Another World

[Contessa Donatella]

And, I must agree!

I mean, not then immediately turning to Carmen Duncan was this classic "this person or NO ONE ELSE" mistake! (Ellen Wheeler: Peter Simon. Frank Valentini: Julie Berman & JJ.)

[Mona Kane Croft]

I just saw on another site that Jennifer Leak (AW's Olive Randolph) has passed away.  I am not sure of the date of her passing.  Olive was one of AW's great villainesses at a time when the show needed characters like her desperately.  AW had just made the transition to 90-minutes, Rachel had more or less completely reformed, and Iris would leave the show for Texas in about a year. Unfortunately, Harding Lemay wrote Olive into a corner -- making her so wicked and criminal she had to either go to jail, a mental institution, or die.  So Olive was written off.  Had Lemay made slightly different choices, Olive could have made trouble for the Cory's, Matthews, Loves, and Frames for years into the future.  Not to mention, Jennifer Leak was a wonderful actor.  

Edited March 27, 2024 by Mona Kane Croft

[Contessa Donatella]

Where did you see it? I can't find an obit. 

Jennifer Leak aka Jennifer Leek 

b. 9-28-1947 in Cardiff, Wales, UK 

AW Olive Randolph 1976-1979

GL Blanche Bovier 1981

RH Nurse Klupper 1975

Y&R Gwen Sherman 1974

A Flame in the Wind Patricia Austen 1964-1966

OLTL Matron Spitz 1986

Loving Dr. Hennessey 1992

Bright Promise Elaine Bancroft (1971)  1969-1972

From her obit: 

 

Edited March 28, 2024 by Contessa Donatella
typo

[teplin]

Jennifer Leak's Wikipedia page has been updated with "March 2024" as her death date. But Wiki is not always reliable.

I had no idea she was married to Tim Matheson at one point. I can still remember the day John Randolph shot and killed Evan Webster, Olive's lover, and the end-credits rolled over a black screen with audio of Olive wailing over Evan's corpse. Chilling. 

[Mona Kane Croft]

I saw it on Facebook, it had been posted by her ex-husband, Tim Matheson.  I have no idea why it was posted on my FB feed, because I am not FB friends with Tim Matheson.   But there it was, this morning.    

[j swift]

That's how I saw it as well.  Only in Hollywood do actors marry the girl who played their sister.  But, it was well written and expressed a sweet sentimentality. 

[Sapounopera]

I really don't hate 1980-82 that much. That's three writing regimes right? The show is all over the place, but at least it still has glimpses of its old classy self. 

Donna Swajeski's years don't look that great to time. First of all the era has aged horribly. I don't really care for the characters and the show has become way too generic for my taste. 

[DRW50]

80-82, when I try to watch that era, often seems incredibly dull to me - just lifeless, with an influx of dull new characters or iffy recasts. I can see where Swajeski's is worse, and certainly lacks many of the best of the early '80s, but the overall ensemble, at least up to mid 91 (I haven't watched a lot past that point), helps keep me more entertained, especially the spark plugs like Carmen Duncan, Anna Stuart, or Anne Heche.

Edited March 27, 2024 by DRW50

[Sapounopera]

I agree about the three actresses.
The early 80s era feels indeed kind of lifeless. By that time most soaps were more vibrant. The stories were not that horrible, but the directing style was stuck in the 70s. Perhaps that's a reason I have a soft spot for those years. I love the sophisticated Cory Publishing crowd and at the same time we have Larry, Clarice, Ada. Too many peripheral characters with no real purpose, but still better than the Swajeski years in my eyes.

[Contessa Donatella]

I looked. Didn't find it. 

[Contessa Donatella]

When I think of Anne Heche beginning, July 1987. Then how long till Felicia's birthday party? That was Anna's first week back. Felicia had hair extensions. The party was this big deal with a Hall of Mirrors & Derek being the Strong man & Nicole shot Jason Frame. It just kept on being good. Who was writing? 

[DRW50]

That was February through spring or summer 1989. Swajeski had been headwriter for several months.

[Contessa Donatella]

Okay, that really works for me. Y'all don't like that time period, remind me why? And, thanks for the reply. 

[j swift]

Did Alice face fertility issues?  Or did she just choose to adopt Sally because of the girl's tragic circumstances?

I ask because of Rachel's line in their fight, when she tells Alice that she gave Steve the thing that Alice couldn't give him, a son (paraphrase).

I also adore the twist of the knife when Alice says that Rachel tricked Steven, and Rachel replies that Jamie was conceived out of love.  That's some good stuff.  I don't think Rachel's characterization of Jamie's conception is 100% true, but I loved her delivery of the line, The way she kept her cool while Alice was in hysterics was so great.

Edited March 28, 2024 by j swift

[Xanthe]

My chief memory of Olive is only that I thought her name unusual and striking. I wasn't watching enough to really follow her storyline. Who was Evan Webster and what was their relationship?