All My Children

... that beginning being 1970. Susan Lucci often said that she was lucky in that she did not have a long slow rise to the top. She started out of college as the star of "All My Children" and was never really toppled from that position. At age 23 she played the high school brat, the kid that liked to take boys away from other girls just to hurt both of them in the end, trying to compensate for a famous movie making father who deserted her and her long suffering mother. When the show ended in 2011, I was somewhat sad, given that the disappearance of most soap operas was due to the arrival of cheaply produced reality shows, not so much a lack of ratings. Why pay Susan Lucci to act like a spoiled brat when people will behave like rutting pigs for free if they feel people are watching them, the network suits figured? However, perhaps in retrospect it was a good time to end the show. Lucci was within months of being eligible for Medicare by that time, and although she was remarkably well preserved, all good things must come to an end.

One of the big changes in soap operas to come around was in the mid 1970s when soaps began to introduce wealthy dynastic families and business power struggles as the center of the story lines versus ordinary people dealing with infidelity, divorce, sex and pregnancy before marriage - things that in general were discussed among the actresses playing housewives at the kitchen table over a cup of coffee. All My Children introduced first the Cortlandts to fill that spot in the late 1970's and then Adam Chandler as a rival businessman to the Cortlandts, with bad blood going back to the West Virginia hills from which both families came and the feud having very personal roots.

Finally there is Phoebe, who was the matriarchal version of Erica, who thought that her blue blood and full bank accounts made her better than anybody else and that she knew best for all concerned, and had no more problem meddling in other people's lives than Erica did. Played by Ruth Warrick, she did a splendid job at the role from the show's inception until then end of her life when her illness made her unable to continue regular appearances.

Several acting careers started here - Sara Michele Gellar, for example, later became the star of the long running TV series "Buffy The Vampire Slayer". Several acting careers ended here with good long running parts such as Ruth Warrick as Phoebe Tyler, David Canary as Adam Chandler, and James Mitchell as Palmer Cortlandt.

Here is where I usually say "catch it if you can", but you can't since the only soap opera ever put on DVD was "Dark Shadows", and there isn't even a Soap Net channel anymore because so few soap operas still exist. Look for the remains of this show on youtube. Some enterprising individuals have put some portions even from the early 1970's out on youtube. I don't know what they were using in the early 70s to record. Was there such a thing as a squirrel powered Betamax in 1970?

The summer I was 17, before I went away to college, I tuned into a black and white episode of AMC(half an hour)and since then I have always tuned in to see what was happening. Through various jobs and the birth of my son and times when I couldn't watch for over a year,AMC was always there. And, let's face it AMC means Erica Kane.

But as I am middle aged,I would like to suggest that the show deal MORE with reality. Erica is on trial right now for yet another murder - after 30 years of watching, I can hardly recall all the people she has been accused of killing -- and the prosecutor is her former lover. Could the writers please get a clue??? Prosecutors are not allowed to even KNOW the people they are trying. Please deal with the rules of 2002.

Also, The Greenly and Leo story is a total BORE. Unless you are 17,,,,, interesting...But I suspect Leo is gay, myself.

Nice twist on Proteus, however, I like it.

The earliest ALL MY CHILDREN cross-over began in the early 1970's, with "Dr. Marcus Polk", a therapist who moved between ONE LIFE TO LIVE and ALL MY CHILDREN to treat a variety of patients. The character ended up back on ONE LIVE, and was murdered in 1985.

ALL MY CHILDREN's "Dr. Joe Martin" & GENERAL HOSPITAL's "Dr. Steve Hardy" visited ONE LIFE TO LIVE for a medical consultation with Dr. Jim Craig in 1969.

Attorney "Paul Martin" from ALL MY CHILDREN traveled to ONE LIFE TO LIVE to represent "Victoria Lord" in a murder trial in 1978.

When "Erica Kane" was a model in the 1980's, ONE LIFE TO LIVE's "Delilah Ralston", a designer, visited ALL MY CHILDREN.

In 1986, ALL MY CHILDREN's "Angie Hubbard" & her son "Frankie" moved to Corinth, where the now defunct series LOVING was set. Later ALL MY CHILDREN's "Jeremy Hunter" and wife "Ceara Connor" moved from Pine Valley to Corinth. Many of the characters from both LOVING and ALL MY CHILDREN visited back & forth. Both "Ceara" & "Jeremy" died on LOVING. "Jeremy's" twin brother, "Gilbert", also was on LOVING.

The "Hubbards" moved to LOVING's spin-off, THE CITY, where they met up with ALL MY CHILDREN's "Jesse Hubbard" look-alike, "Jacob Foster Johnson". GENERAL HOSPITAL's "Tracy Quartermaine" also moved to THE CITY at one point, and ALL MY CHILDREN's "Jackson Montgomery" visited his former lover,"Sydney Chase". An adult "Frank Hubbard" returned to ALL MY CHILDREN in 2002 as a doctor.

ONE LIFE TO LIVE's "Dorian Cramer Lord" had a phone call with ALL MY CHILDREN's "Adam Chandler", in 1990.

In 1999, ALL MY CHILDREN's "Skye Chandler" moved to ONE LIFE TO LIVE, and it was revealed that she had been married to "Ben Davidson". She had an affair with "Max Holden". She then moved to GENERAL HOSPITAL, moving in with her supposed biological father, "Dr. Alan Quartermaine". She married "Jax", & has been romantically linked with "Luke Spencer" & had a "very close" relationship with supposed half-brother, "A.J. Quartermaine".

"Skye's" biological mother "Rae Cummings" moved between all three shows as well. "Rae's" biological mother is ALL MY CHILDREN's "Myrtle Fargate". Myrtle also visited ONE LIFE TO LIVE, as well as LOVING, where niece, "Ceara", had moved. "Rae's" biological father was "Marcello Angelini", an acrobat "Myrtle" met during her "carny days". During all her years in Pine Valley, "Skye" never knew that "Myrtle" was her grandmother.

In 1992, "Carter Jones" showed up on ALL MY CHILDREN to terrorize "Natalie Dillon". Sisters "Dinah Lee & Hannah Mayberry" traveled from LOVING to ALL MY CHILDREN as other victims of "Mr. Jones".

ALL MY CHILDREN's "Trevor Dillon" (Jamed Kiberd) visited LOVING and had a scene with real-life wife Susan Keith ("Shana Sloan"). ALL MY Children's "Tad Martin" (Michael E. Knight) visited ONE LIFE TO LIVE and had a scene with real-life wife Catherine Hickland ("Lindsay Rappaport").

In 1999, "Alex Devane" came to ALL MY CHILDREN, revealed to be the twin sister to GENERAL HOSPITAL's presumed dead "Anna Devane". In 2001 "Anna" also arrives. The dual roles continue until "Alex" marries "Dimitri Marick" and moves to Hungary. Flashbacks with "Anna's" husbands "Robert Scorpio" & "Duke Lavery" were seen on ALL MY CHILDREN. It was revealed that "Duke Lavery" was a cousin of the deceased "Gail Lavery Curry", mother of Pine Valley's "Ryan". "Anna" get's a visit from GENERAL HOSPITAL daughter "Robin Scorpio" and brother-in-law, "Max Scorpio". The Devane clan grew to include British nephew "Aidan Devane", the son of the twins' dead sister, Lindsay. Also, half-brother, bi-racial "Gabriel Devane", the son of their father "Thomas" and their childhood nanny "CeeCee". "Anna" married "Dr. David Hayward" and had another daughter, "Leora Devane Hayward", who lived just a short time. "Anna" left ALL MY CHILDREN in 2003 and returned briefly to GENERAL HOSPITAL in 2006. "Robin Scorpio" returned to GENERAL HOSPITAL from Europe in 2005.

The latest, and most elaborate, cross-over was the year long "baby switch" story (2002-03), when ALL MY CHILDREN's "J.R. & Babe Chandler's" son was kidnapped by "Babe's" 1st husband, ONE LIFE TO LIVE's "Paul Cramer". The baby was then adopted by "Paul's" half-sister "Kelly Buchanan". "Little Adam" was then called "Little Ace". This story tied together all the major families from both shows, set in towns about 50 miles apart in Pennsylvania--the Martins, Chandlers, Kanes of Pine Valley and the Buchanans, Lords, Cramers of Llandview. Many characters traveled back & forth, including "Dorian Cramer Lord" again. The cross-over concluded in a week-long custody trial. Major players from both shows were seen in the courtroom on both programs.

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Even though this show is not as wonderful and perfect as it use to be it is still a great show. The actors and actresses have great talent and show it really well. I'd refer this show to anyone who wants to watch some good drama. It has the forever famous Erica Kane and her countless marriages which are sure to entertain. The ups and downs of the relationships of the citizens of Pine Valley. The Characters draw you in and the situations keep your eyes on that screen. This show has won many emmys and there are reasons for it. I really enjoy this soap and I hope that others viewers can learn to enjoy it as well. Like I said before if you want to see some great stories and great talents you should definitely tune into this soap!

I have been a fan of All My Children for about 5 years now. I think that this soap is really one of the classics. It has great characters and really great story-lines. I have recently enjoyed the story-line involving Haley, Mateo, and Raquel. I was a little disappointed when they fired Dimitre and most recently Raquel, but I think that whatever happens, the show will stay remain one of the tops in it's field. Please watch this soap daily! You won't be disappointed!