'' (''OLTL'') is an American Soap Opera which has been broadcast on the ABC television network since July 15 1968 .
Impressed with the ratings success of NBC 's '' Another World '', ABC sought out ''Another World'' writer Agnes Nixon to create a Serial for them. Nixon, "tired of the restraints imposed by the WASP y, noncontroversial nature of daytime drama, presented the network with a startingly original premise and cast of characters. Although the show was built along the classic soap formula of a rich family and a poor family, ''One Life to Live'' emphasized the ethnic and Socioeconomic diversity of the people of Llanview, Pennsylvania , a suburb of Philadelphia ." Schemering, Christopher . '' The Soap Opera Encyclopedia '', September 1985 , pg. 158-159, ISBN 0-345-32459-5 (1st edition) Nixon would go on to create '' All My Children '' in 1970 and '' Loving '' in 1983 .
The title of ''OLTL'' was originally going to be ''Between Heaven and Hell'', but sponsors hoped for a change to something less controversial. Though the title change was made, the first opening titles (closeup footage of flames in a fireplace) seemed to suggest a symbolic hellfire.
''OLTL'''s first sponsors were the Colgate-Palmolive company, who also sponsored '' The Doctors ''. ABC bought the show from Agnes Nixon in December 1974 when they purchased all stock to her Creative Horizons Inc. The show was originally a half-hour serial until it was expanded to 45 minutes in 1976 and to one hour in 1978 .
''One Life to Live'' is set in the fictional city of Llanview , a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania modeled after the Chestnut Hill section of the city. The show originally concentrated on the wealthy Lord Family , the less wealthy Siegels (the first attempt to showcase a Jewish family on daytime television until the short-lived 1974 daytime serial, '' How To Survive A Marriage '') and the middle-class Rileys and Woleks . ''OLTL'' has been called "the most peculiarly American of soap operas: the first serial to present a vast array of ethnic types, broad comic situations, a constant emphasis on social issues, and strong male characters." ''The Soap Opera Encyclopedia'', pg. 158.
Since its inception, ''OLTL'' has centered on the character of Victoria "Viki" Lord (originated by Gillian Spencer ), who has been portrayed by six-time Emmy winner Erika Slezak since March 1971 . Long-suffering heroine Viki has weathered love and loss, widowhood, rape, divorce, stroke and breast cancer, and has been memorably plagued by Dissociative Identity Disorder (or DID, once known as multiple personality disorder) on and off for decades.
See Also: List of One Life to Live characters
- On August 16th, Several memebers of the Buchanan Family will return for a special ten thousand episode that will center around Asa Buchanan and his demise.
- An arsonist has targeted Llanview and has destroyed numerous properties, including land owned by Antonio Vega , Vincent Jones , and Nora Hanen . Talia Sahid has come into contact with the arsonist, but wasn't able to find the courage to capture the culprit of the arson attacks. During one incident, she suffered a head injury in a struggle with the arsonist.
- David Vickers returned to Llanview after confessing to killing his brother Spencer Truman . Asa Buchanan paid Vickers $10 million to kill Spencer, with David being promised a minimum sentence. However, David found Spencer dead before he got the chance to commit the murder himself. When Nigel Bartholomew-Smythe asks Asa if Vickers is a Buchanan, Asa doesn't deny it.
- Nora and her son Matthew moved into Asa 's mansion after their house was burned down. Nora discovered that her insurance wouldn't cover the damage and Matthew had a hard time getting over the experience, as items given to him by Jen and Sam Rappaport were destroyed. Lindsay Rappaport decided to give Matthew some of Jen's movies she transferred to DVD, as well as giving Nora pictures of Sam.
- Jessica Buchanan fell in love with Nash Brennan , the lover of her alter Tess Buchanan. Married to Antonio Vega , Jessica is having difficulties getting over her temptation for Nash. Under the advisement of Marty Saybrooke , Jessica wrote the name of the person she wanted to be with in an envelope. Jessica broke the news to Nash that she decided to stay with Antonio, but it's growing harder for her everyday. In May, Jessica was diagnosed with Hepatitis C , presumably a result of Tess' wild lifestyle.
- After recovering from a car accident, John McBain dove himself into the Spencer Truman murder mystery and it caused a strain in his relationship with Natalie Buchanan . After John learned that Natalie took evidence from the crime scene, that would have implicated John in Spencer's murder, their relationship took a turn for the worse, and they are having difficulties staying together. John is also unhappy that Natalie is going to mobster Vincent Jones for advice.
- Rex Balsom discovered that Tommy McBain was the son of Todd Manning . Being the godfather of Tommy, Rex told Adriana Cramer and Michael McBain about Tommy's paternity. The three of them decided to keep the secret between them, and Rex provided Todd with a death certificate that proved his son was deceased. The secret Michael holds caused strain in his marriage with Marcie .
- Adriana Cramer and Layla Williamson teamed up together to create their own clothing line. When former MLB player Tate Harmon moved into town, Adriana was able to convince him to model for their company. Layla hired Cristian Vega to serve as the photographer, but both Rex and Cristian were forced to stand in as back-up models when a storm caused delays.
- Lindsay Rappaport and Dorian Lord teamed up to win Bo and Clint Buchanan from Paige Miller and Victoria Davidson . When Lindsay learned that Viki's daughter Megan died from Lupus , the two of them bonded over their daughter's deaths. Dorian was furious that Lindsay revealed their plan to Viki, and she in turn told Paige about their plan.
- Clint Buchanan is trying to fight his temptation to be with both Viki and Dorian . Clint was in love with Viki for several years and they raised their kids together, while Clint is attracted to Dorian's ability to surprise him. He ends up going on dates with both of them, creating a bigger feud between Dorian and Viki.
- Bo Buchanan is disappointed when he learned that his niece Natalie stole evidence from the Spencer Truman murder crime scene. He told Natalie and John that they would both have to face legal problems if the case is never solved. Bo's son Matthew is also going through a difficult time, as an arson fire at his house destroyed a lot of personal possessions that meant a lot to him.
- Starr Manning and Cole Thornhart are falling in love with each other, but their parents are making it a primary objective to keep them to apart.
- When Blair Cramer fell off a roof when trying to save Todd from the now deceased Spencer Truman , she lost her baby and turned down a marriage proposal from Todd. Despite trying to win Todd's affection for months, Blair realized that the two of them could never be together. With Todd being found, both are now trying out a steady and easy relationship.
- When Todd Manning learned from Rex Balsom that his son was deceased, he found comfort in the arms of Evangeline Williamson . The two of them shared a passionate kiss, which caused Cristian to end his relationship with Evangeline. After the breakup, Evangeline and Todd found it hard to fight their mutual attraction.
- Miles Laurence came to Llanview when Spencer Truman left him everything in his will. After discovering that he had a Niece in town, he decided to move to Llanview. Miles began to bond with Marty Saybrooke , both as a friend and patient of hers.
- Miles lets Todd know about a letter that Spencer Truman wrote before he died. Todd realizing his son maybe in fact alive, acts on a clue from the letter and goes to Chicago in search of the adoption agency that may know of his son's whereabouts. Blair Cramer , worried about Todd, decides to come along with him to assist. Rex finds out about the trip and thwarts their search by calling the police. They are both arrested for trying to break in the agency to see the files. Blair was able talk out of a tight situation and they are ordered to leave Chicago immediately.
- Todd goes missing in Chicago, after he was tipped off by someone on the phone to an address on the seedy side of town and stabbed by unknown assailant. Blair vows to find him and hires a private investigator. She gets John involved on the investigation and is convinced that Miles is to blame.
- Miles starts to scheme a plan to help him win over Marty. He does several things to win over Marty, to no avail. He finally succeeds in his plan to have the perfect life by blackmailing Marty into marriage with the taped evidence that she thinks she killed Spencer Truman, but his plan is now unraveling due to Marty confessing that she thinks she killed Spencer and that Miles knew and blackmailed her into marrying him.
- Jessica is diagnosed with Liver Cancer and Hepatitis when she collapses at the hospital after Jamie Vega was involved in a car accident. With her liver failing, Jessica's only hope is that the doctors can find a living donor match. She finds a match in Antonio but her body later rejects the liver. A second donor is found in David. However, David insists that he is paid $10 million. Clint agrees to do this.
- Jessica finally tells Antonio that she and Nash are in love. She also tells him later on that she and Nash have married.
- The arsonist goes one step further after vandalizing Cristian's studio. As Talia, Nora and Evangeline survey the damage, they are locked into the studio and gassed. No one dies, however, Evangeline is left in coma.
- Tate Harmon's father, Kirk, comes to town, and it is immediately revealed that they are keeping a secret. That secret is that Tate is the mysterious arsonist terrorizing Llanview. Kirk is immediately arrested during a sting operation at Lindsay Rappaport's gallery, and is charged with being the arsonist. Kirk does not dispute this, wanting to take the fall for his son. As Kirk sits in prison, he desperately tries to reason with his son and asks him to give up his hateful vendetta against those who are not white. Tate refuses, prompting his father to threaten blackmail. Soon after, Kirk is murdered in prison and Tate takes Rex Balsom , Adriana Cramer , Layla Williamson , and Vincent Jones hostage on a hotel roof and is finally caught and brought to justice.
- June 4th, 2007 to Present: Ron Carlivati
- May 2007 to June 2007: Dena Higley ; Ron Carlivati (Co-HW)
- December 13th, 2004 to May 2007: Dena Higley
- November 29th, 2004 to December 10th, 2004: Frank Valentini & Brian Frons ( De Facto )
- March 23rd, 2004 to November 24th, 2004: Michael Malone
- March 10th, 2003 to March 22nd, 2004: M. Malone; Josh Griffith (Co-HW)
- February 3rd, 2003 to March 7th, 2003: J. Griffith
- 2001 to January 31st, 2003: Lorraine Broderick & Christopher Whitesell
- 1999 to 2001: Megan McTavish
- January 1999: Richard Backus , De Facto Head Writer
- April 1998 to December 1998: Pam Long
- December 1996 to March 1998:
- April 1996 to December 1996: Leah Laiman & Jean Passanante
- March 1995 to March 1996: M. Malone
- February 1992 to February 1995: M. Malone & J. Griffith
- February 1991 to January 1992: M. Malone
- October 1990 to January 1991: Margaret DePriest
- July 1987 to October 1990: S. Michael Schnessel
- July 1984 to June 1987: Peggy O'Shea
- December 1983 to June 1984: Sam Hall & Peggy O'Shea
- June 1983 to December 1983: John William and Joyce Corrington
- February 1983 to June 1983: Henry Slesar
- July 1982 to January 1983: Sam Hall & Henry Slesar
- March 1980 to May 1982: Sam Hall & Peggy O'Shea
- November 1978 to March 1980: Gordon Russell & Sam Hall
- September 1973 to October 1978: Gordon Russell
- August 1972 to September 1973: Agnes Nixon & G. Russell
- July 1968 to July 1972: Agnes Nixon , Paul Roberts , & Don Wallace
Writing team: Dena Higley (Credited as Head Writer ) Ron Carlivati ; Elizabeth Page ; Frances Myers ; Shelly Altman ; Mark Christopher ; Aida Croal ; Leslie Nipkow (Leaving), Carolyn Culliton ; Janet Iacobuzio ; Michelle Poteet Lisanti ; Victor Gialanella ; Chris Van Etten
Producing team: Frank Valentini ( Executive Producer ); Suzanne Flynn; Shelley Honigbaum; John Tumino; Jacqueline Van Belle
Directing team: Jill Ackles ; Larry Carpenter ; Mary Ryan ; Bruce S. Cooperman ; Gary Donatelli ; Danielle Faraldo ; Richard Manfredi ; Jill Mitwell ; Frank Valentini
As with many other television series, ''One Life to Live'' has had a number of crossovers with other programs, both daytime and primetime.
- Michael Storm appeared as Dr. Larry Wolek on '' All My Children '', shortly after its premiere in 1970, in an attempt to get fans of ''One Life to Live'' to watch ABC's new show.
- Lillian Hayman appeared as Sadie Gray on ''All My Children'' in the late 1970s. She sang at the wedding of Dr. Frank Grant and Caroline Dixon, R.N.
- William Mooney , ''All My Children''’s lawyer Paul Martin, appeared on ''One Life to Live'' in 1979 to defend Victoria Lord , who was on trial for the murder of Marco Dane.
- Shelley Burch appeared on ''All My Children'' as Delilah Ralston when Erica Kane had ordered a dress from her company.
- Gerald Anthony reprised his ''One Life to Live'' character Marco Dane on '' General Hospital '' in 1993.
- Clint Ritchie , Robert S. Woods , and John Loprieno appeared as Clint , Bo , and Cord in a dream sequence on primetime sitcom '' Roseanne '' in 1994.
- Michael E. Knight , Teresa Blake, and Shane McDermott appeared on ''One Life to Live'' in his ''All My Children'' characters, ( Tad Martin , Gloria Marsh, R. N., and Scott Chandler) in 1996, when Hank, Nora , and Rachel were paneled guests on his talk show, ''The Cutting Edge.'' Tad appeared again in 2003 for the Fan February show.
- Elaine Princi and Robin Strasser both made appearances on ''All My Children'' as Dorian Cramer Lord , in 1991 and 2003 respectively.
- Randolph Mantooth appeared in ''One Life to Live'' in 1997, as detective Alex Masters from '' The City '', to help Bo track down a suspect in New York City .
- Linda Dano's Rae Cummings made sporadic appearances on all four of ABC's daytime serials in 1999, 2000, and 2001 in a search for her long lost daughter. Gretel's daughter turned out to be former ''All My Children'' vixen Skye Chandler . Robin Christopher had reprised the role of Skye on ''One Life to Live'' in 1999, and the character was transplanted to ''General Hospital'' in 2001. Gretel also learned that Myrtle Fargate ( Eileen Herlie ), a character on '' All My Children '', was her own natural mother while she was visiting Pine Valley.
- David Canary appeared on ''One Life to Live'' in 2001 as Adam Chandler , during the storyline revealing Rae Cummings to be Skye Chandler 's mother.
- ''All My Children'' and ''One Life to Live'' had a complicated " Baby Switch " storyline in 2004, which involved several characters from both soaps. In the year to follow, a handful of actors/characters from each soap made sporadic appearances on the other. These included:
Julia Barr ( Brooke English /''AMC'')),
Justin Bruening ( Jamie Martin /''AMC'')),
David Canary ( Adam Chandler /''AMC'')),
Phil Carey ( Asa Buchanan /''OLTL'')),
Brock Cuchna ( Paul Cramer #1/''OLTL'')),
Bobbie Eakes ( Krystal Carey /''AMC'')),
Melissa Gallo ( Adriana Cramer /''OLTL''))
Dan Gauthier ( Kevin Buchanan /''OLTL'')),
Alexa Havins ( Babe Carey Chandler /''AMC'')),
Vincent Irizarry ( David Hayward /''AMC'')),
Michael E. Knight ( Tad Martin /''AMC'')),
Michael McKenzie (Mr. Emerson/''OLTL'')),
Shane McRae (temporary recast of Paul Cramer /''OLTL'')),
Matthew Metzger ( Duke Buchanan /''OLTL'')),
Alicia Minshew ( Kendall Hart /''AMC''))
Eden Riegel ( Bianca Montgomery /''AMC'')),
Robin Strasser ( Dorian Cramer Lord /''OLTL'')),
Heather Tom ( Kelly Cramer /''OLTL'')),
David Tom ( Paul Cramer #2/''OLTL'')),
Tuc Watkins ( David Vickers /''OLTL'')),
Robert S. Woods ( Bo Buchanan /''OLTL'')),
and Jacob Young ( J.R. Chandler /''AMC'')).
The shows, as well as many of its actors and crew, have been nominated for dozens of awards, winning on many occasions. The Daytime Emmy Award and ''Soap Opera Digest'' Award wins of the 2000s are noted below.
- 2005 "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series (tied with '' All My Children '')
- 2005 "Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control for a Drama Series
- 2002 "Outstanding Drama Series"
- 2001 "Outstanding Achievement in Live & Direct to Tape Sound Mixing for a Drama Series"
- 2001 "Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control for a Drama Series"
- 2000 "Outstanding Original Song"
- 2000 "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Series"
- 2000 "Outstanding Achievement in Live & Direct to Tape Sound Mixing for a Drama Series"
- 2000 "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series"
- 1993 "Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series" (Michael Malone and Josh Griffith, head-writers)
- 1986 "Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series" (Peggy O'Shea, headwriter)
- 1983 "Outstanding Direction in a Drama Series"
- 1982 "Outstanding Direction in a Drama Series"
- 2005 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Erika Slezak (Victoria "Viki" Lord Davidson)
- 1996 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Erika Slezak (Victoria "Viki" Lord Carpenter)
- 1995 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Erika Slezak (Victoria "Viki" Lord Carpenter)
- 1994 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Hillary B. Smith (Nora Hanen Gannon)
- 1994 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" Susan Haskell (Marty Saybrooke)
- 1994 "Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series" Roger Howarth (Todd Manning)
- 1992 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Erika Slezak (Victoria "Viki" Lord Buchanan)
- 1992 "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" Thom Christopher (Carlo Hesser)
- 1986 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Erika Slezak (Victoria "Viki" Lord Buchanan)
- 1984 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Erika Slezak (Victoria "Viki" Lord Buchanan)
- 1983 "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" Robert S. Woods (Bo Buchanan)
- 1982 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Robin Strasser (Dorian Cramer Callison)
- 1981 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Judith Light (Karen Wolek)
- 1980 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Judith Light (Karen Wolek)
- 1979 "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" Al Freeman, Jr. (Ed Hall)
In the 1990s, the DGA began to recognize outstanding work in Daytime Television. The Directors Guild Of America Award is presented for a single episode to the director, stage managers, associate directors and production managers. These are the years the award has been presented to ''OLTL'':
- 2004 : Larry Carpenter
- 2001 : Jill Mitwell
''For historical ratings information, see List Of US Daytime Soap Opera Ratings ''
ABC cemented its reputation as a youth-oriented network in daytime with the addition of ''OLTL'' to its schedule, with much of the rest of its lineup consisting of fashionable soaps like ''' established hit '' Edge Of Night '' and the popular NBC game '' You Don't Say .'' ''OLTL'' replaced the short-lived ''Baby Game,'' in a three-way shuffle with ''Dark Shadows'' and '' Dating Game .''
Despite the tough competition, the intense tone of the plot and strong characters allowed the show to get a leg up on ''YDS,'' wearing that game down to the point of its cancellation in '' (1969-72), '' Return To Peyton Place '' (1972-74), and '' How To Survive A Marriage '' (1974-75).
Things greatly improved for ''OLTL'' in 1972 , when CBS relocated ''Edge'' in response to packager Procter And Gamble 's demands. The four-year-old show managed to top the ratings for the first time over CBS' declining '' Secret Storm ,'' and, later, the game '' Hollywood's Talking ,'' which ran only 13 weeks. However, trouble loomed on the horizon as ''OLTL'' anticipated its fifth birthday, with the coming of CBS' revival of Goodson-Todman's '' Match Game .'' Some months after its debut in July 1973 , that show became the daytime phenomenon of the mid-1970s, becoming the top-rated of all daytime shows by Thanksgiving . ABC stood by ''OLTL,'' however, keeping it put at 3:30/2:30.
By '' reruns on CBS (for ''GH'' fans, turning to ''Match Game'').
This approach showed some promise, until , 1978 , with ''OLTL'' occupying the 2-3/1-2 p.m. slot; '' The $20,000 Pyramid ,'' which enjoyed three solid years of success at 2/1, got dispatched to Noon/11 a.m. for the rest of its ABC run, to make room for ''OLTL.''
This proved to be decisive for the long-term survival of both shows, as ''GH'' rose rapidly to the top spot in the Nielsens through its brash, youthful storylines (culminating in the hugely popular " Luke And Laura " storyline by 1979 - 1980 ). As for ''OLTL,'' from its tenth birthday onward, it took advantage of the decline in quality and popularity of its competitors, all Procter and Gamble productions. '' Search For Tomorrow ,'' for instance, spent its last several months on CBS against the last half of ''OLTL.'' Its replacement, '' Capitol ,'' which ran from 1982 to 1987 , did little better, and after its cancellation, CBS aligned '' As The World Turns '' against ''OLTL'' and ''AW,'' a configuration that stayed in place until ''AW's'' cancellation in 1999 . During the 2000s thus far, ''OLTL'' has run about even with ''ATWT,'' with NBC's '' Passions '' (''AW's'' replacement) trailing significantly; NBC will cancel '' Passions '' in September 2007 ; that program will move to a satellite channel, The 101 .
In summary, ''One Life To Live'' enjoyed fair-to-middling ratings throughout most of its first decade, but rose rapidly as it entered its second, along with the rest of ABC's daytime lineup. The 1980s saw the show reach the height of its popularity, occupying a top-four place for almost all of the decade. Since 1991 , it returned to the middle of the pack, but its numbers declined, in common with all other soaps. By decade's end, the show rested near the bottom of the ratings pack, but now rests comfortably once again around #4 in the weekly ratings.
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