Mendorra
Encyclopedia
Mendorra is a fictional Europe
an monarchy
on the long-running U.S.
soap opera
One Life to Live
. The principality
is supposedly located near Germany
.
that served as Mendorra, and the Middle Falls at Letchworth State Park
in Rochester
, New York
were used as the fictional Hohenstein Falls of Mendorra in 2008.
In the August 27, 2008 episode, it is noted that the Royal Palace had been "erected in 1547 for King Rubinoff III in celebration of his marriage to Queen Margaret of Fredonia."
) arrives in fictional Llanview
, Pennsylvania
in 1986. In 1987 he romances Dorian Lord
(Robin Strasser
) seeking access to her money. Discovering the ruse, a vindictive Dorian reveals Charles' past affair with a member of Mendorra's royal family. Charles is removed as Ambassador; distraught to discover that her daughter Cassie (Holly Gagnier
) is having an affair with Dorian's boyfriend Jon Russell (John Martin), Dorian secures the post for herself, and leaves Llanview for Mendorra. Geoffrey McGrath (Don Fischer) is soon revealed to be Charles' son, the product of his royal affair.
In 1989, Tina Lord
(Andrea Evans
) is nearly killed in Atlantic City
seeking to get her hands on the stolen Crown Jewels of Mendorra when she faces many past enemies that abduct her and plan to execute her in an electric chair.
Tina's niece Megan Gordon is saved from a fire by her new boyfriend Raymond Hohenstein (Robert Westenberg
) in 1989 following an explosion; seriously injured, Raymond admits that he is the Crown Prince of Mendorra. When Raymond loses his eyesight, Megan travels to Mendorra with her physical therapist sister Sarah (Jensen Buchanan
) to aid him in 1990. Dorian (Elaine Princi
) and Cassie (Ava Haddad) appear just as the sinister intentions of Raymond's younger brother Roland Hohenstein (Joseph Kolinski) are revealed. Hoping to secure the throne for himself, Roland first tries to use Raymond's blindness to replace him as heir; when that does not work, he kidnaps Megan and Sarah. Knowing Raymond cannot ascend the throne should he marry a commoner, Roland vows to kill Megan unless Raymond weds Sarah. Sarah's boyfriend Bo Buchanan
(Robert S. Woods
) and his nephew Cord Roberts
(John Loprieno
) infiltrate the place with the help of Dorian, Cassie and Debra Medina (Lucinda Fisher), a dancer in the Mendorran Ballet. Bo manages to switch places with Raymond, and in this disguise marries Sarah himself. Bo, Raymond, Megan and Sarah — Raymond with his sight restored and Sarah still in her wedding dress — all don skis and escape down the mountainside. Roland catches up to them, and in a final confrontation is killed by Raymond in self-defense.
), who apparently wants them for himself. Tina finds refuge with her estranged daughter Sarah Roberts
(Justis Bolding
) and Sarah's boyfriend Cristian Vega
(David Fumero
), but Sarah's roommate, Llanview police officer Talia Sahid
(BethAnn Bonner
), inexplicably aids Jonas in kidnapping Sarah. Tina, Cristian and his brother Antonio Vega
(Kamar de los Reyes
) — a Llanview Police Detective and Talia's lover — agree to accompany Jonas back to Mendorra in order to make an exchange: the women for the Crown Jewels.
In Mendorra, Tina gets the royal treatment from her palace staff and is reunited with her husband, Crown Prince Helmut Krakoff — really her longtime cohort, con man
Cain Rogan (Christopher Cousins), in yet another disguise. He has been accepted as the Crown Prince even though he cannot seem to prove a relationship to any member of the royal family. Meanwhile, the real mastermind behind the kidnappings reveals himself to his daughter Talia: villain Carlo Hesser
(Thom Christopher
). Talia despises Carlo, a longtime enemy of both Tina and the Vega brothers; Cain is anxious to keep the jewels they have worked so hard for, but Tina is desperate to exchange them for Sarah.
Carlo, bent on revenge for Tina's part in the death of his son Johnny Dee (Anthony Crivello
) in 1990, exposes Tina and Cain's fraud publicly and reveals Jonas as the true heir to the throne; he adds that, per Mendorran law, Cain and Tina will be beheaded for their treason. Carlo and his minions first drag Tina, Sarah and Cristian to the river above the treacherous Hohenstein Falls. Tina is horrified as Carlo reveals his intent to send Sarah over the Falls to her death, deliberately echoing Tina's own nearly-fatal plunge over the Iguazu Falls in 1987. Cristian manages to escape Carlo's guards and swim to Sarah's raft; Tina watches history repeat itself as Sarah and Cristian go over the Falls on July 22, 2008.
Carlo intends to marry Talia to Jonas, the new ruler of Mendorra; she protests and stalls, but goes through with the royal wedding on July 31, 2008 to save Antonio and her friends from harm — not knowing that Jonas has already stabbed Antonio and left him for dead. The Vega brothers turn up alive, Cristian saving Tina and Cain from the executioner's axe and Antonio overpowering Jonas and leading a newly-married Talia to safety. When Carlo, Jonas and their men catch up, Talia brokers a deal with Carlo: she will stay if the others are allowed to leave. A presumed-dead Sarah reappears, and with several people's lives at stake, a furious Antonio is forced to leave Talia behind. The rest of the group escapes, but duplicitous Cain later parachutes from the plane with the Crown Jewels — not knowing that Tina has already switched the gems with fakes.
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an monarchy
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
on the long-running U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
. The principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
is supposedly located near Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Locations
In 1990 the series filmed locations in AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
that served as Mendorra, and the Middle Falls at Letchworth State Park
Letchworth State Park
Letchworth State Park is a New York state park located 35 miles southwest of Rochester and 60 miles southeast of Buffalo in Livingston and Wyoming counties. The park is roughly 17 miles long, covering of land along the Genesee River...
in Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
were used as the fictional Hohenstein Falls of Mendorra in 2008.
In the August 27, 2008 episode, it is noted that the Royal Palace had been "erected in 1547 for King Rubinoff III in celebration of his marriage to Queen Margaret of Fredonia."
1986-1990
United States Ambassador to Mendorra Charles Sanders (Peter BrownPeter Brown (actor)
Peter Brown is an American television actor known for his role as Deputy Johnny McKay opposite John Russell in the 1958 Warner Bros. western series Lawman.-Early life:...
) arrives in fictional Llanview
Llanview, Pennsylvania
Llanview, Pennsylvania is the fictional setting for the long-running American soap opera One Life to Live. The city exists in the same fictional universe as cities from other existing or defunct ABC daytime dramas, including Pine Valley from All My Children, Port Charles from General Hospital, and...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in 1986. In 1987 he romances Dorian Lord
Dorian Cramer Lord
Dr. Dorian Lord Buchanan is a fictional character and matriarch of the Cramer family on the American daytime drama One Life to Live, most notably portrayed for nearly three decades by Robin Strasser...
(Robin Strasser
Robin Strasser
Robin Strasser is an American actress.Strasser is best known for her Daytime Emmy Award-winning portrayal of Dr. Dorian Lord on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. Strasser stepped into the role in March 1979, first appearing Friday, April 13, 1979 and left in 1987, returning from...
) seeking access to her money. Discovering the ruse, a vindictive Dorian reveals Charles' past affair with a member of Mendorra's royal family. Charles is removed as Ambassador; distraught to discover that her daughter Cassie (Holly Gagnier
Holly Gagnier
Holly Gagnier is an American actress.Gagnier's notable roles include long running stints on daytime's One Life to Live, and Days of our Lives. She has been seen on television shows including Murder, She Wrote and Wings...
) is having an affair with Dorian's boyfriend Jon Russell (John Martin), Dorian secures the post for herself, and leaves Llanview for Mendorra. Geoffrey McGrath (Don Fischer) is soon revealed to be Charles' son, the product of his royal affair.
In 1989, Tina Lord
Tina Lord
Tina Lord Roberts is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, originated and most notably portrayed by Andrea Evans...
(Andrea Evans
Andrea Evans
Andrea Lynn Evans is an American Emmy-nominated actress. Evans is most recognized for her portrayal of Tina Lord on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, a role she played from 1978 to 1981 and 1985 to 1990, returning from June 11, 2008 to November 25, 2008., and finally on September 27, 2011 to...
) is nearly killed in Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
seeking to get her hands on the stolen Crown Jewels of Mendorra when she faces many past enemies that abduct her and plan to execute her in an electric chair.
Tina's niece Megan Gordon is saved from a fire by her new boyfriend Raymond Hohenstein (Robert Westenberg
Robert Westenberg
Robert Westenberg is an American musical theatre actor and acting teacher. He married actress and singer Kim Crosby on June 19, 1991, and the couple now have three children.-Early Life:...
) in 1989 following an explosion; seriously injured, Raymond admits that he is the Crown Prince of Mendorra. When Raymond loses his eyesight, Megan travels to Mendorra with her physical therapist sister Sarah (Jensen Buchanan
Jensen Buchanan
Jensen Buchanan is an American actress, best known for portraying Sarah Gordon Buchanan #1 on One Life to Live....
) to aid him in 1990. Dorian (Elaine Princi
Elaine Princi
Elaine Princi is a contemporary American actress.Princi is perhaps best known for portraying Dr...
) and Cassie (Ava Haddad) appear just as the sinister intentions of Raymond's younger brother Roland Hohenstein (Joseph Kolinski) are revealed. Hoping to secure the throne for himself, Roland first tries to use Raymond's blindness to replace him as heir; when that does not work, he kidnaps Megan and Sarah. Knowing Raymond cannot ascend the throne should he marry a commoner, Roland vows to kill Megan unless Raymond weds Sarah. Sarah's boyfriend Bo Buchanan
Bo Buchanan
Beaufort Oglethorpe "Bo" Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.-Casting and awards:The role was originated in 1979 by Robert S. Woods, who briefly left the series in 1986 but returned in 1988, and currently portrays the role...
(Robert S. Woods
Robert S. Woods
Robert Sosebee Woods is an American actor best known for playing Bo Buchanan on the ABC soap One Life to Live, a role for which he won a 1983 Daytime Emmy Award for Lead Actor.-Early life:...
) and his nephew Cord Roberts
Cord Roberts
Cordero "Cord" Roberts is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. The role was originated in 1986 by John Loprieno, who left the series in 1992 and then returned from 1993 through 1997...
(John Loprieno
John Loprieno
John A. Loprieno is an American actor and writer.With appearances on the soap operas Search for Tomorrow and As the World Turns, he is best known for his role as Cord Roberts on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live....
) infiltrate the place with the help of Dorian, Cassie and Debra Medina (Lucinda Fisher), a dancer in the Mendorran Ballet. Bo manages to switch places with Raymond, and in this disguise marries Sarah himself. Bo, Raymond, Megan and Sarah — Raymond with his sight restored and Sarah still in her wedding dress — all don skis and escape down the mountainside. Roland catches up to them, and in a final confrontation is killed by Raymond in self-defense.
2008
The Crown Jewels of Mendorra are stolen in May 2008 upon their arrival in Llanview for display, and Tina reappears in town on June 11, 2008 as the Crown Princess of Mendorra. She acquires the jewels which she had arranged to have stolen, but is soon on the run with them from the sinister U.S. Ambassador to Mendorra Jonas Chamberlain (Kevin SpirtasKevin Spirtas
Kevin Blair Spirtas is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Craig Wesley on the soap opera Days of our Lives. Spirtas starred in the slasher film Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood , started his career on Broadway with roles including Hugh Jackman's understudy in...
), who apparently wants them for himself. Tina finds refuge with her estranged daughter Sarah Roberts
Sarah Roberts
Sarah Victoria Roberts is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. She is the daughter of Tina Lord and Cord Roberts.-Casting:...
(Justis Bolding
Justis Bolding
Justis Bolding is an American actress. She is known for her role as Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live .-Career:...
) and Sarah's boyfriend Cristian Vega
Cristian Vega
Cristian Vega is a fictional character on the American daytime drama One Life to Live. The character was most notably portrayed by David Fumero, who played Cristian from June 26, 1998 to September 8, 2011.-Casting:...
(David Fumero
David Fumero
David Fumero is a Cuban American actor and former male fashion model. Fumero is best known for his role as Cristian Vega on One Life to Live.-Personal life:...
), but Sarah's roommate, Llanview police officer Talia Sahid
Talia Sahid
Talia Cosima Sahid is a fictional character on ABC's daytime drama One Life to Live played by BethAnn Bonner from December 21, 2006 to April 22, 2009.-Casting:...
(BethAnn Bonner
BethAnn Bonner
BethAnn Bonner is an American actress. She known for her role as Talia Sahid on One Life to Live and for her most recent role as Kat on All My Children ....
), inexplicably aids Jonas in kidnapping Sarah. Tina, Cristian and his brother Antonio Vega
Antonio Vega
Antonio Vega is a fictional character on the long-running American soap opera One Life to Live. The role was originated on July 10, 1995 by Kamar de los Reyes, who left in August 1997 and made an appearance in 1998. De los Reyes returned in February 2000 and portrayed the character until March 25,...
(Kamar de los Reyes
Kamar de los Reyes
Kamar de los Reyes is an American actor.Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Cuban percussionist Walfredo de los Reyes and a Puerto Rican mother, Matilde Pages, Kamar de los Reyes grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada...
) — a Llanview Police Detective and Talia's lover — agree to accompany Jonas back to Mendorra in order to make an exchange: the women for the Crown Jewels.
In Mendorra, Tina gets the royal treatment from her palace staff and is reunited with her husband, Crown Prince Helmut Krakoff — really her longtime cohort, con man
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
Cain Rogan (Christopher Cousins), in yet another disguise. He has been accepted as the Crown Prince even though he cannot seem to prove a relationship to any member of the royal family. Meanwhile, the real mastermind behind the kidnappings reveals himself to his daughter Talia: villain Carlo Hesser
Carlo Hesser
Carlo Hesser is a fictional character on ABC's daytime drama One Life to Live. He has been played by Thom Christopher from 1990 to 1992, 1996 to 1997, in 2005 and from July 3, 2008 to September 11, 2008. The character was named after Lisa S...
(Thom Christopher
Thom Christopher
Thom Christopher is an American actor.He is best known for his portrayal of mob boss Carlo Hesser and Mortimer Bern on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live.Christopher has also had roles on soap operas such as Loving and Guiding Light...
). Talia despises Carlo, a longtime enemy of both Tina and the Vega brothers; Cain is anxious to keep the jewels they have worked so hard for, but Tina is desperate to exchange them for Sarah.
Carlo, bent on revenge for Tina's part in the death of his son Johnny Dee (Anthony Crivello
Anthony Crivello
Anthony Crivello is an American actor and singer, mostly in musicals on Broadway. He has written several scripts and more than twenty songs.-Personal life:...
) in 1990, exposes Tina and Cain's fraud publicly and reveals Jonas as the true heir to the throne; he adds that, per Mendorran law, Cain and Tina will be beheaded for their treason. Carlo and his minions first drag Tina, Sarah and Cristian to the river above the treacherous Hohenstein Falls. Tina is horrified as Carlo reveals his intent to send Sarah over the Falls to her death, deliberately echoing Tina's own nearly-fatal plunge over the Iguazu Falls in 1987. Cristian manages to escape Carlo's guards and swim to Sarah's raft; Tina watches history repeat itself as Sarah and Cristian go over the Falls on July 22, 2008.
Carlo intends to marry Talia to Jonas, the new ruler of Mendorra; she protests and stalls, but goes through with the royal wedding on July 31, 2008 to save Antonio and her friends from harm — not knowing that Jonas has already stabbed Antonio and left him for dead. The Vega brothers turn up alive, Cristian saving Tina and Cain from the executioner's axe and Antonio overpowering Jonas and leading a newly-married Talia to safety. When Carlo, Jonas and their men catch up, Talia brokers a deal with Carlo: she will stay if the others are allowed to leave. A presumed-dead Sarah reappears, and with several people's lives at stake, a furious Antonio is forced to leave Talia behind. The rest of the group escapes, but duplicitous Cain later parachutes from the plane with the Crown Jewels — not knowing that Tina has already switched the gems with fakes.