oltl1

May his memory be eternal, RIP

Thank you for your insight and thoughts, I only wish there was more material from this time to actually view.

Hi there, what was original oltl like? I only remember the Rauch years (I was born in the late 70’s) and always enjoyed OLTL, as it was always my favourite but with the help of YouTube, the first 15 years seem far superior. I’d be curious to know your thoughts on who your favourite Viki and Dorian were and what your favourite storylines were?

Some amazing classic OLTL on YouTube thanks Paul Ditty

You are correct, you can see Brenda at the 50 second mark!

If memory serves correct, Walkers Max found out he wasn’t a true Buchanan and felt everyone he loved / trusted had lied to him and that he didn’t know who he was anymore, so left to “find” himself. His relationship with Asa was strained from that point on (although he did pass as Asa’s son again under JFP) and upon DePaiva’s return, he did hook up again with Lee Ann. Agreed on Lee Ann being a hold over but I am surprised at the amount of story she received and that Malone anchored her to the Buchanan’s with Duke, as I always found Bleeth hard to watch. As for Max and Luna, I believe Walker and Max we’re off the canvas when Batten was introduced

I’d love a reunion with Erika Slezak, Robin Strasser, Brynn Thayer and Judith Light....if only dreams could come true

My pleasure, it’s nice to reminisce about this great show. I only wish we had more material to view from the sixties and seventies

IMDb has Judith starting in mid November, 1977 and I believe this episode is from late spring 1978, so I would guess about 6 months

Thank you again, this is absolutely amazing!! I’m hooked all over again lol. It also makes me wish Gordon Russell was still alive so I could ask what “his” intentions were for creating the character of Tina. Was it to create trouble for Joe and Viki or did he have other thoughts?? And would you know if this was the first time Irene Manning was ever mentioned, or had she been seen / mentioned before? Again, many thanks for these clips

Thank you Victoria foxton and Forever 8 for these clips / episodes. The amount of psychological depth and emotion in these scenes is overwhelming and truly makes me miss this show more than ever

It’s been a long time since I’ve written a post, mostly because I miss this show so much. My curiosity has peaked in recent weeks to find out more about One Life’s first broadcast episode tho. Does anyone know what stories were highlighted on the first episode and how the first week fared in ratings?

I just threw up a little

IIRC didn't JFP want Gillian Spencer as a head writer (I believe she was part of the writing team then) but GS turned it down and left

I agree, although David and Dorian were fun for a while, I think in the end it did more damage to Dorian than good. It always seemed to me that Dorian had to be watered down and written over the top to explain her staying with David. Herb on the other hand was a better match for Dorian IMHO because he was her equal. He was ambitious, smart and funny. He understood her like no other man less Mel ever could and their arguments, sparing and ribbing of each other was intelligent and funny, two things that were missing in Dorian in the final years on ABC.

Thank you for the wonderful interview.

Has anything been said for those of us in Canada?? I know Hulu isn't an option for us but will we be able to watch on itunes or some other format?

Thanks guys for the all info. It sounds like the behind the scenes stuff at ABC was just as good as the stuff on tv at the time. This would have marked the beginning of a string of headwriters for the show that would eventually lead to Rauch coming in as EP and really changing the show for ever. I only wonder why Peggy O`Shea and Sam Hall bounced in and out as head writers during this time before O`Shea finally kept the spot for 4 years?

Wow that was quick! Thanks for the clarification Carl but do you happen to know if it was ABC's choice to move Russell or his own. If ABC's. do you know if they had a replacement in mind for OLTL?

I believe I read once that Gordon Russell was set to leave One Life and was headed to GH when he passed. Is this true or am I thinking of something else??? If true, what do you think he would have done with Gh at that time? Would there even have been a Luke and Laura as we know them today?

You are correct!!

ITA, Lindsay was my favourite Rappaport with Will a close second but Sam really got on my nerves. Kale Brown wasn't a bad actor, IMO but he was just on WAY TO MUCH!!! I didn't mind him in the beginning and I thought he had good chemistry with HBS, and was a viable bump in the road for Bo and Nora but once Bo and Nora split, (and for the lamest reason ever) I was done with him! That time of the show is a real dark spot for me. It really ruined a lot of characters, Sam included. Not even a recast could save the character or erase the damage done!

Thanks for the response BKuzak. Although I barely remember this story, I do remember my family watching OLTL religiously at this time and being absolutely enthralled with it! As I watch now, I seem to be finding more holes in the story than I would like lol. Maybe because I found the DID story that played out years later under Malone to be more realistic. It’s also weird to see this softer version of Niki. As you pointed out, the 70's version and every other version of Niki other than this one was so different from Viki. This version is too close to Viki for it to be believable to me that Harry never recognized her.

I have some questions and I'm hoping someone can help me please. I've been watching the great "OLTL Clint & Viki's Love Story" clips on youtube and finally saw the storyline of the Lord/Manning plant. Having been only 7 when the story first played out, I hadn't realized that the original actor who played Harry was replaced, but getting back to my questions lol. How was it that Harry never recognized Niki was Viki?? They spent so much time working together trying to save the plant prior to the Viki/Niki story! Was this ever mentioned or brought up???? Did it bug anyone else at the time it originally aired, and were longtime fans upset with the rewrite of Niki having been involved with Harry during the time when she was involved with Vinny??

Funny, isn't that the exact same thing she did with Clint! I'm surprised that beat wasn't played more.... lol come to think of it, no I'm not