OLTL Tribute Thread

[EricMontreal22]

I'm not sure and though I was watching, I don't remember and YT is little help.  When would the bachelor party have been?  I found the mention of his one off appearance for AIDS day (when all the soaps in 1993 agreed to do something for that day--June 21) in an essay on the storyline.

[DRW50]

 

Andrew and Cassie got married in late 1992 or early 1993 didn't they? When Cassie lost her baby she was nearly full term.

 

It had to be early 1993 because Marty crashed it, didn't she? 

Edited October 12, 2018 by DRW50

[EricMontreal22]

SOunds right.  Interestingly the same article said that even if they were brave enough (their words) to keep Billy on, it would have to be recast because Ryan had just booked the NBC primetime "soap miniseries" The Secrets of Lake Success which they hoped would be successful enough to be a series (I'd never heard of it--though I see it's on DVD so I guess it wasn't.)  Variety's review starts off: 

When the Atkins family patriarch dies, the town of Lake Success is inundated with more gold diggers than a Dean Martin roast. Resultant fast-paced soaper may be -- however inadvertently -- the funniest series on primetime TV, with florid acting and script on a campy level that makes "Dallas" look like "King Lear." Pity it's only scheduled for three two-hour installments, concluding Oct. 15.

 

Edited October 12, 2018 by EricMontreal22

[DRW50]

I'd never heard of it either.

 

No soap then was ever going to have a gay character on regularly but I do think they could have recast him in later years. *

 

* If Ron Carlivati and Dena Higley were not headwriters. 

 

Now I'm thinking about Andrew and Marty again. Trying that romantic angle in late 1994, when he and Cassie had just gotten River back, was not good timing. If they'd tried again in late 1995, after Todd "died," I think it could have worked. 

 

(and of course if Patrick had not existed)

 

Now I went to watch this scene again, for the first time in years. This could have been pure camp,  and if I'm being honest it is still camp, but by this time Gottlieb had learned to ground these moments enough to where it didn't go too far. If only future producers had done the same.

 

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[Jagger1966]

 

 

I remember watching The Secrets Of Lake Success.  I don't remember much about the story, but I remember that I didn't think it was very good.  As for Billy's appearances, he was still around after the quilt episodes.  He met Rick on Christmas Eve and a few weeks later there was an episode where Billy and Rick had lunch with Billy's parents.  Billy's dad was still having trouble with Billy's homosexuality  but after a chat with Sloan he kinda sorta came around a little bit.  That was about it for the Douglas family and Rick.

[Franko]

Does anyone here have a copy of Love, Honor and Cherish? I remember the date was listed there. The wedding episodes were Elaine Princi's last as Dorian, and Robin apparently returned on Friday, Feb. 19th. With that info, and the proximity to Valentine's Day, I'll take a shot in the dark and guess Friday, Feb. 12.

[robbwolff]

I want to say the bachelor party and wedding were in January 1993. For some reason, I keep thinking Georgia Engel from The Mary Tyler Moore Show guested during the bachelor party. From what I read online, Billy last appeared around Father's Day in 1993. He then returned for a guest appearance in June 1994 according to some folks.

[cassadine1991]

Wonder how it would've been had ABC let Malone do the coming out story as he originally intended with Joey

[Jagger1966]

 

 

     That would've been a great story and it would have been long-term.  But this was 1992 and network execs were still skittish about a story like that with a core character so whenever a gay character was introduced it was always an outside character who had no ties to the canvas-easy to write off.  It's too bad, I think Malone would have written a great story.

[EricMontreal22]

Yeah, Malone didn't seem to fight for it too much to be honest--or at least he was resigned to the issues at the time.  In interviews I found from the time he admits how pleasantly surprised they were at how much audiences like Billy--saying originally the focus was gonna be on Andrew.  He's quoted in a Michael Logan article on Daytime Taboos from Sep 1993 saying that "it's one thing to do a story abou t homophobia but it's quite another to explore the life of a gay character or couple a life that includes sex and such problems such as gay adoption.  I doubt that day will ever come. :

[danfling]

I think that the attraction of Billy's character compared to Andrew's character can be attributed to the charisma of the two actors.   They are both good actors, but Ryan Phillipe had more charisma.

 

 

[victoria foxton]

 

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[j swift]

That was great!, thank you - it was so jarring because my initial thought when I saw the thumbnail is that it seemed impossible that Pamela was in Llandview in 1981

 

Larry was such a good friend to Viki.  His speech was a tour de force.  I appreciate when writers use character's histories as insight rather than just exposition.   Although, it was odd that Larry gave such a personal analysis while Ted, Tina, and Ed were in the other room?  Then, Ted ominously listens in, when I'm sure he is aware of Larry disdain given that he there for a drug bust.  It is also odd that even though Viki is obviously drugged, she has no response to the idea that Tina might have drugs with her sons in the house?  And why did Ed bring Larry along on a police bust?  And, is it mandatory that every nurse with a poor prognosis won't let people in the room?

 

Also, I know that there was a real Ted Clayton and a fake-Ted - Is this fake-Ted?  And do they live at Ted's house because I don't recognize the set?

Edited October 18, 2018 by j swift

[Jagger1966]

I believe the set is Viki's carriage house.  That's where Viki was living until she kicked Dorian out of Llanfair.

[DRW50]

 

Larry said he was at the hospital when he heard Ed was going so he went along. 

 

I was a bit surprised at that heavy psychoanalysis from Larry as I didn't think OLTL was written that way by 1981 - it seemed more like Agnes Nixon's type of writing. Maybe they were trying to help explain to fed up viewers why Viki had ever gotten with Ted. 

 

This is one of the strongest examples I've seen of the Viki/Larry relationship - the bond between them is so clear. Christine and Michael Storm work very well together. I think part of the reason may be because Erika Slezak was more like Michael Storm in her performances, so there wasn't as much of a contrast as we got here. I could actually see this Viki and Larry as a couple, oddly enough. 

 

This is the most I've ever seen of Christine Jones as Viki (and it's more than I ever thought I'd see). She's doing a lot of her Janice Frame, as Janice was so mentally broken by the time she died. It's certainly interesting to watch, although I have a feeling months of this would have been exhausting. I think Erika ended up taking the right time for her maternity leave as this type of material would not have suited her - can you really see her Viki being drugged and being a shell of herself, etc.?

 

I see this is back when Bo still had an accent. Lovely scenes with Asa in Clint's room.

 

It's so nice to see a beauty shot at the end. And that closing theme - I've never heard that version. Lovely.