About DeAnne Stille Expertise I read about it, watch shows about it, and of course, "study" it on the internet! I would do well with questions from mid-70`s to present-day dramas, and I am an absolute expert on the soap opera "All My Children". AMC began in 1970 and I began watching in 1975 and am still at it. I also have numerous books, etc on the show and could find answers to questions about the show`s past as well. Thanks for considering my application.
Question I recently looked at All My Children after a long absence.
I still feel that this series reached its pinnacle about l980 with the romance of Cliff and Nina.
The intrigue with Palmer was fascinating. Remember Myra Murdoch? To me the wedding of Cliff and Nina was the soap-opera wedding, the rest are like imitations. After their wedding, it was like the writers did not know what to do and to me the series went down hill.Sometimes you need to leave a happy couple alone and together a bit like the Martins have been.
Any agreement or ideas on why this happened? Was there a change of writers or producers? What eventually happended to Nina on the show and in real life? Doesn`t it seem like these shows would be great for reissue?
Is there any way to see old shows?
I think there were three paperbacks that started with the series at the beginning and then suddenly stopped. Is there any way to read the shows in order as a novelization? The ABC archives are interesting, but novels would be better. Do you agree that the Nina-Cliff-Palmer plot was AMC`s finest hour? If not, what was your favorite? Your decription sounded like you might enjoy these questions and I am looking forward to your response.Thanks.
Jim
Answer Dear Jim,
Thanks for the great question/comment. The Cliff/Nina/Palmer, etc storyline was wonderful. I loved Palmer's schemes to keep them apart. I figured that if the illegitimate baby scheme didn't work (Remember Sybil Thorne and Bobby?), nothing would; and nothing did. I also enjoyed the drama of the "seances" calling up the spirit of Nina's mother, and the introduction of "Monique Jonvil".
When all of this was said and done, of course, Cliff and Nina went on to have the wedding which defined the phrase "fairytale wedding". From then on it was downhill, but they kept getting back together.
In the storyline at present, Cliff and Nina are married and living, I believe, in Chicago. Peter Bergman (Cliff) has gone on to become a popular star on The Young and the Restless, playing Jack Abbot. Taylor Miller (Nina) has been quoted as saying she never wants to work in daytime again, so I don't think we will be seeing them unless it's an anniversary show or something like that.
As for the writing/show quality; yes, I think it has gone downhill somewhat, and the staff has changed. However, they are also taking new directions with the show using younger actors and dealing with issues that people in that age group would face. Although Cliff and Nina were supposed to be quite young during their storyline heydays, they aren't like these new kids who seem to have it all together, and are trying to avoid being pushed around by their careers, not so much their parents. Also notice the trend of bringing back old favorites for long-term stays--Marion and Liza Colby, Tad and Dixie, etc.
As for seeing old shows, and the novels--During the past few summers they have shown "Daytimes to Remember"; each ABC soap gets 1 week (I think) to show favorite old episodes. I don't know if they will do it again, but it was popular with the fans. You can also check out anniversary show videos (check with other fans, or maybe an ebay-type site); they usually have flashback snippets if you enjoy that sort of thing. The novelizations sound interesting too, but I myself have never heard of them. You could check ebay-type sites for that as well, I imagine. If you have the AMC scrapbook, it gives plot summaries for each year 1970-1994, along with some great photo spreads about the families, the villains, etc. We'll probably have to wait awhile for the next scrapbook, though!
By the way, my favorite plotline was the love story of Greg and Jenny. Also liked the story of Jesse and Angie. I cried when Jenny died, and at Jesse's death too!
Hope my comments have been informative and interesting for you. Thanks again for a great question!
