Zimmer to OLTL

[MontyB]

...and if so, so be it.

[bellcurve]

How big?

[OLTL_fan]

Im pretty sure every OLTL fan knows it will be in last place in viewers when ATWT leaves the air forever but wont be last in the important W18-49 rating. That honor goes to AMC.

[MontyB]

+1

[Eric83]

I don't think this jeopardizes Strasser or Slezak. I really don't see this lasting more than 3-4 months, if she is just back for a "big story". I am so excited to have Zimmer, Strasser, and Slezak all in one story. October can't come soon enough.

Ron, PLEASE don't [!@#$%^&*] this up.

[LoyaltoAMC]

OK thanks for the clarification. I could've sworn Rauch cast Zimmer as Echo. I vaguely remember him saying something about working with her previously on OLTL when he took over at EP of GL. Or maybe that was just his own egotistical revisionist history...taking credit for something that belonged to somebody else. Anyway, it wasn't a particularly memorable time for the show. I know she's a big name, but it's puzzling why Frons would OK the hiring of an overweight, over-50 actress from a cancelled show that had terrible 18-49 demos. Her Q rating, if they still calculate those, must be through the roof.

[FrenchFan]

Henry Slesar and Sam Hall created Echo and wrote for her during the character's 5-month run. They began headwriting together in April 1983 just a month before Kim Zimmer joined which is why I think Echo was a typical Henry Slesar character. Sam Hall had already been writing the show with Peggy O'Shea since Gordon Russell's death in 1980. When Peggy O'Shea left to replace the Corringtons at "Capitol", Slesar joined OLTL as co-head writer and he remained with Hall until September 1984 when the Corringtons took over. They were unsuccessful and ironically replaced by Hall and...O'Shea again like for "Capitol".

Soon after Kim Zimmer joined OLTL, Joseph Stuart was replaced by Jean Arley as EP. Zimmer never worked with Paul Rauch on OLTL as Rauch joined in August 1984 and La Zimmer had already been Reva on "Guiding Light" for nine months at this date.

[reallyhateskateonlost]

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[Y&RWorldTurner]

That's nice, but 18-49 doesn't seem to be making any difference. AMC still has more money and promotion from ABC being poured into it than OLTL. All one has to do is look at both shows to see that.

This AMC/OLTL battle is pointless. They'll both likely be canceled close together anyway.

[DRW50]

If it's a quick role on a show which is overrun with new faces who aren't all that popular with viewers, and if she isn't asking a lot of money, then I can see why he hired her. She's definitely not his usual type of hire but it's not that far off from some of the pointless stunt casting which GH is reveling in now. She's probably cheaper than Barbeau or Brad Rowe or Michael Learned.

[MontyB]

Wow! Nice FrenchFan! I loved Henry Slesar as HW of The Edge of Night. My heart still hurts after all these years that it's gone.

Anyway, Slesar's tenure on Capital and One Life to Live were unfortunate. Those shows were just not formatted in the way he was used to writing The Edge of Night and it didn't work. If Slesar were alive today, I'd be interested to see what he would do with GH, since it seems to have moved far away from itself and turned into a mob show. Henry would have worked is magic with this. IMO.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Slesar also had a somewhat successful stint at Search For Tomorrow.

[Eric83]

I actually don't see why last place should matter anymore. The Bell soaps have the top two spots locked, and someone is going to have to be last. There are only 6 soaps, last place is starting to become irrelevant, IMO.

[All My Shadows]

I agree. Especially considering how much it changes from week to week or month to month. A few years ago, it was a given that Port Charles would be #10 every week no matter what. Then Passions was always #9, then GL was always #8. ATWT, to its credit, is the only that hasn't limped along at the bottom of the ratings.

[Toups]

Since we have people who seem to know OLTL's HW history, can someone update this?

<b>1968-1970??</b>

Agnes Nixon

<b>1970?? - 1978??</b>

Gordon Russell

<b>??1978??</b>

Gordon Russell & Sam Hall

<b>1979</b>

Gordon Russell, Sam Hall, Peggy O'Shea

<b>??1980??</b>

Sam Hall & Peggy O'Shea

<b>1983-1984??</b>

Sam Hall

<b>1984</b>

Joyce H. Corrington and John William Corrington

<b>1985</b>

Sam Hall and Peggy O'Shea

<b>1985-1987</b>

Peggy O'Shea

<b>1987</b>

S. Michael Schenssel

<b>1988</b>

Writer's Strike

<b>1988-1990</b>

S. Michael Schenssel

<b>1990-1991</b>

Craig Carlson and Leah Laiman (were they a team?)