One Life to Live storylines (1968–1979)
Encyclopedia
One Life to Live
is an American soap opera
that has been broadcast on the ABC
network since 1968. The series starts with One Life to Live storylines (1968–1979). The plot continues in One Life to Live storylines (1980–1989)
. The plot in the next decade is outlined in One Life to Live storylines (1990–1999)
and the story continues in One Life to Live storylines (2000–Present)
.
focused on the blue collar
, polish
Catholic
Wolek family, and the super-rich Lords. Additionally, there was also the Siegel clan — daytime's first mixed Jewish/Irish-Catholic family, although they were featured much less prominently.
Dr. Larry Wolek (Jim Tulley, Jim Storm, Michael Storm
) fell in love with Meredith Lord
, or "Merrie" (Trish Van Devere
, Lynn Benesch
) the younger of Victor Lord's (Ernest Graves, Sheppard Strudwick, Les Tremayne, William Mahoney) two daughters. They initially met when Larry helped treat Merrie's heart condition. Victor disapproved of Larry as a suitor for his daughter and forbade her seeing him. Frustrated, Larry turned to Karen Martin (Niki Flacks), a nurse who saved his life when he was trapped in a fire. Larry wed
Karen, but realized soon afterward that it was a mistake; he didn't love her. He did stay with her when he found out she was pregnant however. Meanwhile, a heart-broken Merrie became involved with Tom Edwards (Joseph Gallison), a young man whom she found wandering in the park with amnesia
and who grew more to Victor's liking. Karen miscarried
her baby and agreed to a divorce
. Larry wanted to court Merrie again, but she had already accepted Tom's proposal. Ultimately though, Merrie chose to wed Larry. Merrie went through her own extremely difficult pregnancy, but successfully delivered twins, a son Danny (who would eventually grow up to be a doctor as well) and a daughter who died at birth. She suffered from post-partum depression. She was also held hostage
by two escaped convicts for a prolonged period. Tragically, she died of a brain aneurysm in 1973, leaving Larry crushed.
(played by Gillian Spencer, Joanne Dorian, and most notably Erika Slezak
) was a sexually repressed young woman who lived for her father's approval. When brash reporter Joe Riley
(Lee Patterson) began to chip away at her defenses, the fun-loving red-wigged "Niki Smith" began showing up at local bars. Joe's best friend, truck-driver (and later police officer) Vinny Wolek (Antony Ponzini, Jordan Charney, Michael Ingram), fell in love with Niki. When he realized she was really a split-personality (or 'alter') of Viki, he told Joe the truth. Viki underwent psychoanalysis
with Dr. Polk, and her split-personality seemed at the time to be cured. She married Joe soon afterward. A few years later, Joe was presumed dead, and Viki married reporter Steve Burke (Bernard Grant), who at the time was being stalked by the psychopathic Marcy Wade (Francesca James
). Steve went on trial for her murder, and was ultimately cleared by none other than Joe himself, who had survived his presumably fatal car crash, but had been amnesia
c for over a year. Poor Viki suddenly found herself with two husbands, and had a difficult time deciding on which husband to stay married. Viki and Joe reunited, but not before he had a child with Cathy Craig (Dorrie Kavanaugh). When the child died, Cathy kidnapped Viki and Joe's baby, Kevin Riley, in 1977.
OLTL was the first soap opera to have a racially integrated cast. Additionally, it was the first to deal with interracial relationships. The character of Carla Benari (a.k.a. Clara Gray) (Ellen Holly
) was an African American woman trying to pass for white. Her mother, Sadie Gray (Lillian Hayman
, Esther Rolle
), who was the neighbor and friend to the Woleks and worked in the Housekeeping Department at the hospital (she later became Head of Housekeeping there), discovered that her daughter, Clara, was pretending to be a white woman, and eventually persuaded her to reveal her true racial identity.
storyline centering on wild child Cathy Craig (played by Jennifer Harmon, Dorrie Kavanaugh, Jane Alice Brandon, Amy Levitt, and Catherine Burns). Cathy was the only daughter of widower Dr. Jim Craig (Robert Milli, Nat Polen), and she resented her father's second marriage to Anna Wolek (Doris Belack, Kathleen Maguire, Phyllis Behar). Cathy rebelled by taking drugs, and spiralled into addiction. While on a bad acid trip, she murdered her drug dealer Artie Duncan (John Cullum), but blocked the incident out of her memory. Vinnie was wrongly accused and sentenced for the crime, but Cathy finally recalled her actions and confessed. Rather than go to jail, she was sent to Odyssey House
, a real-life NYC treatment center for drug-addicted youths. In an unusual move, Cathy's portrayer, actress Amy Levitt, was videotaped while sitting in on real-life therapy sessions at Odyssey House, which were then broadcast as OLTL episodes during the summer of 1970. (This merging of reality & daytime drama has never been repeated since.)
) conspired to cover up their complicity in the death of patient, Rachel Wilson (Nancy Barrett
). When the truth came out, Dorian was suspended from Llanview hospital; erroneously believing that Viki was partly responsible, Dorian vowed revenge. After becoming the private physician to Viki's ailing father Victor, she married him, and schemed to control his fortune. Dorian's machinations further fueled the enmity between Viki and herself. After Victor's mysterious death in 1976, the shadow of suspicion surrounded Dorian for decades.
actors George Reinholt and Jacqueline Courtney to portray Tony Lord and Pat Kendall. The numbers rose, but the pairing never achieved the success expected by executives. Reinholt left after only two years and replaced by Philip MacHale and, later, Chip Lucia; Courtney was fired in 1983.
The show did have huge success in the mid & late 1970s with two new characters; siblings Jenny and Karen Wolek, who were distant cousin
s of the central Wolek family. Jenny Wolek was a novitiate nun
who left the convent
after falling in love with Tim Siegel (Tom Berenger
). Her cousin Vinnie was angry, and accused Tim of 'stealing Jenny from the church.' Vinnie & Tim got into a physical fight, one that left Tim with grave head injuries from which he died soon afterwards. Jenny married Tim on his deathbed. Later, Jenny married bad boy Brad Vernon, a philandering lothario
who caused her no small amount of grief.
Karen Wolek
( Kathryn Breech,Julia Duffy, Judith Light), seduced Larry into marrying her, a controversial move in itself given that they were related (albeit distantly). But Karen, bored with married life & suffering overwhelming self-esteem problems, began turning tricks
in the daytime with rich suitors in exchange for expensive 'gifts.' The sleazy opportunist Marco Dane discovered Karen's trysts and blackmail
ed her into becoming a housewife hooker, turning tricks for his clientele while Larry was at work. Karen was overwhelmed with guilt, and finally confessed to Viki her secret life. Viki helped Karen escape Marco's control.
Also appearing for the first time in 1977 was Viki's teenage ward Tina Clayton
, the orphan
ed daughter of Viki's college friend Irene, who asked Viki to be Tina's guardian before she died. Red-headed, free-spirited Tina seemed quite a lot like Viki's alter-ego Niki Smith, and was almost as troublesome. Nevertheless, Viki did her best to be a good 'mother' to her. It would be years later that the two women learned how close their bond really was.
indicted Viki for the murder of Marco Dane. Karen Wolek searched for her hooker friend, Katrina Karr (Nancy Snyder), because she believed Katrina knew who killed Marco. Karen confided this to her client Talbot Huddleston (Byron Sanders), who was concerned that Katrina may have seen him kill Marco. D.A.
Herb Callison (Anthony Call) dropped the biggest bombshell of all by calling a surprise witness; Marco Dane's twin brother, Dr. Mario Corelli (also played by Gerald Anthony). Mario introduced damaging letters Marco had written to him about how Viki had threatened him.
Viki's trial reached a thrilling climax when Karen took the stand for the defense. Karen had finally found Katrina. In exchange for money she needed for drugs, Katrina gave Karen the combination to a Post Office box, which Katrina claimed contained information revealing the identity of Marco Dane's killer. When Karen went to the Post Office
to get the information, she discovered to her horror that the killer had beaten her to it. Also, Katrina had been run down by a car and was now lying coma
tose in Llanview hospital. Karen correctly guessed that Talbot was the killer and prepared to break the news in court. As Karen took the stand, she was savagely cross-examined by Herb, who forced her to reveal her secret life as a hooker. Larry listened in stunned silence as his wife revealed that she had been turning tricks when he thought she was tending to their home. Katrina later came out of her coma and named Talbot as the killer. This was enough to exonerate Viki, but Karen's marriage to Larry appeared to be doomed.
Dorian led a vicious campaign to have Larry ousted as Chief of Staff
of Llanview Hospital. Dorian ordained her old friend and mentor, Dr. Ivan Kipling(Jack Betts), as Larry's replacement; A move that the ambitious and cutthroat Dr. Kipling strongly favored. Larry offered to make another go of his marriage, but Karen realized she'd always be Larry's albatross, and decided to divorce him.
Dr. Mario Corelli settled in Llanview. In time, Karen discovered an amazing truth, Mario was really Marco Dane. He wasn't dead after all. Karen forced Marco to tell what really happened the night he was supposedly murdered. Marco was horrified to discover the dead body of his brother Mario, and made the instant decision to exchange identities with the corpse. Marco implored Karen to keep his secret, telling her that he'd been "born again." Karen agreed on one condition, he had to stop practicing medicine. Marco agreed.
. With his losses mounting, Brad stole Jenny's key to the hospital's pharmacy
. Brad gave the key to a mobster named Brick in exchange for forgiving Brad's gambling debts. When Brick and an accomplice tried to rob the pharmacy, they were caught by Dr. Jack Scott(Arthur Burghardt), who was shot and paralyzed in the violent exchange.
Feeling guilty that Brad was home alone without her, Jenny asked Karen to look after him. Karen knew that Brad did not like her, but Karen would do whatever Jenny wanted. Brad and Karen clashed at first, but eventually Brad became fascinated by his sexy sister-in-law
. The fascination grew into obsession. One night, Brad tried to seduce his sister-in-law, but the seduction turned to rape
. Karen knew she couldn't reveal a word about the rape because if Jenny were to find out, it would all but destroy her. Larry began his own detective work and realized that Brad raped Karen. In a rage, Larry beat Brad to a pulp. Jenny threw Brad out of their apartment. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, and was sentenced to three months in prison.
Jenny gave premature birth
to her tiny baby about the same time Katrina gave birth to her own healthy baby. When Karen and Marco were visiting the hospital, Jenny's baby went into cardiac arrest
and died before their eyes. In a panic, Karen and Marco switched Jenny's baby with Katrina's baby. Katrina fell into a deep depression when she was told that her baby died. Jenny took baby Mary home, never suspecting that the precious little girl belonged to another woman.
When Pat discovered that her new husband Adam Brewster(John Mansfield) had put all moral considerations aside in order to get his financial empire back in order, she quickly had their new marriage annulled. For comfort, Pat turned to her TV producer, Dick Grant(A.C. Weary). In Pat's presence, Dick was a cheerful, charming, very outgoing gentleman. However, unbeknownst to Pat, Dick had developed a psychotic crush on her. When Samantha discovered that Dick had turned his apartment into a photo-covered shrine
to Pat, he kidnapped her, and then Pat, before the police apprehended him.
Viki received some joyous news when she discovered she was pregnant with her second child. But Joe began suffering all the classic signs of a recurrence of his brain tumor
. When Joe learned that he had only a few weeks left, he treated Viki to a wonderful wedding anniversary
. With time running out, Joe hand-picked his successor as editor of The Banner. He sent for the editor of a small but prestigious newspaper in Arizona. The man's name was Clint Buchanan (Clint Ritchie). Joe broke the news of his prognosis to Viki, shortly before succumbing to his illness. He beseeched Viki to move on with her life after he was gone. Viki poured her energies into working with Clint at The Banner, and fending off a takeover attempt by her arch-rival, Dorian Lord.
1970-1971 Season
1971-1972 Season
1972-1973 Season
1973-1974 Season
1974-1975 Season (HH Ratings)
1975-1976 Season
1976-1977 Season
1977-1978 Season
1978-1979 Season HH Ratings
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
is an American soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
that has been broadcast on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
network since 1968. The series starts with One Life to Live storylines (1968–1979). The plot continues in One Life to Live storylines (1980–1989)
One Life to Live storylines (1980–1989)
One Life to Live is an American soap opera that has been broadcast on the ABC network since 1968. The series starts with One Life to Live storylines . The plot continues in One Life to Live storylines ...
. The plot in the next decade is outlined in One Life to Live storylines (1990–1999)
One Life to Live storylines (1990–1999)
One Life to Live is an American soap opera that has been broadcast on the ABC network since 1968. The series starts with One Life to Live storylines . The plot continues in 'One Life to Live storylines...
and the story continues in One Life to Live storylines (2000–Present)
One Life to Live storylines (2000–Present)
One Life to Live is an American soap opera that has been broadcast on the ABC network since 1968. The series starts with One Life to Live storylines . The plot continues in One Life to Live storylines...
.
1968-1978
The earliest storylines of One Life to LiveOne Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
focused on the blue collar
Blue collar
Blue collar can refer to:*Blue-collar worker, a traditional designation of the working class*Blue-collar crime, the types of crimes typically associated with the working class*A census designation...
, polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Wolek family, and the super-rich Lords. Additionally, there was also the Siegel clan — daytime's first mixed Jewish/Irish-Catholic family, although they were featured much less prominently.
Larry/Merrie in love
Young internIntern
Internship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
Dr. Larry Wolek (Jim Tulley, Jim Storm, Michael Storm
Michael Storm
Michael Storm is an American actor.Storm has appeared on many television shows, but is recognized by many for his recurring role as the third Dr. Larry Wolek on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live. He has played this role on-and-off since 1969, last appearing in May 2004, Storm still remains on...
) fell in love with Meredith Lord
Meredith Lord
Meredith "Merrie" Lord Wolek is an original character on the American soap opera, One Life to Live. The role was originated by Trish Van Devere from the debut episode through 1969...
, or "Merrie" (Trish Van Devere
Trish Van Devere
Trish Van Devere is an American actress.-Early life:Van Devere was born as Patricia Louise Dressel in Tenafly, New Jersey. She was married to the actor George C...
, Lynn Benesch
Lynn Benesch
Lynn Benesch is an American actress and singer, aka Lynn Chester; best known for her role as Meredith Lord Wolek on the daytime drama One Life to Live from 1969 to 1973...
) the younger of Victor Lord's (Ernest Graves, Sheppard Strudwick, Les Tremayne, William Mahoney) two daughters. They initially met when Larry helped treat Merrie's heart condition. Victor disapproved of Larry as a suitor for his daughter and forbade her seeing him. Frustrated, Larry turned to Karen Martin (Niki Flacks), a nurse who saved his life when he was trapped in a fire. Larry wed
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
Karen, but realized soon afterward that it was a mistake; he didn't love her. He did stay with her when he found out she was pregnant however. Meanwhile, a heart-broken Merrie became involved with Tom Edwards (Joseph Gallison), a young man whom she found wandering in the park with amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
and who grew more to Victor's liking. Karen miscarried
Miscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
her baby and agreed to a divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
. Larry wanted to court Merrie again, but she had already accepted Tom's proposal. Ultimately though, Merrie chose to wed Larry. Merrie went through her own extremely difficult pregnancy, but successfully delivered twins, a son Danny (who would eventually grow up to be a doctor as well) and a daughter who died at birth. She suffered from post-partum depression. She was also held hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
by two escaped convicts for a prolonged period. Tragically, she died of a brain aneurysm in 1973, leaving Larry crushed.
"Niki Smith"
Merrie's sister Victoria LordVictoria Lord
Victoria "Viki" Lord is the principal fictional character and matriarch of the Lord family on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live...
(played by Gillian Spencer, Joanne Dorian, and most notably Erika Slezak
Erika Slezak
Erika Alma Hermina Slezak is an American actress, best known for her role as Victoria Lord on the American daytime soap opera One Life to Live...
) was a sexually repressed young woman who lived for her father's approval. When brash reporter Joe Riley
Joe Riley (One Life to Live)
Joseph Francis "Joe" Riley, Sr. is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live. The role was portrayed by Lee Patterson from the inception of the serial in 1968 through 1970, returning from 1972 through 1979, and reappearing briefly in 1987.-Storylines:In 1968, reporter Joe Riley...
(Lee Patterson) began to chip away at her defenses, the fun-loving red-wigged "Niki Smith" began showing up at local bars. Joe's best friend, truck-driver (and later police officer) Vinny Wolek (Antony Ponzini, Jordan Charney, Michael Ingram), fell in love with Niki. When he realized she was really a split-personality (or 'alter') of Viki, he told Joe the truth. Viki underwent psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
with Dr. Polk, and her split-personality seemed at the time to be cured. She married Joe soon afterward. A few years later, Joe was presumed dead, and Viki married reporter Steve Burke (Bernard Grant), who at the time was being stalked by the psychopathic Marcy Wade (Francesca James
Francesca James
Francesca James is an American soap opera director, actress, producer, writer, singer, and composer. She began her career by playing a small role on the CBS Daytime serial The Secret Storm. In 1970 she joined the cast of One Life to Live playing Marcy Wade for a year...
). Steve went on trial for her murder, and was ultimately cleared by none other than Joe himself, who had survived his presumably fatal car crash, but had been amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
c for over a year. Poor Viki suddenly found herself with two husbands, and had a difficult time deciding on which husband to stay married. Viki and Joe reunited, but not before he had a child with Cathy Craig (Dorrie Kavanaugh). When the child died, Cathy kidnapped Viki and Joe's baby, Kevin Riley, in 1977.
OLTL was the first soap opera to have a racially integrated cast. Additionally, it was the first to deal with interracial relationships. The character of Carla Benari (a.k.a. Clara Gray) (Ellen Holly
Ellen Holly
Ellen Holly is an American actress.-Career:Holly began her career on stage appearing in the Broadway productions of Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright and A Hand Is on the Gate before embarking on a television and film career...
) was an African American woman trying to pass for white. Her mother, Sadie Gray (Lillian Hayman
Lillian Hayman
Lillian Irene Hayman was a Tony Award-winning African American actress and singer.-Career:Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Hayman graduated from Wilberforce University with a BA before she began her career in the Broadway theatre...
, Esther Rolle
Esther Rolle
Esther Rolle was an American actress. She was perhaps best known for her portrayal of Florida Evans on the CBS television sitcom Maude and its spin-off series Good Times.-Biography:...
), who was the neighbor and friend to the Woleks and worked in the Housekeeping Department at the hospital (she later became Head of Housekeeping there), discovered that her daughter, Clara, was pretending to be a white woman, and eventually persuaded her to reveal her true racial identity.
Anti-drugs
The show also had a sustained anti-drugDrug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
storyline centering on wild child Cathy Craig (played by Jennifer Harmon, Dorrie Kavanaugh, Jane Alice Brandon, Amy Levitt, and Catherine Burns). Cathy was the only daughter of widower Dr. Jim Craig (Robert Milli, Nat Polen), and she resented her father's second marriage to Anna Wolek (Doris Belack, Kathleen Maguire, Phyllis Behar). Cathy rebelled by taking drugs, and spiralled into addiction. While on a bad acid trip, she murdered her drug dealer Artie Duncan (John Cullum), but blocked the incident out of her memory. Vinnie was wrongly accused and sentenced for the crime, but Cathy finally recalled her actions and confessed. Rather than go to jail, she was sent to Odyssey House
Odyssey House
Odyssey House Texas, Inc., located in Houston, Texas is a private not-for-profit organization established in 1989 to provide treatment and education to youth and families whose lives have been devastated by drugs, alcohol, and abuse...
, a real-life NYC treatment center for drug-addicted youths. In an unusual move, Cathy's portrayer, actress Amy Levitt, was videotaped while sitting in on real-life therapy sessions at Odyssey House, which were then broadcast as OLTL episodes during the summer of 1970. (This merging of reality & daytime drama has never been repeated since.)
Dorian Cramer
Dorian Cramer (Nancy Pinkerton, Dixie Carter, Claire Malis, Robin Strasser, Elaine Princi) arrived in Llanview in 1973 with her handicapped sister, Melinda (Patricia Pearcy); the following year she and her married lover Dr. Mark Toland (Tommy Lee JonesTommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
) conspired to cover up their complicity in the death of patient, Rachel Wilson (Nancy Barrett
Nancy Barrett
Nancy Barrett, born , is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of "Carolyn Stoddard" in the popular 1960s Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows....
). When the truth came out, Dorian was suspended from Llanview hospital; erroneously believing that Viki was partly responsible, Dorian vowed revenge. After becoming the private physician to Viki's ailing father Victor, she married him, and schemed to control his fortune. Dorian's machinations further fueled the enmity between Viki and herself. After Victor's mysterious death in 1976, the shadow of suspicion surrounded Dorian for decades.
Decline and resurgence
As social issue-oriented stories on matters such as race and drug addiction played themselves out, ratings fell; in response, in 1975 ABC hired high-priced Another WorldAnother World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
actors George Reinholt and Jacqueline Courtney to portray Tony Lord and Pat Kendall. The numbers rose, but the pairing never achieved the success expected by executives. Reinholt left after only two years and replaced by Philip MacHale and, later, Chip Lucia; Courtney was fired in 1983.
The show did have huge success in the mid & late 1970s with two new characters; siblings Jenny and Karen Wolek, who were distant cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
s of the central Wolek family. Jenny Wolek was a novitiate nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
who left the convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
after falling in love with Tim Siegel (Tom Berenger
Tom Berenger
Tom Berenger is an American actor known mainly for his roles in action films.-Early life:Berenger was born as Thomas Michael Moore in Chicago to an Irish Catholic family. Berenger's father was a printer for the Chicago Sun-Times. Berenger has a sister, Susan...
). Her cousin Vinnie was angry, and accused Tim of 'stealing Jenny from the church.' Vinnie & Tim got into a physical fight, one that left Tim with grave head injuries from which he died soon afterwards. Jenny married Tim on his deathbed. Later, Jenny married bad boy Brad Vernon, a philandering lothario
Lothario
Lothario is a male first name which came to connote an unscrupulous seducer of women.In The Impertinent Curiosity, a story-within-the-story in Don Quixote , by Miguel de Cervantes, a man named Anselmo coerces Lothario, his faithful friend, to test the virtue of Anselmo's wife, Camila...
who caused her no small amount of grief.
Karen Wolek
Karen Wolek
Karen Wolek is a fictional character on the American soap opera One Life to Live. The character first appeared May 1976, originated by relative newcomer Kathryn Breech, and most notably portrayed by actress Judith Light. Light stepped into the role in 1977, subsequently winning two consecutive...
( Kathryn Breech,Julia Duffy, Judith Light), seduced Larry into marrying her, a controversial move in itself given that they were related (albeit distantly). But Karen, bored with married life & suffering overwhelming self-esteem problems, began turning tricks
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
in the daytime with rich suitors in exchange for expensive 'gifts.' The sleazy opportunist Marco Dane discovered Karen's trysts and blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
ed her into becoming a housewife hooker, turning tricks for his clientele while Larry was at work. Karen was overwhelmed with guilt, and finally confessed to Viki her secret life. Viki helped Karen escape Marco's control.
Also appearing for the first time in 1977 was Viki's teenage ward Tina Clayton
Tina Lord
Tina Lord Roberts is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, originated and most notably portrayed by Andrea Evans...
, the orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
ed daughter of Viki's college friend Irene, who asked Viki to be Tina's guardian before she died. Red-headed, free-spirited Tina seemed quite a lot like Viki's alter-ego Niki Smith, and was almost as troublesome. Nevertheless, Viki did her best to be a good 'mother' to her. It would be years later that the two women learned how close their bond really was.
1979: Murder of Marco Dane
A Grand JuryGrand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
indicted Viki for the murder of Marco Dane. Karen Wolek searched for her hooker friend, Katrina Karr (Nancy Snyder), because she believed Katrina knew who killed Marco. Karen confided this to her client Talbot Huddleston (Byron Sanders), who was concerned that Katrina may have seen him kill Marco. D.A.
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Herb Callison (Anthony Call) dropped the biggest bombshell of all by calling a surprise witness; Marco Dane's twin brother, Dr. Mario Corelli (also played by Gerald Anthony). Mario introduced damaging letters Marco had written to him about how Viki had threatened him.
Viki's trial reached a thrilling climax when Karen took the stand for the defense. Karen had finally found Katrina. In exchange for money she needed for drugs, Katrina gave Karen the combination to a Post Office box, which Katrina claimed contained information revealing the identity of Marco Dane's killer. When Karen went to the Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
to get the information, she discovered to her horror that the killer had beaten her to it. Also, Katrina had been run down by a car and was now lying coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
tose in Llanview hospital. Karen correctly guessed that Talbot was the killer and prepared to break the news in court. As Karen took the stand, she was savagely cross-examined by Herb, who forced her to reveal her secret life as a hooker. Larry listened in stunned silence as his wife revealed that she had been turning tricks when he thought she was tending to their home. Katrina later came out of her coma and named Talbot as the killer. This was enough to exonerate Viki, but Karen's marriage to Larry appeared to be doomed.
Dorian led a vicious campaign to have Larry ousted as Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
of Llanview Hospital. Dorian ordained her old friend and mentor, Dr. Ivan Kipling(Jack Betts), as Larry's replacement; A move that the ambitious and cutthroat Dr. Kipling strongly favored. Larry offered to make another go of his marriage, but Karen realized she'd always be Larry's albatross, and decided to divorce him.
Dr. Mario Corelli settled in Llanview. In time, Karen discovered an amazing truth, Mario was really Marco Dane. He wasn't dead after all. Karen forced Marco to tell what really happened the night he was supposedly murdered. Marco was horrified to discover the dead body of his brother Mario, and made the instant decision to exchange identities with the corpse. Marco implored Karen to keep his secret, telling her that he'd been "born again." Karen agreed on one condition, he had to stop practicing medicine. Marco agreed.
Gambling debts
Jenny was delighted to be pregnant with Brad's baby. Brad had developed a compulsion for gamblingGambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
. With his losses mounting, Brad stole Jenny's key to the hospital's pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
. Brad gave the key to a mobster named Brick in exchange for forgiving Brad's gambling debts. When Brick and an accomplice tried to rob the pharmacy, they were caught by Dr. Jack Scott(Arthur Burghardt), who was shot and paralyzed in the violent exchange.
Feeling guilty that Brad was home alone without her, Jenny asked Karen to look after him. Karen knew that Brad did not like her, but Karen would do whatever Jenny wanted. Brad and Karen clashed at first, but eventually Brad became fascinated by his sexy sister-in-law
Sister-in-law
A sister-in-law is the sister of one's spouse, the wife of one's sibling, or sometimes the wife of one's spouse's sibling...
. The fascination grew into obsession. One night, Brad tried to seduce his sister-in-law, but the seduction turned to rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
. Karen knew she couldn't reveal a word about the rape because if Jenny were to find out, it would all but destroy her. Larry began his own detective work and realized that Brad raped Karen. In a rage, Larry beat Brad to a pulp. Jenny threw Brad out of their apartment. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, and was sentenced to three months in prison.
Jenny gave premature birth
Premature birth
In humans preterm birth refers to the birth of a baby of less than 37 weeks gestational age. The cause for preterm birth is in many situations elusive and unknown; many factors appear to be associated with the development of preterm birth, making the reduction of preterm birth a challenging...
to her tiny baby about the same time Katrina gave birth to her own healthy baby. When Karen and Marco were visiting the hospital, Jenny's baby went into cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
and died before their eyes. In a panic, Karen and Marco switched Jenny's baby with Katrina's baby. Katrina fell into a deep depression when she was told that her baby died. Jenny took baby Mary home, never suspecting that the precious little girl belonged to another woman.
When Pat discovered that her new husband Adam Brewster(John Mansfield) had put all moral considerations aside in order to get his financial empire back in order, she quickly had their new marriage annulled. For comfort, Pat turned to her TV producer, Dick Grant(A.C. Weary). In Pat's presence, Dick was a cheerful, charming, very outgoing gentleman. However, unbeknownst to Pat, Dick had developed a psychotic crush on her. When Samantha discovered that Dick had turned his apartment into a photo-covered shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
to Pat, he kidnapped her, and then Pat, before the police apprehended him.
Viki received some joyous news when she discovered she was pregnant with her second child. But Joe began suffering all the classic signs of a recurrence of his brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
. When Joe learned that he had only a few weeks left, he treated Viki to a wonderful wedding anniversary
Wedding anniversary
-Official recognition:In the Commonwealth realms, one can receive a message from the monarch for 60th, 65th, and 70th wedding anniversaries, and any wedding anniversary after that...
. With time running out, Joe hand-picked his successor as editor of The Banner. He sent for the editor of a small but prestigious newspaper in Arizona. The man's name was Clint Buchanan (Clint Ritchie). Joe broke the news of his prognosis to Viki, shortly before succumbing to his illness. He beseeched Viki to move on with her life after he was gone. Viki poured her energies into working with Clint at The Banner, and fending off a takeover attempt by her arch-rival, Dorian Lord.
1970-1979 TV Ratings
1969-1970 Season (HH Ratings)- As the World TurnsAs the World TurnsAs the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
13.6 - The Edge of NightThe Edge of NightThe Edge of Night is an American television mystery series/soap opera produced by Procter & Gamble. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network until November 28, 1975; the series then moved to ABC, where it aired from December 1, 1975, until December 28, 1984...
10.8 - Search for TomorrowSearch for TomorrowSearch for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
10.0 - The Guiding Light 9.9
- Another WorldAnother World (TV series)Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
9.6 - Love is a Many Splendored Thing 9.5
- Days of our LivesDays of our LivesDays of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
8.8 - The Doctors 8.6
- The Secret StormThe Secret StormThe Secret Storm is a soap opera which ran on CBS from February 1, 1954 to February 8, 1974. The series was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Love of Life...
8.6 - General HospitalGeneral HospitalGeneral Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
8.5 - Love of LifeLove of LifeLove of Life is an American soap opera which aired on CBS Daytime from September 24, 1951 to February 1, 1980. It was created by Roy Winsor, whose previous creation Search for Tomorrow had premiered three weeks before Love of Life, and who would go on to create The Secret Storm two and a half years...
8.0 - Dark ShadowsDark ShadowsDark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements...
7.3 - Where the Heart IsWhere the Heart Is (1969 TV series)Where the Heart Is is an American soap opera telecast on the CBS television network from September 8, 1969 to March 23, 1973. Created by Lou Scofield and Margaret DePriest, the program ran for 25 minutes, the remaining five minutes of its timeslot ceded to a CBS news break.Scofield and DePriest...
7.0 (Debut) - One Life to LiveOne Life to LiveOne Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
6.7 - SomersetSomerset (TV series)Somerset is an American television soap opera which ran on NBC from March 30, 1970 until December 31, 1976. The show was a spinoff of another NBC serial, Another World.-Overview :...
5.7 (Debut) - Bright PromiseBright PromiseBright Promise is an American daytime soap opera that ran on NBC from September 29, 1969 to March 31, 1972. It aired weekdays at 3:30 PM Eastern/2:30 PM Central.-Synopsis:...
5.2 (Debut) - All My ChildrenAll My ChildrenAll My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
4.4 (Debut) - A World ApartA World Apart (TV series)A World Apart is an American daytime drama which ran from March 30, 1970 to June 25, 1971 on the ABC television network.-Overview:The initial stories were written by Katherine Phillips, adopted daughter of soap legend Irna Phillips...
2.8 (Debut) - Best of Everything 1.8 (Debut)
1970-1971 Season
- 1. As the World Turns 12.4
- 2. The Edge of Night 10.1
- 3. The Guiding Light 9.7
- 4. Another World 9.5
- 4. Days of our Lives 9.5
- 4. General Hospital 9.5
- 15. One Life to Live 6.5
1971-1972 Season
- 1. As the World Turns 11.1
- 2. General Hospital 10.4
- 3. Days of our Lives 9.9
- 4. The Edge of Night 9.5
- 5. The Doctors 9.3
- 13. One Life to Live 7.3
1972-1973 Season
- 1. As the World Turns 10.6
- 2. Days of our Lives 9.9
- 3. Another World 9.7
- 3. General Hospital 9.7
- 5. The Doctors 9.3
- 7. One Life to Live 8.3
1973-1974 Season
- 1. As the World Turns 9.7 (#1 in viewers)
- 1. Days of our Lives 9.7
- 1. Another World 9.7
- 4. The Doctors 9.5
- 5. General Hospital 9.2
- 8. One Life to Live 7.8
1974-1975 Season (HH Ratings)
- 1. As the World Turns 10.8
- 2. Another World 9.7
- 2. Days of our Lives 9.7
- 4. Search for Tomorrow 9.4
- 5. All My Children 9.3
- 11. One Life to Live 7.4
1975-1976 Season
- 1. As the World Turns 9.4
- 2. Another World 8.9
- 3. The Young and the RestlessThe Young and the RestlessThe Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
8.6 - 4. Search for Tomorrow 8.3
- 4. Days of our Lives 8.3
- 11. One Life to Live 6.8
1976-1977 Season
- 1. As the World Turns 9.9
- 2. Another World 9.0
- 3. Guiding Light 8.9
- 4. The Young and the Restless 8.7
- 5. Search for Tomorrow 8.6
- 8. One Life to Live 7.3
1977-1978 Season
- 1. As the World Turns 8.6 (#1 in viewers)
- 1. Another World 8.6
- 3. All My Children 8.4
- 4. Guiding Light 8.0
- 5. The Young and the Restless 7.8
- 7. One Life to Live 7.2
1978-1979 Season HH Ratings
- 1. All My Children 9.0
- 2. General Hospital 8.7
- 3. The Young and the Restless 8.6
- 4. As the World Turns 8.2
- 5. Guiding Light 8.1
- 6. One Life to Live 8.0