Members vetsoapfan Posted August 16, 2012 Members Share Posted August 16, 2012 The last we saw of Courtney was in a party scene, and we never actually got to see her leave town, in a final scene devoted just to her. It was ABC's decision to terminate the actress when they were planning to hire Rauch, knowing the bad blood between them. So while he may not have been the one to give her the pink slip, she was canned in preparation of his later arrival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dale Posted August 16, 2012 Members Share Posted August 16, 2012 LOL! Rauch was still the EP at Another World when Courtney was fired from OLTL. ABC musta had a crystal ball that saw a year into the future when they fired her. The fact of the matter is that Courtney's Pat Ashely character had long run her course and she was let go a mere 8 months after the departure of Joe Stuart with whom she had a rumored romantic relationship. I know it's more fun to perpetuate the rumor that Courtney was fired because Rauch was coming, but the dates simply do not add up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vetsoapfan Posted August 16, 2012 Members Share Posted August 16, 2012 ABC was intent on wooing Rauch to take over at OLTL before actually hiring him. Their firing Courtney was in preparation for that. I have already confirmed that the actress was terminated before Rauch was hired, so there are no problems with the time line, except to those who enjoy finding "problems" to stress about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dale Posted August 17, 2012 Members Share Posted August 17, 2012 ....or except for those intent on re-writing history with no proof or evifence to verify their suppositions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khan Posted August 17, 2012 Members Share Posted August 17, 2012 Methinks we're witnessing another soap opera feud in the making. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vetsoapfan Posted August 17, 2012 Members Share Posted August 17, 2012 Your continued attempts to start an argument, while amusing to witness, are pointless I'm afraid. Your belligerence is borne from your inability to accept, or perhaps to understand, that entertainment and sports corporations often woo high-powered, in-demand individuals whom they want on their team, long before those individuals are actually signed. Paul Rauch himself reached out to Janice Lynde, while she was still under contract to YOUNG & RESTLESS, in hopes of getting the highly-popular star to work for him. It happens all the time. You may find it impossible to believe that ABC wanted Rauch for OLTL before they actually got him, and of course that it your right, if it helps you convince yourself that you are "right". He's trying very hard to go down in soap opera history, I suppose. ROTF! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sungrey Posted August 17, 2012 Members Share Posted August 17, 2012 Will someone pass the popcorn? I've got the Bud... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rlj Posted August 17, 2012 Members Share Posted August 17, 2012 Yeah but I doubt Rauch wouldve fired anyone from the AW cast and crew he knew Lynde didnt like based off of those "hopes". I doubt ABC wouldve fired Courtney in preparation for a possible Rauch hiring a year later LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dale Posted August 17, 2012 Members Share Posted August 17, 2012 Be careful, rlj. You're starting to sound "beligerent". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vetsoapfan Posted August 17, 2012 Members Share Posted August 17, 2012 Well, it depends. JFP fired Ellen Parker from TGL to make money available to pay Justin Deas, at least as far as the rumors go, so Rauch could have made cuts to the AW cast if he knew getting Lynde was virtually a done deal, and that firing other actors was the only way he could afford her. ABC was intent of getting Rauch and took steps to guarantee their eventual success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vetsoapfan Posted August 17, 2012 Members Share Posted August 17, 2012 Speaking of Jacquie Courtney, during her first year on AW in 1964, she wanted to play Alice Matthews in a very bubbly, expressive Gidget-like fashion, since that sort of teenager was very popular at the time on TV and in the movies. She kept getting critical notes from the director, however, to tone it down, to be less broad in her portrayal. She was hurt and confused, but finally decided that she simply would go in there and "not move a muscle" on her face. She later found out that the powers that be were actually trying to save her job by criticizing her, because Irna Phillips had detested the "bubbly Alice", and had targeted Courtney for dismissal. She was planning to have Alice die in a camp fire! But after Courtney toned it down, Irna came up to her, gave the actress a big hug and gushed, "My Alice!" Plans to kill the character off her dropped, and the revised, solemn, soulful version of the character seemed to strike a cord with the audience, as Alice Matthews/Jacquie Courtney later grew into one of the series' all-time best-loved characters and actresses. Phillips had also taken issue with Helen Wagner during ATWT's early days, and that actress might have been replaced too, had things not worked out. Long-time soap fans are fortunate that neither of these beloved actresses left what would later become iconic roles for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vetsoapfan Posted August 17, 2012 Members Share Posted August 17, 2012 "Belligerent" And no, he isn't. People can disagree respectfully. Just so you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vetsoapfan Posted August 17, 2012 Members Share Posted August 17, 2012 The late, great, Irna Phillips was legendary for her battles with the network, the sponsor, and various actors over the years. Legend has it that when she was really annoyed with someone, and wanted to intimidate them, she would deliberately start lowering her voice more and more, so that the object of her ire could barely hear her, and had to lean way in to understand what she was saying. Actress Kay Campbell (best known as Grandma Kate on AMC) recounted a story about Irna being told off with the line, "Irna, don't you DARE lower your voice to me!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vetsoapfan Posted August 17, 2012 Members Share Posted August 17, 2012 Emily McLaughlin was an original cast member of General Hospital in 1963, and played beloved Nurse Jessie Brewer for decades, until her death in the early 1990s (her last appearance being in 1991). Sadly, however, although she was featured prominently in the 1960s and early '70s, certain personal and health-related issues started effecting her work, and her role was diminished, eventually almost to oblivion. The show tried temporary replacements (Aneta Corsaut) when McLaughlin's emergency health issues prevented her from working, and much later created a minor character, a mature nurse named Georgia, to stand behind the nurses' desk and recite what would have been Jessie's few lines, when McLaughlin couldn't make it into work. Viewers may have assumed producer Gloria Monty wanted just to eliminate older characters like Jessie when the "youth explosion" and Luke-and-Laura heyday took over, since the vets' on-screen importance decreased. McLaughlin acknowledged in the press that writer Douglas Marland had been told to minimize the vets. Monty, however, went to bat for McLaughlin and defended her and her job to the network. When Jessie Brewer was dropped from the list of contract characters and the actress went on recurring status, she became a highly-paid day player, still earning three thousand dollars an episode. She resented and was hurt by the reduction in her role and its importance on the show, but we viewers who valued the vets were still privileged to see stalwarts like Jessie, if only on rare occasions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lust4Life76 Posted December 23, 2012 Members Share Posted December 23, 2012 Hmmmm, I tend to agree here. The ONE LIFE TO LIVE Rauch envisioned was NOT the ONE LIFE Agnes Nixon created. There was one one wealthy family, not several, and the rest of the characters were small families, representations of cultural, racial, fiscal diversity - I know you know the story. But the charm of the origianl creation was all these families became surrogates to other characters, and the relationships that were fostered were humanly rich and beautiful. Rauch could have gone that route, as I believe he had some experience in attempting realism in daytime with the sudser FOR RICHER, FOR POORER, but it was ill-fated as nobody wanted realism in a daytime drama. They wanted espcape! I believe he wanted a hot, new depiction of Llanview and Holly and Hayman did not fit his vision. I mean if I recall didn't he harass Ms. Holly because of her voice and told her to tale speaking/vocal lessons? But then, didn't she drink? I think she was too classy, almost too refined or poised, for the tone he wanted. Al Freeman Jr cut the mustard (though barely as his character had nothing to do but arrest white people). I mean maybe it was his Emmy award win that saved Freeman Jr from the axe. Blair Underwood made the big splash, and if Rauch didn't see a need for black people on the show he would not have introduced Bobby Blue into a classic relationship with poor little rich girl Lisa Barron and Ed's adopted son Dr. Joshua Hall. Rauch also kept Kim, the Asian Llanfair nanny, on the canvas...and he introduced a Latino-American heartthrob in Cord Roberts who would be involved with many of the Anglo-characters, being the son of Clint Buchanan and a cook's daughter, Maria Vasquez. I felt Rauch's take was a little more prettied and polished vs. the gritty, raw, realness that made ONE LIFE original. If anything Rauch forsaked the legacy for the sake of ratings. But he did pay hommage to history...though he stretched it like silly putty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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