Who cares! Anna Lee was only working a day or two a week, at the most. The way she was treated at the end was cruel & unnecessary! I'm also talking about more than Anna Lee's situation here. I'm talking about Ruth Warrick (Phoebe), who was NOT infirmed IRL when TPTB put Phoebe in the wheelchair, from which she never 'recovered'. Ms Warrick went from playing a strong, independent thinking character to playing a woman who got little or no respect & who was, toward the end, not much more than an after thought. While RW may have been infirm toward the end of her life, TPTB wasted lots of time when she wasn't, putting Phoebe so far on the backburner that by the end there was a whole segment of the audience who didn't know much about Phoebe at all! I grew up on soaps when, whevever possible, actors were kept on despite RL situations--like recovering from surgeries, amputations & treatments for illnesses. My point is that NOW Mr. Mitchell may not be able to work, but that wasn't always the case & it wasn't the reason Palmer went so far onto the backburner! eom
Posted by: SORAS
Date posted: Sat Nov 7 7:57:31 2009
Message:
The whole Palmer/Nina/Myra storyline is what got me hooked on AMC back in 1979. I love Palmer and miss James Mitchell.
I thought it might be nice to cut and paste his many awards. Since it's early on for this topic and the one response so far has been a comment about his still being alive, I thought it might be enlightening to comment on some of what he's done during his blessedly long life. I think it's regrettable when someone has lived a life of achievement, usually of the type most of us will not have, and yet as the years go by, people think of them only as old or, because people are unaware, do not realize what the person has done in his/her life. This is just some of what James Mitchell has accomplished (and I truly hope where he did not win the prize but was "only" nominated, people won't interpret that as lack of accomplishment):
Awards and nominations
- Theatre World Award, 1947: Brigadoon
- Donaldson Award:
- Winner, Best Male Dancer of the Year, 1947: Brigadoon
- Nominee, Best Male Dancer of the Year, 1946: Billion Dollar Baby (third place)
- Nominee, Best Male Dancer of the Year, 1951: Paint Your Wagon (second place)
- Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, 1985, Drake University
- Daytime Emmy Award nominations, Outstanding Actor, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989: All My Children
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PS: James Mitchell has been hugely important to American dance and theatre, and yet has been incredibly humble..when the best of the best..the most important figures in these arts have complimented him repeatedly, he plays it down and says he's always played a supportive role. He's not Palmer Cortlandt..he's quite humble in real life. That's amazing...particularly these days when so many entertainers tend to believe their own publicity. SORAS
He did a dance (dream sequence) number in Oklahoma and he was wonderful and oh so handsome in it. MM
He's one of the best actors that ever appeared on AMC. He's also a charming man. I remember him being interviewed on the 30th Anniversary Show, and he was funny, unassuming and very nice. His co-stars all claimed to love him, and I could see why. I'll never forget his scene, years ago, with Daisy and the Dobermains. He really played Palmer Cortlandt to the hilt! Understatement
Wow! I didn't know James was a dancer, and such an accomplished one. Thanks for the background information. I too began watching in 1977ish when Nina was diabetic but didn't know, Daisy was her friend[mother], and Palmer was doing everything he could to keep her from Cliff...ahhh, those were the days, of storytelling! Lee
I've told this story before, but I MET him when he asked me directions inside a department store. I then blathered like an idiot for about 5 minutes...he was charming, warm and totally tolerant of this fan. I was a huge ballet fan and told him that ''Fall River Trilogy'' was my fav and his whole face lit up. I asked my friends if I made an fool of myself, and they say I HAD, but that he had looked pleased. What a nice (and handsome) man. eom/Kate
Posted by: Being Erica
Date posted: Sat Nov 7 5:45:26 2009
Message:
He's still alive? He must be 115 by now.
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He's 89 and perhaps you will glance at what I've listed in a separate reply to message under this topic SORAS
