Dana Plato (before she got screwed up) as a Patty Williams recast.

Tonight on Antenna TV, they aired the Diff'rent Strokes episode where Conrad Bain and Dana play dual roles in drag, mother and son Dutch Drummond cousins.

Ricardo Montalban may have been a little too "big" for daytime, but the Alfred Hitchcock presents episode he stars in with Constance Ford is one of my favorites.

Mabel King as a bitchy matriarch who reigned from a chaise lounge a la that overweight lady with all of the Pomeranians in The Age of Innocence would have been fun

Moses Gunn had a very strong soap patriarch vibe, as did Paul Winfield. Mary Alice, another great possibility. Beah Richards had a small role on Capitol, but she could have been dynamite in a super dramatic role that really called upon her strengths.

Mabel King as a bitchy matriarch who reigned from a chaise lounge

I can literally see this and I overwhelmingly APPROVE.

Weepy-faced Royal Dano as a strong, distant soap patriarch would have been A+.

Interesting; I didn't know that. She certainly could be very dramatic on Good Times ("Damn!...Damn!....DAMN!" ), so I figured she'd be a great fit on a soap opera.

As for Vivian Vance, I was picturing a Myrtle Fargate-type character (this would be in the '70s when Viv was older). Raymond Burr could play a wealthy patriarch, and Nat Schafer would be great as a wealthy matriarch (a la Phoebe English Tyler-Wallingford).

Natalie Schafer played Helen Collins, Wade and Clay's mother, on "Search for Tomorrow." I believe that role was similar to the one you would expect. Much earlier in her career she appeared as a nurse in the final weeks of "Three Steps to Heaven." The episode is available for viewing at the Paley Center. Schafer's character can be seen consoling Mary Claire, the show's heroine while her brother/husband are recovering from injuries sustained in a fire.

Esther Rolle appeared on One Life to Live as Sadie around 1971.

I'm not sure of the circumstances (temp replacement?) I'm sure someone will know.

Sorry, just saw SFK had already posted this.

Edited November 8, 201312 yr by Paul Raven

I can literally see this and I overwhelmingly APPROVE.

Weepy-faced Royal Dano as a strong, distant soap patriarch would have been A+.

Royal Dano would have made a good villain too. Someone like Roberts Blossom's character Sven on Another World.

Lisa Whelchel from Facts of Life would have fit in with the 80s era soaps. I could see her playing someone like Mindy Lewis on Guiding Light.

Edited November 8, 201312 yr by jam6242