Mendorra

Mendorra is a fictional European monarchy from the American soap opera One Life to Live. The principality is supposedly located near Germany.^[1]

Locations

In 1990 the series filmed locations in Austria that served as Mendorra,^[1] and the Middle Falls at Letchworth State Park in Rochester, New York were used as the fictional Hohenstein Falls of Mendorra in 2008.^[2][3]

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."^[4]

1986-1990

United States Ambassador to Mendorra Charles Sanders (Peter Brown) 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.^[5] 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.^[1][6]

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.^[1][7]

2008

Talia Sahid is forced to marry Jonas Chamberlain, Crown Prince of Mendorra (2008)

The Crown Jewels of Mendorra are stolen in May 2008 upon their arrival in Llanview for display,^[8] and Tina reappears in town on June 11, 2008 as the Crown Princess of Mendorra.^[9][10][11] 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 Spirtas), who apparently wants them for himself.^[12][13] Tina finds refuge with her estranged daughter Sarah Roberts (Justis Bolding) and Sarah's boyfriend Cristian Vega (David Fumero),^[14][15] but Sarah's roommate, Llanview police officer Talia Sahid (BethAnn Bonner), inexplicably aids Jonas in kidnapping Sarah.^[16] 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.^[17]

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).^[18] 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.^[19]

Carlo, bent on revenge for Tina's part in the death of his son Johnny Dee (Anthony Crivello) in 1990,^[20] exposes Tina and Cain's fraud publicly and reveals Jonas as the true heir to the throne;^[21] he adds that, per Mendorran law, Cain and Tina will be beheaded for their treason.^[22] 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.^[23] 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.^[24][25]

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.^[26][27] The Vega brothers turn up alive,^[27] 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.^[28][29] 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.^[30]

References

External links

• One Life to Live: Storyline Histories - 1989
• One Life to Live: Storyline Histories - 1990