Dorothy Lyman appeared in the film "Ruby in Paradise." It was a dramatic, supporting role -- I thought she was quite good. It surprised me because I was so used to seeing her as Opal on AMC and her character on "Momma's Family."

The great thing about DL is that even though Opal and Naomi were very similar in mannerisms/style, she managed to make those two distinct characters as well. She's really one of those underrated gems.

JL's Opal will always be "Opal" to me, though, just because she's the one I've seen the most and on a day-to-day basis.

Aaahhhh, it's like something out of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. I wish AMC still had this kind of sense of humor.

Speaking of Adrian,why hasn't that character came back to PV? Perfect opportunity to tie in a minority character with long running characters.

Lyman also played Elly Jo on Edge of Night which many say was the template for Opal.

Edited March 14, 201114 yr by Paul Raven

Yes Erik, that's the clip, I couldn't find it for some reason.

A matter of taste, but that is perhaps the funniest piece of soap opera I have ever seen. Those "ad-libs" are inappropriately hilarious, as good as anything in The Office or in a Chris Guest movie. I could totally see Catherine O'Hara doing that scene. The way she pauses for the camera is priceless.

When Dorothy returned to AW as Gwen for that show's 25th anniversary, they really Opal-ed the character, if I remember. When Gwen was a regular character on the show, I remember her being relatively normal. When they brought her back for the anniversary, they made her more outrageous.

I wish AMC still had this kind of sense of humor.

Same here. Unfortunately, aside from Michael E. Knight, Susan Lucci and maybe Walt Willey, I doubt the cast would be up to that challenge.

As much as I'm willing to admit the role is basically JL's now, I do miss Dorothy Lyman's Opal. I'm also willing to put aside one of my biggest pet peeves about daytime and go along with the idea of bringing back Lyman in a new role, too. It would have to be a comic role, of course, but it'd almost have to be the antithesis of Opal. Perhaps, she could return to play one of those snooty, uptight "Daughters of Fine Lineage"?

Edited March 14, 201114 yr by Khan

If you Google, there's a good early '80s Dorothy Lyman interview out there. She talks about creating an unforgettable, splashy soap caracter like Opal, and how she admired similar examples in soap history like Robin Strasser's Rachel and Beverlee McKinsey's Iris. Dorothy remained close with Robin and Beverlee.

If you Google, there's a good early '80s Dorothy Lyman interview out there. She talks about creating an unforgettable, splashy soap caracter like Opal, and how she admired similar examples in soap history like Robin Strasser's Rachel and Beverlee McKinsey's Iris. Dorothy remained close with Robin and Beverlee.

I saw an interview too, but on you tube, with Dorothy Lyman. She's a real pro, and I think I can see why she and Robin and Beverlee would get along because they are all pros too and like to get the work done. I don't see that attribute in most of the younger actors that are currently on the shows. I do believe though, as unpopular as she might have been, Brittany Murphy (AMC's ex-Marissa) was a professional.

Erik

Yes Erik, that's the clip, I couldn't find it for some reason.

A matter of taste, but that is perhaps the funniest piece of soap opera I have ever seen. Those "ad-libs" are inappropriately hilarious, as good as anything in The Office or in a Chris Guest movie. I could totally see Catherine O'Hara doing that scene. The way she pauses for the camera is priceless.

HaHa!

"I love to see a short person with a dog."

"You look Irish... but I'm not gonna hold it against ya."

"Hey there, big fella. You're never gonna have to worry about your food stamps if you put me in office."

"I love chop suey!"

HaHa!

"I love to see a short person with a dog."

"You look Irish... but I'm not gonna hold it against ya."

"Hey there, big fella. You're never gonna have to worry about your food stamps if you put me in office."

"I love chop suey!"

And you know today the censors would be all over that. It's like for a moment ALL MY CHILDREN was channelling Norman Lear.

It's funnier than Norman Lear because there is no two-faced "we know this is racist/offensive but here you go," type of stuff where they tried to temper Archie by having liberal characters shout at him. They know people aren't going to see Opal as some sort of role model and they just let her rip.

My favorite part is a) the WTF looks on the faces of some of those people when the camera pauses and b ) that her theme is set to "Battle Hymn of the Republic".

My favorite part is a) the WTF looks on the faces of some of those people when the camera pauses and b ) that her theme is set to "Battle Hymn of the Republic".

Me too!

Oh, and her slogan: "Go all the way with Opal!"

Edited March 16, 201114 yr by Pine Charles

I would take original Opal back in a heartbeat. There is nothing wrong with Opal II and after 20 years she is just as much Opal as Opal I, but Opal I > Opal II.

When ABC used to do Fan February or whatever it was called I thought a neat idea for one episode would be having all of the original actors play their roles again, e.g., Gillian Spencer and Nancy Pinkerton (she was still living when I had this idea) play Viki and Dorian for the day. I'd like to see Dorothy get a similar chance to play Opal once more. They're using Opal a lot more now that she's back on contract, but say Jill booked a great play or film or something, it would be neat to see Dorothy back for a short stint.

It was Carl who introduced me to that clip, it's so funny I wish I could see it for the first time again. Do any of you remember the Dick van Dyke show reunion they did a few years back, taped in front of a live studio audience? They should do one for Mama's Family and air it on TV Land. Dorothy's not in it, but the Eunice teleplay is also great.

When Dorothy returned to AW as Gwen for that show's 25th anniversary, they really Opal-ed the character, if I remember. When Gwen was a regular character on the show, I remember her being relatively normal. When they brought her back for the anniversary, they made her more outrageous.

It was kind of a mess. I think they said "oh well Gwen hasn't been the same since she and Willis didn't get any money," but I wonder if Dorothy felt like it was a slap in the face to invite her back and have her play a character who had nothing to do with her AW role. She said she was bewildered but she just played what they gave her. They did at least have a scene at the very end where Gwen was ashamed of herself and apologized to Rachel.