Susan Lucci is everywhere promoting her new memoir, “La Lucci” (Blackstone Publishing.) People Magazine! Us! Variety! Good Morning America! The CBS noon local New York news! It’s an over-the-top campaign worthy of Erica Kane, the superstar character Lucci so notably played for 40 years on “All My Children.”
Even if you have issues with all the hype, this book is really quite good as it demonstrates Lucci’s true character. Unlike the selfish Erica, the actress reveals herself as a loving, giving, thoughtful, and very sensitive person.
Don’t come to this book looking for even more to read about her years on “AMC” and Lucci’s fabled life in the soap world. She’s already covered a lot of that in her first book, “All My Life,” also co-written with Laura Morton. Instead, “La Lucci” concentrates on Susan’s personal life. In 2022, her husband of 52 years, popular chef Helmut Huber, passed away at 84. Here she poignantly and explicitly recounts her deep grief and her harrowing recovery.
After her cherished husband passed, Susan tells us she felt like half a person. “When Helmut died a big piece of me died too,” she writes. “We had been married since I was twenty-two years old. He was the great love of my life, and I fell more in love with him the longer we were together. When he died, I wasn’t sure I could set foot on a stage again.” But very slowly Susan came back from the abyss of grief. “For me healing was deciding to put one foot in front of the other. It doesn’t happen right away, but it does get easier with time. And the thing is, I did that — and I’m still doing that.”
I interviewed Helmut during the “AMC years” and I found him charming, a very smart and impressive man totally dedicated to his wife. It’s no wonder that Lucci’s loss was so shattering. In this book she recounts the long, long road toward acceptance and her journey to feeling the joy of being human again. And she’s quite meticulous about it, thanking all who helped her.
Susan describes health problems of her own. She survived two surgeries that resulted in two stents implanted in her heart. Always a giver, Susan immediately started doing events and raising money for the American Heart Association.
Is there a method to all this professional madness with the promotion of this book? In her interviews, Susan says that a new “All My Children” may be coming our way soon. It is promised to be two movies on Lifetime, produced by “AMC” alums Kelly Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos (Hayley and Matteo). As an “AMC” superfan, I’d love it. But this project was announced a year ago and never came to fruition. (I know, I wrote a column about it called “Welcome Home, All My Children.” (October 18, 2024).) Thankfully, Susan seems cautious about the writing of the new show. As she should be. As we all know, creator Agnes Nixon passed away in 2016. As noted in Susan’s book, Agnes and Erica co-created this very, very original character. For example, Erica had a father fixation as she was abandoned by her father early on. Nixon, too, as recounted in her excellent autobiography, “My Life to Live,” had a father who was mostly absent.
Lucci’s new book offers insights into the mutually supportive relationship she and Nixon had. Susan reprints thank-you notes from her mentor, and those from Lorraine Broderick, who succeeded Agnes as “AMC” head writer. If the new ABC does come to be, I hope Broderick writes it. Lorraine is a wonderful, talented woman I’ve been privileged to know, was trained by Agnes and had a long career writing such soaps as “AMC,” “Guiding Light,” and “Days of Our Lives.”
Can the juggernaut of “La Lucci” — can there be any doubt about the new book’s inevitable success — lead to a revival of “AMC?” I hope so. Soaps were definitely better and more interesting back then, when we were fortunate enough to have a warm, funny, and entertaining place called Pine Valley to visit every day!
Lots of great information here. I sincerely hope Lifetime makes the movies.
Thanks as always G.L.
Connie, As usual very interesting! I got the impression from some video interview coverage that the writer for primetime reboot AMC was known. And I would call Agnes’ father a toxic relationship. He was that critical of her writing. Quite similar to Bridget Dobson’s father..
Isn’t it interesting when headwriters use their personal experiences for storyline fodder?
When we are talking about fiction writers, I think it is probably very natural that they would reach into their own lives for relatable experiences. However, usually I do not think we know what is about what. With many soap writers, due to interview & articles we have more insight.
It depends how much the writers want to reveal about themselves. That’s why meeting them and talking to them is often a blast!
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I am just as envious as I can be!!! I have met & can call a friend one HW. I’ve exchanged significant email with another 3. When I list my favorites it runs to 17, which is a lot but I just happen to love soap writers
You know 17 soap writers–wow!!! Do tell. They are so fascinating–aren’t they?
I have always wondered how much of his own life Douglas Marland put into Guiding Light and As the World Turns. Did he ever reveal much about this in your interviews with him, Marlena? I would love to read more about him.
I was very lucky to have interviewed him in soap magazines and when he died I wrote his obit right here. Just type “Douglas Marland.” into my search box. I got to be friends with him, having lunch and visiting him in his Connecticut house. And I always used to see him at Broadway plays with his beloved Lisa Brown. Doug was a learned, marvelous and very loving man who as I have said did use parts of his own life in his soaps. (He named many mother characters Beatrice, after his own mother, like Bea Reardon on “Guiding Light.”) What I really loved about him was that he was a real gentleman–as I wrote Doug Marland was just a lovely, lovely man.
Now in most cases I know them, but that does not mean they recognize me at all, but enough preamble: My favorite writers are Courtney Sherman Simon, Elizabeth Korte, Lemay, Labine, Curlee, Swajeski, Hurst, Mulcahey, the Dobsons, Marland, Val Jean, CCulliton, Falken Smith, Bell, Nixon & Phillips. That’s 17. I like writers.I feel like that should be followed by a Victor Newman, Ya got that bub?
Living but either retired or thought to be retired: Nancy Curlee, Donna Swajeski, Jill Lorie Hurst, Jerome Dobson. Carolyn Culliton, Patrick Mulcahey.
A year ago one of them Michele Val Jean has the newest of new gigs possible! #BTG #BeyondtheGates Headwriter & Show Creator & EP & ShowRunner! I am so happy for her!
I always like talking to soap writers the best—Harding Lemay, Hendy Sleasar, Lorraine Broderick, Michael Malone and of course my late great friend Jim Reilly. Pam Long arrived as an actress on “Texas” and did a good job on that show and on “Guiding Light.” Briget Dobson, as you would expect was a real hoot. And Michael Val Jean has certainly had a golden opportunity creating and writing “Beyond the Gates.” Right now, Chis von Etten and Eizabeth Korte are really going to town with today’s “General Hospital.” A soap is only as good as its headwriter!
“Script writing is the secret weapon of daytime. They paint the picture. A good script writer is everything.” – Jill Lorie Hurst, 3-15-23, Locher Room chat room
Connie, did you talk to Michael Malone after AW?
Yes–I was in touch with him until he passed away.
Is it true that the show shot down everything he pitched?