Members DaytimeFan Posted December 10, 2016 Members Share Posted December 10, 2016 I loved his portrayals of Stefano and Massimo. He had such chemistry with his scene partners - from Deidre Hall to Drake Hogesty to Lauren Koslow to Darlene Conley to Louise Sorel to Tanya Boyd to Eileen Davidson to Susan Flannery to Renee Jones and so many others. My favourite scene of his was during the Coronation Massacre when Greta was shot and he muttered "By the pricking of my thumbs something wicked this way comes." When Lexie asked "What?" Stefano replied "I wish I knew" before using himself as a human shield to protect Lexie - that was Stefano's humanity. He made whatever absurd writing thrown at Stefano work. He mattered. He was one of the greats and truly one of the last in a generation. RIP Phoenix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Roman Posted December 10, 2016 Members Share Posted December 10, 2016 Oh....thank you sir. It's not weird at all sir....and the way he always pronounced everyone's full name. I forgot he was classically trained......and that the role was written especially for him. Even when Joe would complain about the "God-awful writing" like the true artist he was he played it to the hilt. Joe: "It's Good To Be Home." A flood of memories came rushing back today. The 80s was the decade of the villain......Stefano, J.R., Alexis, the Cassadines, Victors Newman and Kiriakis, The Lords, Massimo....the list goes on, and most all of them are gone now. But we still will always have the memories....and Joe's kind will never walk on a Days set ever again. The actors from the show are posting lovely tributes and beautiful pictures at twitter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Roman Posted December 10, 2016 Members Share Posted December 10, 2016 Lauren Koslow @laurenkoslow 3h3 hours ago "Good night, sweet prince..and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest" Forever my honor to share your stage, Joe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dr Neil Curtis Posted December 10, 2016 Members Share Posted December 10, 2016 A true genius!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KMan101 Posted December 10, 2016 Members Share Posted December 10, 2016 He was always a favorite of mine. Stefano completely drew me into the show (and Kristen). I just adored Joe Mascolo. You could just see the gleam in his eye and how much he loved working on DAYS and playing Stefano. He made every absurd thing work. It's been sweet seeing Casey Deidrick and Chandler Massey and others posting about Joe. He was clearly adored and respected, as he should have been. I wish he had gotten a better farewell arc than being shot to death by Hopeless but those scenes themselves were fantastic and Joe was so good. It breaks my heart he was suffering from Alzheimers. I wouldn't have known it on-screen. I also respect the hell out of the show for keeping him and Frances Reid and others (Peggy McCay? I hope she's doing OK, she hasn't been on-screen since September which would have been taped almost a year ago at this point) on contract up to their passings, for their insurance when they aren't capable anymore of regular appearances. Unlike poor Anna Lee. That still chaps my ass and will forever make me hate JFP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NothinButAttitude Posted December 10, 2016 Members Share Posted December 10, 2016 Good God. 2016 is truly panning out to be one of the worst years of all time. RIP, Joe. I hope B&B and DAYS pays him a proper tribute/sendoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JAS0N47 Posted December 10, 2016 Members Share Posted December 10, 2016 JOSEPH MASCOLO: IN HIS OWN WORDS: Here's a look back at some of Joseph Mascolo's best quotes: ON HIS FATHER... "My father was a gentleman and he taught me to appreciate all avenues of life. He'd take me to the boxing matches one night and to the ballet the next." (Soap Opera Digest, 12/7/82) ON WEST POINT... "Instead of going into the regular army, I was recommended to West Point. So I said 'Ok, let's give it a shot.' Oh, god! It was terrible. At that time, I was totally rebellious, and I wanted to blow the place up. I was only 17, I was too young. If I went there now, I'd probably be a general. That's how we change. [General William\ Westmoreland was superintendent there at the time, and one night I peed all over his porch. It was one of the first time I ever got drunk...Years later I met him and I said 'We've met before, but I don't dare tell you the circumstances.' I played clarinet in the band at West Point for three years, because I never made it as a cadet." (Soap Opera Weekly, 12/28/99) ON LOVE... "I've learned that if something is done with love, it's much more forceful and lasting, even if you don't know it at the time." (Soap Opera Digest, 4/26/94) ON HIS PERSONAL LIFE... "When I leave the stage, I don't go to actors' bars. I don't go to a shrink. I go home. I enjoy my family. I work in my garden. It keeps me sane and it keeps me happy." (Soap Opera Digest, 12/7/82) ON HIS LOVE OF MUSIC... "I think all actors should have some music training. If you listen or read about great actors or directors, you'll see that every once in awhile, they'll talk in musical terms." (Soap Opera Digest, 9/23/03) "The beauty for me has been because of my background, having been a concert musician before I was an actor, [Days] allowed me to use music and introduce a lot of art besides just seeing the tough part of [Stefano.]" (Soap Opera Digest, 1/26/15) ON SINGING WITH LUCIANO PAVAROTTI... "It was incredible. I was nervous. I almost peed in my pants! He is such a great singer and a wonderful man." (Soap Opera Weekly, 6/4/96) ON JOINING "DAYS OF OUR LIVES"... "I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a soap opera...but the character of Stefano was so intriguing, as was the potential for the character...I wanted to make Stefano as good and as exciting as possible...Al Rabin and Pat Falken Smith agreed with me...When I heard that Thaao Penghlis was on the show, and that, if I took this role, he'd be playing my son, I thought - wait a minute - this is going to be fun, because I know Thaao from my theater days in New York and I know how serious he is about the work." (Soap Opera Digest, 12/7/82) "My agent said, 'There is a daytime series that you to test for a role.' I said, 'What is that? What you do mean daytime? Forget it. What is this, a soap opera? No way...Unbeknownst to me, Pat Falken Smith saw me in a miniseries called The Gangster Chronicles and created Stefano....So I got curious." (Soap Opera Digest, 2/26/08) "I'll do it if they give me a dollar more than anyone else gets. I figured by now [the producers] would say 'Up yours' but they didn't. They still wanted a meeting. Then I got very curious, so I went in and Pat Falken Smith said 'Well, my goodness. You're a little younger than I thought, but you're perfect.' I had the audacity to say to her, 'Well, listen. I know you're a writer, but do you read books? Because I know a lot of writers who don't read books. Let's get together and talk about what power really is.' That's how it started" (Soap Opera Weekly, 12/28/99) ON STEFANO'S ACCENT... "The accent? I hope that didn't throw you, but from the minute I walk in the door, I am Stefano DiMera. It makes for a more natural performance and it helps me to actually think in terms of the language. When I first started on the show, some of the actors and most of the crew had wagers on whether the accent was real or not." (Soap Opera Digest, 12/7/82) "I went home and suddenly it dawned on me to rent Summertime, the David Lean film with Katharine Hepburn and Rosaano Brazzi. And then I got South Pacific, and I said 'That's what Stefano should have-- an educated European accent." (Soap Opera Digest, 4/9/96) ON STEFANO'S RING... "It's something that everybody now identifies with me, but it happens to be my ring that my mon and dad sent me from Florence, Italy. They had it made there. It's an old onyx with a gladiator on it. Everybody takes it as the Phoenix. So it's become kind of a signature thing now." (Soap Opera Weekly, 6/4/96) ON STEFANO'S MANNERISMS... "I found some of the mannerisms from a man I met in Italy. Everything about him was perfect and set. There were certain ways that he walked and held himself." (Soap Opera Weekly, 6/4/96) ON STEFANO'S CONTINUED RISE FROM THE ASHES... "[Stefano] fell to the floor, and I said to the producers, 'For your sake and not mine...I'm going to open my eyes and look at Renee. And you're going to wonder 'What the hell is that?' so you could keep the aura of Stefano DiMera around this town...A year later or so, Ken Corday called and said 'The audience doesn't give a damn what you do, they just want you back.' And that's how it started." (Soap Opera Digest, 2/26/08) "When I was sitting around talking with Hogan [Sheffer], I said 'By the way, [Stefano saying 'It's good to be back'] is an iconic thing that we've done all these years. Hogan said one way or another he would get the line in and he did it." (Soap Opera Weekly, 6/19/07) ON SOAP FAME... "I'll tell you what soaps do for you. I did a movie with Luciano Pavarotti...Later, he was doing a concert in Chicago. A gal who's a Stefano DiMera fan got tickets to see him, and after the concert went backstage. There was a crowd of people in Pavarotti's dressing room...She said to her friend: '[Pavarotti's] the one who sang with Joe in Yes, Giorgio.' Pavarotti heard her and said 'No, no, no. Joe sang with me!'" (Soap Opera Digest, 4/9/96) ON LIFE IN SALEM... "There are a lot of stories in the city...With somebody like Stefano there's no end to what you can do, because there are no boundaries with this man. (Soap Opera Digest, 1/29/85) ON STEFANO... "What makes Stefano interesting is that he is beyond being a gangster, or anything like that. He's very insightful and intellectual, someone who is always one step ahead of everybody else. He is a guy who has worldwide power, you don't go around knocking people off. His thing isn't killing people. But if somebody drives him crazy, he doesn't mind making them suffer for it. He's someone who is really tough, but he can also be vulnerable...Family is very important to Stefano. He can be weak, in terms of giving in to them. But Stefano will also do anything to protect his family. His love for them is very powerful." (Soap Opera Digest, 9/10/12) "It's a wonderful fantasy to have that kind of power. If he were to need something he would be the one to hire Tony Soprano. He is not Tony Soprano. He also has his own sense of honor about what he believes in and how he does things. It's no fun playing somebody who goes around killing everybody. Stefano does get a kick out of screwing your brains up a little bit, but if you turn on him, he will squash you because he has the power to do it." (Soap Opera Weekly, 6/19/07) "I play a guy who has died or faked his own death nine times in eighteen years. I could get hit by a train and the audience would say 'When is he getting up?' Sometimes I question this man's sanity. I've kidnapped Marlena at least seven times, and each time, she said 'I don't want you.' What kind of idiot would go back the eighth time? Please, dear God, don't make me kidnap this woman again!" (Hollywood Reporter, 11/8/00) ON HOW HE'S MOST LIKE STEFANO... "I am most like him on a certain emotional level. One of the real luxuries that they've allowed me here is to pick out some of the music, art and other cultural aspects of Stefano. Also, I think his very strong family ties are important." (Soap Opera Weekly, 6/4/96) ON FEEDBACK... "When I do a film, I miss the immediate reaction of the audience....The greatest moments on Days were when I finished doing a scene with others, and the crew started spontaneously applauding. They can either kill you or help you, and they decided to help me." (Soap Opera Digest, 1/29/85) ON FAN REACTION... "I'm fortunate with the fans that Stefano has. I've never gotten any ['hate mail]. They never do that to me. Although they'll see me sometimes at the supermarket and they'll say 'Whoops, you go ahead. I don't want to bump into you." (Soap Opera Weekly, 6/4/96) "Stefano's demographics go from 12 or 13 to 18 or 90, and they're all fascinated with him because [he represents] that fantasy of getting in someone's face and being able to say what you usually only dare to think." (Soap Opera Weekly, 12/28/99) "This girl in Minnesota, who was into rock'n'roll and all that other stuff, wrote to me. She wanted to know what the music was that Stefano played, so I wrote to her and told her. She went out and bought three Puccini operas. I thought: 'Wow, how beautiful.' This character is a catalyst for this kid to listen to opera, which she was never aware of before." (Soap Opera Weekly, 12/28/99) ON STEFANO'S LONGEVITY... "When I started Days, I thought I would do it for a little while. Here we are, 30 years later. To keep a bad guy going for that long, it says something." (Soap Opera Digest, 9/10/12) "I've never wanted to stop playing Stefano. If anything, I've always wanted to play him." (Soap Opera Digest, 1/26/15) ON HOW HE'D LIKE TO SEE STEFANO'S FINAL DEATH PLAY OUT... "I guess I'd like him to go fighting for his family, one way or another. It would have to be an accident, because the man is too well covered." (Soap Opera Weekly, 6/4/96) ON THAAO PENGHLIS... "He's an actor's actor, a ladies' man, a man's man. He's masculine, aesthetic, and he says more by the way he picks up a rose than anyone. And he makes me...makes all of us...do our very best." (Soap Opera Digest, 1/29/85) ON DEIDRE HALL... "Deidre's a pro, which makes it so much fun, because more than half my work is done. When we're in a scene, there's always an edge-- like a bullfight." (Soap Opera Digest, 4/9/96) ON THE CREW... "That's probably why they like me. I stick up for them. I'm going to be the same with them that I'm going to be with [an executive producer] or anybody, because we're all here to do the same thing. I can't do it without them, and they can't do it without me." (Soap Opera Digest, 1/29/85) ON A STREET BEING NAMED FOR HIM IN GEORGIA... "I have a street named after me in Georgia. There's a school in Ocilla, for handicapped children and adults...I was selected to be the grand marshal of the parade. They asked me to come back again and I did. I returned for several events, and then one year they came out with a sign for the streets, which runs in front of the school and is about a mile long. It's now called Mascolo Drive. I was so shocked that I just stood there and cried...I asked them if I could put a toll on the road for myself, but they just laughed." (Soap Opera Digest, 4/26/94) ON BEING NAMED AN HONORARY CAPTAIN OF THE SALEM TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA POLICE FORCE... "Not bad for Stefano DiMera, huh?" (Soap Opera Digest, 12/7/82) ON WHAT HE'D TITLE HIS MEMOIRS... "Been There, Done That." (Soap Opera Weekly, 6/4/96) JOE'S FIRST "PUBLICITY PHOTO"...1929 Please register in order to view this content 13-MONTH-OLD JOE IN THE 1930 CENSUS JOE WITH BURT REYNOLDS IN "SHARKEY'S MACHINE" (1981), LUCIANO PAVAROTTI IN "YES, GIORGIO" (1982) and ROY SCHEIDER IN "JAWS 2" (1978). JOE'S HIGH SCHOOL PORTRAIT (CIRCA 1947)... JOE & PATRICIA'S WEDDING DAY PHOTO...OCTOBER 22, 2005 JOE'S FIRST PASSION...MUSIC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members YRBB Posted December 10, 2016 Members Share Posted December 10, 2016 That was wonderful. Thanks, @JAS0N47 Please register in order to view this content Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sindacco Posted December 10, 2016 Members Share Posted December 10, 2016 Thank you for typing all those quotes and posting the photos Jason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slick jones Posted December 10, 2016 Members Share Posted December 10, 2016 Thank you, Joe, for giving us Stefano, Massimo, and all of your characters. A true legend Bravo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jjjg Posted December 10, 2016 Members Share Posted December 10, 2016 RIP Joe. Please register in order to view this content Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JAS0N47 Posted December 10, 2016 Members Share Posted December 10, 2016 Wanted to work through my sadness somehow, so compiling all the magazine quotes and honoring Joe's memory helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members YRfan23 Posted December 10, 2016 Members Share Posted December 10, 2016 Beautiful! loved all those quotes, and he definitely lived a full-filling life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted December 10, 2016 Members Share Posted December 10, 2016 Thank you. As always your work is so extensive, concise, and a true honor to those involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JAS0N47 Posted December 10, 2016 Members Share Posted December 10, 2016 Thank you, DRW. That means a lot. I try my best, but it's always the hardest when it's a long-time cast member. I know some news organizations prepare obits ahead of time, to have them ready to go, but I've always found it the most cathartic to not have anything prepared until the person passes. I think saving the work for the day it happens helps make the best tribute possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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