Linda Gottlieb article 1992

[LoyaltoAMC]

I think the O'Neills were pretty prominent thru 1986 when Rauch was EP. Harry O'Neill was killed in 1985. Joy O'Neill disappeared, but Didi and Connie remained pretty prominent for a bit, if I remember,especially Didi. They also brought on James O'Sullivan as Harry's brother Pete. The Coronals weren't as prominent during Rauch as they had been earlier, but Rob and Cassie were pretty active during Rauch. So was Laurel who married Larry. Laurel's brother Brent Chapin was also on for a while. I started watching OLTL again pretty faithfully from early/mid 85, when AMC began meandering and OLTL became pretty exciting, thru about 88, then sporadically after that. Yeah, the show was pretty terrible pre-Rauch and the ratings really began to take a beating. Also at the time, the whole ABC schedule was gradually coming down to earth after a few years of bloated ratings, and that certainly didn't help OLTL very much.

[EricMontreal22]

To be fair Gottlieb/Malone/Griffith did a good job using Carlo/Alex, etc. I think anyway-- So was Badderly the brief time DePriest wrote? I think the rap storyline as well as Vicki being paralyzed after punks beat her up was around the same time? (it seems Rauch was finally trying to introduce some class and social storylines back into the show but not doing a very good job).

I think the credits on Wiki, like I said, for who wrote exactly during the Arley period are a bit wrong--they don't correspond quite with Youtube, butyeah it was Rauch who eventually got rid of the O'Neil's etc (maybe they were too working class for him )--and to be fair cleaned up the mess Schemering claimed the show fell into with too much mob and violence based storylines (sound familiar?) I believe under the Corringtons but Slesar being there for some of it, withhisbackground in crime based soaps prob played a part too... It looks like Sam Hall finally left (for the last time--after coming and going a few times those weird Arley years) when Rauch came in--or was fired? with his associate Peggy O'Shea coming in. Hall did a lot of good stuff, mainly with Russell but it sounds like he had ran out of steam. Didn't Hall then briefly go to another soap? Santa Barbara? Another World?

[LoyaltoAMC]

I forgot Slesar was there for a hot minute. He left Edge in 82/83, so that fits in with the timeline. I don't recall what he wrote exactly, but yeah, given his history with Edge, it must have been the Coronal mob crap. He also tried to transfer those crime melodrama stories to Capitol, I believe, and wasn't successful there either.

[EricMontreal22]

Slesar was there solo and then with Sam Hall I believe--those episodes from Dec 83/Jan 84 linked above have both their names in the credits (which is why they don't jibe with wiki's entry...) It's too bad, he's a talented writer, but... Maybe ABC still had him on contract when they got rid of Edge of Night? Except wasn't it P&G? hrmm (it's not the only time One Life got bogged down in mob stuff--when Griffith left Malone in late 95 I think, the show degenerated for me into all that Irish Mob stuff as well).

I also think Wiki is wrong about when Rauch came on--I read he came on with the Corringtons--I'll quote the relevent passages--which makes sense to me.

Here's what my bible (glares at Sylph ) Schemering's Soap Opera Encyclopedia, the second final edition from 1987 says about that era. (side note I didn't know Sam Hall got his start working for Irna Nixon on the briefly successful TV version of her radio hit, The Brighter Day--one of the first successful soaps to die because of network interference). It's interesting too that according to Schemering the early 80s had alot of focus on Dorian--up till the Rauch era really (though initially she was tied into much of the drama for his first year or two)--but very very little for Vicki. It was Rauch who ramped back up her role.

"In the beginning of 1983, the show lost Judith Light, who left to persue other opportunities, and, at the end of teh year, Jacquie Courtney, whose contract was unaccountably not renewed. More importantly the soap also lost its brilliant long time producer Joseph Stuart, who had gone on to work on ABC's Loving as a favour to Agnes Nixon. [is this yet another reason OLTL fans might have to resent Agnes? LOL] He was replaced by Jean Arley. The ratings, although slipping a bit, remained respectable. OLTL showed signs of rejuvenation when Henry Slesar, who had written the just canceled The Edge of Night for fifteen years, was hired as a co-writer with Sam Hall. The once socially charged drama had drifted into stories of international intrigue, mystery, and romance, although--perhaps as a nod to the past--the writers introduced the low-income O'Neill family, who were similar to the Wolek family of yesteryear. The still entertaining OLTL rested comfortably between the top-rated shows and the lesser shows that were struggling desperately for recognition. Still, the ratings were good enough for ABC and in mid 1984 the network hired writers Joyce and John William Corrington (who had gotten critical praise for the final era of the short lived Texas) and producer Paul Rauch (Another World, during its golden age) to give Llanview a complete makeover.

The Corringtons came on like gangbusters, taking Slesar's story lead and running with it tossing Llanview into the midst of an organized crime war. When Sam Vernon, the young bride of police office Rafe Garrison, suffered "brain death" after an assault, it was discovered that Sam was pregnant. OLTL then broke new ground in television, transfering the embryo to a woman who could not conceive by natural means. Afterwards when Sam, a core character for a decade, was taken off the life support system by her father, Dr Will Vernon, it was one of the most touching moments of the season.

The Mafia storylines, unfortunately, soon collapsed into a confusing muddle and Rauch brough back former headwriters Sam Hall and Peggy O'Shea to repair the damage. Hall and O'Shea put the show back on course again in 1985, developing a story around the memory of the show's dead patriarch, Victor Lord, and how his hand still guided thefates of the people of Llanview.

[lots of discussion about the Tina story, Nicki coming back, etc. Saying the show was starting to get a bit campy with the Heaven story--the last story when the book came out--but still had outstanding acting, production and writing to carry it on, but...]

But why, viewers wondered, the over two year utter neglect of the pivotal Dorian? And who on Earth designed her ghastly new wardrobe--Ronald McDonald?"

So I guess I was wrong that rauch fired Hall. Hrmm

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Anyone know what happened to Joseph Stuart after Loving, is he even still alive?

I think he's one of those brilliant soap EP's that never gets enough credit.

[LoyaltoAMC]

Very enlightening. Thanks Eric, though I think he had a couple of facts in error. Henry Slesar wasn't fresh from the cancelled Edge. He left or was fired some time in 83 and replaced by Lee Sheldon, who was so-so. Also the Corringtons didn't usher out Texas. That was Pam Long. The Corringtons had been gone for a while before Texas was cancelled.

Dorian was involved in the David Renaldi/Jenny story at this time I think,but mostly as a spoiler/antagonist. Don't recall her having much story of her own. Zaslow and Thayer were actually pretty good together and for me they were one of the few highlights of that 83/84 season.

[EricMontreal22]

To be fair he never said Slesar wrote to the end--just that he had written it for 15 years (I assumed, wrongly he had in myopening paragraph). You're right about Texas though--I forgot that it was what made something of a star of Pam Long and I think persuaded GL to hire her?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I think PGP was just very happy with Long's work at Texas, after the show was canceled, EP Gail Kobe, a number of Texas actors, Pam Long, and even some music cues from Texas were recycled on GL.

[Paul Raven]

Re earlier posts about writers working on 2 soaps at the same time,I don't think there was a mention that Irna wrote ATWT and TGL from 56-58,before turning the latter over to Agnes.Wasn't the story(possible urban myth) that Irna killed off Kathy(the lead heroine)just before she left,supposedly to sabotage TGL and boost ATWT,her new favorite?

Jacquie Courtney was having an affair with Joe Stuart.In a spread in Afternoon TV magazine, Stuart's photo was prominently displayed on her bedside table.So perhaps once Stuart was gone TPTB weren't that interested in retaining Courtney.He later got her a gig on Loving(her last soap role)

[EricMontreal22]

Agnes herself mentions Irna killing Kathy off just before she handed GL to her in one of those Paley Center segments--she laughs it off but I think there's some truth there. But Agnes also says she basically co wrote the early years of As with Irna (and then didn't Bill Bell basically do the same? or am I confused)

[SFK]

I think the Corringtons were fresh off of Capitol rather than Texas.

I believe Joe Stuart is still living. He's in that Mike Douglas interview available on YouTube, the round table on soaps with Agnes, Mary Stuart, and soap magazine editor whose name I'm forgetting.

[Paul Raven]

The Corringtons left SFT to create and headwrite Texas but were dropped after about a year.

[EricMontreal22]

Yeah I love that episode--and he really impresses me with what he says in it. I assume you mean Tom Snyder not Mike Douglas. I know that Agnes didn'thave much involvement at all with OLTL especially once it went to an hour but I always wonder if she suggested Stuart for One Life in the late 70s because they seem to agree and get along so well in the interview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cLfJiBn_-k

The Corringtons interest me--for a while it seemed like people saw them as a great hope for soaps but that didn't last too long... (and of course John Corrington died pretty early in 87 or 88) Still it surprises me that they introduced so much "international intrigue" to OLTL as that didn't seem to be their strengths in the past. Though I know their movie screenplays ran the gamut--from The Omega Man to Battle for the Planet of the Apes to the ridiculous exploitation film with Pam Grier as a slave female gladiator, The Arena as did his fiction and short stories (i've read a number of John's short fiction in O Henry Award winner compilations--and really liked them).

I know they alsohad a short stint at GH--was that pre or post OLTL?

[Vee]

Viki wasn't paralyzed because "punks beat her up" AFAIK. She was paralyzed after being shot during an official mayoral function; the hit was ordered by Carlo after she made bringing down his syndicate part of her platform.

Joe Stuart's apparent intent in the early '80s was to phase out Viki in favor of Jacquie Courtney's Pat, who got a series of showy stories. ES's dry, clipped comments about this era are always amusing. Viki disappeared a lot, I know that much. When Stuart went, Pat was dogmeat. I'd thought Rauch canned her because of their past strife, but he may not have been the one; I thought Pat had attended one of Viki and Clint's weddings under early Rauch just before exiting, though.

I know Rauch was one of those production people who rode out the David/Jenny wave as long as they possibly could by having them do brief stints and appearances. I always got the sense that Rauch inherited all that Coronal/Crown/Chapin, O'Neills stuff and dispensed with it quickly in order to get back Andrea Evans, which made the show skyrocket. The O'Neills, a successful storyline, never seemed his bag, but maybe he ran with it. I think the biggest reason they got canned was RSW left for NBC.

[EricMontreal22]

You're right--she was almost attacked by "punks" though just before...

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