One Life to Live Tribute Thread

[Vee]

Yep, though I'm not if that was the week before or after Andrew and Nora had two separate clunky monologues which began with 'you/Jen reminds me of a young girl I used to know named Marty Saybrooke.'

[soapfan770]

@Vee The Shanelle Workman analysis is interesting to me because when B&B hired her both Thudley and CBS were pimping her out in excess as they did with all the other “poached” ABC actors that the CBS soaps picked up during 2003-2005 era. B&B spent months revolving around Workman’s Gabriela character and it was DREADFUL. Thudley was going to have Workman’s character turn evil and come back with a scarred face to torment Taylor for getting her deported, but thankfully nixed the idea. 

Edited July 10, 2023 by soapfan770

[Vee]

Yeah, I heard it was real awful. I didn't see her on that show. I was a booster of her on OLTL at the time because she had a unique look, but watching some of that material in recent years I think she is raw at best.

Edited July 10, 2023 by Vee

[Liberty City]

 

[NothinButAttitude]

OMG. Just horrible. This is not a good year for soap fans. 

RIP, Andrea! 

[Soapsuds]

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[Contessa Donatella]

Another legend. Sigh. I am so sad. 

May light perpetual shine upon her. May hosts of angels guide her to her heavenly home. May she be met there by friends & family & beloved pets. 

[Vee]

Oh God.

[DRW50]

"I take thee...Cord." 

My first real glimpse of Andrea was that OLTL weddings VHS tape I watched over and over in the mid '90s. A good portion of it, rightfully so, was devoted to the insane Tina spectacles of the peak Rauch era. An era that would never have been possible without Andrea. 

No matter how many bad things Tina did, Andrea found the heart of the character. You believed she did care about other people - Cord, Viki, Gabrielle, her kid - even if she often wanted to put herself first. Her work holds up exceptionally well too. If you showed somebody new to soaps the Tina material from back then, gross and stupid as a lot of it could be, they would probably still be fascinated by her. 

I don't think you can understand just what a difficult job Andrea had in making Tina so beloved unless you look at so many other failed attempts at the same character over the years, or even on the same show.

Andrea was a delight to watch. She lit up the screen. She had such a presence. In many ways I might compare her to Judy Holliday, another very intelligent actress who never quite got her due. 

I'm glad Andrea at least got to return at the end to give Tina a happy ending. 

It's been a tough few years for soap fans, but much as all of these losses hurt, this one really makes me sad. 

Edited July 10, 2023 by DRW50

[danfling]

I remember when the character was introduced onto the show.    I enjoyed Tina with Greg Huddleston!

This news is quite tragic.  Prayers are sent on behalf of her family.

She and Wayne Massey (Johnny) have been divorced for many years.

[Vee]

My first Tinas were the '90s Tinas, and I am still very partial to Karen Witter. But Witter's Tina is ultimately built on a fusion of the changing times and Andrea's own work - she perfectly synthesized the era to the kind of quirky tics and breathy neuroses Andrea created first.

When I first saw Andrea Evans as Tina I didn't really understand that or appreciate it. I just knew this Tina was incredibly squeaky and mannered and it drove me up the wall for a time. Later, I understood it. Because Andrea Evans offscreen was not Tina Lord - you look at any interview with her, and from voice to presence they were very different people. She transformed when the camera was on in a way few still do; it was a whole performance, full body and spirit. Yet there was a core underneath, it wasn't all artifice or screwball energy. She had humanity and depth. You can see the same in her Y&R work, which I saw during the pandemic - another whole different person.

There is something very sad yet appropriate to Tina that Andrea's last stint on the show had her wearing a gorgeous, flowing blond wig to hide the effects of  her illness. I will always remember her smiling at Roger Howarth's Todd and booping his nose, almost certainly unscripted. She always made it look so easy.

[soapfave06]

Oh, wow. This is devastating, one my all time favorites. I was watching a ton of clips of her over the weekend with my friend who’s never seen soaps and even he was enjoying. Sad sad.. this has been a tough year for losses. I wish her family well. 

[Bright Eyes]

This is thankfully on YouTube in great condition.

[heffos]

I was working door security at Sak's Fifth Avenue in Manhattan in 1980. Andrea walked into the store and everyone stopped and stared at her incredible beauty. RIP.

[DRW50]

Watching some old clips to make myself feel a bit better after today's heartbreaking news.

I know this type of scene was an affront to everything Agnes Nixon and many others had wanted OLTL to be, but I still laugh and laugh every time I watch it. Bless Erika Slezak for just...going for it. And Barbara Luna is her own delight as always.

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