LOV: Information from Soap Opera Digest
Deborah J. Graham
Memory Lane
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the first corinthians
Take a look back at LOVING's classic stories
LOVING premiered on June 26, 1983 as the brainshild of industry giants
Douglas Marland (the late head writer of ATWT, GH, and GL) and Agnes
Nixon (creator of AMC and OLTL). Set on the East Coast in the
fictional university town of Corinth, the show focused on the live and
loves of four families: the wealthy Forbes and Alden clans, and the
blue-collar Donovans and Vocheks. Join LOVING Director Robert Scinto
as he reminisces about the show's milestones.
1983
LOVING was launched with a prime-time Sunday TV movie starring Lloyd
Bridges as Johnny Forbes and Patricia Kalember as Merrill Vochek. When
LOVING aired in its regular daytime slot on Monday, Bridges wasn't
part of the cast, but Kalember (now starring in SISTERS) continued as
an ace TV reporter who was a loser at love.
1983
In the beginning, the soap focused primarily on domestic issues and
the younger actors. Seen clockwise from top are: Stacey (Lauren-Marie
Taylor), Lorna (Susan Walters), Curtis (Shristopher Marcantel), Lily
(Jennifer Ashe), and Jack (Perry Stephens). Stacey (the only remaining
continuous, original cast member) was a budding Alden University
athlete. "The secret to [Taylor's] success is her consistency and the
consistency of her character. She is like a rock, so level-headed",
says Scinto.
1984
The serious issue of post-tramatic stress disorder was tackled when Ann
Forbes (Callan White) and Mike Donovan (James Kilberd) visited the
Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC. In a hightly charged scene, Vietnam
vet Mike spotted the name of his best freind on the monument wall,
triggering painful memories of the war.
1984
Father Jim Vochek (Peter Davies) was stunned when Cabot Alden's
illegitamate daughter, Shana Sloane (Susan Keith), turned up in
Corinth. The good padre had been involved with Shana when he was
studying fior the priesthood in Rome. "It was similiar to "The Thorn
Birds", which was probably a little different for daytime," Scinto
laughs. Eventually, Vochek left the preisthood, the couple married and
had a son, Jimmy. In a tragic twist, Jim and Jimmy perished in a plane
crash.
1986
Star-crossed lovers Trisha Alden (Noelle Beck) and Steve Sowolsky
(John R. Johnston) steamed up the screen as a young supercouple. "They
were the Luke and Laura of the East Coast," affirms Scinto. "Trisha
was a wonderful character; she did everything right. She came from a
wealthy family, but wasn't caught up in it. Steve was from the other
side of the tracks. I would say for Trisha - although she ended up
with Trucker - that Steve was the love of her life."
1987
Clay Alden (Randolph Mantooth) returned from the dead (actually
Southeast Asia) after his face was altered by plastic surgery. After
divorcing Gwyn, Clay hooked up with flighty Ava Rescott (Roya Megnot)m
who saved his life in a plane crash. "I think getting Randy was good
for the show," Scinto enthuses. "Althought EMERGENCY [Mantooth's prior
prime-time gig] hadn't been on the air for a long time, the reruns are
everyplace. He had a following. He brought to the cast an energy that
helps everyone."
(typists note: I'll agree to that, since I started watching LOVING
when I was flipping channels and saw Randolph. I stopped, watched, and
have continued to watch.)
1988
Jack (Perry Stephens) and Stacey's (Lauren-Marie Taylor) marital bliss
was ruined when Lily Slater (Britt Helfer) - his old girlfriend -
became their houseguest. Jack had a brief affair with the former
psychiatric patient and then dumped her. Alonf the lines of "Fatal
Attraction", Lily went to extremes to get her lover back. In the end,
Stacey learned of the affair when Lily "accidentally" talked in her
sleep. Stacey threw her philandering hubby out of the house and filed
for divorce.
1989
Tricked into beleiving that her true love, Trucker (Robert Tyler), was
a violent man, Trisha (Noelle Beck) was spirited off by Jeff Hartman
(Richard Steinmetz) for an ultra-romantic trip to Italy. Trucker
pursued the couple throughout Rome, but was too late to stop the
nuptials. Trisha and Jeff's 19th century-style wedding was taped on
location in italy, in the garden of a historic villa.
1990
Kate Rescott's (Nada Rowand) cervical cancer storyline won rave
reviews. While convalescing from a hysterectomy, Kate was wooed and
won over by happy-go-lucky trash collector, Louie Slavinsky (Bernie
Barror). "We all felt a loss when [Barrow] died. He and Nada brought
to the show a reality that is sometimes missing," says Scinto.
1991
Ava (Lisa Peluso) and her sister, Carly, fought over Paul Slavinsky
(Joseph Breen), Louie's son. Mobster Paul was caught in a warehouse
explosion that left him paralyzed. Ava stood by paul during his
theraphy, and the two headed for the alter. Unfortunately for Ava,
Carly interupted the wedding with news that Paul had fathered her son,
Michael, when they were teens.
1993
Dante Partou (Thom Christopher), Tess' not-so-dead husband, vowed
revenge on the Alden family and help Curtris (Shristopher Marcantel)
captive in a cage for weeks. "Thom Christopher is the consumate
organic actor," Scinto observes. "He worked hard to make it real and
scary without being too campy."
1993
In one of the show's wilder location shots, Ava and Jeremy were chased
through Universal Studios by GH bad guy Cesar Faison. Ava was saved
from teh henchman by none other than King Kong. "We had to figure out
how to get Lisa [Peluso, Ava] in the hands of the 65-foot pupped,"
recalls Scinto. "Lisa was great. She had no problem with being 60 feet
up in the air [hanging from a cable wire]."
1994
Deborah (Nancy Addison Altman) weaseled her way into the Alden mansion
and blackmailed Clay (Dennis Parlato) - her daughter's lover - into
marriage.
DID YOU KNOW
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o Before he was a prime-time star, BEVERLY HILLS, 90210's Luke Perry
(Dylan) was a less-than-daytime sensation as LOVING's Ned Bates.
o Kate Rescott has eight children, but we've met four: Ava, Sheree,
Carly, and John.
o Trucker slept with Gwyneth, who later became his mother-in-law.
(typist note...so did Jeff...)
o When Susan Keith tested for the role of Shana, James Kilberd
(Trevor, AMC; ex-Mike, LOVING) urged the powers-that-be NOT to hire
her because she was too stiff. They couple later married.
deb
(d...@genrad.com)