OLTL/AW: Robin Strasser as Rachel

[SFK]

Oh certainly, and I'm only judging from a handful of '70s eps I have in my collection, but one can see that VW "pulled up", she rose to the Masterpiece Theatre-type setting Lemay created and her Rachel was trying her damnedest to be an equal of Iris and Mac. Her speech took a noticeable turn, it became more clipped and mid-atlantic, she was trying to prove herself worthy of her position as a society dame. It's really quite fascinating. I mean, Rachel ordering around servants is not something that came naturally to the character, that was all learned behaviour. She was a newbie in the society game, she still had all of the strength and know-how as a manipulative bitch, but I think Rachel was sorta brain f'd once she realized that the trials and tribulations didn't just vanish once money was in the picture. She had to learn the hard way through Iris what it was to manipulate and outsmart folks not only with one's feminine wiles, but with a fat wallet as well. Iris could buy you and sell you, something Rach knew nothing about, whole new ballgame. I think it's fascinating to see how Rachel adapted to her new life and unfamiliar set of problems. Alice was cake, she knew how to steal a man from another woman, but to win over a dude from his own DAUGHTER, now that was just plain weird.

Having said ALL that, Robin does have some idiosyncratic tics, but they make her the fabulous character that she is. I think Robin's strength is very specific. As I mentioned in my previous post, early-'90s Dorian is the prime example. She is oh-so good at playing the neurotic, well-heeled diva who is, and always will be a climber at heart. Robin has a gift that not all actors possess, which is an uncanny ability to radiate in her luxurious surroundings. Robin wears the mink coat, the mink coat NEVER wears her. She illuminates the penthouse, she's not just an actor tossed into fancy digs. She excels at the kind of roles she grew up admiring, those Betty Davis parts. Wyndham is imho more versatile. Strasser is the Standard Poodle, Wyndham is the Doberman... sweet, sleek, and intimidating. Wyndham can scare you. She fixes those large crazy orbs on you, and you just might get your ass kicked. IMO, Strasser's characters aren't really capable of instilling true fear in another, she's too neurotic, and although conniving, she's often dismissed (Viki: Oh Dorian, PLEASE!). Wyndham can scare you. She ain't playin. Yet she can be sweet as sugar in the next breath. I think it's this quality that Lemay saw and sought. It served Rachel very well for the future of the character.

[DaytimeFan]

That is an excellent, really and truly excellent, description of Strasser's acting. She radiates in her surroundings and is never overshadowed by them. Took the words right outta my mouth!

And yes, Wyndham is the kind of actress that can scare you. She doesn't play neurotic characters, likely because she isn't a neurotic woman. Strasser on the other hand is a self described neurotic and Dorian is quite the reflection of that. The issue is that they are VERY different actresses who played VERY different characters. Let's face it, Rachel Davis and Rachel Cory only have one thing in common: their first name.

It's a shame that Lemay would have hated Carmen Duncan's Iris. True, she was more over the top, but I never found her to be one note. Rather, I found her to be more human than Beverlee McKinsey's Iris ever was. What I just could never get a handle on with McKinsey's Iris was how totally f----ed in the head she was, totally batsh*t crazy. With Duncan's Iris there was more childish petulance, there was also more humor which I suppose dilutes the character somewhat...but it was the 80s, 'Dynasty' was riding high with Joan Collins and I have no doubt that P&G wanted to exploit that when they recasted Iris with a gorgeous Australian...interestingly, many think that GL's Alex was a rip off of JC's Alexis (and depending who you ask, JC's Alexis was either a rip off of OLTL's Dorian or Jackie Collins' character Fontaine Khaled in the films 'The Bitch' and 'The Stud' which starred Joan of course...I happen to think it's neither, Alexis was Joan's creation, she took what was written on the page and made Alexis into what she wanted, but that's another thread!)

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I disagree on the Iris assessment, I think McKinsey's Iris was a much more raw and psychologically flawed character and portrayal. McKinsey had a knack for instilling vulnerability into diva-like characters. From what I've seen of her on AW, I totally bought her as Mac Cory's daughter, and she acted the hell out of her Iris's insecurities and her longing to be loved by her "daddy." Duncan's Iris was clearly a product of the over the top 80's though, which I find to be the complete antithesis of "human." From the AW reruns I saw on SoapNet, I also never bough the love/hate chemistry between Rachel and Iris when Duncan was in the role, whereas I totally saw it in the 70's AW clips I saw with Whyndham and McKinsey.

Lemay prefered theatre actors though, which Whyndham and McKinsey originally were.

[DaytimeFan]

I absolutely agree with you when you say McKinsey's Iris was more raw and psychologically flawed. Absolutely! She was a mess! That's what the character probably needed at the time.

By the time Duncan came to AW it stands to reason that Iris had become more confident and less insecure.

What I see as human in Duncan's Iris is that she wasn't miserable the whole damn time like McKinsey's Iris was. Duncan's Iris had a sense of humor and could be tender (like when Lucas died and when she befriended a terminally ill boy in the hospital and took him to the hospital roof to watch fireworks and tried to act 'hip' in a Chanel suit). She was both serious and funny. I think the scene were Iris confesses to Mac that she was 'The Chief' were absolutely outstanding. Also, Wyndham and Duncan had good chemistry in the love/hate department.

Here are some YouTube gems that explain, I hope, my Carmen Duncan love...

Iris and Paulina Fight on New Years Eve: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84KNeXWFf9Q

Iris is Confronted by Rachel about being 'The Chief': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qETh8XQg8J0

Iris Confesses to Mac that she was 'The Chief': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ7dXPi8-TA

Iris and Rachel Have a Girls Night Out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H61xN97hwRc

Iris Flirts in a Taxi and then Sasses Out Donna: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tkz_obVHgKU

Iris Hassles Felicia and Donna at TOPS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0YPwSJPxds...feature=related

Iris Fights with Jake about Paulina's Inheritance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8PNvSpsTgw

[EricMontreal22]

Well so was Strasser--and a good number of the classic New York soap actors

[SFK]

Thanks DaytimeFan, and it's a quality that your Joan has as well, if in a slightly different way. On Dynasty, Joan didn't have to work as hard as Robin to make things look fabulous because she had that lavish primetime budget. But Alexis always tickles me because Joan plays the *fabulousness* like it's an elephant in the room, she illuminates her luxurious wardrobe and surroundings, but, eh, they're just "things" in Alexis' world... she shines through them. It's like you almost wanna grab her by the shoulders and be like, "Wait. Alexis stop. Can we just take a moment to acknowledge what the hell you're wearing right now?"

As for the Irises...

Fans always refer to Lemay's "genius", his gift for writing excellent psychological drama which was really "in" for his generation of theatre-makers. I wasn't there, I can only try to play catch-up with the handful of eps from that era that have survived, but it can't be overstated that what Lemay created was something VERY special, watching his scenes is like auditing at the Actors Studio. The writing is there, the acting is there, actors play actions and intentions, they have super-objectives. From what I've seen, I think Beverlee McKinsey was the most detailed, meticulous of the bunch. She crawled into every nook and cranny of Iris' neuroses. She understood that Iris was nuts and OTT but she never resorted to caricature.

Late '80s AW was a very different show, a very different time. A character like Iris was still viable, but Lemay's writing wasn't there. So I guess that's why she comes off as an Alexis knockoff to some (the similar wardrobe, penthouse, and accent certainly help). I mean, let's forget Iris for a moment, look at AW's original Alexis knockoff, Felicia. When was Felicia EVER as intelligently written as '70s Iris? But I think Carmen Duncan was quite lovely in the role, and yes she could be a little OTT and shrill at times. But I don't think she was really capable of annoying people like McKinsey's Iris could. Believe it or not, there are fans who are turned off by McKinsey's voice and style. And as DaytimeFan said, Duncan's Iris wasn't bat$#!% crazy like McKinsey's Iris was, she was more, *troubled* or *conflicted*. When she is sitting alone in silence at Mac's funeral, you'd have never guessed that this woman started playing the part only months ago. At least that's what I got from her performance. I just wanted to hold her, she looked so damn sad. But she could have been one of Mac's other illegitimate children for that matter, like Paulina. That's the thing about the two Irises, it's just a little hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that they are the same person. It's like that boardgame "Clue" and its movie and TV spinoffs. Have you ever been in the toy store and seen different versions of the game? On one box, Miss Scarlet will be a white lady in red, on another box, an asian lady in red smoking a cigarette in a long holder, then you have Lesley Ann Warren (in blue) in the film; actresses as disparate as Eileen Brennan and Stephanie Beacham as Mrs. Peacock; Madeline Kahn, sleek in head-to-toe black as Mrs. White, then on the game box, she's portrayed as a maid who looks more like Betty White. My point is, they all serve a similar function in the grand scheme of things, but the people filling these roles couldn't be more different. I mean, try to rationalize the fact that Carmen Duncan and Carole Shelley are the same person.

[DaytimeFan]

I've always thought that my Joan had the same quality. She lived her scenes on 'Dynasty'...the sets didn't swallow her up, the costumes or jewelry never held her down...Irving J Moore, the shows main director, said that JC was the absolute best cast member when it came to moving in a scene. His words were "I've never seen someone move better in front of a camera." They always had JC's Alexis eating in scenes, likely because she could do it naturally and not come off looking like a fool.

I think Joan treated the 'things' as just stuff. None of it impressed her one little bit. She felt that she deserved all of it and that it was just a part of her fabulous existence. And that was that. Not a neurotic actress in the least. Very practical and down to earth (in stilettos)...

I know what you mean when you compared the two faces of Iris to the game Clue...Duncan reinvented that role and did her thing and was just...marvelous. She made Iris fun and a character fans could root for. McKinsey absolutely crawled into Iris, it sounds like she was Iris in real life, as a result I just never found her sympathetic, I just found her disturbed

[Y&RWorldTurner]

The thing I loved about McKinsey acting, and this is from what I saw of her on GL and the few clips I saw of her as Iris, was how real and understated she was. Iris and Alexandra were rich, spoiled, and women from high-society, but McKinsey prevented her characters from being "caricatures" as SFK pointed out. She could be the biggest bitch one minute, but she could also break your heart the next, that's a true mark of a great actress.

I noticed when her signatures roles on AW and GL were recast, the other actresses never understood how to portray Iris or Alex's emotional rawness. Marj Dusay might as well have created a completely different character, because I've never felt she played Alex as effectively as McKinsey, and Joan Collins was basically playing Alexis. Duncan as well played what could've been seen as a completely new character as well. Sometimes, I think, certain actors don't portray the subtext of their characters, but McKinsey did that and much more to her roles.

I also thought McKinsey portrayed being "born rich" well. I think Duncan and Dusay come off as more "I married into a rich family" rich.

[SFK]

Yes yes yes, I totally agree with you. I love Marj Dusay, but she (like Robin Strasser) seems better suited for playing pretentious new money climbers. There's a certain *pop* and *flash* showiness about them (Jay Hammer called Marj a "muralist", Beverlee a "miniaturist"). Marj admitted in an interview when she left GL for AMC that Alex wasn't her favorite soap role, Myrna on Capitol was... and it totally shows. I'm sure her opinion changed after she wrapped Vanessa where she got to play it ALL. IMHO, Marj is a comedienne who somehow ended up on soaps, and I bet she had a ball playing wacky Vanessa.

[DaytimeFan]

I think the emotional rawness that McKinsey captured in her characters was a result of McKinsey's own neurosis. Actors and actresses, however good they are, do bring themselves to a role. Carmen Duncan and Joan Collins are not neurotic women, they are light and fun and no bullsh*t and I think that's part of the reason why they could not be raw or emotional. They simply aren't that way in real life so it's foreign to them to play that on screen. Additionally, the writing simply wasn't there.

I agree that Dusay couldn't play 'born rich' to save her life. But I think Duncan succeeded in that role, she played Iris very spoiled.

McKinsey was a great actress, there is no argument there from me. It's just that...*ducks*...I prefer the lighter touch of Duncan and Collins.

[Paul Raven]

Co-incidentally Strasser's first soap role was on Secret Storm as a character named Iris.

I have never been able to find any details of that role,so if anyone knows anything,please reply.

No mention has been made of Robin's AMC role of Christina. It is my understanding that Agnes got her to return to soaps with the promise that Christina would not be a Rachel type character.

I understand that the character never really took off and Robin didn't make much of an impression,immediately goung to OLTL to take over as Dorian when her AMC contract expired.

Did Robin realise that she was suited to villianess roles after her attempt at playing a'warmer' character failed?

[SFK]

Maybe it's a case of hindsight is 20/20, but to me it sounds like Robin didn't feel that Christina was a fit from the start. I know that she has the utmost respect for Agnes Nixon, so she was probably banking on her faith in Nixon's writing that whomever she played under her pen would be golden. But as Robin has said, with Susan Lucci as Erica in the "Rachel" role on that show, playing such a character wasn't an option. I don't know if playing a character unlike Rachel was something that intrigued her, or something that she just kinda fell into... an actress who's a recent divorcee mother of two just needs to work. As we've all read, Robin didn't jive with Christina's "greyness", she was neither good or bad, she didn't like the Martins and she had weird visions/a history of psychological abuse or something to that effect... I think she thought that she'd killed her father or something?

Claire Malis vacating the role of Dorian was a HUGE blessing for Robin, everything works out for a reason. She's really lucky that lightning struck twice, and she imbued Dorian with all of her Rachel goodness. Strasser's Dorian is Strasser's Rachel revisited. In Lemay's vision, Victoria Wyndham's Rachel was Rachel having had some of her dreams come true. The same can be said for Strasser's Dorian/Rachel, the same dreams have come true, just a decidedly different emotional response and life path as a result of that material fulfillment.

I too have wondered about Robin's Iris on SS, I don't know anything about that role and I'm assuming it was rather small and short-term. I've never even seen her mention it in interviews, and it's often left off of her credits. It was most likely recurring. Lucci also did work on ATWT I believe, perhaps as an under-five, but again, this is rarely (if ever) mentioned,

[SteveFrame]

I love Robin Strasser but I have always felt she was more of a one note actress. Of course that one note she is very good at. Her Rachel was wonderful. Her Dorian is wonderful.

But her Christina Karras was pretty bad at times. I hae seen her in a couple of primetime shows as well like Coach where she tried to do comedy and I didn't think she was very good at all - more like a caricature of herself. And in the mini series Baby M where she tried to play nice the other actors esp. JoBeth Williams and Bruce Weitz made her look like an amateur. It was almost like not even looking at the great actress from daytime.

With that said I was just shocked when I saw Robin as Rachen and then later as Christina.

Remember that Victoria started out playing Charlotte Waring on GL who was an almost carbon copy of Rachel Davis as not really having any gray areas. When Vicky left that role she was not interested in ever playing a character like that and wasn't even interested in Rachel at all until they told her of the changes they had in mind for the role.

Vicky was splendid as Charlotte and she was equally good at bitchy Rachel. But she really shined in the gray shades of Rachel. I for one don't think Robin could have played that part as well.

[SFK]

That's a very interesting assessment. I too have seen some of her primetime stints and agree about Coach, I thought she was a bit OTT in a Jackie Collins TV movie I saw her in (Hollywood Wives?) as well as in Passions but not in that cool Juliet Mills kinda way, the jury's still out for me on her Murphy Brown stint (which can be seen on YouTube). She was great in this horror movie called The Bride. The movie itself is some cheese, but she's essentially playing Rachel in a horror setting. I think Strasser's really great at playing sweet moments within the bounds of a character like that. Like in the clip that's floating around where Rachel's asking Alice a rack of questions about Lenore's wedding, or pushing Russ (the doctor no less) to keep "bettering" himself. It doesn't even come across as manipulative or shady, she's good at playing those deep wants and needs that in Rachel's heart are perfectly innocent.

[SteveFrame]

Oh yes I agree about that last part. She is good at throwing those softer moments in but long term she cannot sustain it.

As I said even for the great actress she is her stint on AMC was awful. She had moments but overall it was bad.