Saturday, November 24 1990

Babbin's innovations have made 'Loving' fun BY CONNIE PASSALACQUA

The three lowest rated soaps - ABCs "Loving,: NBC's "Generations" and NBC's "Santa Barbara'' - have fought back with substantial revamping this year. Of the three, "Loving" has, well ... done the loveliest. "Loving" s rebounding in quality must be credited to producer Jacqueline Babbin, who was hired last June. Babbin, a producer with 40 years of TV experience, made her soap opera mark as the producer of the humorous and topical "All My Children" from 1982-86. Babbin's own personality - salty, savvy and funny - was the perfect antidote for bland "Loving*" and we mean bland! In fact, watching Babbin play with the show has been an education in itself for us armchair soap "producers." Babbin's first move was to spice up the cast by hiring an interesting group of backdrop noncontract players .Lonny Price prosecuted Stacey Forbes (Lauren-Mane Taylor) for murder this summer, but the culprit turned out to be minor-character Denny, played by a popeyed character actor named Walter Bobbie. Now, Bobbie is back on the show as Denny's brother Wally!

Instead of firing bland actors who play major good-guy characters, Babbin has made an original move by doubling them up in scenes -a cunning way to use up the actors' number of contractually guaranteed weekly appearances! Thus, whenever you saw Perry Stephens (as longtime hero Jack Forbes) this summer, be was most likely in a scene with Bob Dubac (the thinking woman's heartthrob, who plays ultra-good Alec Masters).

The show's two central heroines, Stacey Forbes and Tricia McKenzie (Taylor and Noelle Beck) have been similarly paired. These characters also have been spiced up to reflect the fire in both actresses' real personalities. Moved to center stage have been the boisterous Gwyneth Alden (Elizabeth Savage) and loony Norma (Ilene Kristeo, who formerly played Delia on "Ryan's Hope"). Also slotted for center stage has been nightclub sleaze Paul Slavinsky (Joseph Breen). As a counterpoint to the offbeat, "Loving" has resurrected the whitest of its white-bread heroines. Shana Sloan Donovan (Susan Keith). But this time Shana s brain has been showcased. She masterminded the defense at Stacey's trial. and since Shana's husband and baby were killed off in a suspicious plane crash, she has become a crusader for victims' rights.

Thanks @Paul Raven I had never considered the whole pairing aspect. I wonder if that was intended. I too think Robert Dubac was attractive, although I never knew anyone else did. Alex being detailed as a "good guy" tells you just how rapidly the show had altered him with the real Clay returned. Dubac was so different from Mantooth though, I'm not surprised the show lost interest in the character. I wish we knew who else tried out for the recast.