Catherine Hickland says that behind the scenes at OLTL was toxic.

[soapfave06]

I think in the end, they were screwed fan-base wise. They were setting up a great three-way custody battle between Kim-Clint, Gigi-Rex and Fish-Kyle before everyone was fired. The following summer, they ended up on the backburner and didn't have a real story until Shane was bullied unless you include that horrible story of Rex thinking he found his parents out west.

[DaytimeFan]

Let's just put it this way...

Catherine Hickland has given me my first truly great laugh of 2012. That she dares to act like she was a girl scout is beyond hypocrisy.

[Khan]

Same here, DF.

[Mr. Vixen]

I don't feel like Catherine Hickland was a [!@#$%^&*] stirrer during her time on OLTL. I know she is very opinionated, but something about her makes me feel like she knows professionalism and wouldn't bring that to work.

[AmandainNC28655]

I thought I had remember reading or hearing (I could be wrong though) that one of the problems between Crystal Hunt/JPL/FF was that FF felt Hunt was a little to overly friendly and that in her mind Hunt always flirted with JPL. Sounds like someone who is insecure and jealous in their relationship if you ask me. I also heard that Hunt seemed to get along with most of the cast and was liked by most of them, and that FF was not.

[John]

I think a lot of that stuff was jealously on FF's part

She didnt like the Stacy story because it broke up Rex & Gigi but at the same time gave her constant front burner story for 15 months.

I also heard she didnt like that the Kyle & Oliver story was so popular and that Kish had become the fave couple. at that time.

I also heard and highly believe this that all that false crap Nelson Branco wrote about Brett & Scott, he heard from FF. The issue I had with him reporting that is that many stars including Brett & Scott said those stories were false and that Nelson never went to anyone else to get the other side

The only really negative I heard about Crystal came from Robin when they shot the scenes before Stacy was kidnapped by Mitch's Nurse. RS said CH kept wondering how much longer the scene was going to take. Giving her benefit of doubt here, since she had just learned she was fired.

[John]

As For Cat maybe she meant it was toxic because ABC never gave OLTL the respect it deserved. Especially under Frons who Cat never liked.

[DRW50]

They did scramble for story, but JPL got the big Clint story about six months later, which totally eviscerated a longtime character for a Rex pity party.

It must have been demoralizing for some on the show, that JPL complained to the press, and tanked stories, and was rewarded for it.

[EricMontreal22]

I always got the impression that EP wise Doris Quinlan was fairly well loved at OLTL. Then with ratings so stagnant, Joe Stuart replaced her in 1977 and while I've never heard really bad things about him at OLTL (or at Loving where I assume Agnes herself hired him), on The View Erika did make that little aside about how he was notorious for not listening to actors... Then you get Jean Arley at the helm for a brief year in '83-'84 and in all the OLTL tributes I've now read two random comments from actors going on about how marvelous she was to work with and as a person... And then... Rauch. So I'm sure some of that turmoil played a part.

[Max]

Cat reminds me so much of Tonja Walker-Davidson. Both women really cherish their fans, and both aren't afraid to say unpopular things even if it hurts their careers. Ironically, despite being punished by TPTB for their outspokenness (by being given far less airtime than they deserved), these two are probably OLTL's most visible cheerleaders.

[MissLlanviewPA]

Except for the outspoken part, I'd add Kassie DePaiva to that list, too.

[BKuzak]

I don't know if you all noticed but as much as Erika Slezak has been open about how much she loved working with Mark Derwin and Lee Patterson and later Jerry Verdorm....she never said that many nice things about Clint Ritchie. I don't think she would say it out loud, especially now that he's dead, but i think he's her least favorite "husband" actor to have worked with. I'm sure they had a lot of good times because they worked together for so long but i think they also had a lot of bad times. and in one interview back when they thought about reparing Clint and Viki in the late 1990's, i swear she said she didn't really want Viki and Clint back together. and of course right after that he left the show and they put her with Ben. then when Jerry came she was thrilled for a Viki and Clint paring again.

Yes i was not suprised about James Depavia's temper. I had heard before that he and one of the female producers did have battles and that's why he left the first time (1989?). I also wasn't suprised about Robin because i know the reason she left in 1987 was that she didn't get along with the producers and the same thing happend in 2000. and now she said she wanted to come back to play Dorian at the very end but that they had no intention of asking her back.

[John]

ES loved CR. She went to ABC in 1993 when he had his accident and basically pleaded that ABC not recast and wait for him to return, which he did

[Mr. Vixen]

I've always heard they never liked each other. I did here about ES going to ABC, but i think it was more out of principle.

[Scotty]

Here's an old interview with Clint Ritchie where he talks about his first five years on OLTL, as well as some of his co-stars.

http://www.clintritchie.com/conversations/ask-clint-the-first-five-years/