By Denise Balcarcel

I wanted to take the opportunity to address our campaign from a slightly unusual perspective this month. After participating in some very lengthy and provocative discussions with fellow fans recently, I had an awakening of sorts. In order to maximize our campaign efforts on behalf of HBS, we must reflect upon OLTL history and review how Nora came to represent such significance. There is a great deal of intense discussion transpiring on the various online forums right now. Longtime viewers, a group of which I am part, are struggling to follow storylines and remain engaged in the show. It occurred to me recently that the reason things seem disjointed is because we are witnessing the erosion of Agnes Nixon's vision. OLTL is slowly migrating away from its roots and from the foundation that Nixon laid for the show upon its inception.

Nixon is part of a rare breed: that elite group of innovators and pioneers that has either retired or passed, decades after changing the course of television.  She and Bill Bell are unquestionably the most influential people in daytime history. When OLTL debuted in 1968, Nixon defined five root systems or families: the Lords, an established and wealthy WASP family from Philadelphia; the Siegels, a self-sustaining, yet less wealthy Jewish family; the Woleks, a middle-class Polish-American family; the Rileys, a struggling Irish-American family; and the Grays, daytime's first front-burner African-American family. The entire show was driven by the social and class struggles among these five families, illustrated and governed by their interactions with one another. The ability to weave characters and plot intricately while exploring mainstream, controversial issues was Nixon’s forte.

The key to OLTL's appeal and its success, in my opinion, was Nixon's development and perpetuation of these dynasties.  Every character that was added to the canvas over the first decade and a half had roots in these legacy families. Compare the interaction among Nixon’s five dynasties to the interplay of the Buchanans, Cramers, Gannons and Vegas. Every major player on the canvas is rooted in one of the aforementioned families, which enables an intersection from one to the next, with the Lord family legacy perpetuated through Viki and Todd.  The issue as I see it is that OL is slowly pulling away from Nixon's formula of legacy families. I am noticing a transition from building around family dynasties to investing in individual characters.  The closest we have come in recent years to the family dynamic was during Michael Malone's tenure, with the introduction of the Walshes (Marcie's family) as a working-class family and a renewed emphasis on the Vegas, to counterbalance the well-established Buchanans, Cramers, Holdens and Rappaports.

How is this relevant to Nora? It is crucial, because Nora is the nucleus for these intersecting family relationships.  She connects the Gannons to the Vegas; the Vegas to the Buchanans; and the Buchanans to the Cramers.  In fact, Matthew and Starr are perhaps two of the most significant characters on the canvas right now, because of their rich family histories and the legacies they bear.  The reason I feel that many longtime viewers are wrestling with OL is because of its shift from Nixon's foundation.  Since I am constantly searching for new angles from which to approach our campaign for HBS, here is what I have determined. In order to reestablish Nora's position and illustrate her importance to the canvas, and to secure the very longevity of the show itself, we must utilize this rich history in carving out the future.  The reason I have taken this journey down memory lane is twofold. First of all, younger or newer viewers may not be aware of OLTL's early history.  Second, I feel it is imperative to convey to TPTB how OL is straying from the course that Nixon paved.  The show is morphing into a different soap altogether, and my concern is that vital characters - specifically, Nora - will be forever lost in the process unless we put the brakes on this transition.  While every production and writing team is going to bring its own vision and thus its own characters to the show, my goal is to see that pivotal ones are not lost in the process.

 

If any of you would like further information on OLTL’s history, please e-mail me and I will link you to some amazing resources.  Nielsen ratings and storyline recaps exist for OL dating back to its premiere in 1968.  Also, there are some wonderful Internet sites that offer a complete historical chronicle, including characters and family trees, as well as wonderful biographies on Agnes Nixon and her creative vision.  These resources are great for anyone who wants to simply reminisce or gain more insight into the characters and the history of the show. I believe it is imperative that we infuse our correspondence to TPTB with this rich history.  Doing so will strengthen our position in demonstrating Nora’s viability and integrity.  It is also crucial for future generations that Nixon's insight and foundation are not lost with the passage of time.