June 19, 1982
Actor urges soap producer to revive his *dead" character by Lynda Hirsch
Michael Zaslow, the actor who played Roger Thorpe in "The Guiding Light" so well that his departure caused the character to be killed off rather than recast, wouldn't mind returning to "Guiding Light" for a few guest appearances. Zaslow, who left the show over two years ago, has been watching it lately and is very impressed by head writer Doug Marland's scripting —so much so that he called the production office and suggested that the ever-fantasizing Nola envision Roger in one of her fantasies.
Stated Zaslow, "Nola knew Roger before he was killed off, and it wouldn't be so unlikely for her to think about him." The producers were tempted, since Michael is a highclass actor with tons of fans who still recall Roger and wish that he would come back. But that's the problem. Even though Roger is "dead," many fans expect him to pop up again, since he was killed off once before only to return. This time, it's feared that if Roger even appeared in some fantasies it might lead to fans expecting to see Roger Thorpe return for good. In fact, one of the reasons Barbara and Holly Thorpe were axed was because their appearance on the screen caused too many memories of Roger. It doesn't pay for a dead character to be the focal point of a soap opera.
By
Paul Raven ·
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