DRW50

From the July 1971 Daytime TV.

Here's a 8/31/82 SOD interview with Douglass Watson, by Judith Donato. Network Publishing Corporation. CHEMISTRY'S STILL THE KEY Hidden away from the fast pace of Manhattan and tucked into a quiet corner of Brooklyn is a large, nondescript building that looks like any other working warehouse in the neighborhood. Inside, the cinder block hallways and swinging metal doors further disguise the business at hand. The glamour is hard to find until the lights are turned up and "Another World's" Bay City is brought to its bustling life on the many sound stages of the NBC studio. I walked carefully up a narrow stairway that led to the actors' dressing rooms and tried to imagine how I'd begin my interview with one of daytime's most successful leading men. My mind raced with facts, dates, places, and awards - after all, Douglass Watson has won three Emmy Awards and a host of other accolades in one of the most impressive theatrical careers of the American stage. I poked my head timidly into one of the open doors and found some of Bay City's familiar citizens gathered - there was the debonair Brian Bancroft (Paul Stevens) in jeans and sweater, smiling as he finished telling a story, and the evil Mayor Stein (Roy Poole), with his feet oustretched as he prepared to catch forty winks between takes. In the middle of this menage was the town's leading citizen, Mackenzie Cory - a handsome and distinguished character who charms the women while wielding his share of power in the business world. His thick, silver-grey hair and winning smile are the first things I notice, and I soon discovered that Watson puts all of his natural charm into the character he portrays. Without question, Doug and Mac have much in common. "I certainly don't make any separation between me and the character," Doug laughed. His sharp, clear voice has a sound all its own. It's a mixture of his native Georgia with a touch of the Connecticut Yankee. He invited me to his own quarters where we could talk more privately. Watson finds himself among an elite circle of actors who play both romantic leads and concerned fathers, powerful tycoons and gentle lovers. He's an elder statesman with a touch of flair. The character type has become popular on other daytime and primetime soaps as well, but it was Doug who pioneered the trend when he joined the cast in late 1973. He was brought on the show as an atypical leading man, the combination lover/father-figure that would turn the once evil Rachel (Victoria Wyndham) into a mature woman, capable of giving and receiving love. From their first scene together it was obvious that Watson and Wyndham had what is called he-she chemistry. Something clicked on-screen that made their scenes together special. The one-again, off-again marriage of Mac and Rachel has capture the audience since it began and after all of the plot twists and turns, much of the chemistry is still there. Does the age difference between him and his female co-stars make him uncomfortable? Dough thought for a moment. "It seems to me that Mac is getting along a little far to be involved with a younger woman in a believable way. It might be better to shift into a relationship with someone nearer my own age and get into a different kind of thing which isn't exactly romantic, but companionable and relationship-oriented, although when I have scenes with Vicky, everything still seems to work very well between us. It's odd. We just had a little scene the day before yesterday. We hadn't had one for sometime, and right away it was as if we'd never been apart. Things would happen between us that just don't occur with other people on tape. The scene turned out quite differently than the way we had planned it just, because something comes off that's fun - it works between us." Doug tried to explain the special give-and-take necessary for a successful screen pairing. "Frankly, I think it's personal. In our case, we like, love, respect, enjoy and understand each other very well and when this is true it comes over in the relationship oncamera. I believe that is the added dimension that causes it to work so well. Ours is a very genuine and deep relationship." I asked Dough what the audience finds so attractive in a May-December affair. "The women find sympathy, stability and maybe more kindness and consideration," Doug said. "An older man is more understanding and patient with them." He added that any on-screen relationship, whether it be between a man and a woman or a father and child, must involved a chemical reaction between the actors if the relationship is to ring true. His wide range of co-stars also includes small children. Are there problems? "It's really very difficult because it's totally uncontrollable. A script-writer will write in some direction the scene is supposed to go in, but you can't make a child who below four years old go a certain way, cry at a certain time or laugh at a certain time. They'll even have directions for children who are under two who can't possibly take direction! It's difficult to make the scene happen right and then the kids are just plain scared. They want their mother if they're only a year or two. And yet, the children are so real it makes everything else look phony." Today's soaps find themselves catering to the very young, yet Watson doesn't feel threatened by the trend. "My job is only to deal with my plotline, and what they do with the young people and their storylines really doesn't have anything to do with me, so it doesn't influence me in any way." He did point out that there are times when the plots to intertwine, especially in the case of Bay City's resident sex symbols, Christopher Rich and Richard Bekins. The fates of Mac, Sandy (Rich), and Jamie (Bekins) seem to be as involved as ever. "Mac obviously loves his son very much," Doug said, "and he loves Jamie a great deal, but I find with Jamie it's one of those situations where something is causing antagonism between you, and when it's somebody you love, you wish it wouldn't - as it often is with a child." Watson believes that the key to a successful portrayal lies in consistency of character. "For the actor," Doug explained, "the character is very important. This is where he really feels strongly - especially when the character is doing something totally out of character. For the audience it's also terribly vital, because I think they turn [the television] on more for the characters than they do for the plotline. I think the plot helps them but the reason they tune in is because they want to see these people and see what they're going to do." He credits much of his success to the support of his producer, Paul Rauch. "I've had a very good relationship with the producer. Actors really don't swing a lot of weight but when I've asked for something, which I try to do as seldom as possible, I've gotten it. There have been a few times where I've wanted to do a particular thing in a scene and perhaps the director didn't want me to, then I'd ask the producer to let me, and he has." After thirty-five years on stage, and closing in on a decade on "Another World," does Doug have a favorite leading lady? He laughed as he tried to answer as gallantly as possible. "I've been working a long, long time and I have to think back carefully to make sure I'm not overlooking anybody. I think my work with Vicky has been rewarding as any, if not more. It's certainly been my longest working relationship, because in the theater you only have months." Always a fan favorite, Doug spends part of his working day answering his mail. "I've had people write and ask for jobs at Cory Publishing," he laughed. "They're very straight and send background material." In person, though, it's a different story. "They're delighted and very complimentary. The first thing they want to do is touch you because they've only seen you and heard you on television but they can't believe you're real." Invariably, his fans approach him as Mac. It's easy to understand their confusion. Doug and Mac share the ability to put even the most nervous stranger at ease. Exactly how does Doug Watson see the man he brings so vividly to life? He was candid and objective. "I think Mac is very dependent on other people. He needs them to be supportive. He needs their sympathy and love. Maybe he's too vulnerable with women but at the same time, Mac is compassionate, warm, and gentle." Not surprisingly - so is Douglass Watson.

I had almost forgotten Dave was still on the show. Man does he know how to wear a pair of jeans. I will miss him. Is it me or is the stuff with the Sharpes just so contrived and overdramatic? I don't believe any of it. Andonis Anthony is so OTT and so is Phina Oruche in their scenes. The kids are also contrived, especially the daughter who naturally believes every word her father says. I think that Phina is much better in everyday scenes, like the flirting and talking with Tony and the friendship with Cindy which now seems likely to end. I wish they could have brought her in on her own. Steph and Louis are great together. I think Louis has been a very effective way to tell the story about the ravages of cancer. I actually think the times we see him with Steph were more moving than the video, because I didn't like the music or the constant cutting away to Steph in tears (I did like the wheelchair races and the nurse). I'm glad they're having Louis work with her and just hang out with her. The fashion show was much more fun than I had expected. A lot of character interaction and some surprising moments. I will say that I hope they are going to stop pretending Riley is 17, because he doesn't look 17 and I also don't believe that Heidi, if she is supposed to be any kind of mother, would parade her 17 year old down a runway in his underwear. Everything with Anita/Tricia Dingle/Ravi is just a bit silly. I can't believe anything with Anita's mother. I was surprised at how much they integrated Michaela into the episode, and also how they finally got rid of her old wig. If Hollie hadn't quit/been fired/rowed with the boss I wonder what plans they might have had for her. Apparently her exit is coming up on Monday's episode and was very fast and was also "art imitates life" type of writing. Don't you think they're doing a much better job of hiding Stephanie Waring's pregnancy?

I just wonder which new characters will end up staying around. Aside from those I mentioned, I thought Jackson had potential, but after the show made it clear they had little interest in him beyond plot device, then obviously he isn't staying around. The show has brought in some interesting new people but most of them seem grafted on and I wonder how they will fare in the long term.

Oh. Thanks. It's a shame that NBC doesn't let anything SNL-related on Youtube. She was pretty good in her SNL appearance, lots of fun, even with some tacky material like AIDS joke sketches.

This early scene between Nick and Leanne (and the world's most lenient teacher) is sweet. Adam Rickett was a bad actor but he was able to play these type of moments, at least when Nick and Leanne were more fun. I can't imagine the bizarre looking man now in the role playing this. This is also the last episode for Percy Sugden, and not too long before Deirdre's boyfriend got her sent down. That guy Sally was dating was cute...

Was Dear Jessie from True Blue (I know that was Europe only)? I think True Blue is an underrated song, and she let a fan come up with the concept for the video didn't she? Here's Debi Mazar...can't remember if she and Madonna are still friends. It's too bad she always looked so scared on Dancing with the Stars, she has had more personality elsewhere.

Yeah, I meant, what would your favorites be, whether that's considered her best or not by common opinion. Videos I don't notice as much but I did enjoy the Take a Bow and Like a Prayer videos. The quaintness of some of her early videos, especially Material Girl and Borderline with the stories about her true love who is a bit of an outsider, also hold up. I liked the Music video too and the one with the men in the cowboy shirts. Songs, I enjoy her early club stuff, and the Ray of Light album, and then some other scattered songs. I never cared a lot for the video where she was a peep show dancer (or the song for that matter - I think it was "Open Your Heart")...aside from the fun moment where the hot twin sailors are watching.

I had forgotten she was interested in that project (I still wonder if that Dusty project will go anywhere, whoever is attached to it -- Kristen Chenoweth or whoever). What would you say are the best and worst Madonna songs or videos?

I don't care that much about the video (although it's very creative) but this is one of my favorite songs of hers.

I think I remember the song mostly for the video. This video is also gorgeous. I guess in some ways when Madonna became more homogenized she depended more on the video (her 80s stuff was obviously video-heavy but I think the music holds up on its own and I think of the song first, then the images) -- I like "Secret" but that video never did a lot for me, mostly because, while she is very sensual, you just keep focusing on her boobs and wondering why they're hanging out the whole time. What did you think of the Bad Girl song or video?

I never knew she did another video with the Take a Bow matador with the incredibly pert bottom. I do remember this song. I think Madonna's look fit in well in period settings, perhaps because the sharpness of her features is very 1940s (not sure when this is set though...).

I was going to say mother but then I thought "Well father, so it might be about her dead father." I hadn't seen that in a while

I always remember the scene where the father's mouth is sewn up...

That song works well in the context of the movie and as a song in its own right. Everyone in A League of Their Own tried so hard -- I guess that's one of the reasons it worked and was very popular, even though most movies of that time would never get off the ground (and it's hard to imagine today's female "stars" being in that movie -- you can't see Jennifer Aniston doing much besides showing off her hair).

I want to see the trailer too. The BBC hasn't done that many of the big trailers lately with EE, perhaps for budget reasons. I wonder exactly who will die in the fire. Most of the people we thought would go seem to be mentioned elsewhere. Unless it's I wonder if it will turn out to be a relatively minor fire in body count.

Thanks for posting that. I hope I didn't post anything you were planning to post. That synopsis helps fill in some blanks. It sounds fairly interesting too -- although whenever I hear "mental block" I always think of Genie Francis saying the guy who played her psychiatrist on GH handing her a big block of wood as a joke. But the stuff with Lee and Tessa, and with Lester's drinking, I'd like to see that. I wonder if SOD got to be so critical because NBC didn't have a lot of faith in the show anyway or because they had expected great things from Rauch and Lemay only to be hugely let down. I agree with you that I NEVER thought I'd see something that critical in SOD of that era, or most eras, frankly. That woman goes to town. I wonder who they thought to be miscast. I think that Richard Backus was an odd choice for the role of a man who was supposed to be a lady killer and all that -- not that he wasn't attractive, but he usually played characters more like Barry Ryan, who only preyed on women who were very insecure. Was Nancy Marchand fired or did she want to leave? She got Lou Grant not long after L&F ended right?

I don't think Kim or Zoe (who probably should return) will ever be back. I think either bring Declan's family in, or bring people in who will stay long term, or just burn it to the ground. The Kings never fit in there and the Wyldes never had a chance to breathe or have any type of fun the way the Tates sometimes did.

I think Sam has some potential with the right return -- she had that hard done by, bitter quality of the Eastenders female, in last night's episode. But it would take a lot of work, as her last return was so poor.

Ryan has the garage but Faye, other than her relationship with Jai, has little. I wonder if they will survive. I think they could have done a lot with Nathan, made him a real brat with an edge to lord over the village, like Chris Tate. They haven't had a lot of other interesting new characters (the Bartons are OK but they cast poor actresses as the daughters, and the Sharmas seem to have little storyline...Eve also seems to be a poorly defined character).

I'm not sure. I would say that the ages of the actors don't always translate to the ages of the characters.

As we go to press, NBC has announced that "Lovers and Friends" has gone on a "summer hiatus." Will it return in the fall? The following was written by Kathleen Solmo, who has watched every episode from day one, and faithfully reported them for Soap Opera Digest. Her opinions, based on a solid professional background in TV, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other members of our staff. What do you think about "Lovers and Friends"? Share your feelings with us. LOVERS AND FRIENDS - SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT WHY IT DIDN'T "MAKE IT" We will never know if Austin will marry Amy, if Jason will become head of the Stock Exchange, if Lester can truly keep on the wagon. Who can really care about cardboard characters, in a false situation, going to ridiculous extremes to achieve an end which seems to fluctuate with each passing story conference? The show was poorly premised, for one thing. The Saxtons, with their borrowed $20,000, could never afford the upkeep of that lovely house, let alone the taxes. The Cushings, if they had had any sense at all, would have fired Marlow: a good job of butling would have completely protected them from any encroachment on their sanctum santorum. The entanglement of the two families was forced. The young people might well have become so strongly attracted, but the setup was all wrong. The show was further burdened by poor casting. With one or two exceptions, nobody looked the part. Bent little fingers holding a teacup were supposed to convince us we were seeing a world of style and grace. Then there was the plot. What plot? Where? There was no plot. There was a great deal (dizzying, at times) of lateral movement, lots of busy goings to and fro. She telling him about her and what the others said about something else. Lacking a plot (known since ancient times to be very important in a story), it was impossible to move it. Dialogue. The Head Writer must have had a chance to get at least one good dialogue writer. It is a shame he failed to take advantage of it. Lacking not only substance, but consistency, the actors floundered with their "relationships." You would too, with an albatross like that around your neck. The occasional attempts to be "relevant" - such as Ellie's talk about abortion - was an indication that somebody connected with the show kept up with the news. Sadly lacking - and this may be the crux of the matter - there was never a moment when one could say, "Yes, I've felt that, or "That breaks my heart." There was no feeling. One wants to feel. From stem to stern, LOVERS AND FRIENDS was shaky, with lots of leaks in the hull. There may have been a saving grace, but yours truly missed it.