All Erica’s Husbands on Oprah

Oprah Winfrey honored daytime soap stars today and she had a big surprise for Susan Lucci, All My Children’s much-married and ever glamorous Erica Kane. She brought together all the actors who played Erica’s many mates on stage together for the first time.

Top Left: Husband No. 1, Jeff Martin played by Charles Frank;
Bottom Left: Husband No. 2, Phil Brent played by Nick Benedict

Top Right: Husband No. 3, Tom Cudahy, played by Richard Schoberg;
Bottom Right: Husband No. 4 and 7, Adam Chandler, played by David Canary

But first Susan and Oprah talked about Oprah’s cameo appearance on All My Children in 1983 as a young reporter who introduces herself (as herself — Oprah Winfrey from Baltimore) to Pamela Kingsley. Susan Lucci then recounted an early interview with the pre-mogul Oprah where Susan recalled telling Oprah after the interview: “That was one of the best interviews I felt I’ve ever had.” Oprah claimed she did remember it and that she was “tearing up” because she couldn’t believe Susan remembered it. Oprah claimed she wrote what Susan said in her journal and “was just going through” them. LOL. Not to be cynical, but that just came off as schmoozing at its worst.

Then Susan took Oprah’s audience on a tour of her home with her real life husband of 41 years, Helmut Huber, who is “such a great cook.” Susan also showed both her exercise routine and how she exfoliates. Susan cried as she read a framed message from her daughter, Liza, in the hallway, written to comfort Susan when Liza was 8 or 9 when Susan was going through that big old Emmy losing streak.

Top Left: Annulled Husband, Mike Roy played by Nicholas Surovy;
Bottom Left: Husband No. 5 and 6, Travis Montgomery, played by Larkin Malloy

Top Right: Husband No. 8 and 9, Dimitri Marick, played by Michael Nader;
Bottom Right: Husband No. 10, Jackson Montgomery, played by Walt Willey

They talked about Erica’s 11 weddings with 8 husbands. Susan said she had “great chemistry” with the actors who played her husbands, particularly Walt Willey. Her chemistry with David Canary (Adam Chandler) was of a different kind “like ‘War of the Roses’ always” but “so much fun.”

Then the curtain with the husbands’ photos was brought down to reveal all the actors who played Erica’s husbands, standing in the order she married them, too.

We loved Mike Roy but if they put him in, what happened to Jeremy Hunter (Jean Leclerc), who was a Tibetan monk, who had to get released from his vow of celibacy so he could mess around with Erica. He also had to save Erica from some Latin American guerillas, Natalie (Jeremy was messing around with her too, after the vow of celibacy went south), Adam Chandler and his own father. And how about her almost-affair with Mark Dalton who turned out to be her brother? Well, the stage probably wasn’t big enough to reunite all Erica’s love interests in over 30 years!

Next Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis) of General Hospital fame came out and Anthony Geary said he thought their story was so popular because it was “really well told and their star-crossed relationship — you know, they didn’t just jump into bed. This was a long process.” Oprah had to remind him that his character Luke raped Laura at the inception of the story. Those two years Anthony Geary spent having an affair with Elizabeth Taylor must have knocked that little detail clear out of his mind.

Jesse Hubbard (Darnell Williams) and Angie (Debbi Morgan) came out next and talked about their phenomenal relationship on All My Children. They were joined by Tad Martin (Michael E. Knight). Tad’s big love interest Dixie (Cady McClain) was shown in clips, as was his affair with Liza Colby and Liza’s mom, Marion. Tad’s sister, Jenny Gardner (Kim Delaney) and Greg Nelson (Laurence Lau) were sort of the Luke and Laura of AMC and also best friends of Jesse and Angie.

Jeanne Cooper was Oprah’s last guest. Jeanne, who is 82 years old, has portrayed Katherine Chancellor on The Young and The Restless for over 35 years. Jeanne’s character had a facelift done when the actress was having one herself in real life.

Oprah wrapped up by asking first Jeanne Cooper to name the most outrageous and craziest thing her character has ever done.

Jeanne said her character, Katherine, was going to commit suicide, so she got drunk on a cruise ship, jumped overboard and was picked up by a Cuban rebel. They had a mad love affair, then Katherine returned to the States and never saw him again.

Genie Francis and Tony Geary agreed that saving the world from the weather machine was the nuttiest thing for them.

Michael Knight said that sleeping with a mother and daughter when you are 22 years old is a “heck of an entree.”

They should have asked Susan Lucci about that year with Jeremy Hunter.  And they also didn’t mention that Erica’s Husband No. 5 and 6, Travis Montgomery and Husband No. 10,  Jackson Montgomery, are brothers.