I watched OLTL for one reason, Judith Light😁. I remember every piece of dialogue of Karen's testimony even today after 40 years. Judith Light's performance earned her an Emmy for Best Performance by an Actress which she truly deserved. I cheered when she was announced the winner. Her performance was so riveting that the actors in the court scene were literally in tears even Erica Slezak as Viki. By far the Best acting performance in soap opera history. I was 22 at the time & OLTL was my favorite daytime soap. Bravo Judith Light for her heart wrenching acting performance that will NEVER be forgotten.😘😍😭
I remember this as if it was yesterday. I was in college and took lunch at 1 pm to watch this with other students. Today's storylines are nowhere near as compelling. Today's young actors could take a page from this video. Judith Light rocks!
This scene (including the part before it) truly is one of the best pieces of daytime acting ever. Judith like was utterly convincing -- her hesitation, tears, blanching, and "imperfect" demeanor was utterly credible for what a woman like Karen might feel/experience under those circumstances and with her past. A classic TV moment...
This is simply one of the greatest episodes in the history of daytime TV. It was so good that it seems as if it never gets old. I started watching OLTL in 1982. I am only sorry that I did not start watching earlier. Judith Light was amazing then as she is now in Dallas.
Today is October 5, 2021. I remember that scene from years ago. This was like watching it again. My boss let us watch AMC and OLTL at work (we got him a little hooked on OLTL). It was riveting then and riveting now. Wow!!!!!!!!!!
OMG Judith Light is a classic actress, this role is not to be forgotten, I have a bucket list to wish for, One life to life is on number one to have a Home Video of the series made of all the soap operas. to choose from.
Anyone who is an actor at 7:32 saw how how she looked at her wedding ring because she knew her marriage was over. That is being inside the moment and the text. Pure genius! That is the work of an actor.
WOW!!!!!! Judith is just amazing! It was cool to see her in this scene. I was so used to her in WTB? and her tv movies but damn I got goosebumps watching this! She is my all time favorite actress! I wish we could see more of her scenes throughout her years on OLTL.
After all of these decades I'm still loving Judith Light and One Live To Live. I was a little boy in March of 79 .Dad let me stay home from school and this.
Judith Light is a wonderful actress!!!! She played this part way too well!!!!! She deserved an Emmy for this performance!!!! I forgot that she won her Emmys!!!
I saw this episode when it first aired, and I cried then. I still get tears in my eyes when I see it again all these years later. Judith Light's performace was excellent! Thanks for posting it.
Thanks so much for posting this. If I'm not mistaken, Karen's final freak-out at the end of this clip made TV Guide's 'Top 100 TV Moments of all Time' list. I saw Judith talking about it on a talk show, and when they showed the clip Judith was very obviously moved.
WOW! I never knew Judith Light was ever on soaps, much less gave performances like THIS! No wonder TV had her doing double duty this year, on Law & Order: SVU and Ugly Betty. I wish her luck with the Emmy!!
Can't believe I found this treasure. I watch Ugly Betty, and could never shake the parallels between Karen Wolek and Claire Meade. I think Judith Light will always be my all time favorite actor.
Herb Callison & Karen Wolek...wow, I remember being completely gripped by this storyline back in the 70s. If OLTL were still like this, I'd still be watching :)
This is an unbearably wrenching scene, even if one hasn’t seen the whole episode or the back story. This is a remarkable performance by a remarkable artist. The actor portraying the prosecutor gives an excellent performance too, a merciless antagonist. It’s a compelling two-hander…a classic cat and mouse…Kudos to both actors! If I might add, I notice that some commended the performance within the parameters of daytime drama. I think a good performance is a good performance irrespective of the medium. This performance breaks all boundaries-if it had been in a motion picture it likely would have garnered her an Oscar nomination if not the award itself.
soaps can be a little out there most of time including the writing....but there are those rare times that the get lucky and stumble upon truly talented writers and actors....these scene was well writen, well directed and well acted...this scene/storyline really gave judith light a chance to display her true acting abilities!!!..even watching this now on youtube sends chills through me and makes me tear up...
Wow, I've been wanting to see this for the longest time. Thanks so much for posting it! Judith Light is just incredible in these scenes. She really deserved those Emmys!
Man, I loved this episode! What a reveal! Soap Opera as it ought to be! Judith Light delivered one hell of a powerful performance! She was broken down on the witness stand, but she also was kicking butt and naming names! Talbot Huddleston, one of the most wealthy men in Llanview, had his reputation destroyed nice and proper and was also sent to the slammer! Good riddance to him! Also loved Reba McEntire's commentary! She had a lot of fun doing that.
i watched this as it happened. i wish i could watch this soup from the mid 70's to the mid 80's. and general hospital from the early 60's (my mom watched it and i did too when i wasn't in school) thru the luke and laura years.
I remember this courtroom scene which went on for 2 days as I recall like it was yesterday, although it was over 30 years ago. Sends shivers up my spine. What a performance by Judith Light. Magnificient. What an outstanding actress she turned out to be. Those Daytime Emmy Awards she won were well-deserved.
I missed this scene originally when it aired. I was in high school at the time and was known to take blocks of days off... just because. The day I decided to make a guest appearance, this performance happened and I missed it and thankfully, by the power of UA-cam, I can see it again and again and it's so powerful every time I see it. Then again, with a powerhouse like Judith Light, how can you go wrong. Oh, and now, besides trying to bring back One Life To Live, let's save DALLAS!
That role really suited Judith Light, she was made for that role. Originally, before playing the part she was called as an understudy for it before getting the part full time.
The scenes where Karen finally tells Viki about her occupation is even better. You can tell that Karen actually loses her sanity when she starts laughing about it.
I felt so sorry for Larry. Michael Storm was never given his due on this show. He was my favorite!! Oh, by the way, Judith Light's performance here was absolutely incredible and well deserving of the Emmy she received! Great stuff!
I remember this primo performance...I used to come home from high school and watch OLTL. OMG, my heart bled for Karen and Judith Light was awesome! I quit watching OLTL when Karen left Llanview. Enjoyed Judith in "Who's the Boss" and not so much in the skin care infomercial...I noticed somewhere here said she's on "Ugly Betty" now.
I didn't know that. I thought for sure Susan Lucci was nominated around this sametime...................This really was (and still is) the most dramatic situation in Soap History...............I've never seen anything like it since or before.
This scene is like one of those memories where you remember exactly where you were when it happened. My room mate and I watched this enrapt! We've both gone on to very different lives, but for months we would look at each other and sceam, "What do you want from me!!!?!?" then laugh....lol good times
POWERFUL!! I can certainly see why Judith won back to back emmys, but also note Erika Slezak's reactions in the background. So realistic and raw! Take note current younger OLTL actors (if I may use the term loosely) this is how you WORK IT!!
I remember that episode. That was back when head writers were allowed the space and time to craft compelling stories. So many great characters back then - although Larry Wolek left me flat.
Anybody who was a fan of one life to live they remember where they were when Judith light gave the best performance in soap opera history-l myself was 19 working at kaplans department store in porchester Ny -l worked under the manager Judith lights mother Sue
I get the feeling some of those actors are playing characters that wouldn’t necessarily be teary seeing karen destroyed but they couldn’t help it!!! Lol
This was and still is the Best Court Room scene in Soap Opera History! No wonder Judith Light won the Emmy for this....................I think Susan Lucie was nominated this time around too and its one of her losess for the Emmy..............Not sure.
Susan Lucci could never ever compare to Judith Light as an actress. Susan is more a character actor. She really brought Erica to live. But Lucci lacks the emotional range of Light by pun intended A LIGHT YEAR lol.
I missed this episode because I was in the hospital and had been looking forward to it for so long. Judith is an amazing actress. I attended a soap fest in New York and got to meet her. Reba is the best female country artist of all time. Her show was very popular and enjoyed 6 seasons. It was not cancelled for a good reason. The network decided they wanted to change the theme of the network to teens, not adults. If not for that, the show could have gone on longer.
I think Reba's show also might have suffered from the WB's merger with UPN as CW. Any time that happens, shows are on the chopping block & are lucky to survive the transition. From what I remember, REBA's final season was a short one & there was no real finale to bring closure. But yes, the CW's main demographic appears to be teens & young adults now. Shows like REBA & 7TH HEAVEN would not get a fair shot these days.
I'll never forget that scene. Not surprised she became one of the very few soap stars to move on to prime time. To bad though she didn't get a better show. Tony Danza was not worthy of sharing the same screen as her.
As some have said, this was when many soaps still taped in New York & many of the actors had had stage training (Judith, especially). Nowadays, some might call this hammy or overdone, but not so sure if underplaying is now the thing. The difference between emotional acting like this & what goes on today is this has nuance. Perhaps reality TV has taken the, well, reality out of scripted acting.
@@ericandy88 Agree- Judith did a great job of alternating between throwing it out there emotionally, then pulling back for a quiet intensity before that final, epic outburst- bravo, Ms. Light!
Ok- part 2 - you’re forgiven 😅 this is seared into my memory - oh my god Tina was a baby! This was almost as surprising as when we found out that Carla Binarii was passing -
no one could ever perform like this on soap operas today the actors and actresses are so sloppy.i challenge any of them today to top judith lights performance.THIS IS SOAPS!!!!!
This is literally a master class in acting by Judith Light.
Judith killed that part! She did more than earn that daytime Emmy!
This is the gold standard of acting right here. Masterful performance.
An epic, legendary performance by Judith Light as Karen.
Judith Light is one of the greatest actresses in the world!
This was one of the best moments EVER in soap history.
one of the best scenes in soap history!
I watched OLTL for one reason, Judith Light😁. I remember every piece of dialogue of Karen's testimony even today after 40 years. Judith Light's performance earned her an Emmy for Best Performance by an Actress which she truly deserved. I cheered when she was announced the winner. Her performance was so riveting that the actors in the court scene were literally in tears even Erica Slezak as Viki. By far the Best acting performance in soap opera history. I was 22 at the time & OLTL was my favorite daytime soap. Bravo Judith Light for her heart wrenching acting performance that will NEVER be forgotten.😘😍😭
The best..
and one of the most memorable moments in the history of television.
I was also 22 at the time and will never forget this scene. Riveting! Her acting was beyond compare!
A well deserved Emmy winning performance. Judith, you rock!
This is one of the most brilliant performances in the history in of daytime drama ever!!!
The gold standard of acting in any medium. She is stunning.
Judith Light OWNED her role as Karen and her courtroom performance is a classic MASTER CLASS!
I remember this as if it was yesterday. I was in college and took lunch at 1 pm to watch this with other students. Today's storylines are nowhere near as compelling. Today's young actors could take a page from this video. Judith Light rocks!
This scene (including the part before it) truly is one of the best pieces of daytime acting ever. Judith like was utterly convincing -- her hesitation, tears, blanching, and "imperfect" demeanor was utterly credible for what a woman like Karen might feel/experience under those circumstances and with her past. A classic TV moment...
This is simply one of the greatest episodes in the history of daytime TV. It was so good that it seems as if it never gets old. I started watching OLTL in 1982. I am only sorry that I did not start watching earlier. Judith Light was amazing then as she is now in Dallas.
Now that is what you call brilliant acting and brilliant writing! Outstanding performance!!!
Today is October 5, 2021. I remember that scene from years ago. This was like watching it again. My boss let us watch AMC and OLTL at work (we got him a little hooked on OLTL). It was riveting then and riveting now. Wow!!!!!!!!!!
OMG Judith Light is a classic actress, this role is not to be forgotten, I have a bucket list to wish for, One life to life is on number one to have a Home Video of the series made of all the soap operas. to choose from.
Hands down one of the GREATEST MOMENTS in Daytime history!
This is the most brilliant performances ever in daytime history!
I will never forget this episode, it made cry for hour's!
It is still an amazing performance.
Anyone who is an actor at 7:32 saw how how she looked at her wedding ring because she knew her marriage was over. That is being inside the moment and the text. Pure genius! That is the work of an actor.
Great pick up.
I always wanted to see these old clips too...I wasn't born until '81 so I never got to see all of this....Judith rocked!!!
WOW!!!!!! Judith is just amazing! It was cool to see her in this scene. I was so used to her in WTB? and her tv movies but damn I got goosebumps watching this! She is my all time favorite actress! I wish we could see more of her scenes throughout her years on OLTL.
After all of these decades I'm still loving Judith Light and One Live To Live. I was a little boy in March of 79 .Dad let me stay home from school and this.
Judith Light is a wonderful actress!!!! She played this part way too well!!!!! She deserved an Emmy for this performance!!!! I forgot that she won her Emmys!!!
I saw this episode when it first aired, and I cried then. I still get tears in my eyes when I see it again all these years later. Judith Light's performace was excellent! Thanks for posting it.
Thanks so much for posting this. If I'm not mistaken, Karen's final freak-out at the end of this clip made TV Guide's 'Top 100 TV Moments of all Time' list. I saw Judith talking about it on a talk show, and when they showed the clip Judith was very obviously moved.
Oh, my goodness. This brought tears to my eyes all over again.
WOW! I never knew Judith Light was ever on soaps, much less gave performances like THIS! No wonder TV had her doing double duty this year, on Law & Order: SVU and Ugly Betty. I wish her luck with the Emmy!!
This NEVER gets old!! She did the heck out of that!!
Can't believe I found this treasure. I watch Ugly Betty, and could never shake the parallels between Karen Wolek and Claire Meade.
I think Judith Light will always be my all time favorite actor.
Omg this is beyond amazing. Judith Light is simply brilliant here. Bravo!
Herb Callison & Karen Wolek...wow, I remember being completely gripped by this storyline back in the 70s. If OLTL were still like this, I'd still be watching :)
This is an unbearably wrenching scene, even if one hasn’t seen the whole episode or the back story. This is a remarkable performance by a remarkable artist. The actor portraying the prosecutor gives an excellent performance too, a merciless antagonist. It’s a compelling two-hander…a classic cat and mouse…Kudos to both actors! If I might add, I notice that some commended the performance within the parameters of daytime drama. I think a good performance is a good performance irrespective of the medium. This performance breaks all boundaries-if it had been in a motion picture it likely would have garnered her an Oscar nomination if not the award itself.
soaps can be a little out there most of time including the writing....but there are those rare times that the get lucky and stumble upon truly talented writers and actors....these scene was well writen, well directed and well acted...this scene/storyline really gave judith light a chance to display her true acting abilities!!!..even watching this now on youtube sends chills through me and makes me tear up...
Wow, I've been wanting to see this for the longest time. Thanks so much for posting it! Judith Light is just incredible in these scenes. She really deserved those Emmys!
This was what won her the Emmy!!! Judith ROCKS...I WISH Karen were still in Llanview.
This. Is. Powerful! Judith Light!👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
She earned that award for sure!~!!!
After all these years this scene always makes me cry
Man, I loved this episode! What a reveal! Soap Opera as it ought to be! Judith Light delivered one hell of a powerful performance! She was broken down on the witness stand, but she also was kicking butt and naming names! Talbot Huddleston, one of the most wealthy men in Llanview, had his reputation destroyed nice and proper and was also sent to the slammer! Good riddance to him! Also loved Reba McEntire's commentary! She had a lot of fun doing that.
Wow! That is the kind of drama soaps really need nowadays. Real, human, stuff, with GREAT actors.
Judith Light gets a lifetime pass in my book.
this performance is considered the top by any daytime actress ever.
I remember this. I was about 20 yrs old & I felt so bad for Karen it made me cry. She was really a good person caught in a bad situation
WOW! ALL THESE YEARS LATER N THAT SCENE IS AS POWERFUL AS EVER! AMAZING ACTRESS!
i watched this as it happened. i wish i could watch this soup from the mid 70's to the mid 80's. and general hospital from the early 60's (my mom watched it and i did too when i wasn't in school) thru the luke and laura years.
I remember this courtroom scene which went on for 2 days as I recall like it was yesterday, although it was over 30 years ago. Sends shivers up my spine. What a performance by Judith Light. Magnificient. What an outstanding actress she turned out to be. Those Daytime Emmy Awards she won were well-deserved.
Wow. What a perfomance.
It doesn't surprise me one bit that she won two emmy awards for her role as Karen Wolek. best performer ever
*I cried SO HARD...*
I missed this scene originally when it aired. I was in high school at the time and was known to take blocks of days off... just because. The day I decided to make a guest appearance, this performance happened and I missed it and thankfully, by the power of UA-cam, I can see it again and again and it's so powerful every time I see it. Then again, with a powerhouse like Judith Light, how can you go wrong. Oh, and now, besides trying to bring back One Life To Live, let's save DALLAS!
That role really suited Judith Light, she was made for that role. Originally, before playing the part she was called as an understudy for it before getting the part full time.
The scenes where Karen finally tells Viki about her occupation is even better. You can tell that Karen actually loses her sanity when she starts laughing about it.
Although, there are MANY MANY EXTREMELY TALENTED Actresses/Actors, but for me Judith Light is BY FAR the BEST EVER!!!!
the best scene of all times,she was greati will never forget it
The soaps were in their prime back then...miss that time.
Still my absolute favorite scene...
No other soap can do court room drama like OLTL !!!!! Omg!!! This is what you call drama!!!
I felt so sorry for Larry. Michael Storm was never given his due on this show. He was my favorite!! Oh, by the way, Judith Light's performance here was absolutely incredible and well deserving of the Emmy she received! Great stuff!
I am old enough to remember this.
Judith was superb!
Thanks for the upload. Judith was also on the new Dallas too . And her husband Robert D. Was on knots landing too..And a author as well..
The BEST actress that has ever been on daytime TV.
I love Judith Light!
DAMN she is acting her ass OFF LMAO! So sad that this and AMC have been cancelled. The end of an era indeed.
I remember this primo performance...I used to come home from high school and watch OLTL. OMG, my heart bled for Karen and Judith Light was awesome! I quit watching OLTL when Karen left Llanview. Enjoyed Judith in "Who's the Boss" and not so much in the skin care infomercial...I noticed somewhere here said she's on "Ugly Betty" now.
This won Judith Light a well deserved Emmy 😭
Work Judith!!! You fierce actress you!!!
Does not get old.🧨
This was done in one take
agreed the best scene to ever be on tv
Damn.
You don't see talent like that every day.
Today Karen would get a reality show and book.
I remember this well!
I didn't know that. I thought for sure Susan Lucci was nominated around this sametime...................This really was (and still is) the most dramatic situation in Soap History...............I've never seen anything like it since or before.
This scene is like one of those memories where you remember exactly where you were when it happened. My room mate and I watched this enrapt! We've both gone on to very different lives, but for months we would look at each other and sceam, "What do you want from me!!!?!?" then laugh....lol good times
My best friend Jerome and I did the same thing! Good times lol.
With my bf it was, I'm a common hooker like Katrina Carr and Marco Dane was my pimp!
So heartbreaking. She is so brilliant. Doing Comedy (Who's The Boss) then finding out her Husband was on The Down Low kicking it with Andrew Cunanan.
POWERFUL!! I can certainly see why Judith won back to back emmys, but also note Erika Slezak's reactions in the background. So realistic and raw! Take note current younger OLTL actors (if I may use the term loosely) this is how you WORK IT!!
I remember that episode. That was back when head writers were allowed the space and time to craft compelling stories. So many great characters back then - although Larry Wolek left me flat.
What an actress
Anybody who was a fan of one life to live they remember where they were when Judith light gave the best performance in soap opera history-l myself was 19 working at kaplans department store in porchester Ny -l worked under the manager Judith lights mother Sue
I get the feeling some of those actors are playing characters that wouldn’t necessarily be teary seeing karen destroyed but they couldn’t help it!!! Lol
To this day I still tear up watching this
omg thank you so much for posting this eppy...
Hands down, Judith Light owned this. Masterclass is underrated for this tour de force performance .....
She definitely deserves award for her acting on the show one life to live
This was and still is the Best Court Room scene in Soap Opera History! No wonder Judith Light won the Emmy for this....................I think Susan Lucie was nominated this time around too and its one of her losess for the Emmy..............Not sure.
Susan Lucci could never ever compare to Judith Light as an actress. Susan is more a character actor. She really brought Erica to live. But Lucci lacks the emotional range of Light by pun intended A LIGHT YEAR lol.
Karen Wolek & Marco Dane EPIC OLTL!
I missed this episode because I was in the hospital and had been looking forward to it for so long. Judith is an amazing actress. I attended a soap fest in New York and got to meet her. Reba is the best female country artist of all time. Her show was very popular and enjoyed 6 seasons. It was not cancelled for a good reason. The network decided they wanted to change the theme of the network to teens, not adults. If not for that, the show could have gone on longer.
I think Reba's show also might have suffered from the WB's merger with UPN as CW. Any time that happens, shows are on the chopping block & are lucky to survive the transition. From what I remember, REBA's final season was a short one & there was no real finale to bring closure.
But yes, the CW's main demographic appears to be teens & young adults now. Shows like REBA & 7TH HEAVEN would not get a fair shot these days.
Judith is Queen 👑
I'll never forget that scene. Not surprised she became one of the very few soap stars to move on to prime time. To bad though she didn't get a better show. Tony Danza was not worthy of sharing the same screen as her.
omg. amazing!!! shes great!
Wow, pretty intense even by today's standards.
As some have said, this was when many soaps still taped in New York & many of the actors had had stage training (Judith, especially). Nowadays, some might call this hammy or overdone, but not so sure if underplaying is now the thing. The difference between emotional acting like this & what goes on today is this has nuance. Perhaps reality TV has taken the, well, reality out of scripted acting.
@@ericandy88 Agree- Judith did a great job of alternating between throwing it out there emotionally, then pulling back for a quiet intensity before that final, epic outburst- bravo, Ms. Light!
Reba was the perfect hostess for this video. A jazzy mouth country girl talking cash smack
Ok- part 2 - you’re forgiven 😅 this is seared into my memory - oh my god Tina was a baby! This was almost as surprising as when we found out that Carla Binarii was passing -
at 7:45 SHE KILLS IT!!!!
Luv Judith Light. This is when soaps really dug into meaty, gritty content, not like today.
This scene was as legendary as the Luke/Laura rape scene on General Hospital with Herb Alpert's "Rise" playing in the background.
maybe I'm way to sensitive still cried yep
no one could ever perform like this on soap operas today the actors and actresses are so sloppy.i challenge any of them today to top judith lights performance.THIS IS SOAPS!!!!!