ATWT and GL)

July 7,8,9,10,13,14,15,23,24. 1987 

then of course September 7 and 11 1987 were preempted for Tennis and November 26/27, 1987 for Thanksgiving and December 25, 1987 for Christmas. 

[sheilaforever]

Thanks for sharing this - I had no idea this existed. Crazy stuff!

Except fot ehextended title music, I thought this was some really generic stuff. It's still mindblowing for me that Italian broadcasters always felt the need to change the music on the soaps - why!?

[Videnbas]

Good question! I think her archetype has not always been the same. Starting in the late 90s (probably around Brooke's Bedroom), she became "the Siren" - the irresistible woman who leads men astray (this was especially apparent with Throoke).

But she wasn't always like that - in fact, what defined her relationship with Ridge for the first decade or so was that she *couldn't* win him completely, no matter how hard she tried.

Early Brooke I see as "in love with love", she has a pretty self-centered and naive idea of romance (it's all about following her heart) and believes in "destiny". But she is pretty complex in the early years and I can't really place her as just one archetype. I think she saw herself as Cinderella, but she really wasn't. 

I can't really find an archetype for the current Brooke either, but that is for the opposite reason - they simplified her by making her a siren, and then she outgrew that role and now the character is just a void the writers are struggling to fill.

This is a very interesting discussion and it made me start looking for more archetypal characters and plot structure on the show! (I feel the early characters are probably richer in that regard.)

So far, these are my immediately thoughts. 

Stephanie is clearly the Queen, of course. But there is also a Cassandra aspect to her at least in the early years - she frequently sees what is going to happen down the road but her warnings are usually ignored. Oh yeah, and then there's her very Oedipal relationship with Ridge. 

Stephanie and Eric could also be Hera and Zeus.

Caroline starts out as the Virgin type, but mixed with Helen of Troy (the woman whose beauty starts a war). 

Ridge is Don Juan (he even has a book of women!)

Thorne/Ridge - Cain/Abel? 

Sally is the clever thief + mama bear + the weeping clown

Clarke is the proud, arrogant, self-destructive creative genius who is brought down by his own flaws (sure there's a fitting mythological person but right now I can't place him) 

Macy is a mix of Juliet (to Thorne's Romeo) and Eeyore (and also functions as the Spectras' "straight man" during comedic scenes). 

Darla is the dumb blonde (but frequently subverts this trope). 

Katie is the Ugly Duckling. 

Taylor is the sage advisor (until she isn't). 

A more recent example - Aly is Hamlet. 

Edited November 10, 2021 by Videnbas

[EyeOnFashion]

Videoland accidentally posted episode 1384 last week. It was available for 24 hours until they pulled it down.

Edited November 10, 2021 by boldbeautifulau

[rsclassicfanforever]

Its also online for a few month because it was repeated last year in the netherlands

 

[Aback]

 

Loved this! Keep it coming!

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[Soapysoap]

Wow you really know this kind of stuff!

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Bravo!

[Soapfan8]

Lol what about a character like Steffy per say

[Videnbas]

Thanks! I can't say I'm all that familiar with the archetypes in the Jungian sense beyond a pretty general idea, but I do find mythology and tropes in fiction interesting (I highly recommend the TVtropes site - it's a lot of fun when it comes to discovering the underlying structures and tropes of fictional plots and characters, and it even has its own page for B&B!).

I really get a kick out of trying to find common traits in different characters and plots. And I think there's a lot to discover in classic B&B.

Steffy is a difficult character to analyze. She seems not really archetypal in the classic sense but rather modern, very much a child of her time (the internet influencer type). I would like to see her as an adventurer, but that side of her has been pretty "domesticated" as she has grown up. She also has transformed from a rebellious little sister to more of a big sister type who has everything under control (or would like to).

Oh, and a few more I forgot:

Beth Logan - archetypal caretaker/mother

Felicia - very much a rebel

Kristen - daddy's girl

Sheila - well, Sheila when written well IS an archetype in her own right. She is basically what you get if you remove the little voice in our minds that says "no, wait, this isn't right, I can't do that".

Dollar Bill/Massimo Marone/Bill Sr/Eric Forrester - variations on the "King" type

Pam - the old maid whose life has passed her by. Which is why it was so sweet when she finally found Charlie. 

Edited November 10, 2021 by Videnbas

[paradisin]

I agree with those above that you really have an eye for this and I enjoyed these so much! I especially like the mythology comparisons, like Stephanie/Eric as Hera/Zeus is spot on. For Steffy I would say the "Cool girl" archetype has at least been part of her characterization. Admittedly, I have not seen a lot of the more recent years. 

I also agree with when you bring up Brooke that it changes over the years, and I think one of the reasons is that soap characters are often characterized as oppositions to each other (I can expand on this later, my seminar is starting soon, haha). So, Brooke's characterization has shifted depended on who she's in a storyline with, as has most characters. I think one catalyst for Brooke in particular was the departure of Stephanie, which kind of messed with the balance of her function as a character (and the show as a whole).

[soapwikijohn]

Hello all, 

I'm sorry to say that I am no longer able to post the CALA Classic episodes of B&B. They are still being posted, but due to reasons beyond my control, I've been asked to no longer rip/post those episodes and to direct viewers to the official YouTube channel. 

I apologize for getting our hopes up. We will get to see everything soon *fingers crossed*.