♥ Ongoing Days 1987 ♥ Note on soap magazine publication dates and content of articles/interviews regarding multiple soap stars: Many of the monthly or every other month (and sometimes quarterly) magazines back in the 1980's would be on the newsstands a long time before the date on the actual magazine. We've noticed, for instance, that DAYTIME TV magazine did an interview with Drake in late 1986 about his upcoming wedding, which was scheduled for December 1986, yet the interview didn't appear until the July 1987 issue several months later. Therefore, it might be a bit confusing to read about his "upcoming" wedding in an interview dated July 1987 when you happen to know he was married in December 1986. We've tried to date the articles to match the date on the magazine, regardless of when the events talked about took place. Hopefully it will make sense as you go along! We've also edited some of the articles/interviews to just include John's storyline, since this is a Drake/John website. We've left out comments and sections about other actors or storylines unless they're involved with John's storyline. This too should be very apparent and clear when we've done that so it makes sense and you don't have to skim through a long article to find the "John parts." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAYS OF OUR LIVES Marlena And Roman's Storybook Wedding! Special Photo Album! All The Backstage Tears, Joy And Laughter! A Storybook Wedding: Randy Andy and fun-loving Fergie tried to steal the show. So did Caroline Kennedy and her debonair bridegroom, Edwin Schlossberg. But forget it, folks. Those were just dress rehearsals for the real thing. To millions of DAYS OF OUR LIVES fans, the only wedding worth watching this summer was the long-awaited remarriage of Roman and Marlena Brady. The reaffirmation of Roman and Marlena's vows - broadcast on Friday, August 22 - went off without a hitch...well, almost! Not that the bride and groom were the least bit nervous. For Deidre Hall (Marlena), it marked her third trip to the soap opera altar, so this wasn't exactly new territory for her - and her leading man Drake Hogestyn (Roman) proved he could be equally cool. "Our Executive Producer Al Rabin directed the wedding show. He only had one note for me during rehearsal," says Drake. "He kept asking me, 'Can't you please be a little more keyed up? Can't you sweat a little? - bridegrooms are supposed to be nervous!' I joked back, 'Listen, if you were paying me a whole week's salary for this episode, I'd be nervous!'" Backstage, though, the studio became a madhouse. About a week before the big event, the costume and set designers started moving into high gear and things got jittery. "On Monday, people were starting to look nervous, and their complexions were a little grayer than usual, but that's all," recalls Drake. "By Wednesday, though, it was looney tune time. The wardrobe mistresses started taking the whole thing very seriously. I had to get something out of the wardrobe room, but they wouldn't let me in. 'You can't come in!' they screamed. 'Deidre's trying on her dress, and it's unlucky to see the bride before the wedding.' They slammed the door in my face and almost broke my nose!" Through it all, Drake and Deidre - who share the same wry sense of humor - kept laughing and making jokes, while everyone else around them was huffing and puffing and practically blowing the set down. Deidre did ask for (and got) one change in the wedding script (in the part of the ceremony where Roman and Marlena recited the history of their love). There was one other substitution. Gloria Loring (Liz) was supposed to sing Roman and Marlena's theme song "Up Where We Belong," but when she took ill, Salem newcomer Marilyn McCoo (Tamara Price) stepped in for her. On the day of the wedding, things really got rowdy. During rehearsal, Drake waited backstage with his groomsmen - Josh Taylor (Chris), James Reynolds (Abe) and Charles Shaughnessy (Shane). "We started holding our own condensed stag party in the wings," says Drake. "When I was playing professional baseball, I thought the guys in the locker room were pretty crass, but let me tell you something - Josh, Jim and Charlie could top 'em, joke for joke, any time!" The ceremony itself was breathtaking. It was so beautiful, in fact, that some cast members got a little emotional. There were even tears when the minister explained the symbolism of the gold wedding band. Gold, he said, is chosen because it's the most precious metal, and marriage is the most precious institution. The shape of the ring - a circle with no beginning or end - symbolizes the permanence of love, a bond that goes on forever. "Even the guys in the locker room got a little misty over that one," Drake recalls. "Charlie Shaughnessy and Jim Reynolds started reminiscing about their real-life weddings, and Josh Taylor got to thinking about the kind of ceremony he'd like if he and Sandahl Bergman ever get around to doing it." During the actual taping, things went pretty smoothly. And even the few mishaps that did occur only added to the air of heartwarming reality. When it came time for the two child actors who play Roman and Marlena's twins to walk down the aisle, the little girl got absolutely mesmerized by the crowds and cameras. Suddenly, she stopped midway and just froze! But Drake didn't miss a beat. He walked over, scooped her up in his arms and sat her down next to Peggy McCay and Frank Parker (her television grandparents). What the cameras and sound equipment didn't record, however, was the little girl telling Drake emphatically, "I don't want to sit there!" (And you thought Prince William was the only pint-sized scene-stealer!) (OOPS! This is wrong. Tiffany and Edward Palma who played Sami and Eric both froze at the back of the church, they weren't moving at all because they were both scared. Drake saw what was happening so he headed back down the aisle to get them. Drake didn't carry them though, he took them both by the hand and walked them down the aisle.) Another artfully concealed mishap occurred when Deidre Hall stepped up to the altar and the heel of her shoe got caught on the platform, impaling the hem of her dress with it. But Drake realized immediately what had happened and came to the rescue. He held her by the arm, and Dee cleverly extricated her shoe and the bottom of her dress from the platform without interrupting the ceremony. "There are so many times that Deidre's saved me in a scene," says Drake. "For once I was glad to be able to help her out." The duo has definitely become good friends. "It helps that we really like each other," says Drake. "It would be hard coming to work every morning to do scenes with someone you hate." Despite the enormous popularity of his predecessor, Wayne Northrop, Drake had no trouble making the role his own. In fact, an overwhelming amount of fan mail at DAYS now reveals that viewers don't care if John Black is really Roman Brady or not. No matter who he ultimately turns out to be, they just want him to stay with Marlena, because the chemistry between the characters is so strong. Ironically, even though Drake Hogestyn and Wayne Northrop look nothing alike they do share certain similarities. "Sometimes, it's really spooky," says Drake. "The crew tells me I make the same flubs that Wayne used to make. When I had to talk about our honeymoon in Mazatlan, I kept saying something that came out like 'Matsoh Land.' Everyone was hysterical backstage. They tell me Wayne used to mispronounce it exactly the way I do." Drake also has a habit of pacing up and down, outside the studio door, just before taping. "They tell me Wayne used to do that too. Between the two of us, we're really wearing out the floor," he laughs. "NBC will probably have to put in a new one soon!" Now that their storybook wedding is a beautiful memory - and the icing on the cake is starting to defrost a bit - fans are wondering what lies ahead for Roman and Marlena. After all, in soap opera land, how long can any couple stay happy? In this case, of course, much depends on the success of Deidre Hall's new primetime show, OUR HOUSE. No matter what, Deidre intends to remain loyal to DAYS, but if OUR HOUSE succeeds, Roman and Marlena's storyline may have to be revamped somewhat to accommodate her hectic, double work schedule. If viewers get their way, though, Roman and Marlena will stay together - and still be a fascinating couple. Is it possible? In this case, yes. Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn work so beautifully together, it's a pleasure just to watch them clink coffee cups! Jason Bonderoff, DAYTIME TV, 1/87 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alice Koenigsberg's Inside Hollywood DAYTIME TV'S West Coast Woman In The Know! Have you noticed Drake Hogestyn's (Roman) strong resemblance to the late Rick Nelson? "I was told that when I first came to Hollywood," says Drake. "Lately I've been noticing it, too. At certain camera angles, we look so much alike it's a little scary." DAYTIME TV, Inside Hollywood, 1/87 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ DAYS OF OUR LIVES' Drake Hogestyn's Sacred Promise: "She's My First Love And She'll Be My Last!" Interview DAYS OF OUR LIVES - Hot New Heartthrob - Drake Hogestyn - Actor, Athlete And Not Available! For almost a year, DAYS OF OUR LIVES fans were adamant about one thing - no one could ever fill Wayne Northrop's shoes as Sergeant Roman Brady. They just couldn't imagine seeing Salem's queen bee, Marlena Evans Brady, in another Roman's arms. The mere thought was preposterous. Enter Drake Hogestyn, tall, dark and breathtakingly handsome, as "The Pawn." Suddenly the show's entire female audience felt their hearts skip a few beats. Who was this sexy guy? Where on earth did DAYS find him? Letters began to bombard the show's NBC studios. "The Pawn," they insisted, just had to turn out to be Roman Brady reincarnated. And so he has, much to the delight of just about everyone. For actor Donald Drake Hogestyn, the man behind all the hoopla, this surprising turn of events has been quite a thrill, not to mention an experience he won't soon forget. "For months I didn't know who I was going to turn out to be," laughs Drake. "One day it looked like I'd be Roman, the next, Stefano. I used to ask the producers, 'Who am I going to turn out to be? Come on, you can tell me.' But nobody would. Finally one day Al Rabin told me, 'Drake, a lot of people think you're Roman. A few think you're Stefano. Maybe we should make you someone entirely different - just some poor lost soul with amnesia.' That would have really thrown the audience for a loop. But now it's turned out I'm Roman Brady, and I think it's great." "Sure, I heard how popular Wayne Northrop was," Drake explains about his predecessor in the role, "but I tried not to let that bother me. I just did the best job I could. I gave it all I had and hoped the audience would accept me." Wish granted! The audience loves this guy. They send him gifts. They send him adoring fan mail. And they send him all kinds of advice on how to be a better Roman. "I get pointers all the time on how to be more like Wayne Northrop," he laughs. "How to act, move, things like that. I get a kick out of it. It's nice knowing the fans are behind me one hundred percent." DAYS OF OUR LIVES, the show that seems to have a secret knack for manufacturing heartthrobs, actually discovered Drake quite accidentally. They had been searching for weeks for an older actor to portray "The Pawn," when Drake just wandered into NBC casting one day. He was there to see Doris Sabbagh (DAYS' Casting Director) about a guest spot on CRAZY LIKE A FOX. But Ms. Sabbagh took one look at Drake and knew he was perfect to portray Salem's new mystery man. "I never did test for CRAZY LIKE A FOX," says Drake. "But I did test for DAYS - me and five other guys. Next thing I know, I was signing a three-year contract." Drake got into acting after considering careers as a dental surgeon and a professional baseball player. In fact, it was while he was on the Yankee's farm club that he happened upon an ad in a local paper about a Columbia Pictures National Talent Search. On a whim, Drake sent in a one-hundred-fifty-word essay on why he wanted to come to Hollywood and become a star. Out of fifty-thousand applications, two-hundred-fifty were summoned for an interview. Then a choice thirty were placed in the Columbia Pictures National Talent Development Program. Drake was one of them. From there Drake went on to star in the short-lived series, SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS. Then he filmed the ABC pilot, GENERATION (the show never made it to the fall line-up) and starred opposite Lisa Hartman in the film BEVERLY HILLS COWGIRL BLUES before finally landing on DAYS. How does he like the world of daytime drama so far? "It's hard work, but I'm not complaining," he smiles. "I thrive on hard work. And the unit here is so great. What a congenial group of people." "Deidre Hall (Marlena) has helped me out quite a bit," he continues. "Peter Reckell (Bo) and I get along real well. We have a common bond. We both love sports." "So far the only hard part of this job has been all the attention I've been getting. I'm not used to it. Suddenly my private life isn't private anymore. At first I thought I might want to keep quiet about it, but I wondered if that would be fair to the fans. So I decided to open up a bit." Fans want to know all they can about this guy. They can't seem to get enough information about Drake. For the record, his birthday is September 29th; he was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana; and he's one of four children. "I have an older brother, Bill Junior, a younger sister, Jackie, and a younger brother, Bart." The number one question on fans' minds, however, is whether or not Drake is attached? The answer is yes - very. He's been dating a lady named Victoria Post since he was a mere fifteen-year-old. "We were high school sweethearts back in Indiana," he confides. "Victoria has been with me through it all - my days as a ballplayer and a struggling actor. We've had our ups and downs, but no matter how many times we split up, we always got back together." Recently, Victoria joined Drake in California and moved into his Malibu apartment. Now he's breaking her into the Hollywood scene. "I'm doing it slowly," he laughs. "I don't want to scare her off. Victoria's not used to this lifestyle. She's a country girl, but I know she'll adjust." Drake's and Victoria's is indeed a strong and very serious relationship. And now that Drake has got a good job under his belt, don't be surprised if the couple start making wedding plans. That would be the icing on the cake to Drake Hogestyn's overnight success story. Janet Di Lauro, SOAP OPERA'S GREATEST STORIES AND STARS, 1/87 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Special Feature Hands Across Hollywood Your Favorite West Coast Soap Stars Join Hands To Fight Hunger (Please Note: The main reason we put the following article on BASEBALL MEMORIES AND MALIBU DREAMS is because our very own Drake was one of the "dozens of Los Angeles-based soap opera stars" that the editors failed to give a shout-out to. The fact that he wasn't mentioned by name in this article, even though he was pictured numerous times, doesn't work for my partner and I. Drake wasn't the "brainchild" of this event and he wasn't a coordinator for it, but what he successfully accomplished was bringing his famous team spirit to the event like only our Hogey can do! Drake was also the only actor to show up wearing a t-shirt that matches this wonderful cause of fighting hunger in the Los Angeles area. For this and more, we salute our Drake! WAY TO GO HOGEY!) Maybe the line didn't cross the whole country, but Hands Across Hollywood helped feed a lot of homeless people in the Los Angeles area. The brainchild of DAYS OF OUR LIVES' Peter Reckell (Bo) and Stephen Nichols (Patch), the event brought together dozens of Los Angeles based soap opera stars and many of their fans to collect food for the needy and the homeless. Everyone gathered at Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church in Hollywood several days before the Hands Across America event. The local "hands" event collected over twelve thousand cans of food! Some of the coordinators from the other soaps were: CAPITOL'S Mitch Brown, GENERAL HOSPITAL'S Finola Hughes, SANTA BARBARA'S A Martinez, and THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS' Stephanie Williams. The turnout was phenomenal and, as usual, soap stars proved how big their hearts really are. SOAP OPERA'S GREATEST STORIES AND STARS, 1/87 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Roman's Holiday Turns Into Honeymoon... DOOL Star's Wedding A Snow Job! After months of speculation about will they or won't they, Drake Hogestyn (Roman Brady, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) and Victoria Post, who he met when they were teenagers back in Fort Wayne, Indiana, made it official: they got married in Redding, Connecticut on New Year's Eve. (OOPS! This is wrong. Drake was fifteen but Victoria was only twelve when they first met.) When the pair decided to come East to spend the holidays with Hogestyn's family, they threw in a rather unusual prenuptial agreement into their vacation plans - they'd get married if it snowed while they were in Connecticut. So when the snow stuff began falling from the sky and piling up on the ground there on December 30, the actor contacted a Justice of the Peace, who performed the ceremony at the Hogestyn home the following day "in between the football games," we're told. The bride's family couldn't make it there on such short notice, but Hogestyn's parents, sister and brother witnessed the ceremony. Tony Rizzo, SOAP OPERA NOW, 1/12/87 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ DAYS OF OUR LIVES' Real-Life Secrets Revealed Drake Hogestyn: "Why I Wasn't Married When My Baby Daughter Was Born" Drake Hogestyn: "I Love My Daughter Very Much. That's A Fact. Her Mother And I Are Not Married. That's Another Fact..." Drake Hogestyn is learning a painful lesson: When you're playing a fan favorite like super hero Roman Brady, your private life is no longer your own. Drake and his longtime love, Victoria Post, are down-to-earth Midwesterners. They're not used to the Hollywood style of doing things - namely, hanging up your elegant laundry to dry all over the front page of the supermarket tattle sheets. They have a beautiful baby daughter, whom they both cherish, but they wish they didn't have to open the nursery door to a noisy peering press. However, when you're daytime's number one leading man, and you're not married to the mother of your child, you can't keep the gossip hounds away forever. In numerous interviews with DAYTIME TV, Drake never discussed his daughter, although he always spoke candidly about his volatile relationship with Vicky Post, whom he met back in Fort Wayne, Indiana, when he was fifteen and she was twelve. A few months ago, Drake did mention his child (off the record) to the editor of another soap opera publication. At the same time, Drake and Vicky took their daughter to a publicity event well-attended by daytime fans. Drake began to realize he could no longer keep the door closed on this part of his life. So he agreed to sit down with DAYTIME TV for an exclusive interview - and discuss the situation at length. "The first thing I want to make clear is this," Drake emphasizes. "I love my little girl very, very much and I'm devoted to her. That's a fact. Vicky and I are not married, that's another fact. But the only reason I haven't mentioned my daughter in print is that I didn't want to see her hurt in any way - any parent would feel like that. Let's face it, the press can be very cruel sometimes. But that doesn't mean I've been trying to keep her a secret. I'm prouder of her than of anything I've ever done in my life. Actually, if I had the time, I could sit and talk about her all day." Drake admits that Vicky, who's not a celebrity, is much less willing to cater to the public's curiosity. "Victoria doesn't want much mentioned, and I can empathize with her," he says. "We come from the Midwest, which is a very different neck of the woods than Hollywood. There's a lot about this business that Victoria could do without - especially the lack of privacy. I respect her rights and I want her to feel secure." "I've always felt there was no reason to mention our daughter in print until our relationship was resolved," Drake continues. "We may be planning something in the near future (is he referring to marriage?), but right now there isn't much I can say." For privacy's sake, Drake and Vicky have agreed not to mention the baby's name, and they'd rather not be too specific about her age. "She was born before I auditioned for DAYS in 1985," he says cryptically. Married or not, Drake and Victoria are definitely a very together twosome. Vicky and the baby have been sharing Drake's Malibu apartment for the past several months, and they frequently accompany him on publicity tours. "They were just in Seattle with me, and they've been to New Orleans, and a lot of other places," he confides. "They generally stay behind the scenes because we don't want to subject the baby to a lot of screaming crowds and popping flashbulbs. I don't think that makes us very different than most parents." "I believe my personal life should be personal," he insists, "but I'm positive about my relationship with Victoria. I love her and I love our child. Being a father is new to me and I'm falling into it. Unfortunately, I spend so many hours a day at the studio that I don't have as much time as I'd like to be there and watch her develop. Of course, if Deidre Hall's primetime show, OUR HOUSE, takes off and she doesn't come back to DAYS, I may have no storyline at all. Then I'll have all the time in the world to be a full-time father." "No matter what, though, I'll always be close to my little girl. She's beautiful and she's changed my life. I wouldn't have missed being her daddy for anything in the world." Alice Koenigsberg, DAYTIME TV, 4/87 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ The Latest News Roman Brady And His Not-So-Secret Lady! The music played and the champagne flowed when DAYS OF OUR LIVES celebrated its twenty-first anniversary on NBC. All the stars turned out in full force to toast this happy occasion, and many of them arrived with their real-life mates. One of the evening's most devoted couples was Drake Hogestyn, who plays Roman Brady, and his long-time love, Victoria Post. Although they've known each other since Vicky was a teenager, and are now parents of a baby daughter, Drake and Vicky have rarely been seen in public together. (OOPS! This is wrong. Drake was fifteen but Victoria was only twelve when they first met.) It's no secret that they've had their ups and downs over the years. But now it looks like they've worked everything out. And the fact that Vicky accompanied Drake to this bash led setsiders to wonder if another gala affair may be in the offing - a wedding reception perhaps? DAYTIME TV, 5/87 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Drake Talks About DAYS... Drake Hogestyn Is Making Roman Brady His Own Man! Drake Hogestyn has become one of the most popular daytime stars in the shortest time we can remember. It almost seems like he came from out of nowhere. One day, he wasn't there and a few DAYS later, everyone was talking about the guy who was to become the new Roman Brady. When we caught up with him in Malibu recently, we asked him how he felt about this happening so quickly. "When I first read for DAYS' casting director, Doris Sabbagh, she was reading me for one of the other shows she casts, CRAZY LIKE A FOX. She felt I was right for the role of Roman Brady...I didn't even know who Roman Brady was. Now I've been on the show a year and I feel real positive about it. I would like to have seen it happen the way I planned it, to have my own original character to create and see it become successful, but the character of Roman was already successful and the fans wanted to see Roman come back. Since Wayne Northrop wasn't coming back...they decided to recast. Working with Deidre Hall (Marlena) didn't hurt any. Her following came behind me. Roman and Marlena are a real story couple." Since joining the show, naturally, like most actors, Drake has tried to make Roman his own man. "Fans like me because I'm the good guy. I try to look at it all creatively. Lately, they've been asking me to relax more. The shift in writers has given Roman the same stuff to do all the time. I'm trying to inject new shading into him. I get tired of playing Roman so intensely!" How does Drake feel Peter Reckell leaving the show will affect it and his character of Roman? "I think Peter will probably take a portion of the show with him. When I got on the show, I didn't know much about it. People told me, 'Oh, that's the Bo and Hope show!' They're trying to escalate some new storylines to fill the void that will be left when Peter and Kristian leave." How do Drake's jock baseball buddies feel about him starring on a soap opera? "My old buddies ride herd on me. They won't let me forget it if I goof up on the show. A lot of the ball players watch soaps when they're on the road. When I was playing ball professionally, I used to watch GENERAL HOSPITAL. When I was watching it, I more or less thought I could go into movies, as I eventually did with Columbia Pictures. It never occurred to me I'd get into daytime television." How has he adjusted to the schedule of daytime television? "I don't mind waking up at 4:00 AM when I'm working. Last night, I watched THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JOHNNY CARSON because I didn't have to work today. It was a real treat to hear him live. I even had the luxury of going out onto the beach and looking at the stars in the sky...when you have to be in bed by 9:00 or 10:00 PM you don't take the time to do that!" Would Drake like to do a nighttime show at the same time as DAYS, like Josh Taylor and Deidre Hall are doing? "They had clauses in their contracts to do pilots and their working in nighttime has caused delays and scheduling problems. With Deidre doing her series, it's made my work harder, but then again, more challenging. One Saturday recently, we taped thirteen shows from 5:30 until midnight. We did about one-hundred-thirty pages of dialogue and she had over one-hundred-fifty pages to do. I had worked all week and then did that on Saturday. But working with Deidre is great. We just bounce off each other, so I really have no complaints!" If Deidre leaves DAYS because it gets too tough for her to do both shows...it will mean a big change for Drake and Roman Brady. But with his positive attitude about things, you can be sure he'll handle it no matter what happens. You can write him c/o NBC-TV, 3000 West Alameda Avenue, Burbank, California 91523. THE SOAP SET, 5/87 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ What Do Stars Really Talk About During Those Steamy Scenes? RoundUp: SOAP OPERA DIGEST: What do you talk about in bed when you're doing a love scene? Drake Hogestyn: We try to come up with words that mean other words spelled backwards. Obviously, dog is man's best friend because it's God spelled backwards. Race car is still race car. And rats spelled backwards is star. But then, of course, we discuss the metaphysical and biophysical principles of permanent astral projection. SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 5/19/87 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Guess What? I Just Got Married! Throw Away That Little Black Book! (Drake's A Newlywed Now!) Well, it's official! You can cross DAYS OF OUR LIVES' Drake Hogestyn (Roman) off the eligible bachelors list. He's thrown away his little black book and started reading up on how to file a joint income tax return instead. Drake and his longtime love, Victoria Post, who were high school sweethearts, tied the knot at Drake's parents' home in Redding, Connecticut. They exchanged "I do's" in between watching New Year's Eve football games on TV. The bride wore purple chiffon and the groom (who called the nuptials performed by the Justice of the Peace "nice and funky") sported a western-style tux. How'd they pick their wedding date? Well, it seems the newlyweds had made a deal: if it snowed, they'd get married. When snowflakes fell on December 30, Drake and Vicky had to honor that pact. They got hitched the next day. DAYTIME TV, 6/87 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Drake Takes A Bride... Drake Hogestyn's Bride Prayed For Snow! When Drake Hogestyn, DAYS OF OUR LIVES' Roman Brady, boasts he's going to make some changes in his life for the new year...he isn't kidding. Take this year for instance...on New Year's Eve he married his childhood sweetheart, Victoria Post! When Drake revealed the facts of his wedding and the events leading up to it, I sat in amazement. "I promised Victoria if it snowed when we were back east for the holidays, we would get married," Drake confessed. "We were in New York at Rockefeller Center and it was snowing. Victoria said to me 'Drake, it's snowing, it's snowing, Drake!' and I knew what that meant. I had gotten my blood test a month earlier when I had shoulder surgery and she had also gotten her blood test in advance, so we were ready. Actually, I didn't tell her this, but if it hadn't been snowing in New York, I would have kept driving, to Vermont if necessary, because I was ready to get married!" There are those in Los Angeles who know Drake who were really shocked to learn he had tied the knot with Victoria, because he always seemed so foot-loose and fancy-free, but Drake knew it would happen sooner or later. "I've known Victoria since I was fifteen years old and she was twelve years old. We used to talk about marriage when I was nineteen, but our timing was off...timing is everything. I was going to school to become a dentist and she was becoming a dental hygienist. We were going to go into practice together, but I got sidetracked by baseball, then acting in Hollywood. Baseball paid for my schooling, but it also separated us for a long period. Between 1976 and 1981, we never saw each other, although we kept tabs on each other through friends. When I went back to Fort Wayne, Indiana, for my ten-year high school reunion, I stopped in to say hello to her. Let's face it, it was just one of those relationships that was meant to work out. Last year she came to California to live with me because we wanted to find out if she could be happy living here. Malibu is a far cry from Indiana and this is, hopefully, forever! I realized there's just no substitute for love and you can work out any problem if it's really love." Blood tests in hand, snow falling from the sky, Drake and his bride-to-be headed for Redding, Connecticut for their nuptials. "We decided the timing was finally right, and we called my parents and made the arrangements to get married in their home. The Justice of the Peace that married us also sold us the flowers! It was a very private, very small wedding, just my immediate family. I'm so happy now that we did it...Victoria has changed my life. I am finally together with the woman I love. I'm having a good time working on DAYS, doing what I love to do...things couldn't be better!" Drake concluded by telling me he and Victoria are house-hunting in Malibu for a place to call home for them and their seventeen-month-old daughter. What daughter, you ask? That's another story! Write him c/o NBC-TV, 3000 West Alameda Avenue, Burbank, California 91523. Tony Rizzo, THE SOAP SET, 7/87 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Janey Milstead Hollywood Happenings Drake Hogestyn's (Roman, DAYS) high-wire act on CIRCUS OF THE STARS was a big success despite the fact that Drake has hearing loss from being bonked in the head by a baseball during his days as a player. SOAP OPERA DIGEST, 12/29/87