Vintage Donna Mills!!! - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

catlover79 · 07-16-2011, 03:18 AM

This is from her run as Laura on the long-defunct CBS soap, Love is a Many Splendored Thing, from 1967-70. Leslie Charleson, who has spent the past three and a half decades as Dr. Monica Quartermaine on General Hospital, played Laura's sister Iris. David Birney played Mark, Laura's husband.

Reverend Jim · 07-16-2011, 07:00 PM

catlover79 · 07-16-2011, 07:59 PM

Donna's LIAMST character had been a sweet novice nun who left the convent. Quite a far cry from Abby Fairgate Cunningham Ewing Sumner...(did I get all her surnames? Those were just the ones she married - she had flings with quite a few other men...

)

Retro4Life · 07-17-2011, 03:19 AM

^ Yeah I think you got all the names. And you're right, Abby did "get around" a lot. She slept with Sumner's fake brother for a while, and Laura's husband, Richard, too.

Neat pics, though. She really was/is a beautiful lady, in any decade and with any hairstyle. I love looking at classic photos like those.

80sTrivia · 07-17-2011, 07:21 AM

Great article and photographs, Monika! Donna was certainly right about marriage not being the same in the future, but it took far less than one hundred years to happen!!!

catlover79 · 07-17-2011, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retro4Life

^ Yeah I think you got all the names. And you're right, Abby did "get around" a lot. She slept with Sumner's fake brother for a while, and Laura's husband, Richard, too.

The fake brother was Peter Hollister (Hunt Block), right? The one who ended up being buried by cement? Abby and her daughter each thought the other had killed him?

Retro4Life · 07-17-2011, 02:46 PM

^ Yes when in reality it was Paige Matheson who simply pushed him backward, making him lose his balance and fall into a order holder (with a very sharp point) and impale himself. She was angry at him and kept walking away, not realizing or even seeing the harm she'd done. I think Abby found him and thinking Olivia had killed him, buried the body in cement to cover up the supposed crime. My memory is that no one was prosecuted even when the truth came out, as it was ruled an accident. Hollister was a total sleaze who no one really mourned.

A grisly yet funny sidelight occurred when his fake brother, Greg Sumner, cremated his body and placed his ashes in an ashtray to extinguish his cigars.

catlover79 · 07-17-2011, 11:41 PM

Thanks - I couldn't remember all the details.

Hunt Block makes a terrific villain, as he's also proven in daytime TV.

catlover79 · 09-07-2011, 07:56 PM

Here's another photo I found on the web:

Mr. Television · 09-07-2011, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retro4Life

^ Yes when in reality it was Paige Matheson who simply pushed him backward, making him lose his balance and fall into a order holder (with a very sharp point) and impale himself. She was angry at him and kept walking away, not realizing or even seeing the harm she'd done. I think Abby found him and thinking Olivia had killed him, buried the body in cement to cover up the supposed crime. My memory is that no one was prosecuted even when the truth came out, as it was ruled an accident. Hollister was a total sleaze who no one really mourned.

A grisly yet funny sidelight occurred when his fake brother, Greg Sumner, cremated his body and placed his ashes in an ashtray to extinguish his cigars.

What about his sister, crazy Jill?

I remember how mad she got when she saw his ashes in Sumner's home and that Sumner was using it as an ashtray.

Retro4Life · 09-07-2011, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuck In The '70's

What about his sister, crazy Jill?

I remember how mad she got when she saw his ashes in Sumner's home and that Sumner was using it as an ashtray.

You know, Jill is an example of a character who was somewhat moral and decent when she came on, when she was envisioned as a love interest for Gary. But when they decided to get Gary and Val back together (again!), they made her go totally "Fatal Attraction" on everybody, and that was kind of a shame. I liked the actress who played her too.

Another example of this was the Annie Dutton character on GL. A decent character who was morphed into a monster just so she could be out of the way for Josh and Reva to reunite.

catlover79 · 09-07-2011, 09:58 PM

What made the whole plot ironic was that Ted Shackelford and Teri Austin (Gary and Jill) ended up becoming a couple in real life for awhile.

Retro4Life · 09-07-2011, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

What made the whole plot ironic was that Ted Shackelford and Teri Austin (Gary and Jill) ended up becoming a couple in real life for awhile.

Heh, I forgot about that!

Mr. Television · 09-07-2011, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retro4Life

You know, Jill is an example of a character who was somewhat moral and decent when she came on, when she was envisioned as a love interest for Gary. But when they decided to get Gary and Val back together (again!), they made her go totally "Fatal Attraction" on everybody, and that was kind of a shame. I liked the actress who played her too.

Another example of this was the Annie Dutton character on GL. A decent character who was morphed into a monster just so she could be out of the way for Josh and Reva to reunite.

Teri Austin was great. Yea it was too bad that they made her insane butTeri Austin played Jill to the hilt. I think the episode where she forced Val to take those sleeping pills was probably the best KL Cliffhanger of them all.

catlover79 · 09-07-2011, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retro4Life

Heh, I forgot about that!

They made a good-looking pair. Mr. Shackelford has been married to his current wife for quite some time (he hooked up with Ms. Austin following the breakup of his first marriage), and I don't know what Ms. Austin's marital status is.

07-16-2011, 03:18 AM	#1
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392	Vintage Donna Mills!!! This is from her run as Laura on the long-defunct CBS soap, Love is a Many Splendored Thing, from 1967-70. Leslie Charleson, who has spent the past three and a half decades as Dr. Monica Quartermaine on General Hospital, played Laura's sister Iris. David Birney played Mark, Laura's husband. Attached Images
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

07-17-2011, 03:19 AM	#4
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,708	^ Yeah I think you got all the names. And you're right, Abby did "get around" a lot. She slept with Sumner's fake brother for a while, and Laura's husband, Richard, too. Neat pics, though. She really was/is a beautiful lady, in any decade and with any hairstyle. I love looking at classic photos like those.
	__________________ Alex Reiger :[Trying to convince Louie not to antagonize Bobby] "It's not hard to make people feel bad about their lives. What's hard is making people feel good about their lives."

07-17-2011, 07:21 AM	#5
80sTrivia Member Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 23, 2002 Posts: 21,714	Great article and photographs, Monika! Donna was certainly right about marriage not being the same in the future, but it took far less than one hundred years to happen!!!
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07-17-2011, 02:46 PM	#7
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,708	^ Yes when in reality it was Paige Matheson who simply pushed him backward, making him lose his balance and fall into a order holder (with a very sharp point) and impale himself. She was angry at him and kept walking away, not realizing or even seeing the harm she'd done. I think Abby found him and thinking Olivia had killed him, buried the body in cement to cover up the supposed crime. My memory is that no one was prosecuted even when the truth came out, as it was ruled an accident. Hollister was a total sleaze who no one really mourned. A grisly yet funny sidelight occurred when his fake brother, Greg Sumner, cremated his body and placed his ashes in an ashtray to extinguish his cigars.
	Last edited by Retro4Life; 07-17-2011 at 11:59 PM.

09-07-2011, 07:56 PM	#9
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392	Here's another photo I found on the web: Attached Images

07-16-2011, 07:00 PM	#2
Reverend Jim Member Forum Regular Join Date: Feb 08, 2009 Location: New York City Posts: 783

07-16-2011, 07:59 PM	#3
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392	Donna's LIAMST character had been a sweet novice nun who left the convent. Quite a far cry from Abby Fairgate Cunningham Ewing Sumner...(did I get all her surnames? Those were just the ones she married - she had flings with quite a few other men... )

07-17-2011, 11:41 PM	#8
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392	Thanks - I couldn't remember all the details. Hunt Block makes a terrific villain, as he's also proven in daytime TV.

09-07-2011, 09:58 PM	#12
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392	What made the whole plot ironic was that Ted Shackelford and Teri Austin (Gary and Jill) ended up becoming a couple in real life for awhile.