Q.
On a recent episode of Guiding Light, Alexandra said, “Roger Thorpe was like a cockroach. Many have tried to kill him, but he keeps coming back.”As a fairly new viewer to the show, I wonder what she meant by that. Can you shed some light? – P.Y., Washington, D.C.
A.
Roger has more lives than a house cat. Years ago, Holly, who was married to Roger at the time, pumped him with five slugs when he forced her to have sex. Everyone thought Roger was dead, and in fact, Roger wanted it that way. He flew to Paris, where he underwent plastic surgery. Roger was to return looking so different that no one would recognize him, and he would get his revenge on the town he hated. This story line was made necessary because Michael Zaslow decided to leave Guiding Light. Finding it hard to recast the part, producers were thrilled when he wanted to return. When the bandages were removed after Roger’s final plastic surgery, he was sporting a mustache. It was a great mustache, however, because even Roger’s dad, Adam, didn’t recognize him. Several years passed, and once again, Zaslow decided it was time to leave. This time, Roger appeared to fall to his death from a cliff in South America. Once again, Zaslow was enticed to return, and Roger was found living on a remote island. On the island, he had become a CIA operative. Roger was discovered on the island when Fletcher went searching for the missing Alexandra. Unaware of Roger’s past or that the man she met on the island was Roger, Alexandra fell in love with Roger and eventually married him.
Q.
The actor playing Craig on As The World Turns looks familiar. Has he done any prime-time work? – H.J., Oakland, Calif.
A.
Scott Bryce took a few years off from his role on As The World Turns and garnered some reoccurring roles in the world of prime time. On The Facts of Life, he played Jo’s husband. More recently, he was seen on Murphy Brown as Corky’s better half.
Q.
I loved the nighttime show Soap. How long did it run? Why was is canceled? – S.K., Toms Rivers, N.J.
A.
Soap, whose cast boasted the likes of Billy Crystal (Jodie),
Katherine Helmond (Jessica), Richard Mulligan (Chester) and Ted Wass (Danny), ran on ABC from 1977 to 1981. The show, a ratings winner, was taken off the air to appease a conservative organization called the Moral Majority. At the time, the important group promised to create a mass boycott of ABC unless the network gave in to certain demands. The axing of Soap was one of the conditions.
