What Lesson Did A Soap Opera Teach You?

Pine Valley

All My Children taught me the lesson of community.  In this fast-paced, disposable world, we often have no idea who our neighbors are, let alone the head of the local hospital.  But in Pine Valley, albeit a fictional town, as with most other soap locales, there is a sense of community.  When tragedy strikes, as it most certainly will in a soap town, all the inhabitants bond together to get through it.  Holidays are certainly always family events but in Pine Valley they were also community events with everyone coming together in celebration.

Who Did You Watch Grow Up on a Soap Opera?

Soap Opera:  All My Children

Actress:  Susan Lucci

There have been many child actors who have made their way through the virtual towns of the soap opera world and many we have literally watched grow up in front of our eyes.  Susan Lucci began her role as the teenage Erica Kane on All My Children in 1970.  Through the next four-plus decades, we watched Erica grow up, go through every trial and tribulation imaginable, have and have an infamous string of husbands. After over 40 years onscreen, we watched Erica become an exciting mature character who has shown being over 50 can be very exciting, rewarding, and relevant.

What is Your Favorite Soap Opera Town?

Soap Opera:  All My Children

Town:  Pine Valley, PA

My favorite soap opera town is Pine Valley, PA, home to All My Children.  I love Pine Valley because it is homey, elegant, and seedy at the same time, going from Tad Martin's home to the Pine Valley Inn to the Pinecone Motel.  I never realized how much commerce there was in Pine Valley!  There are a list of businesses, restaurants, hotels, clubs, bars, hospitals, and law enforcement groups in the town.  The best feature of Pine Valley though, beyond its residence and stories, is its close proximity to Llanview and Port Charles...