After 41 Years, Fans Bid Farewell To “All My Children” [VIDEOS]

I remember being a kid and having to stay home from school because I was sick.  I wanted to watch my favorite show "Inspector Gadget" downstairs on our color TV.  My mom said I could watch it up in her room on her black & white TV (remember those), because she was watching "All My Children."

After throwing a tantrum, my punishment was to sit on the couch and watch AMC with her.  I sat and pouted through the whole episode.  When it ended I thought to my self, "I hope I'm sick tomorrow, I have to find out what happened to Erica Kane!"

I was by no means a die-hard fan of the show.  But my mom would tape it, and my sister would watch it daily when we got home from school.  I couldn't avoid being aware of many of the characters and some of the story lines.  In fact, I had a crush on Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Erica Kane's daughter Kendall.

"The Great and the Least,
The Rich and the Poor,
The Weak and the Strong,
In Sickness and in Health,
In Joy and Sorrow,
In Tragedy and Triumph,
You are All My Children."

-Agnes Nixon,  "All My Children" Creator

When I moved out on my own, I was finally able to forget about AMC... or so I thought. When I worked at an Evansville, Indiana radio station, I interviewed comedians every week who would come and perform at the Funnybone Comedy Club.  One week, Walt Willey (who plays Jackson Montgomery on "All My Children") was on the schedule.  We hit it off immediately, and hung out the entire weekend he was in town.  We still keep in touch, and I always try to catch his stand-up comedy act when he makes it to Detroit.

This week, I was flipping through the TV and there was Walt on "All My Children."  I remembered that this was the final week of the legendary soap opera legacy.  As with most soap operas, with in ten minutes I was all caught up with who was gone, who was new and what was going on.

Many former cast members are making cameo appearances this week, including Sarah Michelle Gellar.  They are reuniting families and friends as the show leaves the airwaves.  But, AMC will continue production for webisodes, and possibly cable TV.  The last episode of "All My Children" will air on ABC 12 tomorrow (Friday, September 23rd) at 1pm.

Get more on AMC here, and check out the videos and tributes below.