OLTL Tribute Thread

[Sean]

I think SOD is wrong on this point as well - I wouldn't be surprised if this was sourced from Wikipedia, or vice versa. Here's the text of the article I linked from August 21, 1983:

Henry Slesar, who spent 15 years head-writing "Edge of Night" until he was let go, is back on the Soaps. This time he has been named co-head writer of "One Life to Live." The show has been slipping in the ratings, and evidently it was decided that Slesar's touch with mystery is just what was needed to land that show back on top. Sam Hall will remain as co-head writer. Hall replaced Gordon Russell, who left "One Life to Live" to head-write "General Hospital." Unfortunately, Russell died before he was able to make the move. 

I can't find any references in online newspaper archives to Slesar writing OLTL prior to August 1983. While he also wrote Somerset and Search for Tomorrow while at The Edge of Night, those were P&G soaps - I'd be surprised if P&G allowed him to write for another production company. Not sure how true this is, but I'd previously read that ABC brought him onto OLTL because they were happy with his writing at EON and P&G made the decision to axe him without their buy-in.

[Contessa Donatella]

You're right about P&G and exclusivity. In late June 1999 when AW went off the air Jensen Buchanan was one of four AW actors to go directly to ATWT & begin work there. Jensen had been hired by JFP to begin work at GH. She ended up scheduled to appear on both soaps on the same day. P&G sued her for breach of contract. They included GH in the suit but released them when they promptly fired JB. They included someone else in the suit, which I thought should have been JFP but apparently it was JB's agent, Sam Somebody. JB said she hadn't known anything about being exclusive. Amazing to me, the suit played out Feb. 2001.

[robbwolff]

Great points, Sean. I was in the midst of writing something similar when you posted. And the information in that SOD time capsule about Peggy O'Shea is also incorrect. I don't recall Peggy being head of the writing team in 1982. Hall was as can be seen in videos on YouTube. O'Shea was the likely his co-head writer. The OLTL Wikipedia page also incorrectly states that O'Shea rejoined OLTL in December 1983 as co-head writer. She was still at Capitol long into 1984 as I recollect.

[RavenWhitney]

Henry was fired before his March 1983 annual contract was renewed and his EON episodes aired until mid-May.  He may have been hired at OLTL shortly thereafter, but I don't believe his name appeared in OLTL credits until Dec 83 and he was gone by June 84 I believe.  There have been several mentions over the years that P&G wanted him gone over ABC objections. But given that the show's budget continued to be slashed during the final two years (advertising was dropping, stations were dropping), I'm guessing that cutting Henry and his huge veteran salary bought P&G some breathing room for the final 18 mo. budget. Lee Sheldon was entry level and very likely paid barely above union minimum. P&G had a similar approach to SFT in the last year. There as speculation at the time of EON cancellation that Nick Nicholson was appointed SFT EP to complete his P&G contract after which they named a no-name, David Lawrence as EP, and Addie Walsh as head writer, who had never been a head writer before. It all comes down to money especially when a show is in free fall and likely about to be cancelled.

Edited October 29, 2022 by RavenWhitney

[j swift]

@RavenWhitney@Sean@robbwolff Lesson learned, neither Sleasar nor internet sources are infallible.   Thanks for setting me straight (figuratively, not literally).

But, it does raise some additional questions regarding OLTL's historic Jenny/Katrina baby switch.

1.  Did the same writer who wrote the switch get to resolve the story? (I assume the Sam Hall writing crew felt the need to resolve it before Judith Light left).

2.  When and how did Brad become aware of the switch?

3.  It's bad enough that Jenny became romantically involved with Larry just prior to David's arrival (after all she was the most seductive ex-novice in soap history), but how could she have ever forgiven Brad at that point in history?

Edited October 30, 2022 by j swift

[Contessa Donatella]

At GL before things were that dire Claire Labine was HW but whatever she pitched to write Paul said NO. And, so, after just a few months, Paul fired her & her team. Then, he set about to get a HW. Couldn't find anyone to come & work for him. IDK if it was the rep & state of P&G at the time or that PLUS not paying well enough, or him. Paul called Claire & asked her if she would consider coming back. There was no reason to think it was going to be a happy thing all of a sudden, but she did. As we know, she was a class act all around. Me, I would've loved some of the stuff she pitched! So there.

[danfling]

"At GL before things were that dire Claire Labine was HW but whatever she pitched to write Paul said NO. And, so, after just a few months, Paul fired her & her team. Then, he set about to get a HW. Couldn't find anyone to come & work for him. IDK if it was the rep & state of P&G at the time or that PLUS not paying well enough, or him. Paul called Claire & asked her if she would consider coming back. There was no reason to think it was going to be a happy thing all of a sudden, but she did. As we know, she was a class act all around. Me, I would've loved some of the stuff she pitched! So there."

 

Who is Paul?

[Contessa Donatella]

Oh, sorry. Paul Rauch, once a network executive, when Harding Lemay was HW at AW he jumped the fence to become EP at AW. Later he was EP at OLTL & at SB & here in this instance he was at his last show, EP at GL.

[robbwolff]

Guiding Light wasn't Rauch's last show. The Young and the Restless was.

[slick jones]

No,   She was wrong again.

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Say it isn't so.   

On the plus side, this post didn't need an interpreter. Most of them read like a 13 year old crack addict with A-D-D posted them.

[Contessa Donatella]

Oh, okay, thnx.

My God you actually said something new & different this time when you rushed over to point out my glaring flaws! I'm amazed. First time you've not bored me to tears. Congratulations & what a gift to give me a little of Mariska, such a favorite of mine.

Folks, I did not name all of Paul Rauch's shows! Wasn't even trying to. Heavens, he is probably rolling over in his grave, may he rest in peace, that I didn't mention For Richer, For Poorer especially!

[Vee]

Donna, please just stop looking for another way to talk about Another World in every single thread.

[FrenchFan]

Yes I agree with that.

Kim Zimmer played Echo DiSavoy from May to November 1983 only. She joined GL at the very end of November.

Henry Slesar began his HW run on OLTL at the very end of November until something like June 1984 when the Corringtons took over. He didn't write the Echo's story.

[j swift]

Meanwhile, the infamous fan of park benches gets multiple responses and I still don't have a timeline of the baby switch story...

[dc11786]

Not sure about the origins, but it looks like the reveal of Mary's parentage is February / March 1982.

In January 1982, Melinda Cramer has written a letter detailing the baby switch which Dorian dismisses and Peter Jansen seems concerned about. Marcello gets a hold of the letter and realizes the baby switch must be true. In February, during sweeps, Marcello tells Katrina what has been said in the letter leading to Katrina confronting Karen over what has occured. 

In early March, Katrina knows Mary is her daughter and has gotten Herb to be her lawyer. In the same week, Katrina receives marriage proposals from Marcello (offering to help increase her chances of custody) and from Brad (to keep her quiet about the switch and to live as Mary's stepmother). 

By the first week of June 1982, Katrina and Mary are shipped off to Virginia Beach by Brad. Shortly after, Katrina mails a letter to Jenny revealing the whole baby switch. Katrina and Mary return at some point. 

Sam Hall oversaw most of the story from beginning to end, it would appear, but Gordon Russell would have been out before the story was resolved.