Claire Mallis was a very capable, very multi layered, classy Doreen. She is the first Dorian that I remember as I began watching in 1977. I love Robin Strawser also of course, :-). 1977 uploads of one life to live, remain an early Christmas present for all of us missing Llanview. Having the commercials as well is an added present. :-).
The first Karen Wolek, reminds me of Karen Witter, the actress who replaced Andrea Evans as Tina Lord. And Claire Mallis has a Joan Collins vibe. Again, fun to watch her.
Never watched OLTL (pretty much a CBS guy, except for AMC) but knew some of the show's history. Very interesting to watch now - I wish there was a way to watch all the surviving episodes from 1968 to the early 80's.
That's when there was a distinction between the networks. CBS's shows were more urbane and traditional. The ABC fare was edgier, topical and more daring, and then NBC was somewhere in the middle.
What an amazing treat to see this!! I remember this when it originally aired-I was a kid watching OLTL with my grandmother. Kathy Breech as the original Karen was better then she was given credit for. Kathy Glass as Jenny was solid. Jeffrey Pomerantz was great as Peter even though most people remember Danny Albee in the role. And Claire Malis is a great Dorian. Thank you George for this gift.
Mr. Meyer........Thank you so, so much for uploading these classic OLTL episodes. If you have any with Jaqueline Courtney, we'd love to see them. You're the best !!!
I started watching this soap in 1980 and they really changed the storylines from this episode in 1977.It also seems that they changed as having a new makeover in general.Thanks for uploading this rare find in great quality:)
First of all George Meyer, THANK YOU for these episodes and sharing them with others. It's great fun, for the sake of nostalgia but to watch what ONE LIFE TO LIVE was once about, which was a more family-oriented, human/emotionally driven show with characters Agnes Nixon envisioned would help create a depiction of a more diverse America: The Rileys, the Woleks, the Lords, the Grays, the Vernons, the Halls, the Siegels, the Craigs, and of course...Dorian Cramer Lord, lol...There are still so many wonderful creations to come...and I don't initially mean the Buchanans. I am talking menacing Marco Dane, who per closing credits already seems to be lurking about Llanview...surrogate mother Ina Hopkins, Katrina Karr, diabolical Dr. Ivan Kipling, Edwina Lewis, Richard Abbott, Becky Lee Hunt, Herb Callison...and a young ingenue named Tina :) I wish "future" regimes would have continued to keep the founding families intact instead of creating newer characters that pulled from the core. The fact in one of these episodes a character as young but civic minded as Jenny Wolek would have been part of mature, social committees vs. a character her age now - who just wants her bikini top taken off by the local rich playboy...In spite of all the pander of what soap opera has become, I find all the nuance and pathos of these episodes to be very engaging...and really, what soap opera was and should be.
I'm crying----this means so much !!!! There is nothing on RU-vid, and I mean nothing, with Kathryn Breech (the original Karen Wolek) Well, there's the audio versions, which I am, in fact, addicted to, but to actually see, in good quality, the original Karen, the original Jenny, and the original Tony (I do love Philip McHale's version however) .....is so SPECIAL . This is also my favorite Dorian----I don't think anyone agrees, but I thought Clare Malis nailed the part, more depth, more nuanced portrayal than either Nancy Pinkerton, or Robin Strasser. I may catch flak for this: but I feel Gordon Russell was a better writer than Bill Bell, Agnes Nixon, or Doug Marland---not that they weren't good, but Russell's dialogue and the perfect balance of plot and character is what made OLTL so spectacular 1977--1980.
Claire was excellent, and I had forgotten how exquisitely beautiful she was. I think she’s largely overlooked because she only played Dorian for two years. Unfortunately she also came in at a time when the character was in a state of transition. The writers had planned for Nancy Pinkerton’s Dorian to seduce Joe, and they had to backtrack and change it to a triangle between Dorian, Peter, and Melinda. This seemed to dilute Dorian’s dominance in the story for a time, and that coupled with fans needing time to accept a new actress, resulted in Claire being undervalued. I personally enjoyed Nancy and Claire’s vision of Dorian when the character had gray areas and was more ambiguous than Robin Strasser’s Dorian.
@@daytime70s I didn’t criticize Claire, and I didn’t say that Nancy was better in the part. What I said was both of those actresses made Dorian more unpredictable and not as over the top as Robin Strasser. I’m not sure why you directed your comment at me, but whatever.
Love the look on Larry’s face when he sees Dorianin his house. Claire Mali’s reminds me of Susan Seaforth Hayes; in fact, I almost thought it was SSH at first!😄
I really enjoyed Claire Malis. She truly was pioneer of what Dorians character represents. Conniving, persuasive, yet a powerful dominant stance of a woman
The problem was at this point TPTB didn't know what to do with her. The year before when still played by Nancy Pinkerton they boxed her into a corner by having her indirectly responsible for Victor's death (telling him how he disgusted her thus resulting in his heart attack and having him recuperate at home as opposed to the hospital, plus keeping Viki away until it was too late). Of course this would be re-written years later! During Malis's run the only storylines I recall was her trying to steal Joe away from Viki, which mortified viewers resulting in this being quickly aborted, and dealing with the newly released Melinda resulting in the triangle with them and Peter Jannsen. There was little interaction with Viki as the two were light on chemistry. When Strasser came on board, they knew what to do with the character to coincide with the new theme show was going in.
@@ericnelson9100 Interesting comment. So are you saying they made the original Dorian too evil? I had always heard Strasser brought "vulnerability" to the character. I have seen some scenes with Pinkerton and can't imagine her getting in some of the situations the later Dorian got into; such as her affairs with very young men, fist fights in prison, marrying Mitch Lawrence, secret daughters, etc.
@@fwdthinker Dorian was written as a very complex woman; neither a villain nor heroine, something rare at the time. Plus, at the time of her intro, she was completely self-made, which was also a rarity. But then when she got involved with Mark Toland (Tommy Lee Jones), accidentally caused the overdose and tried to cover it up and ended up losing her license in medicine, well things changed. The Victor/Dorian storyline was loosely based on the Groucho Marx/Erin Flemming saga; though largely forgotten today, it was quite newsworthy back then, and inspired many similar story lines. The idea of a powerful man being overtaken and demeaned by a younger woman out of nowhere was a popular trope for many years. But yes, they wrote Dorian into a corner by having her indirectly responsible for his death and keeping Viki from him until his final moments (she was present at the time of his death, she witnessed him die, so the whole whodunnit about him being suffocated with a pillow later on was pure retcon!) She was on the route of either going to prison or getting killed, so they had to soften her big time, hence her being involved in finding Kevin. But I always thought NP was fired where instead it turns out she quit over a salary dispute.
@@fwdthinker Well Mark Toland was younger (by about 5 years). Plus, Melinda was kind of a daughter figure (Dorian took care of her). But also times were different too, this was before the genre jumped into exploitation such as women in prison tropes and such.
Claire Malis was very beautiful. She's the aristocratic Dorian. All the women who played Dorian were beautiful. Robin Strasser is my favorite and the one I grew up with in the 80s!
I totally remember that Dorian! I don't remember that Jenny or Karen though! Sometimes recasts are not a good thing but in the case of Karen, Judith Light and Jenny, Brynn Thayer both those actresses made the roles their own!
Hi there!!✋😀❤️❤️. It's me Patty!! From your GH Channel!!✋😊❤️❤️. I just found these OLTL Episodes. Man are they great!!✌️😀✌️❤️❤️. I'm hoping to find Jackie Zeman/Aka/Bobbie Spencer when She was Lana McLean on Here, OLTL. She was on this Soap until December. 1977. Then She Switched and was in GH. Joining the Cast.✌️❤️❤️✌️.
Claire Malis was given a good chance in this episode to show how she was going to make Dorian her own character. She played sensual, sad, and efficient in three different scenes in this episode. Kathryn's take on Karen Wolek made it possible for Judith Light's Karen to soar as a character. You already saw the constant need for keeping up with Joneses as a way to compensate for a low self-esteem.
I remember I didn't like when they recast the role of Karen with Judith Light. She was just so different. Taller, bigger built (at the time) but I grew to love Judith's Karen because she's such a great actress.
I've always wanted to and wished that I could watch One Live To Live and All My Children "in chronological" order, on RU-vid. It would make the shows easier to keep up with, and to follow, "in proper order".
That's Gary Swanson from Somerset as Mr. Finch. OLTL did a lot of recasting during this era. Much prefer Nancy Pinkerton and Farley Granger to Claire Malis and Bernie McInerney.
I've never seen any scenes of this Dorian. She was very good. Like another poster said....her version was the prototype for later interpretations of the character. Thx for by his gem.
@@erroljr.7480 Your correct, Dixie Carter was on "The Edge of Night", but Muffie is correct too. Dixie Carter filled in between Pinkerton and Malis. Wouldn't it have been electric to watch Dixie Carter in that role?
Hey guys I just learned something watching this. When I started watching Anthony George played Dr. Will Vernon. I just assumed he originated the role. I had never seen this actor in the role before. Cool. But even then Will had inappropriate feelings for Jenny. No one would ever admit it though.
The Will-Jenny-Brad plot was the one that brought me in. Farley Granger was Will and the great Teri Keane as Naomi. It was my favorite show thereafter, from about 8 years old. Still miss it😥
Wow! It’s funny that I remember Nancy Pinkerton AND Claire Malis as Dorian, but I only remember Judith Light as Karen. And I remember Jackie Zeman playing Lana, BUT forgot Todd Davis played Josh after Laurence Fishburne left. Funny what the mind remembers. I was REALLY YOUNG then, but watched with my great-grandmother. Also, you gotta love the looks Danny gives Karen. Kids just know, man.
IMO, the re-casts of both Cathy and Dorian just didn't work, but there was no way this Karen would have been able to play the prositution/trial/Marco Dane scenes.
Wow thanks for this episode and say one thing Kevin Riley was brat back like his sister Jessica when she was kidnapped in 1986 I know how the writers did that Peggy o Shea was the writer back then and head writer 1986 and one life to live have a lot of recasting Jenny Karen Dorian Tony will all in 1977 and it did not hurt the show one bet
And wonderful slow burn well developed story lines and character development. This is when soaps were really must see TV and good quality. Sadly so unlike today with the poor budgets, rushed storylines and cardboard underdeveloped characters. And Agnes Nixon was so bold and forward thinking with the way she approached social issues. I remember the show got kudos from so many Mental Health agencies and Advocacy groups for the realistic way it approached Mental Illness. Back then you could be proud you watched soaps.
I'm confused. Dr. Larry Wolek's son, Daniel is a Lord. His Grandfather is Victor Lord, his mother is Meredith (Victoria's sister)... so doesn't he have any money from the Lord estate?
I don't think I ever heard or read that Dorian did. My guess is this was more of a "character" moment? For Dorian, who had played a part in splitting up the marriage of Dr. Mark Toland and Julie Siegel , would stoop at nothing so low as even to seduce her own wealthy financier. I think it showed she wanted to hold onto her wealth, and was constantly scheming to do so.
@@erikandrus4387 Thanks Erik. I remember this actress playing her and I thought she was a good actress. I actually think I liked her better then the other actresses that played her. Sorry but that's my opinion.
@@edgefan4437 Oh please, don't apologize for your opinion. I think a lot of people, upon seeing Claire Malis' work on here are enjoying her version on Dorian. All the actresses - Nancy Pinkerton, Malis, Robin Strasser and Elaine Princi (and if I recall "the" Dixie Carter filled in), all of them were very different and unique in their portrayal - from subtle nuances to broad strokes :)
@@erikandrus4387 People comment on these clips that they either liked Nancy Pinkerton or Robin Strasser as Dorian the most and as time goes by we do get used to how a certain person will play the part if we are a regular watcher of a show. Unless they are a really bad actor. I remember this actor playing the wealthy financier being in a number of things but I don't remember his name. Do you know his name?
I was never the biggest OLTL fan, but then again I wasn’t born during this time period but I think I would have been into this show back then. Good writing, very melodramatic and very average looking people, not model-ish style people or characters just chilling in coffee shops all during the episode.
Brynn Thayer was very pretty as was Andrea Evans. Back in the day, Meredith played by Lynn Benesch was gorgeous. But yes it also had many average-looking people playing on the show.
@@m.e.d.7997 And a much better actress. I mean seen clips of Andrea Evans as Tina Lord and she just seem like a ditzy character and over the top. I’m more familiar with her on the wacky soap Passions, where she was hilarious.
@@m.e.d.7997 No but she was nominated in 1988 for a Daytime Emmy but lost out to Julianne Moore. As a matter of fact a number of notable actresses who went on to great stardom were nominated that year for Outstanding Younger Actress Robin Wright, Tichina Arnold and Lauren Holly. If you read bio on Andrea Evans she actually quit OLTL in 1990 because she had a stalker.
