It ws probably self-destructive behavior. Was he trying to sabotage the hold that this character was going to have on him and his career? the only part of this clip that I thought was admirable was his reference to Genie Francis. He gave her credit for his sex appeal. I think that there is a lot of truth to that. He described it as acting a fight scene when the force of the punch is experienced because the receiver knows how to react.
He refers to this period of his life with embarrassment, and this shows why. The extreme attention and fame was exciting, but he didn't know how to handle it. That really is a shame because he wanted to be taken seriously, and this didn't help.
I agree with the above posts. I was excited to watch the video but quickly became embarrassed for him. I also wonder if he was on something.
I agree, Genie. The thing is that I don't think that Tony realized what Luke's appeal really was. He thought it was the crazy side of the character, the obnoxious side. The audience was not responding to that. They loved the sensitive Luke, the longing and loving side of him. Truthfully, he would have gotten a lot further had he been his serious self on these outings. A few in this audience made mention of that. I thought that he might have been up on something in this clip because it almost seemed like hysteria to me. He was obviously uncomfortable. I have actually spent some time with him, and he is not at all like what you see here. He is quiet and introspective, very bright and kind. Maybe he thought that the is what the audience wanted or expected to see. I don't think that he EVER thought of himself as attractive or a leading man...certainly not a sex symbol. I think this was his way of handling all that adoration that he thought was misplaced.
When Luke and Laura were in their heyday and I myself was a young girl, my Mom and I and my neighbor watched GH every day without fail. We loved Luke and Laura and we loved Luke, the quiet man who wore his heart on his sleeve where Laura was concerned, I'm glad we never saw this side on Tony, This was really awful watching him scream out and make these what he thought were sexy gestures. Maybe that is what Tony thought these women wanted. No wonder Tony said he was embarrassed at having done this crazy type thing. I couldn't make it thru the entire video. I found it almost embarrassing to watch it's just so awful. Tony was so much better than this and maybe his agent thought this was a good gig there in Chicago. The MC making the crowd spell out Lukes's name was so cheesy. UGH!!
Thanks for posting this. I thought I had seen it all from that period, but I missed this one. For those who were not around during the time that this happened,, these were amazing times in the soap world. Much of it was due to this man and his very special connection to Genie Francis.
Some of this tape was cringe-worthy to watch for me. You can see how uncomfortable he was with the celebrity. He would slip into "Luke" when he didn't think he had anything else to charm the audience with or an answer to a question that made him uneasy. It strikes me that there was a very serious person under all that bravado. He was grateful for the success, but it wasn't the respected success he wanted that he thought would never come to him through daytime.
What is it about daytime? Is it just that it is largely a venue for women who are at home? Is it the production speed and lack of resources that keep it entertainment on the cheap? It just makes me sad because it could be so much more...particularly knowing that cable could air these shows at night like it did when they had Soapnet.
There are some wonderful talents, writers, actors, editors, and directors working under extreme pressure producing these daytime shows. It is a shame that someone like Tony was so frustrated, and it is a shame that Luke was really a career-ender for him.
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