ALL: Temporary Replacements

[Wendy]

I just remembered the very short run of Ethan Erickson as temporary Dr. Patrick Drake on GH back in April 2008. What is odd is, during his three or four episodes, I do not recall ANYONE addressing him as Patrick directly.

[Paul Raven]

ATWT Mary Kane as Frannie Hughes in 91 replacing Mary Ellen Stuart

John Cunningham as Kevin Thomson in 78 replacing Michael Nader

[Khan]

Ah, John Cunningham (ex-Emerson, ATWT; ex-Garth, LOVING; ex-Wade, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW). One of my all-time faves.

[J.W.S]

Rthan Erickson Wasnt That Bad as Patrick On GH

also Jay Pickett Subbed As Alczar before being cast as that cop

[juniorz1]

She didn't. That was the original Santana, Ava Lazar. I'm pretty sure she only lasted a few months before being replaced with Margaret Michaels, who wasn't much better and only lasted a couple months in 1985. SB didn't get it right until they brought Gina Gallego on in 1985. She wasn't as beautiful as the first two but she played a very flawed, needy, and insecure Santana to the hilt. She was the definitive Santana & probably the reason Wanda DeJesus was such an AWFUL recast in 1992. Jed Allan said in his book what a diva DeJesus was on set & the two did not get along.

As for CC, SB was in a tough bind in the beginning because the original actor cast as CC, Lloyd Bochner, had to bow out at the last minute for health reasons I believe. The actor in the first episode was Peter Mark Richman, who wasn't at all memorable in the part. He was replaced within a month or two by Paul Burke, who was FAR WORSE. If you want a good laugh, find a Paul Burke Santa Barbara episode on youtube. It was like CC was being played by a game show host. Burke didn't last long either & Charles Bateman was brought in. He was okay, but didn't possess the power needed for the role of CC- he was too soft. Jed Allan wasn't brought on until 1986, and there's some mention that the two were at a party together & Bateman found out Allan had been hired as CC before finding out he himself was fired. In his book, Allan says Bateman took it like a gentleman & a professional.

Dame Judith was AMAZING in her supporting role. SB was daytime's Dynasty in the 80s- I still remember how gorgeous some of the sets were, especially the Capwell mansion. The sets today do not compare.

As for the Lane Davies mention, I believe there's an interview you can find on lane-davies.net where he says, in so many words, that the first couple years of SB were carried by himself, A Martinez, Marcy Walker, Louise Sorel, and Nicholas Coster. Those 5 held the ship together and it wasn't until late 1985-early 1986 where the show finally found its footing & had a strong cast in place. From late 85- early 90, though, Santa Barbara was sophisticated, witty, delicious soap fan heaven.

Edited July 18, 2010 by juniorz1

[Sapounopera]

Ava Lazar was GORGEOUS and the only Santana for me. Margaret Michaels' version was way too boring and Gina Gallego was so not... glamourous I never accepted anybody else until Wanda DeJesus took over. Why do you think she was an bad recast?

SB was a great show until it became too dark after Eden's rape and all the cast changes ruined the show. By 1989 it was clear that SB was in trouble.

[DRW50]

Do you agree with those who think JFP ruined the show?

[Sapounopera]

Was she responsible for Megan Richardson and her son? The DiNapolli sisters? The horrible sick Cain- Ming Li story? The Donnellys? Ethan and Laura? During that period Santa Barbara was a mess.

I think John Conboy ruined the show for good. Among others I hated the Eden-Kelly feud (the Capwell girls were clearly not Lori and Leslie Brooks), the new sets (why would someone destroy the wonderful Capwell mansion sets?), it was a joke alltogether.

[DRW50]

I don't know the exact times she was there, I think it was 1989-1991 or so. She did the Eden's rape story.

[saynotoursoap]

Hal had another recast, too. In the 1993-94 season, Ben Hendrickson had family issues preventing his appearance. He was replaced several times by actor John Hillner. More recently, Hillner played Dean Brewster on ATWT, but his previous appearances from 1993-94 are not documented.

In the late 80's / early 90's, it seemed that P&G tried to have permanent understudies for major roles. On Guiding Light, actress Sonia Stewart played Vanessa Chamberlin (Lewis) for a number of years any time Maeve Kinkead could not appear. Stewart looked very much like Leslie Dennison who had played Maeve Stoddard on GL.

[Sapounopera]

Leslie Dennison replaced Christine Tudor for several episodes on Loving and played Gwyneth Alden during her affair with Jeff Hartman, daughter Trisha's then boyfriend. I always felt that Tudor didn't want to play those scenes and that's the reason another actress was brought

I didn't like her at all in this part. This was not Gwyneth, but felt like a different character.

[saynotoursoap]

The Samantha situation on OLTL was amusing. Julie Montgomery decided to leave in the middle of a major storyline. Samantha was with Tony Lord, who continued to carry a torch for Pat Kendall. To get rid of Montgomery (I believe she left to try Hollywood), Gordon Russell pulled the old plastic surgery chestnut. Sam and Tony had a big fight, and he admitted that he was still in love with Pat. They were in his restaurant Tony's Place. Sam was crying her eyes out, grabbed her keys, and was going to drive off. Sam's soon-to-be stepmother Dr. Pamela Shephard (engaged to Will Vernon) tried to stop her. Pam got into the car with Samantha, and they drove off. It was raining and foggy. Sam lost control of the car, and crashed head on into an oncoming vehicle. Pam was killed instantly, and Samantha's face was disfigured. They kept Sam's face swathed completely in bandages for weeks. When the wrappings came off, she was actress Susan Keith. Susan was a good actress but horribly miscast, so the writer's had Sam upset about her new face. Will searched for a plastic surgeon who could do more work on Sam. He found one. Sam underwent additional plastic surgery, and when it was over, she was Julie Montgomery again!

[DRW50]

Wow, saynotoursoap. I've never heard a story like that. That's nuts. I guess they didn't do that again when Dorian Lopinto took over?

I see what you mean about P&G and permanent understudies. When I was watching an ATWT episode from the early 90s, Graham Winton was there as Caleb, even though Michael David Morrison was still alive at that time.

[saynotoursoap]

Louise Shaffer and Judith McGilligan played sisters on The Edge of Night. From 1975-76, Louise was Serena (Travis) Faraday, a cousin to Nicole Travis Drake. Serena had a split personality (we didn't call it DID back then), whose alter ego was the truculent Josie. Judith played Josephine Travis Harper, who came to Monticello to gain custody of Serena's orphaned son Timmy. Although they were sisters, the two actresses didn't appear on the show together. McGilligan started after Shaffer left in April 1976.

[saynotoursoap]

Yes, Jada Rowland left The Secret Storm in 1966. She and Nicolas Coster were written out because the writers couldn't think of any storylines for the happily married Amy and Paul, who were sent to Cincinnati (!). Rowland moved over to As the World Turns, where her brother Jeff had previously appeared. She stayed about a year, until new writers at Secret Storm devised the amazing Belle Clemens plot. Rowland and Coster returned to play that story.