I've been watching All My Children since Day One, and the show has a very different feel today than it did back in 1970. Originally it was a multi-generational, multi-layered story set in the mythical town of Pine Valley, Pennsylvania. Created by Agnes Nixon,it dealt with real-life social issues--- drug abuse, racism, rape,domestic violence,prostitution, even homelessness. The characters came from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities. There were the rich, upper-class Tyler and English families as well as the middle-class Martins, and also the working-class Benny Sago and Mrs. Valentine. It also had social outcast Donna Beck, a runaway teen prostitute, and her outrageous pimp Billy Clyde Tuggle. But the most popular character, a break-out character really, was Susan Lucci's Erica Kane.
From the start Erica stole the show. She debuted in 1970 as a teenager from a broken home. She started out with Daddy issues and a great big chip on her shoulder. Good writing soon transformed her into something more human,and as the decades passed we learned more about her troubled history. As we eventually discovered, she'd been raped at age 14 by a pedophile friend of her father's, apparently with Dad's full consent! Ever since that event Erica has had emotional problems. Despite her worldly success she's still struggling, 40 years later, to like herself. No amount of male attention is ever enough, which would explain her long string of discarded husbands and lovers. She's a fascinating, complex character and according to Lucci herself, great fun to play. Lucci portrays Erica with a light comedic touch, and her long-time fans continue to love her.
Looking back, I remember the 1980's and 1990's as AMC's Glory Years. Inspired writing, along with a superb cast of actors, guaranteed that. During this period the show introduced two new families: the Cortlandts and the Chandlers. These were rich, powerful clans with bigger-than-life patriarchs---Palmer Cortlandt and Adam Chandler, respectively--- continually at each other's throats.Palmer was a cold-blooded s.o.b. who lived in a Gothic mansion with his captive daughter, Nina. Similarly, Adam wielded power from the Chandler Mansion and soon emerged as the villain we loved to hate.
Over the years Adam's manipulations have driven away all of his wives--- he has had several, including Erica and the redoubtable Brooke English-- -and he also has alienated his children. Today's son and heir, JR, is a recovering alcoholic with deep-seated problems that he's likely to "hand down" to the next generation. Stay tuned.
Another memorable character was, and still is, Tad Martin. An abandoned child, he was adopted by the Martin family nearly 40 years ago. Later he grew up to be the adult Tad that we all adore. Young Tad was a womanizer and a cad yet likable because of his wit and charm. After numerous escapades he found true love with sweet Dixie Cooney, and the fans applauded. Other popular pairings kept us riveted: Cliff and Nina...Greg and Jenny...Angie and Jessie...Natalie and Trevor. Angie and Jesse achieved special distinction in being the first official black Super Couple ever seen on daytime. Jesse's now a p.i. and Angie's a doctor. Watching them interact with their old pal Tad, from adolescence to middle age, has been a joy.
But all good things must come to an end. Once Disney bought AMC, in the early 2000's, this iconic show went into a downward tailspin. New people were running it now, people who apparently knew nothing about soaps. The writing regime changed every year or so, with character history violated or simply ignored. The scribes gave us short-term "shock and awe" story lines that made no sense. One of the worst was Erica's hitherto unknown son, an aborted fetus kept alive by a mad scientist...Yeah, right. And then the horrendous tale of Tad, our beloved Tad, burying a man alive! Not to mention the travesty of Dixie's death by poisoned pancakes. After Head Writer Megan McTavish killed off Dixie, for no apparent reason, there was a general outcry from the viewers. AMC was in deep trouble, and sinking fast...
Yet even in recent years the show has had its redeeming features. The Kane family, for one. Erica's two daughters have been skillfully woven into the Pine Valley tapestry. Kendall (the child of rape) appeared on Mom's doorstep with an initially bad attitude but has since evolved into a charming if somewhat wacky heroine. Bianca, the younger child, "came out" as a lesbian back in 2000 in one of the best scenes I've ever seen on daytime. The hard-won but close sisterly bond between "Binks" and Kendall, and their coming to terms with their celebrity Mom, has been masterly storytelling.
Notwithstanding All My Children is currently on life support, like so many other soaps. Why? The main problem, I suspect, lies in its dearth of good old-fashioned romance. The only Super Couple left seems to be "Zendall"---Kendall and Zach---and with Zach's portrayer, Thorsten Kaye, about to leave the show, even that will soon be gone. But please, no more "Rylee" (Greenlee and Ryan)! "Rylee" is an uninspired pairing that the fans in overwhelming numbers hate, yet the Disney suits have been kicking that dead horse for years. When the chemistry ain't there, folks, it just ain't there. Greenlee, a delightful bitch, had a great romance years ago with con artist Leo Dupres, played by actor Josh Duhamel, but with Ryan she fizzles. I'd rather see her reunited with her dastardly hubby, David Hayward, who we all know isn't really dead. In fact, even as we speak, Dr. Hayward may be resurrecting corpses in his secret lab...SPOILER ALERT!
ADDENDUM: A few years after my writing this review the Head of ABC Daytime, Brian Frons, cancelled AMC, causing an angry backlash from the fans. And so now, alas, Pine Valley is just a bittersweet memory. Erica will never break another heart, Adam will never negotiate another dirty deal, and Tad's sparkling wit is heard no more. Finis.
From the start Erica stole the show. She debuted in 1970 as a teenager from a broken home. She started out with Daddy issues and a great big chip on her shoulder. Good writing soon transformed her into something more human,and as the decades passed we learned more about her troubled history. As we eventually discovered, she'd been raped at age 14 by a pedophile friend of her father's, apparently with Dad's full consent! Ever since that event Erica has had emotional problems. Despite her worldly success she's still struggling, 40 years later, to like herself. No amount of male attention is ever enough, which would explain her long string of discarded husbands and lovers. She's a fascinating, complex character and according to Lucci herself, great fun to play. Lucci portrays Erica with a light comedic touch, and her long-time fans continue to love her.
Looking back, I remember the 1980's and 1990's as AMC's Glory Years. Inspired writing, along with a superb cast of actors, guaranteed that. During this period the show introduced two new families: the Cortlandts and the Chandlers. These were rich, powerful clans with bigger-than-life patriarchs---Palmer Cortlandt and Adam Chandler, respectively--- continually at each other's throats.Palmer was a cold-blooded s.o.b. who lived in a Gothic mansion with his captive daughter, Nina. Similarly, Adam wielded power from the Chandler Mansion and soon emerged as the villain we loved to hate.
Over the years Adam's manipulations have driven away all of his wives--- he has had several, including Erica and the redoubtable Brooke English-- -and he also has alienated his children. Today's son and heir, JR, is a recovering alcoholic with deep-seated problems that he's likely to "hand down" to the next generation. Stay tuned.
Another memorable character was, and still is, Tad Martin. An abandoned child, he was adopted by the Martin family nearly 40 years ago. Later he grew up to be the adult Tad that we all adore. Young Tad was a womanizer and a cad yet likable because of his wit and charm. After numerous escapades he found true love with sweet Dixie Cooney, and the fans applauded. Other popular pairings kept us riveted: Cliff and Nina...Greg and Jenny...Angie and Jessie...Natalie and Trevor. Angie and Jesse achieved special distinction in being the first official black Super Couple ever seen on daytime. Jesse's now a p.i. and Angie's a doctor. Watching them interact with their old pal Tad, from adolescence to middle age, has been a joy.
But all good things must come to an end. Once Disney bought AMC, in the early 2000's, this iconic show went into a downward tailspin. New people were running it now, people who apparently knew nothing about soaps. The writing regime changed every year or so, with character history violated or simply ignored. The scribes gave us short-term "shock and awe" story lines that made no sense. One of the worst was Erica's hitherto unknown son, an aborted fetus kept alive by a mad scientist...Yeah, right. And then the horrendous tale of Tad, our beloved Tad, burying a man alive! Not to mention the travesty of Dixie's death by poisoned pancakes. After Head Writer Megan McTavish killed off Dixie, for no apparent reason, there was a general outcry from the viewers. AMC was in deep trouble, and sinking fast...
Yet even in recent years the show has had its redeeming features. The Kane family, for one. Erica's two daughters have been skillfully woven into the Pine Valley tapestry. Kendall (the child of rape) appeared on Mom's doorstep with an initially bad attitude but has since evolved into a charming if somewhat wacky heroine. Bianca, the younger child, "came out" as a lesbian back in 2000 in one of the best scenes I've ever seen on daytime. The hard-won but close sisterly bond between "Binks" and Kendall, and their coming to terms with their celebrity Mom, has been masterly storytelling.
Notwithstanding All My Children is currently on life support, like so many other soaps. Why? The main problem, I suspect, lies in its dearth of good old-fashioned romance. The only Super Couple left seems to be "Zendall"---Kendall and Zach---and with Zach's portrayer, Thorsten Kaye, about to leave the show, even that will soon be gone. But please, no more "Rylee" (Greenlee and Ryan)! "Rylee" is an uninspired pairing that the fans in overwhelming numbers hate, yet the Disney suits have been kicking that dead horse for years. When the chemistry ain't there, folks, it just ain't there. Greenlee, a delightful bitch, had a great romance years ago with con artist Leo Dupres, played by actor Josh Duhamel, but with Ryan she fizzles. I'd rather see her reunited with her dastardly hubby, David Hayward, who we all know isn't really dead. In fact, even as we speak, Dr. Hayward may be resurrecting corpses in his secret lab...SPOILER ALERT!
ADDENDUM: A few years after my writing this review the Head of ABC Daytime, Brian Frons, cancelled AMC, causing an angry backlash from the fans. And so now, alas, Pine Valley is just a bittersweet memory. Erica will never break another heart, Adam will never negotiate another dirty deal, and Tad's sparkling wit is heard no more. Finis.