Thank you so much Steve, and SFK. I had always assumed Melinda was just a nutbar her entire run on the show.

For a long time I've wanted to see the relationship between Dorian and her sisters fully explored, and in a way which doesn't just involve mental illness. I had some hope when Addie was "cured", but I should have realized Frons wasn't going to let that happen. I hope Melinda does return someday.

I'd love to see some of Princi, or of SG's Melinda. Too bad we don't have a channel that is supposed to be for classic soaps, huh? Maybe they should have starred in a Tori Spelling TV movie.

Jon and Melinda were able to prove Lammarr as a murderer during Mari Lynn's trial. They disguised a cop to look like the deceased Alex Crown and when the doctor saw him, he freaked and admitted he did murder him.

I have this on tape. It was Rob (Mark Arnold) who was disguised as his father, Alex Crown (albeit those scenes were played by Roy Thinnes until the mask was ripped off). Lamarr freaked out and shot "Alex" in the courtroom and when they pulled off his mask, Cassie freaked out because it was Rob.

Just on a slight tangent, I was rather surprised when OLTL revealed that Janet Zarish's current character (Janet, Marty's nurse) was revealed to be her former character, Lee Halpern Denison, inasmuch as Mari Lynn had gone on trial for shooting her mother by accident. She had meant to shoot Donald but he shielded himself with Lee's body. I didn't listen to the whole explanation, if there was one, (I tend to fast-forward the McBain, Marty, Todd stuff) so that reveal (given that there had been a dead body in Lee Halpern's case) came out of left field for me.

Edited February 16, 200916 yr by applcin

We have got to get some Elaine Princi up on YouTube. As I said in Another Thread, I was mainly an AMC watcher back then with peripheral OLTL knowledge, so my memories of Elaine were from magazine pics and Psychic Friends commercials. Strasser once said that she learned Princi cried more in the role, something that didn't jive with Strasser as she believes Dorian is afraid of ever breaking down because she may totally unravel like her sisters. Good reasoning, but maybe crying (in a scene) doesn't come to Strasser as easily? I've read other fans' opinions that Princi tried to "copy" Strasser which put me off a bit, I should see for myself to judge. The more I read about Princi and the more OTTTTTTT Strasser seems these days in this Vickeroshit, I am very eager to give Princi a retro-glance.

I don't believe Princi made any effort to copy Strasser. I think the similarity came naturally to her. Perhaps diehard Strasser fans resented Princi. After all, there was some evidence that Strasser herself did. Beyond what you mentioned, SFK, about the "not crying," Strasser had also given a quote about Dorian's character - shortly after her 1993 return - that just seemed misplaced: She said, "with all due respect to the actresses that previously played my role, Dorian is more than just Cassie's mother..."

It was weird because, one, Princi was certainly playing more storyline than just "Cassie's mother," and two, Princi is the only other Dorian who was Cassie's mother - so the comment had to be directed at her, and 3, the actress isn't the one writing the story anyway. This comment came after there was some letters appearing in the magazines that compared Strasser to Princi, and not necessarily in a favorable way.

As for the crying thing, I don't recall Princi doing that much of it at all. The only time that she MAYBE did it was after her dramatic reveal to Blair the abuse she suffered by Addie as a child. And if there were any tears, they were fighting their way through strength and anger. I don't think Princi's Dorian ever came off as unstable at all. If anything, she was more stable than Strasser's: cool, calculating, controlled, yet adventurous & misguided, all while playing cards close to the vest... but what she did do all along was give indications that there was pain behind those actions. There were times you really felt for her in spite of her misdeeds. If anything, Princi added deeper elements to Dorian that didn't previously exist.

To me Princi played Dorian more like Nancy Pinkerton did when she was created. They both had so many levels to Dorian. As much as I love Strasser in the role, I equally loved both of them. I was one who had no problem with Princi in the role and wouldn't have minded her staying. I felt really bad for the way she was done when Strasser came back.

To me Princi played Dorian more like Nancy Pinkerton did when she was created. They both had so many levels to Dorian. As much as I love Strasser in the role, I equally loved both of them. I was one who had no problem with Princi in the role and wouldn't have minded her staying. I felt really bad for the way she was done when Strasser came back.

Yes, unfortunately for me, that's what I remember most about her tenure. SOD did an interview with her, and I wish I'd actually read it, not just glimpsed at it. I started watching regularly when RS came back, the breast cancer scare/lingering relationship with Jason, Sloane Carpenter... I don't care for that crack about Dorian being more than just Cassie's mom, all that means is Robin is and perhaps Elaine isn't the type to scream, shout, shove herself down tptb's throats when she isn't getting "enough" s/l. And this is why some people didn't want her back...