One Life to Live Tribute Thread

[Khan]

I still would love to know what they had in mind for Lee Warrick. Perhaps Julie would have turned out to be Seth's mom?

[EricMontreal22]

That was before Ivan came back with a robotic arm to mind control Larry, right? (Or am I mixing him up with someone else...)

Agreed--it is. I love that he's getting quotes from everyone possible--not just the recent actors, etc--doing a soap history book as an olral history while these people are still around is a great idea.

[soapfave06]

The robotic arm happened in 1985, a result of his 1982 exit. The scenes in this episode have him spying on Karen, wanting to strangle her from behind some bushes, then having a psychological flash or maybe a flashback, it was hard to tell, but well done. Then he hires Claudette (I think that was her name) a hooker who worked with Karen to manipulate her. It was very exciting. The show was more gothic than I had imagined, but its nicely done and I couldn't stop watching the entire episode.

Also had Ina Hopkins, Katrina Karr, Anna Wolek, Ed Hall (briefly), Faith Kipling.

Its posted by jupitervideovision99 and just titled ONE LIFE TO LIVE.

Edited January 14, 2013 by soapfave06

[Dale]

Yeah, I check it out for updates often. It's amazing some of the people he tracked down for interviews. Since OLTL was (is?) my favorite show, I am really looking forward to that book!

[Dale]

And speaking of updates.....here's the latest:

"One Life to Live creator Agnes Nixon on her thoughts regarding the decision to make Viki's split personality, Niki, the result of incestuous sexual abuse by Viki's father, Victor Lord:

"I had a very, very difficult father, and I based my Victor Lord on him -- and he didn’t abuse me. [Laughs] He was very unpleasant, and he spent four years of my college life telling me I had no talent as a writer, and that I had to take over his business when I graduated. I just didn’t think the abuse story was a good idea. A father’s domination of a girl child is profound -- I know it personally. I don’t think the sex aspect...well, anyway."

Hmmm...I recall several articles in which Michael Malone said that Nixon agreed that the only logical way to explain Viki's alters was sexual abuse and that she gave her blessing to the storyline. The interview with Susan Bedsow Horgan on Brandon's Buzz echoes that. I am not sure why Nixon is saying what she's saying now. I mean, up until that point, the reason for Viki's split personalities was that she walked in on Irene Manning and Victor in bed, and that's a pretty lame reason to explain how her DID started.

[EricMontreal22]

Some of us discussed this in the Prospect Park thread... I'm curious to know the full context of the question and answer. The Brandon's Buzz audio interview with Susan Bedsow Horgan from a year or two ago brings this up specifically, and says they were nervous about making the change to his character so with Griffith and Malone she went and asked for Agnes' approval, and they got it, slightly to her surprise (and I have absolutely zero reason from her interview to think she's making this up). Apparently she also consulted on points about the story, at least at first. (As you say--but just to reiterate).

Nixon didn't have much to do with the Irene Manning revelation, I don't think (that was the mid 80s, right--and in the Paley Center interview when someone asks her about the current Vicki/Nicki interview--this was from '87 I believe--she doesn't say much but says she's not currently involved in writing OLTL), but I think your point is valid--and honestly the incest angle, given what people knew by 1994, is not all that far a stretch from the emotional abuse that caused Nicki to emerge back in '68.

Giving the benefit of doubt--I'm not sure if that quote really says "but no, I never would have approved of that story". It seems more like an aural interview where she's thinking more on the idea--and wants to make it clear that she didn't suffer sexual abuse from her own father. I guess....

[Goldensoaps]

The March 1980 youtube episode is amazing....with a lot of Ina's boarding house...And does anyone remember when it was Jim and Anna Craig's wedding??? April 1970??? I know the first Cathy (Catherine Burns) was in that wedding....but I thought the second Cathy (Amy Levitt) was on OLTL in January 1970 with the drugs and Odysse storyline....

[Vee]

I'm almost positive it was Amy Levitt in the Odyssey House story.

Catherine Burns, the first Cathy, had minor fame in a breakout role in Frank Perry's eerie teen mood piece/thriller Last Summer, which also had a very young Barbara Hershey, Richard Thomas from The Waltons and Bruce Davison. Burns is really the focal character the film most revolves around and she got a Best Supporting Actress nom for it. She was incredible in the picture and you can see why OLTL cast her as another neurotic teen, Cathy Craig. It was a really courageous choice - she was definitely not the typical soap beauty. I've only seen a few grainy minutes of her as Cathy in the 1969 episode online.

Wikipedia claims Burns was only Cathy from January to August of 1969 at which time Last Summer was released, but obviously take that with a huge grain of salt.

Edited January 15, 2013 by Vee

[Khan]

Actually, according to the original story, the reason for Viki's split personality was that she witnessed Victor having a fight with her and Meredith's mother, Eugenia, that caused Eugenia to fall down the stairs at Llanfair, an injury that led directly to her death. The stuff with Irene in bed with Victor was a retcon, just as the revelation of the other personalities and Viki's abuse at the hands of her own father were retcons.

You're right, Dale, it is a pretty lame explanation for her disorder. At the same time, though, I'm pretty fierce on sticking to canon, as it were. Just because it is more psychologically accurate to say her DID is the result of severe sexual trauma, that shouldn't give writers license to rewrite established history or suggest facets about a particular character who, quite frankly, wasn't originally created and/or written with those facts in mind.

[danfling]

Susan Bedsow Horgan will be the co-headwriter of the new revival of One Life to Live (with Thom Racina).

[Vee]

Viki being molested is canon. That is the retcon, and it's the only thing that made sense. The original explanation was severely dated, pedestrian and ludicrous.

Retcons are a part of soap opera. This one is far from the enemy, and resulted in one of the most famous and celebrated stories in OLTL history which no one should ever try and undo or invalidate. Those are the facts and there's nothing that is ever going to change that.

Edited January 15, 2013 by Vee

[Khan]

No, you're right, Vee. I agree completely. If only because I don't want another retcon that would make the story even more complicated than it is already. I don't like the now-official explanation, but I'd rather just leave like it is.

[Dale]

Khan, I am pretty sure that the 1985 story showed the split in Viki's personality was due to her catching ol' Vic in bed with Irene, and the 1995 version had Viki having all those nightmares and recollections about Victor, one of which was him arguing with Eugenia on the stairs. Of course, the 1995 version makes much more sense.

I think there was even a 1988 version where they indicated that Niki was created when Megan was born and Victor took her away from Viki. I don't count that one.

I flip flop on this. I thought the original ending of the 1995 story was perfect in having Tori as the one who killed Victor. On the other hand, I HATED that they brought Victor back alive in 2003 and wish that could be undone somehow. Sigh.

[MissLlanviewPA]

Some argue that it WAS undone in 2007, when Dorian and Viki were locked in the basement during Asa's funeral and Dorian said she

killed Victor. When Viki pointed out that he turned out to be alive later on, Dorian responded, "if that WAS him." She never followed up on that statement, but I'll gladly fanwank that as 2003 Victor being a fraud and the original story standing as told.

Edited January 15, 2013 by MissLlanviewPA

[VirginiaHamilton]

Watching the recent episodes (namely, Jared's impending death by Messenger Mitch) and it's making me mad all over again that they threw him, Kish, Kimmy Cakes, and Schuyler away and replaced them with the lame-ass Fords.

Other than my Clint/Kim, there isn't a thing for me to look forward to in 2010 at all.