ATWT Tribute Thread

[DRW50]

Lisa Loring interview from the 9/28/82 SOD. Interview by Linda T. Hersch.

Lisa Loring: A Single Mother Since She Was Sweet Sixteen

Beautiful twenty-four year old Lisa Loring, who plays single-mother Cricket Montgomery on "As the World Turns," has been a single mom herself since the age of sixteen! Lisa spoke candidly about her personal life. With a strong determination to be a good mother and the support of her grandmother, Lisa has raised nine-year-old Vanessa to be an outgoing, talented, and loving child.

Loring rushed into Manhattan's O'Neal's restaurant and apologized for being late. As soon as we were seated, she removed a retainer from her mouth and explained she's in the process of straightening her teeth. She isn't allowed to wear braces on the soap. I had to admit, "Lisa, even with braces you'd be gorgeous!" Smiling, she looked at the menu and immediately decided on smoked fish with horseradish. Once that was settled, she was eager to talk about her life as a single mother. Last year at Lisa's apartment, I was able to observe her special relationship with Vanessa - it's playful and easy-going. Lisa, however, is a strict mother and that's come with experience.

"I was married when I was fifteen and got pregnant shortly after that - then came along Vanessa. At the time, there was nothing I wanted more. I was looking forward to having a child. I told my husband, 'I don't want a boy - it's got to be a girl!' Lisa recalled with a chuckle. "I'd like to have a boy someday - when the time and the person are right."

After a year, she and her husband, who was then nineteen, separated. Financial pressures and the fact that they were so young took its toll on the marriage. Two years later, the couple divorced. Left alone with her young daughter, Lisa found a way to survive. "Luckily I had help from my grandmother. She's always been there for me. I was so young, there were many things I had to get out of my system and I also had to work, I needed to work."

Loring didn't have to search for employment right away, because she was still getting money from the trust fund that had been set aside when she was playing little Wednesday Addams on the comedy-horror show "The Addams Family." Those who recall the show will remember what a pretty child Lisa was - Vanessa bears a striking resemblance to her as a young girl. "Being young and wanting to go places, I soon ran out of the trust fund money," Lisa explained. "I was spending a lot of money having a good time. After that I had to work. I was a cocktail waitress and a wind stewardess. Fortunately for Vanessa and myself, my grandmother bought a beautiful duplex in Sherman Oaks, California. Vanessa and I moved in with her and my grandfather."

Our food arrived and seconds after tasting it, Lisa gagged, "Oh my God, the horse radish is so hot!" Taking a sip of wine to cool off her palate, she looked wistful and reflected, "When I got married, I really thought...I wanted to be a homemaker and mother. I thought I'd always want that but things changed for me." Thanks to her grandmother's help, Lisa was able to adapt to a new lifestyle. While her grandmother cared for Vanessa, Lisa worked and attended acting classes. Although she had performed on "The Addams Family," Loring felt she needed lessons. "When you're a child you just do what the director tells you what to do. It's like learning how to read, how to add. What does a child know about acting really?"

Because she was a busy young woman, Lisa had to set up a schedule for herself so she'd have time to spend with Vanessa. They shared afternoons, because Lisa worked at night. "Once Vanessa went to school, I'd spend time with her when she came home. Then I'd put her to bed and go off to work. In the morning, my grandmother would get Vanessa ready for school and drive her there, so I could sleep."

As far as Lisa's social life was concerned, she felt, "Anybody who ever wanted anything to do with me had to accept the fact that I had a daughter. All the men in my life have adored Vanessa - I'm lucky to have never dated anybody who didn't care for children." When Lisa and her husband were first separated and then divorced, Vanessa was too young to ask questions about their situation. However, when she grew older, she confronted her mom with, "Why can't you get back together with my daddy?" Lisa calmly explained, "Daddy and I want different lives, but we still love each other and we both love you very much." She admits that the absence of a father in the house was rough on Vanessa for a long time.

One of the men in Loring's life was sort of a father figure for Vanessa. "I went with him for four-and-a-half years while we were living in California. Vanessa was about three when she met Bob. When he and I grew closer, he became Vanessa's 'Bobby.' He never tried to take over the role of father, but whenever he was with us he tried to show her what was right and wrong. They have a good rapport. Of course, she'd get mad as hell when he told her to do something," Lisa laughed. Vanessa and her father maintain a strong, loving relationship and she sees him as often as possible. He's remarried and has a daughter who Vanessa adores.

At the present time, Lisa is dating Doug Stevenson who plays Lee Sentell on "Search for Tomorrow." She confessed he's different from all the other men she's known. Besides being understanding, caring, and loving, Doug has a great affection for Vanessa. Previous to her relationship with him, Lisa didn't see any man on a steady basis since leaving California for New York (where she tapes ATWT). Grinning, Loring recalled, "When one of my boyfriends didn't show up again, Vanessa asked, 'What happened to him? I liked him.' She has always wished I'd meet someone who would stay in my life." The actress smiled, as she revealed that Vanessa approves of her taste in men.

According to her mother, Vanessa is a demanding child. "She won't give in until she gets her way, so it's always a battle of wills between us. She's quite a kid, though - she has a very good heart." Because of Vanessa's ability to move to New York City without any hitches. The peace and security of living with her grandparents came to a halt when she moved East to take the role of Cricket on ATWT. Mother and daughter were now on their own! "I had never seen New York before. My grandmother had done everything for Vanessa and I wasn't about to...I didn't have the time because I was working on the soap. It was rough at first, but Vanessa finally learned to do a lot of things for herself. She was always mature for her age and now she can handle anything. I just have to remind her when to eat and what to eat. Of course, I often have to grab candy away from her."

On her own, Vanessa, who Lisa calls, "a natural dancer," took dancing classes. She'll sit in front of the TV set and watch "The Nutcracker Suite" for three hours without budging! "Vanessa needs to be involved in things or else she gets bored. She'd love to do commercials. She's great in front of a still camera, I guess she gets that from me," Lisa said grinning. Loring was only three when she made her debut in front of a still camera. The photographer, a friend of her mother's, is famous for taking the first nude photo of Marilyn Monroe. As of now ,Lisa doesn't have any plans to launch a show-biz career for Vanessa, which pleased her grandmother. "She wouldn't approve because she saw me go through hell sometimes when I was a child actress." Yet, other people think Lisa is "crazy" for not involving Vanessa in the business.

As long as Vanessa gets enough playtime and can spend time with Lisa, she's happy. While she's a loving child, Vanessa causes her mother to have a headache once in a while. When it comes time for Lisa to discipline her, Vanessa often won't listen. "Being a single parent has one main disadvantage - I don't have anyone to back me up when I'm making rules for Vanessa. I have to tell her something five times before she'll listen to me, so I occasionally feel like a witch. If I had a husband, I'd be able to share the responsibility and say, 'Now you talk to her." When there are two parents present, the child has two adults she or he can talk to. There's more of a balance."

Now that Lisa has been a single mother for a number of years, what advice would she give to people who are finding themselves in similar roles? "Every situation is so different," she said immediately. Then contemplating the question for a few seconds, Lisa explained thoughtfully, "A single mother should try to be her child's friend before their parent. I think that's the most important thing when you're alone with your child. Single mothers who have to work also have the need for a social life, and therefore are often away from home, should make sure their child knows they're loved. No matter what you have to do for yourself, make sure your child knows he or she is loved!"

Lisa compared Cricket's situation to her own. "Cricket's love for Cordy made her decide to have a child. Right now she needs someone desperately. However she's afraid to make a commitment to any man. I think Cricket resents the fact that she's tied down to her baby even though she loves him. After all, she's a young girl. Cricket does have help from her mother (Lyla) like I did from my grandmother, but she's still bitter because she was deserted. I wasn't. I chose to get married and have a baby. Cricket didn't have that choice."

Looking back on her life, Lisa admits that if she could do it over, she wouldnt' have married so young. She certainly wouldn't have had a child at fifteen. "Yet it has been a valuable experience for me...sometimes," Loring comments, laughing. Lisa's single-mother experience is a success story. Granted, she survived with her grandmother's help but she didn't give up the responsibility of her child. Lisa worked and cared for her daughter, which wasn't easy since she was only a teenager. She was determined to resume her acting career and has attained that goal while guiding her young daughter on the way to womanhood. "Vanessa may not have a father in the house, but she knows she has a mother who loves her dearly."

Through the years, Lisa and Vanessa have established a close mother and daughter relationship. Loring feels the generation gap lessons as Vanessa gets older. Showing off her dazzling smile, Lisa confessed. "I'm looking forward to spending the future with Vanessa. Just imagine when I'm thirty-five, she'll be twenty! We'll be really close then!"

[DRW50]

The guy in the last photo is Jeff (Robert Lipton).

[Paul Raven]

Lisa Loring was married to porn star Jerry Butler before hooking up with Stevenson.

[DRW50]

I thought she was married to Butler after she got together with Stevenson. I think she got together with him in the late 80s.

That comment about looking forward to when she will be 35 and her daughter will be 20 is like a sad harbinger, as I believe around that time, Lisa tried to commit suicide. Sometime in the early 90s. Fortunately she's apparently turned her life around, she has a profile on one of those pages where people go to get showbiz work, and they said she's married again and lives with her husband and various pets.

[Paul Raven]

I stand corrected. Thanx Carl. Seeing all those old articles makes you wonder where these actors disappear to,and what they do for a living.

Douglas Stevenson for example-acheiving 'stardom' on a soap and probably making decent money and a certain level of fame,to going back to obscurity and possibly a 9 to 5 job.

[DRW50]

I thought she was with Jerry right after her soap days so it's easy to get the timelines off.

Yeah...his last credit is Gas Station Attendant, from 1984. That must be tough. Some from that time on SFT, like Patsy Pease, went on to at least have some daytime stardom.

I wish someone did "where are they now" interviews with the soap actors who never quite made it.

Knowing what happened later on does cast a different light on the interview. I wonder if they're close now.

So was Lisa let go from ATWT because she got pregnant or did they just not want to keep the character around? It's kind of funny because there's another SOD from 1982, about troubled parent-child relationships, and they interview Anne Sward as one of the "mothers" and she says that Lyla's kids abuse her and that Cricket will probably just get pregnant again. Strange they never even considering bringing Cricket back with a recast or anything.

[DRW50]

10/77 SOD. Rita McLaughlin (Carol) gets married. I wonder what they could have done with Carol if they'd kept her around. She looks a bit like Molly Ringwald.

[Paul Raven]

Rita's character Carol married her rea llife husband on the show. I don't know how this went down as I don't recall reading any of this in summaries. SoapCentral says they were married in a simple cremony and left town. It's nice, but surprising Carol was given such a send off.

Maybe Rita was well liked and somebody insisted. She could have quite easily simply vanished.

I get the feeling that Carol was seen less and less until she popped up one day to say she met someone and Lisa or somebody throwing her a wedding a few weeks later. Soap Central says she last aired Dec 25th,so maybe that was the wedding/final ep.

Can anyone clarify?

[DRW50]

I think Mitch said that Carol was phased out after her marriage to Steve ended, so she might have had the wedding.

So they brought her husband in in real life to play her love interest on the show? That was nice. I think her real life husband was a pastor. She had an interview in SOD I think where she talked about being a pastor's wife. I think she retired from acting. Perhaps she knew the writing was on the wall and left and they gave her that goodbye. Considering that she had been a popular heroine at a time when the show did not have a lot of other women in her age range, they owed her that.

[Paul Raven]

I think Rita was quite committed to Christian activities. I wonder if she was less than impressed with the way soaps were going. Good girls like Carol were becoming out of vogue during this time.

[DRW50]

That would make sense, if that was one of the reasons she left. ATWT of the early 80s didn't seem overly moral. I wonder how she would have felt about Marland's ATWT, which had a strong moral core. Too bad they don't interview these people.

[Bright Eyes]

IMDB lists Mary K. Wells as playing Louise Cole.

Who was she?

Did she have relatives? Friends?

What was her occupation?

[Mitch]

I don't remember her having a wedding goodbye. She was bumped to recurring after her marriage to Steve ended...and since they wanted to have Steve and Betsy be the supercouple they never mentioned her marriage to him, and never had them interact, which is weird. Anyway, the last time I remember seeing her was at James aborted wedding to Dee...which her real life husband played the minister...but I could be wrong.

Its too bad she didnt make it to the Marland years, I think that he would have kept her around ala Ellen Stewart, having cofee at Bob and Kim's etc, but with no real storyline.

I am sure she was kind of shocked by the changes ATWT made post Dobsons, as from reading summeries, it was apparent that ATWT must have been the most old fashioned soap. To her credit, I dont remember reading about her bitching and moaning about it and how it conflicts with her beliefs.

[Paul Raven]

Louise Cole was the wife of Tim Cole, biological father of Dan Stewart. Ellen had an affair with married Tim and gave her son Jimmy up for adoption.When Louise died,Ellen married Tim,but only because he was dying.

[Bright Eyes]

Thank you. Were the Cole's on the show in the beginning or did they come on in '57 or '58?