Love of Life Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

Thanks. I thought there was something very handsome, in an offbeat way, about Ron.

I wish we could see Audrey as Vanessa. I read one comment over at the Internet Archive that said she was a good actress but a bit too worldly to be Vanessa, that Bonnie Bartlett was bad, and that McCay was the perfect Vanessa.

[Paul Raven]

[DRW50]

That's nice. I hadn't seen that.

[Paul Raven]

[DRW50]

I really want to see some of Ray's work on LOL.

Don't know much about Cathy Bacon.

[saynotoursoap]

Ron was actually a hottie. If you ever had the rare occasion to see him with his shirt off, he had a great chest and nice body for his age and that era.

[Paul Raven]

[DRW50]

Another I'd never seen. Thanks.

Gene Bua must have been one of the more flamboyant leading men I can remember on a soap.

Yeah you can see that in his photos. Another reason I miss the tight pants of the 70's.

[Paul Raven]

An April 75 press clipping lists Jean Arley as producer and Margaret DePriest as headwriter with associates Nancy Ford and Clarice Blackburn,

The cast list is

Van

Meg

Bruce

Ben

Cal

Rick

Charles

Diana

Felicia

Sarah

Betsy

Jamie

Arlene

Hank

David

Johnny

All familiar performers

The following characters were new to me

Linda Crawford played by Romola Robb Allrud

Prof James Crawford played by Kenneth MacMillan

Dr Paul Bryson played by Earle Hyman

Hyman played Bill Cosby's dad on The Cosby Show.

I guess Linda and James were Betsy's sister and father?

Here's a pic of Bonnie Bartlett as Van from 56

Edited July 16, 2011 by Paul Raven

[DRW50]

This is great.

Bonnie doesn't suit that style at all. She looks a bit like when Andrea Hall played Hattie on DAYS. I can see why some felt she was miscast as Van.

[dc11786]

I've seen McMillan listed in LaGuardia's Soap World as Jim Crawford. McMillan later appeared on 'Ryan's Hope' as Charlie Ferris, one of the party leaders who supported Frank.

[saynotoursoap]

Paul Raven, Linda was Betsy's mother, not her sister. James was indeed Betsy's father. The Crawfords lived in the UK, where James had a teaching post at university. The couple came to Rosehill in April 1975 just prior to Ben and Betsy's wedding. They stayed about six weeks as recurring characters.

Earle Hyman was Bill Cosby's TV dad, but he was better known in soaps as Neil Davenport, Colin Whitney's campaign manager during the Keith Whitney storyline on Edge of Night. Keith conked Neil over the head in March 1971, put him in a car, and pushed it over a cliff on the island of St. Elenora. On LOL, Dr. Bryson was the psychiatrist who attempted to heal David Hart after he shot and killed his own father, Rosehill's corrupt mayor who tried to rape David's girlfriend Cal. Dr. Bryson also treated sexually repressed Felicia Fleming, who was having flashbacks from childhood.

[Paul Raven]

Thanks again for your replies and info.

A 1961 book tie-in

[dc11786]

I think there might be a second 'Love of Life' novelisation a few years later. I cannot remember the plot but I think it involves a kidnapping.

[DRW50]

April 1956 TV Radio Mirror.

Edited August 4, 2011 by CarlD2