On 10/23/2019 at 11:34 PM, mikelyons said:

One thing I will say about the actors on Y&R and B&B from my time there is that they were very hardworking casts. They weren't in the concourse of CBS TV City fooling around or playing pranks on each other. These casts came to work, rehearsed their scripts in their dressing rooms with or without their scene partner(s), went to set, and performed. There were times you could sit on the stage to watch scenes unfold like a Broadway play. Sheer beauty. The Y&R and B&B sets were run very professionally, so if you hated your scene partner, you didn't bring that mess to set. You just didn't. But, yes, some actors took diva behavior very seriously, although it was rare.

Melody, for instance, had it known to the production office that NO ONE could knock on her dressing room door. You had to drop her scripts, etc. in her mailbox and come back later for the material. Susan Flannery, on the other hand, would belittle you for the sake of doing it because she could and you had no power. Which is worse? It's up for debate. However, ever since my encounters with Susan, I have disliked her and that, my message board friends, will never change. Especially when John McCook, Katherine Kelly Lang, and Ronn Moss were very professional and polite to those "beneath" them. (Side note: KKL was one of the few soap stars I met where I was like, "Oh my god. It's Brooke" even though B&B was never "my show".) (Second side note: Victoria Rowell's nickname for John McCook was/is "Cookie".)

Granted, my memories are from the late golden age of soaps, so maybe things have changed one way or another... 

Hi Michael, there was a gentleman who shared with me recently, he had done a walk on role on "Bold and the Beautiful". Knowing this, I just took an opp to ask him how was Susan Flannery, because over the years I have relished her scenes - especially some of the ones she shared with the late, lovely Darlene Conley. Amazing work. And this is what the gentleman said:  "Rude, obnoxious, arrogant. She spoke to everyone like something she dug out of her ear and had a problem with every line she had to say. I couldn't enjoy her performances properly when I watched the show after seeing what she was like on set tbh." 

And like many a poster I have read so far, that is a real shame, because I like her as a performer. But I don't like a person as you say: "would belittle you for the sake of doing it because she could and you had no power". I don't understand that kind of abuse, and I do classify it as abuse. I have witnessed it in retail, and in restaurants and I think it's misogynistic, if not cowardly. 

PS Thank you for sharing your experiences. Lol, I had a dream about Jeanne Cooper a few months ago, she put up her dukes and told me to stay strong, or be tough, but I had never met her before in my Life, I don't know if it was something she would have done, but I thank her spirit. 

 

On 5/14/2019 at 11:23 AM, ReddFoxx said:

BarBara Luna was supposedly very difficult to work with on One Life to Live

Possibly...but if I seem to recall from reading the ONE LIFE TO LIVE 40th Anniversary Book, I think Ms. Luna was only perceived to be difficult by her leading man Clint Ritchie, who himself had a penchant for being gruff. Jon Loprieno who played Ms. Luna's son Cord, and Andrea Evans who played her nemesis Tina, got along with her well. And ironically, on his website back in early 2000, Clint, who probably had been retired long enough to reflect, looked upon her work fondly.

On 5/16/2019 at 2:28 AM, SoapDope said:

Peter Bergman comes across as a diva. He hated the Vietnam wife/child story and the family was quickly written out. 

 

It was a stupid story that made no sense for the character. I have a hard time buying that Jack served in the Vietnam war, regardless of whether Terry or Peter was playing him. Bill Bell also made Laun sooooo boring. As if Jack would ever end up with such a stoic, upstanding and moral woman. He had a nack for choosing women that would consistently cause chaos. Laun was storyline death for Jack, he would never hurt her, cheat on her and she would never cause him trouble as she was impossibly good. 

 

Bell's writing from summer 94 to summer 97 was not great. Same for Ashley and her evil twin story and the John/Jill divorce which humiliated Mamie and really degraded her. 

 

I also wouldn't say Laun was written off quickly. Laun was around for almost two boring years.

 

I know someone mentioned Bergman hated the story and made it sound like it was because of the interracial aspect. If that's the case, then yeah he's a c%$&

Edited August 17, 20205 yr by will81

That story was bust from beginning to end.

But it still didn't deserve to be totally forgotten when so many other past stories have been revisited or retconned.

A recast Keemo or his children belong on the canvas to give new life to the Abbotts and add much needed diversity.

44 minutes ago, Paul Raven said:

That story was bust from beginning to end.

But it still didn't deserve to be totally forgotten when so many other past stories have been revisited or retconned.

A recast Keemo or his children belong on the canvas to give new life to the Abbotts and add much needed diversity.

I thought it deserved to go to John. Jill would have made Laun fight and John seemed more appropriate as a war vet. I liked Keemo for the most part, he would have been better as Jack's half brother. Have them fight over Mari Jo and have Keemo be a chemist and get in Jack's face at work too

On 5/14/2019 at 7:10 PM, BetterForgotten said:

There was a point in the 90’s where she just stopped caring about her appearance and started wearing the same awful pantsuit in a different colour week to week. Stephanie was definitely a lot more glam during the first few years of B&B, but Susan obviously grew tired of that...

I noticed this too!!!!! Somewhere between 96-98 Stephanie just gave up. The silver haircut was definitely an upgrade from what I believe was a wig in the early 2000s. Its amazing to see Stephanie's appearance from the late 80s to the early 2000s, just over a decade. The pantsuit she had on in the the episode where Sally gave her a drunken haircut was so big and boxy.

On 8/17/2020 at 8:29 AM, Paul Raven said:

That story was bust from beginning to end.

But it still didn't deserve to be totally forgotten when so many other past stories have been revisited or retconned.

A recast Keemo or his children belong on the canvas to give new life to the Abbotts and add much needed diversity.

Agreed.

Edited August 25, 20205 yr by ironlion

On 8/17/2020 at 7:29 AM, Paul Raven said:

That story was bust from beginning to end.

But it still didn't deserve to be totally forgotten when so many other past stories have been revisited or retconned.

A recast Keemo or his children belong on the canvas to give new life to the Abbotts and add much needed diversity.

If I recall during Sally Sussman and Kay Alden's last tenure the character of Juliette was alleged to be linked to Keemo in someway - and that the baby she fathered by Cane would have had it's paternity called into question when Keemo returned to Genoa City and the two were revealed to be lovers. But I think it was scrapped because the character of Juliette, though I enjoyed her, did not catch on.  

On 8/17/2020 at 3:10 AM, will81 said:

It was a stupid story that made no sense for the character. I have a hard time buying that Jack served in the Vietnam war, regardless of whether Terry or Peter was playing him. Bill Bell also made Laun sooooo boring. As if Jack would ever end up with such a stoic, upstanding and moral woman. He had a nack for choosing women that would consistently cause chaos. Laun was storyline death for Jack, he would never hurt her, cheat on her and she would never cause him trouble as she was impossibly good. 

 

I know someone mentioned Bergman hated the story and made it sound like it was because of the interracial aspect. If that's the case, then yeah he's a c%$&

 

I know everyone says Peter Bergman didn't like the "Asian-American aspect of the storyline", but honestly, he probably just hated all that ridiculous dialogue.  "Thank God that you're back in my life, Laun, and now  I've been reunited with this precious fruit of my loins Keemo.  I feel so complete in your arms!  And knowing that you carried my seed in your wonderful womb, and we produced that Precious Little Child together ... It's the most beautiful miracle -- we created LIFE, and Keemo cements our love for each other!"  

 

I used to howl like a hyena during all that terrible dialogue.  It was wretched.  If I'd have been Peter Bergman, I wouldn't have cared what RACE anyone in that storyline was --- I'd have just wanted them gone for good so that I wouldn't have to say all that silly stuff anymore.  Peter Bergman always goes for the emotional and the maudlin, but that mess was just too much,  probably even for him.    

The Volien story wasn’t great, but... 25 years. He needs to get over it. The upside is way higher than the downside.

It can be a dumb story and still be used well in future story. I can't fault Bergman for disliking the execution, but wailing on it about today is a bad look.

I think had the story been about how Jack cannot live up to being this good of a person, and if his son had some grit and maybe some of Jack’s nasty tendencies, everything would have worked better.

 

And they could use Keemo today in a good story.  I know Peter does not like the story, but it is time to get over it and let them use what they have to build for a new generation of Abbots fighting over Jabot.

19 hours ago, Lust4Life76 said:

If I recall during Sally Sussman and Kay Alden's last tenure the character of Juliette was alleged to be linked to Keemo in someway - and that the baby she fathered by Cane would have had it's paternity called into question when Keemo returned to Genoa City and the two were revealed to be lovers. But I think it was scrapped because the character of Juliette, though I enjoyed her, did not catch on.  

TBF they didn't give Juliet time to catch on. And she had potential. 

 

That sounds interesting for sure.

54 minutes ago, Vee said:

It can be a dumb story and still be used well in future story. I can't fault Bergman for disliking the execution, but wailing on it about today is a bad look.

 

Couldn't agree more.  I'm sure it was a dreadful experience for him (the awful dialogue), but with Laun being deceased, that syrupy aspect of it is over, and there's no reason why Keemo couldn't return without revisiting the "fruit of the loins" babbling.  lol.  

12 minutes ago, Broderick said:

 

Couldn't agree more.  I'm sure it was a dreadful experience for him (the awful dialogue), but with Laun being deceased, that syrupy aspect of it is over, and there's no reason why Keemo couldn't return without revisiting the "fruit of the loins" babbling.  lol.  

Sorry but why do you spell it Laun rather than Luan?