All My Children (1970–2011) User Reviews (35)

The Soap that had everything!

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 31 July 2002]

As a 20 plus year viewer of "All My Children", I remained faithful to the lives of the Tylers, Kanes, Martins, Cortlandts, Chandlers, and many other families who have made their way through the medium sized city of Pine Valley, Pennsylvania nearly through its 40 year run.

Located near the "One Life to Live" town of Llanview, "All My Children" was nevertheless quite different. It was Agnes Nixon's bible for this show which inspired her creation of Rachel (Robin Strasser) on "Another World", basing her on the unseen character of Erica Kane. Three years after Rachel's debut on "AW", "AMC" finally made it to the airwaves; Looking at early pictures of both Strasser and Susan Lucci, one can see why the rumor that they are sisters has flown for years. While untrue (with Phyllis Diller as their mother!), it has created a legend only daytime could produce. In the late 1970's, Lucci and Strasser finally worked together when Strasser played Dr. Christina Karras (who ended up marrying Erica's first husband) prior to joining "One Life to Live" as Dorian.

While Lucci was Pine Valley's first lady, she shared the spotlight with many others, most notably Ruth Warrick as Pine Valley's Grande Dame Phoebe Tyler. While later a wheel-chair bound shell of her former self up to her death in 2005, during her heyday, Phoebe was a force to be reckoned with, and in the 70's, while in a wheelchair while faking paralysis, "Citizen Kane" vet Warrick called herself a "Bitch on Wheels". Sadly, Phoebe slipped to back burner after her on-screen husband Louis Edmunds (Langley) was shuffled out of the story (although he is still mentioned as being out of town), but the memory of her confrontations with Erica's beloved mother Mona (the late Fran Heflin) still remain, as do her constant belittlement of the "less-than-worthy of her time" members of Pine Valley's other side of the tracks who would end up somehow involved with her younger relatives.

"All My Children" was the first soap to feature a major black supercouple (Frank and Nancy Grant, followed by their nephew Jesse and his love, Angie), the first to add comedy (Opal Gardner among others) to their front-burner storylines, and the first to truly explore such issues as homosexuality (both male and female), AIDS, and incest. "All My Children" has featured many over-the-top villians (most notably Ray Gardner, Billy Clyde Tuggle, Janet Green, and currently Vanessa Cortlandt), actors in dual roles (David Canary, Ellen Wheeler, Michael E. Knight), and actors coming back after their original characters were killed off (Francesca James), or even after they were truly dead (Mike Roy).

"All My Children" was especially been successful in its telling of gothic style storylines, straight out of Edgar Allan Poe, the Bronte Sisters, and Daphne DuMaurier. Palmer Cortlandt (Broadway veteran James Mitchell), his Mrs. Danvers like housekeeper Myra Murdock (the wonderful Elizabeth Lawrence), and his fragile daughter Nina (beautiful Taylor Miller) were created to bring "AMC" into the 80's; Later, the equally mysterious Chandler family was created, with David Canary giving one of daytime's legendary performances as the totally different twins Adam and Stuart Chandler; Where Adam is Pine Valley's controlling power broker, Stuart is the heart and soul of the town, taking over where the late Mona Kane and the missing in action Ruth Martin left off.

The Dimitri Marrick storyline of the early 1990's was a retread of the Palmer/Daisy Cortlandt storyline, complete with Helga, another Mrs. Danvers style housekeeper who had the gaul to lock Erica in the crypt of her rotting father-in-law. Other storylines, such as former rebellious teenager Hayley Vaughn's transition into the show's major young heroine, freshly copied older storylines. Kelly Ripa took over the storyline Julia Barr (Brooke English) had done 15 years before.

"AMC" also did not forget long-forgotten characters; We caught occasional glimpses of deceased loved ones such as Natalie Hunter, Jesse Hubbard, Travis Montgomery, Cindy Chandler, and Jenny Gardner Nelson popping up to guide their survivors. Liza Colby, a favorite bad girl of the early 80's, came back over a decade later, with Marcy Walker now playing her as a much reformed Liza. Following soon after was her previously infrequent seen mother Marian (the delightfully humorous Jennifer Bassey) who had long been decorating social events, but hadn't had a storyline since she was discovered to be the murderer of a short-lived Pine Valley villian.

Later returns of Timothy Dillon (actually, Natalie's son by Alex Hunter, adopted by Trevor Dillon) and Angie and Jessie's son Frankie (seen years ago on "Loving") are signs that "AMC" is keeping this tradition going. Angie and Jessie, brought back from the dead during the shows last year on network, would later be the leading characters on the short-lived on-line version.

During a return to my interest in the show, with the long "Proteus" storyline taking a breather with some new directions underway, "AMC" created new stories for some underused characters (Brooke/Edmund), and introducing some fabulous new roles played by favorites from other soaps. Anna Stuart, introduced as the snooty mother of socialite Greenlee Smythe (the spunky Rebecca Budig), was built up as a former love interest for long-time unattached Jackson Montgomery (fan favorite Walt Willey), and another great rival for Erica. Marj Dusay, as the always entertaining Vanessa Cortlandt, stole the scenery all year as the drug lord Proteus; Her "Medea" like relationship with her sons Leo and David was fascinatingly sick, but like good theater, you just couldn't turn your head. Leo and Vanessa were killed off apparently, but the soaps of the 2000's seem to be a place where nobody was ever really dead.

"AMC" had a very rich history, filled with too many wonderful performances over its 40 year run. Who can forget Sandy Gabriel's wealthy and trashy Edna; Candice Earley's tragic performance as reformed hooker Donna Sago Tyler; Kathleen Noone as the wealthy but down-to-earth Ellen Sago; Gillian Spencer as Daisy, the long-lost first Mrs. Palmer Cortlandt; Natalie Ross's ultra-snobby performance as Greg Nelson's disaproving mother Enid; Meg Myles as Adam's obsessive secretary Joanna who was secretly married to Stuart; Jane Elliott as the first gold-digger to swipe Palmer Cortlandt; Genie Francis as the bitchy but tragic incest victim Ceara Connor; Ellen Wheeler as AIDS patient Cindy Chandler, the first woman to show Stuart Chandler how it felt to be truly loved; Susan Pratt as the powerful but otherwise confused Barbara Montgomery Cudahy; Robin Christopher as Skye Chandler (long before she discovered she was really a Quartermain of "General Hospital"); and Cadi McLain as dumb country bumpkin turned smart Dixie Cooney, the girl who showed Tad the cad what love really meant. Of the older characters who remain, one of the continuously strongest presences is felt by Eileen Herlie's wise and wonderful Myrtle Lum Fairgate; If only her daughter Rae Cummings (Linda Dano) or granddaughter Skye Quartermain would visit her from their soaps, she would have more to do than play support to Erica, the wonderful Bianca, or Opal.

Unfortunately, most of the male characters pale in comparisson to the above (and many more) female characters; Long-running male characters on the show often become overshadowed by the women in their life; Just take a look at Paul Martin, Linc Tyler, Charles Tyler, Chuck Tyler, Cliff Warner, Benny Sago, Mark Dalton, Tom Cudahy, Jackson Montgomery, Edmund Grey, Dimitri Garrick, well you get the picture.

Unforgettable men on the show are either dispicable villians like Ray Gardner, Eddie Dorrance, or Billy Clyde Tuggle, or powerful businessmen like Palmer and Adam. Tad the cad Martin is perhaps the only young character to remain a strong presence; Jesse Hubbard would have gone that direction as well, but died too young. David Hayward is perhaps one of the only more recent characters to actually have a stronger backbone than other characters, but "AMC" men tend to mellow too much to make their days in Pine Valley stretch into years. The show, which has been off the air for over a decade now, is rumored to be coming back in a revamped version. We still see, but nothing could ever recapture the glory it had for most of its 40 years.

A Long Time Viewer...But...

[DiamondGirl427 · 7/10 · 6 July 2010]

I am not sure when I started watching AMC...but I believe it was when an aunt came down to spend a summer with me..she watched several...but it is AMC that I recall most. Of course Erica Kane was the star..always..and the other characters were for the most part great to watch as well. Fast forward several years to present day: Erica is still the DIVA she always has been..although I do wish Jack and her would FINALLY have their wedding..it has been too long already. I miss Palmer and Adam..another era has ended there perhaps. I wish Julie Bar would return as Brooke full time too. But..please someone tell me WHY they thought the actress who is playing Annie was right for the part? She is NOT sexy enough to pull of the sceming gold digger in my opinion. Giving JR a rather plain and sweet wife as they did seems too unbelievable too...he is a rich spoiled man...there is no way it would happen. Whenever they change actors always seems to change the dynamics too...especially when we have gotten used to the actor who originated the part. The addition of the guy who is playing Caleb is unnecessary too..he is attracted to Erica..even though they seem to have a love/hate thing going on at the moment...but come on..he is an angry,rude guy...not at all sexy...unless you like this type. Jack is way SEXIER in every way. The new Bianca is going to take a while to get used to as well...the new girl is cute..but doesn't quite fit yet. She is too goody goody...more so than the original was. The bottom line is that I won't stop watching the show..I just wish the writers would try a little harder to make it a "must watch" show.

I watched it on and off from the beginning...

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 17 May 2016]

... 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?

Great Soap

[notstorebought23 · 6 July 2004]

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!

AMC Forever

[barbie8051 · 10/10 · 26 August 2021]

I loved All My Children. I watched all the time. Years ago, when I worked fulltime, I had my lunch in the TV section whenever I could. Hard to believe AMC ended 10 years ago. Passing.

When AMC ended I had AMC withdrawals for months. It was a very wonderful program.

I posted this because I just learned of Michael Nader's passing. ~Dimitri Marick~

My Forty Years in Pine Valley

[ameilius · 9/10 · 8 November 2010]

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.

Awful dont' waste your time.

[josephbrewer-82531 · 1/10 · 16 April 2019]

Just awful, I don't recommend, don't waste your time and money.

Passion,glamour,killings and tornadoes: let's go to the green pine valley

[dejavu73 · 8/10 · 16 February 2002]

One day,in the afternoon,I saw a pretty blond guy who was delivering a Christmas present to a middle-class family. Shortly after, the old lady started moving towards the basement, with the parcel in her hands and while she was going down the stairs I could hear the sound of a ticket bomb cluttering between the other gifts, ready to explode. It was 1989 and since then I couldn't stop watching AMC a.k.a. " LA VALLE DEI PINI ", here in Italy. The blond guy was Gregory Nelson and the family with the bomb in the basement were the Martins. At once, I was captivated by Agnes Nixon's little P.V. and I found some similarities between Erica Kane (working for SENSUELLE) and Lorna Forbes (working for AMOURELLE in the other Nixon's TV show LOVING). I started recording episodes from Greg's fall down from a catwalk and hospitalization 'till his wedding with sweet sweet Jenny (one of the most intense and deep love story I've never seen). Glamorous Erica was living with her phony half-sister Silver,who was trying hard to set up a trap in order to steal Erica's man and modeling job. She did it so cunningly that the beauty - queen was forced to go to the psychiatrist for suffering nervous breakdown and amnesia. I loved the storyline concerning Nina and Steve: I remember the tail of a cyclone battering their helicopter and killing Steve. And I remember Nina's sister-in-law , auburn Linda Warner , burgling safes in P.V. And the Cortlands and the Chandlers' twins saga... Still now, when I enter this little lively place , I can breathe the spirit of American province ( and get short trips in NYC ) and I love staying with all these past and present characters, making myself at home. I'd like Susan Lucci to keep on surprising us and eventually to win another deserved Emmy Award!

Dont waste your time.

[hopeitsok · 1/10 · 16 April 2019]

What a waste of time, awful show, there is nothing good I can say about this show, i don't recommend, this is junk dont' waste your time.

Really The Show Was Way Ahead of It's Time

[shelbythuylinh · 8/10 · 1 December 2021]

The show was way ahead of it's time. And that it starts off in Pine Valley fictional town.

It has characters like Palmer, Tad, and Adam. But it was Susan Lucci's Erica that was the main focus and how she went from villainess to anti-heroine and how she would have on her husbands and jobs, you name it.

Glad Lucci finally won the Emmy in 1999 as future Criminal Minds and SWAT star Shemar Moore who was with the rival CBS "Young and the Restless' says that over in the streak being over.

Lucci really steals every scene there. But do not forget the other characters. Show way ahead of it's time there.

Garbage

[juninhonumber · 1/10 · 20 April 2019]

Elizabeth has no clue, no talent for this, this is just garbage, awful, I dont recommend, all her shows are a waste of time, she got no talent, pure junk.

This is One of the Greatest Soaps!

[brniis77 · 23 August 1999]

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!

Soaps

[minniepearlks · 10/10 · 6 November 2021]

I want to watch them from start to finish. I grew up watching All my children, one life to live and I still watch General Hospital.

I would love to be able to watch them from the very beginning. Why is this not possible?

All About Erica!

[Sylviastel · 8/10 · 16 May 2005]

According to TV Guide, the tribute to the great Ruth Warrick was set for May 13, 2005 but I only got a lame will reading from this episode. I stopped watching All My Children years ago because it was really the Susan Lucci show. Nowadays, the show is going to the dogs literally. It focuses too much on the young people of Pine Valley. I remember the early eighties when Ruth Warrick and other cast members like Kay Campbell, Louis Edmonds, Julia Barr, David Canary, and Eileen Herlie all had some storyline going now. Those who survive are destined to be placed in the background like Michael Knight. The show is only a shell of what it used to be. I sent several letters and applications for Eileen Herlie to get a British National Honor like Dame but I would have settled for the typical M.B.E. (Member of the Order of the British Empire). I sent several envelopes to cast members with an application inside. I never heard from one cast member or anybody interested in honoring Eileen Herlie from her native country. It angers me because I know from the past that somebody in their eighties like her and Ruth Warrick don't have much time left. I even sent the same applications to soap publications. Still no response from anybody. Does anybody care about somebody like Eileen Herlie? Before Anna Lee, I made several attempts to get another honor from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth but it failed because I didn't do it sooner than later. Eileen should have an M.B.E. like Anna Lee who was awarded in 1982. Eileen has been on just as long as some of the recipients from Coronation Street. Still, I wanted to see Ruth's tribute but for some reason, I didn't. Maybe I wasn't supposed too, maybe this is why I am writing this piece. I will never say the writing was ever excellent. It never held the same appeal as Douglas Marland or William J. Bell's story lines. The acting has always been either wonderful comedic and truly over the top. Still I hope All My Children fans will remember what it was like for those characters like Phoebe Wallingford, Myrtle Fargate, and others that you don't have to be young to have appeal. You have to depth and that comes from years of experience.

This was the best Soap Opera

[ThunderKing6 · 10/10 · 24 May 2022]

This was one of the best Soap Opera besides Passions because it actually ended.

Same old pathetic mess that has no reward.

It was about fictional people doing things and problems occurred, so they didn't resolve it, so they made up new problems. Yup Boring mess.

love the show most of the time

[tashasmom208 · 9/10 · 14 August 2009]

All My Children is and always has been my favorite soap. Have watched it from the beginning when Erica was a teenager and loved the original Tara and Phil. I miss so many of the old cast members. many of which are deceased. Pheobe, Mona,etc, etc. Erica will never change. she is just as beautiful today as she was as a young lady. This might be considered as a spoiler but i do not think the present cast (at least some of then) compare to the original cast mates. Maybe its my age but the Annie Laverys and the Ryan Laverys just bore me. i Also think i could do without anymore of Ryan's torso shots without a bra. His boobs are bigger than mine and i have to wear one.

All My Children of the past

[kjcco · 20 August 2005]

I have watched AMC almost since it began (I was 10), yet just in the last couple of years I have become quite disillusioned. It was once an inter-generational show with people that were all ages and looks enjoying story lines. Now it is just one dimensional characters - mostly skinny women and buff men - and they're not even interesting. I was watching old tapes of years ago when Phoebe, Mona, Myra, Palmer, Myrtle...etc., all had story lines. They would weave together the story lines of the younger people (who were at least then interesting) - people like Nina, Cliff, Jenny, Greg, Angie, Devon...etc. It has become an empty show with characters that are uninteresting and uncomplicated and what must the producers think when the ratings continue to plummet. I liked AMC when it was AMC. I would, however, start watching it again if they would bring back Nina Cortland!

My Favorite Pierce Riley

[janthdr-962-374072 · 10/10 · 28 January 2011]

I cannot tell you how much I miss the actor James Fitzpatrick. I recently saw James on a rerun of the television show of J.A.G. and I was reminded how compelling he is as an actor.

He still has very deep brooding eyes and a face that could freeze Medusa. I was in school when AMC was on but my mom used to tape it and we would watch it together at night.

It was kind of funny but I remember my mom saying that Pierce Riley was her favorite character too. I used to go to bed at night dreaming of meeting Mr Fitzpatrick one day.

Even though I know I know it was a fantasy, I still hope to see him acting in other TV shows and movies because I really enjoy him as an actor.

I miss AMC

[beththerriault · 10/10 · 26 December 2023]

I remember watching with my mom, and in college actually scheduling classes around this and GH. Oh Erica, Adam, Tina, the Woleks. I wish they'd rerelease this, I know I'd watch start to finish. So many memories tied up to this soap opera. How I loved it.... Remember Judith Light on this?!? Wow! The sets, the incredibly unbelievable stories and the evolution of Erica Kane. I used to love to see the costumes, the hair, the set designs. AMC was just a delicious afternoon snack; one I'd love to revisit. Do you remember Vicki & Joe? I do! He was gorgeous and kind. She never did better. Great soap, one I grew up with & would love to rewatch.

"You're Losing Her, Palmer. She's Just Like Her Mother."

[richard.fuller1 · 23 September 2011]

Oh, where to go in reflecting on this 41-yr-old show.

Yes, it has given us the names of Phoebe, Erica, Courtland, Opal (Dorothy Lyman from the moment she squawked, "ooh, it's hot on this bus!"), and couples like Cliff & Nina, Greg & Jenny, Jesse & Angie.

But in my past 48-hr reflection, it seems to me this hearty program missed more marks than it hit. lol! No, no, it's okay. There were definitely some major pluses along the way.

I started with the show when it was ten-yrs-old. By then, Phil and Tara were just being removed (He was missing, she ran off with Jim Jefferson, a fellow in a striped pullover).

Dr. Chuck Tyler and hooker Donna Beck were married and in full-swing. In fact, that's the best place to begin. Donna couldn't have a kid, so she was going to get one off the black-market. "Once Chuck sees the baby, he'll fall in love with him." Didn't happen. Chuck got mad and they split up. Chuck married Carrie Sanders, Donna fell into a romance with Palmer Courtland (one of the wildest romances the show ever had). On a ski trip, Chuck and Donna are trapped in a cave, so they have sex. A child is conceived. What Donna didn't know is Palmer was sterile after a riding accident (and having his two kids), so he always knew he wasn't the father. Donna has the baby after FIVE MONTHS! So now Chuck and Donna have a kid. Guess what? The kid is killed in a night club fire.

This was always what AMC did. Even with that night club fire, we had Greg Nelson in a wheelchair, Ray Gardner was blind, Erica was locked in a dressing room and Chuck had left the baby in Donna' dressing room (she sang in the club). I started back to school, got out early, came home to see who was saved, and everyone was out of the club, the baby was the only fatality. Missed it all in thirty minutes.

The same thing would happen when Ray Gardner was going to blow up the Martin family on Christmas. I wanted to see the house blow up. Same setup. Started back to school after Christmas, came home early, missed thirty minutes of the show. House was intact, Ray blew himself up. Utter disappointment.

Early on, the show truly had some of the trashiest characters around, such as Ray Garnder, Billy Clyde Tuttle (married in real life to Christine Baranski, I believe), purehearted prostitute Estelle and a fave of mine, tho I don't think she was a hooker, Edna, a total nutcase.

Oh, yes, and Myrtle Fairgate; her brilliant turn trying to help Phoebe by warning her Langley Wallingford was an imposter. This woman raced to the church on foot, but didn't make it in time.

For me, a grand minus has definitely been Adam Chandler. In the entire time he has been on the show, it has been one little girl after another (Dixie, Gloria, Liza, etc.), making each woman look more and more stupid for falling for this man with his track record. Why any of these women would have anything to do with him after Dixie and Brooke alone is beyond me. Each one was just another 'hes trying to control you' bit.

This pretty much led to the total ruination of Marcy Walker's Liza Colby. Walker didn't like the early on schoolgirl image she had on AMC(not that the forgettable wispy haired Eden Capwell on Santa Barbara was any better), but upon returning and hooking up with Adam? The promise in Liza was that she could have gone on to rival Ercia Kane.

Definitely this was AMC's major problem. Palmer Courtland and Adam Chandler should have paired up with characters like Marion Colby and Enid Nelson (one of the most annoying women around), then with these guys as parents, the young people of Pine Valley wouldn't stand a chance! Marion did eventually marry a Chandler, but it was daffy brother Stuart.

But again, the minuses were always there. AMC mocked the 'chased by bad guys' bit popularized by Luke & Laura from General Hospital (after doing a couple of Lovers On The Run story lines theirselves) by having Tad, Dottie, Greg, Jesse, whoever, running from bad guys encircling a monument, and other characters (a woman with a baby carriage, etc.) end up joining in to slapstick music. If the show didn't take things seriously, how could viewers?

I was recalling Angie's parents, played by Lee Chamberlain (Electric Comany) and Antonio Vargas (Starsky & Hutch). All that objection to Jesse and then Dad turns out to be running a black market baby scheme anyway. And Mike Minor (Petticoat Junction) as Brandon Kingsley.

And I never recall seeing another show have to recast in mid-story as AMC did, from Mrs. Gonzales, the hispanic landlady who helped Jesse and Jenny (she changed in mid dramatic moment), to Mike Roy, should have been Erica's true love, another actor had to do the death scene.

And where on Earth did Natalie (Kate Collins) come from? I was trying to recall this. I think she was a rival for Erica somewhere in there. She never really carried much weight, did she? Some Kent Bogard, Lars Bogard storyline. I think Lars ended up a Nazi and the agent for models, Olga, was his sister?

And another biggie, Brooke's mother, played by Patricia Barry, ended up the big villianess, Cobra. There was Phoebe's sister-in-law. Too hilarious.

No, it wasn't a bad run, I will say that. Been some fun moments, lots of fun moments. The gang was missed anyway, Palmer, Nina, Jenny, Daisy, but they have provided some hearty memories.

ALL MY CHILDREN cross-overs

[gjhines · 21 May 2006]

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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Once a great soap opera...

[luvnsweet · 30 December 2002]

All My Children is the first soap opera that I watched so I will always have a soft spot for it in my heart. That is why it pains me to see what the show has now become. In the past, we had character driven storylines and where villains paid for what they did. Now we have plot-driven storylines leaving viewers wondering what happened to their favorite characters and characters that deserve to be punished for their misdeeds are still roaming around town acting self-righteous. And I cannot get over how Tad and Dixie fans have been screwed over and over again because after 13 years, they still do not have a child. They are the only supercouple in daytime that I can think of that does not have a child together. How incredibly unfair is that David and Anna (a couple that has been together for barely a year) get to have a child while Tad and Dixie have been trying forever yet prove unsuccessful. When talking about AMC, I guess the name that will be most associated with it is Susan Lucci. She is an original cast member and have been in front burner storylines. Anyone who is an AMC watcher knows Erica's long line of men whom she has married and/or dated. I will always prefer Erica with Jackson, who I think is the love of her life. It's funny that a lot of fans think that Erica and Jack have been married. They haven't. They've been engaged though. So everytime the powers that be throw a new love interest into Erica's storyline, they are ignoring what could be a great storyline for Erica and Jack. I still have hopes that they will rekindle their love though! The Martins have been a prominent family of Pine Valley since the show started so it's sad that they are barely on now. Ruth and Joe only come out during the holidays. Tad has been acting like a moron ever since Dixie died. Why he defends Liza for every misdeed she does yet criticize Adam for everything he does I never know. That just really irks me. The way Tad was acting all self-rigteous towards Brooke for sleeping with Adam. Hey Tad you shouldn't be the one talking; you slept with Liza remember? And why everyone in the town blames Adam for every single thing is just plain wrong. Liza is the one who embezzled money from Chandler Enterprises yet it's Adam's fault? I don't understand the logic. I think I should just stop ranting about what has become of AMC and reminsence about the good times. The first storyline that Tad and Dixie had together will always be my favorite storyline. The way that Tad Martin, formerly known as Tad the cad, helped Dixie when she was being manipulated by Adam. Their courtship was so sweet. Michael E. Knight and Cady McClain have one of the most natural and electrifying chemistry in daytime. They play off each other well and their scenes can be humorous or a total tear-jerker. Who was not laughing their butt off at the Tad love test yet who was able to have a dry eye after watching the scene where Dixie is being hauled off to the looney bin? They also had good friends, Nico and Cecily, to help them with their wacky adventures. *sigh* The good old days.

The Only Soap I've Ever Watched

[Cammy-3 · 7 January 2002]

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.

greatest soap ever

[massivefart · 21 April 2000]

I have watched All My Children for over five years and the late 70's and early 80's. It is one show if i miss i get really upset. It has some the best actors, writers, and etc. It also has something a few soaps have long running characters they don't stick them in the backburner because some of the best characters are the one's that has been around the longest. My favorite has to Myrtle, Phoebe, Brooke, Adam and Stuart, Palmer Dixie and Tad and of course ERICA KANE she is the one reason i am a faithfull watcher and I never care what critics think because to me it is one of the few soaps that i am faithful to I do watch One Life to Live, Guiding Light. But you can't go wrong with a show that has been around for 30 years and has one more Emmy's than any other soap. Who can't forget the wonderful storylines Nina and Cliff, Angie and Jessie, Erica and Tom, Mike Roy, Adam, Travis, Jackson, and Dimitri, Palmer and Daisy and my favorite off all time Greg and my sweet sweet JENNY. For this is why ALL MY CHILDREN is my #1 soap and keep up the good work

Best Soap

[at_man · 12 December 1999]

I have watched All My Children since the fall of 94 and I must say it is a great show. With characters like Haley Tad Janet Trevor Edmund and of course Erica Kane. Best actress in her field. Though it is not as good as it was when I started watching it it is still a good show. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would ever watch it. I grew up with it I was born in 1973 and my mom had watched it since the beginning. It is a great show. My favourite storyline was when Janet had a bomb at Trevor's wedding to Laurel and then she disappeared and struck by lightning then found the cabin then got kiddnapped by Kinder oh that storyline went on for ever.