Soap Opera Digest
July 18, 1995

Behind The Scenes

Every sensational scene you see on-screen has an exciting backstage story!

When Little Richard Presided Over Bo and Nora's Nuptials On ONE LIFE TO LIVE, The Guests Were Dancing In The Aisles

If you thought ONE LIFE TO LIVE's BO and Nora would never get married, you weren't alone --- neither the bride nor the groom anticipated their rock 'n' roll wedding, which aired on June 1 and 2. "We thought Bo and Nora were going to hop in a car and drive away, leaving their guests at the rehearsal party," chuckles Hillary B. Smith(Nora). "At least, that's what we wanted."

But the duo(with a little help from the "wedding police," aka Hank, Sheila, Max and Luna)decided to walk ---- or, rather dance ---- down the aisle after Little Richard (a real-life minister and OLTL fan) agreed to officiate their nuptials. "That was the key for Woodsy[Robert S. Woods, Bo] and I," Smith reveals. "It was a lure for us as actors and obviously, for the characters to finally do it." As a longtime Little Richard fan, Woods couldn't have been more pleased with the way that things worked out. "A lot of the[rock]music they use on the show comes from my dressing room," he smiles.

But Smith and Woods weren't the only ones excited about their musical nuptials. "When [OLTL]first asked me to be on the show, I said,'Oh my God, what am I going to be doing?' " gasps Little Richard. "I wasn't thinking about 'Tutti Frutti' or 'Good Golly Miss Molly.' But that's what they wanted, and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to do it."

[Little Richard, who is a minister in real life, made Bo and Nora's nuptials an affair to remember.]

The special occasion even drew some onlookers. Timothy D. Stickney (RJ) dropped by on his day off just to catch a glimpse of the music man in action, as did Wood's wife, Loyita.

In keeping with the rock 'n' roll theme, OLTL Costume Designer Susan Gammie opted not to put Nora in a traditional white gown. Instead, she created a dress of lavender silk with a sequin-covered, turquoise bodice. Prior to taping, Smith bumped into Tonja Walker (Alex) in the hallway. "I was wearing the dress, and Tonja asked me, very seriously, 'What does your wedding dress look like?' " Smith recalls. "So I said, 'Oh, I haven't seen it yet. This is my bathrobe.' She looked at me[realizing I was wearing my wedding dress] and went, 'Oh.....do you like it?' Then she started laughing and said, 'You know, that was such an Alex thing to say.' "

[The groom, Bo (Robert S, Woods), wore a traditional tux, and the bride, Nora (Hillary B. Smith), wore..... a strange purple outfit that had castmates scratching their heads in confusion.

The wedding guests sat quietly in their seats during taping, but when the cameras stopped rolling, the partying began. Nathan Purdee(Hank) called for a moment of silence, and from behind the altar curtain, someone started playing a mean riff on the piano. As the curtain lifted, the OLTL cast and crew thought they would see Little Richard....but instead, it was their own Krista Tesreau(Tina) who was tickling the ivories! However, when the master took the stage and let it rip during rehearsal, Tesreau and Walker jumped out of their seats and boogied in the aisles. "That," Purdee laughs, "is what they should have taped."