2/24/87 - Randy joined Loving
When Randy was first offered the role of Clay/Alex he declined because he didn't know if he wanted to leave LA. He also wasn't sure about soaps. He didn't like meandering storylines. He liked programs with a beginning, middle and an end. However, when he heard about Clay/Alex he was intrigued. His agent also told him that he could do theater at night (his first love). Randy soon found out that soaps are very time consuming - a lot of dialog and a lot of long hours - which led him to a newfound respect for the medium and the people working in it. However, his theater plans were put on the backburner, though he did an occasional play here and there.
Randy had a lot of input as to how he wanted Clay/Alex to be. He didn't want the character to be a typical hero or villain. He wanted him to be villainous, but with a passion for his kids. Clay/Alex had to have a reason for doing evil things than just plain doing them. - Soap Opera People 1/88
At one point the producers considered dropping the Alex angle altogether and keeping Randy as Clay, but Randy protested. He wanted the duality, because it added depth to the character. They agreed. Once the real Clay returned, Randy hated losing that aspect of his character, but also relished the idea of developing Alex who was still pretty much new, considering he was pretending to be Clay all that time. - Soap Opera Update 2/12/90.
The revelation of Alex's true identity occurred during the writer's strike in 1988. - Soap Opera Digest 11/1/88
Randy had tremendous respect for Roya and was sad to see her go. He claimed their real life relationship was almost like a marriage. They would bicker and fight, but then make up. He had a hard time adjusting to the change in actresses, though it had nothing to do with Lisa Peluso. He and Lisa hit it off pretty quickly, though. - Daytime TV 5/89
Robert Tyler (Trucker) once said when he and Randy would be doing a scene together, Randy would have both of them laughing so hard that Tyler was unsure if they'd ever finish the scene. - Soap Opera Digest 5/16/89
Randy, Stan Albers (Curtis Alden), Richard Steinmetz (Jeff Hartman) and James Horan (Clay Alden) dressed up as women and crashed Lauren-Marie Taylor's (Stacey Forbes) baby shower. On the way there they stopped into a liquor store (in costume) to buy very unique baby gifts - beer and tequila. - Soap Opera Digest 9/5/89
Rena Sofer saying goodbye to Randy (and Richard Steinmetz (Jeff)), who were leaving Loving in 1990: "You've given me so much support and strength and kindness over the past year and made my first year so much fun. It's going to be hard to look forward to work when you're gone. I love you both very very much." - Soap Opera Magazine 2/27/90
2/15/90 - Randy taped his last scene on Loving before leaving the soap (for 3 years). The character of Alex Masters (portrayed by Robert Dubac) continued through 1991.
12/18/92 - Randy joined General Hospital as Richard Halifax.
When GH decided to redo it's opening theme (which at that point was roughly 20 years old), Randy told the producer that the ambulance that was in the old theme was from 1972. Surprised, she asked him how he knew. Duh. - Soap Opera Digest 4/13/93
7/23/93 - Randy leaves GH.
When it was announced that he's leaving GH, Randy was asked if he'd return to Loving. He joked, "The last time we see Alex, he went upstairs with his son to take the curtains off the windows. If he's going to come back down as an interior decorator, I'm not interested." - Soap Opera Digest 8/17/93
I guess they promised him he wouldn't, because he returned to Loving on 8/23/93. One of his reasons for returning (aside from an intriguing Alex storyline) was to reunite with his friends on the show. However, he was afraid that the adage "you can't go home again" would ring true, but in this case it was proven wrong. Everyone gave him a warm welcome.
Alex had lightened up since he left Loving. His character became more comical. One magazine called him the Eddie Murphy of daytime.
Lisa Peluso considers Randy a good friend and a great kisser. - Soap Opera Update 5/4/93
When Alex impersonates a security guard the name he uses is Sam Ratcliffe. In reality that is the name of a former writer on Loving who went to work on Another World. His nametag was lying around so they decided to use it. - Soap Opera Weekly 12/14/93
Famous Randy quote: "If the part is good, it doesn't matter what the medium is." - Soap Opera Weekly 3/15/94
When asked who is more romantic - Randy or Alex - he replied himself because Alex keeps screwing things up. - Soap Opera Digest 3/15/94
Personal motto: "Never stop laughing." - Soap Opera Digest 3/15/94
Philip Brown (Buck) was a child actor in the 60's and 70's. One appearance was on Emergency! He was around 12 years old. The episode was Virus. He was the boy in the tree house who was suffering from Meniers disease. - Soap Opera Digest 3/29/94.
Randy enjoys working with children. "They can upstage me anytime." - Soap Opera Digest 8/2/94
Randy likes to sneak up on people and startle them. He especially loved doing it to Lisa Peluso. One day she spotted him coming and pretended not to notice. He was crawling into her dressing room, and just as he was about to spring up on her, she said, "Hi, Randy." He was so mad. - Soap Opera Magazine 12/13/94
Randy about Lisa Peluso: "I consider myself the luckiest person in the world to be working with her.... She's a lot more talented than even she thinks she is."
The kids on Loving enjoyed playing around in Randy's dressing room, and he got a kick out of it too. Jacob Penn (the boy who portrayed Alex's son Sandy) "has this game," Randy said. "'Let's see what's in your ear,' and he'll stick his entire face in my hear. He'll also scrunch up my lips and blow on my cheek. He's a jewel." - Soap Opera Magazine 6/14/94
When Randy heard that Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails) was using his name to check into hotels, his reply was, "What a coincidence. I check into hotel rooms using the name Ronzer T. Nert (Trent's name backwards)." - Soap Opera Magazine 5/30/95
In another interview he said he checks in as Trent Reznor. - Soap Opera Digest 6/6/95
When Geoffrey Ewing left the soap he said the one person he'd really miss is Randy, because "he's been really supportive of me on all levels." - Soap Opera Digest 12/21/95
November 1995 - Loving changed to The City
On her first day on the set, Melissa Dye (Molly/Sandra) heard some weird clicking sounds in her ears. She couldn't place it at first and was concerned she had an ear infection. "I turned around and finally caught Randy!" she said. "He started rolling around on the floor in hysterics - that definitely eased the tension of working at a new place with new people." - Soap Opera Digest 3/12/96
One day, between takes during taping in The City Bar, Randy hid behind a camera and playfully tossed peanuts at Morgan Fairchild (Sydney Chase). She was good natured about it, but had no idea Randy was the culprit. She accused Catherine Hickland (Tess). Then she spotted Randy behind the camera. - Soap Opera Digest 5/7/96
Q: "What attracts you to women?"
Randy: "Eyes...definitely." - Soap Opera Digest 6/4/96
Q: "Are you a procrastinator?"
Randy: "Um...let me get back to you on that." - Same as above
Q: "Is there a talent that you wish you had?"
Randy: "I wish I could sing." - Same as above
Randy on beauty: "Beauty starts behind the eyes - it always does for me anyway. You can be the most beautiful person in the world, but if there's nothing going on behind the eyes, it's just window dressing. - Soap Opera Magazine 7/9/96
Laura Wright (Ally) on Randy: "He has those eyes. Those deep, understanding, wise eyes. I'm always entertained when working with Randy. He always makes the scene interesting." - same as above.
Randy on when he looks best: After leaving the gym. "Whether or not I really do, I don't know, but I sure feel that way." - same as above
Randy on when he looks his worst: "There's no doubt about it - when I first getup in the morning. I have to sneak up to the mirror just to shave." - same as above
George Palermo (Tony) considers Randy "my mentor. He's the best guy there; he'll help you with anything. And he's a good actor...." - Soap Opera Digest 7/16/96
In an article about actors input on characters Randy recalled two instances where his character was supposed to do something he didn't agree with. The first time was during a scene where he had to "grab Ava and shake her during an argument," Randy said. "I said, 'No, I won't do that.' If I was the villain, then I would do it. But if I'm the hero - the good guy - and I grab a woman and rough her up - and get away with it - what does that say about my character?" Loving execs accepted it and toned the scene down. The second instance occurred on The City. It was a similar situation. In this case, Randy didn't discuss it with the directors. He just grabbed Jocelyn "by the elbow and moved her back.... My point to them was, 'If you really want me to do that, then I - as Alex - have to be taken to task for it. The audience has to see the man being punished in some way. Otherwise you approve of it." - Soap Opera Digest 8/27/96
In a TV Guide review of The City, they didn't care for the soap, but they loved the "ever-hip Emergency! vet Randolph Mantooth." - TV Guide 8/27/96
Just like with Lisa Peluso, Randy got a kick out of sneaking up on Lisa Lo Cicero and startling her. - Soap Opera Magazine 6/27/96
Randy on actors: "The biggest misconception about (actors) is that we're the characters we play. Lord have mercy, give us a break. I don't get fans writing 'Dear Alex,' but I get 'Dear Johnny' - a lot." - Soap Opera Digest 8/31/96
When Jane Elliot (Tracy) came on the scene, the new backstory on Alex pleasantly surprised Randy. He was told they did this to "get me headlong into the storyline." Since Alex's history was established long before her arrival on the soap, Randy surmised that Alex and Tracy's fling must have occurred roughly 20 years prior, before he joined the CIA. - Soap Opera Weekly 10/25/96
Randy on Jane Elliot: "She really does bring a breath of fresh air. Tracy's very colorful. She can be a b*tch to you on one hand and have you laughing on the other." - same as above
When discussing his character's current occupation, Randy quipped, "Have you ever noticed that (Tony) and I never solve a case - we never solve a bloody thing!" - Soap Opera Magazine 11/5/96
George Palermo once said Randy was the neatest person on the set. "I'm trying to hire him to clean my dressing room." - Soap Opera Digest 12/3/96
His first kiss: "The first time I kissed a girl, she was on a swing. I was so young, I didn't realize what gravity was. So as she was swinging down, I decided to kiss her. We bopped faces so hard, that I knocked her off the swing and it knocked me silly. Here I had such a crush on her, and of course I made her cry. And I got a bloody nose! But it seemed kind of romantic at the time, being eight years old. My first kiss was a damn near knockout!" - unknown
While in high school Randy portrayed a butler in the school production of My Fair Lady. One night he split his pants. Thinking fast, because he didn't want the audience to notice, he acted drunk. Their laughter got him hooked on acting. - Soap Opera Magazine 12/10/96
Randy had a great camaraderie with his costars, which he once claimed he had not seen since his days on Emergency! He even spent vacations with them. He went to Florida with Geoffrey Ewing, and on a ski trip with George Palermo and TW King as well as two other people from the show. He was very close to everyone on both Loving and The City.
Randy on Lisa Peluso: "I adore her. I was heartbroken when they let her go. They always say the real death of your storyline is when you get married, but with Lisa that never happened - because we (Alex and Ava) could fight better than anybody in the world and still be cute and funny and make up in a pleasing way." - Soap Opera Magazine 1/30/96
Randy on Wesley Addy who passed away on New Years 1997: "He performed what was asked of him and did it with style and class. He was truly a wonderful man." - Soap Opera Digest 2/11/97
What he'll miss about The City: "All the wonderful actors. I've made a lot of good friends. Oh, God, I'm going to miss the whole show. It captured my heart." - Soap Opera Digest 3/11/97
In another publication he said, "I'm really sad that it's ending. I'm going to miss working with everyone."
Randy on working on Loving and The City: "If you ask around, you'll find that people will say that the Loving and The City sets were two of the warmest, funniest places to work in daytime." - Soap Opera Digest 4/1/97
Funniest caper on Loving: "We decided that all the actresses would tell Joe (the producer) that they were pregnant. Nada Rowand (Kate), who was beyond her pregnancy years, said she was going to adopt a Peruvian child and needed some time off. Joe was stunned." Then everyone (including the men) stuffed pillows under their shirts and said, "'We're pregnant. Could we get some time off?' Even Wesley Addy (Cabot) did that. Our show never took itself seriously." - Same as above.
The City went off the air on March 28, 1997.
Additional tidbits on Alex:
Favorite Food: Croutons, sardines with hot sauce,
Movie he and Jocelyn first saw together: Waterloo Bridge
Movie he referenced when camping with Jocelyn: Enchanted Cottage
Birthplace (or at least grew up in): Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Married (and divorced): 5 times. Twice to Egypt. Three times to Ava (once as Clay).
Children: 2. Sandy (Cabot Alexander) with Ava and Alexis with Egypt.
Relatives: Mother died when he was very young. Father died when he was a teenager. No known siblings. Has an uncle Herb who "has been dying for twenty-five years":-) Ally Bowman considers him her uncle though technically she's Ava's neice.
Jobs Held: Shoe salesman, security guard, spy/mercenary, CIA agent, Chairman of the board of Alden Enterprises, FBI agent, cop, private detective.
Known as a Master of Disguise, here are a few: Canadian Mounty, Clay Alden, securty guard, cop, a "john", Cabot Alden.
Used to like: Greedy women (Egypt, Tracy Quartermaine, Ava), camping/fishing by himself, skydiving
Likes: Uncomplicated relationships,
Dislikes: Being lied to.
