37 minutes ago, Vee said:

Ah, the days of music budgets. Getting back to OLTL '92 only to hear Fleetwood Mac's classic "Dreams" playing over a scene with Blair and Luna at Wanda's. I did a double take! Maybe the first and only time I've ever heard one of my favorite groups on a soap.

I was stunned (in a good way!) when I decided to watch some old AW clips recently on YouTube and heard Etta James' "Sugar on the Floor," which my mother played all the time on our old stereo, playing over a scene between Jackee Harry (ex-Lily Mason) and John Dewey Carter (ex-Grant Todd).

And then there was the time I heard (live, not years later online) this song I would sing all the time as a child (a song that was already thought of as a "golden oldie" by the early '90's, lol) in a love scene between either Max and Blair or Cain and Tina (I can't remember which anymore):

Edited 15 hours ago15 hr by Khan

1 hour ago, Vee said:

Ah, the days of music budgets. Getting back to OLTL '92 only to hear Fleetwood Mac's classic "Dreams" playing over a scene with Blair and Luna at Wanda's. I did a double take! Maybe the first and only time I've ever heard one of my favorite groups on a soap.

Given that it was 1992 we were lucky they weren't playing 'Don't Stop" on a loop.

Friday, May 16, 1986

Dobbs Ferry -VILLAGE PARADE

According to his wife, SALLY, MICHAEL STORM’S job is like being perpetually semi-retired. For more than 17 years he has played the role of Dr. Larry Wolek on the daytime soap opera, “One Life to Live”. During a year he averages about three days a week on the show, but the schedule varies. Some weeks he may not appear at all, while others he works five days. He has developed other interests to fill the gaps, and finds that he has more than enough to do.

Raised in Pacific Palisades, Calif., Michael, a painter, went to the University of California majoring in fine arts. While in college he got his first taste of performing. He played the quitar and sang. With a friend he formed a group that ultimately appeared on the Andy Williams show for three years. Michael bred and sold tropical fish for fun. When he learned of a tropical fish store for sale, he decided to buy it. A year later, Michael received a call from his brother in New York. The brother was playing the role of Dr. Larry Wolek, but was tiring of it. He asked Michael if he was interested. Michael was. He auditioned successfully, and started playing the part in January 1969.

As native Californians, relocated to New York, Michael and Sally missed the availability of fresh vegetables in the winter. Having always been interested in gardening and horticulture, Michael began growing vegetables hydroponically under lights. The high cost of electricity made'it too expensive, so he built a greenhouse. Shortly after it was set up, about eight years ago, Sally looked in and said, “You should have an orchid in here.” Michael liked the idea, and ordered five or six. Like the tropical fish, Michael found them very exotic. He became fascinated with one of the largest families of plants on earth and with the people who grow them. Now the orchid growing takes a lot of Michael’s time, but he has many other activities too. His real interest is acting. He loves the soap opera and feels it is a test of his acting skills—playing the same role through changes of script writers and producers. When he is not in the script he gets restless. He feels that the live theater is “it” and has appeared in off Broadway plays.

When he’s not working he likes to go board sailing. He is an avid golfer, and plays tennis, too. He also donates a lot of his time to charity, travel across the country and Canada, sometimes acting as an emcee, or playing tennis or golf. He is the celebrity chairman of an annual golfing.event in Long Island which raises money for St. Francis Hospital. Currently he is involved in Hands Across America, and the Special Olympics. Semi-retired, indeed. Soqpds more like a very varied full time occupation, to me.

15 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

Oh, that's interesting; what characters would you name from before the time you began watching the show?

(He had long since passed away by the time I began following TGL, but I always considered Rev. John Ruthledge to be an essential component of the series, and felt attached to him even though my exposure to episodes featuring him was scant.)

That's a good question and not an easy one. There are some characters I adored, like Megan, but I know they weren't essential to Llanview's fabric.

For characters before I officially began watching, I'd say Viki, Dorian, Herb, Ed, Larry, Wanda, Jenny. I'd also want one or two of the other side of the tracks type characters, like Karen or Marco.

I wish I could see more of Anna, Sadie, Carla, Vince, etc. to gauge them better.

6 hours ago, DRW50 said:

That's a good question and not an easy one. There are some characters I adored, like Megan, but I know they weren't essential to Llanview's fabric.

For characters before I officially began watching, I'd say Viki, Dorian, Herb, Ed, Larry, Wanda, Jenny. I'd also want one or two of the other side of the tracks type characters, like Karen or Marco.

I wish I could see more of Anna, Sadie, Carla, Vince, etc. to gauge them better.

Antony Ponzini's Vince was the most interesting, vibrant, memorable version of that role. Recasting Ponzini was tough, because he was unique and magnetic. Jordan Charney was adequate in the part, but he was so different than Ponzini, Vinnie felt like a different character altogether. Poor Michael Ingram was woefully miscast as the final Vince. It was sad to see. Vinnie was already gone before he was killed off.

OLTL had the same issue trying to recast Anna Craig. Doris Belack was a unique and striking, quirky actress. Kathleen Maguire...was not. Her Anna was non-descript and faded into the background. Thankfully, the final Anna, Phyllis Behar, had energy and pep. IMHO, she was probably the best choice possible to replace Belack. The character's fading away without explanation in 1982 was frustrating, since so many long-time, core characters were dismissed in the early 1980s.

What can I say about Carla, Sadie and Ed? Ellen Holly, Al Freeman, Jr. and Lillian Hayman were solid pros and beloved by the audience. Performers of this caliber deserved a permanent place on the show's canvas. Al Freeman, Jr was... AL FREAKIN' FREEMAN for heaven's sake. The fact that Paul Roach treated these actors so atrociously and then fired them (while butchering the overall show, but I digress) is egregious.

You sadly missed out on what I consider to be the show's magical, golden years (1968-1983).