Re: Alan recasts. Two things I've pointed out before. Daniel Pilon seemed like a stop-gap in order to wrap up Alan storylines and write the character off the canvas. I am 99% sure that JFP had a friend in mind for Alan but said friend was either not available or not interested, thus Ron Raines was cast and he was a virtual unknown to daytime fans but not to musical theater fans.

20 minutes ago, kalbir said:

99% sure that JFP had a friend in mind for Alan but said friend was either not available or not interested,

Ooooh, I'd love to know who that was! Has anyone speculated on his identity?

I heard a few times the story that Beverlee pushed for her former Texas co-star Daniel Davis. When I found out who he was (the guy from The Nanny?) I was like, NO FREAKING WAY!

But then I watched a few episodes of him on Texas. I kind of could see it. His Eliot Carrington was very urbane, a lot like Alan. It might have worked.

But he's lucky it didn't happen because he certainly made a lot more money working on The Nanny. 😁

Edited June 29, 2025Jun 29 by DeeVee

1 minute ago, DeeVee said:

Ooooh, I'd love to know who that was! Has anyone speculated on his identity?

I have no idea who the friend Jill wanted was, but I suspect it was either Roscoe Born or Lane Davies.

 

Hey, do you guys know if the whole Maryanne Carruthers storyline is online?

3 minutes ago, kalbir said:

I have no idea who the friend Jill wanted was, but I suspect it was either Roscoe Born or Lane Davies.

Both were kind of young to play Alan, but it wouldn't be the first time they de-aged a character. They did it to Amanda. 

IMO, Born would have been much more suited to play Roger, but Davies? Yeah, maybe. He's a really good actor.

 

8 minutes ago, kalbir said:

I have no idea who the friend Jill wanted was, but I suspect it was either Roscoe Born or Lane Davies.

Looking at the They Almost Became thread, I see a post of mine from years ago which mentioned a Soap Opera Update item on two actors who were interested in playing Alan before Raines was cast - Jed Allan and Joe Gallison.

9 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Looking at the They Almost Became thread, I see a post of mine from years ago which mentioned a Soap Opera Update item on two actors who were interested in playing Alan before Raines was cast - Jed Allan and Joe Gallison.

I remember them from their stints on DOOL.  I liked both of them. Of the two, I would say Jed would have been the better choice. He had that charm that Alan needed to temper his dickishness.

Edited June 29, 2025Jun 29 by DeeVee

Jed Allan was on 90210 in 1994 so the timing doesn't work.

I can't think of any other big name soap actors that were in the mid-50s age range in 1994.

6 minutes ago, kalbir said:

Jed Allan was on 90210 in 1994 so the timing doesn't work.

I can't think of any other big name soap actors that were in the mid-50s age range in 1994.

Wasn't he only ever recurring on there? I could still see him auditioning for Alan or expressing interest. 

19 minutes ago, kalbir said:

I can't think of any other big name soap actors that were in the mid-50s age range in 1994.

Yeah, most names I come up with were on other soaps at the time. Like Jim Storm. I think he would have been a good choice, but I'm pretty sure he was on Y&R at the time.

Then there's John Gabriel. He ticked a lot of boxes that would have made him a good Alan, IMO. I know he was on Loving after Ryan's Hope, but I'm not sure exactly when.

23 minutes ago, DeeVee said:

Yeah, most names I come up with were on other soaps at the time. Like Jim Storm. I think he would have been a good choice, but I'm pretty sure he was on Y&R at the time.

Then there's John Gabriel. He ticked a lot of boxes that would have made him a good Alan, IMO. I know he was on Loving after Ryan's Hope, but I'm not sure exactly when.

Storm had been on B&B after Y&R but was not on any soap by this point. Gabriel hadn't been on Loving since 1987. 

I think Storm would have been an excellent choice. 

I've said this before but Roscoe was my choice for Alan and Cat Hickland my choice for Hope Bauer when both looked poised to leave OLTL in '03.

There are many good names in the mix here, particularly Jim Storm.

I'd love to have seen Born as Alan, but how would they have retconned Roscoe Born as Marj Dusay's brother since he looks so much younger? The mind boggles.  I know NBC forced him on her so the Eden/Cruz/Robert triangle that was so successful was not even her idea. I would imagine Lane Davies might have been more of an option as a FOJ but his character was a disaster when she brought him onto GH and was killed off within a year.  Would have been odd to see him playing Dusay's brother since he had played her son on SB.

I remember reading in magazines JFP complaining how hard it was to cast Alexandra.  Casting was never JFP's strong suit so I can only imagine what she would have done with Alexandra if Alexandra had not been available. JFP made specific mention that Penny Fuller auditioned, but didn't understand the demands of daytime. I could see Ann Flood from Edge of Night playing Alexandra. Anna Stuart from AW even that would not have been possible. Judith McConnell from SB.

Edited June 29, 2025Jun 29 by chrisml

58 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Wasn't he only ever recurring on there? I could still see him auditioning for Alan or expressing interest. 

Jed Allan was not in the main cast of 90210, so it's possible he might have considered a return to daytime at some point in the second half of the 1990s.

42 minutes ago, DeeVee said:

Yeah, most names I come up with were on other soaps at the time. Like Jim Storm. I think he would have been a good choice, but I'm pretty sure he was on Y&R at the time.

James Storm first run on B&B ended in 1994, so that timing works.

Edited June 29, 2025Jun 29 by kalbir

11 minutes ago, Vee said:

I've said this before but Roscoe was my choice for Alan and Cat Hickland my choice for Hope Bauer when both looked poised to leave OLTL in '03.

There are many good names in the mix here, particularly Jim Storm.

I would take Hickland in any role (don't remember Hope so can't comment). So underrated and one of the few good things JFP did on OLTL. I wish she had done another soap. She's so talented. I would have turned back into GL if Hickland had joined.