Originated: September 16, 1997

Posted:  January 27, 2003

Thank you to Sandy Hudson and Tante Joan Roseman for their contributions to this FAQ. Discussion group information is from Rhonda Reedy, Kimberly (Rothnet@aol.com) and Cindy (cas@home.ctol.net).

NOTE: THESE QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED WITH TONGUE IN CHEEK.

If you have additional suggestions, please email me at martinda@elon.edu. 
 

Who are unknown children?
Unknown children are quite literally children that one or more parent did not know existed.  In the case of Clint Buchanan, Asa paid Maria Vasquez to leave town and never let Clint know she had his child.  With Viki, both Megan and Natalie/Jessica were born under stressful situations.  According to the show, with Megan, Viki had turned into Niki after suffering a trauma.  Her father had found her in New York and brought her home.  In the back seat of the limousine, she had Megan.  When she gave birth of Natalie/Jessica she was unaware she was carrying twins.  After Natalie was born (according to rewrite of history), Clint went to tell the family.  Mitch Laurence came in and informed Viki that he had raped her and one of the twins was his.  He stole Jessica from Viki's arms and then had the babies switched so his child could grow up in luxury while Clint's would have to suffer with an alocholic mother.  Bo Buchanan was not aware at first that Drew was his.  Asa Buchanan adopted Drew so he would carry the Buchanan name.  While Victor Lord knew of Tina and Todd's existence, he kept the information from the rest of his family.   Asa also has one son which was given up for adoption but since came back on the canvas:  Ben Davidson.


Who are Asa's wives?
Asa's first wife, Olympia, is the mother of Clint and Bo. She was presumed dead but really had been committed to a mental institute overseas.  His second wife, Samantha, married Asa while he held his Olympia captive in the mansion.  Olympia tried to kill "Sam" but ended up dying herself.  Asa's third wife, Delilah, really loved his son, Bo, but couldn't marry Bo because he believed (falsely) they were brother and sister.  Asa then married wife 4, Becky Lee Hunt Abbott, when he discovered she was carrying Bo's son, Drew, to give the child the Buchanan name.  Not surprisingly (for Asa), at some point during all these marriages, Asa had traveled to Malakava and married wife 5, Pamela Stuart,  (thus, depending on the time, Asa could have been a bigamist/trigamist).  He married Pamela in a legal ceremony when he thought she was dying.  After this marriage failed, he married Renee Divine who he had known in her pre-Llanview days when she was a "madam" in Nevada.   Unknown to Asa, Renee had a child by him while he was married to Olympia, Ben.  He divorced Renee and married wife 6, Blair Daimler, who loved Max Holden.  Blair wanted Asa's money and  withheld his heart medication.  Asa divorced Blair and started a business relationship with Alex Olanov. They eventually married after Alex dare him that they would marry on a given day.  He remarried Alex after she got a divorce from her presumed dead husband, Carlo Hesser.  Asa remarried Renee Divine Buchanan in May of 1999.  Since May of 1999, he as married Gabrielle Medina and most recently (2001) Gretel Rae Cummings who was blackmailing him.



Who killed Victor Lord?
Depends on the writers.  Originally he died due to Dorian's withholding his medication.  Michael Malone's version had him killed by Viki (acting as Tori) for the years of incest/abuse she had suffered at his hands.  She held a pillow over his face.



How many times has Llanfair burned?
At least twice.  The first time was when Jessica accidently started a fire by leaving a jack'o'lantern near the curtains.  The second time, Tori set fire to destroy Victor's monument.  Tori became Viki when she heard Jessica's screams and rescued her. 
     This is not to be confused with the bombings at Tina/Cord/Renee/Asa's wedding by Ursula Blackwell or when they bombed the secret room to save CJ and Al for the 25th anniversary show.



How many actors have played Kevin "Riley" Buchanan?
According to the May 26, 1998 edition of Soap Opera Digest, eight actors have playedKevin.  They are 
(and years as stated):
     Morgan K. Melis, 1976  (baby Kevin)
     Ryan Janis, 1988 (grammar school Kevin)
     Matthew Vipond, 1990 (during Viki's stroke storyline)
     Joey Thrower, 1991-92 (teenage Kevin)
     Kirk Geiger, 1992-94 (during LeeAnn, gang-rape, college storyline)
     Jack Armstrong, 1994-95 (dated Andy, started working at paper)
     Ken Kenitzer, 1995 (My note:  for about a month.  If you blinked you missed him.)
     Kevin Stapleton, 1996-98 (The Banner reporter, stole Cassie from Andrew)
     Timothy Gibbs, 1998 - present.



Did Victoria Lord marry Roger Gordon?
This depends on whom you ask (fanwise).  The way I remember it is Viki and Roger were married by an Eterna priest just prior to the underground city's explosion.  Viki, on witnessing the explosion, splintered (original rewrite of history) and became Niki Smith.  She ran off to New York and discovered she was pregnant.  Roger was presumed dead but had escaped the city to wait for Viki.  Victor found Viki/Niki and brought her back to Llanview during the Christmas holidays.  On Christmas, Viki/Niki went into labor and Larry Wolek delivered Megan in the back seat of a limo.  Niki became Viki and was taken home and did not recall the birth.  When Roger came to claim his wife, Victor told Roger that Viki couldn't remember him, the marriage wasn't legal, and he (Victor) would give Roger his daughter if he never contacted Viki again.  I seem to remember a discussion on divorce but that issue was played down.

How did Joe Riley die?
Which time?  The first time in 1969 his car went over a cliff in California and he was presumed dead.  In 1979 he died of a brain tumor (or aneurysm).



Where did Todd get his scar?
Todd received his scar during the rape trial.  He found Marty in the alley behind Rodi's and threatened her with rape.  Luna came out of the radio station after doing her show, and Todd threatened her.  Luna, seeing a metal tube close at hand, picked it up and used it as a weapon, hitting Todd in the head.  Todd received the scar and hearing loss in one ear.



How many times has Todd "died"?
This question does not include Todd's recent sojourn on the island because he never was officially labeled dead.  Let's call this the "Nine Lives of Todd Manning" shall we.  He has already used up four of them.
     1.   Stabbed with scissors by Nora when he terrorized her at the ocean cabin during her blindness.
     2.   Shot and plunged into the icy river during escape. 
     3.   Shot by one of Bo's officers while trying to escape.  Rushed to the hospital.
     4.   Shot by terrorist/Irish agents who thought he was Patrick Thornhart.  He went over a cliff in the trunk of a car into the ocean.



Why did Andrea Evans leave the show?
This answer has appeared in magazines like People and she has addressed the issue on 48 Hours.  She has gone into seclusion and takes the rare acting job due to the continued fear of a stalker.  She recently took a role on Passions and appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful.



Is Shelley Burch (Delilah) dead?
The urban myth of OLTL!  According to reports on the Usenet newsgroup RATSA, people connected with the show has assured fans that she is alive and well.  In fact, she attended Asa's last "supposed" funeral with the rest of Asa's living ex-wives.


Why is Tina legitimate and Todd not?
      This question is a good one that has no set answer.  Viewers know from revelations in the "secret room" that Victor claimed Tina (his daughter by Irene) prior to her birth.  There are memories from long-term viewers (including me) of a wedding certificate and the question that arose on the discovery of whether Dorian's marriage to Victor was legal.  When the bomb blew up the library at Llanview, a metal book was found with something for Dorian, Viki, and Tina.  Victor's gift to Tina was her birth certificate complete with his name.  Dorian got the divorce decree for Victor and Irene (thanks Ginny). 
     Evidently, sometime before the birth of Todd, Victor divorced Irene but continued to have an affair with her.  This affair led to Todd who Irene gave to her cousin Peter and his wife, Bitsy, to raise.



Where are Max Holden's children?
Max has three children:  a son, Al, by Gabrielle Medina Holden, and twins Lesley and Frankie (hearing impaired) by Luna Moody.   Al is living in Llanview and attending school.  The twins are in North Carolina living with Luna's family.



Does anyone connected to the show read (or attend) RATSA and other boards and chats?
OLTL has an open chatroom on AOL and other chatrooms.  From various statements made and chats for the actors/actresses held in chatrooms, it is a safe bet to believe that the existence of such areas are known but not acknowledged   Maggie, Michael Storm's daughter, reads RATSA on occasion.  Maggie has told the group that she passes clips on to her father.  At least one discussion group use to have OLTL on its mailing list and many boards and RATSA have received messages from Nathan Fillon (ex-Joey), Timothy Stickney (R.J.), Tonya Walker (ex-Alex), James DePalva (Max), and Jamie Howarth (ex-music director).  About.com's OLTL site has hosted chats with many of the stars.  

Why was there bad blood between Blair and Kelly?
In 1997 Kelly was driving the car that hit Blair and Patrick while she was going to the hospital.  Her son, Brendan, died as a result of the injuries.  Blair also resents Kelly's money, left to her by Ian.  They have since established a semblance of peace.



Has any special songs been written for the show?
While there have been many songs written especially for the show, some stand out more than others.  Below are a few of these songs:
          "Here's to the Show," for the Daisy Awards episode in 1989.
          "There Will Come a Time,"  for episodes in 1992 when the Names-Project AIDS quilt appeared
          "Song without End," for the Marty/Patrick characters and contained information about assassinations.
An album of music from "One Life to Live", was released by SBK Records in 1994 that contained music associated with characters on the show.

Has anyone connected with the show ever won an Emmy?
     Erika Slezak has won 5 for best actress for her portrayal of Victoria Lord Carpenter in 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995, and 1996.
     Judith Light has won 2 for best actress for her portrayal of Karen Wolek in 1980 and 1981.
     Al Freeman, Jr. has won an Emmy for best actor in 1979 for his portrayal of Ed Hall in 1979.
     Robin Strasser has won an Emmy for best actress for her portrayal of Dorian Lord Callison in 1982.
     Robert S. Woods has won an Emmy for best actor for his portrayal of Bo Buchanan in 1983.
     Thom Christopher has won an Emmy for best supporting actor portrayal of Carlo Hesser in 1992.
     The "banner year" for Emmys and OLTL was 1993-1994 television season when the show won multiple awards due to a realistic "rape story".
               Outstanding Lead Actress:  Hillary B. Smith, Nora Gannon
               Outstanding Supporting Actress:  Susan Haskell, Marty Saybrooke
               Outstanding Younger Actor:  Roger Howarth, Todd Manning
               Outstanding Writing:  Malone, Griffith, Bedsow-Horgan, Cherrill, Cole, Gold, Passante, Smilow, Whitesell
     Outstanding Drama Series:  2002
     Technical Direction and Electronic Camera Work:  1974, 2000, 2001
     Directing:  1975 (David Pressman), 1983 (Fristoe, Hall, Miner, Pressman)
                *1984 (Auerbach, Keathley, Miner, Pressman)
     Achievement in Any Area of Creative Technical Crafts:  1982 
     Technical Excellence (1984)
     Outstanding Writing:  1987 
     Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design:  1995 (tied with Y&R)
     Outstanding Grapics and Title Design:  1996
     Live and Direct to Tape Sound Mixing:  2000, 2001
     Music Production:   2000
     Outstanding Original Song:  2000
     Costume Design:   2000

Soap Opera Digest
     Judith Light, Favorite Actress, 1979, 1980
     Gerald Anthony, Favorite Villian, 1979; Limited Run, 1991
     Roger Howarth, Outstanding Younger Lead, 1995
     Robin Strasser, Outstanding Lead Actress, 1996
     Tuc Watkins, Outstanding Male Scene Stealer, 1996
     Erin Torpey, Outstanding Teen Performer, 1997
     Roger Howarth, Outstanding Villian, 1998



Books consulted:"All My Kevins."  Soap Opera Digest.  Vol. 23, No. 21 (May 26, 1998), p. 34.


Biracree, Tom.  Soap Opera Mania:  Love, Lust and Lies from Your Favorite Daytime Dramas.  New York:  Prentice Hall. 


Copeland, Mary Ann.  Soap Opera History.  Publications International, Ltd., 1991.

Matelski, Marilyn J.  The Soap Opera Evolution:  America's Enduring Romance with Daytime Drama.  Jefferson, NC:  McFarland & Company, 1988.

Schemering, Christopher.  The Soap Opera Encyclopedia.  New York:  Ballantine Books, 1988.

Waggett, Gerard J.  The Soap Opera Encyclopedia.  New York: HarperPaperback, 1997.

*Warner, Gary.  One Life to Live:  Thirty Years of Memories.  New York:  ABC Daytime Press/Hyperion, 1998.

Warner, Gary.  "101 Fabulous Facts About One Life to Live."  Episodes (January/February, 1992), p. 24-30.

and of course the ever-changing gang on RATSA and the One Life to Live discussion groups.