Sooner or later this is going to get into the two Will Vernons and I am so not going to be the one to repeat that seamy anecdote again.

People often credit Agnes Nixon for bringing humour to soaps with AMC--but she really did it well with OLTL--allthese supporting, colourful characters she had--like Anna Wolek. Great stuff (of course when asked about fave characters, the ones she mentions from AW are always the two long forgotten supporting comic charactrs she created there first).

But first they replaced Doris Belack - still kicking today, I believe, doing tons of TV I see her in, and one of many OLTL stars to do voice work for Rockstar Games in Grand Theft Auto IV - with some scrub to play Anna near the end. Whatta indignity. (Incidentally, Tim Adams/Ron Walsh also has a prominent and hilarious role in GTA4, and Connor Paolo/Travis, Starr's boyfriend was a student in Rockstar's teen game Bully)

They fired Doris? If they did that's crazy. I loved her L&O appearances.

I wonder how differently we might feel about some parts of OLTL if we didn't know the backstage politics.

Of course Jacquie Courtney all but invented the notion of backstage politics becoming public.

We were talking about Cathy Craig....here is a list of the actresses who played the character:

Catherine Burns (1969)

Amy Levitt (1970 to 1971)

Jane Alice Brandon (1971 to 1972)

Dorrie Kavanaugh (1972 to 1976)

Jennifer Harmon (1976 to 1978)

And, after being on the back burner for a number of years, Jim and Anna Craig were gone by 1983.

Levitt was the VERY outspoken actress I meant.

I didn't even know Anna lasted that long. Did they just give up on Anna after Doris Belack left or were they already done with her even before then?

I wonder if they would have kept Jim on if Nat Polen hadn't passed away.

Not sure.

According to Wikipedia: Cathy married Tony Lord, Viki's half-brother, in 1976. But Tony was truly in love with Pat Ashley. Adding to Cathy's woes was the fact that Viki became pregnant herself, and gave birth to a boy Kevin in 1976; a boy who did not inherit the heart condition that plagued Megan. Cathy's mental state wavered at that point, and she became obsessed with having a baby with Tony. Unfortunately, Cathy miscarried, and at that point she went completely over the edge. She kidnapped Viki's baby and disappeared for several months. When she was finally located, Cathy was in a catatonic state and did not have the baby. Many more months went by before Cathy recovered sufficiently to tell what she did with Kevin (who was recovered after being missing for almost a year). After recovering from her breakdown, Cathy granted Tony a divorce and left Llanview.

Jim and Anna remained in Llanview to give advice to their friends for the rest of the decade. When the actor playing Jim died of a heart attack in 1980, the character was killed off as well. Anna remained for a few years into the 1980s, but faded away by 1983.

I have told this many times but in reintroducing a Wolek youth, I've always wanted them to do so by using first a tribute to Larry, then having him visited by Karen and Belack's Anna, who simply can't put up with his grandchild any longer. When Doris Belack washes her hands you know you've got problems.

I like to think Karen is still on the run. We can say what we will about today's Todd Manning, or what John McBain has done to Marty, but I think Karen is of the same outsider cast as those and other characters, including Tina, Carla, maybe Niki, Cathy, Marco, etc.

Levitt was the VERY outspoken actress I meant.

Was she playing Cathy when OLTL did the Odyssey House/drug rehab storyline?

One thing about Russell is some did feel they downplayed Vicki a bit--this was more true by the early 80s under Sam Hall. Many praised Rauch for re-emphasizing her.

They fired Doris? If they did that's crazy. I loved her L&O appearances.

I believe they did indeed. I don't have the book in front of me but IIRC, Ellen Holly claimed it was simple network hardball over Belack's salary or something. I don't remember the second actress' name but you can see her on Youtube. She's basically Carol Brady.

Edited February 21, 201015 yr by Vee

I have told this many times but in reintroducing a Wolek youth, I've always wanted them to do so by using first a tribute to Larry, then having him visited by Karen and Belack's Anna, who simply can't put up with his grandchild any longer. When Doris Belack washes her hands you know you've got problems.

I like to think Karen is still on the run. We can say what we will about today's Todd Manning, or what John McBain has done to Marty, but I think Karen is of the same outsider cast as those and other characters, including Tina, Carla, maybe Niki, Cathy, Marco, etc.

Give Larry a grandchild. His behavior is so bad that his dad (Danny) and granddad Larry have to return to help settle him down.

Was she playing Cathy when OLTL did the Odyssey House/drug rehab storyline?

Yep, and when shortly after Cathy aged some and wrote that article about VD (I wonder if anyone actually still has a copy of the article Agnes Nixon wrote herself and ABC, at a huge loss, paid to have mailed out to anyone who asked--over 10,000! which shocked everyone). She then had a baby out of wedlock--a PLANNED one which was another soap first. But the actress complained that, despite being so liberated, she still lived at home. LOL

Edited February 21, 201015 yr by EricMontreal22

Doris played Anna till 77.

Kathleen McGuire was a short term replacement until Phyllis Behar took over,

What is the story(if any)about Belack's departure?

If she left voluntarily it wasn't to get out of soaps as she played Nora on AW,Claudia on DRS and Beth on EON in the following few years.

Maybe she was over playing the same role?Or did it have something to do with Doris Quinlan's departure as exec producer?

When Quinlan signed on at The Doctors the first actor she brought on was Belack.

I have told this many times but in reintroducing a Wolek youth, I've always wanted them to do so by using first a tribute to Larry, then having him visited by Karen and Belack's Anna, who simply can't put up with his grandchild any longer. When Doris Belack washes her hands you know you've got problems.

LOVE it!

Take a look at the blonde waif playing Cathy in '69 and the later ones. SORAS unbound.

Give Larry a grandchild. His behavior is so bad that his dad (Danny) and granddad Larry have to return to help settle him down.

I figured Dan was a story for later in the day after establishing the child, but that he was an absentee parent. And that Dan and Larry have rarely spoken since their rift over Brenda McGillis.

Edited February 21, 201015 yr by Vee

We were talking about Cathy Craig....here is a list of the actresses who played the character:

Catherine Burns (1969)

Amy Levitt (1970 to 1971)

Jane Alice Brandon (1971 to 1972)

Dorrie Kavanaugh (1972 to 1976)

Jennifer Harmon (1976 to 1978)

And, after being on the back burner for a number of years, Jim and Anna Craig were gone by 1983.

The OLTL 30 year history book lists Harmon as taking over the role in '75, although the list from soapcentral.com (above) says it was '76.