Q. I recently saw a movie with Christopher Reeve called Bump in the Night. Aside from Reeve, I noticed the movie starred Wings Hauser. I am positive that he was on The Young and the Restless. My son thinks he played Phil Brent on All My Children. I am going crazy, wondering who he played. — C.F., Niles, Ohio
A. Hauser played lawyer Greg Foster, Jill’s brother, on The Young & the Restless. He replaced James Houghton, who went on to play Kenny on Knots Landing. Your son could have mistaken Hauser for Nick Benedict, who played Phil Brent on All My Children. They are similar in appearance.
Q. Is the Bill Hayes married to Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie, Days of Our Lives) the same actor who appeared at the Blue Room of the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans? — P.G., New Orleans
A. It’s very possible, especially because Bill’s not only an actor but a singer, too. In 1954, Bill Hayes had America singing The Ballad of Davy Crockett. Fess Parker was going to sing the tune for the show in which he starred, but Bill recorded it first and had the hit. Incidentally, Bill and Susan met while working on Days of Our Lives. Bill played Doug Williams, a ne’er-do-well turned good guy.
SOAP NOTES
— David Oliver (ex-Perry, Another World, and co-star on the highly acclaimed but short-lived A Year in the Life) died recently. Oliver, 30, was considered one of the truly nice guys in the business. He had a long battle with AIDS.
— Days Of Our Lives isn’t telling where or when, but Kristian Alfonso, who played Hope, will be returning to the show.
According to inside sources, it appears that Alfonso will return in February. And why not? February is one of television’s major ratings months.
While viewers had accepted Bo and Carly’s romance, they still asked whether Hope would return.
For a while, it didn’t seem likely, as Alfonso was working heavily on prime time and also was involved in her commuter marriage with a property developer in Barbados. Sadly, Alfonso’s marriage has ended. She has a child and, we understand, a desire to return to Days Of Our Lives.
Days is, of course, thrilled to bring the actress back. Alfonso, a cooperative pro who began working on the show as a teen-ager, has improved steadily as an actress. She still looks fabulous and is believed to be a sure ratings winner by the Days hierarchy.
When Hope returns, it will be another return from the dead for Days, which is famous for such rebirths. When last we saw Hope, she truly was a puff of smoke. A magician seemed to have ended her life with a magic trick. But, since most magic is purely an illusion, Days doesn’t think it will be too hard to pull Hope back out of the hat.
— One Life to Live has plans to bring back Gabrielle. Fiona Hutchison created the role but is now playing Jenna on Guiding Light, so recasting has begun.
Two Santa Barbara actresses are being considered for the role: Nina Arvesen (Angela) and Eileen Davidson (Kelly).
