1970s

Aug 15

From Walter:

The Erika Slezak Fan Club Newsletter: The 70s

As you peruse the “old school” newsletters that were typed, copied, collated, stapled, folded, stuffed, sealed, addressed, stamped, and mailed (whew), you will notice how the publication went from “Baby Steps to a Comfortable Stride.” The 70s were the age of innocence…I was young and One Life to Live was young, as it had barely been on the air for four years when the fan club began in 1972. Even though our newsletters got more polished as the fan club grew, there has always been something for everyone in every issue. At first we had no name for the newsletter, then for a short while we were “The Banner Bulletin,” but we finally settled on the perfect title in 1975…“Erika’s World.” The most constant offering, and what I daresay the members wanted the most, was information about Erika and interaction with her. In these newsletter pages Erika shares with us the current “goings-on” in her life in the column called “Dateline Erika.” She also answers members’ and my questions in “Ask Erika,” and you will also see “Dear Erika,” in the flavor of “Dear Abby.” In addition to all that, Erika occasionally shared some favorite recipes, and the Christmas letters written by her are to be forever cherished!

Also throughout the newsletters you will read fun “mini” interviews with other cast members including Lee Patterson, Lynn Benish, Mike Storm, Nat Polen, and Alice Hirson. Because we all watched OLTL, we created the “Startraks” column that kept the members informed about the other projects in which the current and former OLTL actors were involved.

Because there was no social media like FaceBook or Instagram in the 70s, we helped fan club members connect, interact, and share their opinions. Many friendships have been formed over the years, all because of Erika. Club contributor and friend, Ilene Pachman, eventually became our coordinator for this fun interaction.

Kathy Hontz, my forever friend from my “Dark Shadows” days, and I first met Erika in the spring of 1971. As a Dark Shadows “studio kid” I became friendly with George Smith, who was the security guard at the DS studio. After DS was cancelled he moved over to the One Life to Live studios on West 67th St. (All My Children and OLTL shared the same studio.) I had always been a OLTL fan as it had then preceded Dark Shadows at 3:30 in the afternoon. When the “new” Viki was recast with Erika, I became instantly smitten and desperately wanted to meet her. At the studio in the spring of 1971, Kathy and I went to see George Smith and I asked George if the actress who was playing Viki was working that day. He assured she was and said how much he liked Erika. Erika was leaving the studio late afternoon (with packages in hand—which was always typical of Erika) when I asked if I could get an autograph. Erika could not have been friendlier or more gracious. She asked my name and when I replied Walter, she said “oh, that’s my father’s name”. After several visits hanging outside the studio throughout the summer and into early fall I finally mustered up the courage and on October 7, 1971 asked if I could start a fan club for her. Erika said she really didn’t know much about fan clubs but knew her father had fan clubs that were connected with the studios when he was making films in Hollywood. I explained a bit about what it would entail (as I had run a fan club for the actor Thayer David when he was on Dark Shadows) I tore out of piece of paper from my high school looseleaf book and wrote up a a couple of sentences giving me authorization for me to start a fan club for her. Erika signed this not so official document and that started my journey with this fan club. The fan club started sending out newsletters in January of 1972. Then in March of 1972, Kathy and I actually appeared on OLTL as courtroom spectators (extras) during Steve Burke’s trial. Of course “Viki” was present in the courtroom for that episode and it was such a fun experience.

I then met Arlyne Zinstein because of our mutual interest in Erika and the show. In those early days Arlyne ran a fan club for David Snell, who played Jack Lawson on the show. Kathy and Arlyne hold the distinction of being my longest and most faithful friends from those early years. In the 70s, both Arlyne and Kathy were officers of the club…Arlyne being the VP and Kathy was the secretary who typed all of the newsletters. But the very first VP was Debbie Furie, a kind, quiet gal who adored Erika. If anyone out there has any information about Debbie, please drop me a line, as I would love to catch up with her after all these years. Both Arlyne and Kathy held their positions through 1976.

In 1975, Arlyne ran Lee Patterson’s fan club, and we hosted the very first Erika Slezak/Lee Patterson Fan Club Gathering! Erika’s fan club and other clubs held back-to-back OLTL fan club gatherings, which the entire cast attended. At our 1976 OLTL gathering, fan club member and friend, Louis Serpe, who also served as an officer in our club in 1977, wrote and made a speech entitled, “Thoughts on Daytime Television,” which was well received by all the actors and honored guests, including producer, Doris Quinlan, and other ABC executives. In fact, he also spoke at the 1977 OLTL luncheon and, according to the press, his speech was greeted by “thunderous applause!” (Please make sure to check out the “Fan Club Gathering” link which includes luncheons, gatherings, press coverage, and candid photos.)

In 1976, when it feels like the newsletter hit its stride, Louis wrote a mini-biography of Erika’s father, Walter Slezak, and in 1979 you can read about the day that Louis and I, visited Erika’s parents at their home. We chatted about Walter’s career, his thoughts about Erika as an actress, and his appearance on OLTL in 1974. Louis made the best cheesecakes in history and presented one to Walter and his lovely wife, Johanna. (Erika bears a striking resemblance to her mother!) Louis was also the author of the ongoing column, “Looking at Llanview,” which was an ongoing, detailed summary of the show. In 1977 Louis interviewed Erika and wrote a multi-part biography about her as well. I've lost touch with Louis over the years, but hope to reonnect with him once again.

No story of our early years would be complete without me telling you about a few special fans as well as the journalists that I had the pleasure of meeting, all because of the fictional town of “Llanview.” Anne Klenovich was an early fan club member and ardent fan of Erika’s, and became, and remained, a good friend of mine until her passing. A few other members in those early days who come to mind are Margie Mintz, Marie Sharron, Maria Smith, Margaret Medici, Viola Garrett, Loretta Clark, Julia Hamer, Gloria Prince, Viki Dratman, Mike Martinelli, and Dorothy Panza. Dorothy ran a slew of fan clubs for other OLTL actors and actresses over the years. I also became friends with Mitch Lopatin a fellow New Jerseyan! And how can I forget another huge Lee and Erika fan, the late Bonny J. Schroeder. She even flew in from the Sultanate of Oman, a country in the Middle East, to attend our 1977 luncheon! One other big fan was our dear Sister Leonarda, who attended our first fan club gathering and whom Erika even invited to the studio.

Also during those early years I had the pleasure of meeting several folks in the daytime magazine publishing industry. Rita Rose (known as R. Marian Rose) and her husband, Art, certainly come to mind, as Rita took some of my favorite photos of Erika throughout the 70s for her magazines. Both Rita and Art were very kind to Kathy and me, often referring to us as “the kids.” Jon-Michael Reed was a great guy and certainly an innovator with his magazines. His column, “Tune in Tomorrow,” was featured throughout the country for years. I then met Connie Passalacqua Hayman who wrote under the pen name, Marlena DeLacroix. Connie and I became fast friends, and I am grateful that we still are today. Connie is an excellent journalist and has always been a huge supporter of Erika from day one, and has written some of the best pieces ever about her.

Another life-changing highlight in the 70s for Erika was her first off-Broadway play, “The Circle,” where she met her husband-to-be, Brian Davies. Also, I recall that Kathy Hontz and I attended the opening and met Walter and Johanna Slezak, who were there to see their daughter’s premiere performance. The latter part of the 70s gave us the news of Erika’s marriage to Brian in 1978, and then we were told that they would become parents in early 1980!

For 54 years this club, and the project we are undertaking here, have been a “Labor of Love,” and I hope you enjoy taking this walk down memory lane with me as much as I enjoyed revisiting these much cherished times.

All the best,

Walter