OLTL: All Hail La Strasser: She’s the “Alexis of Daytime” — Again!

[Toups]

http://marlenadelacroix.com/?p=95

All Hail La Strasser: She’s the “Alexis of Daytime” — Again!

By Marlena De Lacroix

About 1984 or so, when the primetime world was at the height of Dynasty-mania, all the daytime soaps were hustling to introduce characters, all costumed in big-brimmed hats, who were supposed to be the “Alexis of Daytime.” Elizabeth Hubbard, new as Lucinda on As the World Turns, was supposed to be the Alexis of Daytime. Marj Dusay, who played Myrna Clegg on Capitol, was supposed to be the Alexis of Daytime. Judith McConnell, Augusta Lockridge on Santa Barbara, was supposed to be the Alexis of Daytime.

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[EricaKane70]

Why would anyone want to copy someone else? They should try to make a name for themselves not be the second coming of someone else.

[dm.]

Nice article. OLTL deserves a lot of praise for being the best soap on air currently. And Robin Strasser rocks!

[EricaKane70]

An my previous post was not a knock to Robin, who I love. I was critcizing the writer. Dorian sounds better than Alexis.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Robin Strasser is great as the evil bitch. I might get killed for this, but Harding LeMay once said that even though he liked her a lot, she was a very one-note actress. He meant that she could play bitchy very well, but she wasn't very good at other facets. Hence why the gray character Agnes Nixon created especially for her on AMC in the late 70's wasn't very successful.

But La Strasser is one of the biggest and baddest divas in daytime, and has a place in soap history for sure.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

The character of Alexis was actually a copy of Beverlee McKinsey's Iris on AW, I believe Spelling admitted that.

[EricaKane70]

Well there you go, people should just be themselves, no need to copy but I guess its too late for spelling.

[TC]

I posted a response.

[Ridge]

That whole scene was awesome. I agree that characters shouldn't be designed to replicate or imitate another but this hardly seems that way given Dorian's rich bitchy history with the show. OLTL was amazing because this is the kind of soap that we haven't been seeing (IMO) in ages, and it is involving predominantly veterans and core families. Strasser was amazing. OLTL has been AWESOME.

[AddictedToSoaps]

Robin Strasser ROCKS.

[marlenadlc]

'Y&RWorldTurner' wrote

"Robin Strasser is great as the evil bitch. I might get killed for this, but Harding LeMay once said that even though he liked her a lot, she was a very one-note actress."

"Marlena De Lacroix" responds:

Oh please! I interviewed Lemay and the only reason he wrote that Robin is "a one note actress" is because so many people (like me) vocally missed Robin's interpretation of Rachel all the years Vicky Wynhdam played her. Which were a lot of the years snobby Lemay wrote her.

Robin can act anything---any emotion, or else she wouldn't have been able to be on TV nonstop both on soaps and primetime for 40 years. Ever see her hilarious Russian-accented reporter on Murphy Brown? Sympathetic counselor in Baby M? Even today Dorian is many things beside bitchy--motherly (to the Cramer girls), comedienne (to David) etc. I have NEVER been bored by her in 40 years of watching her.

And a word about soap history---don't believe what you read! The only way you can know what really happened is to have known these people personally or been in the middle of soap history yourself!

[Vee]

I think Lemay was misquoted, actually. I think he discussed exactly that topic in his book about AW and he didn't say she was one-note, just something like she had different dominant aspects in her acting or words to that effect. Nor do I think she is one-note.

I remember Robin talking in print about Christina Karras on AMC (maybe to you, Marlena?) and saying that the character was a milquetoast, confused jumble or something, with childhood trauma and sleepwalking episodes. Dorian was and has always been much more clearly defined. And also three-dimensional. She has pathos and trauma and pain but she also has weaknesses and a very dark side.

While I adore her, I frankly thought that when Robin came back in 2003, she was so worried about being let go again from a show she so dearly loved that she played virtually everything totally over the top, and very shrill, with much less subtlety than I remembered. Dorian was a caricature around that time, especially during the Mitch mess. It's only recently that she's regained her pitch-perfect modulation, in my opinion. She has been dazzling since RC took over, and she was spellbinding today.

Just imagine if Robin had taken over the role of Cathy Craig, which I think is what was originally offered to her...

[EastMA2]

I still miss Elaine Princi as Dorian.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

This was LeMay's quote:

http://iriswheeler.tripod.com/sodonline1997.html

As you see, it had nothing to do with anyone missing Robin's interpretation of Rachel. He simply thought Victoria was a much more versatile actress in the role, so he could write a lot more for her.

[EricMontreal22]

Oh pelase La Strasser has been a daytime force to be reckoned with since she was the "first Erica Kane" as Rachel on Agnes Nixon's Another World back in 68 or 69--long before Alexis. Alexis is the primetime Strasser if anything

I'd KILl to see Robina s Rachel clips--they seem to just not exist