Thanks Alan for letting me know about Lisa Brown..I just found out about her death today..It was right after I'd had heart failure so I understand how life can throw curve balls..I pray I get to last a few more years..I still feel I have more things to do..No romantic relationship again but hopefully great friendships..❤️
I enjoyed this interview. I appreciated Jill Farren Phelps's honesty. It was nice to hear her talk about topics that other people have been discussing for years (and decades). Her behind-the-scene stories are interesting. I could listen to her talk for hours. This is one of my favorite Locher Room shows so far.
@Terry Scott I absolutely agree with you. Sorry the interview ended when it did because the time certainly flew by far too quickly on this one. Aren't we lucky to have Alan Locher share these with us? I learn so much with every episode he broadcasts.
I really thought she was going to bail on this engagement! But she didn't. She actually showed up and answered all of the questions honestly. I truly believe she wanted to do the best she could for every show she helmed. Thank you for doing this, Jill, and shedding light on things many fans had questions about for years. I'm one of those GL fans that cried like a baby when Maureen died. I really lost it at the close of the show when the song, "Goodbye, My Friend" played as the credits rolled.
I immediately got to this Locher Room episode with Jill. And it did NOT disappoint. First off, the woman looks great. And second, say what you want about her, but the woman KNOWS daytime. She owns up to the mistakes, and she is proud of her many accomplishments. As she should be. I could listen to her talk about daytime for HOURS. Did I hate that Maureen was killed off? Of course. But GL back then...early 90s GL was at the top of its game, and she played a BIG part in all that. This might be one of your BEST Locher Rooms, Alan.
I found this interview riveting. I watched GL religiously before, during and after her reign there. From what I remember reading, Beverly left mainly cause of JFP. Beverly felt like she and the other actors weren’t being heard and recognized. I also remember reading and hearing about her reputation there and after GL. Heard she was tough to work with and for but after listening to her genuine answers …I feel she always wanted and strived for the shows to be their best and succeed. So tough on daytime, especially GL with the constant budget cuts and unions and moving to smaller and smaller buildings in NY to film on smaller and smaller sets. All that takes it’s toll including the writers, and producers revolving door and constant interface from PG and CBS must have made it an impossible job. Alan you did a phenomenal job and can’t understand how you are not snatched up from major network or streaming company to do these interviews in a studio setting. Let’s call it the “Alan Wants to Know” Show. Would love that! Jill you seem like a classy lady. Thank you for being a part of this. And Alan thanks for a great interview. One of the best yet!
If JFP did not know killing the beloved matriarch of the show's core family was going to be negatively received she had no business being the EP of a soap. She obviously did not understand the genre.
After Maureen Bauer she learned her lessons about killing off character the fans care about? Another World fans did not care about Ryan Harrison, Bridget Connell AND yes Frankie Frame? General Hospital fans did not care about Alan, Emily & AJ Quartermaine, Georgie & Tony Jones and Justus Ward? You do not modernize a show by killing off legacy characters, firing veteran actors and destroying familiar sets. You write modern stories that have not been told before and cast unique, diverse actors. Shocking moments (murders explosion, etc) may give a short term increase to the ratings but if they are not part of a character driven story they end up alienating fans. JFP produced some brilliant episodes but left all 6 shows in worse shape than she found them.
This was what I noticed too - she admitted that she was not a fan of soaps and it showed up in her work. She did many good things but she did not understand not to kill off legacy characters unless the performer dies or retires!
@@evfuvan Absolutely, JFP was the worst thing that has happened to the genre. She had no respect for the legacy characters. She constantly wanted the big gotcha moment that came with killing these characters. Ryan Harrison and Vicky's love story on AW was super popular with the fans, The Q"s were the lifeblood of GH. She delighted in ruining these shows, you can't convince me otherwise.
I'm from France and not all the soap operas have been broadcast here. I don't know all the controversies concerning her. But when I hear that she is at the origin of the couple Eden and Cruz, I give her a big plus to her track record. We're talking about a couple who have become iconic, their chemistry on TV is the absolute reference
Besides the Maureen Bauer gaf her run on GL was the shows last golden era of writing and production especially 1990-1992. The Bevelee McKenzey RIP story is still fascinating 30 years later
JFP was running BM into the ground with her needing to be on set 5 days a week... BM asked to be reduced to 3 days a week but JFP ignored BM... JFP knew how to damage a show.
@ryanwolff4058 I hear you and understand, but look at how the show struggled material wise after she was gone Micheal Labison, Paul Rauch, John Conboy, all had more downs in my opinion
She was awfully quick to throw someone else under the bus for Frankie Frame's death. She may have been in the process of leaving, but she was still the boss.
@@liammorgan2155 I never bought that story, either, that the EP couldn't influence the storyline of the head writer on AW when they decided to kill off Frankie Frame (either Frankie Frame or Donna Love Hudson was the one that JFP held focus groups to determine which of the two was less popular among the audience. JFP didn't do AW any favors during her tenure as EP).
Exactly. The show had characters presumed dead or missing before so I don't see why Frankie could not have been written off instead of being killed off in such a grisly manner which to this day I think was punishment for Alice Barrett criticizing the direction her character was going. I do recall Alice Barrett talking about this in an interview that costs factor was the reason her character had to go because the show was hiring someone with a higher salary so somebody had to go and by elimination her character was chosen.
I believe Jill. that was harding Lemay decision remember he created the frames and Frankie did not fit his vision. And by the way I Blame Donna swajeski for running the show in the ground when she was head writer but when Jill came Carolyn culliton was fixing the show with John valente but I think Jill's weakness at the time was not studying history and getting up to speed. I also think harding should have been brought in right away to act as a guardrail between carolyn and Jill because Jill is the type of producer who at that time just needed a Doug Marland type harding Lemay type presence who was going to tell her what's going on and explain things to her that's all.
@@kekwayblaze3176that's right and that had to do with Robert Kelker Kelly coming back and that was NBC. Personally I think judy Evans who I love should have been offed instead at the time and I think that's what harding I think wanted to do. But I think NBC said no. But I say that because that would hsve freed up judy to return as Beth Raines Spaulding when grant Alexander returned in 1996. Because Beth Chamberlin who I also live was not available she would not return until 1998.
Great interview Alan! I watched it twice. Jill seems like a lovely woman. She lasted 40 years in the business and won 11 emmys for a reason. No other soap EP even comes close to winning 11 emmys. Thanks for this interview!
that doesn't mean she was talented. JFP did great on the aesthetic values for her shows but was not a strong storyteller in any sense. Her winning the Emmys just indicates she knew how to play the game. That's it. Daytime would've been much better had she not been an EP at any soap. Luckily she did not touch my favorite (AMC) However, I do agree that this was a solid interview. I just can't stand this woman.
@@cajayson8301Jill was great at Santa Barbara and her who she ended gl was great once harding Lemay was brought in as a consultant. Considering micheal liabson made the Megan McTavish mistake.
Love her or hate her: this was a good interview. She owned her mistakes just like anyone should in her career. I do think she is responsible for a lot of damage, but I believe she is genuine and learned from errors. 2000s GH was a mess but her hands were tied by Frons and Disney. She was always given mandates- especially at AW, OLTL, and as she mentioned Y&R. It’s the nature of the medium now. I don’t agree with her creative choices sometimes but she does make a show look good and has decent pacing. I appreciated her honesty and willingness to discuss her blunders. Alan- don’t listen to your critics. You asked her some tough questions. I know the death of Maureen is a hot button for you as GL fan. Great job being fair, balanced, but still asking what the fans wanted to discuss!
Was it Frons and Disney that insisted on making the show "The Sonny and Jason Show"? Or was JFP at least partly responsible? I feel as you do that she made terrible mistakes and also did some good things, like most of us!
@@freemangriffin4953 she’s not super innocent in almost all the blunders: I mean even with Maureen Bauer. She made the final call. It does lie with her. With GH, I do feel she tried to balance the mob stuff with Robin/Patrick, Lulu, Dillion, Tracy, and Luke, etc etc.
@@freemangriffin4953 - I believe it was a combination of Frons, Disney, JFP and the writers (Guza and Pratt). What I do remember is when JFP came to OLTL and had the Rappaports take over the show. And yes, I do realize that new executives do bring their star players, but the star players are integrated into the team, they don't take over for the current staff.
@JCMellencamp78 - Agreed! I have heard many say that "NBC had it in for AW for years", they wanted to kill it for many years. Ultimately, I believe these shows are dying because the majority of viewers actually prefer trashy TV like the housewives - I don't understand it all. None of that stuff could ever suck me in like the soaps.
Wonderful interview. Santa Barbara was such a unique and amazing show. Thrilled to hear it discussed. Cruz and Eden were iconic. Justin Deas was fantastic as Keith Timmons. Thank you!
I am so very impressed with Ms. Phelps. Her honesty sharing with your audience today all that she learned from her vast experience working on so many daytime productions was so refreshing and educational. Such wonderful memories - even those that were not well received at the time. With the benefit of hindsight she can call a mistake a mistake (killing off Maureen on GL) with no discernible ego. I appreciate her sharing what she learned from that story line so very much. Glad to learn it was not her idea to kill off Frankie Frame on AW but the head writer at the time. You asked everything of her that I had hoped Alan and her responses were genuine and heartfelt. I appreciate you and your channel so very much. These beloved shows. characters and production people live on for us if we are able to remember them. Your interviews do that very thing. What a joy with my deepest gratitude.
I have gained a whole new respect for Ms. Phelps. I really appreciate her candor and enjoyed hearing about her entire career. It was a riveting interview. Thanks Alan for another great interview and I really appreciate your positivety!
This was a great interview. I absolutely loved listening to her recall how the pairing of Eden and Cruz came to be. IMO, Jill gets a really bad rap. She was the EP when Santa Barbara was at its absolute peak and she deserves a tremendous amount of credit for that. Santa Barbara was an iconic show that still lives in the hearts of millions till this day.
JFP was good as EP on Santa Barbara. Maybe it's because Santa Barbara (SB) was early on in it's run, and she had a chance to fix the mess it was originally in 1987 (NBC was in a court battle over SB until in 1991). JFP dumped a few of the families, focused on the Capwells/Lockridges and the show was not lack for couples (Eden/Cruz, Mason/Julia, CC/Sophia, Gina/Keith, even Lionel/Augusta). She was demoted when NBC lost the court battle in 1991 and left SB in 1992 Maybe with a new show, JFP could really bring it alive like with SB, but with GL (losing Alex v1/BM and killing off Maureen, making the show revolve around Roger), AW (killing off Frankie, breaking up Matt/Donna, shifting the center of the show from Rachel to Vicky, bringing in new characters that were forgettable, not knowing how to use the existing cast), and the damage at OLTL, JFP could run an existing show into the ground.
@@ryanwolff4058 Well I cant speak on her work outside of Santa Barbara as I was not a fan of Guiding Light, Another World or One Life To Live. I just know that during her tenure as EP of Santa Barbara the show was pure magic. Brilliant writing, producing, direction and acting. Everything they did at that time worked beautifully and it was some of the most entertaining and thrilling television I've ever seen. I also became a fan of General Hospital when she was the EP. I had no idea at the time but I became hooked on that show when she was there and I dont think it was a coincidence. GH was so good during her time there and the show became less entertaining when she left. While no Producer ( or any of us for that matter) are infallible, I believe Jill has done far more good than bad over the course of her career. She's responsible for some legendary daytime television. She has a boatload of Emmys to show for it.
@@msjj34 when was JFP EP of GH? There was a stretch of GH prior to OLTL/AMC going off the air where it was great and centered around the Quartermanes/Cassidines/Spencers and characters that were MIA returned. If that's JFP's work, she did a great job. I was hopeful when Frank Valentini took over as EP of GH from OLTL, but it's just gotten awful in the last couple of years. Ron Carlivati is head writer of DOOL, but I haven't watched DOOL other than clips in years, but Kassie DePavia as Eve Donovan is a great recast.
@@ryanwolff4058 She was EP of GH from 2001-2012. I believe they won the Emmy for best show 3 or 4 times during her time there. That's on top of the three-peat she had with Santa Barbara. Im not sure if she won Emmys at her other stops, but Jill knows how to produce award winning television. She also brought Laura Wright to General Hospital which has turned out to be another stroke of genius. She discovered great talents like Julie Berman, Jason Thompson, Dominic Zamprogna etc.. I still watch GH because im a loyal viewer but its currently a shell of its former self from when I first started watching back in 2005.
@@msjj34 that was a great era for GH. I didn't watch it much, but when it wasn't mob related, I enjoyed watching it, and appreciate she brought back older characters we hadn't seen in years back to Port Charles. JFP did a great job with GH during that era.
I appreciate Jill Farren Phelps' honesty in this interview, and am genuinely shocked at how honest she was. And, while I understand the dislike she receives from soap fans, I also understand she is there to do a JOB and run a BUSINESS from a non-personal, non-creative prospect. and yes she made some mistakes... but, yes, she did a JOB. As for commenters, both in this comment section and the Live Chat replay, I am DISGUSTED at how much bullying happens, as well as on soap message boards. Keyboard warriors really should look at themselves in the mirror before throwing stones.
Couldn't agree more with every word of this. The soap community is better than the bullying and mean comments. It's not needed. Thanks for watching and your note.
I'm sorry, when Jill was responsible for firing actors just before Christmas, telling people such as Jackie Zeman that she was being fired because "no one wants to see old people kissing," or remarking that Genie Francis and Denise Alexander that no one wanted to see two fat women talking at the kitchen table, then she can receive all the bullying that people want to dish out to her. She didn't wait five minutes before being hired at Y&R before she fired Genie yet again, just to make a point of who was Boss.
@@justlina2769 absolutely agree. Let's also not forget that she fired Anna Lee (a little old lady in her freaking 90s) and fired Laura Koffman on OLTL while Koffman was on maternity leave. For a woman, JFP is quite misogynistic
@@justlina2769 I feel like some of that stuff on GH was because of Frons. I noticed that prior to him taking charge of ABC Daytime, Bobbie/Jackie Zeman was actually used quite often on the show. Around that time was when many actors/actresses got switched to recurring - Shell Kepler (Amy), Jackie Zeman (Bobbie), and Kristina Wagner (Felicia) to name a few. You could still be right though (and regardless JFP could’ve handled the circumstances better than that for sure).
@@isaiahhill2104 Frons even has on his LinkedIn page that he took the network from 3 (4?) soaps down to one. He hated the genre. Also said that Becky Herbst wasn't pretty enough to be a front row star. Just a total a-hole.
I didnt watch Santa Barbara but I've heard of Eden and Cruz. A Martinez and Marcy Walker did an interview together years ago and you can see how much they cared for each other. Marcy Walker is a soap legend, two iconic roles on two different soaps. I even remember her on GL as Tangie for a short while. She's out of the business now but she made her mark on daytime TV.
Alan, this was really wonderful. I finally was able to watch it; I so appreciate your not only doing these chats but making them forever available to all of us. Your time, caring, and abilities are a gift to all of us. Lee
Had to watch the playback again because of my work schedule. Great show Alan as usual. So glad you were able to get her. You definitely get to see Jill in a different light. Love that she went to Carnegie Mellon in my hometown of Pittsburgh. ❤️
Phenomenal interview. I now see that Ms. Phelps strived to make each show she helmed the best it could be. She made all of her shows beyond electric. Thanks again. Another interview....well-done.
Thanks Alan so much for the tribute to Lisa Brown..I saw that episode with Nola and Kelly..VCRs had just come out and I'd record all episodes of Guiding Light and binge watch them on weekends..Guiding Light was in its hay day and won best outstanding soap twice in a row!! I'm in tears and sorry for the loss of a fan❤️
Interesting OLTL was the hardest soap for her to produce. I just remember that I never before in my life saw so many fans hate her as they did with her OLTL. Theres was actually a boycott in 1999 trying to boycott the show. Jill drove the OLTL fans bonkers and they despised her. The Rappaport invasion, Tea/Sykes, Dorian killing Jessica's baby, splitting up Bo and Nora. I got a feeling the veteran actors didn't love her except Erika or HBS. Nothing in soap history got more hated responses of JFP then when she was at OLTL. This was pre socisl media
Did JFP leave AW for OLTL? That would track given how many AW actors followed her to OLTL between 1997-1999. I only got into OLTL towards the end of it's run and OLTL was really well acted. I saw JFP bring in some of the AW actors and they were all miscast by JFP on OLTL. I also wasn't amused by the jokes when they introduced Linda Dano on OLTL at the expense of AW (it's competition in most media markets). It felt like cheap shots at AW.
Dude fans were having meltdowns when James E Reilly took over as headwriter on Days of Our Lives and did ridiculous supernatural camp stories like Marlena being possessed by Satan. They even made name for him they called him JERk, his initials and the K added
She should’ve never gone onto OLTL. From what I’ve seen, it wasn’t completely irredeemable (Ex: Viki/Ben), but it often appeared that she just didn’t mesh well with that show at all. Even her GH at its worst had a better tone than her OLTL often did.
This was phenomenal! I loved hearing about her storytelling on the different shows--regardless of the result. There is something to be said for "shaking things up" and the lessons she taught--and learned--during her impressive career. Great job, Alan!
This was fun to watch, though I will say nobody needs this much help with being made to feel comfortable answering the tough questions, particularly someone with an ego this size. Thanks for doing this, Alan. You’re a good man, Charlie Brown 😊
Phelps made a good point about the large group of talented actors on the show that weren’t being utilized. I felt the same way during the Zimmer years. Before then only Judi Evans and Larry Gates had ever had storyline to earn Emmy nominations or wins. After she left we saw wins for Rick Hearst, Maeve Kinkead, Ellen Parker, Monti Sharp, Michael Zaslow, Justin Deas, Melissa Hayden, Jerry verDorn, Kevin Mambo, and Cynthia Watros.
I have to say I did hate the background music on yandr changing. They had used it so long it had almost became its own character. I hunt online to try to find those cues lol
I have been a card carrying JFP fan for many years. I had an opportunity to meet her and she lived up to her stature in the industry. Her shows always looked and sounded top tier. I admire her work and her career in the industry should be respected. Well done Alan.
Justin Deas ...OMG I loved him ...his character was just a pill on SB but I loved his delivery ...wow his comedy and his serious moments just gripped you.
I like Jill Farren Phelps now. Growing up she irritated me in the 90s for her decisions on Another World & One Life to Live. She was my horror of the late 90s. Not to say all is forgiven , but she seems real now. I’m so thankful for these interviews., Sure it was over 20 years ago,, and I’m in my 40s now. But the stories of my past have an explanation.
JFP justifies her bad storyline choices by saying, "Well, this person got an Emmy," and "That person got an Emmy." Just because some actors got Emmys, that doesn't mean those were the storylines that the fans wanted. The fans are what bring in ratings, and she should be trying to appeal to the fans, not just being concerned with getting an award.
What a great interview! Very thought-provoking. Her honesty is refreshing. It seems she was brought in many times to shake things up. She is very honest about being ratings driven.
Not a mention or questions about Genie Francis? Really? What about killing Alan Quartermaine? Isn't she the one who destroyed the legacy of Rick Webber? Feel gipped!
Thank you for this interview! I really enjoyed it. It was nice to hear her side of things, we only hear about the negatives. She was honest and owned up to mistakes she made. I would have liked to hear more about her time on One Life to Live, but overall it was a great interview! Thank you for it!
I would love to know more about her experiences with all the Divas she worked with: Victoria Wyndham, Nancy Lee Grahn, Melody Thomas Scott, Marj Dusay, Kim Zimmer and on and on.
I dont think it is nice to call people divas like that Erica slezac who Alan has interviewed befuew is not a diva at all she is very nice person but has integrity for her work just like Robin strasser. Vicky Wyndham who replaced Robin strasser at aw made Rachel all her own yes she might have had some eccentricities but she also was old scholl and had a lot of integrity for her work. That's. Not bieng a diva at all ohh and Vicky Wyndham was very close with bev McKinsey too when bev was at another world. Point is that's not nice to call people names like that and I will tell you what I. The music biz you would call real Rick bands egotistical jerks you would probably hate Eddie van Halen too maybe yngwie malmsteen too just because they like what they like or our particular about things. As for kill yea she screwed up a lot but at least she is detail oriented for which I like and notices things that are our of place hint aw had been badly bungled from when Micheal liabson was there do to Donna swajeski and Carolyn culliton with John valente was just begining to fix that. But I think what happened was is Jill was just ignorant history wize when she walked in the door but I certainly understand why if a intern told you that why you would react the way Jill did. But also if you notice the people Jill respects the most were the people who would just tell her. And that's what happened but in aws case she just needed to listen to Carolyn culliton while asking her to explain what was going on and get her up to speed on history of the show the way Mary oleary helped Jill at gl. Remember knowledge and history is power.
Alan that was absolutely FANTASTIC! It was FASCINATING. Jill is obviously incredibly talented and wise and quick. I mean she EP’d at 6 shows! Yes some of her decisions we didn’t agree with. But like she said it was NEVER PERSONAL. It was about getting people to watch.... to need to watch....So she could ensure that these shows stayed on the air. This was truly one of best interviews! I always loved what they did with the music on GH when she was there. Very memorable. RIP Maureen Bauer we all loved you and still do. Ellen Parker she loved you as much as we did and do. She’s not the “boogeyman” not at all.
Alan, I did not see this on live stream. It is the first real interview I have seen with Jill Farren Phelps. I knew folks were pretty volatile in opinions of her. I only watched her work / leadership on GH. I am impressed you got her as an interview. She spoke authentically to what she did and why. I am most impressed that she spoke to so much. I did find it interesting that you didn't push her harder about General Hospital years. All in all - a great "get" and you are a good interviewer. You let her talk and tell her truth. You also asked some questions about her family and pets. This helped soften her to audience. She is a human being with feelings and family - as well possessing an impressive education and experience across 6 daytime shows.
They were not B team. They just needed storyline. I would be minority but i was thrilled Reva was gone. Killing Maureen was a beyond stupid decision. ETA I really don't think she was a fan of soaps. If she was she would understand that characters are important. It was probably just a job to her
Kim Zimmer although a good actress was way overused and consumed the canvas. I agree, the other actors weren’t B team, they just needed to shine in their own stories. It’s a shame she didn’t help restore the Bauer family by bringing Hope and Mike back. So many missed opportunities.
I don't know Jill, Merri Cat, and I can't read her mind, but I hope the career in which she toiled all of her adult life was more than "just a job to her."
@@ilunga146 I watched the interview that he did with Rachel Miner. She understood whole lot more with soaps were about and she was just an adolescent when she was on the show
I agree. It was probably just a job for her. She brags about the fact that she bounced around from show to show to show... Imagine if you had that on your job resume, that you went from job to job to job, spent a little time here and a little time there. It wouldn't look very impressive.
So, JFP accepts responsibility for killing off Maureen on GL, but she doesn't for killing off Frankie on AW, even though she was the executive producer on both shows. ("I was on my way out.") I'm sure she had to approve those storylines.
Thanks for having Jill on! I thought she did a great job at GL. Hate the fact she killed Maureen. It was a huge mistake. Ellen Parker was fantastic. Jill should help revive GL in a half hour format with her old writing team. Bring on Erika Slezak as Alex. I think she could make it a success.
Thanks so much for this. Such an interesting career she's had. And I was fascinated to hear her perspective on the death of Maureen. I had never considered the aspect that the story leading up to it really made the audience fall more in love with her but it's very true. Hearing that Stephen Demorest and Nancy Curlee will be on soon is giving me life! They did some of my favorite writing ever and they live just a few miles from me now.
Exactly. And then she only accepts responsibility for killing off Maureen but not for killing off Frankie, even though she was the executive producer on both shows. ("I was on my way out.")
@@nicoleh.6059 Right. You're still EP even if you're on your way out the door. She was a good EP with Santa Barbara, and she was a good EP with General Hospital. But she wasn't good for GL or AW.
@@CandyEdenlovesCruzI dint think John conboy was bad but NBC I think just wanted to kill the show once the dobsons returned Jerome discussed that recently with micheal fairman but absolutely Jill was terrific at Santa Barbara but she was there from the begining knowledge is power and knowing the history from the begining because it makes you powerful in case you get a bad writer.
Bringing only Eden and Cruz to the fore was a big mistake. There should be several leading romantic couples on the show. I think that in many ways the failure of Santa Barbara as a show was due to the fact that when Eden and Cruz were tired, there was no one to insure them.
So glad she had good memories of another world!!! ...never understood why mob shoot outs and corparate take overs on other soaps were so popular when another world did great things like..jake and vicky in thier old neighboirhoid swining on swings at night thinking about thier child hood...even when nbc told another world to make it more like days of our lives...they never lost them strong character scenes...aw had a nack for making u like the characters even if u were catching it between commercials....friendships were paramount...as i said some shows would be a mib shoot out...aw did scenes like a couple arguing over ..im tired...yu took all the sheets last night!!! ...almost moonlighting prime time at times...i miss it!! I cant relate to corporate take overs but i related to aw relationship stories!!..im putting an edit here..because i think i made aw sound boring!! ...it wasnt ...yes they did them moonlighting character slice of life scenes...paulinas tallking about her weight loss ...felicia talking about getting older...but make no mistake this show did high drama like no other...in my opinon it did every day scenes and high drama ...great!!
Totally! Character Driven! I watched AW since '88 and Jake and Vicky coming full circle with all of their history was my absolute favorite! I feel like ATWT was a lot like this too. No question that NY/P&G Soaps were the best!
@@balagan79985 atwt with Doug Marland was far better than aw was. But harding Lemay brief return for 3 months was up their with Doug Marland ashamed Donna, swajeski with micheal liabson screwed that up. But Carolyn culliton from late 1994 to early 1995 was fixing it. And concerning Jill I would have told Jill look at this look at that and just explained to her what Carolyn was trying to fix but told her things like the amanda Cory Sam fowler screw ups evan bates bungling twice for which Carolyn had to fix by sending evan our of town again let's see grant Amanda pairing which carolyn put a stop too thank God. Hint I would have told Jill I have a high stakes syrykinw for you to explain sharlene missing vicky missing Jake and yes what really happened to Sam fowler from the time of June 1993 to 1995 and o wold have tied it all back to evan bates. Because evan was, supposed to be like Roger thorpe James stenbeck type charecter. Now if Jill said no then I would be like screw you you are on your own then
She confuses herself sometimes. There was no entire episode of Santa Barbara with no dialogue. It was the last ten minutes of one episode. Also, the "punch" to replace Mason was from Terry Lester to Gordon Thompson. Lane Davies's Mason went out of town and came back as Terry Lester.
Alan even though I like your interviews,I thought you were trying too hard to make Jill feel comfortable. As if you didn't want to ruffle any feathers for any future guest. This woman caused the destruction of so many shows over her career all in the name of "shaking things up" she claimed she soon learned the mistake in killing off a core character in Maureen but she went and did the same things as basically all shows she went to? How is that learning from your mistakes? I know for a fact Eric Braeden is a real champion of legacy and continuity on the soaps but yet she burns the Newman ranch down? That set was so iconic,I heard some talk after it happened many of the actors were unhappy about it. Shaking things up doesn't always have to be killing someone or destroying something. I stopped watching the shows she was on at the times she was there and caused all that mess. For the record,in the process of shaking things up,you also lose many longtime viewers. Thank you and that's all.
I appreciate your message, Rachel. I definitely want all my guests to feel comfortable so they open up and speak from their heart. That's all I try to do. I appreciate your point of view and appreciate you watching.
I agree with you to an extent concerning things Jill did at soaps particularly at oltl aw and y and r. I think she just needed a Doug Marland around or a harding Lemay. At gl she did really well once she learned the show but her biggest blunder was Maureen buar. but also I don't think Jill realized at the time that how something looks when filming that might look great might not translate well to viewers on screen but her attention to detail, I absolutely love and respect and admire and completely get what she means by things not looking stale. But honestly her best work was at Santa Barbara but at Santa Barbara she could be her best because she was there from the begining not dealing with 30 years of history that's tough. To deal with for any ep who was not as experienced or developed yet I think what would hsve helped Jill more as an Ep would have been to follow the Doug Marland how not to ruin a, soap playbook. But remember most are not a, Doug Marland or a harding Lemay where if you made them mad they were going to tell you to go screw yourself but in the case of Doug Marland before he died he was a great asset to any ep because they could just focos on doing things like just producing the show.
I must admit i didnt want to like her but after hearing jer clear a few things up i must say i enjoyed her...and just an observation if yoh close your eyes you hear sally jesse rapheal!! ...even a resemblance of a younger sally if hair and glasses diffrent...in no way intended as an insult just my personal observation!🙂
I was wondering of whom it was that she reminded me @hh23 hh23 and you are absolutely correct! It is the talk maven herself Sally Jessy Raphael. Even her mannerisms came across in a similar fashion. Thank you for sharing that observation - you have brought a sense of peace to my mind!
@@RayofLightTarot yes she is polarising!!! ...she did good for another world in my opionion altho her being her she had too make her mark ..first she did away with the iconic theme!! Second she got rid if aws signature freeze from and slo fade at end of the show...they were mistakes!!
The fans didn’t love The Rappaports on OLTL. Kale Brown was shoved down our throats. Only Catherine Hickland transcended the forced entry of this family onto the show to create a fun, neurotic, twisted and interesting to watch character. And while I did love the chemistry between Slezak and Derwin, characters in general started acting out of character for what Phelps is calling “high stakes drama.” The separation of Bo and Nora felt plot instead of character driven so was not popular with the fans.
I haven't watched her interview. But that's exactly my feeling on the Rappadavidsons as well. Their invasion symbolized a lot of things wrong with her time running the show. And you are absolutely spot on with Catherine Hickland's Lindsay being the only plus from their introduction. It was a combination of a lot of things. But for me, it was Hickland's elite acting in the role. That role doesn't become what it was without an actor of her caliber to pull it off. She was so vulnerable and twisted. Yet, I think another thing that worked was Lindsay, at times, was the lone voice of truth and reason in many of the stories. I loved Bo and Nora. But she knew from the start that she and Sam would always come second in that scenario. Always knew. Even if the writing took another decade to get there, Lindsay always knew Bo and Nora were endgame
The Rappaports were one of the worst things to ever happen to OLTL. Catherine Hickland was awesome, but Bo/Nora, Christian/Jessica and Cassie/Kevin were destroyed to make their Rappadork halves happen.
She tried her best to destroy One Life To Live. I criticized JFP harshly while on OLTL and stopped watching for a while. I was told that a slight variation of the screen name I was posting criticisms under was actually mentioned on the show so I guess I got to her. LOL. It was obvious she either didn't understand the spirit/history of OLTL or she just hated everything about the show. Unfortunately, she later came to kill off Y&R but didn't last long. Making Sonny the focus of GH was what made me to decide to stop watching. Sonny's rise on GH ushered in a "dark" period. I am actually convinced networks hired her to kill off the soaps....one by one. Compared to great producers, she is nothing.
I’d like to comment specifically on GH. You are so right; as a newcomer to the show looking at its history through UA-cam, it definitely looks like after 2001, JFP turned GH into The Sonny/Carly/Jason (and Sam/Courtney) Show. That definitely was a bad period for GH (yet somehow I keep going back to it LOL).
Wow, this was interesting and fascinating. Great job, Alan. My heart was broke (still is) over Maureen’s death on GL. I appreciated hearing her perspective and though process behind this story. I would love to hear more about the YR years. Sounds like a lot of network interference. But a great interview.
Thanks for this. It was very interesting to hear about her career and her points of view. My favorite era of GL is 89 to 93 so JFP gets some credit for its success. Early 90s GL is the best. I know many people feel GL went downhill after Maureen’s death but 93 was a great year for the show! 94 is when is started to falter not related to that death but too many recasts, writing went downhill and too much Lucy and Tangie.
Unpopular opinion, but JFP actually showed a lot of promise at first. Her tenure at Santa Barbara got the show its highest ratings and three straight Outstanding Drama Series Daytime Emmys. And IMHO, except for killing off Maureen, her tenure at Guiding Light was legitimately great.
I just want to say I actually liked Jill and what she did no most of the shows, as fans we are not completely aware of what these people that work on these shows actually goes thorough. The fact that she was open to admit when she made mistakes was refreshing. I loved Daytime TV, I won't lie I don't watch it anymore but when I did I would watch all the shows that were taped on the East Cost, and I enjoyed them all. I notice she said that her hardest show was OLTL and I remember someone in another interview you did said that the environment at OLTL was hard for them. I think it was one of the people in the Another World Cast Interview you did with Linda Dano, Anna Holbrook, Amy and Stephen or it could have been Anna that said it in her one & one interview. Either way its a shame because I really liked OLTL. Like I said we never truly know what its like for the creatives on these shows. PS Loved this interview so much, thank you and keep them coming.
You know I had to watch this interview again because the second time around their are certain things that caught me like she said when she came onto guiding light, she said the show was stale… Were we not watching the same show ? thought 1990 leading in to the first half of 1991 was great Roger and Alex at the country club had nothing to do with Jill.She didn’t come on I think till September 1991. Then she talks about when she got there there was people on guiding light that needed to be fired like who? Then Jill goes on to say That Ellen Parker was part of budget reasons but yet she brings on Marcy Walker and Justin Dee that I’m sure came out of very high price you know I was trying to give Jill the benefit of the doubt but rewatching this interview. I honestly don’t I know a lot of the actors loved her, but the same time a lot of the other actors didn’t like her I noticed when she talks about Beverly, she fails to say the reason why Beverly really left was because she was tired of working those long hours at her age and she just wanted to reduce schedule and Jill never honored it same thing with Kimberly Sims so if anything, Jill, Farren Phelps was the worst producer GL ever had and teh reason why 1992 and some of 1993 was good was due to Nancy Curlee and the other writers but if you want to see how Jill truly ruined guiding light all you have to do is watch all of 1994 and the first half of 1995.
Very good interview although it is light on stories from GH where she spent 11 years as exec producer. Jill comes off as a sharp, funny lady who is proud of her work but able to own her mistakes. This was an enjoyable 90 minutes. Thank you, Alan.
Completely agree. And while they NEVER should have killed her off, at the very least, they played every beat of Maureen's death and the aftermath. She wasn't killed and forgotten in two weeks.
@@cdw3497 I'm of two minds when it comes to JFP. I remember watching Guiding Light near the beginning of her tenure and never missing an episode. However, by the end of her time at the helm, I was barely watching it. It seemed she always had trouble sustaining the quality of any show she worked on. I also didn't like the fact that she egregiously favored certain actors over others; to the point that every storyline would feature them and "legacy" characters would be relegated to the background or eliminated completely. I do agree about Maureen's death. Obviously, I feel it never should have happened yet I can't find fault with how it played out. Next to Buffy's The Body episode, it was one of the best televised depictions of death, especially how it affects the survivors. It's been nearly 30 years but certain scenes have stayed with me. Vanessa crying out her best friend's name, villain Roger's genuine sadness, Ed's grief coupled with his guilt over his infidelity, and Michelle's anger and confusion finding an outlet with Holly. My favorite scene didn't even have any words. It was at the end, right before the musical montage. All the mourners have left and Ed is standing alone in his kitchen in complete silence. JFP was capable of producing great drama but it seems to have come at the expense of the actors and the audience.
I don't care what anybody says: Outside of the death of Maureen Bauer, Jill Farren Phelps' best work in daytime was at "Guiding Light"! GL was one of the best television shows on during those early 1990's days...Phelps just happened to be the captain of the ship during those days.
Her work is hard to evaluate, at least in reference to SB, she produced some of the best scenes ever, but then some of her stories were mediocre and boring, and some blown out of proportion.Also, Cruz and Eden were already about to be married when she started writing for SB, so they were Dobsons' creation, it sounded like she is trying to take credit where it wasn't due. In any case, thanks Alan for the interview.
I can understand why phelps cant watch daytime cause si many things she would change....perfect xample i saw on you tube leslie and monica from gh reuniting..leslie had to get into hosp. Computer to protect laura ..bla bla bla...any way you could see the way it was edited the 5 minute clip was cut into 4 scenes..about 30 seconds each...it lost all impact in what should have been a major scene between 2 power houses reuiniting....its like agnes nixon said leave them wantin more...what she meant was give them half the slice of cake so theyll want more...todays soaps give a sliver of a piece where u to frustrated to want more...im sorry but thier should be a 90 seconnd scene rule...its hard to invest in a show when the scenes are shorter then a commercial...come on current writers ...if u cant hold some ones interest fir 90 seconds?... times havent changed that much try writing like when 6 million watched an episode as opposed to under a million......
I do appreciate the way she made kathryn hollbrook shine as sharlene on another world!!! ..in my opionon she did great with cruz and eden but i think a mistake was playing them way to heavy it was so lopsided that on days yhey werent on even the b stories seemed like c stories!!!...
Honestly, soaps are a weird universe. Instead of bringing in new talent, they would recycle the same people from one show to the next. No wonder why the genre died like it did when the same stories are told over and over again by the same creative teams.
I was one those Lighters doing that period and honestly heartbroken about "Mo". Regardless, how I felt about Maureen's death the Blackout was classic soap at it's best. The stories it created and unlikely friendships it created a lasting effect until the end. When you came from GH to YR it seemed you tried to make it GH lite and it didn't fly, whole different dog. Then casting Steve Burton and his stale acting monotone showed and he didn't fit into YR canvas or actors...having said my peace, after watching this you surprised me on how down to earth you are which fans don't know this side of you, Jill. I wish you could go back YR with good writers from YR with history such Sally, Janice, Natalie. I have always said I would love Pam Long to be the head-writer because she can do everything from character-driven stories, social, romance and in my opinion the best mystery writer on a soap. Pam at GL gave GL a golden period of soap writing with a mix of everything. I would like for you to be EP again at YR but bring Pam Long and you two could create some magic.
If JFP wanted to get rid of Maureen, she could have just had her leave Ed and go away for a while. The character didn't need to be killed off. Or they could have explored a relationship between Maureen and Fletcher, since there was always something there between them, and this was during a time when Fletcher wasn't with Alexandra, or she was sort of back and forth (undecided) with him.
Great interview! Thank you Alan. :-) I enjoyed her stories besides GL. Loved her take on music in shows. I couldn’t agree more. Love the rise song and Y&R still has the best soap music ever lol
Hey alan ive watched everything u put up...i must say this is the best episide so far!! .. im not alone...look at the views and counting!!! ...if i had a wish list...helen galagher...victoria whyndom...also louise shaffer had sooo much to offer but intenet ruined it...have her back!!! ...also bridget dobson would be sooo colourful on insites from as the world turns..guiding light..santa barbara...her parents creaters from gh!! ...also suprised u havent gotten a santa barbara group together yet...just soms ideas ..love u ..ill keep watching!!
she needs to see/hear the interview Beverlee gave where she provided specifics as to why she left. its all there... she was very clear as to why she left and she tried to contact her. don't get me started on the death of Maureen. the show was almost as good then as when douglas marlin wrote it.. you had to watch. the problem of killing of maureen was the next year.. then what? the writing and acting after the funeral was some of the best ever...
Soo...jill not that old..why doesnt she jump back in?? I suspect its cause thiers no room...only 4 left...im currentley watching sunset beach on you tube...its great!!! ...and they can say what they want but for as outragous as it could be..it was always rooted in deep character driven scenes!!!... i could buy the crazy plots because the writers foreshodoewd thier characters...you knew why they were like they were because of character devolpment....i miss them days...
The last time I saw Ms. Farren Phelps interviewed, before this interview... I was feeling more respect for her and the work she had to do in Daytime. I remember the fan criticisms, I am sure I even voiced some. I still have respect for her, because what I have come to realize since and after seeing this interview, is what goes on behind the scenes, we as fans will never know, (except vicariously through Alan, thank you) and how demanding it is to do this type of work. Their work (executive producers, directors, writers, actors, technical, etc.,) is much different than what we might believe it to be. And I agree with other posters, I don't feel Ms. Farren Phelps had personal issues with people/actors, it all came down to a bottom line as soaps really evolved from the days she used to watch when Tommy Lee Jones was on "ONE LIFE TO LIVE", to a business acumen where the Luke and Laura/"GENERAL HOSPITAL" rage proved daytime could be a "cash cow". Respectfully, rest in peace Geoffrey.
Watching this episode now. When you read from the monitor, it's painfully obvious and some interviews seem like were not prepared. Can you get actors from the NBC soaps instead of primarily CBS and ABC. Deidre Hall, Victoria Wyndham for example.
I just discovered this. What a wonderful interview. Jill got a bad rep. She did not lock the Dobson's out of the studio, New World Television did. She did a fantastic job at SB. She made mistakes in her career, show me someone who hasn't. She owns those mistakes. Her career is quite spectacular, and the good out weighs the bad. I can think of many things that would not have occurred without her. I wish I had been her when I grew up. I went on the cruise with the SB people, and not one person said anything negative about her, or Patrick M.
I loved the explanation for killing Maureen. I wasn’t watching at that point, but the cast involved was definitely the B team. Not as actors, but as characters.
Phelps said she hated wall to wall muscic so she stopped it on y &r...she must have learned that from guiding light lol...cause she did muscic overkill on gl...every diner/ restuarant scene had popular music..must have been before copyright music...if i had to pic phelps best work it would be guiding light and anotherworld....esp another world..soo many actors won/ nominated under her that year
The absolute worst part about the trend in killing people off for rating was after a period of time, bringing almost all of them back. Just destroyed any credibility or artistic merit that daytime ever built up for nothing more than cheap thrills and ratings hit.
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Thanks Alan for letting me know about Lisa Brown..I just found out about her death today..It was right after I'd had heart failure so I understand how life can throw curve balls..I pray I get to last a few more years..I still feel I have more things to do..No romantic relationship again but hopefully great friendships..❤️
I enjoyed this interview. I appreciated Jill Farren Phelps's honesty. It was nice to hear her talk about topics that other people have been discussing for years (and decades). Her behind-the-scene stories are interesting. I could listen to her talk for hours. This is one of my favorite Locher Room shows so far.
@Terry Scott I absolutely agree with you. Sorry the interview ended when it did because the time certainly flew by far too quickly on this one. Aren't we lucky to have Alan Locher share these with us? I learn so much with every episode he broadcasts.
Thank you so much, Terry! I appreciate the note and you watching.
Thanks, Joe! I appreciate you.
I really thought she was going to bail on this engagement! But she didn't. She actually showed up and answered all of the questions honestly. I truly believe she wanted to do the best she could for every show she helmed. Thank you for doing this, Jill, and shedding light on things many fans had questions about for years. I'm one of those GL fans that cried like a baby when Maureen died. I really lost it at the close of the show when the song, "Goodbye, My Friend" played as the credits rolled.
I cried too, and that song 'Goodbye My Friend' just tore me up! To this day I still feel a certain way but I'm kinda glad she clarified the situation.
Yes! That song was perfect but killing Maureen was the biggest mistake she made!
I immediately got to this Locher Room episode with Jill. And it did NOT disappoint. First off, the woman looks great. And second, say what you want about her, but the woman KNOWS daytime. She owns up to the mistakes, and she is proud of her many accomplishments. As she should be. I could listen to her talk about daytime for HOURS. Did I hate that Maureen was killed off? Of course. But GL back then...early 90s GL was at the top of its game, and she played a BIG part in all that. This might be one of your BEST Locher Rooms, Alan.
Thank you, Nathan! I so appreciate your enthusiasm and appreciate you watching. Have a great day.
I found this interview riveting. I watched GL religiously before, during and after her reign there. From what I remember reading, Beverly left mainly cause of JFP. Beverly felt like she and the other actors weren’t being heard and recognized. I also remember reading and hearing about her reputation there and after GL. Heard she was tough to work with and for but after listening to her genuine answers …I feel she always wanted and strived for the shows to be their best and succeed. So tough on daytime, especially GL with the constant budget cuts and unions and moving to smaller and smaller buildings in NY to film on smaller and smaller sets. All that takes it’s toll including the writers, and producers revolving door and constant interface from PG and CBS must have made it an impossible job. Alan you did a phenomenal job and can’t understand how you are not snatched up from major network or streaming company to do these interviews in a studio setting. Let’s call it the “Alan Wants to Know” Show. Would love that! Jill you seem like a classy lady. Thank you for being a part of this. And Alan thanks for a great interview. One of the best yet!
If JFP did not know killing the beloved matriarch of the show's core family was going to be negatively received she had no business being the EP of a soap. She obviously did not understand the genre.
After Maureen Bauer she learned her lessons about killing off character the fans care about? Another World fans did not care about Ryan Harrison, Bridget Connell AND yes Frankie Frame? General Hospital fans did not care about Alan, Emily & AJ Quartermaine, Georgie & Tony Jones and Justus Ward? You do not modernize a show by killing off legacy characters, firing veteran actors and destroying familiar sets. You write modern stories that have not been told before and cast unique, diverse actors. Shocking moments (murders explosion, etc) may give a short term increase to the ratings but if they are not part of a character driven story they end up alienating fans. JFP produced some brilliant episodes but left all 6 shows in worse shape than she found them.
This was what I noticed too - she admitted that she was not a fan of soaps and it showed up in her work. She did many good things but she did not understand not to kill off legacy characters unless the performer dies or retires!
@@evfuvan Absolutely, JFP was the worst thing that has happened to the genre. She had no respect for the legacy characters. She constantly wanted the big gotcha moment that came with killing these characters. Ryan Harrison and Vicky's love story on AW was super popular with the fans, The Q"s were the lifeblood of GH. She delighted in ruining these shows, you can't convince me otherwise.
She always went for the short-term ratings bump instead of thinking what was good for the show long term.
@@evfuvan thank you for pointing out all of the other characters she killed off on AW and GH...
Another excellent show...love all the behind the scenes scoop. Amazing to see people still passionate about soaps after so many years off the air 💞
I'm from France and not all the soap operas have been broadcast here. I don't know all the controversies concerning her. But when I hear that she is at the origin of the couple Eden and Cruz, I give her a big plus to her track record. We're talking about a couple who have become iconic, their chemistry on TV is the absolute reference
Thank you for sharing that. Eden & Cruz are one of the most popular couples in daytime history.
@@TheLocherRoom I Hope an interview with Marcy Walker and A Martinez together 🥰
Besides the Maureen Bauer gaf her run on GL was the shows last golden era of writing and production especially 1990-1992. The Bevelee McKenzey RIP story is still fascinating 30 years later
JFP was running BM into the ground with her needing to be on set 5 days a week... BM asked to be reduced to 3 days a week but JFP ignored BM... JFP knew how to damage a show.
@ryanwolff4058 I hear you and understand, but look at how the show struggled material wise after she was gone Micheal Labison, Paul Rauch, John Conboy, all had more downs in my opinion
She was awfully quick to throw someone else under the bus for Frankie Frame's death. She may have been in the process of leaving, but she was still the boss.
I never bought that the head writer would not change the story. Especially since Jill was the boss
@@liammorgan2155 I never bought that story, either, that the EP couldn't influence the storyline of the head writer on AW when they decided to kill off Frankie Frame (either Frankie Frame or Donna Love Hudson was the one that JFP held focus groups to determine which of the two was less popular among the audience. JFP didn't do AW any favors during her tenure as EP).
Exactly. The show had characters presumed dead or missing before so I don't see why Frankie could not have been written off instead of being killed off in such a grisly manner which to this day I think was punishment for Alice Barrett criticizing the direction her character was going.
I do recall Alice Barrett talking about this in an interview that costs factor was the reason her character had to go because the show was hiring someone with a higher salary so somebody had to go and by elimination her character was chosen.
I believe Jill. that was harding Lemay decision remember he created the frames and Frankie did not fit his vision. And by the way I Blame Donna swajeski for running the show in the ground when she was head writer but when Jill came Carolyn culliton was fixing the show with John valente but I think Jill's weakness at the time was not studying history and getting up to speed.
I also think harding should have been brought in right away to act as a guardrail between carolyn and Jill because Jill is the type of producer who at that time just needed a Doug Marland type harding Lemay type presence who was going to tell her what's going on and explain things to her that's all.
@@kekwayblaze3176that's right and that had to do with Robert Kelker Kelly coming back and that was NBC.
Personally I think judy Evans who I love should have been offed instead at the time and I think that's what harding I think wanted to do. But I think NBC said no. But I say that because that would hsve freed up judy to return as Beth Raines Spaulding when grant Alexander returned in 1996.
Because Beth Chamberlin who I also live was not available she would not return until 1998.
What a great video to re-watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Thank you, Alan.
You're so welcome, Rod!
Great interview Alan! I watched it twice. Jill seems like a lovely woman. She lasted 40 years in the business and won 11 emmys for a reason. No other soap EP even comes close to winning 11 emmys. Thanks for this interview!
You are so welcome, Jason. Much appreciated!
that doesn't mean she was talented. JFP did great on the aesthetic values for her shows but was not a strong storyteller in any sense. Her winning the Emmys just indicates she knew how to play the game. That's it.
Daytime would've been much better had she not been an EP at any soap. Luckily she did not touch my favorite (AMC)
However, I do agree that this was a solid interview. I just can't stand this woman.
@@cajayson8301Jill was great at Santa Barbara and her who she ended gl was great once harding Lemay was brought in as a consultant. Considering micheal liabson made the Megan McTavish mistake.
Love her or hate her: this was a good interview. She owned her mistakes just like anyone should in her career. I do think she is responsible for a lot of damage, but I believe she is genuine and learned from errors. 2000s GH was a mess but her hands were tied by Frons and Disney. She was always given mandates- especially at AW, OLTL, and as she mentioned Y&R. It’s the nature of the medium now. I don’t agree with her creative choices sometimes but she does make a show look good and has decent pacing. I appreciated her honesty and willingness to discuss her blunders.
Alan- don’t listen to your critics. You asked her some tough questions. I know the death of Maureen is a hot button for you as GL fan. Great job being fair, balanced, but still asking what the fans wanted to discuss!
Was it Frons and Disney that insisted on making the show "The Sonny and Jason Show"? Or was JFP at least partly responsible? I feel as you do that she made terrible mistakes and also did some good things, like most of us!
Thank you so much for your message and your support. It's much appreciated.
@@freemangriffin4953 she’s not super innocent in almost all the blunders: I mean even with Maureen Bauer. She made the final call. It does lie with her. With GH, I do feel she tried to balance the mob stuff with Robin/Patrick, Lulu, Dillion, Tracy, and Luke, etc etc.
@@freemangriffin4953 - I believe it was a combination of Frons, Disney, JFP and the writers (Guza and Pratt). What I do remember is when JFP came to OLTL and had the Rappaports take over the show. And yes, I do realize that new executives do bring their star players, but the star players are integrated into the team, they don't take over for the current staff.
@JCMellencamp78 - Agreed! I have heard many say that "NBC had it in for AW for years", they wanted to kill it for many years. Ultimately, I believe these shows are dying because the majority of viewers actually prefer trashy TV like the housewives - I don't understand it all. None of that stuff could ever suck me in like the soaps.
Wonderful interview. Santa Barbara was such a unique and amazing show. Thrilled to hear it discussed. Cruz and Eden were iconic. Justin Deas was fantastic as Keith Timmons. Thank you!
Thank you, Debbie!
I am so very impressed with Ms. Phelps.
Her honesty sharing with your audience today all that she learned from her vast experience working on so many daytime productions was so refreshing and educational. Such wonderful memories - even those that were not well received at the time. With the benefit of hindsight she can call a mistake a mistake (killing off Maureen on GL) with no discernible ego. I appreciate her sharing what she learned from that story line so very much.
Glad to learn it was not her idea to kill off Frankie Frame on AW but the head writer at the time. You asked everything of her that I had hoped Alan and her responses were genuine and heartfelt. I appreciate you and your channel so very much. These beloved shows. characters and production people live on for us if we are able to remember them. Your interviews do that very thing. What a joy with my deepest gratitude.
Great interview, glad she had a chance to speak her mind and clear the air.
I have gained a whole new respect for Ms. Phelps. I really appreciate her candor and enjoyed hearing about her entire career. It was a riveting interview. Thanks Alan for another great interview and I really appreciate your positivety!
Thank you, Larry! I appreciate you watching. I really do.
This was a great interview. I absolutely loved listening to her recall how the pairing of Eden and Cruz came to be. IMO, Jill gets a really bad rap. She was the EP when Santa Barbara was at its absolute peak and she deserves a tremendous amount of credit for that. Santa Barbara was an iconic show that still lives in the hearts of millions till this day.
JFP was good as EP on Santa Barbara. Maybe it's because Santa Barbara (SB) was early on in it's run, and she had a chance to fix the mess it was originally in 1987 (NBC was in a court battle over SB until in 1991). JFP dumped a few of the families, focused on the Capwells/Lockridges and the show was not lack for couples (Eden/Cruz, Mason/Julia, CC/Sophia, Gina/Keith, even Lionel/Augusta). She was demoted when NBC lost the court battle in 1991 and left SB in 1992 Maybe with a new show, JFP could really bring it alive like with SB, but with GL (losing Alex v1/BM and killing off Maureen, making the show revolve around Roger), AW (killing off Frankie, breaking up Matt/Donna, shifting the center of the show from Rachel to Vicky, bringing in new characters that were forgettable, not knowing how to use the existing cast), and the damage at OLTL, JFP could run an existing show into the ground.
@@ryanwolff4058 Well I cant speak on her work outside of Santa Barbara as I was not a fan of Guiding Light, Another World or One Life To Live. I just know that during her tenure as EP of Santa Barbara the show was pure magic. Brilliant writing, producing, direction and acting. Everything they did at that time worked beautifully and it was some of the most entertaining and thrilling television I've ever seen. I also became a fan of General Hospital when she was the EP. I had no idea at the time but I became hooked on that show when she was there and I dont think it was a coincidence. GH was so good during her time there and the show became less entertaining when she left. While no Producer ( or any of us for that matter) are infallible, I believe Jill has done far more good than bad over the course of her career. She's responsible for some legendary daytime television. She has a boatload of Emmys to show for it.
@@msjj34 when was JFP EP of GH? There was a stretch of GH prior to OLTL/AMC going off the air where it was great and centered around the Quartermanes/Cassidines/Spencers and characters that were MIA returned. If that's JFP's work, she did a great job. I was hopeful when Frank Valentini took over as EP of GH from OLTL, but it's just gotten awful in the last couple of years. Ron Carlivati is head writer of DOOL, but I haven't watched DOOL other than clips in years, but Kassie DePavia as Eve Donovan is a great recast.
@@ryanwolff4058 She was EP of GH from 2001-2012. I believe they won the Emmy for best show 3 or 4 times during her time there. That's on top of the three-peat she had with Santa Barbara. Im not sure if she won Emmys at her other stops, but Jill knows how to produce award winning television. She also brought Laura Wright to General Hospital which has turned out to be another stroke of genius. She discovered great talents like Julie Berman, Jason Thompson, Dominic Zamprogna etc.. I still watch GH because im a loyal viewer but its currently a shell of its former self from when I first started watching back in 2005.
@@msjj34 that was a great era for GH. I didn't watch it much, but when it wasn't mob related, I enjoyed watching it, and appreciate she brought back older characters we hadn't seen in years back to Port Charles. JFP did a great job with GH during that era.
I appreciate Jill Farren Phelps' honesty in this interview, and am genuinely shocked at how honest she was. And, while I understand the dislike she receives from soap fans, I also understand she is there to do a JOB and run a BUSINESS from a non-personal, non-creative prospect. and yes she made some mistakes... but, yes, she did a JOB. As for commenters, both in this comment section and the Live Chat replay, I am DISGUSTED at how much bullying happens, as well as on soap message boards. Keyboard warriors really should look at themselves in the mirror before throwing stones.
Couldn't agree more with every word of this. The soap community is better than the bullying and mean comments. It's not needed. Thanks for watching and your note.
I'm sorry, when Jill was responsible for firing actors just before Christmas, telling people such as Jackie Zeman that she was being fired because "no one wants to see old people kissing," or remarking that Genie Francis and Denise Alexander that no one wanted to see two fat women talking at the kitchen table, then she can receive all the bullying that people want to dish out to her. She didn't wait five minutes before being hired at Y&R before she fired Genie yet again, just to make a point of who was Boss.
@@justlina2769 absolutely agree. Let's also not forget that she fired Anna Lee (a little old lady in her freaking 90s) and fired Laura Koffman on OLTL while Koffman was on maternity leave.
For a woman, JFP is quite misogynistic
@@justlina2769 I feel like some of that stuff on GH was because of Frons. I noticed that prior to him taking charge of ABC Daytime, Bobbie/Jackie Zeman was actually used quite often on the show. Around that time was when many actors/actresses got switched to recurring - Shell Kepler (Amy), Jackie Zeman (Bobbie), and Kristina Wagner (Felicia) to name a few. You could still be right though (and regardless JFP could’ve handled the circumstances better than that for sure).
@@isaiahhill2104 Frons even has on his LinkedIn page that he took the network from 3 (4?) soaps down to one. He hated the genre. Also said that Becky Herbst wasn't pretty enough to be a front row star. Just a total a-hole.
I didnt watch Santa Barbara but I've heard of Eden and Cruz. A Martinez and Marcy Walker did an interview together years ago and you can see how much they cared for each other. Marcy Walker is a soap legend, two iconic roles on two different soaps. I even remember her on GL as Tangie for a short while. She's out of the business now but she made her mark on daytime TV.
Alan, this was really wonderful. I finally was able to watch it; I so appreciate your not only doing these chats but making them forever available to all of us. Your time, caring, and abilities are a gift to all of us. Lee
Thanks my friend.
I loved this interview! I admire her talent and honesty. I watched it twice. She’s a lovely person. Great questions Alan.
Twice, Maybeth. You rock so much! Thanks for watching.
Had to watch the playback again because of my work schedule. Great show Alan as usual. So glad you were able to get her. You definitely get to see Jill in a different light. Love that she went to Carnegie Mellon in my hometown of Pittsburgh. ❤️
Thank you so much, Karen! Glad you were able to catch it whenever you had a moment.
She has two red circles outside the drama building, Karen.
Phenomenal interview. I now see that Ms. Phelps strived to make each show she helmed the best it could be. She made all of her shows beyond electric. Thanks again. Another interview....well-done.
Thank you, Ozzie. I so appreciate you watching and sending me this message.
Big Rating, Big Views Alan "The Locher Room" and Famous Jill Farren Phelps..... Five Stars
Ha Ha Ha -- love this, Mark. Thanks for the love and for watching.
Thanks Alan so much for the tribute to Lisa Brown..I saw that episode with Nola and Kelly..VCRs had just come out and I'd record all episodes of Guiding Light and binge watch them on weekends..Guiding Light was in its hay day and won best outstanding soap twice in a row!! I'm in tears and sorry for the loss of a fan❤️
🩵🙏🩵 Thank you, Guy!
@@TheLocherRoom my pleasure..
Interesting OLTL was the hardest soap for her to produce. I just remember that I never before in my life saw so many fans hate her as they did with her OLTL. Theres was actually a boycott in 1999 trying to boycott the show. Jill drove the OLTL fans bonkers and they despised her. The Rappaport invasion, Tea/Sykes, Dorian killing Jessica's baby, splitting up Bo and Nora. I got a feeling the veteran actors didn't love her except Erika or HBS. Nothing in soap history got more hated responses of JFP then when she was at OLTL. This was pre socisl media
Did JFP leave AW for OLTL? That would track given how many AW actors followed her to OLTL between 1997-1999. I only got into OLTL towards the end of it's run and OLTL was really well acted. I saw JFP bring in some of the AW actors and they were all miscast by JFP on OLTL. I also wasn't amused by the jokes when they introduced Linda Dano on OLTL at the expense of AW (it's competition in most media markets). It felt like cheap shots at AW.
Don't forget killing Mel.
You may be surprised to know that HBS wanted out of Bora.
Dude fans were having meltdowns when James E Reilly took over as headwriter on Days of Our Lives and did ridiculous supernatural camp stories like Marlena being possessed by Satan. They even made name for him they called him JERk, his initials and the K added
She should’ve never gone onto OLTL. From what I’ve seen, it wasn’t completely irredeemable (Ex: Viki/Ben), but it often appeared that she just didn’t mesh well with that show at all. Even her GH at its worst had a better tone than her OLTL often did.
This was phenomenal! I loved hearing about her storytelling on the different shows--regardless of the result. There is something to be said for "shaking things up" and the lessons she taught--and learned--during her impressive career. Great job, Alan!
I appreciate you, Ron! Thanks for watching.
This was fun to watch, though I will say nobody needs this much help with being made to feel comfortable answering the tough questions, particularly someone with an ego this size. Thanks for doing this, Alan. You’re a good man, Charlie Brown 😊
Thanks my friend! Happy Pride, Jason.
Phelps made a good point about the large group of talented actors on the show that weren’t being utilized. I felt the same way during the Zimmer years. Before then only Judi Evans and Larry Gates had ever had storyline to earn Emmy nominations or wins. After she left we saw wins for Rick Hearst, Maeve Kinkead, Ellen Parker, Monti Sharp, Michael Zaslow, Justin Deas, Melissa Hayden, Jerry verDorn, Kevin Mambo, and Cynthia Watros.
I have to say I did hate the background music on yandr changing. They had used it so long it had almost became its own character. I hunt online to try to find those cues lol
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I have been a card carrying JFP fan for many years. I had an opportunity to meet her and she lived up to her stature in the industry. Her shows always looked and sounded top tier. I admire her work and her career in the industry should be respected. Well done Alan.
You are so welcome, Grants Rants! I am glad you enjoyed it. Enjoy your Sunday.
Hello at what point in this interview is she talking about Cruz Eden and Santa Barbara...pls guide
Justin Deas ...OMG I loved him ...his character was just a pill on SB but I loved his delivery ...wow his comedy and his serious moments just gripped you.
Could you possibly get Erika Slezak to do an interview? She’s true soap royalty. I want to hear her talk about her favorite, Dena Higley.
I wanted to kno what she thought of the divas she was in charge of!!!! Whyndom!! Slezak!!! Zimmer!!!!
Jill Farren Phelps is best known for her work, especially Santa Barbara & she's truly one of a kind!😊👍
Right on!
I like Jill Farren Phelps now. Growing up she irritated me in the 90s for her decisions on Another World & One Life to Live. She was my horror of the late 90s. Not to say all is forgiven , but she seems real now.
I’m so thankful for these interviews., Sure it was over 20 years ago,, and I’m in my 40s now. But the stories of my past have an explanation.
JFP justifies her bad storyline choices by saying, "Well, this person got an Emmy," and "That person got an Emmy." Just because some actors got Emmys, that doesn't mean those were the storylines that the fans wanted. The fans are what bring in ratings, and she should be trying to appeal to the fans, not just being concerned with getting an award.
Agree. That's the thing with JFP...one of her few talents was knowing how to play the Emmy game and she forgot everything else.
What a great interview! Very thought-provoking. Her honesty is refreshing. It seems she was brought in many times to shake things up. She is very honest about being ratings driven.
Thanks, Wanda. I appreciate you tuning in.
Not a mention or questions about Genie Francis? Really? What about killing Alan Quartermaine? Isn't she the one who destroyed the legacy of Rick Webber? Feel gipped!
There was a ton of ground to cover. I am sorry I didn't get everything in.
Jill's legacy will, always be a soap killer, She always loved her pet Steve Burton and hated Genie Francis.
@@visariosorino8034 Yup. Fired her from two soaps.
Maybe Alan could have her back for Part Deux!
As soon as Jill said the oldest hitman. I said to her out loud as she said. Ave Vigoda. LOL.
Excellent interview! 💥
She always went for the short-term ratings bump, not considering what was best for the show long-term.
I will forever respect JFP for her work on Santa Barbara! Always!!!
Glad to hear that, Shannon. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for this interview! I really enjoyed it. It was nice to hear her side of things, we only hear about the negatives. She was honest and owned up to mistakes she made. I would have liked to hear more about her time on One Life to Live, but overall it was a great interview! Thank you for it!
Glad you enjoyed it, Jake. I appreciate you watching it and for tuning in.
I would love to know more about her experiences with all the Divas she worked with:
Victoria Wyndham, Nancy Lee Grahn, Melody Thomas Scott, Marj Dusay, Kim Zimmer and on and on.
No one she worked with was more of a diva than she herself was.
She was the biggest diva on any of the shows.
I dont think it is nice to call people divas like that Erica slezac who Alan has interviewed befuew is not a diva at all she is very nice person but has integrity for her work just like Robin strasser.
Vicky Wyndham who replaced Robin strasser at aw made Rachel all her own yes she might have had some eccentricities but she also was old scholl and had a lot of integrity for her work. That's. Not bieng a diva at all ohh and Vicky Wyndham was very close with bev McKinsey too when bev was at another world.
Point is that's not nice to call people names like that and I will tell you what I. The music biz you would call real Rick bands egotistical jerks you would probably hate Eddie van Halen too maybe yngwie malmsteen too just because they like what they like or our particular about things.
As for kill yea she screwed up a lot but at least she is detail oriented for which I like and notices things that are our of place hint aw had been badly bungled from when Micheal liabson was there do to Donna swajeski and Carolyn culliton with John valente was just begining to fix that. But I think what happened was is Jill was just ignorant history wize when she walked in the door but I certainly understand why if a intern told you that why you would react the way Jill did.
But also if you notice the people Jill respects the most were the people who would just tell her. And that's what happened but in aws case she just needed to listen to Carolyn culliton while asking her to explain what was going on and get her up to speed on history of the show the way Mary oleary helped Jill at gl.
Remember knowledge and history is power.
Maybe u can do a Santa barbara reunion?❤
JFP is clearly in love with JFP.
A narcissist.
Alan that was absolutely FANTASTIC! It was FASCINATING. Jill is obviously incredibly talented and wise and quick. I mean she EP’d at 6 shows! Yes some of her decisions we didn’t agree with. But like she said it was NEVER PERSONAL. It was about getting people to watch.... to need to watch....So she could ensure that these shows stayed on the air. This was truly one of best interviews! I always loved what they did with the music on GH when she was there. Very memorable. RIP Maureen Bauer we all loved you and still do. Ellen Parker she loved you as much as we did and do. She’s not the “boogeyman” not at all.
Wow - Jeff! Thank you my friend. I appreciate your words so much.
Alan, I did not see this on live stream. It is the first real interview I have seen with Jill Farren Phelps. I knew folks were pretty volatile in opinions of her. I only watched her work / leadership on GH. I am impressed you got her as an interview. She spoke authentically to what she did and why. I am most impressed that she spoke to so much. I did find it interesting that you didn't push her harder about General Hospital years. All in all - a great "get" and you are a good interviewer. You let her talk and tell her truth. You also asked some questions about her family and pets. This helped soften her to audience. She is a human being with feelings and family - as well possessing an impressive education and experience across 6 daytime shows.
JFP’s music wasn’t quite as good as Wendy Riche’s, but is still better than Frank Valentini’s (at least for the most part).
They were not B team. They just needed storyline. I would be minority but i was thrilled Reva was gone. Killing Maureen was a beyond stupid decision. ETA I really don't think she was a fan of soaps. If she was she would understand that characters are important. It was probably just a job to her
Kim Zimmer although a good actress was way overused and consumed the canvas. I agree, the other actors weren’t B team, they just needed to shine in their own stories. It’s a shame she didn’t help restore the Bauer family by bringing Hope and Mike back. So many missed opportunities.
I don't know Jill, Merri Cat, and I can't read her mind, but I hope the career in which she toiled all of her adult life was more than "just a job to her."
@@ilunga146 I watched the interview that he did with Rachel Miner. She understood whole lot more with soaps were about and she was just an adolescent when she was on the show
I agree. It was probably just a job for her. She brags about the fact that she bounced around from show to show to show... Imagine if you had that on your job resume, that you went from job to job to job, spent a little time here and a little time there. It wouldn't look very impressive.
So, JFP accepts responsibility for killing off Maureen on GL, but she doesn't for killing off Frankie on AW, even though she was the executive producer on both shows. ("I was on my way out.") I'm sure she had to approve those storylines.
1:10:21 so interesting about the music - it worked very well on AW
Thanks for having Jill on! I thought she did a great job at GL. Hate the fact she killed Maureen. It was a huge mistake. Ellen Parker was fantastic. Jill should help revive GL in a half hour format with her old writing team. Bring on Erika Slezak as Alex. I think she could make it a success.
That. Would. Be. Amazing.
I say Denise Alexander or Kathleen Noone. Casting Slezak would be Alex as Victoria Lord’s 6th alternate. Too close of a character.
And she could bring back Ellen Parker, too, as Maureen's secret twin Doreen, now playing Alex's lesbian lover.
This was a great interview. One of the best. I watched all of her work except for Y&R.
Thanks so much for this. Such an interesting career she's had. And I was fascinated to hear her perspective on the death of Maureen. I had never considered the aspect that the story leading up to it really made the audience fall more in love with her but it's very true.
Hearing that Stephen Demorest and Nancy Curlee will be on soon is giving me life! They did some of my favorite writing ever and they live just a few miles from me now.
Wow -- you're in NC? That's awesome. Thanks for the message and for watching, Adam.
Maureen Bauer... Frankie Frame... JFP knew how to run a show into the ground... GL survived but JFP ran AW into the ground.
Exactly. And then she only accepts responsibility for killing off Maureen but not for killing off Frankie, even though she was the executive producer on both shows. ("I was on my way out.")
@@nicoleh.6059 Right. You're still EP even if you're on your way out the door. She was a good EP with Santa Barbara, and she was a good EP with General Hospital. But she wasn't good for GL or AW.
Thanks for the Upload 👍 !! She runied the soap Santa Barbara !! XD
Absolutely not. SB was good when she was there, it became bad when John Conboy took her place.
@@CandyEdenlovesCruzI dint think John conboy was bad but NBC I think just wanted to kill the show once the dobsons returned Jerome discussed that recently with micheal fairman but absolutely Jill was terrific at Santa Barbara but she was there from the begining knowledge is power and knowing the history from the begining because it makes you powerful in case you get a bad writer.
What a great interview. Great job
Thanks, Jimmie. I appreciate it.
I will forever be grateful for Cruz and Eden.... best soap couple EVER!
Bringing only Eden and Cruz to the fore was a big mistake. There should be several leading romantic couples on the show. I think that in many ways the failure of Santa Barbara as a show was due to the fact that when Eden and Cruz were tired, there was no one to insure them.
So glad she had good memories of another world!!! ...never understood why mob shoot outs and corparate take overs on other soaps were so popular when another world did great things like..jake and vicky in thier old neighboirhoid swining on swings at night thinking about thier child hood...even when nbc told another world to make it more like days of our lives...they never lost them strong character scenes...aw had a nack for making u like the characters even if u were catching it between commercials....friendships were paramount...as i said some shows would be a mib shoot out...aw did scenes like a couple arguing over ..im tired...yu took all the sheets last night!!! ...almost moonlighting prime time at times...i miss it!! I cant relate to corporate take overs but i related to aw relationship stories!!..im putting an edit here..because i think i made aw sound boring!! ...it wasnt ...yes they did them moonlighting character slice of life scenes...paulinas tallking about her weight loss ...felicia talking about getting older...but make no mistake this show did high drama like no other...in my opinon it did every day scenes and high drama ...great!!
Totally! Character Driven! I watched AW since '88 and Jake and Vicky coming full circle with all of their history was my absolute favorite! I feel like ATWT was a lot like this too. No question that NY/P&G Soaps were the best!
@@balagan79985 atwt with Doug Marland was far better than aw was. But harding Lemay brief return for 3 months was up their with Doug Marland ashamed Donna, swajeski with micheal liabson screwed that up. But Carolyn culliton from late 1994 to early 1995 was fixing it.
And concerning Jill I would have told Jill look at this look at that and just explained to her what Carolyn was trying to fix but told her things like the amanda Cory Sam fowler screw ups evan bates bungling twice for which Carolyn had to fix by sending evan our of town again let's see grant Amanda pairing which carolyn put a stop too thank God.
Hint I would have told Jill I have a high stakes syrykinw for you to explain sharlene missing vicky missing Jake and yes what really happened to Sam fowler from the time of June 1993 to 1995 and o wold have tied it all back to evan bates.
Because evan was, supposed to be like Roger thorpe James stenbeck type charecter.
Now if Jill said no then I would be like screw you you are on your own then
She confuses herself sometimes. There was no entire episode of Santa Barbara with no dialogue. It was the last ten minutes of one episode.
Also, the "punch" to replace Mason was from Terry Lester to Gordon Thompson. Lane Davies's Mason went out of town and came back as Terry Lester.
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Alan even though I like your interviews,I thought you were trying too hard to make Jill feel comfortable. As if you didn't want to ruffle any feathers for any future guest. This woman caused the destruction of so many shows over her career all in the name of "shaking things up" she claimed she soon learned the mistake in killing off a core character in Maureen but she went and did the same things as basically all shows she went to? How is that learning from your mistakes?
I know for a fact Eric Braeden is a real champion of legacy and continuity on the soaps but yet she burns the Newman ranch down? That set was so iconic,I heard some talk after it happened many of the actors were unhappy about it. Shaking things up doesn't always have to be killing someone or destroying something. I stopped watching the shows she was on at the times she was there and caused all that mess. For the record,in the process of shaking things up,you also lose many longtime viewers.
Thank you and that's all.
I appreciate your message, Rachel. I definitely want all my guests to feel comfortable so they open up and speak from their heart. That's all I try to do. I appreciate your point of view and appreciate you watching.
I agree with you to an extent concerning things Jill did at soaps particularly at oltl aw and y and r.
I think she just needed a Doug Marland around or a harding Lemay.
At gl she did really well once she learned the show but her biggest blunder was Maureen buar. but also I don't think Jill realized at the time that how something looks when filming that might look great might not translate well to viewers on screen but her attention to detail, I absolutely love and respect and admire and completely get what she means by things not looking stale.
But honestly her best work was at Santa Barbara but at Santa Barbara she could be her best because she was there from the begining not dealing with 30 years of history that's tough.
To deal with for any ep who was not as experienced or developed yet I think what would hsve helped Jill more as an Ep would have been to follow the Doug Marland how not to ruin a, soap playbook.
But remember most are not a, Doug Marland or a harding Lemay where if you made them mad they were going to tell you to go screw yourself but in the case of Doug Marland before he died he was a great asset to any ep because they could just focos on doing things like just producing the show.
I really like Jill. She is unfairly treated for doing her job as EP.
People certainly are passionate about her, Melissa. Thanks for watching.
I must admit i didnt want to like her but after hearing jer clear a few things up i must say i enjoyed her...and just an observation if yoh close your eyes you hear sally jesse rapheal!! ...even a resemblance of a younger sally if hair and glasses diffrent...in no way intended as an insult just my personal observation!🙂
I was wondering of whom it was that she reminded me @hh23 hh23 and you are absolutely correct! It is the talk maven herself Sally Jessy Raphael. Even her mannerisms came across in a similar fashion. Thank you for sharing that observation - you have brought a sense of peace to my mind!
@@joebarzo9935 your welcome !! Lol..glad its not just me!!
I noticed the Sally Jessie Raphael resemblance also. I didn’t notice myself liking her after watching her tho 🤷♂️
@@RayofLightTarot yes she is polarising!!! ...she did good for another world in my opionion altho her being her she had too make her mark ..first she did away with the iconic theme!! Second she got rid if aws signature freeze from and slo fade at end of the show...they were mistakes!!
MAGIC !!!! ABSOLUTELY --
Thanks, Angela. Have a great weekend.
The fans didn’t love The Rappaports on OLTL. Kale Brown was shoved down our throats. Only Catherine Hickland transcended the forced entry of this family onto the show to create a fun, neurotic, twisted and interesting to watch character. And while I did love the chemistry between Slezak and Derwin, characters in general started acting out of character for what Phelps is calling “high stakes drama.” The separation of Bo and Nora felt plot instead of character driven so was not popular with the fans.
I loved the Rappaports. Loved. Loved. Loved.
@@ilunga146 I respect your opinion and to each their own. I loved Lindsay, full stop! :-)
I hated the Rappaports and I loved Kale Brown as Michael Hudson on AW.
I haven't watched her interview. But that's exactly my feeling on the Rappadavidsons as well. Their invasion symbolized a lot of things wrong with her time running the show. And you are absolutely spot on with Catherine Hickland's Lindsay being the only plus from their introduction. It was a combination of a lot of things. But for me, it was Hickland's elite acting in the role. That role doesn't become what it was without an actor of her caliber to pull it off. She was so vulnerable and twisted. Yet, I think another thing that worked was Lindsay, at times, was the lone voice of truth and reason in many of the stories. I loved Bo and Nora. But she knew from the start that she and Sam would always come second in that scenario. Always knew. Even if the writing took another decade to get there, Lindsay always knew Bo and Nora were endgame
The Rappaports were one of the worst things to ever happen to OLTL. Catherine Hickland was awesome, but Bo/Nora, Christian/Jessica and Cassie/Kevin were destroyed to make their Rappadork halves happen.
She tried her best to destroy One Life To Live. I criticized JFP harshly while on OLTL and stopped watching for a while. I was told that a slight variation of the screen name I was posting criticisms under was actually mentioned on the show so I guess I got to her. LOL. It was obvious she either didn't understand the spirit/history of OLTL or she just hated everything about the show.
Unfortunately, she later came to kill off Y&R but didn't last long.
Making Sonny the focus of GH was what made me to decide to stop watching. Sonny's rise on GH ushered in a "dark" period.
I am actually convinced networks hired her to kill off the soaps....one by one.
Compared to great producers, she is nothing.
I’d like to comment specifically on GH. You are so right; as a newcomer to the show looking at its history through UA-cam, it definitely looks like after 2001, JFP turned GH into The Sonny/Carly/Jason (and Sam/Courtney) Show. That definitely was a bad period for GH (yet somehow I keep going back to it LOL).
Wow, this was interesting and fascinating. Great job, Alan. My heart was broke (still is) over Maureen’s death on GL. I appreciated hearing her perspective and though process behind this story. I would love to hear more about the YR years. Sounds like a lot of network interference. But a great interview.
Thanks so much for taking the time to watch. I appreciate it.
Thanks for this. It was very interesting to hear about her career and her points of view. My favorite era of GL is 89 to 93 so JFP gets some credit for its success. Early 90s GL is the best.
I know many people feel GL went downhill after Maureen’s death but 93 was a great year for the show! 94 is when is started to falter not related to that death but too many recasts, writing went downhill and too much Lucy and Tangie.
Glad you enjoyed this conversation, Aaron. Thank you for watching.
You're so welcome, Aaron. Glad you enjoyed this conversation.
Unpopular opinion, but JFP actually showed a lot of promise at first. Her tenure at Santa Barbara got the show its highest ratings and three straight Outstanding Drama Series Daytime Emmys.
And IMHO, except for killing off Maureen, her tenure at Guiding Light was legitimately great.
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I just want to say I actually liked Jill and what she did no most of the shows, as fans we are not completely aware of what these people that work on these shows actually goes thorough. The fact that she was open to admit when she made mistakes was refreshing. I loved Daytime TV, I won't lie I don't watch it anymore but when I did I would watch all the shows that were taped on the East Cost, and I enjoyed them all. I notice she said that her hardest show was OLTL and I remember someone in another interview you did said that the environment at OLTL was hard for them. I think it was one of the people in the Another World Cast Interview you did with Linda Dano, Anna Holbrook, Amy and Stephen or it could have been Anna that said it in her one & one interview. Either way its a shame because I really liked OLTL. Like I said we never truly know what its like for the creatives on these shows. PS Loved this interview so much, thank you and keep them coming.
I am so glad you enjoyed this interview, Patricia. Thank you for taking the time to leave this note.
You know I had to watch this interview again because the second time around their are certain things that caught me like she said when she came onto guiding light, she said the show was stale… Were we not watching the same show ? thought 1990 leading in to the first half of 1991 was great Roger and Alex at the country club had nothing to do with Jill.She didn’t come on I think till September 1991. Then she talks about when she got there there was people on guiding light that needed to be fired like who? Then Jill goes on to say That Ellen Parker was part of budget reasons but yet she brings on Marcy Walker and Justin Dee that I’m sure came out of very high price you know I was trying to give Jill the benefit of the doubt but rewatching this interview. I honestly don’t I know a lot of the actors loved her, but the same time a lot of the other actors didn’t like her I noticed when she talks about Beverly, she fails to say the reason why Beverly really left was because she was tired of working those long hours at her age and she just wanted to reduce schedule and Jill never honored it same thing with Kimberly Sims so if anything, Jill, Farren Phelps was the worst producer GL ever had and teh reason why 1992 and some of 1993 was good was due to Nancy Curlee and the other writers but if you want to see how Jill truly ruined guiding light all you have to do is watch all of 1994 and the first half of 1995.
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Delia story -- Billy Miller was amazing.
Very good interview although it is light on stories from GH where she spent 11 years as exec producer. Jill comes off as a sharp, funny lady who is proud of her work but able to own her mistakes. This was an enjoyable 90 minutes. Thank you, Alan.
You are so welcome, Michael. I appreciate you watching.
I thought JFP did wonderful work on GL. Yes, killing Maureen was a misfire but story wise it was a great time for the show.
Completely agree. And while they NEVER should have killed her off, at the very least, they played every beat of Maureen's death and the aftermath. She wasn't killed and forgotten in two weeks.
@@cdw3497 I'm of two minds when it comes to JFP. I remember watching Guiding Light near the beginning of her tenure and never missing an episode. However, by the end of her time at the helm, I was barely watching it. It seemed she always had trouble sustaining the quality of any show she worked on. I also didn't like the fact that she egregiously favored certain actors over others; to the point that every storyline would feature them and "legacy" characters would be relegated to the background or eliminated completely. I do agree about Maureen's death. Obviously, I feel it never should have happened yet I can't find fault with how it played out. Next to Buffy's The Body episode, it was one of the best televised depictions of death, especially how it affects the survivors. It's been nearly 30 years but certain scenes have stayed with me. Vanessa crying out her best friend's name, villain Roger's genuine sadness, Ed's grief coupled with his guilt over his infidelity, and Michelle's anger and confusion finding an outlet with Holly. My favorite scene didn't even have any words. It was at the end, right before the musical montage. All the mourners have left and Ed is standing alone in his kitchen in complete silence. JFP was capable of producing great drama but it seems to have come at the expense of the actors and the audience.
I don't care what anybody says: Outside of the death of Maureen Bauer, Jill Farren Phelps' best work in daytime was at "Guiding Light"! GL was one of the best television shows on during those early 1990's days...Phelps just happened to be the captain of the ship during those days.
Thanks for watching, Tony! Hope you're enjoying the shows.
Her work is hard to evaluate, at least in reference to SB, she produced some of the best scenes ever, but then some of her stories were mediocre and boring, and some blown out of proportion.Also, Cruz and Eden were already about to be married when she started writing for SB, so they were Dobsons' creation, it sounded like she is trying to take credit where it wasn't due. In any case, thanks Alan for the interview.
You are so welcome, Rahel. Thanks for letting me know.
I can understand why phelps cant watch daytime cause si many things she would change....perfect xample i saw on you tube leslie and monica from gh reuniting..leslie had to get into hosp. Computer to protect laura ..bla bla bla...any way you could see the way it was edited the 5 minute clip was cut into 4 scenes..about 30 seconds each...it lost all impact in what should have been a major scene between 2 power houses reuiniting....its like agnes nixon said leave them wantin more...what she meant was give them half the slice of cake so theyll want more...todays soaps give a sliver of a piece where u to frustrated to want more...im sorry but thier should be a 90 seconnd scene rule...its hard to invest in a show when the scenes are shorter then a commercial...come on current writers ...if u cant hold some ones interest fir 90 seconds?... times havent changed that much try writing like when 6 million watched an episode as opposed to under a million......
Jill is brilliant. The writing, production, and pace of GL was ToP Notch.
The shows last golden era was under her
@@dontabaltimore1974 I agree. Although I will say 1997-2000 was pretty good. 1991-1995 under JILL WAS 🔥
I do appreciate the way she made kathryn hollbrook shine as sharlene on another world!!! ..in my opionon she did great with cruz and eden but i think a mistake was playing them way to heavy it was so lopsided that on days yhey werent on even the b stories seemed like c stories!!!...
Ask yourself why she had so many jobs in soaps. Because she kept getting fired.
Honestly, soaps are a weird universe. Instead of bringing in new talent, they would recycle the same people from one show to the next. No wonder why the genre died like it did when the same stories are told over and over again by the same creative teams.
hi ferris
I was one those Lighters doing that period and honestly heartbroken about "Mo". Regardless, how I felt about Maureen's death the Blackout was classic soap at it's best. The stories it created and unlikely friendships it created a lasting effect until the end. When you came from GH to YR it seemed you tried to make it GH lite and it didn't fly, whole different dog. Then casting Steve Burton and his stale acting monotone showed and he didn't fit into YR canvas or actors...having said my peace, after watching this you surprised me on how down to earth you are which fans don't know this side of you, Jill. I wish you could go back YR with good writers from YR with history such Sally, Janice, Natalie. I have always said I would love Pam Long to be the head-writer because she can do everything from character-driven stories, social, romance and in my opinion the best mystery writer on a soap. Pam at GL gave GL a golden period of soap writing with a mix of everything. I would like for you to be EP again at YR but bring Pam Long and you two could create some magic.
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Also I have to admit I almost didn't recognize JFP because of her longer hair. In every picture and video I've seen of her, she has short hair.
If JFP wanted to get rid of Maureen, she could have just had her leave Ed and go away for a while. The character didn't need to be killed off. Or they could have explored a relationship between Maureen and Fletcher, since there was always something there between them, and this was during a time when Fletcher wasn't with Alexandra, or she was sort of back and forth (undecided) with him.
Great interview! Thank you Alan. :-) I enjoyed her stories besides GL. Loved her take on music in shows. I couldn’t agree more. Love the rise song and Y&R still has the best soap music ever lol
Glad you enjoyed it, Harley!
Her GH wasn’t it, but y’all can’t deny that the show’s music in 2001 and 2002, along with her OLTL music, ABSOLUTELY SLAPPED 😂💯🔥💯🔥💯💯!
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Hey alan ive watched everything u put up...i must say this is the best episide so far!! .. im not alone...look at the views and counting!!! ...if i had a wish list...helen galagher...victoria whyndom...also louise shaffer had sooo much to offer but intenet ruined it...have her back!!! ...also bridget dobson would be sooo colourful on insites from as the world turns..guiding light..santa barbara...her parents creaters from gh!! ...also suprised u havent gotten a santa barbara group together yet...just soms ideas ..love u ..ill keep watching!!
I appreciate you tuning in and your support. I am rescheduling Louise soon. Stay tuned!
What happened to Kimberly Simmons she left two
she needs to see/hear the interview Beverlee gave where she provided specifics as to why she left. its all there... she was very clear as to why she left and she tried to contact her. don't get me started on the death of Maureen. the show was almost as good then as when douglas marlin wrote it.. you had to watch. the problem of killing of maureen was the next year.. then what? the writing and acting after the funeral was some of the best ever...
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She help produce Santa Barbara
Great interview! I’m glad she did it on this platform. Especially since so many GL fans have wanted to hear from her for years.
Soo...jill not that old..why doesnt she jump back in?? I suspect its cause thiers no room...only 4 left...im currentley watching sunset beach on you tube...its great!!! ...and they can say what they want but for as outragous as it could be..it was always rooted in deep character driven scenes!!!... i could buy the crazy plots because the writers foreshodoewd thier characters...you knew why they were like they were because of character devolpment....i miss them days...
The last time I saw Ms. Farren Phelps interviewed, before this interview... I was feeling more respect for her and the work she had to do in Daytime. I remember the fan criticisms, I am sure I even voiced some. I still have respect for her, because what I have come to realize since and after seeing this interview, is what goes on behind the scenes, we as fans will never know, (except vicariously through Alan, thank you) and how demanding it is to do this type of work. Their work (executive producers, directors, writers, actors, technical, etc.,) is much different than what we might believe it to be. And I agree with other posters, I don't feel Ms. Farren Phelps had personal issues with people/actors, it all came down to a bottom line as soaps really evolved from the days she used to watch when Tommy Lee Jones was on "ONE LIFE TO LIVE", to a business acumen where the Luke and Laura/"GENERAL HOSPITAL" rage proved daytime could be a "cash cow". Respectfully, rest in peace Geoffrey.
Thanks for this, Erik! I appreciate you watching and your words. Agreed, RIP Geoffrey.
@@TheLocherRoom Alan, you were rockin' the dots today :)
I always blamed Margaret Depriest for killing Frankie Frame on AW not Phelps.
Watching this episode now. When you read from the monitor, it's painfully obvious and some interviews seem like were not prepared. Can you get actors from the NBC soaps instead of primarily CBS and ABC. Deidre Hall, Victoria Wyndham for example.
I just discovered this. What a wonderful interview. Jill got a bad rep. She did not lock the Dobson's out of the studio, New World Television did. She did a fantastic job at SB. She made mistakes in her career, show me someone who hasn't. She owns those mistakes. Her career is quite spectacular, and the good out weighs the bad. I can think of many things that would not have occurred without her. I wish I had been her when I grew up. I went on the cruise with the SB people, and not one person said anything negative about her, or Patrick M.
Thanks for watching, Erin. Glad you enjoyed it.
I loved the explanation for killing Maureen. I wasn’t watching at that point, but the cast involved was definitely the B team. Not as actors, but as characters.
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Phelps said she hated wall to wall muscic so she stopped it on y &r...she must have learned that from guiding light lol...cause she did muscic overkill on gl...every diner/ restuarant scene had popular music..must have been before copyright music...if i had to pic phelps best work it would be guiding light and anotherworld....esp another world..soo many actors won/ nominated under her that year
Interesting!
In the early days of santa barbara, there was way too much music and scoring as well. It annoyed me sometimes.
The absolute worst part about the trend in killing people off for rating was after a period of time, bringing almost all of them back. Just destroyed any credibility or artistic merit that daytime ever built up for nothing more than cheap thrills and ratings hit.