7 minutes ago, Mona Kane Croft said:

Yes, Ada and Sam were siblings.

Sam and Lahoma had separated or divorced before Sam returned to Bay City.  So Lahoma did not appear on AW during Sam's return.  Interestingly, when Lemay wrote Sam off the show around 1973-74, Sam indicated in the script that he was planning to reunite with Lahoma and their daughter. I forget where he said Lahoma and Suzanne were living at that point, but it was not Somerset.

Thanks for posting this. Great idea, reuniting Sam & Lahoma. I always felt they belonged together. Jordan Charney is no slouch & Anne Wedgeworth is an absolute dream of an actor.

Tina Sloan talks about her time on Somerset: 

7 minutes ago, chrisml said:

Tina Sloan talks about her time on Somerset: 

Joel Crothers!!!!

 

1 hour ago, Contessa Donatella said:

Joel Crothers!!!!

 

And another first abortion ever on daytime television!!!  Jeeze-Louise!!  Why does everyone ever involved with an abortion plot on a soap opera think there's was the first? It's crazy as hell??!!  And getting ridiculous...

@Mona Kane Croft Thanks for the extra info on the crossovers. I can see how difficult it must have been to keep them going. It's always interesting to wonder what might have been. 

@chrisml Thanks. The story from Tina about Joel Crothers made me laugh. I wish I could see Kate. She sounds more interesting than Tina's other soap characters ever were. A shame they had to give her such a poor exit story, especially since I don't get the feeling her replacement in Julian's life was that loved by viewers.

24 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

@Mona Kane Croft Thanks for the extra info on the crossovers. I can see how difficult it must have been to keep them going. It's always interesting to wonder what might have been. 

@chrisml Thanks. The story from Tina about Joel Crothers made me laugh. I wish I could see Kate. She sounds more interesting than Tina's other soap characters ever were. A shame they had to give her such a poor exit story, especially since I don't get the feeling her replacement in Julian's life was that loved by viewers.

You are probably aware, but both Somerset and Another World taped in the same studio in Brooklyn.  So it wasn't very inconvenient for the actors to do cross-overs.  But it probably took a good deal of coordination between the writers and studio crew to get everything (both episodes) aired on the same day, or at least on the correct day.  

Another tidbit from Tina Sloan about backstage drama with a costar on the set of Somerset. (She also connects it to her time on Guiding Light)

20 hours ago, chrisml said:

Another tidbit from Tina Sloan about backstage drama with a costar on the set of Somerset. (She also connects it to her time on Guiding Light)

Thanks for these tidbits. I have no idea who Karla would be but Somerset wasn't on for even one decade, let alone multiple, so her claim of seniority doesn't sound accurate. It makes me wonder if Sloan is mixing it up with another longer-running show or just confusing details. But the despair of the older actress rings true enough.

Are there any long-running soap actresses named Karla?

14 minutes ago, Xanthe said:

Thanks for these tidbits. I have no idea who Karla would be but Somerset wasn't on for even one decade, let alone multiple, so her claim of seniority doesn't sound accurate. It makes me wonder if Sloan is mixing it up with another longer-running show or just confusing details. But the despair of the older actress rings true enough.

Are there any long-running soap actresses named Karla?

I don't know about long-running but I immediately think of Carla Borelli who played Reena on Texas. She was also married to Donald May for many years, well, until his death a few years back. I realize her marriage is a non sequitur. Sorry. She has a ton of credits of guest shots on primetime shows and she was a Mary Anderson on DAYS & Connie Giannini on Falcon Crest. 

Edited January 31Jan 31 by Contessa Donatella
more

45 minutes ago, Xanthe said:

Are there any long-running soap actresses named Karla?

Do some of your think Sloan was using the actress's real first name? I assumed she had changed the name, as is often the case in biographies -- especially when a person is being criticized or disparaged.  I don't think Karla is the real name.  

Having said that, I am still drawing a blank on who the actress might be.  Were there any particularly experienced older actresses on Somerset?  Georgiana Johnson was somewhat experienced, but would she have been sharing a dressing room at that point?  Wasn't Johnson more or less the unofficial star of Somerset?  Especially after Roux, Charney, and Wedgeworth left the series? I think Johnson would have had a private dressing room.  But who knows? 

Edited January 31Jan 31 by Mona Kane Croft

44 minutes ago, Xanthe said:

Thanks for these tidbits. I have no idea who Karla would be but Somerset wasn't on for even one decade, let alone multiple, so her claim of seniority doesn't sound accurate.

I mean, Carol Roux and Ann Wedgeworth were both moved from Another World to Somerset. Plus, I'm sure there were other experienced soap actresses on the show that might've felt sidelined by younger talent after being promised bigger things when signing. 

Interesting that Harding Lemay really does not talk about Somerset much in his book. He does mention that Rauch wanted Jordan Charney  to return to Another World and it did not work out. That's his version. 

 

Edited January 31Jan 31 by chrisml

28 minutes ago, chrisml said:

Interesting that Harding Lemay really does not talk about Somerset much in his book. He does mention that Rauch wanted Jordan Charney  to return to Another World and it did not work out. That's his version. 

 

Well, Charney returned to AW for a year.  So it worked out for a year.  Sad he didn't stay permanently.  Sam was a grounded believable character, and he gave Ada another person to interact with.  He might have been a good romantic partner for Clarice later on.

I wish Charney had returned for Ada's funeral episodes, but at that point Vicky Wyndham was probably the only person in the studio who even remembered that Sam existed.  And Wyndham had a pretty bad memory for details.  

An original cast member has passed away.

 https://soapoperanews.net/2025/02/15/alice-hirson-dies-gh-oltl-alum-was-95/

8 hours ago, Efulton said:

An original cast member has passed away.

 https://soapoperanews.net/2025/02/15/alice-hirson-dies-gh-oltl-alum-was-95/

OMG, Mavis!