ALL: They Almost Became

[SteelCity]

She gets a bad rap, for no real reason.

[slick jones]

I couldn't stand her as Georgie Phillips, and I didn't like her as Carly. She grated on my nerves and I honestly believe she was only a placeholder while Wright was ending her CBS contract. I literally burst out laughing when I read she was being replaced with Wright. Three good friends of mine that watched GL abandoned ship and switched to GH with Wright.

[titan1978]

She had a masculine edge that viewers were turned off by.  I think people had forgotten that Sarah attacked the role.  She brought so much edge and you never forgot Carly considered herself wronged and from the wrong side of the tracks, etc.

 

TB’s version was softer, she had become more of a troubled romantic character than Sarah’s emotional, harder edged version.  TB still had some fire, but it was different.

 

I think her version seemed more like Sarah’s Carly all grown up and damaged by the mistakes of her life.  Her relationships with Jason and Sonny and constantly fighting for Michael.  I also cannot imagine her in the role for as long as Wright.  I thought she lacked romantic chemistry.  But she had that edge.  

 

Recasting a character like Carly is very difficult.  Many may love Gina and Sandra as Phyllis on Y&R, but as annoying as I find Stafford, her version is the one I gravitate towards.  Same with Blake on GL.  Stringfield just has the raw part down better than Liz did.

[YRfan23]

Just read in the 7/10/1990 SOD: Tonya Lee Williams auditioned for Drucilla, then Bill Bell created Olivia just for her.

[Paul Raven]

Ruth Warrick noted in her book that Mary Lynn Blanks tried out for Tara on AMC 3 times over the years before landing the role, including in 1969 for the original cast.

[amybrickwallace]

I actually wrote to Frank Telfer not long ago. He gave me a tale that would fit here. In 1976, he tested for two NYC soaps and was offered roles on both of them - the recast of Dr. Jeff Martin on AMC and the newly created part of Lew (later Luke) Dancy on The Doctors. He chose TD and Robert Perault was cast on AMC. As it turns out, Jeff was written out again in 1977 while Luke (and Frank) lasted until TD's very last episode in 1982. 

 

As for Frank now, he headed West after a brief gig on ATWT and has been there ever since. He was eventually cast as one of Jay Leno's regular players in goofy skits on The Tonight Show. He would usually play politicians like John McCain, Howard Dean and Joe Biden.

Edited February 17, 2019 by amybrickwallace

[Paul Raven]

Good story.

Wonder if he had been cast as Jeff, the role would have last longer?

At first Peter Bergman was going to be Jeff but it was decided to make him a new character.

I think they tried a couple more times with Jeff and then he was forgotten until John James.

 

BTW Amy, nice to see you posting again!

[amybrickwallace]

Thank you!! AMC may have been the higher-rated soap in 1976, but TD ended up being the right move for him. 

[John]

Gloria Monty was intrested in hiring Tracey Bregman as a recast for Laura Spencer in 1982 on GH,  but TB didnt wanna go back to daytime at that point

Edited April 27, 2019 by John

[cassadine1991]

Either Laura or a similar character archetype

[John]

Well if it was for Laura Templeton Tracey dodged a bullet there. That role did no favors for Janine Turner

Edited April 28, 2019 by John

[John]

Carrie Genzel (Skye, AMC) auditioned for the role of Karen Wexler on Port Charles in 1999 when Jennifer Hammon quit. Marie Wilson got the role.

Edited June 28, 2019 by John

[Vee]

Lynn Herring (Lucy, GH/PC) just told Soapcentral that DOOL called her about a (new) role the day ABC cancelled PC in 2003. She was upset about the cancellation and chose to retire to her ranch with Wayne Northrop.

 

My suspicion: They wanted her for Bonnie Lockhart.

Edited July 18, 2019 by Vee

[John]

Oh Lynn would have done Bonnie well. I understand she was shocked about PC and probably needed a break

[safe]

MacKenzie Allen (Jim Speed, Ryan's Hope)  was up for the role of Tom Bergman on Search For Tomorrow when ABC offered him a contract to play Jim.