Fun with contracts!

[Khan]

 

And who could blame him?  Not that ABC had what you'd call "quality programming" back then; their lineup was, well, junk.

[watson71]

Does anyone know how much P&G paid Beverlee McKinsey to star on Texas?   Certainly her "Texas- Starring Beverlee McKinsey" in the opening credits was in her contract.

[titan1978]

Enough that she told someone, might have been Harding that it was a big mistake but she made lots of money doing it!

 

According to her, she also wrote her contracts by the time she quit GL.  I wonder how many other daytime stars did that?

[Franko]

And I just can't see Larry as the villain of the week on Charlie's Angels or Vega$.

 

I've heard about Deidre Hall having primetime appearances included in her contract, but regarding her '80s run, I'm wondering if it was play-or-pay or if she banked what she had coming to her and used it up for a good portion of Our House's run. (Or would that not have been to her advantage?) I mention it because looking at her IMDB page, it looks like she did a few TV movies a couple years apart, one episode of an NBC show (Hot Pursuit) and one episode of an ABC show (Hotel) before Our House. 

Edited February 6, 2021 by Franko

[FrenchBug82]

Of course the way she had her contract written is how she managed to screw the producers over and unexpectedly announce on her last day before a scheduled eight-week vacation that it would actually be her last day on the show altogether and she wouldn't be back.
So I don't know how many other daytime stars had written their contract before her but I am pretty certain none were allowed to afterwards.

 

From an interview with SOD:

 

Weekly: When you took that out in your contract, were you worried about leaving them high and dry, or hurt feelings?

McKinsey: No, I wasn’t. I gave them eight weeks’ notice. I had warned Jill (Farren Phelps) — although I don’t think she paid attention to me — that I was not happy. I was not happy with the storyline. I don’t believe she’d read my contract, and she was not aware that I could quit every six months. I said to her at the time that I discussed that I was unhappy, “I may just have to quit.” And she said, “You have a contract.” And I said, “You better read it.” I don’t think she ever did. So she was really stunned when it happened. I didn’t tell anybody in advance because I didn’t want a big fuss made. I didn’t want a party and all that stuff. So I just did my last scene and left. Plus, I was leaving for this long eight-week vacation, and the last scenes were difficult scenes, and I wanted to be able to concentrate on that and not have to worry about anything else.
Oh, I told the head of wardrobe (David Loveless), because he was already planning what he was going to buy for me for fall. He and I were good friends, and one night at dinner I said,”Don’t buy anything, because this is what’s happening.” So everybody was expecting me to leave that day — they just weren’t expecting me to never come back (laughs).

 

 

It is also true for at least some GH actors (there might be some favoritism over there as to who gets to work over and who doesn't). You will recall Liz and Franco dropped out of sight for a weird period of time considering they were in story sometimes last year because they had gone over their yearly guarantee.

Edited February 6, 2021 by FrenchBug82

[Paul Raven]

Read in an old (1981) Daytimers mag that Victoria Wyndham had in her contract that there were certain days of the week she would not be required to work (maybe Mon or Fri, so she would have along weekend?) Because of that they had to structure the story to cater for that.

Edited February 12, 2021 by Paul Raven

[FrenchBug82]

That actually makes a lot of sense although if she kept that clause all the way til the end, I can't imagine it would have been much of a problem to schedule her that way with a more modern shooting schedule/style. Another World's theatrical style at the time might have been less flexible hence the difficulties.

I also remember reading a while back that an actress (and sorry I don't have a memory of who) had also put in their contract that, barring special events like weddings that take all day, the call times for their scenes were to be in the morning so they could be out by the afternoon to pick up kids from school etc.

 

Edited February 12, 2021 by FrenchBug82

[j swift]

I just read two fun ones in the Soaps of Yesterday Tumblr

 

1.  In his first run on GH, Tony Geary had a clause in his contract that he could leave immediately if Gloria Monty was fired or quit.

 

2.  Days had written the perfect out for Liz Chandler (Gloria Loring) when Liz shot Marie right before Gloria's contract was set to expire.  However, it was implied that Gloria's team staged a PR campaign, (including a protest by "fans" at NBC), in order to get a better contract.  The new contract allowed for outs for her cabaret act, staring roles in two primetime NBC movies of the week, and a unique clause that I've never heard before, Ms. Loring was allowed to use the DAYS logo in advertisements for her new line of beauty products (hopefully the tagline was not about how the cleansers were as gritty as sands through the hourglass).

Edited February 12, 2021 by j swift

[Paul Raven]

Looking at imdb Gloria had a co starring role (with Ann Jillian) in an NBC TV Movie  'Convicted-A Mother's Story' in 87 , after her Days stint, but nothing else that  indicates any of those contract provisions were put into practice.

Maybe they were pay or play deals...

[j swift]

 

Can you imagine the hairspray budget for an Ann Jillian/Gloria Loring movie in 1987?  I would bet that even in prison those ladies were perfectly coiffed, but very little eye liner to intone the serious nature of the drama.

 

Primetime roles were a standard contract perk,as you've mentioned in prior posts.  However, unlike La Lucci or Deidre Hall, there was no indication that network movies were being developed for them specifically, so there was no guarantee that the soap actor would actually get a part.  For that reason I doubt that they were pay or play deals, more likely just allowance for time off.  Personally, I would have held out for a better parking space, a spot on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and some free clothes.

 

Here's an interesting note about acting residuals regarding Texas for the many discussions on this board about replaying P&G soaps from the Soaps of Yesterday tumblr.

 

 

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Edited February 12, 2021 by j swift

[JAS0N47]

 

Just looked it up. Here you go!

 

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[j swift]

@Paul Raven @JAS0N47 I hadn't realized the prison movie was post-Days, but she mentions two roles, so it tracks.

 

I'm surprised there isn't more response to the Texas news, because to me it brings up multiple questions: (1) Did P&G make those types of contracts that limited residuals on all of their other soaps (eg EON)? (2) Did P&G plan to syndicate Texas from the outset or were these contracts just incredibly prescient? (3) Wasn't it unlikely that Texas would return to production, given that the producer, writer, and actors had all moved on to other gigs?

 

These are obviously rhetorical and I don't expect anyone really knows the answers, but it really fills in the blanks of the multiple P&G suppositions amongst members of this board. 

 

Also, can we all agree that Lynda Hirsch needs a better editor?

Edited February 13, 2021 by j swift

[Paul Raven]

Regarding Loring and the TV movies

I'm not sure her getting the role had anything to do with the Days contract.

If it did, then maybe the contract stated that she would be put up for roles in two TV movies i.e. rather than having to submit and then audition she would go to the head of the queue (but not necessarily be guaranteed the role) Does that make sense?

 

Re Texas

Whatever union soap actors belonged to (AFTRA in NY I think) there might have been a general provision for repeat payments that previously did not apply to soap actors but was there for other formats where repeats were more likely.

As the 80's dawned and cable and VCRs took off the unions had to fight for performers to benefit from exposure in those formats.

As for Texas coming back, that seems like hype but the show could have been revived with a new production team and writers. I'm sure they could have got a few actors back, some recasts and reformatted it around them.

[titan1978]

I can imagine the Dark Shadows thing was the reason why that clause might have been in place for some talent with great agents.  Even if it seemed crazy, I can imagine some agent adding that clause thinking that Dark Shadows crap is never happening to my talent again!!

 

[JAS0N47]

 

I took it as she auditioned for movies knowing she was leaving Days, and probably knowing the start dates for the movies would be after her Days contract ended, so I don't think the Convicted movie had anything to do with her Days contract, just that she booked it as she was exiting Days.