Del Rio News Herald from Del Rio, Texas • Page 33

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Ruth Show Baby Knows Mother's Day I Varied Programs Varied Programs Movie Programs I Varied Programs I Walt Disney Presents IQzzie Harriet I Movie AFTERNOON SpomCentor NHL Hockey Dumbo's Circus Corner iMickev Mouse iDoraldDuck SOAP SCOOP Froncis is the latest soap vet to return On a recent episode of "Days of Our Lives," when Genie Francis woke up on the examining table of Sa- tenvs Hope Memorial Hospital as bruised and battered reporter Diana Coleville and batted her mascaraed eyelashes, it marked one of the highlights of the 1987 soap year. Francis had not been seen regularly on daytime television since she and Tony Geary rocketed to national renown as "General Hospital" Laura and Luke Spencer in the early '80s. "DOOL" has netted itself daytime's biggest fish save for Geary, of course! Soap actors have been going from one show to another since the advent of daytime television. But there has been so much movement lately that even the most avid fan needs a scorecard to keep track. Why has the rehiring of soap favorites reached the fever pitch this year? Years ago, when it was difficult for daytime actors to break into prime-time TV and films, actors tended to stay with their parts forever.

Now, actors seldom stick with their roles past their initial two-year contracts. Though wildly popular on daytime, some of these actors find they can't make it right away on primetime or in feature films, so they run right back to the financially sheltering arms of daytime. Two good examples: Bob Woods, who won an Emmy as Bo Buchanan on "One Life to Live" and now plays Paul Stewart on and hunky Grant Aleksander, who returned to his original role of Philip Spaulding on "Guiding Light" after a Hollywood stint and a short role as the villainous Phillips on "Capitol." In building ratings, it has become more efficient for soaps to hire actors with a "star" quality. Since it often takes months (if not years) for a soap actor to develop into an audience favorite, hiring well-known actors adds instant credibility. "Santa Barbara" almost exclusively hires soap veterans and reinforces the move by tailoring roles to their talents.

Robin Mattson (who formerly played Heather Webber on is delicious as devilish Gina Capwell, and Justin Deas (who formerly played Tom Hughes on "As the World is wonderfully quirky as Keith Timmons. Rehiring fan favorites brings much-needed publicity. At the height of Luke- and-Laura mania in 1981, even non-soap fans knew about "General Hospital." "DOOL" is hoping to get a piece of that spotlight..