OLTL: Question about 1991 cast transition

[Y&RWorldTurner]

It worked out well for Fiona, she would soon land the role of Jeanne Bradshaw on GL and an Emmy nomination. Though, she was screwed over by that show too and later again on OLTL when they killed her off.

[Carolyn1980]

Rauch fired Call, but Gottlieb brought him back for awhile in a recurring role. His last appearance was in 1993.

[marlenadlc]

Carl--

If you can get your hands on old Soap Opera Weeklys I wrote many critques of the new Malone-Gottlieb OLTL throughout 1991 and all the years after under my column name Marlena De La Croix. There's lots of info about the whole show in those columns.

Also if you have Lexis-Nexis I interviewed Malone and Gottlieb for the LATimes in that period--I think 1991. The name of the article was "One Life to Live Reinvents the Soaps." I also did an article for the LA Times (reprinted in Newsday) on their AIDS Quilt remote. I was the only reporter there. (summer 1992?)

Hope you can find these old stories of mine. It was quite an interesting OLTL period and Gottlieb and Malone were great for me to get to know.

Connie Passalacqua (now Hayman)

a,k.a. Marlena De Lacroix

[Carolyn1980]

She also made a mistake in trusting Rauch when she returned to daytime in 1996 (on GL). Maxine Levinson, the-then EP at OLTL, had dinner with Fiona (Steve McPherson was gone as ABC Pres by then), and even worked out a story for her to come back....but Rauch got wind of it, and pushed her to come back to GL as Jenna, even though he hadn't even been at GL during her first go-round. Then he killed her off in 1998 because he was punishing her for talking to the press about her lack of story. Had she come back to OLTL then, only 5 years after her departure, I have no doubt she wouldn't be a dead character on OLTL now.

[Carolyn1980]

Connie! I actually remember a lot of your articles....I don't think you liked Gottlieb/Malone's OLTL at first, if I remember correctly. I think you felt they were doing too many "short-term" stories (like the domestic abuse story with Craig Wasson that lasted about a month or so). I think eventually, you did come around on many of their stories....I do remember initially disagreeing with you a lot at the time, though, lol. Nice to see you here!

[DRW50]

Thanks, Marlena. Back when soap magazines had intelligent commentary.

I am always fascinated by this period in OLTL history because they did what is next to impossible, what few other soaps truly manage, which is bringing so many new people in and so many out in such a fast period of time. When other shows like DAYS tried this in the early 80s, millions of viewers left. I have not seen very much of this era of OLTL but they obviously knew how to keep viewers in while changing the entire tenor of the show. And this while popular players like Jessica Tuck were on their way out.

Was Jessica already planning to leave when Gottleib/Malone took over?

I would love to see more of her relationship with Andrew. He was one of my favorite soap characters ever, OLTL is never quite the same for me after they phased him out.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I thought Rauch fired her because she was very outspoken about the way MADD and Rauch handled the Michael Zaslow situation when he was nearing the end of his stint there.

I thought the way they killed Gabriell off on OLTL was shameful.

[SFK]

Can't you just smell the early '90s reading that list of characters? Those were good times.

And of course Gottlieb rehired Robin Strasser about two years later.

[Carolyn1980]

Yes, Gottlieb tried to talk Jessica out of leaving, but her mind was made up. At the time, Gottlieb said she thought Tuck would be a movie star, so they were willing to kill her off, onscreen.

I LOVED her relationship with Andrew...it was so tragic, because it was unrequited on Andrew's part. I still have the videos from Megan's death, and the Valentine's episode (after her death) where Andrew lets the finches that he and Megan had shared out of their cages in the park while sitting on a bench with Cassie...ugh...it makes me cry still when I've watched it. I should upload it to youtube if I ever get around to it.

[Scotty]

Thanks Carolyn.

It had always been nagging me because I couldn't remember why he left.

Wonder why Rauch fired me?

[DRW50]

Thanks for the detailed answers. I wish Dan had been a better conceived character, because if he had been, the Woleks might not have completely faded into obscurity.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Here's the LA Times interview, I believe Marlena was talking about:

http://articles.latimes.com/1992-06-23/entertainment/ca-866_1_daytime-soap-opera

[DRW50]

That would be great. I saw her death episode on Daytime to Remember, when she told him she loved him too. I thought that was such a touching moment. Even at the time I was like, "Hey, remember when soaps used to know how to kill off characters, and make us care?" And it's 10000 times worse now.

[Carolyn1980]

I really liked Michael Palance at the time. He was a good actor, and had a lot of charisma. And I remember being shocked when I found out he was only 19, because I figured him for about 25 at the time.

But Dan was played by like 10 different actors in the 80's, lol...oen of which was Steven Culp, who played Bree's husband Rex on the first season of Desperate Housewives. I think they just recast him too much.

[Carolyn1980]

I remember Megan on her deathbed weakly asking Andrew (an Episcopalian priest...the kind who can get married) if he really believed in God and an afterlife...and he (in a long-winded response) basically said, yeah, he did....and Megan told him that if there was, then she'd see him in heaven one day...and if not, "then you're out of a job."

Lol.