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Robin Strasser Shares On Twitter Her Reaction To OLTL Plot Point: Dorian To Cheer Up Blair Hires Two Male Hookers!
Courtesy/ABC
If you miss Robin Strasser from your daytime screens as much as we do, raise your hands! The Daytime Emmy winner who for years entertained soap audiences with her portrayal of Dorian Cramer Lord on ABC’s One Life to Live always has some entertaining, revealing or thought-provoking tweets!
This series of tweets over the holidays caught our attention, and should be of interest for those longtime fans of One Life. Strasser detailed an old One Life to Live plot point that involved she as Dorian and Kassie DePaiva’s Blair where Dorian was to hire two male hookers to cheer a down and out Blair and what her reaction was to this story point!
Strasser related: “PLOT like a CLOT #OLTL Script #Dorian to cheer #Blair up- hires 2 male hookers-1 for each I guess-I was appalled & shocked-Refused to do it! Gorgeous Males were already hired I was told–I sed HELP ME OUT this is IMPOSSIBLE/IMPLAUSIBLE/FILTHY. Couldn’t they be massage therapists? I ‘m SO DIFFICULT:) prepared to schlep in my Massage table to save #OLTL rental fee-L OL-I LIE-I did it to avoid-imo-insult to #Cramer brand+ Plus? BRANDing it OK to behave irresponsibly sexual- WHO’d hire male hookers off the Internet? Apology 2 Consenting Adults-I chose to abstain. THAT+other stuff is why the sweet staff writer who carried #Dorian portrait down 66 ST. In 1999 & kept her in his closet until 2003 return. Cut to 9 Years later Dorian is cut out 6 months ahead #OLTL cancellation Head Writers don’t appreciate a fighter-Why should they? Right?:)”
So, what do you think of the indomitable Strasser’s tweets on how she was prepared to keep the Cramer brand from being damaged? What do you think of the plot point? Do you wish for Robin to return on the soaps? Comment below!
I have to disagree with her. I think its something Dorian and Blair definitely would have done . Carlivati is a ratings getter she should have let him do his job
Ms. Strasser knows Dorian better than you, so if she feels it would have damaged the Cramer Women Image, then it would have. She would not have hired HOOKERS!
I have to agree with Robin. Not that I’m a prude. Just don’t think that would have been good for the Cramer image.
I love Robin Strasser and miss her and my beloved OLTL so very, very much.
Same here……I loved the soap and every single character on OLTL. I miss the show and all its players….I wish , I wish, I wish…..
Kudos to RS, for standing her ground. Quality writing doesn’t have to be vulgar or the lowest common denominator. I guess when character is short changed for plot purposes, you get these types of scenarios. The lions of soap writing would never have taken the cheap approach.
Days hire RS to play Lee Dumonde…she was Stephanos ex lover…she and Kate would make great enemies…imo
Lee Dumonde came to Salem in 1979 when her boyfriend Bryon Carmichael passed away in Paris and left his fortune to his half-brother Doug Williams. Lee came to Salem to get her claim to the money, and on November 5th Lee and Doug were married. However, in 1980 Doug realized his marriage to Lee was a mistake, and wanted to remarry Julie. Lee was furious and attempted to have Julie killed, but Julie lived. Lee then tried to fake a suicide attempt by overdosing on medication, but when she mixed her pills she suffered a stroke and was left partially paralyzed. Her plan worked, Doug told Julie he could not leave Lee while she was paralyzed. In 1981 Lee began to regain the use of her legs, which she kept secret in order to remain married to Doug. Brent Cavanaugh, who Lee hired to murder Julie for Lee Dumonde returned after having plastic surgery and he called himself Brad. When Brad tried to kill Julie, Lee Dumonde managed to knock him down, but was knocked unconscious. Julie was shocked because everyone believed Lee was paralyzed. As Brad went to kill Julie Lee woke up and shot him dead. Lee was put into Bayview Sanitarium afterward, and Julie and Doug resumed their relationship after Doug divorced Lee. Later Lee was released from the Sanitarium, and attempted to thwart Doug and Julie’s wedding. The wedding would go off as planned, but Lee managed turn Hope against her father and Julie, and decided to live with Tom and Alice. After her marriage broke up, Lee began to date Stuart Whyland. When Renee began to date Tony DiMera Lee warned her to stay away from him, but she refused. One night Renee was attacked by the Salem Strangler, but lived only because Lee walked in on the attack and the Strangler fled. After Renee learned that Lee was her mother, and had been lying to her for many years, Lee left town after Renee rejected her.
I watched all that unfold except when i briefly quit after the mass firings…and returned later…you got that all down perfectly…it was also revealed Lee had been Stephano’s mistress and to keep Renee and Tony apart, Lee claimed Renee was Stephanos daughter!!!
I too, would LOVE to see Robin Strasser come to DAYS, along with Erika S. If DAYS would just weed out those weak players, Ben, Melanie, Daniel, etc. and bring in real dramatics and queens of daytime, then DAYS ratings will only go up. I think OLTL fans are really happy to see Kassie and Melissa in Salem. Keep going DAYS!
I so agree with you…Erika would be a perfect Laura Horton…she even resembles Susan Flannery who played the second Laura from the 1960s to mid 70s!!!
Yeah, Erika would be a grand choice to play Laura. What about the last actress to play Laura? What happened to her? I too, would love Robin Strasser to just be on DAYS too, any character, as long as she’s on contract. Both Robin and Erika on contract at DAYS would be smart for Days.
Jaime Lyn Bauer was the last Laura…dont know what she’s been up to…loved her too…but Erika would still make a better Laura and id like to see Jerry Ver Dorn as her husband Bill…they both could do short story arcs…if they arent up to relocate to the west coast…Robin too!!!
Maybe DAYS can work something out with these east coast soap opera favorites. I’m assuming they are all based in nyc/ct, elsewhere?? Is the actor playing Aiden, what’s that talented actors name? Anyways, I understand he commutes from the east coast for DAYS. I love that. Maybe DAYS could make similar arrangements for Robin, Erika and Jerry.
Had to reply here, Jeremy.
Daniel Cosgrove plays Aiden Jennings.
I say make her Kate’s (heretofore?) unheard of sister or mother on Day’s
Id like to see her on Days no matter who she plays even as Kates unheard sister like you suggested or even as Nicoles real mother who comes to town searching for the daughter she gave up for adoption years ago…maybe as Linda Anderson, biological mother of Maggie’s daughter Melissa…Faye Walker couldve been Lindas housekeeper who secretly adopted Nicole after leaving Lindas employ…then there could be a mystery of who Nicoles father was ect….oh, i just want RS on the show as anybody…lol
jimh, I can’t take credit for the synopsis…I copied it from another site and pasted it on this site. I’m giving you credit for making me care enough to research the characters you were lucky enough to know!
Several actresses played Dorian Lord on OLTL…I would like to see two of them on DAYS playing sisters…Robin Strasser can play Lee Dumonde and Elaine Princi can play Linda Anderson..and one or the other could have had a daughter that none of the viewers knew about…she can be played by Philece Sampler! Would a new killer show up to kill the lookalike of Renee Dumonde who survived the Salem Strangler only to be murdered by the Salem Slasher?
As I recall, Linda Anderson died which is how Melissa came to be adopted by Mickey and Maggie. (Linda once had a huge crush on Mickey and tried every trick in the book to get him to marry her, including trying to pass Melissa off as his child. Of course, that joke was on her since Mickey was sterile.)
Still cool no matter where you got it…but Kit is wrong…Linda wasnt killed off…
Had to reply here, jimh!
Correct, Linda lives on! I knew that because I was already a fan of DAYS when Linda came back to Salem as Madame X. I never knew the character when she was played by the former actress.
I sent Kit a synopsis of Linda Patterson Anderson.
The late Margaret Mason played the villainous Linda but she was never a mean, ruthless and cruel villian like most villians are today…things usually backfired but she meant well and actually thought she was helping others and herself in a good way with her schemes…i miss her!!!
That’s the fellow. Daniel/Aiden
Would love to see her on DAYS OF OUR LIVES, along with the one and only Erika Slezak – it’s funny how we all say the same thing, none of us have suggested Bold and Beautiful or Young and Restless – we all seem to see these two great soap actresses on DAYS. Lord knows, DAYS could use them, some of their plotlines are rather thin and not terribly compelling. Probably the most interesting storylines right now are will Sonny be tempted by Paul, and will Aiden the Lawyer turn out to be a crazed killer much to Hope’s dismay. Aside from that, the storylines need a little help and good grief the writers need to SPEED it up a little ~
Ms. Strasser certainly would have a wonderful book in the making about things like this, I am hoping these are tidbits of something special coming from the diva in the literary dept. She always gave her all…
Male strippers, yes I can see Dorian doing that. Male hookers in the age of AIDs, I can’t see Dorian doing that. We were told she was ill and could not work at that time.It was a lie? She was written out? That is awful. I had no idea. We were told sh had a bad back or something. (I mean that Robin did and therefore could not play Dorian.
Hi Lin…Robin did/does have a bad back. Perhaps they did write her out for several years that she’s referring to due to “artistic” differences during another time but the back problems are real.
She was off for several years but came back. some time after she came back they canceled it. The last 6 or so months the show was on, she was not. The press releases said it was due to a bad back she could not perform. But note what she says in the interview above: “Cut to 9 Years later Dorian is cut out 6 months ahead #OLTL cancellation Head Writers don’t appreciate a fighter-Why should they? Right?:)” I read this as they had her go off and it was not due to an illness of Robin’s.
I agree with her! If it felt wrong then it probably was. She knows her character better than anyone else. I miss her on the soaps! I hope she returns to daytime soon!
David hired 2 call girls for him and Matthew after Dani dumped him. Those were some funny scenes! But not sure if it would work with Dorian and Blair. Maybe if she took her to a male strip club?
Those scenes made me cringe. I don’t think Eddie Alderson (Matthew) was much more than 16. So awkward, inappropriate and tasteless. They were the very definition of Too Much Information.
Tuc Watkins, Eddie Alderson and Shenell Edmonds were hilarious together and these were brilliantly funny scenes!
Of course setting up dates with hookers was inappropriate, but we’re talking about David Vickers here. Matthew was very young, but he didn’t seem to mind the attention. And Destiny’s reaction to it all the next morning when she showed up at the apartment? Haha, I have to watch these scenes again, so funny!
I think Robin knows the character of Dorian, and if she felt it wasn’t appropriate, then it wasn’t. Personally, I think I like the massage therapist idea better.
I miss OLTL and Dorian and of course, Robin Strasser. I appreciate the histories and back stories, too, but sadly they seem like such past times now. Why can’t networks and creatives see the value of daytime dramas and the practitioners. It would be great to see Robin Strasser return to daytime. Does Y&R’s Gloria need a mother?
Robin Strasser is right. Writers do get characterizations wrong sometimes, and this was one of those times. It’s the height of arrogance IMO for a writer not to at least listen to the person acting the part, especially someone who knows her character as well as Robin Strasser did. It’s not as if she started portraying the character yesterday.
And one of the reasons Dorian was such an enduring and ultimately endearing character was as much if not more due to the way she inhabited the character throughout all the different – and sometimes dreadful – writing regimes.
Carlivati can put that in his pipe and smoke it.
Following Ms. Strasser on Twitter is a delight. I think she nailed it with the change to massage therapists. Nuanced. Same score in ratings. Right idea. Hats off to Robin. Even if I DO understand why they don’t (writers) normally want the chickens running the hen house.
Maybe this would have worked on screen, maybe not. Dorian did plenty of reprehensible things over the years and the Cramer brand survived. That being said, Robin and Kassie would likely have played those scenes beautifully.
Robin is a true daytime icon. She humanized Dorian, as she had done with Rachel on Another World. Put her back on TV where she belongs!
I have to say I think the change to massage therapists was the right call. Dorian … DORIAN LORD … the queen of always having to look and be the best at everything (in her mind, anyway) running the risk of everyone in town finding out she hired call-boys??? Oh dear, that would be embarrassing. Dorian would never be so desperate. Strippers, sure. Massage therapists? Even better!
If I recall correctly… eh hem … there was a scene once where Dorian DID end up taking a massage therapist up to her room for a personal session? Something about tension in her back? Now that I do not put past Dorian at all.
Robin Strasser had known Dorian intimately for a lot longer than whoever wrote that scene, and she is an extremely imaginative person who would make a great writer herself and has been told so many times. Not that it was her job on the show, but she knew what she was talking about and her opinion should have been given some respect (and apparently was).
Oh yes Miss Dorian has superb class and we want to see her on tv Bring back OLTL; we need this show, we need the actors: Robin Strasser, Erika Sleszek, Clint. I love all of them, and I miss them totally!!!!!
I’m with you 100% Debbie.
I’m over OLTL being off the air (NOT)….will any of us EVER really get over it ?
Having said that I WOULD love to see Robin Strasser and Erika Slezak back on the small screen again.
Oh boy would I ever……
I don’t care how or why, I just want to see her backb
on my TV screen! Some soap should hire her! Now!
I have to agree with Robin Strasser on this one. It sounds silly to say given the often preposterous situations soap characters find themselves in on a daily basis but to paraphrase the great Doug Marland’s 10 rules if the audience says a character would never do that then you’ve failed.
It’s a fine line. Dorian would have too much pride to resort to sleazy online hookers. She’d find some wealthy business men or fake royalty or something other than online prostitutes. Tasteless gag that seems more about mocking the characters than writing them true to character.
I wish more actors would refuse to play some of the crap written for them!!
The soap world needs more Doug Marland’s and Claire Labine’s.
Yes. They understood the genre. It’s kind of soap cliché but many of the great soap names have said thank you for welcoming us into you home every day. If you understand that then you also get why you don’t bring trash in:)
And let’s not forget Agnes Nixon and Bill Bell.
Kit, I had to reply here. The last paragraph in the synopsis is when Linda Anderson was played by Elaine Princi.
Linda was Mickey’s secretary, but in 1970 soon began having an affair with him. Soon Linda would become pregnant, and she honestly believed Mickey was the father. Linda hoped Mickey would leave Laura to marry her, but Mickey worked through his differences with Laura by the end of 1970. Meanwhile Linda began seeing Bill Horton on the side at the same time she was seeing Mickey. In 1971 when Mickey finally told Linda he would remain faithful to Laura, Linda tried to commit suicide. Linda survived the attempt, but it would set off a chain reaction of events. Linda’s pregnancy was revealed, as was Mickey and Linda’s affair. After Linda had her baby blood tests proved that the baby’s father was actually Linda’s former boy friend Jim Philips. When Jim heard the news he returned to Salem, and married Linda by the end of 1971 and they moved to Boston.
In 1975 Linda returned to Salem with her daughter Melissa. Once she heard news that Mickey had lost his memory she tried to re-kindle their romance by trying to convince him he was Melissa’s father. However, her plans were thwarted by her dying husband who wrote Maggie and warned her and Mickey of Linda’s plans. Linda was determined to steal Mickey away from Maggie, and in hopes of doing it through his son Linda began spending a great deal of time with Mike Horton. When Mike became confused of his sexual feelings toward Trish Clayton, and women in general Linda slept with Mike to cure him of these feelings. Mike became obsessed with Linda, though she quickly pointed out she only loved Mickey. Linda continued her quest to try to steal Mickey from Maggie, but when she realized Mickey was no longer interested she set her sights on Bob Anderson, who gave her a job as his executive assistant. When Bob seemed to lack interest in Linda she began to see Tommy Horton, who eventually proposed to her.
In 1978 Bob began to suffer heart problems and Linda Patterson began to assume more control over the company. Linda enjoyed her newly acquired power and in order to keep it she broke of her engagement to Tommy Horton and married Bob Anderson in April of 1978. When Linda gained control of Anderson Manufacturing the first thing she did was demote Chris Kositchek, who quit and formed began to form his own business. Linda also began to see Neil while Bob recovered in the hospital after suffering a heart attack. In 1979 Bob confronted Linda about her affair, and Linda became so upset she fell down the stairs and was rushed into emergency surgery. Linda made it through but couldn’t remember her affair with Neil. Linda returned to Bob Anderson and tried to make the marriage work for Melissa’s sake. She was replaced by Stephanie Woodruff at Anderson and Linda then returned to her old job as Mickey’s legal secretary. When a solar power device was stolen from Anderson Bob accused Linda of stealing it, and dropped her from his will. Desperate to get back in his good graces Linda claimed to be pregnant, which she was not. Linda went to Neil to ask him to claim she had miscarried a baby, but he refused. Linda however was not aware that Melissa had overheard her conversation with Neil. In 1980 Linda decided to leave town with Melissa when her husband Bob Anderson told her it was the only way she could stay in his will.
Linda returned to Salem in 1984 under the name Madame DuPrix. Linda began to buy shares in many of the local businesses, including Anderson Manufacturing which she wanted to take back. She thought if she could drive Melissa insane she could takeover her share of Anderson, however when she learned Melissa had sold her shares she became furious. In an act of revenge Linda drugged Pete and arranged for Melissa to find the two of them in bed with one another. Through the encouragement of Linda, Alex set fire and destroyed Anderson Manufacturing, hoping to collect insurance on it. Later the two were found out by Larry Welch, and he blackmailed them. Linda quickly left town after Melissa had discovered the whole truth about her mother.
I often wonder how different the soap world would be now if Marland had not passed away. I can’t decide if he’d have stuck around, and in that case his influence would undoubtedly have made some positive difference (though how much of a difference is hard to judge), or if he would have been just another one of the long list of quality soap writers (Labine, Nancy Curlee, Jerome and Bridget Dobson come immediately to mind) who got fed up and quit and just refuse to work in the current environment.
Yes definitely would’ve worked. What we think kind of moot only because after a while regardless or writers an actor/actress know their characters. For decades off and on I remember readding/hearing Robin was dificult. THIS angers me. Difficult because she wants to fight for waht she feels her character would/wouldn’t do. Yes I certainly remember her being let go then us getting told ” the truth” I knew then it sounded fishy and sure enough came out years later it was. fishy. Good Robin, still say I could have seen it on screen though and would have been in character but Robin didn’t want to do it.
Oh, for pete’s sake, are you kidding me? Dorian was a DOCTOR. Of COURSE she wouldn’t have done something like that where Blair was concerned (to/for somebody she didn’t care about, maybe–but not Blair or anybody else whose well-being meant something to her). Massage therapists and male strippers are both better suggestions that play to roughly the same plot point and would have been fully in character. I’m trying to remember who was head-writing OLTL in 2003–was it Dena the Disaster, or is that too early for her? Whoever it was should have been ashamed.
lol
Some Doctors off duty do some really risque awesome stuff that would make one cringe while being naked on his table if they knew.. lol
And most are very sexual creatures, ya betcha 😉 ..
(google them/it, or simply date doctors for a decade or two lol..some are not saintly..
I’m not concerned about the “really risque awesome” part, su—I’m concerned about the “sex with prostitutes you’ve hired off the Internet is quite risky in the AIDS era” part. I don’t see Dorian putting Blair at that kind of risk.
Duration Name
July 1968 — July 1972 Agnes Nixon
Paul Roberts
Don Wallace
August 1972 — September 1973 Agnes Nixon
Gordon Russell
September 1973 — October 1978 Gordon Russell
November 1978 — March 1980 Gordon Russell
Sam Hall
March 1980 — May 1982 Sam Hall
Peggy O’Shea
July 1982 — January 1983 Sam Hall
Henry Slesar
February 1983 — June 1983 Henry Slesar
June 1983 — December 1983 John William Corrington
Joyce Corrington
December 1983 — June 1984 Sam Hall
Peggy O’Shea
July 1984 — June 1987 Peggy O’Shea
July 1987 — July 1990 S. Michael Schnessel
September 1990 — May 1991 Craig Carlson
Leah Laiman
May 1991 — August 1991 Craig Carlson
August 1991 — January 1992 Michael Malone
January 1992 — February 1995 Josh Griffith
Michael Malone
March 1995 — March 1996 Michael Malone
April 1996 — December 1996 Leah Laiman
Jean Passanante
Peggy Sloane
December 1996 — Spring 1997 Jean Passanante
Peggy Sloane
Spring 1997 — March 29, 1998 Claire Labine
Matthew Labine
March 30, 1998 — December 31, 1998 Pamela K. Long
January 1999 — September 1999 No Head Writer credited
September 1999 — January 2001 Megan McTavish
January 2001 — January 31, 2003 Lorraine Broderick
Christopher Whitesell
February 3, 2003 — March 7, 2003 Josh Griffith
March 10, 2003 — March 22, 2004 Josh Griffith
Michael Malone
March 23, 2004 — November 24, 2004 Michael Malone
November 29, 2004 — December 10, 2004 Brian Frons
Frank Valentini
December 13, 2004 — May 7, 2007 Dena Higley
May 8, 2007 — September 10, 2007 Dena Higley
Ron Carlivati
September 11, 2007 — February 14, 2008 Ron Carlivati
February 15, 2008 — May 1, 2008 Gary Tomlin (WGA strike)
May 2, 2008 — January 13, 2012 Ron Carlivati
April 29, 2013 — July 1, 2013 Thom Racina
Susan Bedsow Horgan
July 1, 2013 — July 15, 2013 Thom Racina
Susan Bedsow Horgan
Jessica Klein
July 22, 2013 — August 19, 2013 Thom Racina
Jessica Klein
I’m sorry for the copy & paste gone awry. I googled for a list of OLTL head writers and the info was in a nice boxed columned chart, but after I copied and pasted, the boxes that separated the dates and names disappeared! Everything crunched together!!!
Four head writers wrote for OLTL in 2003…Josh Griffith was the main one.
Thanks for the research, 4ever. Griffith and Malone should both have known Dorian better; my bet would be Whitesell/Broderick.
If indeed 2003 is the year. I’m rereading the tweet and really can’t make out the timeline. She’s talking, or seems to be, about a staff writer who got fired in 2003 who had been protective of Dorian’s character. So does that mean that this lousy writing suggestion took place in 2003, or just that it happened sometime after 2003? It doesn’t seem clear to me.
Sorry, my mistake–I should have said “a staff writer who got fired in 1999 and came back in 2003.” And it does sound as though she’s saying that incidents like this one are why that staff writer was hired back. But I still am having trouble parsing out exactly what the tweet says (which, alas, is a limitation of tweets if what you’re trying to convey/communicate is at all complicated).
These scenes occurred in 2009. Griffith and Malone were not the headwriters.
Carlivati kept Dorian’s portrait when she left the show in 1999. Strasser returned to OLTL in 2003.
Wow. I wish I could respond to you directly, Diane, but if it’s true that Ron Carlivati was the staff writer who saved the portrait only to make the character of Dorian the butt of a tasteless hooker joke 9 years later then her tweets make total sense.
Michael, it is confusing but I think what Robin Strasser is trying to say is about defending the integrity of the character. RS was more or less forced out in 1999 and hence the nod to the staff writer who saved/protected the Dorian portrait …the image of the character so to speak…until RS/Dorian was brought back in 2003 by Michael Malone/Josh Griffith.
I think it’s pretty obvious the online hooker gag came from Ron Carlivati who also brought us knee slappers like teens forced into a comedic romp thru porn via the Hold The Whatever weenie joke of the day. Sometimes (often) RC just doesn’t seem to know when to quit.
RS certainly has the rep of being a diva but I have to agree with her on this one. The gag was tasteless and shoving her larger than life character out the door in the last few months of the show came off as very petty.
Dorian had class or at least tried to have it. Love that she would protect her character and that she had the clout to do so. A true star and one that is badly missed.
Would love to see robin strasser come back to general hospital and take over as head of the hospital and kick orbechts ass at the hospital….! And go head to head with Helena!-7
I would watch Robin Strasser anywhere, anytime. I would love it if she came to Days! OLTL was, by far, the best soap ever. ABC is CRAZY if they don’t bring it back. The cooking/talks shows are not working.
I agree with you completely. Agnes Nixon brought the daytime drama into the modern era with the creation of OLTL and AMC. I watched the very first episode of OLTL and instantly fell in love with it. Through the years it changed and grew as the world changed and grew. There were always characters and situations that kept you involved and guessing what was going to happen next. I always said OLTL has the strongest cast of any show I’ve ever seen lead by the incomparable Erika Slezak and Robin Strasser. Whether on TV or online, OLTL has got to come back to us.
WELL MICHAEL YOU KNOW I AM A VERY BIG FAN OF OLTL. ROBIN & ERIKA ARE MY FAV. PEOPLE ON OLTL. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THEM ON A SHOW TOGETHER AGAIN. IT IS A SHAME TO BE WASTING TALENT SUCH AS THEIRS. SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE THE SENSE TO PUT THEM ON A SHOW. ROBIN HAS THE ABILITY TO MAKE YOU HATE HER & THEN FEEL SORRY FOR HER WHEN THINGS DON’T GO RIGHT FOR HER. HER & ERIKA PLAY PERFECT OFF EACH OTHER. SO SOMEBODY SHOULD USE THEIR SENSE & PUT THEM ON TV.
One final thought on the Carlivati comment/reference at the end of the tweet. I’m in the vast minority, apparently, in being in the middle regarding Mr. Carlivati (generally people seem either to adore him or to loathe him, with little middle ground): I see some real talent that his detractors don’t acknowledge, and I also see some real problems, especially the longer he continues on GH, that his fans seem to gloss over. And at this point I could easily see—given some of the totally plot-driven and character-neglecting stuff he has sometimes done on GH—that he might have had a problem with someone as strong-willed and opinionated as Robin Strasser who would oppose scripts and plot points that she found to be out of character. When Dorian was written out early from OLTL, I was more inclined to attribute it to budget; Valentini was well known for his ability to keep the budget in check, and Strasser would not have been inexpensive (even with the pay cut she reportedly took when she came back after JFP drove her away). Now that I’ve seen a little more of how Carlivati operates, however, I’m more inclined to think Strasser might be right and that he might have had something to do with why Dorian was written out early. At least it seems a possibility.
Of course I want Robin Strasser to return to the soaps!!! She could be a force to be reckoned with on General Hospital!!!! 🙂
Robin is 100% right…..and knows Dorian and Blair much more than Carlivati ever could.
Hope one life comes back on miss you robin loved when you fought with Vicky,abc made a big mistake canceling your show.they r suffering for it,they cannot get a good show on in the afternoon,too bad revenge is sweet.take care and hope to see you back on,I am part of the fans that r fighting to get one life back on
Let’s not forget that Ron and Frank are responsible for the Marty/”Todd” rape mance and that weenie in the hot dog costume taking advantage of a mentally ill Jessica. Yes, they have talent writing both OLTL and GH, and they do know how to generate buzz, but the more that they’re on General Hospital, the less enchanted I’ve become. They’ve definitely lost the sweetness and the warmth they once had as well as the ability to maintain and conclude a story. Let’s not forget that they knew how to write a kick butt corporate takeover story (and with someone – Dorian – who wasn’t crazy or a criminal and one that didn’t involve relish).
Having said all of that, I miss Robin too and wish that ABC and Prospect Park would conclude their feud so even if a Dorian didn’t join GH permanently, she could do an arc.
Further, I’m glad that at least there’s an ABC soap left to feel frustrated about.
I’m pretty sure the “rapemance” was Dena Higley; I can ‘t remember who the EP was at the time (might have been Valentini or might have been somebody before him), but I don’t think Carlivati was HW. The “aw look, let’s all feel sorry for Ford because he’s having to wear a hot dog costume, maybe what he did to Jessica during her breakdown wasn’t so awful” was definitely Carlivati (and Valentini). And much as I loathed that story, I’d have to reserve final judgment until I could know–if I ever could–whether redeeming Ford was their idea or something that was foisted upon them by ABC executives. If the latter, I can’t really blame them for the awfulness (and actually sort of admire them for not making more than a token effort to make it plausible/believable).
I think you’ve described my feeling about Carlivati/Valentini-era GH pretty much perfectly: I thought the first year to 18 months were excellent, and since then “the less enchanted I’ve become,” as you put it.
Nope, you’re right, Andrew: the rapemance was Carlivati also. Egads. Offensive on so many levels.
Oh yes the Rape Mance was definitely Carlivati – that was what put them on the soap map and generated (negative) buzz about the show.
Although I have to admit that it got me back to the show after Higley had driven me far far away with her serial killers offing legacy characters and psychopaths (like Margaret Cochran) running amok.
But the problem with the negative kind of buzz that Carlivati could create is that you can’t sustain it and so once the lookie loos are done, they leave and then the regular viewers are pissed off.
I stayed because it seemed that Carlivati gave a shit about the show and its history and brought back some ideas and themes that had been abandoned by previous regimes. It also built some new things (Clint as the new Asa vs. Bo, for example). It had life, energy, a sense of fun … unfortunately the camp got out of hand towards the end of the OLTL run (do we even need to rehash the weird story with Todd and his mom?) and has completely dominated GH but without the life, energy and sense of fun. The endless Legion of Doom (Dr. O, Faison, Helena, Jerry, and on and on) stories are exhausting.
I rather liked the “Tale of Two Todds,” complete with its utter campiness and near-total implausibility, because the dynamic between the two brothers was interesting (and I remember Trevor St. John just breaking my heart at a few points), and then they chose not to explore that aspect and I was less interested. I had tuned out during Dena the Disaster and I was late to the game on Carlivati; I’m wondering if in retrospect the rapemance story was why I did not tune back in sooner (people were certainly singing Carlivati’s praises from practically the start of his tenure, and I’m wondering if I saw the rapemance stuff going on and said a mental “no thank you, not if that’s the kind of stuff he’s doing”). I did come back for the last year and was mostly impressed, though Rapist Ford was a constant black mark. I think the camp was more under control and the show (though occasionally it did seem to careen wildly from plot point to plot point) was better balanced than GH currently is. Current GH seems to me to be much more plot driven, and the camp quotient is out of control. Valentini and Carlivati still have a sense for what I’d term “solid drama”—the early November sweeps with Carly’s/Sonny’s comeuppance and Nina stealing Ava’s baby was can’t-miss stuff, and I didn’t fast-forward at all, so they can still bring their A-game when they choose to—but the plottiness and campiness have gotten way out of control, and the final product is wildly uneven. (I still prefer it to JFP-Guza or JFP-Wolf, however.) I have my suspicions that this is perhaps the best we can hope for in the post-writer era of soaps: with network executives rather than headwriters driving the creative process, this may be the best we’ll get (i.e., they’re doing as much as they can to keep some shreds of character and plausibility but they have to meet the brass’s demands for plot-plot-plot and “exciting” story developments). And I agree about the Legion of Doom—it’s still not as dark and depressing as the JFP-Guza days, but I can’t watch every day, either, because I can’t take it (and I could, for most of the last year of OLTL and most of the first year that C & V were in charge of GH).
Regardless I want my stories back. I hope the person who made the decision to cut All My Children and One life to Live lost their job. They were not in touch with reality. Even though I like Couric, they should never had put her on daytime. Please bring back our stories or at least a movie giving us closure. Think about it!!!!!
You definitely got your wish Debbie. The visible hatchet man, Frons, left in 2012. Anne Sweeney, who is rumored to be the real catalyst behind the whole mess, should be gone at the end of 2014. Hopefully, neither will ever work ever again. Whether or not the big boss, Bob Iger, chairman of the mouse company, had a hand in this I do not know.
Please bring back OLTL and AMC.
I came to OTLT late in the game, but some of what was re-Tweeted seems a bit contradictory to what I read on this site ~ and I trust Michael’s reporting. While I believe actors know their characters better than MOST writers, I do question her statement about her “fighting” for the Cramer Brand as the reason she was released early. All reports were saying it was due to her back surgery. Were we being lied to? Someone seems to have been playing games. Hopefully, it’s just a confusion in stories, but if not, that’s what happens. I think Ms. Strasser is a brilliant presence and wish her well.
Who says it’s an either/or? Most things in life aren’t that simple. My guess is the writer of the show decided he would no longer write for her character and he didn’t get any pushback from his bosses. RS has a back bad enough to consider surgery and she made the decision to leave given the environment.
What I remember is that RS had asked for time off for back surgery, so they put in place Dorian’s exit story (because the back surgery would have kept her off from work until after the show ended), then the surgery was cancelled, or delayed or whatever, and she told them she was available after all, but they chose not to rewrite the story so that Dorian could remain in Llanview until the end. How much RS’s outspokenness figured into that decision is anybody’s guess. She had had long-running conflicts with ABC brass (i.e., higher-ups than the show’s executive producer and headwriter) for years and years; I remember there was controversy about her hotline, etc., while JFP was the execuprod. So it could be that ABC—and not Valentini or Carlivati—were the ones who decided she wouldn’t be coming back before the final episode. (But in that case, maybe she felt Valentini and Carlivati didn’t fight for her, or didn’t fight hard enough.) Even with the deluge of information we now have about the behind-the-scenes stuff (far more than the mid-70s when I started watching soaps, that’s for sure), I’m not sure we get the real story—or at least the full story—very often. I do have the strong sense that Valentini and Carlivati are “team players” (clearly an asset if you work for ABC and want to keep your job), and I suspect that they suck it up and take the heat for a lot of bad decisions/choices that are ultimately made by ABC and not the two of them.
I think Ron didn’t want to write for her either. Even as the show was canceled she was hardly on screen unless Tuc Watkins had a break from Desperate Housewives. And when the show was canceled and RC and FV had sayso over who would be invited to the PP version of the show, no one approached Strasser for a return. David was expected to return, without Dorian. When Ron and Frank were no longer involved with PP, Strasser was one of the first to be approached about the online version. As you say, we will probably not know the full story but I think a veteran performer knows when a headwriter either doesn’t have the ability or the desire to write for his/her character.
Just bring back OLTL PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ditto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Robin Strasser for giving a damn.
I love Dorian.. But, I would adore Robin Strasser in anything. I have not seen her in a long while… Where is she acting at……. so I can watch it?!
Follow her on Twitter. That’s where she is acting. She is the greatest! Bring back OLTL!
I could see Dorian and Blair being secuced and sleeping with a guy. Then, learning that they were male prostitutes. That would have been funny.
This summer beginning on July 21, Netflix streams the return of WWE: Unreal for its third season. The behind the scenes docudrama series gives fans a glimpse of life in WWE and inside the writers room, as injuries, last-minute pivots, and career-defining decisions reshape WWE’s biggest event of the year, WrestleMania 42.
WWE Unreal is taking fans deeper than ever inside World Wrestling Entertainment’s creative process, The hit docuseries will once again pull back the curtain on some of the biggest moments, boldest decisions, and unforgettable storytelling with some of the WWE’s greatest legends who’ve shaped the industry and new stars who are emerging as prominent parts of the future.
In the new season of ‘Unreal’ which consists of 5 episodes at 50 minutes each: John Cena says goodbye, a fan favorite returns, and the next generation of Superstars rise to the occasion.
Photo: WWE
The cast and WWE superstars featured include: the aforementioned Cena, plus Cody Rhodes, Liv Morgan, CM Punk, AJ Lee, Trick Williams, Lash Legend, Stephanie Vaquer, Oba Femi, Bron Breakker, Chelsea Green, Matt Cardona, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch.
As previously reported AJ Lee revealed on General Hospital star Maurice Benard’s (Sonny Corinthos) mental health series, State of Mind, that she was part of the cast of WWE: Unreal.
WWE: Unreal production credits include: Directors/Showrunners: Chris Weaver and Erik Powers Executive Producers: Peyton Manning, Jamie Horowitz, Ross Ketover, Keith Cossrow, Ken Rodgers, Jessica Boddy, Lee Fitting, Ben Houser, Marc Pomarico Sr. Producers: Harley Glantz, Brian Decker, Michael Flynn Producers: John Galiani, Dan Gati, Jeremy Lundblad Production Companies: Omaha Productions, NFL Films, Skydance Sports, WWE.
So, what do you think of the loglines for the new season of WWE: Unreal? Who are you most excited to see featured in the behind the scenes drama from the list of WWE superstars and the twists and turns leading into this past April’s WrestleMania 42? Let us know via the comment section below.
If you have ever tuned-in to the soap opera genre over the last 50 years, and witnessed some of the greatest romances, drama, classic and outlandish storylines of all-time, you would have seen Deidre Hall smack dab in the middle of it as longtime Salem heroine, Dr. Marlena Evans.
It was 50 years on this date, June 21, 1976 that Hall first appeared on DAYS on NBC which was its home for 57 years before it moved to its current streaming platform on Peacock in September of 2022.
In Hall’s first episode she was introduced as a psychiatrist treating Mickey Horton (John Clarke) at Bayview Sanitarium after he suffered a complete mental breakdown. Mickey learned that his brother Bill Horton (Edward Mallory) was the biological son of Mike Horton (Wesley Eure) with his wife Laura (Susan Flannery) and that he had been lied to for years and years. From that moment on, the rest is television and soap opera history. Days of Our Lives put Hall front and center.
Photo: NBC
There were so many heartbreaking and shocking story twists involving the beloved Marlena. One of the first was the historic crib death of baby DJ (Don Jr.) in 1980, Marlena’s infant son with Don Craig (Jed Allan). The story had never been told on daytime television and Hall’s performances received accolades from TV critics to fans when Deidre received thousands of letters from grieving mothers who had gone through the same thing in their own lives.
DAYS also brought Deidre’s twin sister, Andrea Hall Lovell to the show as her on-screen sister Samantha, who had a grudge and even locked Marlena up in a sanitarium and took her place! Fast-forward and in 1982, DAYS launched the Salem Strangler story where everyone believed Marlena was his next victim, only it turned out to be Samatha. Jake Kositchek (played by Jack Coleman) was revealed to be the actual serial killer.
Later, Deidre would assume the role of Marlena’s look-alike, Hattie Adams in 2004, once played by her sister, Andrea. Over the years, Hattie has come back to Salem and caused trouble giving Hall a chance to play a different type of character, then the always upstanding Marlena.
Photo: JPI
THE LOVES OF MARLENA
Deidre Hall struck gold with all her leading men: from the late Jed Allan, to Wayne Northrop as Roman Brady, and of course, her enduring love story with the late John Black played by the iconic Drake Hogestyn. In fact, Marlena’s 1986 wedding to John (who was believed to be Roman at the time) remains a favorite of fans to this day.
TOP MARLENA STORYLINES OF ALL-TIME
While the list is long, here are several that were some of the memorable during Deidre’s five decades in Salem!
The Possession (1994- 1995)
Considered one of the most ambiguous, outlandish and unforgettable story arcs in soap opera history, then Days of Our Lives head writer, James Reilly went there! Marlena was possessed by the devil! That included; the demonic eyes, hissing at father John (Black) the priest, morphing into creatures, and the classic levitating in her bed! It became a cultural phenomenon and cemented Deidre Hall’s status as a daytime television legend. Just ask Ryan Gosling!
Photo:JPI
The Affair with John Black (1993)
John and Marlena’s forbidden love could not be denied and they had passionate affair, while she was still married to the real Roman. Problem was her daughter, Sami (Alison Sweeney) caught her mother having sex with John on a desk that changed Sami forever.
The Salem Stalker Mystery (2003-2004)
In a shocker, Marlena was revealed to be a serial killer who bumped off several Salem favorites residents who were all alive on the island of Melaswen (spelled “New Salem” backward). Turns out, she was manipulated and gaslighted by Andre DiMera (Thaao Penghlis) to do the “killings” and had no memory of her actions.
The Pier Scene (1991)
This remains Michael Fairman TV’s all-time favorite Deidre Hall moment, which featured some of the best acting in the storied careers of both Hall and Drake Hogestyn.
In the story, a presumed-dead Marlena returns after four years. One foggy night on the pier, John is alone, and Marlena steps out of the fog to reveal herself, and is reunited with the love of her life. You can watch it any year, any decade, and in any moment, and it will have you reaching for the hankies again and again. (best music score fo a soap scene of all-time too!)
Photo: NBC
Kristen’s Secret Room Reveal (1997)
Marlena was caught in Kristen Blake’s (Eileen Davidson) elaborate web of lies, when she was held hostage in a secret wine cellar/room until John managed to track her down, leading to an iconic on-screen reunion. The classic catfight between Hall and Eileen Davidson was one for the ages.
It should be noted that Maison Blanche, Queen of the Night, Possession, Aremid and Lady in a Cage were all a part of classic DAYS storyline and all featured Hall at the epicenter of it from 1993-1996.
THE RECENT YEARS OF MARLENA
In recent years, DAYS brought back the possession 2.0 storyline under then head writer Ron Carlivati in 2021 where the devil leapt back in Marlena after taking advantage of a frail Doug Williams (the late Bill Hayes)
In 2025, viewers watched the end of the love story of John and Marlena, as John succumbed to injuries sustained in an explosion saving a vial of medication needed to bring Bo (Peter Reckell) back to life. Marlena has been a widow on-screen since June of 2025 as Hall as portrayed the good doctor struggling with her grief and to move on with her life since his death.
Photo: JPI
One story that never goes away is Stefano DiMera’s (the late Joe Mascolo) obsession with Marlena, his “Queen of the Night.” Even in death, Stefano is toying with her from the great beyond with the mysterious chess set and the missing “pawn,” that he had gifted John and Marlena in his will. The mystery is currently unfolding on all-new episodes of Days of Our Lives.
Tune-in to Days of our Lives on the Monday, June 22 episode as Marlena looks back at her 50 years in Salem.
Share your congratulations to Deidre Hall for this incredible 50-year milestone as Dr. Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives in the comment section. Then let us know, what is your all-time favorite storyline or moment in the life of Marlena over the past 5 decades? And, just for kicks, and to celebrate this amazing milestone, here is Marlena levitating below circa Christmas Eve 1994.
General Hospital
Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
With the highly-anticipated returns of Finola Hughes (Anna Devane) on this week’s June 24 episode of General Hospital, Steve Burton’s (Jason Morgan) upcoming return on July 13, which also serves as the ABC daytime drama’s 16,000 episode, things are about to fire on all cylinders in the story, as noted today by series star, Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos).
On Father’s Day, the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning actor and mental health activist took to his Instagram and expressed in a video that he has some unbelievable upcoming senes with the aforementioned Burton and Hughes. Add to that Nazneen Contractor (Justine Turner) and Rick Hearst (Ric Lansing), where Benard gave credit where credit is due to the GH writing team, which is led by co-head writers, Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten..
In this video, Benard said, “I just want to get on here and say that I did some work with Steve Burton, Finola Hughes, Rick Hearst, Nazneen Contractor, and they’re all just fantastic. Truly fantastic. But, I want to say the writing was just exceptional. It truly was. It was exceptional. So, thankful for that kind of writing. I know writers don’t get the credit a lot, but I just want to say to the General Hospital writing team, keep rolling!”
GENERAL HOSPITAL PREVIEW
So now the question becomes, with a major tease like that, what is about to go down between Sonny, Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric? Will we finally get to the end of the line for Sidwell (Carlo Rota), as previously teased by the GH co-head writers? Will we learn what happened to Jason and Anna, fully? Will Justine and Sonny becomes closer or stop their liaisons? And what of Ric? Will he be true blue to his brother or double-cross him? There is a lot at stake as we move further into the summer and one that looks like it could be one of the more exciting ones in years!
FINOLA HUGHES CONFIRMED AMAZING SCENES WITH MAURICE BENARD
As a punctuation point to his video, Benard also shared this written message in the post: “I just did some wonderful scenes with Steve Burton, Rick Hearst, Finola Hughes and Nazneen Contractor and and unbelievable writing, freaking amazing scenes that you will see in the near future on General Hospital.” In fact, Finola Hughes jumped in the post comment thread and responded, “I loved our scenes so much xxx”
Fans will most likely see all the scenes Benard referred to later in July, since GH tapes approximately six weeks ahead of air.
So, are you excited to see what Maurice is talking about? Are you hyped for what’s to come on GH? Any clue on what you think will go down between the main characters on the soap with the returns of Anna Devane and Jason Morgan to the mix? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
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DAYS OF OUR LIVES: Marlena Looks Back at 50 Years in Salem
‘WWE: Unreal’ Season 3 Premiere Date, Cast of Superstars, Announced by Netflix
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom
Deidre Hall Marks 50 Years as ‘Days of Our Lives’ Dr. Marlena Evans
Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
‘General Hospital’s’ Controversial Luke and Laura Rape Episode: Writer Sheri Anderson Reveals Behind the Scenes Decisions and Admits ‘I Was Wrong’ to Defend It (Exclusive)
‘Days of Our Lives’ Eric Martsolf Recalls Moment He Learned He Was Cast as Brady Black, and Last Scenes with Drake Hogestyn (SOAPY Exclusive Preview)
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GENERAL HOSPITAL Promo: Rocco’s in a Panic as Britt’s Health Takes a Turn, Chase is Called to the Carpet
‘WWE: Unreal’ Season 3 Premiere Date, Cast of Superstars, Announced by Netflix
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom
Deidre Hall Marks 50 Years as ‘Days of Our Lives’ Dr. Marlena Evans
Y&R Preview: Matt Clark Asks Phyllis on a Date, Would You Be Down for the Pairing? Roger Howarth & Michelle Previously in GH’s Franco/Nina Romance
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General Hospital2 days agoMaurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric
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