Soap Operas in NYC = DONE

[VirginiaHamilton]

As a NYCer, this makes me feel wistful:

NYC's soap bubble bursts

As ‘One Life to Live’ goes off the air, an era ends for Gotham’s most over-the-top storytellers

By STEFANIE COHEN and SARA STEWART

Last Updated:

10:15 AM, January 8, 2012

Posted:

9:23 PM, January 7, 2012

When shooting ran late on the Manhattan set of “Guiding Light,” some of its stars’ moods began, counterintuitively, to improve. “We had one actor who had a bar in his dressing room,” explains Kim Zimmer, who played one half of the show’s “supercouple,” Josh and Reva, for more than two decades. Behind closed doors, actor Grant Aleksander would whip up margaritas for his co-stars, complete with fresh-squeezed lime and, if you had time, a salt-rimmed glass.

“We called it Chez Phillippe,” says Zimmer — after Aleksander’s character, Phillip Spaulding. “It was on another floor, tucked in a back hallway. Grant made really good margaritas, and you could put it in a Styrofoam coffee cup and take it back up to the set. Everything gets funny when you’re punch-drunk — or real drunk, on top of that!

“We weren’t fooling anyone,” adds Zimmer. “They all knew we were visiting Chez Phillippe.”

The backstage soap-opera speakeasy is just one of the mass casualties in the death of New York’s daytime drama empire. When ABC’s “One Life To Live” airs its final, inevitably tearful episode on Friday, an era will end for NYC-based TV soaps, which date all the way back to 1950’s “The First Hundred Years,” CBS’s first ongoing serial daytime drama about two couples who were next door neighbors.

Sixty-two years later, following the recent cancellations of its local brethren — “All My Children,” “Guiding Light” and “As the World Turns” —“OLTL” is the last show standing in what used to be one of the city’s most thriving entertainment industries. On 66th Street between Central Park West and the Hudson River, ABC’s “OLTL” and “All My Children” were shot, while CBS’s “Guiding Light” and “As the World Turns” were filmed on 57th Street near the Hudson. (“Another World” was shot in Brooklyn until its cancellation in 1999, and the soap “Loving” taped in Manhattan from 1983-1995.)

New York soaps, which were at the height of their cultural import in the ’70s and ’80s, spawned countless well-known actors. Among the faces you can find on old YouTube clips are Brad Pitt (“Another World”), Julianne Moore and Meg Ryan (“As the World Turns”), Tommy Lee Jones and Laurence Fishburne (“OLTL”) and Hayden Panettiere (on both “OLTL” and “Guiding Light”).

In their heyday, soap characters were household names, and the actors who played them — such as Susan Lucci of “All My Children” or Erika Slezak, who played the psychologically damaged heroine of “One Life to Live” — were TV royalty. Soaps even got a shout-out from the mayor, recalls Robert Woods, who’s been playing Bo Buchanan on “OLTL” since 1979.

“One year, Rudy Giuliani talked about how valuable these shows were to New York,” recalls Woods, “how proud he was to have them produced here.”

Today, the decline of the soaps is indicative of a larger trend, in which the travails of scripted characters are being replaced by the real-life antics of people too cartoonish to be fictional — the Kardashians, the Snookis, the Charlie Sheens. Daytime dramas have been slashed to make room for “how to” shows — “OTLT” will be replaced by “The Revolution,” a weight-loss show (which will follow, oddly, a cooking show, “The Chew,” which replaced “All My Children” last fall).

Still, none of them can touch the sheer volume of human folly on display in the soaps, played out to the hilt of melodrama five days a week.

“I’ve had babies stolen, I’ve been shot, I’ve shot people, I’ve had about eight marriages and three miscarriages,” says “OLTL” star Kassie DePaiva, who has played heroine Blair Cramer for 17 years. “We had a public execution of my fake husband — stopped at the last minute.”

And, obviously, “I’ve slept with tons of really good-looking men.”

All that sex, murder, betrayal, espousal and hospitalization has been the bread and butter of a tight-knit community of actors, writers, producers and crew who worked tirelessly to churn out escapist fantasies for a devoted audience. “The beauty of soaps,” says DePaiva, “is that it takes a village to make it work, and you get to work with really hardworking people.”

“I feel so lucky to have been part of the daytime community in New York,” says Susan Lucci, who famously played arch-villain Erica Kane on “AMC” for four decades. “We were all collaborating to make the best show possible, five days a week.”

Many actors fondly recall dedicated production crews, the unseen backbone of the operation.

“They were the most gracious people I have ever met in my life,” says Jordan Clarke, who played Billy Lewis on “Guiding Light” from 1982 to 2009. “I got to work with some great old-timers. One cameraman named Johnny Paola was a silver-haired gentleman who always wore a suit and tie. And I remember the first time I walked on set, a prop man named Billy Sharkowski walked over and said, ‘Hey, Clarke. What kind of cigarettes do you smoke?’ Then he had a carton on set at all times.

“Also,” Clarke recalls, “back in the old days there were huge cables attached to the cameras, and they had three guys on each cable. During the commercial [breaks], 30 or 60 seconds, there was this very intricate choreography to move the camera and the cable to the next scene in a way where it didn’t get tangled!”

Lucci remembers the group effort that went into shooting one of her trademark over-the-top scenes. “My co-star David Canary and I once had what amounted to a 13-page food fight in a hotel room,” she says. “It was highly choreographed by the fight coordinator. So not only did David and I stay through our lunch to go over the choreography, but so did the crew. The whole thing had to be done in one take, because it ended with my smushing grapes over David’s head. We ended up shooting it at nine at night, and we got it done in one take. It was so collaborative, and so much fun!”

When they did get to leave the building, the actors still stuck together, and close by, says Hillary B. Smith, who has played Nora Buchanan on “OLTL” since 1992. “We used to go to Santa Fe’s [bar] on 68th Street and hang out there,” she says. “We’d run lines and prepare for the next day.”

And the next day — every day — meant a rigorous routine of memorization, preparation and performance. “7 a.m., script memorized,” says DePaiva. “You do a quick rehearsal with the director from 7 to 9:30 a.m. And then taping. You can be done at noon or nine at night, depending on where your scenes are.”

The atmosphere on set may have been bustling and fast-paced, but rarely was it overly serious.

“There’s not a time that goes by that you won’t hear gales of laughter from the crew, from everyone,” says Woods. A fan of pranks, he says he particularly liked to mess with actor Phil Carey, who played his father. “I would use black thread from wardrobe — you can’t see it on camera — and I’d tie it to a phone. If the phone rang, it would just float up out of its cradle. Or if someone had to pick something up you could pull it away from them when they’d reach for it. Or I’d drop a rubber chicken into the scene.”

Vincent Irizarry, a veteran soap actor who has worked on “GL,” “OLTL” and most recently “AMC” as uber-bad guy Dr. David Hayward, says his habit of working through lunch has been the source of cracking up a set on more than one occasion.

“There was a wedding taking place, a big production, and I was sitting in the front row. I remember Kelly Ripa was up there and they’re saying their vows, and my stomach makes this sound like I was starving! It growled right in the middle of the vows, you could hear it on the boom. They go ‘Cut!’ and Kelly turns around and goes, ‘Oh my god! Are you kidding me?’ ”

As lighthearted as the atmosphere on set tended to be, soaps were on the cutting edge of introducing serious social issues over the years.

“It’s not all evil twins and separated at birth,” says “OLTL” head writer Ron Carlivati. “At the same time as we have evil twins, we also try to tell stories that are relatable to our audience.” For example, he says, the show recently ran a story line about bullying, a topic ripped from the headlines.

Judith Light, who went on to prime-time fame in the ’80s sitcom “Who’s the Boss?” had a star-making turn on “One Life To Live” in 1979 as a housewife moonlighting as a prostitute. In her climactic courtroom scene — which would win her an Emmy — Light’s character broke down on the stand and confessed all. It was a must-watch moment, but even Light was shocked at the sincere outpouring of emotion she got from fans. “I received so many letters from prostitutes who said, ‘I so desperately want to get out of the life, I want to be as brave as you were.’ ”

“Agnes Nixon [creator of ‘AMC’ and ‘OLTL’] was certainly at the forefront of breaking down barriers,” Lucci says. “Gender and race, and every way I can think of. ‘OLTL’ had the first story line around an African-American multigenerational family; it was so well-received. On ‘AMC,’ Erica had the first legal abortion, that was very groundbreaking. They had a gay story line [featuring teen star Ryan Phillippe].”

Carlivati, who’s taken the “OLTL” characters to many odd and improbable places, including heaven, says the secret to a successful story line is knowing the character as well as the fans (who will hold you accountable) do. “As long as you write the characters true to who they are, you can send Viki [slezak’s longtime character] to Mars,” he says. “As long as she has the appropriate reaction.”

“[The role] was a hell of a lot of fun,” says Slezak, who won six Daytime Emmys over the years. “I loved when Viki cut loose and acted as the host of the [different] personalities.”

New York soaps afforded actors like Slezak and Woods the unusual opportunity to play the same role for decades in what amounted to a reliable, high-profile profession. “It was a sustainable, valuable job for many actors in Manhattan,” says DePaiva. “Some wonderful theater performers would work [on soaps] during the day and moonlight on Broadway at night.”

“The reason it was so wonderful for actors in New York,” says Smith, “was that we were here for theater, which we did for the passion, for our art. And daytime was the closest thing to theater on TV.” Plus, she says, “it was a way to pay the bills. It was a great way to have a steady job in an industry without steady jobs.”

Soap stars have watched the decline of the daytime drama since the ’80s. “I saw a chart showing the revenue, and it looked like a plane diving to the ground,” says Clarke, who is one of the rare actors making the transition to the Internet; he currently stars in the online soap “Venice,” as does Smith.

“I never thought it would happen,” says Woods. “To think that there wouldn’t be soap operas produced in New York! I always thought there would be the serial format on ABC, as long as there was an ABC.”

“It leaves a huge hole in daytime TV and in the days of our fans,” says Slezak. “ABC tells us the audience doesn’t want entertainment anymore; that they only want information. I don’t buy that. I want something that will make me laugh, make me cry.”

Read more: http://www.nypost.co...M#ixzz1iuIFUEiR

[DRW50]

I really wish that this offensive and dangerous story would not be used as an example of soaps and social issues.

I'm glad Jordan Clarke is doing OK. I heard he had a stroke a few years ago.

[VirginiaHamilton]

Admittedly, I didn't come back to OLTL after a long hiatus until the real Todd came back, so I only caught the tail end of it (when Jack and the other kid locked "Gigi"/Staci up). Please let me know how come the bullying story was both offensive and dangerous.

[DRW50]

The focus was rarely on the boy who was being bullied. It was all about Jack, the bully, Jack's father Todd (they thought it was Todd at the time), and Rex/Gigi. Rex had Jack beaten up by thugs, which made Jack the victim. When Shane did stand up to Jack, Gigi was killed, sending the message that he was being punished for standing up for himself. Shane became a lunatic, taunting Jack with a gun, while Jack was painted as his victim again. Finally they had the story where crazy/pathetic Shane set a girl up to tape Jack's confession, and the focus was, yet again, on how Jack had suffered thanks to Shane.

The whole story was about nothing more than angst for Shane's parents and about turning Jack into the latest variation of OLTL's favorite male character - he only treats everyone like crap because he's the one suffering the most.

[DRW50]

I forgot to say thank you for the article!

It's sad to see the New York soaps all gone - I think they just captured something so special and unique, especially in the 70's and 80's. In those years, they were the most complex, fascinating, dynamic shows on TV. Just watch some of OLTL, AMC, GL, ATWT, Ryan's Hope in those years.

I just won't let myself believe this is it for soaps in New York. Everything must have another life.

[VirginiaHamilton]

Thanks for responding. I know Shane was following Jack around and eventually got Jack's new girlfriend to tape his confession, but I had no idea how it all started. From what I did see, I didn't care much about Jack and was fine with Shane harassing him. However, Rex getting a bunch of thugs to beat Jack up is just wrong.

[VirginiaHamilton]

You're welcome.

I'm especially sad because there's a whole community of actors (both stage and screen) who will no longer have an avenue to express their talent or get their first break from. Neither will there be a place for production folks to learn the ropes, as the TV/movie industry in NYC will get twice as competitive now that the soap industry here in NYC is gone.

[GregNYC]

NYC's theater actors were perfect for soaps.

[DRW50]

Yeah, that's probably what bothers me most - that training ground being gone. I guess in some ways, with the lack of time to do anything now, soaps have lost that status, but it's still more than you get waiting to have a bit part on Jersey Shore.

[quartermainefan]

The loss of soaps is devestating for actors in NY I would think. There is no national repertory in the US or really any place young actors who are rough and inexperienced can go and work on their skills except on soaps. If we tallied up the number of actors who landed parts on soaps over the last 50 odd years, it would probably be in the tens of thousands. And where will tomorrow's actors go now?

[marceline]

Whatever my issues with the soap genre, I'll always regret what the cancellations OLTL, ATWT and GL as well as the AMC move did to the acting scene in NYC. As a theatre goer, I consider it a special treat when I see a soap actor on stage. I remember when I saw Mark LaMura (Mark Dalton, AMC) in Aida. Plus I just prefer the feel of TV shows shot on the East coast over the ones in LA.

I have a work colleague who, in a previous life, was an extra on OLTL and GL. She's been beside herself with the cancellations.

[~bl~]

I feel sorry for your work colleague marceline. I agree with you that I always found it really great when I was able to see a soap actor on stage. My family could afford to maybe go to one play or musical a year, and to me soaps gave me the opportunity to also see people I only read about (or saw on the Tonys) perform.

This to me is a major blow to the NYC acting scene, as so many people got employed (if even as an extra or under 5.) Soaps gave theater actors the chance to get some more money between gigs (especially if they were involved in short lived productions), and also the chance to be in front of the camera.

I do think the Post did a good job with this article as they talked to people from numerous shows.

[DRW50]

You have to wonder sometimes if people realize how much is being lost. In the public eye, the soaps went from being seen as a joke, to not even worth being mentioned as a joke. I'm glad this article sort of went beyond the usual parade of "Hey let me tell you about all the trashy things my character did."

[GregNYC]

I also liked seeing NYC's theater actors in memorable short term or recurring roles on soaps. Two recent examples are Lea Delaria as Delphina and Barbara Garrick as Allison.

[SFK]

What I most enjoy is having "Aha!" moments realizing short term characters from the past were played by theatre names I have come to know. In a couple of cases, they were people I ended up meeting or working with in NY. I was always the big soap fan and ironically never worked on one like several of my friends. I never even tried, I think I was too scared, even to be an U5. Soaps meant so much more to me than to any of my friends who just saw it as a gig. I would be a nervous wreck.