Thanks For The Memories, Erica!

Goodbye Jenny and Greg, goodbye Jesse and Angie, goodbye Phoebe Tyler Wallingford, goodbye Billy Clyde Tuggle and yes, goodbye Erica Kane!

It's a tremendously sad day in t.v. land, ABC has cancelled its long-running soap opera, "All My Children". Soap operas have been declining in popularity for several years, and many of them, some older than television itself, have bought the farm in the past five years. ABC also cancelled "One Life to Live" yesterday, but we're especially sad to see "All My Children" go.


"All My Children" premiered in 1970 and quickly became one of the most popular soaps on t.v., thanks in part to the character of a young, self-centered beauty named Erica Kane, who has been played from the very beginning by actress Susan Lucci. Later, in the late 70's and early 80's, "AMC" reached a popularity which transcended daytime t.v.; the entire nation was riveted to the romantic storylines of Greg and Jenny, Jesse and Angie and Cliff and Nina. But what made "AMC" stand out from the rest of the soaps was the fact that it embraced comedic writing, even campy at times. The characters of Opal Gardner, played by Dorothy Lyman, and Billy Clyde Tuggle, played by Matthew Cowles, (pictured above right), were clearly meant to be funny, and it worked; they were hilarious. The tone of "AMC" remained serious, but the show wasn't afraid to poke fun at itself and the soap genre as a whole. The evil pimp, Billy Clyde Tuggle, and his hooker girlfriend, Honey Stell, had the whole country talking and laughing. And then, of course, there were the epic battles between Pine Valley's social doyenne, Phoebe Tyler Wallingford, and the social ladder-climbing Erica, who once memorably scheduled a social event on the same day as Phoebe's garden party, which prompted Phoebe to yell at Erica, "Go ahead and try to have your party on the same day as mine. I will blow you out of the water!" God, it was classic.



To read more about "All My Children" click here, and enjoy the gallery of photos of "AMC"'s most famous characters below.

Myrtle the Turtle

(Eileen as "Myrtle", on "All My Children" with Susan Lucci, and in her younger days)

Myrtle the Turtle has passed to that great carney in the sky. Eileen Herlie, the actress who played Myrtle Fargate on ABC's long running soap, "All My Children" died on Wed., Oct. 8.

Most of you won't know her, so let me explain. All My Children has always been one of the best things on television, period, but there was a time in the early '80's in which the storylines and characters were so good, the show reached a popularity of mammoth proportions. Remember Greg and Jenny and Liza? Jessie and Angie? Erika Kane tangling with grande dame Phoebe over similar party dates, and Erika telling her, "Okay, have your party on the same day as mine. I'll blow you out of the water!"? Oh, those were the days.

The show was so popular at that time, it easily could have moved into prime time. And in the midst of all those delicious storylines came one of the strangest and funniest ones of all. Estelle, a reformed prostitute found her way to Pine Valley, soon followed by her boyfriend and pimp, Billy Clyde Tuggle. My memory's a little fuzzy, but I think that's the same story line that created Tad and Opal, who still dominate the show today. Anyway, one of Billy Clyde's nemesis' was Myrtle "the Turtle" Fargate, a former carney worker, who helped to protect Estelle from Billy Clyde's attempts to take her back to the darkside. Two of the most famous yells in entertainment history involve the name Estelle; Marlon Brando's "Stella!" in "A Streetcar Named Desire" and Billy Clyde Tuggle's plaintive wails for his squeeze, "Honey Stell!!" Oh God, there was nothing better. Billy Clyde became a cult hero at the time; on college campuses everywhere, even football teams gathered around their t.v. sets at Noon everyday to watch Billy Clyde, Honey Stell and Myrtle's crafty maneuverings to outwit Billy Clyde.

Eileen Herlie was nominated three times for an Emmy Award, never winning, and was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in the 1960 Broadway musical "Take Me Along". She also played opposite Laurence Olivier in the Oscar-winning "Hamlet". Eileen was 90 when she died, and she worked up to the very end. It's a sad day in Pine Valley.