OLTL Tribute Thread

[NothinButAttitude]

Don't restrain yourself, Khan! I want to hear your honest opinion. 

I've always wondered why if they are going to have all the characters live in hotel rooms, why not shift the sets around and change aspects of the set to make them more personalized to each character and not be so obvious to us that we are occupying the same set. My mind instantly goes to the GCAC hotel room set. Change it around so each room doesn't look the same. 

[Paul Raven]

Same here. The basic GCAC room set isn't too bad (better than Gran Phoenix) but identical furniture is ridiculous.

Is it a union thing? Only certain people are allowed to touch the sets and it would cost extra to have them on set to redress the sets on taping day.

[NothinButAttitude]

 

That's what I am wondering, and I'd love to be educated on the matter. Again, it should be easy to swap a set around and change the furniture to make it look like a whole different room. That'll at least allow us to suspend our imagination a little bit. 

[vetsoapfan]

No, the Larry-Dorian feud originated before the Victor Lord saga.

In 1974, when Dorian was a practicing physician, she began a sexual affair with a young doctor named Mark Toland (who was married to Victoria Lord Riley's niece by marriage, Julie.)

Through incompetence and careless decisions, Mark and Dorians accidentally killed Rachel Wilson, one of Larry's Wolek's seriously ill patients.

Larry was suspected of and arrested for Rachel's "murder," which Llanview-ites blamed Dorian and Mark for, when the truth eventually came out (resulting in Larry's acquittal of all charges and Dorian's medical practice being terminated.)

To be fair, Dorian had wanted to confess to the truth early on, but she was seriously injured and left in a coma, leaving Larry to face charges.

Larry never forgave Dorian for Rachel's death and his legal  battle, whereas Dorian felt unjustly crucified by the townspeople for Larry's legal nightmare...when she was unconscious in a coma. (I could see both sides, actually. Rachel Wilson would not have died if Dorian and Mark Toland had not inadvertently screwed up her medication, but really, when she was in a COMA, what was Dorian supposed to do?)

The Larry-Dorian animosity lasted for years. It reared its ugly head again when Karen Wolek was revealed to be a prostitute, during the time Viki was on trial for Marco Dane's murder. Dorian marched over to the hospital with Colonel Hutchinson, a member of the board, to change the locks on Larry's door and have him barred from the hospital. This move was absurd and unjustified, of course, but when Karen discovered what the Colonel and Dorian were doing, Dorian crowed triumphantly, "Your husband has been asking for it for a very, very long time!!!"

In one of the most satisfying scenes in this show's history, Karen replied "So...have...YOU," before pouncing on Dorian and whupping her a$$.

UGH. Granger was pretty dreadful on OLTL. He was forever stumbling over his dialogue, forgetting his lines, and not-so-subtly reading from the teleprompter. I LMAO when he received an Emmy nomination for the role. Clearly, name recognition alone precipitated his inclusion. The same must have been true for acting legend Uta Hagen, who was nominated for her brief "supporting" appearance on OLTL, even though her performance was marred in the same way Granger's had been: through inability to remember her lines and stumbling through awkward scenes

I loved many of OLTL's sets in the 1970s. The Rileys' carriage house had such a warm, cozy appeal.

Edited May 13 by vetsoapfan

[NothinButAttitude]

OK. This story rings a bell to me from reading the OLTL anniversary book that I bought a while back. I forgot about the Mark Toland arc. Now that makes sense. I assumed it was because Larry and Viki were so close due to him previously being married to her late sister, Merrie, that was the reason why. But I am pretty sure that added to it along with the aforementioned. And I would die to see the episode where Karen put her paws on Dorian. I bet that was hilarious. But all this talk of Larry makes it sad how he was phased out. The Woleks should've been on the show till the very end. 

And the Riley's carriage set, I think I've seen that set. Is that the one in the episodes that were once uploaded about Joe's death and the introduction of Clint? I remember seeing the kitchen and living rooms. I just wish soaps went back to sets where they were more personable and not too outlandish or resembled every other soap set. 

 

[vetsoapfan]

After Meredith died, Larry developed romantic feelings for Viki, and I'm sure his closeness with her intensified his disdain for Dorian. Relationships on soaps were so complex and layered back then.

The best part was Dorian's shock at what was happening, and her astonished "Oh!...Oh!...OH!!!" LOL! Then she snarled at Karen, "I will see you barred from this hospital, along with your husband!" It was such an exhilarating moment that my heart leaped in my chest and it made me catch my breath. Just like on Another World, when Alice lunged at Rachel and chased her down the stairs and out of the Frame house. My adrenaline went into overdrive.

The indifference soaps have shown towards beloved veterans in recent decades (if forty years can be considered recent) has always infuriated me.

Eliminating Carla, Sadie and Ed was EGREGIOUS! Letting Larry drift into oblivion was too. My daily viewing of OLTL ran from 1968 to 1983, and there were so many strong legacy characters from that golden age who were gratuitously cast aside in later years.

Yes, I believe are are thinking of the right house. The Riley living room was gorgeous. I wanted to live there.

(Actually, the TV set that I dreamed about living in the most was  Mary Richards' first apartment on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but I digress!)

[NothinButAttitude]

Oh wow. I didn't know that Larry had unrequited feelings for Viki at one point. I wonder how the audience at the time would've taken to that. I'd imagine they'd be conflicted. But I think it might've ended up being the best choice that they left them as close friends. I do love when soaps can show that heterosexual men and women can be friends and there doesn't have to always be an attraction. 

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 Oh, Dorian. I am pretty sure Robin and Judith had a hoot playing that. 

How I heard how Paul Rauch handled the actress who played Sadie was egregious. Wasn't Sadie a surrogate mother for the Woleks? She could've easily been a confidante for Larry; however, as I pointed out, Larry became reduced to nothing post-Karen. 

I just can't get over how they gave Michael Storm nothing when he was one of the leading men for OLTL for their original golden age. 

I thought it was just me that loved Mary Richard's apartment on the MTM show! Glad to know there are others that loved that set. 

[vetsoapfan]

Yes, I was quite conflicted and sad watching Larry pine for Viki. To me, Viki and Joe Riley were soul mates and my preferred couple, but after Joe died and Larry's marriage to Karen fell apart, I would have taken a Viki/Larry pairing over Viki and Clint. I had known Larry for a decade by that point, and Clint was a stranger.

I'm sure!

Sadie was a strong, maternal figure to many people in Llanview. She could have, and should have, been used throughout the entire run of the show as a wise, sensible and supportive talk-to. As for Paul Rauch, his derogatory treatment of people has been documented for so long. It's always amazed me that he kept being hired to produce so many soaps, since at most of them, the bottom fell out and the shows became unrecognizable under his reign. 

Michael Storm and Larry Wolek were much more likeable and interesting that many of the revolving-door newbies that would take center stage after he was phased out. Soaps should always strive to keep their core, original characters as long as possible, particularly ones as popular as Larry (and Ed and Carla and Sadie). 

I've dreamed about living there for 54 years!

[j swift]

If only Larry had built that pool for Karen, he would've saved Llandview years of trouble...

[NothinButAttitude]

 

From what I've watched from the 80s and 90s of Clint, I don't mind him. He was brutish at times, which was a turn-off for me on a lot of soaps. I hate how all the male characters became hypermasculine and so aggressive. And the nice guys on many soaps were cast aside. 

I will give that to the P&G soaps. They did up until the mid 90s maintain heroes v. antiheroes v. villains until the lines got all blurred. Nice guys in soaps get cast aside, sadly.

Oh, I am privy to his antics. Just reading Eight Years of Another World, I don't know how he got rehired again. He seemed to overstep his boundaries as EP. And I don't think soap fans will ever forgive him for stepping on the butt of his cigarette on the final episode of Santa Barbara. 

I am thinking of the final years of the show too, when Carlivati started to put stories back in the hospital with Rachel, Marty, Greg, Kyle, etc., Larry should've been there to lead the pack as the chief of staff and mentor to people. 

I've always wanted a beautiful window view as she had along with that bookshelf underneath her mini-stairs 

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 From what? Her eventually becoming a hooker? 

Edited May 13 by NothinButAttitude

[Khan]

Count me as another who's always wished to live in Mary Richards' apartment, lol!

[vetsoapfan]

As the years went on, I grew to accept Clint. He was okay, but I never felt any major romantic chemistry between him and Viki, like what I saw between Joe Riley and Viki.

I guess TPTB have the mistaken idea that nice guys are boring, but to me, what I find tedious on soaps now is the heavy focus on criminals and degenerates. They've been dominating daytime dramas for 40 years. I say, fewer Sonnys and Jasons and more good guys like Larry Wolek would be a welcome and refreshing change!

Once upon a time, if soaps wanted to keep characters viable, TPTB wouldn't cross the line and allow them to commit heinous crimes. Nowadays, characters can murder, rape, kidnap, drug and do all sorts of unspeakable things, and their monstrous misdeeds are brushed aside and ignored if the actors become popular. I find it irresponsible.

Yep, yet another soap he screwed up. I remember that when he was finally replaced at OLTL, a critic in the press commented that the only thing about the show Rauch had not decimated was the theme music.

Right. There were so many irrelevant and useless newbies floating around Llanview in the show's final years. Larry could have been a good anchor character to provide familiarity and continuity. But no. Modern soaps never learn.

Everything about her apartment was lovely.

I've always wondered who the little boy in the framed photograph (seen here on the table by the balcony doors) was. MTM's real-life son? 

[NothinButAttitude]

Do we know why Lee Patterson left? Was it because he felt that was as far as he could go with Joe? Was it negotiations? I know he did a stint on Texas/AW before returning to OLTL as a different character in the mid to late 80s. 

I get why soaps like grey characters now b/c primetime profited off them heavily (i.e. Tony Soprano, J.R. Ewing, Walter White, Vic Mackey, Jax Teller, etc.) but even they all got their comeuppance in a sense. It is long overdue that Jason and Sonny be put out to pasture. You can even see it in Maurice Benard's face that he's over it and phoning it in. 

I just miss when we had a melange of good and bad characters. But also, the good characters weren't too preachy. They did bad things, but they weren't so bad that they couldn't come back from. 

I am just shocked that even after SB, P&G and later SONY would hire him for GL and Y&R. And weren't there rumors that he was inappropriate with actresses (allegedly Maeve Kinkead)? I am wondering if this is why Vanessa's time got cut towards the later end of the 90s. But different soap, different thread. I just hate how this industry keeps recycling the same people. I get it is easier b/c there isn't that learning curve, but looking at history, outsiders and newbies tend to be the ones to reignite these shows at times.  

I would've loved for Dorian to have been established back at the hospital towards the end and have her and Larry at odds. Dare I say it, even test and see if they had chemistry. Wouldn't've hurt as I was growing tired of Dorian and David at that point. 

Though Rhoda's room was flamboyant, I liked her room too. 

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SN: Thanks for Nick@Nite and being exposed to this show as a child of the 90s. 

[Khan]

I agree!!

[vetsoapfan]

Originally, I read reports that Patterson chose to leave. Later, it was reported/rumored that producer Joe Stuart fired him. Since Patterson continued working on soaps after departing OLTL the first time, and then returned after Stuart was gone, I can see the rumors about him being fired as potentially true, but after all these years, we may never have a definitive answer. I will say that Patterson's second character on te show was basically a bust. Killing Joe Riley was a terrible mistake.

Right. Without any potential comeuppance possible, no matter what the most corrupt characters do, the plots become redundant and tedious. Let's have characters with multi layers and shades or grey, sure, but let's have some well-deserved punishment for unforgiveable crimes when punishment is clearly warranted.

I agree. There's a major difference between complicated "bad boys" and outright monsters. Once the line is crossed, even if TPTB regret their stupid storyline choices, the monsters have to pay.

Yes, there were rumors about Rauch and MK and also PR and Louise Sorel. 

I understand the concept of hiring executives with a history of being able to write and produce soaps, but only if their past work was SUCCESSFUL. Daytime TV keeps rehiring producers and writers who have repeatedly FAILED in their previously soap jobs. It's unfathomable and infuriating. I'd rather see a newbie given a chance, than have Chuck Pratt, Chris Goutman, Dena Highley or Jean Passanante foisted on another poor soap opera!

Dorian was not well served under many regimes who just didn't know how to use her effectively.

I watched MTM live when it was broadcast by CBS from 1970-77, and Saturdays become must-see TV. I never get tired of rewatching episodes.