Recasts on shows: good, bad, in between

[danfling]

I imagine that Judith McConnell and Mary-Ellis Burin had worked together on As the World Turns.

 

Two recasts which were very good were on The Secret Storm.  Joel Crothers became Ken Stevens #2 (following Gordon Gray) and Barbara Rodell became Jill Stevens (later Claiborne) #2 (replacing Irene Bundle, who later returned to the show as Martha Ann, a friend of Belle).

Stephanie Braxton, who I do love (I think that she was the most Tara Martin-like actress to play Tara on All My Children) also later replace Linda de Coff as Laurie.    I did not like this recast because the character of Laurie (who was "the other woman") and the whole character was changed into a sympathetic character.

[Soaplovers]

Speaking of Stephanie Braxton, wasn't she a last minute recast on EON..effectively playing out the last weeks of the intense character arc?

[slick jones]

Did Irene Bundle also play Martha Ann.  The only actress I've found in the role is Audrey Johnstone

 

Nurse Martha Ann_____ Ashley...Audrey Johnstone...72 helped Dan's campaign

[amybrickwallace]

Yes. The previous actress who played Winter Austen said she left due to overwhelming memories of a sexual assault. Ms. Braxton finished out the story.

[Soaplovers]

And it was a miscast 

[amybrickwallace]

I wonder if the previous actress' departure was so abrupt that they had to recast in a hurry and to send the character off as quickly as they could.

[danfling]

Slick, I was incorrect.   It was Audrey Johnston.

 

On The Edge of Night I adored Lori Cardille.  She and Logan were wonderful together, and, to quote an old cliche, "they made a lovely couple."

I know that Ms. Cardille left suddenly (and later played a small role on Ryan's Hope), but the recasting is notable for as least two things in soap opera trivia.     Ms. Braxton and Joel Crothers (who shared many of her scenes) had previously played a married couple on The Secret Storm.      Also, the character that Winter murdered (Wade Meacham) was played by the real-life husband of Ms. Braxton, Dan Hamilton.

[Joseph]

What about Absurd in The Doctors the character MJ began being portrayed by a Black Actress then was recast by 2 white other ones

[SFK]

Wait, what? I need to hear more on this. #miakorf #wandaacuna

[Joseph]

The First Mary Jane "MJ" Match was played first by black (I think) actress Lauren White during this period her character married Armand Assante's Character then she was recast by soap veteran Katherine Glass who was a white brunette, then Glass Left and was recast by Amy Ingersoll who I believe is a white Blonde

 

Please register in order to view this content

[slick jones]

Marie Thomas was Lauri James Iverson. 

Nurse Mary Jane"MJ" Match Carroll...Lauren White    75-78  

...Carla Dragoni...78 AMC

... Katherine Glass    78-61

,...Amy Ingersoll...81-82

 

M.j. was always white.

[vetsoapfan]

Lauren White was (and is, LOL) Caucasian. The character of Blair Cramer on OLTL went from being Eurasian to Caucasian thanks to recasting, and THAT WAS definitely absurd and idiotic and offensive, but MJ on TD was always a white woman.

Please register in order to view this content

[Joseph]

I think is time to check my eyes sorry folks, glad they didn't do it with Carla in OLTL but writing her out wasn't much better either from what I saw I loved the character and the actress had such an elegant vibe, was nice Agnes wrote a Black character ,played by just the right actress, who wasn't a simple wrong talking maid she was a woman who could belong in any high social circle

Edited September 3, 2021 by Joseph

[vetsoapfan]

Ellen Holly seems to have developed some emotional issues over the years, but she was a beautiful and talented actress, and an iconic, essential component of OLTL. Damn the odious Paul Rauch for firing her and Lilian Hayman. He decimated OLTL the same way he decimated all the other shows he touched. 

[danfling]

Paul Rauch not only ended the contracts of Ellen Holly and Lillian Hayman, but he had a habit of dismissing African-American performers and young performers.

 

Around the same time that Ellen Holly's contract was not renewed, Guy Davis (Dr. Josh Hall) and Lisa Baron (Lisa Carrington) were also dismissed.    Eriq LaSalle and Lloyd Hollar also left the show, but they did not have contracts.  Shortly later, Al Freeman, Jr. departed the show, but I have heard that this was by his own choice.  (I am not sure.)

 

There was a storyline in which Dr. Ivan Kipling (assisted by Jon Hensley as Brody Price)  was going to rid a house that was occupied by young people from Llanview.  In the house were Danny Woleck (a returning Timothe Owen Waldrip), Annie Barnes (Rebecca Schaffer), Bo's ward Guiliana, Cassie (Ava Hadad), and Rob (Rob Marcoux).   The storyline was dropped, and the contracts of Rebecca Schaffer and Timothy Waldrip were ended.   Jon Hensley was also dropped from the cast (although he was not under contract either).