All: Special Billing

[Dr Neil Curtis]

What star today have the special billing power "and Jane Doe as Johnetta Doe-Doe-Donae" like Deidre Hall or Susan Lucci? Are all those type actress/actor gone on?

Who gets the special billing on Y&R, OLTL, B&B, and GH. Now that Frances Reid is deceased and Deidre Hall are gone, days don't have the "Starring or "And".

[DRW50]

When did Eileen Fulton lose hers?

[soapfan770]

Yes those days are over, no more Denise Alexander types demanding special billing on shows that aren't theirs.

Did she? Honestly I haven't paid attention to closing credits since most went squeezed, it use to be Don Hastings was first and Fulton was last with and alphabetical order in between. But having your name be last on squeezed credits with commercials playing isn't very glamorous or dignifying.

Oddly though, the one time I did pay attention to GL's closing credits was back in 2003/2004 when Deborah Zoe took over the role of Eden. Even though GL had ABC credits, Zimmer still came after Zoe.

Days I think still lists credits by seniority.

[DRW50]

I stopped paying attention to the credits too. I just wondered if that change made the whole credit thing seem pointless to actors.

I still get a smile on my face when I watch old ATWT and see the "and Eileen Fulton as Lisa."

I don't think Beverlee McKinsey asked for that on GL did she? I know she had it at Texas.

The GL credits for ages, which I just loved when I watched GL in the early/mid 90s, the shots of each cast member, ended with Michael Zaslow's smile. I used to talk to the screen to list which characters I liked and which I couldn't stand...

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[Dr Neil Curtis]

I think Miss. Fulton still have special billing. The soaps that air on soapnet don't have the squeezed out credits but haven't paid attention for the special billing on GH or OLTL. Corday may give it to Josh Taylor now that Deidre is gone. LOL!

[Mitch]

Yea, for years it was "and Eileen Fulton as Lisa Shea Coleman," I forgot about that!

I can't believe that actors would give a [!@#$%^&*] about stuff like that. Give me more money then special billing. It sometimes makes me feel sorry for TPTB that they have to work with these overgrown child like egos.

[FrenchFan]

Eileen Fulton is still credited at the end

[R Sinclair]

AMC - Starring Rebecca Budig, and Susan Lucci as Erica

OLTL - Erika Slezak

GH - Anthony Geary

B&B - Susan Flannery

ATWT - Eileen Fulton

As for Y&R and DAYS? I'm not sure, since they seemed to specifically play hardball with MTS, Braden and Hall respectively. I don't think they would give a special billing. Especially DAYS because they'd be like, "You saw what happened to Dee and Drake, right? So, all y'all muhfckkas are replaceable!"

Welcome to Showbizz 101.

[Cat]

My favourite bit is when the voiceover says "This has been Guiding Light. Jewelery provided by Erwin Pearl. Belts by Clara Studio for Asymmetry." I never heard of either of these two brands, but it (and the glossy credits) are a reminder of when GL was a coolly glamourous soap.

[Cat]

Days should probably have "Kristian Alfonso as Hope" and "Peter Reckell as Bo" to bookend the beginning and end of the cast credits. Especially as Hope comes from the Hortons, founding family of Days, and Bo represents the Bradys, to whom everybody's grandmother and their cat are related.

B&B should definitely have Susan Flannery as Stephanie on their credits. La Flan has more than earned it and as she herself has admitted, she plays the show's tentpole character.

Y&R -- eh. Nobody deserves to have special billing, except maybe Jeanne Cooper who has been on that show since Day One.

[All My Shadows]

Don Hastings and Eileen Fulton are still given special billing on ATWT. Eileen's always annoys me because the show has marginalized her so much that the special billing really has no meaning...

[LoyaltoAMC]

During the Gloria Monty years, and possibly even earlier, GH listed their A players & vets first, each on separate screens, before scrolling the rest of the cast. John Beradino, Emily McLaughlin, Rachel Ames, Stuart Damon, Leslie Charleson, David Lewis, Anna Lee, Chris Robinson, Peter Hansen, Brooke Bundy and Denise Alexander, among others, got this preferential treatment. And for years, The Doctors did the same thing, with James Pritchett, Lydia Bruce, David O'Brien, Jada Rowland, and Liz Hubbard getting their own screens before scrolling the rest of the cast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqzStqwmIKc

[jcar03]

I try and keep up with the end credits:

AMC: alphabetical order

ATWT: Don Hastings, Alphabetical then guest stars then Eileen Fulton as Lisa.

B&B: Alphabetical

DAYS: seniority (how they joined/returned to the show)

GH: seniority (same as DAYS)

OLTL: Alphabetical

Y&R: Alphabetical

[DRW50]

Thanks for The Doctors credit. That's neat.

There was an ATWT episode in 1984 or 1985 or so that credited Eileen Fulton as Lisa Wade

[Scotty]

Didn't Dark Shadows always give Joan Bennett top billing in the closing credits?

Seems like I remember seeing "Starring Joan Bennett at Elizabeth Collins Stoddard" followed by the rest of the cast.