One Life to Live Tribute Thread

[Contessa Donatella]

What a genius! I mean despite her politics, her acting was nothing short of sublime.

[Khan]

I forgot that she filled in as Dorian for a hot minute, lol.

And didn't Julia Duffy pitch hit as Karen between Kathy Breech and Judith Light?  Does anyone watching back then remember her?  What was she like?  (Somehow, I can't see Stephanie Vanderkellen as a prostitute, lol).

[Vee]

I believe Wikipedia claims she only filled in for one day, but we all know how reliable that can sometimes be.

[Khan]

It's possible Wikipedia isn't wrong in this case, and that Duffy filled in only for one day.  But, you know, given that she had just come off of a very successful run on THE DOCTORS, I can't help but wonder if TPTB had her sub for Breech as a sort of test to see whether she could replace her permanently.

[Franko]

The world's most discriminating, high-maintenance prostitute.

It would be worth it if Julia-as-Karen just happened to share a scene with Wanda.

[TheyStartedOnSoaps]

Newspaper article on the Karen recast from 1978 

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[Soaplovers]

I think KB was the correct person to play Karen in the first year or so before Judith Light took over.

Seeing the Aug 1976, April 1977, and May 1977 episodes shows the subtle changes in the Karen character.

Aug 1976, Karen has a confident persona she shows to the world, but we see cracks in it during her conversation with Jenny.  She instantly assumes Jenny is judging her like she always has after Jenny 'judges' her after her conduct with Larry.

April 1977 shows a happy and joyful Karen that feels she's achieved what she's always wanted....financial and emotional security.

May 1977 shows Karen determined to keep up with the Joneses and being mentored by Dorian.  You see a quiet desperation in Karen to maintain her newfound status.

I can imagine summer/fall 1977 would have shown other instances that led Karen to become a prostitute. 

From what JL said, she was on set on standby because of KB's health issues and that even though KB did show up that day....Joe Stuart asked JL what she would do if playing Karen...and I bet her answer led to the producers and KB mutually parting ways.

I think KB set a strong foundation for the character of Karen that JL was able to build from.

Also, I don't know if JL could have played Karen as well in the first year of her character.  She would have played it more cold and less warm then KB..imho.

Lastly, Pinkerton is fab as Dorian...and I think Claire Malis was an excellent bridge between Pinkerton and Strasser.  She could play restrained like Pinkerton, but could ham it up like Strasser.

[Marco Dane]

Matt should've stayed on the canvas longer. He's a great nemesis to Dorian. Did he spill tea to Viki about Dorian?

[Khan]

I wish someone would do one of those "Where The Heck Are They Now?" interviews with Kathryn Breech - that is, if they can find her, lol - where she can discuss her time on OLTL, along with her version of events that led up to her departure.

[Planet Soap]

Yeah, that's why I hadn't mentioned her. She was listed as a fill-in. 

[DRW50]

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[DRW50]

Some Italian OLTL footage - from 1984? I am just guessing.

I'm not sure if we've seen the OLTL Italian credits before.

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[Joseph]

I know I didn't! Thanks for sharing! They're Beautiful! 

[chrisml]

I checked out Ellen Holly's book from the library. Interestingly enough, she does not accuse Slezak of what she would later accuse Slezak of saying/doing in the Oral History book. She does quote Slezak from what appears to be a 1988 Robert Rorke SOD article. I have not found this article. I took a photo of the quote she references in the book. 

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[janea4old]

Thanks for posting the Ellen Holly book page.  I appreciate her speaking out.

Edited February 7 by janea4old