What are your thoughts on the following?:  

Had Vicky Wyndham left the role of Rachel anytime after 1980, do you think Robin Strasser could have successfully stepped back into the role???   Why or why not?    

And do you think TPTB at AW would have considered re-hiring Strasser as Rachel anytime after 1980??  Why or why not?   

Edited November 12, 20214 yr by Neil Johnson

1 hour ago, Neil Johnson said:

What are your thoughts on the following?:  

Had Vicky Wyndham left the role of Rachel anytime after 1980, do you think Robin Strasser could have successfully stepped back into the role???   Why or why not?    

And do you think TPTB at AW would have considered re-hiring Strasser as Rachel anytime after 1980??  Why or why not?   

Very unlikely.  RS typically plays roles as like an Iris type.  VW Rachel was a completely different Rachel.  

On 11/1/2021 at 10:49 PM, Xanthe said:

I did not realise that Iris' mother Sylvie was in Bay City as long as she was. Based on the timeline it appears that Harding Lemay introduced the character almost immediately after Amanda's birth and the sudden revelation that Mac was not Iris' father. Then Sylvie persisted under Tom King throughout the Kirk Laverty story and eventually confessed (falsely) to his murder, and at some point it was revealed that she had served time for murdering her rapist, Iris' father, and Iris had been born in prison. When Iris returned in 1988 and provided Mac with the evidence that he was indeed her father, was Mac meant to be surprised that he was really her father, or was he supposed to have known all along and just been lying to her?

I suppose the fact that Mac was Iris' biological father wouldn't have prevented Sylvie from being raped or from murdering the rapist. I think what shocked me was the AWHP describing the rape/murder as having occurred when Sylvie was a "young adult", which makes Mac's involvement with her sound kind of skeevy. Maybe the retcon eliminated the rape and murder altogether if it wasn't part of Lemay's story?

ETA: Apparently today is the anniversary of the day Mac told Rachel he was Iris' father after all. 

 

Very stupid storyline with Mac and Sylvie being ex lovers.  Harding Lemay was the one who recouped this storyline so maybe it really was something he planned out in the late 70's when Iris learned she was adopted but very unlikely.  

On 10/22/2021 at 10:26 AM, zanereed said:

I 100% agree. Actually, I wish that Jamie had eventually found that he, like his father, had a natural affinity for business versus going to medical school. So maybe he starts out in the arts, for instance, but soon realizes he's better at "doing deals" than creating art? Or, he could have started in medical school and left for the same reason.

This motivates him to get active in Frame Enterprises, deciding that he is going to both embrace and enhance Steve Frame's legacy. Rachel, of course, is less-than-pleased, as (in her eyes) Jamie seems to be transforming bit by bit into a version of his father. Happy and outdoing Jamie starts becoming introverted and brooding, and this would include the jealousy and addiction issues as you listed above.

Yep, Sam Groom was always my preferred Russ Matthews, even though I remember David Bailey better because more of his era still exists to view. And Sam Groom could have good chemistry with anyone. So, my fanfic above could have worked very well. Imagine if the audience really got behind a (re)pairing of Rachel and Russ *organically*. Meaning (heaven forbid!) that the writers respect that the love of Rachel's life was gone, and that they were just having a slow build to a *possible* romance. Again, Rachel and Russ had extensive history, so just playing with that part of it and having them interact as old *friends* would have been fun to watch play out. Groom would have likely shined in a storyline like this. Plus, it would also be interesting to see how much chemistry Groom would have had with Anna Kathryn Holbrook - that might have led to some great stuff, as well...

I would have brought Pat back when Iris returned and was making a play for Cory Publishing. Rachel doesn't trust Iris, of course, and asks Pat to come back to Bay City to help deal with Iris (assuming Pat was still associated to Cory Publishing, as she was when they wrote Pat out in 1982). However, Rachel and Pat butt heads (once again), and Pat starts having more in common with Iris than Rachel...

For Alice, I would have brought Alice back as Administrator of Bay City Hospital. This would put her in the orbit of both Russ and Jamie. This would give her ample opportunity to interact with Russ about his ongoing, non-romantic relationship with Rachel 😁.

I always said and even thought when in real time when Mac died that Rachel and Russ should get back together since he was back in BC but I think DB only had a six month contract with AW and his only reason the show bought him back was the 25th anniversary.  The intent was not to keep the character around and if he and Rachel really did get back together then I am not sure what storyline would that mean for Rachel.  When they marry people on soaps some sorrdid live details come out and Russ already lived through this with Rachel.  I would have loved to seen Alice come back and a ghost following her and it turns out that Sally is alive.  The typical stupid crazy soap stuff.  LOL

16 hours ago, Neil Johnson said:

What are your thoughts on the following?:  

Had Vicky Wyndham left the role of Rachel anytime after 1980, do you think Robin Strasser could have successfully stepped back into the role???   Why or why not?    

And do you think TPTB at AW would have considered re-hiring Strasser as Rachel anytime after 1980??  Why or why not?   

I have not seen enough of Robin Strasser to really know, but my impression is that if they had cast her as Rachel it would probably have ultimately broken up Mac and Rachel which would either have completely obliterated Mac or pushed him into other relationships until Doug Watson's death. I would also guess that Robin Strasser's Rachel would have filled some of the same space as Donna, so depending on timing either they would not have created Donna in the form she took or they would not have wanted to take Rachel in that direction with Donna already on the canvas. Also I would guess that they would have dropped Rachel's sculpting career and put her into more business-related storylines.

Would Robin's Rachel have had an affair with Sandy in 1982? Left Mac for Mitch in 1986?

15 hours ago, denzo30 said:

Very unlikely.  RS typically plays roles as like an Iris type.  VW Rachel was a completely different Rachel.  

Only imagine if they had recast *Iris* with Robin Strasser in 1983.

On 11/13/2021 at 11:47 AM, Xanthe said:

Only imagine if they had recast *Iris* with Robin Strasser in 1983.

The soap press would have gone nuts!!!

7 minutes ago, amybrickwallace said:

The soap press would have gone nuts!!!

Was AW planning to recast Iris back in 1983?

Just now, John said:

Was AW planning to recast Iris back in 1983?

No idea.

27 minutes ago, John said:

Was AW planning to recast Iris back in 1983?

I picked 1983 because Texas had ended and that was when they introduced Donna. 

18 minutes ago, Xanthe said:

I picked 1983 because Texas had ended and that was when they introduced Donna. 

Gotcha

14 hours ago, Xanthe said:

I picked 1983 because Texas had ended and that was when they introduced Donna. 

I wonder which year they seriously considered recasting Iris.

Because we have been talking about Robin Strasser, I started reading Llanview in the Afternoon (which is pretty interesting even though I never watched OLTL). In it, Timothy Stickney made a comment that really surprised me: "I knew every black character on daytime had to sing at some point" because although I can think of a couple of AW characters who had (or wanted) singing careers (Leo Mars, Lily Mason) I can't remember any tendency for Quinn or Roy or whoever to sing. Did the Burrell family sing? 

Edited November 16, 20214 yr by Xanthe
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3 hours ago, Xanthe said:

Because we have been talking about Robin Strasser, I started reading Llanview in the Afternoon (which is pretty interesting even though I never watched OLTL). In it, Timothy Stickney made a comment that really surprised me: "I knew every black character on daytime had to sing at some point" because although I can think of a couple of AW characters who had (or wanted) singing careers (Leo Mars, Lily Mason) I can't remember any tendency for Quinn or Roy or whoever to sing. Did the Burrell family sing? 

Toni did a couple of times, but as a side gig (she was a cop). I don't know if Etta Mae did.

33 minutes ago, amybrickwallace said:

Toni did a couple of times, but as a side gig (she was a cop). I don't know if Etta Mae did.

Don't forget about Darlene Love as Judy. 

Based on Stickney's description, it might not even be a performance in the story, just the kind of singing a person might do going about one's day. I can think of the odd time characters sang Xmas carols, or Adam singing to himself getting ready for a date with MJ. 

2 hours ago, Xanthe said:

Don't forget about Darlene Love as Judy.

Right. I actually wasn't watching when Judy was on.