1 hour ago, Vee said:

She talks at length about it in the oral history and makes it clear she deliberately opted out of renegotiating her contract ("please don't tell me how much you were going to offer me"), and says she wanted to leave to focus on her life and family with her son grown and raised and her having remarried IIRC. She seems happy enough with her exit.

Thanks for that. Glad she left on her own terms.

7 hours ago, slick jones said:

It's interesting seeing Nancy Pinkerton in that photo.  She's the Dorian I watched the most, but I don't recognize her.  But maybe it's Nancy's hairstyle in this picture - just not what I remember at all!

I remember Dorian as a tigress. I did watch OLTL sporadically after Nancy left, so of course I saw Robin Strasser through the years. I guess Robin was dynamic enough that I remember her face and not Nancy's.

Plus, back in those days, as I said in another post, I didn't know anyone who watched soaps, I didn't have the magazines, and I didn't pay attention to the closing credits or the actors.  So I was completely unaware of recasts.  I probably thought Nancy and Robin were the same person, LOL, so Robin's face was the face I began to remember as Dorian's face.

Joe Riley and Larry Wolek in that picture! That's how I remember them.  So handsome!

Edited March 2, 20232 yr by janea4old

I always thought Michael Storm was so handsome. It's a shame they stopped using Larry completely a full 8 years before the show ended. Ridiculous really.

8 minutes ago, Darn said:

I always thought Michael Storm was so handsome. It's a shame they stopped using Larry completely a full 8 years before the show ended. Ridiculous really.

He was so good in his final appearances, too - as part of Viki's heart transplant story in 2004. There were many dumb things about that story but the performances were rock solid and to Malone's credit he did play Larry still as a trusted and beloved family friend, he wasn't just there to deliver exposition. Michael Storm did talk in the oral history about how it was painful losing his place in the show's institutional memory.

I had always wanted OLTL to do a special episode devoted to him: "24 Hours with Larry Wolek," where you see Larry go about his day, doing rounds and check-ups wiping the noses of everyone's kid or grandkid in town, waking up next to an old picture of Meredith, still pining for Karen, etc. Reminding people of the character or educating newer viewers about how important to the foundation of the show he was, the unsung hero of Llanview. At the end of it you could have Anna (since Doris Belack was still alive and working at the time) turn up with a young Wolek for him to take in and drive new story for the family. I always wanted the Woleks back.

Edited March 2, 20232 yr by Vee

1 minute ago, Vee said:

I had always wanted OLTL to do a special episode devoted to him: "24 Hours with Larry Wolek," where you see Larry go about his day, doing rounds and check-ups wiping the noses of everyone's kid or grandkid in town, waking up next to an old picture of Meredith, still pining for Karen, etc. Reminding people of the character or educating newer viewers about how important to the foundation of the show he was, the unsung hero of Llanview. At the end of it you could have Anna (since Doris Belack was still alive and working at the time) turn up with a young Wolek for him to take in and drive new story for the family. I always wanted the Woleks back.

That would have been amazing!

The weird quirk about Wanda is that she was related to everyone, either directly or through marriage. Brother-in-law Larry (and by extension Victoria and her whole family) , second cousin Asa (and by extension all of the Buchanans), and her pony-tailed, cougar-lovin' nephew Jason.

 

Edited March 2, 20232 yr by j swift

12 hours ago, Vee said:

@janea4oldI'm sure we'd all appreciate more of your recollections. I'd love to know anything you can recall about the twists and turns of the original Carla story and how it played out or ended, and the love triangle with her, Jim Craig and Price Trainor, or anything else. Usually our knowledge doesn't go beyond the premise or people retelling the big reveal scene with Carla and Sadie in the hallway.

I don't remember Price Trainor at all. First I heard of him was reading this thread. I guess I must have seen some of him, but I just don't remember.  I remember Carla with Jim Craig.  And later with Ed Hall.

Carla's story affected me emotionally, but I don't remember details. I don't know how else to describe it. 

Some things about the show are vivid in my memory, but some I don't remember at all.   
I don't remember many details. Just feelings/impressions I had.  It's been 50 years.
I wish I could be of more help, but I just don't remember.

 

@janea4oldI remember them introducing Leonie Norton as Julie Siegel Tolland. I remember them doing a voiceover for that. I also remember the Marcy Wade storyline. Francesca James wore a leather jacket and hid the gun under it. And the Meredith hostage storyline which went on all summer until she was killed off. 

Edited March 3, 20232 yr by TEdgeofNight

The addition of a new, younger family member of the Woleck family would not have had to involve Anna.  Dr. Dan Woleck could have easily brought a new younger member into the storylines.

5 minutes ago, danfling said:

The addition of a new, younger family member of the Woleck family would not have had to involve Anna.  Dr. Dan Woleck could have easily brought a new younger member into the storylines.

I am aware of that. I thought it would be nice to see Anna, and I intended her to bring on Dan's son, from whom Dan would be estranged. Daniel Wolek would return later.

February 1971 interview with Ellen Holly from TV Radio Show:

Edited March 4, 20232 yr by robbwolff

I dunno who did all this work but someone seriously overhauled the Carla Gray Wikipedia page. There's a lot more detailed info on story than I've ever seen.

I had heard before that Ed and Josh allegedly left town in '87 to join Carla and Sadie in Arizona, and the page supports that. But I have no idea if that's true, or if the onscreen implication was that Ed and Carla ultimately got back together after their very sad parting in '85.

9 minutes ago, Vee said:

I dunno who did all this work but someone seriously overhauled the Carla Gray Wikipedia page. There's a lot more detailed info on story than I've ever seen.

Interesting because I just checked it out for the first time a few days ago, and that summarizes a lot of what I watched.  I couldn't have told it to you from memory but most of it reads to me as somewhat familiar.
But as I said in an earlier post, I don't remember the character Price at all.

Edited March 7, 20232 yr by janea4old

On 3/2/2023 at 4:08 PM, janea4old said:

I don't remember Price Trainor at all. First I heard of him was reading this thread. I guess I must have seen some of him, but I just don't remember.  I remember Carla with Jim Craig.  And later with Ed Hall.

It was so weird transitioning from Robert Milli to Nat Polen in the role of Jim Craig. The potential romantic future of Carla and Jim instantly disappeared (Polen was simply not a viable partner for her) and never even mentioned again in subsequent years.

On 3/2/2023 at 4:08 PM, janea4old said:

Some things about the show are vivid in my memory, but some I don't remember at all.   
I don't remember many details. Just feelings/impressions I had.  It's been 50 years.
I wish I could be of more help, but I just don't remember.

I can relate. After 30-40-50 years, some memories get muddled or simply vanish altogether. It happens to all of us.

I remember Pryce Trainor, and a policeman named Jack Neal, both of whom could have made long-term on-screen partners for Carla, but they both only last about two years. In the end, it worked out for the best, because we were blessed with Al Freeman as Ed Hall.