Irna Phillips and Rosemarry Prinz? What Happened between them?

[allmc2008]

I am aware that Rosemarry Prinz and Irna did not get along and Rosemarry was institutionalized because of her. What all did Irna do?

[Kendall]

http://www.nypost.co...lJwGGFjR9Hh6lkJ

We Started on April 2, 1956. Nobody knew whether the actors and crew were capable of a half-hour show a day, live. It was all live, which is quite different from now. I used to call it “summer stock in an iron lung.”

My character, Penny Hughes, was America’s sweetheart at the time. It was the ’50s, and back then women were good or they were bad — there was no in-between.

The women were long-suffering. You suffered if your character fooled around and wasn't married. Something terrible would happen: Your child would die or whatever it was. Always, the women paid, for any mistake.

You couldn’t get divorced. Any man that was interested in Penny, when he got cast, could not sign a long contract. Because the only way you could get rid of him was to kill him! There was such a succession — my name turned out to be Penny Baker Hughes Baker Wade Maguire, and then one other name I can’t remember.

One of the favorites of the day was Penny and Jeff — that was everyone’s favorite couple. Mark Rydell was Jeff — he’s a famous director now; he did “On Golden Pond” — he and I were Penny and Jeff.

I don’t know about anybody else, but Mark and I had a romantic relationship. Which I suppose was the reason it was appreciated by the audience.

There would be these page-and-a-half monologues, and they’d be all emotion — you’d be crying all day. And there were no hairdressers or makeup — we were responsible for that. We had one wardrobe person for the show. I had six outfits, and I just kept wearing them.

I used to get my hair done at the Larry Matthews Salon on 57th, where all the hookers went. It was a 24-hour salon and I would have to go at 5 in the morning because I’d have to be on set by 7. So there’d be all these hookers there getting freshened up. It was certainly interesting.

We would go to rehearsal at 7 in the morning, and we were on the air at 1:30, and at 2 we would be through with that show. And at 2:30 we would have the next day’s script and we would sit at a table and read it and cut it to time. Because we had to come out on time. You had to learn the cuts, word for word, because they would cut on a certain word. If you didn’t say it exactly right, the boom man might not be in the right position and you could get a concussion standing up!

Irna Phillips, the head writer, used to get mad at me, because in my time off I would go do plays, and not be Penny, and I was supposed to be Penny all the time.

Penny would never drink or smoke, and of course I did both. It was in the contract — we weren't supposed to do anything. If there was a publicity shot, they’d take the glass and the cigarette away, and the next day I would get this flack [saying], “You ungrateful wretch! You’re Penny, you’re supposed to be the grieving widow.” And I said, “No, no, you don’t understand. I’m not Penny.” Penny is a character. I would constantly have to tell her that.

Penny was having some kind of crisis. I just decided to cut my hair. Irna was not Happy. Irna said 'You can not cut your hair, ' What could they do? I could not uncut it." One of Prinz's most vivid examples of going toe-to-toe with Irna was when she was starring in Two for Two Seesaw in Chicago." At the time, one of our writers was Billy Bell." She is referring to William J Bell. His wife, Lee, was doing a fifteen minute a day talk show in Chicago. I was traveling with my schnauzer, Murray. Lee suggested we open the spot with Murray sitting on my lap. Murray turns his head and sees a dog in the monitor. He went crazy and started yapping. Lee and I kept laughing. We were having all this fun. I did not have my foot out the studio door when Irna called. She was furious. 'You have destroyed the character of Penny. She is a recent widow.' Neal Wade, my onscreen husband, had just died on the show. Irna only wanted me grieve. I replied that I was in a play where my character slept with dozens of men. Was I supposed to do that in my real life? When Irna suggested I was being silly. I said 'Irna you bore me' and hung up. Irna was not used to being hung up on. Her poor assistant called me right back. Irna was certain that there was a problem with the phone."

Irna would have a fit. She’d write something for the show, she’d have me say to my then husband, “You know, Gloria and I are very much alike.” And he’d say, “Now Penny, Gloria is beautiful and talented.” Things like that.

I broke all the rules, and then I would say, “Just fire me! Go ahead! I don’t want to be on this show anyway!” Every time they’d come up with something, I’d [refer to my contract’s end and just] say, “’68!”

And they would know exactly what that meant. I was looking seriously forward to that.

When Kennedy died, there was four days of complete television coverage, Friday to Monday, and it was just — the nation was in this deep mourning. It was just 9/11, for four days. And when we got back on Tuesday, I said, “We can’t just have a scene without mentioning what we've all been through.”

They said, “Oh, no, we can’t do that. Just do the script.” So I started a scene with Grandpa, and of course it’s live, what are they going to do? So I said, “Grandpa, here we are talking about Tommy, and after all the country’s been through for the last four days.” I got in what I had to say. And then they all rushed down from the control room and I said, “Oh God, I just said the first thing that came into my head!”

Irna got even with me in the end. I couldn't wait for my contract to be over — I paid the analyst, I got un-crazy and I didn't want to do the show anymore. And so Irna had me steal my brother’s child and go off to England. So this heroine is suddenly doing this terrible thing.

They tried to put another Penny in my place, and there was apparently such an uproar that the actress was fried after her 13-week contract was up.

I mean, the things they would go off on were just really so irrational. I mean, can you imagine? And of course they love it now, when you get all that tabloid press. But I was supposed to be this monument of goodness.

[Paul Raven]

The thing that puzzles me is that Rosemary stayed for 13 years.If things were that bad for her why did she keep re-signing her contract? Probably the money and maybe she had good relationships with castmates,but she never mentions any positives.

[Kendall]

I remember reading this atwt anniversary book that Rosemary signed a record setting contract in 63 for $750 per episode..it was unheard of at the time because of the length..she also got a huge 50k signing bonus but her contract however had perks..meaning she wasn't allowed to do certain things because queen IRNA wanted to control the biggest STAR on daytime.

Irna was a genius but a hot mess LOL. CAN you imagine a modern version of this woman on Y&R OR GH? Those egos would be checked.

[kylefish76]

RP signed a 12 year contract from the start

[MrQuartermaine]

I believe it was Don Hastings that said Irna used to fire people left and right regardless of contracts. The actors felt they were working on a day to day basis.

Kay Campbell once said, "I'll never forget once on As the World Turns, Rosemary Prinz did a scene, and when we were only off the air five minutes, Irna was on the phone and tore her to pieces. I don't think Irna liked actors."

[glatwt]

what year was Irna stopped from giving any input into her show's?? this woman always interested me with her CRaziNEsS!!

[edgeofnight]

Speaking from the perspective of a P&G raised baby boomer (I was born 3 weeks after ATWT and Edge of Night premiered), when Rosemary went to 'briefly' launch AMC, and then, 'How To Survive a Marriage,' I felt as if there was a divorce in the family, and couldn't understand why Rosemary was no longer on ATWT.

My mother told me that when I went with her to the grocery store, as a very young child, when I saw anything that was P&G, I'd point and say 'Buy P&G!' I was fully indoctrinated.