OLTL Review from 1988 by Chris Schemering

[Carolyn1980]

ONE LIFE TO LIVE: Innovation or Mere Irritation?

By Christopher Schemering

There's an old adage that goes like this: "If it ain't broke don't fix it." After so many seasons of splendid drama, ONE LIFE TO LIVE has made a 180-degree turnabout in the last year and a half--from terrific melodrama to the most ludicrous, calculated attempts at "breaking out of the genre" with non-stop escapist entertainment that often falls right on its backside. The attitude is, if the movies can produce a Back to the Future or a Raiders of the Lost Ark, why can't soap operas? Fair enough question. But those were good movies. OLTL, as of late, has been badly conceived, poorly executed television.

Let's back up a little. Soap Opera Digest's feature editor, Robert Rorke, recently wrote an excellent article on ONE LIFE TO LIVE's twentieth anniversary (7/26), clearly demonstrating the show's uniqueness...the risk-taking that had us kids (myself included) running home from school in order to revel in the wonderful world of Llanview, Pennsylvania. (Confession: if this review seems unduly harsh, OLTL was the first serial I watched from the premiere episode, through all its ups and downs. So I, like thousands of others, tend to take it very personally when the show has gone off the deep end). There have been so many powerful stories about double lives that were so befitting the show's theme--Carla Gray's "passing" as white; Viki/Niki's split-personality; Marco Dane's taking over his dead brother's personality; and Karen Wolek's schizophrenic struggle to break out of cycle of self-hatred -- that these "Johnny-come-lately" stories about Asa posing for years as "Jeb Stuart" (how many wives can this old coot handle?), an 1888 plot where nearly everybody had a double, and the faux Bo story, was sheer overkill. Even DARK SHADOWS moved from past to present with greater ease than OLTL. That "spook" opera didn't take itself too seriously.

After a shaky start, new producer Paul Rauch, who guided ANOTHER WORLD through its Golden Age in the seventies, joined forces with head writer Peggy O'Shea in early 1985, developing a story about the memory of the show's patriarch, Victor Lord, and how his hand still guided the fates of the people of Llanview. When Viki's spoiled young ward, Tina Clayton, claimed to be the illegitimate daughter of Victor, Viki began to break down, eventually reverting to the split-personality of fifteen years before. Erika Slezak was absolutely brilliant as the Viki/Niki personalities and deservedly nabbed her second Emmy for her performance. The show was really hopping.

The story also pushed the Buchanan family, Tina, and Dorian (the magnificent Robin Strasser) into the forefront of the drama. (Although, afterward, Dorian was shoved so far into the background, it was no wonder she got into her high heels and fled to Mendorra). The Vienna location storyline was excellent, proving that OLTL could mix high adventure, suspense, and romance with exciting results. Tina's machinations with Cord and his mother, Maria, the Burrito Barracuda (BarBara Luna's campy performance was a hoot), proved to be witty and entertaining drama. And with the renewed emphasis on Viki--the kidnapping of baby Jessica, an eight-year memory loss, and a heartbreaking custody fight--no wonder Peggy O'Shea and her team won the 1986-1987 Emmy for Outstanding Writing.

Then, the bottom fell out. Rauch and new head writer S. Michael Schnessel felt the need to "boldly go where no man has gone before"--and did. It started out fun enough with Viki's two-week "Out of Body" experience in heaven. Ascending into the great beyond (with sets rivaling those in a Steven Spielberg movie), Viki mumbled to herself, "I've got a feeling we're no longer in Kansas." And seeing all those wonderful actors, whose characters had died over the past two decades, reprising their roles, had longtime viewers of the show in--forgive me--heaven. There was also a terrific confrontation with Viki's alter-ego, Niki, and a lovely dance between Viki and her late husband, Joe Riley, to the strains of Nat King Cole's "Stardust."

The show was still clicking and it wasn't so bizarre that we didn't lose the beat. But then, suddenly, OLTL went haywire. At low points on other soaps, we've had "phantom fetus" (Lisa on ATWT) and a "satanic fetus" (Lesley on GH), but we've never had a "fetus-over-the-falls" before. It was preposterous enough that Tina survived her spill over the Iquazu Falls--without even the benefit of a barrel--but the baby was also delivered without a hitch in the South American jungle. After much unfunny (and rather cruel) farce with Gabrielle (Fiona Hutchison), Max (James DePaiva), Kate (Marcia Cross), and Cord (John Loprieno), Tina was off on her "Roman Holiday" in search of "Milagro," her miracle baby. The sight of "Sister Christina" (Tina disguised as a nun) hobknobbing with Holy Sisters with bad Italian accents--a modern-day version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame--and cartoon villains, was just plain ludicrous. And it also canceled out some of the lovely performances Andrea Evans had given in the past, such as handing baby Al over to Gabrielle with equal doses selfishness and nobility.

ONE LIFE TO LIVE hit bottom with the dismissal of the Sanders family (especially after that erotic tango between Kate and Cord in Buenos Aires, a stunning directorial tour de force); the murder of the fascinating Lee Halpern (Janet Zarish in a smashing performance), who was dramatic dynamite with Lee Patterson, and the circus-like trial which followed. Soap veteran Mary Stuart (ex-Jo, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW), who played the crooked judge, should be sentenced to watch Judge Wapner for six months before another soap stint. Afterward, there were almost daily doses of latex masks, mad doctors, poisonings, pillow-smotherings, and road-runner henchmen. Hey, lighten up, folks. There hasn't been a laugh for months.

But with Clint Buchanan being transported to the Wild West of 1888, the show truly hit its lowest point. The music, the special antique credits, costuming, and sets were exquisite--but the story execution was an embarassment. The feuds; Clint pontificating on the scientific glories of the future; white slavery; ridiculous villains; and Viki stopping the wedding of her husband to her great-grandmother were bad enough. But when 1888's Blaize blew into 1988 with the resident wacko Melinda (Sharon Gabet) at her side, it was truly stupefying. When Blaize saw a television set for the first time and screamed....what was she watching, ONE LIFE TO LIVE? People at home couldn't get up and change channels--they were probably stoned on stupidity.

It's time for OLTL too calm down. It was an experiment which failed--and on its own terms, too. Meanwhile, wonderful actors like Erika Slezak, Clint Ritchie, Robert S. Woods, Sharon Gabet, James DePaiva, Andrea Evans, and John Loprieno are being wasted in a sea of implausibilities. And when veteran talents like Michael Storm (Larry), Marilyn Chris (Wanda), and Antony Ponzini (Charlie) are only lucky enough to pop up on the screen once a week, something is terribly wrong.

When there is no variety in the storytelling--and no plots which perpetuate future story and character development--it gets old, real fast. There are just so many "flights of fancy" one can take before there's a fatal crash.

[DRW50]

That's quite a review! Some of the earlier lines are from his Encylopedia, but I'd never seen the stuff about 1988 before.

Does anyone know what the special antique credits looked like?

I've always wanted to know more of Mary Stuart's run as a judge. It doesn't sound good, although it sounds...interesting.

I wonder what Schmering would have thought of Janet being killed a second time, or the tribute to the falls, or the 1968 overextended stuff.

Thanks so much for posting this. These days when I read soap criticism in a magazine it is always so full of agendas. His sounds more impartial and concise. What a talent he had.

[Carolyn1980]

I don't remember it being especially elaborate....and it was only the end of the show, if I recall correctly. Western theme music, old west lettering of the credits, can't remember much more, lol....

I just remember she looked like she was stoned....like she didn't remember her lines. Awkward pauses when she waited too long to deliver her line. Awful.

I suspect he would've loved Linda Gottlieb's tenure....and it's interesting that this is written before the show's real nadir, Eterna.

[DRW50]

Thank you for answering my questions. I was hoping for a tour of Llanview with Peabo Bryson singing to us and we would see Blaize, Miss Ginny, etc. My imagination got away from me.

What was the story with Blaize being in 1988 anyway? Was it to deliver a message?

[Carolyn1980]

I can't remember, lol. I do remember it was pretty dumb, though

[MichaelGL]

Perhaps one of my favorite lines out of the entire review.

[Bright Eyes]

It's sad that writers STILL haven't learned that fetus storylines of any nature usually ruin the show.

Other well known disasters:

The most recent being Adam burning Ashley's fetus - now the show is the biggest ball of suckage in mankind.

Chelsea Brady - A dead fetus all grown up.

Aborted fetus actually being alive - no words are needed here.

I'm sure there are many more.

[MarkH]

I have no recollection of Lesley's "satanic" fetus. Can someone refresh?

[saynotoursoap]

Lesley was kidnapped and raped by her husband Cameron Faulkner in August 1976. Whilst driving to an isolated mountain cabin, their car crashed, and Cameron was killed. Following his death, Lesley learned the true extent of her husband's villainy. She also found herself pregnant. Because the child had been conceived in rape, Lesley feared it would be as evil as its father and started having recurring Rosemary's Baby style nightmares about the child being demonic. Les made an appointment to have the child aborted, but Rick found her and talked her out of it. Several months later an abortion wasn't necessary. Lesley and Monica fought at the top of a staircase, and we all know what happens to pregnant ladies on stairs.

[quartermainefan]

Review seems harsh and I think if he could look back after 20 years, the writer would see he got it all wrong. Fantasy was now what they were looking for, but that doesn't mean Clint in Buchanan City was a low point. The crazy period of OLTL was my favorite period. It was not as serious as Karen Wolek on the stand, but there was an insane feeling of anything can happen.

[Carolyn1980]

I doubt he would think he got it wrong, lol. I lived through it, and like him, I loved 1985-1987...but after that...I thought it was ludicrous. And I was still a teenager at the point I realized it was so ludicrous, lol. I can only imagine how horrific those stories would seem to me now, as an adult.

The Gottlieb years were so much better. As I've said before, they were too good to be labeled "soap opera."

[EricMontreal22]

Thanks SOO much for posting this.

Isn't it funny he mentions killing off Janet Zarish--who was back and killed off again this past era.

[SFK]

That part really stuck out to me too.

I want to say that it was Frank Rich, but I really don't think so, at any rate, *someone* wrote a very glowing review of OLTL back in the early '80s in one of the big NY newspapers, I think the Voice. I wish I could find it online. Robin Strasser read excerpts of it on her Hotline a few years ago, I believe she has it framed. The columnist said great things about her and Brynn Thayer for example during that Joe Stuart era.

[DRW50]

Two or three of the criticisms were applicable to more recent stories. It's interesting.

I do wish sometimes that OLTL also honored the early 80s or late 70s era of the show, but I know that's not easy.

[EricMontreal22]

I think this says it all: "The attitude is, if the movies can produce a Back to the Future or a Raiders of the Lost Ark, why can't soap operas? Fair enough question. But those were good movies. OLTL, as of late, has been badly conceived, poorly executed television."

I didn't watch back then, but I've seen over a hundred (yes literally lol) episodes from the Rauch era, and I think his review is spot on.