OLTL: Question about 1991 cast transition

[Vee]

Erika Slezak came out and said, point blank, that she did not like Linda Gottlieb or her work in a recent interview with the TV Archives or something a couple years ago. This very long interview is available on the Net for viewing. Very candid. She's entitled to her opinion, though I don't agree with it there.

I remember James dePaiva doing some USENET posting in the 90s and blasting Maxine Levinson and Susan Bedsow Horgan. I seem to recall him sticking up for Susan Batten at the time for how he felt their storyline together had degraded, I think shortly before she left the show, and this was long after Max and Luna were well-established, so I don't think he outright detested her or the couple; he must have softened. I do know he still has a problem with how Max was "tamed" by that union, as he elaborated on it in a very recent interview about how Max became the guy holding the babies and wearing a fanny pack.

I started watching in '93 with a little viewing prior, but I remember Laura Jean and I swear to God, based on her delivery, I thought she was retarded. I didn't know Gottlieb wrote out Dan, Laura Jean, Brenda, Rafe, and the Prices herself. What were the exit stories, if any?

Jon Russell, the perv (I've watched too much YouTube), hung around a while, as did Herb. I remember reading something about Alex getting Herb involved in a scandal in '92; how'd he leave, anyone recall? And Nora apparently became part of Jon Russell's law firm, but then he disappeared.

The Gottlieb era was like none other; though I do think they made some mistakes and some people (Clint Ritchie) had valid complaints, the work was just too stellar. The closest I've come to feeling like the show has any heart and soul since, instead of just running on fumes, is Claire Labine (a very flawed, but good run), a few flashes during the messy Malone II run, and Ron Carlivati.

[DeliaIrisFan]

I've never been overly impressed, but then I only know the Gottlieb era from YouTube. I was pretty young and by the time I became aware of OLTL was during Viki's DID story in the mid-90s, which I've been told was after had Gottlieb left and which I think was stronger material than his more hyped earlier work. I had thought that maybe that meant Malone did a better job without her around, but reading earlier in this thread about how that story was already in the works before Gottlieb left and got delayed because of Clint Ritchie's injury, I guess that was overly simplistic to dismiss her contribution. More likely, they both took time to get acclimated to working in this particular medium, and it's unfortunate that Malone really started to hit his stride after Gottlieb had already been driven off (and just as ABC was being bought out by Mickey Mouse, which I think had a negative effect on the creative environment at all of the ABC soaps, which has only gotten worse over time). In hindsight, it certainly is remarkable that someone took a chance on hiring these people, and they actually were given enough creative license to make as many substantive changes as they did! It would never happen today. Certainly the show's core had already been gutted during the Rauch era, and at least the stuff Malone and Gottlieb did was more in keeping with the spirit of the show that Agnes Nixon created.

One thing that I find interesting about Gottlieb and the debate over whether or not she thought she was superior to others in the "lowly" soap business, though, which has not been addressed and may be petty - her biggest claim to fame before OLTL was producing Dirty Dancing? Really? I mean, from the controversy that it sounds like she caused in the industry, you'd think she was Robert Altman or John Houston or Francis Ford Coppola! Does the average person (or film critic) actually regard that film as so much more highbrow than a soap opera? I think it kind of was a soap opera, actually, except it had a bigger budget, and - dare I say - Mark Teschner (of GH) or Betty Rea (of GL and ATWT in the glory days of the 70s/80s/early 90s) or Shirley Rich (who put together the original ensemble of Ryan's Hope) would have done a much better job of casting it. Don't get me wrong - I love Dirty Dancing, love to laugh at parts of it to be sure, but overall it was a seminal part of my childhood. But, really, Linda? People who live in glass houses...

That said, I did think Andrew Carpenter was one of the best - and most underrated - male "heroes" ever on soaps, and Susan Haskell was indeed a find.

[SFK]

I could very well be wrong, but I seem to remember LG's name in the credits for the bulk, or at least the juiciest beginning of the DID s/l with Susan Bedsoe-Horgan wrapping it up (the Victor alter, Tori being the killer, the Llanfair fire, et cetera).

It's been a while since I've read up on LG, but I recall that she had a soapish background having worked on afterschool specials/daytime telefilms. But I agree that one pop culture sensation of a film doesn't earn you bragging rights of Scorsese proportions. Doesn't mean you don't have great ideas and vision, shoot, many people on boards like this have that, but it's best to just shut up and SHOW us rather than talking about it. But show us she did.

ETA: Don't know if she's still there, but after she left OLTL, LG had a marketing company in the same building where she worked for ABC, and as a matter of fact, ABC was a client of hers. Thought that was interesting, obviously her departure was somewhat amicable.

[marlenadlc]

I said that--where? LOL Linda came directly from the movie industry where she was a high up producer (on DD and other movies). The movie industry is a zillion times bigger and more pretentious than the little soap industry. It wasn't the best of fits. How can you say you are going to reinvent soaps when you haven't really watched them, when you don't know their history and pretend you are better than everyone else who has made soaps for decades?

That said, I loved the AIDS remote quilt story. It took clout and connections to get the quilt on the show. It was so meaningful, I went on the remote and it was the best day I ever had as a reporter! But, I found a lot of the veteran actors sulking there that day from Gottlieb's treatment.

Hey, it's show biz! In Gottlieb's favor, we made peace in the end. But where the hell is she now?

[SFK]

LOL, it was from an article called AW: Malone Alone in Soap Opera Weekly, November 18, 1997 (http://magnifmalonian.tripod.com/id23.htm). Very valid point, and I'm almost embarrassed that I've glossed over the obvious argument that how can one go about changing something they have no real knowledge of, like what's the frame of reference? She'd make for a great guest on one of those soap pod casts.