Jump to content

Love of Life Discussion Thread


Cat

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 1k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Members

It's nice to see this. All those early 1970s characters who I've heard about, but never really seen (Kate Swanson, Dr. Dan Phillips, Jamie's wife Sally). It was nice to see them. Joanna Roos looks so matronly I thought she was the actress who played Vivian Carlson. I think I'm confusing Roos with Jane Rose

It does seem a bit much given the show's storyline, but I miss this sort of pageantry that soaps have given up on. I wish soaps would financially manage themselves better so they could occassionaly do a story climax justice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

her professional career as a dancer and, when Holiday Hotel left the air, she got a chance to dance with a group of American girls in Cannes, on the French Riviera. Johnny's work took him out to the Pacific Coast. They both got back to New York at about the same time.

From out of nowhere, he suddenly phoned. "I have to catch Bea Lillie's show tonight. Would you like to go with me" he asked. She was surprised into saying, "But why are you asking me?" And he was surprised into answering, "Frankly, because I just got back from California and couldn't think of anyone else who might like to go."

His honesty made her say yes. They began to go out together, became good friends, with no thought of anything more serious developing. At least, not on her part. He was sent to England to cover the Coronation of Elizabeth, for NBC. When he got back, he proposed to her. But why me? she thought. He never seemed to be that interested. Because I had to go that many miles away to realize I was in love with you," he answered the question almost before she could ask it. Even then, she didn't say yest to him for a while. Marriage was important, and she had to be sure.

The wedding was on February 10, 1955. Jay was born on August 12, 1957. Blond like his mother, with mischievous eyes and with dimples like his daddy's.

"The day Jay was born," says Audrey, "happened to be the same day that John quit a good agency job to go into business for himself. That took real courage. But I was with him completely. Our work jibes well. He works with actors and show-business people, is sympathetic to the demands an actress has to meet. I understand many of the problems connected with his business."

Her own family background was as one of five children brought up in the quiet town of Maplewood, New Jersey. Her father is a dentist. ";I am the only black sheep who went into show business. My older sister is married and lives in Lima, Peru. I'm the next oldest. My brother is married. And I have younger twin sisters."

Along with her older sister, Audrey was sent to dancing school at four, as so many little girls are sent to learn the social graces, with no thought of anything more far-reaching in mind. Sister didn't like dancing class. Audrey took to it right away. But when they put her in ballet class, and her unaccustomed little feet rebelled at toe practice, she clung to the bar, crying her heart out. "Get down if it's hurting you," her mother urged. "You don't have to get on your toes - you don't have to dance at all," she pointed out. "It does hurt, but I love it," the child kept insisting, the tears still flowing, persisting until she grew used to it.

During high school, when the other kids wore congregating at the local soda fountain, Audrey was over at the dancing school, working with any class that happened to be in session, helping to teach in some of them. Dancing was more fun than anything else, she had decided. So much so that, when her classmates began to talk about clothes and what they would major in, she suddenly realized she didn't ant to go.

Her parents were taken aback. All sensible girls went to college, got married, had children, and lived in the small towns where they had grown up. Their daughter wanted to go to New York and become a professional dancer.

"My father is really a sweet person," Audrey says. "He told me I could have a year of study, provided I would live at home and commute. None of this living by myself in a hotel in the big city, or even sharing an apartment with other girls. He wanted me home when I wasn't working. There was one other stipulation: If, after a year, I had no job, I was to make plans for college, like the rest of the girls my age."

At the time, all she wanted was classical ballet. She dreamed of becoming a ballerina - until she reminded herself that a ballet troupe spends most of the time on tour. Her parents would never agree to that. By late summer, the year was almost up, so she started to think about a job.

The gates just opened for her, as they have seemed to ever since. She was lucky at her first audition, a musical stage revue. "A flop show on Broadway, but I Thought it was the most beautiful, the most wonderful, the most fascinating production I had ever seen. Every time I walked through the stage door, I would think And they pay me for this!

Before the show was brought into New York, there was the usual road tour. Her parents came to the train to see her off. "I was supposed to be a pro, trying so hard to act grown up - and my father was asking the stage manager to look after me! I was teased plenty, after that. But everyone was really nice and said they did look out for me."

There always seemed to be a job when she wanted it. When her friends came home from Christmas holidays, she might be glad to have time off - but, when they went back, she could always return to work. When her family went to the shore for summer for summer vacations, she could go along - but there was always a job for her in the fall. "I got spoiled by it, didn't realize how hard it could be for me if I weren't so lucky."

She has danced in six Broadway shows, including "High Button Shoes" and "Barefoot Boy With Cheek." She had offers for screen tests and turned them down because she thought of herself as a dancer, not an actress. Until one day she tore some cartilage in her knee, and it suddenly dawned on her that she wasn't equipped to do anything but dance. Doctors had said she needed an operation and might have a permanent limp. She worked with the knee and overcame any tendency to limp, but firmly resolved to study acting and combine it with dancing. She began to take instruction from drama coach Alice B. Young, decided this, too, was fun. After that, she studied with Sanford Meisner for four years and alternated between dance and drama.

She was one of the Toastettes while Ed Sullivan was still featuring them to open and close his show. Just before the group broke up, she left to be standby for Gena Rowlands, who played the part of the young girl in the Broadway play, "The Middle of the Night." Gena never missed a performance - until two weeks after Audrey had left the show, because she was pregnant with Jay.

To date, her most frightening experience was on filmed television, in her first TV part of any importance. She was supposed to be a nurse in a hospital, busy, capable, sure of herself. "At rehearsal, I worked with a doll wrapped in a blanket to look like a real infant. Nobody told me that, on camera, a live baby would be substituted. We got read to film - and in walks a real nurse, terribly efficient and sure of herself, and hands me a two-weeks-old baby. I wasn't used to young babies then, had never held one so tiny. I was afraid to breathe. The laws to protect babies and small children in show business are necessarily strict, so a stop watch would click every few seconds and the bright, hot lights would go out. I stood there, afraid to take a step for fear of tripping over a cable or some other object in the dimness.

Audrey now admits, "I felt a little the same way when I first held my own small son." When Jay was born, Audrey dropped out of everything for a while, except to fill some previous commitments to do filmed commercials. She had already played parts on many nighttime dramas and, after a while, she began to do some again. Her credits include The Verdict Is Yours, The U.S. Steel Hour, Studio One, The Jackie Gleason Show, Schlitz Playhouse.

One morning, she was down on the front walk with Jay, planning to take him to the park later. "I kept saying to myself that I was in a slump and I missed working at least part of the time. When I went upstairs, I called my agent to inquire if there was any job activity. He said there was nothing much, but later he called and told me about a change in the cast of Love of Life. I phoned personally, said I was Audrey Peters and I would like to meet them. The woman on the phone must have confused me at first with an agent by the same name, whose mail and messages often get mixed with mine. She thought I wanted to send girls over to read. But they evidently looked me up and found I was an actress blonde like Vanessa, and invited me to come over that afternoon.

"I read that day, I went back, the next day, to read again. The director of the show, Larry Auerbach, was on vacation. When he returned, I met him and he asked me to be at a camera audition. I expected to find at least five or six other girls. Instead, there was just one other actress. To be so close! I thought. But I didn't dare hope too much. By this time, I wanted it very much."

They thanked her for coming, they thanked the other girl. The audition was over. She went home, wondering. At five-thirty the next morning, she woke up, still wondering. Why am I so nervous? she thought. I didn't get the part, so forget it. It happens every day in this business. Johnny left for the office after breakfast. The telephone rang at nine-thirty. She ran to answer. It was her mother-in-law, usually a welcome call - but, this morning, Audrey cut the conversation short to keep the line open. Finally, she got under the shower - and the phone rang again. She raced out, dripping, to answer it. "You have the part," a voice rang in her ear. "You're Vanessa. Could you come over later and discuss a few things?"

"Do you mind if I bring my baby?" she had to ask. "I planned to take care of him myself today." So Jay went along, captivating everyone with a quick smile, thrilled to be taken "visiting" - but not as thrilled as his mother was!

The little boy provided unexpected excitement on the morning of Audrey's first broadcast of Love of Life. She had to leave the apartment early, for rehearsal. She had laid out the clothes she would wear, putting them in the living room so Johnny's early-morning rest wouldn't be disturbed by drawers being opened and shut, and the closet door wouldn't squeak even a tiny bit. She wasn't going to let her professional life interfere one iota with her home life and the comfort of her menfolk. Suddenly there was a loud scream from the baby's room. For the first time in his little life, he had fallen out of bed.

"My poor husband was wakened suddenly. We looked over and found he was unhurt. But I left him still pacifying a frightened little boy. I was too worried about Jay to be nervous about the show. When I got off the air, the director said, 'Now you can run home to your baby.' I didn't relax a minute until we had guards put on Jay's crib"

Since then, the two roles Audrey plays - actress and home-keeping mother - have run into no conflicts. Jay is happy with the woman who cares for him during the day. The studio is less than ten minutes by cab from the comfortable apartment where they live.

"Johnny wants me to do the thing I love to do" says Audrey. "Being in a daytime show is wonderful. Especially this one, which seems to me to be so truthful, so interesting. With a fine professional cast and crew, and excellent production and direction. "The way I feel about it now, I would like to be Vanessa until she's a grandmother!"

Edited by CarlD2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • They didn't need to have some slutty gay dude as their representation. Just a 'normal' guy getting involved with another guy or two (or three). Just like the straight characters. Thinking about it, they missed the boat by not having a few other single charcters at the beginning. Maybe Naomi or Ashley could be shown meeting Derek/Jacob and  we could follow their romance. Too many characters were coupled up at the start. As a tattoo hater I was surprised to see Tomas so inked. Don't find it attractive or sexy. I'm surprised an actor would do that as it's definitely a statement and may not be appropriate for some roles. Suppose they can cover if necessary. I didn't buy Kat being all girly and then paying off Darius to get into Eva's room. Way too cliche. She should have just come along when the housekeeping was leaving and breezed in saying it was her room. And her smug looks in the hotel room and 'Now I've got you!!' talks to herself at Orphey Gene's...no.  
    • Omg I was so annoyed. Like girl calm down. Coming on way too strong. Omg I forgot about this

      Please register in order to view this content

    • I thought it got stale before Jocks death lol. His death picked things back up for me.
    • 1976 Pt 5 Tony is summoned to the reading of the will in the Llanfair library,as he’s a principal in the will. He tells Joe there’s not a chance of coming to terms with Dorian, as he is sure she brought about Victor’s death by torturing him emotionally when he was her helpless prisoner after his stroke. Ironically, Chapin hand delivers to Viki a letter her father wrote before his stroke, praising Dorian and asking Viki to befriend and support his widow when he was no longer there. Viki feels a responsibility to her father’s wishes and vows to try with Dorian. Victor’s will leaves the expected amounts to members of his family and staff, with the lion’s share of his stock and property going to Dorian. Victor’s will explains that his son Tony expressed the desire that he not be “bought from the grave,” and, in keeping with his son’s wishes, the only bequest to him is the knowledge of his father’s love and respect. Tony is deeply moved. Dorian’s first attempt to use her new power is the recommendation of Peter as head of the Merideth Lord Wolek hospital wing, claiming that naming Larry would be virtual nepotism. Peter, who has devoted considerable time and effort to helping Jenny get over Tim’s death with gentle, affectionate support, is happy at this suggestion, but Jenny points out Dorian is merely using him to hurt Larry. Viki disregards Dorian’s ingenuous assurances that she’s not trying to wield her new power but is merely putting Peter up for consideration for a future opportunity, if not this one, and tells her she won’t be able to fulfill her father’s desire that they be friends unless Dorian stops interfering. Larry, fully understanding Dorian’s personal motives, warns her he’s going to fight for the appointment no matter what. Realizing that she has made a tactical error, Dorian announces that she won’t even attend the board meeting but will give her proxy to Jim. She admits to Matt McAllister, still her confidant, that this was humiliating, but it was a necessary protective tactic. Dorian manages to win her next round at Joe’s office when, after he praises her decision to yield on appointing Peter, she expresses concern for Viki “at a time like this.” Joe, of course, jumps on her words, and Dorian, pretending great distress at having mentioned something she shouldn’t have, is “forced” to explain that she knew about the congenital heart condition Megan had and that any child of Joe’s is likely to inherit it. She overheard the doctors discussing it at the time of the accident, she continues, and naturally assumed that Joe already knew.  Joe arranges a meeting at home with Viki and asks her how she could live a lie like this; how she could go through their lives as if everything were fine while every moment was a lie. He is further upset when, in trying to explain that it was out of her love for him that she kept the truth from him, she mentions that Jim and Larry also know but Cathy still hasn’t been told. Viki tells Joe that Dorian deliberately told him this way to hurt their marriage, and she is very upset when he starts toward the door, pleading that they have always talked things out in the past. Joe coolly points out that she didn’t do that when she learned about Megan and continues out the door.  A tearful Viki is shaken and when Joe later returns, having spent several hours in a bar drinking only soft drinks,she breaks down, crying that she was convinced he’d left her. Joe assures her they can get through this despite everything, because their relation is based on love and mutual respect. 
    • If you think about it, DALLAS and DYNASTY grew stale right about the same time, even if the ratings were slow to reflect that.  FC and KL, on the other hand, tried to stay fresh, but KL was way more successful at it, I think, than FC.  (That [!@#$%^&*] with The Thirteen does not hold up well, lol).
    • GH 1976 Pt 8 Heather takes advantage of the situation by asking Jeff to come and look at Tommy. She uses sympathy, compassion, and her own feminine wiles, together with his misery and his pills, to lure him into bed. Later, sober, he apologizes. Learning from Pearson that Monica has seen a divorce lawyer, Jeff confronts her, and she insists it’s a lie. Avoiding his attempts to kiss her, she musses her hair and tears her blouse, then rushes to Rick’s, claiming that she can’t stay with that maniac any longer. They wind up in Rick’s bed, and after making love he confesses he always loved her. Rick replies to her question of whether he wants to marry her by saying he has to talk to Jeff. Monica insists that Jeff not bear any pressure from their problems. As she leaves, Rick gives her a key to his apartment. Jeff, having spent the night drinking, misses his surgical assignment, and Steve, informing him that his personal life can’t interfere with his profession, puts him on suspension. Rick can’t persuade Steve to reverse his decision, but Mark, sensing what’s at the heart of Jeff’s problem, convinces Steve to lift Jeff’s suspension and transfer him to Mark’s service. Rick asks for his key back, telling Monica they can’t do anything as long as she’s under Jeff’s roof. So she has a duplicate made and moves into intern’s quarters, explaining that Jeff’s violence drove her out. She tells Jeff she needs privacy to work things out, and tells Rick Jeff wanted her out. Thinking that this is the preliminary to a divorce, Rick tells her she can come to his place. In New York, Leslie’s abortion is delayed by a mix-up in scheduling, and she calls Terri to commiserate. Rick overhears Terri’s conversation and forces the whole story from her. He flies to New York to stop Leslie, feeling responsible for pointing out how evil Cam was, and arrives to find that she has decided she can’t deny her child the right to live. Monica, meanwhile, expecting that Rick will be home, uses her key to let herself into his apartment and is shocked to find Mark there; knowing that Mark was uncomfortable at the hotel, Rick offered Mark use of the apartment in his absence. Monica is upset to learn that Rick is in New York with Leslie, and Mark doesn’t know why. Mark does advise Monica to play fair with Jeff, but she resents his interference. The next day, while covering for Leslie at the clinic, Monica discovers Leslie’s lab test report and jumps to the conclusion that the baby is Rick’s. When Rick and Leslie return, Monica wastes no time in accusing him. He is dismayed to see that she is still as suspicious and possessive as she was before he went to Africa, and points out that her making a duplicate  key proves she hasn’t changed. Terri encourages Leslie to see Rick in a romantic light and then suggests to Rick that Leslie is interested in him. Rick likes this idea and tells Mark he’s growing ‘unwilling to cope with Monica’s unreasonable demands. But Monica immediately recognizes the threat Leslie represents and decides to attack. She goes to Leslie and tells her flatly that she and Rick are having an affair and he’s her exclusive property. Leslie, who realizes she has been falling in love with Rick, is hurt, and Rick is mystified when he feels Leslie pulling away from him. Monica’s big moment comes when she brings Rick a housewarming gift and seduces him into letting her stay overnight. She is in the bedroom when Leslie stops by to apologize for refusing his dates, and makes a dramatic entrance into the living room draped in Rick’s bathrobe. Leslie turns and runs out. Rick later informs her he’s disappointed in her, because she prejudged Monica and him rather than giving him the benefit of the doubt. Heather tries to arrange another tryst with Jeff, but he replies that he still loves his wife. Heather decides there’s only one way to get Jeff to be pregnant with his child. She manages to overhear Monica putting Jeff down by telling him he no longer turns her on and should look for someone he does. Heather goes to Jeff and tells him that she heard Monica and that she is the one he’s looking for. She manages to get him into bed again, and sweetly assures him this is right. She then sets the stage for future meetings. Steve, meanwhile, offers to help Monica and Jeff work out their problems. Jeff is willing, but Monica turns the idea down. Instead, she presses Terri to convince Jeff to end the marriage. Terri now knows that Monica isn’t a good wife for Jeff and promises to try. But Jeff makes it clear to Monica that he still loves her and won’t let her go. She is bitter and upset, as she has already implied to Rick that she will soon be free. Audrey is upset to find that Florence Andrews has been inquiring about Tommy and herself. She goes to Florence’s home and finds she’s away now. Florence has gone down to Mexico to sign a sworn statement that she purchased a false death certificate for Tom, to protect his son after his wrongful conviction. Tom, learning from her that Steve and Audrey are to be married and Steve is planning to adopt Tommy, tells  Florence not to do anything, as there’s still no assurance that he’ll ever get out. But the judge does accept the statement, and, ironically, on the day that Steve  and Audrey are married, Tom is released from prison.
    • 1976 Pt 12 Final part Laurie agrees with Stuart that Peggy is rushing into marriage to prove that the rape didn’t ruin her life.  She points out that the only way Peg can be sure is to make love with Jack before the wedding. Stuart admits she’s right but points out that he can’t suggest that to Peggy. As the wedding approaches, Peg seems happy that Jack’s become close to the family. However, her happiness is shattered by a nightmare in which her loving bridegroom turns into a leering Ron Becker, forcing her to cancel the wedding. Jack reassures her he’ll wait as long as it takes, and Chris confides that she and Snapper didn’t consummate their marriage on their wedding night because of her own rape experience, but Peggy tells Chris she might never be ready.  Despite her desire to keep Karen as her own daughter, Chris helps a police artist create a sketch of Nancy so it can be printed in the newspaper as part of a search for her. When the attempt proves fruitless, however, Chris asks Greg to file application for permanent custody of the child. Greg points out that adoption is the only way to prevent Ron from returning and claiming the child, and that it will take quite a while. Meanwhile, a nurse in the psychiatric ward sees a resemblance  between the newspaper drawing and her autistic patient, Mrs. Jackson, but since “Fran” doesn’t respond to the name Nancy and no one else sees the similarity, she fears she’s mistaken. Jill is horrified to overhear Kay, when brihging baby Phillip a Christmas gift, telling the child she remembers the night he was conceived. Kay has to then admit to Jill she saw her with Phillip in the bunkhouse that night. Jill is aghast to realize that Kay new the truth all along and put her through such agony in spite of it, denying her baby his father’s name. Lance tells Laurie they’ll marry on Valentine’s Day. He laughs that it’s corny but agrees, secretly wishing it were sooner, as Vanessa has vowed to prevent it. Indeed, Vanessa makes an unprecedented venture out of the house to visit Brad, telling him to rebuff any advance Leslie might make to him, as she’s reaching out to him only from a sense of duty. But Laurie then makes a concerted effort to reach Vanessa. Without being sure why she’s trying so hard, she tries to assure the woman she’s not losing Lance and she, Laurie, will help her find a plastic surgeon somewhere who can help her. Grudgingly, Vanessa seems to be reconsidering her view of Laurie, and Laurie is delighted when Lance offers her a choice between two diamond necklaces, explaining that her preference will be Vanessa’s Christmas gift. Learning from Les about Brad’s blindness, Stuart tells Brad he could have turned Leslie away only out of great love. Knowing that Les is going to see Brad again, Laurie warns him not to bring the baby into their discussion, as Leslie will come back only she’s convinced he loves her, not for the babies sake. Leslie finds Brad disheveled and sloppy, and proceeds to straighten the apartment, stating that she can't respect him if he lets himself go. Realizing that neither Brad nor Les will make the first move, Laurie hurries things along by refusing to help Brad with his grooming, saying he should ask his wife. Then, having learned  that Brad offered Les the use of their piano, Laurie untunes the Brooks' piano forcing Leslie to accept his offer. By refusing to cater to his  blindness, Les manages to get Brad to stop wallowing in pity, and by the time Leslie’s Christmas braille message of her love and her need for him arrives, they are husband and wife again Lance takes Laurie on a business trip on New Year's Eve, and tells her, on board his plane, she won't be  won't be able to call him “Mr. All Talk and No action” after tonight. When Laurie protests that waited this long and will continue to wait until married, Lance delights her by instructing his pilot to land in Las Vegas, where they are married immediately.
    • Yeah, not sure why Jack and Jen didn’t rush to Marlena - or even Carrie - to offer their condolences. A few flashbacks would've been a nice touch too. Instead, we got a whole episode of them talking about Chad and Abby? Come on. On the bright side, I loved Anna’s scenes with Marlena and Carrie - sweet and heartfelt, felt like a real 80s throwback.
    • Martin and Smitty were designed to avoid the stereotype of gay men sleeping around (which to an extent is true). If you recall Martin had a line about them not being open when Chelsea came to talk to him. The producers are walking a very fine line right now and it might not be popular to say but I can understand it. Establishing enough footing to ward off complaints will let them showcase gay characters more openly later.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy