As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[Soapsuds]

Tomorrow!!!

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[Soapsuds]

 

[Paul Raven]

From his memoir' Include Me Out', Farley Granger discusses his stint on ATWT

Dating this time, Bob had progressed from director and line producer on two
NBC daytime shows to executive producer at CBS on his fourth soap, As the
World Turns. It took him nine grueling months, but he finally met the head
writer with whom he could transform the eighth-ranked show into a winner.
Within six months, he and Doug Marland had moved the show into first place,
and it went on to win a Best Show Emmy Award for the first time in its thirtyfive-
year history.

Against Bob's instincts and, even though I was tempted to take on the challenge
of mastering a technique which had up to this time eluded me, against
mine, Doug persuaded him to persuade me into signing me for the show. Immediately
after signing a three-year contract with mutual out clauses for As the
World Turns,

Eileen Fulton, whose singing still continues to charm supper club patrons in
Manhattan, has played Lisa, the resident vixen on As the World Turns, since
shortly after the show went on the air. She was chosen to be my love interest on
the show. Eileen was helpful, caring, a consummate professional, and in general
a delight to work with. Lisa also happened to own the one restaurant/club in
Oakdale, the fictitious Midwestern city somewhere near Chicago in which the
show took place. Doug Marland was a master at writing scenes at this restaurant/
club, the Mona Lisa, where a large number of the show's leading characters
supped, drank, plotted, and crossed paths. In this way, he was able to
spread information quickly, and dramatically illustrate tts effect on the various
people involved. The technique worked wonderfully, but these scenes were the
most difficult and time-consuming to stage, rehearse, and tape. Whenever the
cast saw a heavy day scheduled in the Mona Lisa, we knew that we would be
lucky to finish before midnight.
On my first day of work,  I had an early-morning call for some of the intimate scenes that introduced my character to Oakdale as well as an afternoon call to play a number of see-and-be-seen scenes at the Mona Lisa. The morning scenes were finished by around 11:00 a.m. I went back to my dressing room,where I sat until my next call at ten-thirty that evening. It was complete chaos in the studio, and everyone was tired. I could not remember one word.
I tried, oh, Lord, I tried. I had a recliner put in my dressing room, kept to
myself, and studied my ass off. By the time I was called to the set, I always
knew my lines perfectly. The moment I hit the studio, even for the simplest of
scenes, the normal noise and chaos of daytime television—sets being changed,
last-minute lighting adjustments, the cameras and boom microphone platforms
working out traffic problems—blew my concentration. I would tense up and
the words would desert me.

There were not enough hours in most days to allow the actors a quiet run through
or two on the set. Whenever we were able to have one, I could remember
lines and come up with a performance. But those opportunities were
extremely rare. More often than not, the dress would be taped in hopes of getting
something good enough. The producers, the directors, the technical staff,
and almost all of the other actors could not have been more supportive and encouraging,but it wasn’t enough. I still couldn't master the technique of tuning
out the surroundings. I knew it and everyone else did, too. I was miserable. By
this time in my life, I knew I was a good actor, but that knowledge also made it
possible for me know how bad I was in this particular situation, I kept trying
for over a year, partially out of loyalty, partially out of stubbornness, but my
health began to suffer. I tried new diets, meditation, acupuncture, hypnosis,
and whatever else anyone recommended. Nothing helped. Things did not improve.
After a few more months, old reliable, my colon, started to act up for the
second time since my battle to get out of my contract with Sam Goldwyn.
I was diagnosed with spastic colitis brought on by stress. I asked what I
could do about it because it was obviously the soap and I had eighteen months
left on my contract. My doctor's answer was, “You have no time left. A perforated
colon is an extremely serious problem. It is also one you will be facing
soon, if you do not stop what is causing your colitis.”
I went to Bob the next day. He said that he knew how unhappy I had been,
but had no idea that it was making me sick.. He called Doug immediately, and
they discussed replacing me with another actor or writing me out of the show
in a way that would be dramatic and serve the plot.
Within two days, Doug Marland had figured out how to write me out of the
show, but he needed a month. He agreed to keep my performance schedule as
light as he could without damaging the story line. As soon as I heard that, |started to shed some of the tension that was making me ill. After several days,
people at the studio started complimenting me on how well the scenes were going.
Bob called me into his office and said, “Do you have any idea of how much
better you've gotten since we agreed to release you from your contract?” I said
that I hadn't, but I did acknowledge that the scenes seemed to be getting a little
easier to do. At that point he said, “Maybe you won't have to leave the show.’ As
I quickly turned to leave his office, he yelled after me, “Just kidding.”

Anyone watching at the time- Did Farley fumble his lines?

I think he came back for brief appearances after his departure?

[DRW50]

Thanks @Paul Raven . I don't remember him fumbling his lines very often.

[vetsoapfan]

I don't recall him fumbling his lines very much on ATWT, either, but it had much more of a problem when he appeared on OLTL.

[Khan]

I'm no psychiatrist, but it sounds to me like Mr. Granger was a perfectionist who was being much too hard on himself.

[Reverend Ruthledge]

I do remember him fumbling his lines quite often although it wasn't so much him fumbling his lines as him always pausing too long before delivering his lines. I've noticed other actors doing this. Eileen Fulton did it. So did Helen Wagner. You can tell the pause is them trying to remember the lines. He would mix things up too from time to time but he was good at saving it. As was Fulton. I would imagine they edited out the big fumbles. I can't imagine how any of them memorize all those lines. I, personally, couldn't do it. 

Edited May 19 by Reverend Ruthledge

[Contessa Donatella]

And besides having to learn so many. They also have to *forget* yesterday or it gets in the way of today. 

Here they are as a couple, Farley Granger & Robert Calhoun & the book they wrote together. 

Granger was both famous & infamous. He was openly bisexual, always, saying he didn't come out, because he was never in. He was said to have performed over 7 decades, beginning in movies in the 40s, doing movies in other times, doing theatre, finally doing a soap. Notably he had an affair with Leonard Bernstein, the last affair before the "Maestro" married a woman. I can't recall the famous & gorgeous women he was with. That was all before he & Calhoun met & they were together from that point, on, until their deaths. 

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Edited May 19 by Contessa Donatella

[DramatistDreamer]

Interesting read, thanks for that excerpt @Paul Raven. 

I remember Scott Bryce talking about those very lengthy days when they would have to film weddings or community event when multiple characters had to be present.
Even from Bryce’s recounting, the environment did sound pretty chaotic but he had his way of coping, usually joking with colleagues. Sounds like it was the exact opposite for Granger. 
I think everyone had at least a couple of fumbles with dialogue but many played it off effectively. My favorites are the actors who incorporated it into the scene, like if there was a scene indicating tension or stress and the actor presented it as if the character were reacting to a stressful or hypersensitive environment as if it were a natural reaction or if the scene partner reacts in the natural way that someone might react to a humorous faux-pas.

[vetsoapfan]

Maybe I was subconsciously comparing Granger's line deliveries on ATWT to OLTL, where he stumbled and "went up" so often (like Hugh Marlow in the later years on AW). His scenes on ATWT were significantly less marred by his forgetting the dialogue.

Another actress who would get confused, mangle up dialogue, and then save herself was Joan Bennet on Dark Shadows.

I know performers have often say that memorization is like a muscle, which strengthens over time, but I still marvel at performers' ability to retain pages and pages of dialogue, particularly when they appear on three, four, or five episodes a week. I could not do it, either, which is why I tend to be forgiving of soap actors who stumble. I figure, I know people in real life who stammer and take pauses while speaking, so in a sense, mangled speech is not unbelievable.

[Vee]

I've only watched some of his tenure on ATWT in '86 but I never saw him sweat, honestly. Until now I just assumed he had gotten the hang of daytime post-OLTL. It's too bad because I thought he did very good work as Earl.

[Contessa Donatella]

Today GH released new key art, a new banner & individual cast photos. In the group shots, & the banner photo for the background it shows panels where each is a scene from the show. It reminded me SO of the ATWT opening globe where there were 1000s of scenes from the show. Such a good background & such a good good memory. 

[DRW50]

We should all flush a toilet in honor of that opening.

[Soapsuds]

 

[DRW50]

Thanks @Soapsuds

And how could I forget that badass guitar riff.

Here's to you, Chris Goutman.