One Life to Live Tribute Thread

[Franko]

I can't speak for Vee, but I accept the apology.

Back to OLTL, I had the craziest idea: suppose the show had kept Blair Asian and had Kassie DePaiva play (a significantly embittered) Mari-Lyn Dennison?

[Soaplovers]

I could see Kassie playing Mari Lynn..only because she played Chelsea on GL who was kind of like Mari Lynn with an edge.

I do remember Cassie's 1st year played by LB.  She was all over the map with viewers liking the actress..but wishing the writing was better.  And I do agree Cassie and Andrew didn't seem planned.  They were written as friends with her advising him on his unrequited love for Megan while he was advising on her situation with Bo.  And viewers wanted them paired because they were likable together.

And I do remember in 1995/6 where Cassie had expressed being restless and wanting to go back to work as a reporter.  She and Kevin had good banter as they were in competition for a story..and they ended up having an affair.

I think the Andrew/Cassie divorce story got short changed..probably due to regime changes..since I recall Tea/Andrew were tested..and she and Cassie didn't like one another.

And then JFP hired her friends..and instead of being objective and seeing that Tim Gibbs was the problem...she fired LB right when she was on maternity leave. (reminds me of when David Tom got fired as Billy because he didn't spark with Amelia on Y & R..when she was the problem).

I did like that Cassie did become well and lived her best life outside Llanview...best medicine for mental health is living away from dysfunctional family members.

[Khan]

I gotta admit, @Franko, I have a hard time imagining Mari Lynn back with a Southern accent, lol.

I think I would have brought KDP on instead as Asa's long-lost daughter - perhaps, the result of a fling with one of Renee's "girls"? - and Bo and Clint's newly found half-sister.  (Eons ago, when the story about David Vickers' true paternity was still on, I wanted very much for Dorothy Lyman to play his mom, Emma Vickers.  Lyman had been on OLTL before, back in the '70's; but as much as I STILL. HATE. bringing back performers in new and unrelated roles, I made a rare exception in her case...and I'd make the exception again.  I'd bring Lyman on -- this time, in a recurring capacity, as Virginia, or "Ginny," Asa's ex-fling/Renee's former "employee"/"Betsy's" mother.)

That way, you would have had an addition to the Buchanan clan that would have opened up more story avenues for the Buchanan men; Asa, in particular, would have had a daughter whom he'd be immediately protective of.  "Betsy," short for Elizabeth, could have had a background as a country singer, which would have provided more opportunities for KDP to sing on the show.  (I know they gave her, as Blair, several opportunities to perform, but for some reason, it never made sense to me that Blair could suddenly sing when I don't remember Mia Korf's Blair having that same ability.)

And yes, you STILL could have had the relationship with Todd - I can already picture Todd, flush with Lord family cash, using part of his fortune to bolster Betsy's singing career, and the conflicts that causes between him, Asa, Bo and Clint - but I would have brought back Dan Wolek as well for a triangle with Betsy and Todd*, thereby bringing the Woleks back into prominence, and putting Asa and Larry at constant odds as fathers-in-law.

 

(*Which could have expanded to a quadrangle with the introduction and arrival of Todd's scheming adoptive half-sister and Peter Manning's biological daughter.)

[Franko]

Oh, KDP as Dorothy Lyman's daughter is a brilliant idea.

[Khan]

Agree.  Maybe Dorian could have surprised everyone (including herself) by siding with Andrew over her own daughter in the ensuing divorce.  Maybe Viki could have struggled with remaining neutral while supporting all three (Andrew, Cassie and Kevin).  Maybe Viki could have begged Dorian not to turn her back on Cassie, who was remained torn between her desire for Kevin and her desire to remain married to Andrew; reminding Dorian that there are no winners in situations such as these.  Dorian could have accused Viki of hoping secretly that Cassie ended up with Kevin, and Viki could have insisted that she wanted what was best for all concerned, regardless of the outcome.

But seriously, I don't think the show ever played up the fact that Dorian's son-in-law was a minister properly.  As far as everyone in Llanview was concerned, Dorian Lord was the Wicked Witch of the North, South, East AND West; and now she's got a reverend in her family??

[j swift]

There's definitely something odd about a wealthy woman in the early 1990s loosing custody due to adultery.  I mean Victoria Lord had affairs, was involved with murderers, had multiple personalities, and was never threatened with loosing her kids.  It seems both unlikely and misogynistic that Cassie would loose custody to a minister with no support available to help raise a toddler.  I wonder what message OLTL was trying to send?

Edited February 20, 2022 by j swift

[mphs19952003]

Damn Austin was a nasty SOB.  He was so evil and scary when he was on the show.

Austin is soooo creepy.  David Gautreaux was so good in this role.  This should have been a one note role but even through his evil, you could feel how much he "loved" Sarah.  A true villain that thankfully was never "redeemed".

Today, he would have been redeemed and made the town mayor.

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by mphs19952003

[TEdgeofNight]

RE; Gottlieb. You cannot go by when Gottlieb first appeared in the credits. She was influential well before her name first appeared as Executive Producer.  She was in and out of the OLTL studio part time when she got the job because she was finishing work on her production company projects and couldn't devote herself full time to OLTL. She came to production meetings and writers meetings when she had time and met with the actors and design folks. It wasn't until she could devote herself full time that she wanted her name to appear in the credits. 

[Khan]

I feel like that line (of Sarah's) about people who write about women falling in love with their captors was some sort of meta-comment on similar stories frequently occuring on soaps.

Say what you will about Rauch-era OLTL, but whenever it came to terror and suspense, he and his team delivered.

Edited February 20, 2022 by Khan

[Vee]

Andrew had heat with a lot of forbidden women, which I think was part of the draw from the beginning, first with Megan then Marty and finally Téa. Bob Krimmer had soul - I think he was Malone's avatar onscreen - but also fire; he was playing an eccentric villain role on Babylon 5 at the same time as OLTL. So compared to that heat, the happy family with Cassie could never really measure up. Their dynamic was much more comfortable and mellow, which is likely why LB got bored and found heat of her own elsewhere. I don't blame them and I think they should've been experimenting with both characters more, but once Malone was gone investment in Andrew waned. I do wish they'd gone all the way with Andrew and one of those women, but I suppose it's a testament to his character they didn't. I think Téa slept with Andrew but I can't be certain, it's been so long.

I remember almost wishing Andrew and Marty had gotten together as mature, weathered adults at the end of the run, because they still had serious chemistry in their brief scenes when she returned from the dead and had amnesia and was quizzing him about her life in late 2008. But I am happy with the idea that Andrew and Cassie reconciled, too.

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More and more early 90s Gottlieb/Malone, etc. material has been made available over the last few years, and more and more of it to me indicates how shitty a hand Mia Korf got dealt (even if, IIRC, it was her choice to leave for a David Henry Hwang play). It was incredibly forward thinking of OLTL to have an Asian-American lead female at that time, and sadly it's still incredibly forward thinking of soaps today - I can't think of one on any of them now. Korf also has barely aged a day since, judging by her appearance at the OLTL reunion with cast and crew a couple years ago. I love Kassie in the role and I'd never reverse it now, she's beloved and there's just no way, but looking at what they did BTS with the recast it was unbelievably tone-deaf by today's standards (let alone back then) even if a white woman doing a Scarlett O'Hara riff was "Malone's vision' for Blair.

I do think there's a way you could have woven Korf into the show in later years or its hypothetical future that would've honored her place, nodded to the past and done something progressive with more Asian characters. It's just an idea I won't put out for public consumption because hey, you never know.

Edited February 20, 2022 by Vee

[Khan]

You know, it's...interesting how Michael Malone has this reputation for being this progressive, forward-thinking writer, yet he is also an avowed fan of one of the most RE-gressive works of literature ever published.  And I say that as someone who used to be a GWTW fan as well before I took a long, hard, serious look at its' revisionist take on racial relations in this country.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Khan

[slick jones]

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[j swift]

@slick jones I had you in mind when I remembered the double L, but I guess I'll never get it correct every posting. 

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Is there a "d" in Llandfair?  And what are your Cassie rankings?

Edited February 21, 2022 by j swift

[slick jones]

I never ranked the Cassies. They al  have strengths and weak points. I liked all four.

The role should never have been pushed aside by bully JFP, but then she's one of the most despised EP's for a reason.

We know you just can't help yourself. We'll all expect your dig within the week. 

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Try to keep it under four paragraphs, though.  I bore easily.

 

[j swift]

There's two L's in all, just like LLanview

Couldn't resist

Edited February 21, 2022 by j swift