Flashback: Soap News - October 1988

DEIDRE HALL DECLINES THE OFFER TO RETURN FOR ANOTHER DAY IN HER
October 23, 1988
Daily News of Los Angeles

"Days of Our Lives" was hoping to get Deidre Hall to re-create her Marlena Brady role for a limited run. But Hall, whose prime-time series "Our House" was canceled this year, declined the offer.

"DOOL" then thought they could get Deidre's real-life mirror twin, Andrea Hall Lovell (who played Marlena's twin on "DOOL" for a while), to play Marlena. Just when it seemed that Andrea was going to rejoin the show, the deal fell through. We hear that Deidre was not thrilled with the thought of her sister taking over the role Deidre had created.

So for "DOOL," to recast or not to recast, that was the question. At least for now, they have decided to scrap plans to bring Marlena back from the dead. There is a possibility, however, that Deidre could change her mind.

But a menacing male who has created lots of problems for the Salem citizenry is slated to return to "DOOL" shortly. Does this mean more stories on the run? More adventure? More what's-going-on-here plots? More have-I- missed-something stories? You bet.

Harding Lemay, who had been signed as a consultant for "Another World" and then was made head writer of the show, is leaving. Since joining the show in 1971, where he remained as head writer until 1979, Lemay was responsible for the golden age of "Another World."

Recently it was decided that Lemay lacked the energy to write the show back to its days of glorious stories and ratings.

Lemay, a gifted writer, likes to deal with all aspects of a serial when he is the head writer, which is a grueling and often impossible task. There is no question that Lemay still is one of the best writers in the business. It's his unwillingness to delegate responsibility that has caused him to be replaced as a serial head writer many times.

"AW" is a show that has gone through so many changes of producers and writers that it sometimes seems like a bus stop: 10 characters come on, 10 go off, another 10 arrive, another 10 leave. Does Lemay's departure signal another series of major changes for "AW"? No, says Brian Frons, NBC's head of daytime programming: Plots that were being put in place by Lemay and others will continue.

One of them is the return of Iris. Nope, not played by Beverlee McKinsey, who created Iris in 1972 and stayed until 1980 - she is happy playing Alexandra on "Guiding Light." The part of Iris is being recast. Once again we will see a triangle involving Rachel, her husband, Mac, and his spoiled, willful daughter, Iris. This is not a romantic triangle but an emotional one in which Iris feels threatened by the love her "daddy" (as she has always called Mac) feels for Rachel.

Robert Newman, who was thinking about exiting "Guiding Light" when his contract came up, has decided to stay on as Josh Lewis. One major reason is the announcement that he and his wife, Britt Helfer (ex-Lily Slater), are expecting their first child in April.