Carolyn Conwell (ex-Mary Williams, Y&R) Has Passed

[DramatistDreamer]

I had heard that Carolyn Conwell had been unwell in recent years, I don't know how true that is but it is sad that she is gone now. I know many thought Mary Williams a crotchety meddlesome character but she was effectively played by Ms. Conwell (Mary often made one want to yell at the TV screen 'Would you let Paul live his own life?!!) and she took what could've easily have been a forgettable stock character into someone memorable (whether you liked her or not). She hasn't been on in several years but she does represent part of the fabric of this show as well as a personage that is no longer represented on Y&R (when Y&R actually had working class & middle class characters who weren't always running to become rich and infamous). That fabric of the show that used to entertain me as a child, adolescent and part of my adulthood has fallen away and I don't see it coming back. For that alone, I am sad. May Carolyn rest in peace.

[Paul Raven]

Do you think that Mary should die onscreen and maybe thay could do a little tribute?

Or has the fact that Mary has not been mentioned in so long makes it pointless?

I don't know why Todd and Paul couldn't have referenced that Mary was now living with Steve and his wife and kids in another state when all that Patty stuff was happening.

[yr9190]

I am a little pissed off that Y&R doesn't acknowledge deaths like the other shows. They should have mentioned about Carol dying when Christopher Templeton passed away last year, so I just get a terrible feeling they won't do some sort of tribute.

[DaytimeFan]

If you mixed Michelle Phillips with Carolyn Conwell's Mary Williams you would have had my grandmother standing in front of you. She was so perfect as the meddlesome mother from hell, she took a one note character and made her sing. May she rest in peace.

[DRW50]

Since they have, for no apparent reason, reunited Chris and Paul, this wouldn't be a bad time to mention Mary's passing, perhaps say that she would be ashamed of Chris for breaking up Paul/Nina, and she liked Nina, etc.

[Khan]

OTOH, JFP might just recast Mary with this broad:

[DaytimeFan]

That would be somewhat hilarious. Mary Williams gets glamorous and develops a drinking problem!

[alphanguy74]

The thing that I felt drove fans crazy about Mary Williams, is as meddling as she was... 95 percent of the time, she ended up being RIGHT. Paul kept choosing women based on beauty and not substance, and that is what Mary's problem was with the women he dated. She knew what a wicked cow Lauren was, and although Christine was a goody two-shoes, Mary was VERY Concerned that Chris did not want children, because she knew Paul did. And it ended up being a wedge in the marriage. She really wanted him to marry Lynn... but he wouldn't give her the time of day, she wasn't ravishing enough... although from a personality standpoint, she would have made the best wife of all the women he's been with.

[DeeeDee]

Mary already had a drinking problem so Linda just needs a makeover.

[alphanguy74]

One episode that made me mad as HELL was Cricket's bridal shower. Mary came and brought a reasonable bridal shower gift, an expensive, state of the art toaster with bagel slots (which was a new thing at that time) It wasn't a cheap thing, it was a very high end department store model... every other woman at the party brought trashy underwear as gifts. It made me so mad how they all sat round when she wasn't around and snickered about how square she was.. well... NOBODY TOLD THE WOMAN IT WAS A LINGERIE SHOWER! It was poor taste in the first place to invite the mother of the groom to a bridal shower that features slutty lingerie. That type of thing should just be between "girlfriends".

[yr9190]

LOL I read the episode recap on the google archive boards. The episode is from December 14, 1994.

The girls were hoping Mary wasn't going to show up but low and behold she did and gave Christine that toaster like you said alphanguy. To make matters worse, before she got there the ladies were actually throwing their own "lingerie" fashion show and when Mary arrived Lauren ended up embarrassing herself cause she was upstairs changing into her lingerie and hadn't realize Mary would be there so she came down acting like a bitch in heat and literally ran out the room when she saw Mary....LOL

The best part was reading that Nina meant to give Chris "edible" lingerie??, while Dru got Chris scented lingerie....

[jcar03]

Here is Carolyn's obituary: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?pid=161544995#fbLoggedOut

She passed away on Oct. 22.

[DRW50]

Then she was happy with Isabella...who went nuts.

[alphanguy74]

Yep, that's pretty much it, except Dru did not give give her scented lingerie, she gave her black leather panties and a black leather bra.

[yr9190]

It just seems like a bit too much, because other than Lauren and formally Nina....none of these girls ever acted that slutty on the show.

And the choice to throw all this lingerie stuff for Christine's upcoming wedding to Paul, really overkills it. I guess because I would not classify Chris and Paul as a hot couple....not at all....

I would buy all this if Lauren and Brad ever got married since I think they were a hot couple (Not as Hot as Brenda's Ashley with Brad though) but not Paul and Chris....