Interview: Alina Adams Brings Soaps Into the Digital Age

While you might not know Alina Adams by name (yet), you do know her by her body of work. She’s worn many hats in the soap-opera community, including writer, host, content producer, developer, etc. She’s authored soap-opera tie-in books “Oakdale Confidential,” “The Man From Oakdale” and “Jonathan’s Story,” and is also the woman behind the “Another World” website, which has carried the show on into the 21st century even though the NBC version was canceled in 1999. Alina is also the writer of Mindy Lewis Bauer’s Twitter feed (twitter.com/MindyLewisBauer), the writings of the popular “Guiding Light” character, who chronicles the ongoing drama that’s still happening in Springfield, after “Guiding Light’s” 2009 cancellation.

Perhaps most forward-looking of all Alina’s projects is the development of enhanced electronic books which, in addition to standard text, features video, music, graphics and links relevant to the story. An enhanced e-book can be experienced on tablets, iPads, smartphones and computers — all you need is an Internet connection and a free Kindle app. I spoke with Alina recently about electronic innovations and the future of soaps.

Daytime Dial: One of your first interactive projects in the genre was to bring “Another World” back via storytelling on AnotherWorldToday.com. How did you decide on the format in which to bring it back?

Alina Adams: TeleNext had put up reruns of “Another World” on hulu.com. It was 2009, exactly 10 years after the show had gone off the air. I suggested we do some out-of-the-box thinking. Instead of just telling people: “Here are some reruns. Watch these episodes,” we’ll update the story. Let’s work with the characters that were in the episodes that they were showing and use the episodes on Hulu as flashbacks, and combine text and video in a completely new multimedia format.

DD: And then when you incorporated Mindy with that by having her refer to “AW” on her Twitter feed, that was a great tie-in.

AA: Everybody loves a crossover! You could either pick up new readers — or in this case, new followers — or you won’t. It’s highly unlikely you would lose anyone as a result of it. So it’s a win-win situation.

DD: Mindy’s “Guiding Light” Twitter started as a promotion for the 25th high-school reunion of the Four Musketeers (Phillip, Beth, Rick and Mindy), and you guys decided to keep it going. Back then, it was affiliated with “Guiding Light,” but you’ve decided to continue it on your own since the show’s cancellation.

AA: TeleNext knows this is going on. They can’t officially sanction it, but they are not taking it down. It says right there on the profile: “This is no longer affiliated with TeleNext.”

DD: I also love the interactive quality of Mindy’s Twitter, where she asks her followers for advice on what to do in certain situations.

AA: Twitter is terrific that way. It creates immediacy and intimacy. And believe me, the fans definitely have their opinions on how things should be handled, and they aren’t afraid to voice it.

DD: Tell me about your enhanced electronic book “Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime’s Greatest Moments.”

AA: I reached out to the fans on transmedia — Facebook, Twitter, fan clubs, soap sites — and I asked them to tell me their favorite, most memorable moment from the beginning of soaps until now. I received a wonderful avalanche of responses. Once I compiled those lists, I went to either the actor, writer or producer who was involved in the scene, and I got the story of how the scene came together.

For example, after Linda Dano tells you about what it was like to shoot the intervention scenes on “Another World,” there the scene is — you can click a button on your tablet and watch it. I developed the idea as a fan and as a consumer. If you’re reading a book that’s telling you about something great that happened, you want to see it right then, and we now have the technology to make that happen.

Read more about Alina Adams and her innovations for the future of soaps at alinaadams.com. And if you need a belated gift for the soap lover in your family, go to amazon.com and order “Soap Opera 451” for immediate download.

See Eileen Fulton in Pennsylvania

PRESS RELEASE

Legendary soap star, cabaret singer and raconteur, Eileen Fulton, will appear at Bob Egan’s – New Hope Cabaret, at the Ramada of New Hope, PA on Sunday afternoon, April 17th at 3:00 PM, in a new show, Blame It On My Youth.

Directed by Diana Basmajian, with Bob Goldstone as Music Director and Tom Hubbard on Bass, Fulton will delight audiences when she adds her signature flair to such classic standards as "Fever," "Blue Moon" and "Stormy Weather," among others. She will also perform a special rendition of "Blame It On My Youth," the famous jazz standard written by Oscar Levant and Edward Heyman.

Fulton will also share memorable stories of growing up as a preacher’s daughter in North Carolina; becoming the vixen of daytime television; her time spent in Hollywood and all of her loves and let go’s — the men who got away — and the men who she survived to tell about.

Most recognized for her role as Lisa Grimaldi on the popular CBS soap As the World Turns, Fulton is also an established recording artist and cabaret performer as well as author of multiple books. She has also performed on stage in such Broadway productions as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf as well as many off-Broadway productions such as The Fantasticks. She has been the recipient of many prestigious awards such as the Lifetime Achievement Award by the TV Academy and was also inducted into the Soap Opera Hall of Fame.

The show has a $25 music charge with a $15 food and drink minimum. The Ramada of New Hope is located at 6426 Lower York Road. (Route 202) New Hope, PA 18938. For reservations or to purchase tickets please call: 215-862-5221 or visit: www.BobEgansnewhope.com

Interview Outtakes

Most of the time when I am conducting an interview with a soap star, I have more interview material than space for printing the interview. Here are some blurbs from stars that did not make it to the print version of the interview, but were too good not to publish.

Julie Marie Berman (Lulu Spencer, “General Hospital”) on whether Dante’s feelings for her would change if he knew she had had an abortion years ago: “I think she feels like she wants to be honest about everything that’s gone on in her life, whether it’s necessary for him to know is anyone’s opinion. But in Lulu’s case, I think she wants to be completely honest with who she is and what she’s been through. This is something that is still a big thing that goes on in her head, and I don’t think she can live her life without being reminded of this. Because it has shaped who she is today, I think she wants to be honest with Dante about that episode. With that, I think she is worried that he might not look at her the same way. Even if he can accept it, I think she’s just worried that it’ll change what they have right now. Obviously if he were not to accept her for that, I think it would heartbreaking, but at the end of the day, she’ll be with someone who can accept her for the choices that she’s made in life and who she is today.”

Justin Bruening (ex-Jamie Martin, “All My Children”) on getting recognized by fans: “Sometimes you get into a little routine with something, and I remember there was a situation on ‘All My Children’ once, I was signing autographs and stuff, and you start getting used to people stopping you on the street. The second someone stops you and they’re like, ‘Hey, you’re Justin, right?’ and you’re ready to sign an autograph. That happened to me once, and it was actually someone that I went to high school with who just wanted to say hi.” 

Marnie Schulenburg (ex-Allison Stewart on “As the World Turns”) on comparing getting her start on soaps to “acting boot camp”: “It’s an incredible; it’s like a school. You learn so much. If you are lucky enough to have that opportunity, then you are truly a blessed actor. This has certain limitations, because it is very specific in its delivery and in its style. So, if you are someone who wants change or wants something different to grow from, you can either do both (‘ATWT’ and NY theater) like I was lucky enough to do. I had the freedom to do other acting stuff while I was there, but you are not always able to do that. But I loved it. I loved it for the people and for what I learned from it, but I think I’m ready to try some other venue now.”

Ken Corday (Executive Producer, “Days of Our Lives”) on how the “Days”/“Friends” tie-in came about: “It happened when Jeff Zucker was the West Coast chief programmer —it came out of his fertile mind. Brandon Tartikoff, who had trained Jeff, was always a staunch believer in the talent pool of daytime television. He said, ‘You know, Ken, from your talent pool of 30 or some odd actors that we see every day, there are usually one or two who catch our eye that we want to break out.’ Alison Sweeney is the current example. It was NBC publicity that came to us and said, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun if Drake’ — the ‘Friends’ character of Drake Ramore, who was modeled after Drake Hogestyn — ‘was the name of the character on the “Friends” version of “Days” who would be played by Joey?’ We call it cross-pollenization. It’s wonderful. It lets the primetime viewer know that NBC has respect for ‘Days of Our Lives,’ and it lets ‘Days of Our Lives’ viewers know that their favorites on primetime are watching the show.”

ATWT Stops Spinning Friday

Don't forget to tune in to As the World Turns all this week, as the long-running show will air its final broadcast on Friday, Sept. 17. And check out my Marnie Schulenberg interview here.

Interview (ATWT): Marnie Schulenburg Says Goodbye to Oakdale

After 54 years and more than 13,000 episodes, the “World” will stop spinning for cast, crew and fans of the longest-running soap opera on television today. As the World Turns will air its final episode on Sept. 17. I caught up with Marnie Schulenburg (who has played Alison Stewart since March 2007) recently to discuss the show, those last days on the set and her plans for the future.

Daytime Dial: When you heard the news that the show was going to be canceled, how did you react, and what was the general consensus around the set?

Marnie Schulenburg: I found out, I think it was right before Christmas, and I think it was solidified in January. That’s an awful time in general for people to find out, just because that’s supposed to be the happiest, giving time of year, and to know that your job and source of income is coming to an end is difficult for everybody. I’m younger, and I have less responsibility. I have a lot more freedom to be allowed to be out of a job. But a lot of the people on the show have lots of kids, or they have families, or it’s been their life. So, for me it was just sad watching people who had pretty much become my family for the past three and a half years go through that and the many different levels of what that means. From anger to sadness, feeling nostalgia to being sentimental — everybody has a different way of coping and dealing, and to watch people you love go through that is really difficult and sad.

DD: And like you said, you all really are like a family, so it’s like your family is being broken up.

MS: It really is, especially for the people like Don Hastings, Kathryn Hays and Eileen Fulton — the people who have been on the show since almost the beginning. Some people have pursued careers outside of the soap more than others. Some have kept busy with other projects, but those who really mainly focused on the soap and just had their families, it’s like the possibility of a career outside of that, they wonder, is that something that they even want to pursue? Is it time to retire? So, that is really difficult, too.

DD: A lot of actors, like those from Guiding Light, are finding work on remaining soaps. The cancellation of ATWT could give some actors new opportunities, and might even compel ATWT viewers to watch a new soap to follow that actor, creating higher numbers for the shows that do remain on the air.

MS: I feel like a lot of us are very versatile actors. I just read an article that quoted, I believe it was Les Moonves of CBS, saying that he wasn’t sure if there was a place for daytime anymore. The medium is changing. But since there are soaps leaving, then those viewers could then go over to another network and watch another show. That is very probable. But even with that being said, the viewership isn’t what it was even three years ago. We aren’t losing all the viewers; there are just different ways that they are watching our show, and it’s really difficult to monitor that and then prove to the networks that we are still maintaining popularity. I can tell them that half of my family and friends are TiVoing it and DVRing it or watching it online, but until we are able to monitor this source of how people are watching our show, what can we do?

DD: So, take me back to that final day of shooting. What was it like on the set?

MS: Once we found out, everybody went through different phases of coping: sadness to anxiety to anger to relief to whatever. But the last couple of days it was like, whatever stress people had, including myself, about where are we going and how were we going to make a living, that kind of melted away. Everything was relished. Everything was given respect, and it wasn’t rushed; it was honored. The last day, everybody clapped after everybody’s scene. Anytime anyone was done, we would all clap, and that was a wrap for them. That we were given that respect, that was really great.

There were an insane amount of pictures taken and a lot of crying. We did the last scene of the day with Don Hastings, Marie Masters and Kathy Hayes — three of the best, three really great people who started the show. When they were done, everybody came out and took pictures. Everybody on the show stayed, across the board, and we all made toasts for two hours — everybody toasting to one another and saying things that they made sure they wanted said. It was really beautiful.

DD: I know you can’t tell me how the show will end, but can you give me a little hint?

MS: It’s definitely going to be, I’d say for most of the people, a happy ending. For any character who doesn’t get one, I think they have pretty much already wrapped that up. Our fans are really in tune with the story lines and where they think characters are going to go. They are normally pretty much right on the nose with how stuff ends up. We want people to leave the show with a good feeling. It’s resolved and happy, and they can leave remembering the characters in a positive light. You won’t see anything extreme. They really want to keep it grounded, honest, compelling and resolved. A resolution for everybody to leave so they feel it has a poignant finish.

DD: Would you consider a role on another soap, or do you want to go in a different direction?

MS: If I got a job, I wouldn’t turn it down. I don’t think I’m going to go out of my way to pursue another job on another soap. I just don’t think it would be the same. I don’t think any show would ever be the same. ATWT changed my life. It changed how I am as an actor. I learned so much from it. I don’t think that anything could ever really give me that type of satisfaction.

Win a Piece of ATWT

Every week (for the next six weeks) leading up to the finale, CBS.com will host a contest for fans to win memorable pieces of the As the World Turns wardrobe. Fans can answer a question of the week, which then automatically enters them to win prizes such as Henry’s button-down shirt and tie. For more information, please visit http://www.cbs.com/daytime/as_the_world_turns/.

Interview (ATWT): Eileen Fulton Remembers Helen Wagner

The soap world lost an icon on Saturday, May 1. Helen Wagner (pictured, left) — who originated the role of Nancy Hughes on “As the World Turns” in 1956, and even spoke the venerable soap’s first lines — passed away at the age of 91. Her last on-screen appearance was in April for the remarriage of Bob and Kim, as well as the much-lauded return of Julianne Moore to her old stomping grounds in Oakdale.

I caught up recently with Eileen Fulton (pictured, below), who has played Lisa on “ATWT” since 1960, and was a lifelong friend and cast mate of Helen Wagner. Eileen, like many of us, was shellshocked when she heard the news that Helen had passed: “I am just reeling from it.

“I was shocked when I heard the news. She was just on the show a few weeks ago, looking so good and being so sharp and with it.”

Back in the early days of the show, Helen and Eileen shared a dressing room. “Needless to say, it was close quarters. But we liked each other a lot. I had the greatest respect for her. I have never seen anyone in my life who, as the years went on, got more beautiful. She was just amazing to me. I would just stare at her, because her hair was so gorgeous, and just her way was so beautiful. And I have to say, without exception, she had the greatest legs in daytime television.”

Much like her alter ego, Helen had a nurturing air about her. Eileen tells me: “I learned a lot about cooking from her. We used to share recipes. She had a great stew recipe. We shared so much. To see her bring her handwork to the studio — her needlepoint — was so wonderful. She did needlepoint for all of the chairs in her dining room; she did that in character as Nancy.

“The things she did in real life, she put to work in the show. Like her cooking — when fans would send her aprons, she would wear them on the show.”

Eileen laughs to remember a little-known fact about Helen: “She and her husband, Bob, were big football fans. She would get into the biggest arguments with Don McLaughlin and Don Hastings and the other men on the show, and they would have these rip-roaring arguments about what players should do what, and so on. She could certainly stand up to anybody; she knew football.”

What Eileen will remember most about Helen is what fans also loved about her, and about Nancy as well. “I’ll remember her smile, her hair, her kindness to people — and she was really sharp. That was Helen. She was always supportive of people on the show. She was always gracious.”

While Eileen found it hard to encapsulate 50 years of friendship, she is grateful for all the memories she’ll take away. “I’ve had some wonderful scenes with Helen. I think one of the best scenes we had together was when poor Eduardo was killed and Lisa was moping about; she came over and brought a mop and some stuff to clean the blood off the floor. ‘You have to get on with it,’ was her attitude. That was Helen as well. Get over it.”

It will be a while before fans get over the death of “ATWT’s” matriarch, and it will be even tougher for the cast mates she has left behind. “My one regret is that she didn’t hang on a little bit longer to wrap the show up (when it ends in September). That’s the thing that keeps haunting me. As you know, she spoke the first words on ‘ATWT.’ We were all hoping she’d have the last words, too.”

Marnie Schulenburg Appearance in Delaware

Marnie Schulenburg (Alison Snyder on ATWT) will appear at the 90th Annual Wilmington Flower Market on Saturday, May 8. On behalf of 93.7 WSTW and 1150am WDEL, Marnie will serve as a celebrity judge for a vocal a capella competition, as well as participate in a meet and greet with fans. The charity event benefits several children's charities throughout Delaware and the Delaware Valley.

Helen Wagner ATWT' Matriarch, Dies at 91

(from CBS news)

Actress Helen Wagner, who played mild-mannered Nancy Hughes on the CBS soap opera "As the World Turns" for more than a half-century and spoke its first words, has died at age 91.

She died Saturday, said the show's New York-based production company, TeleNext Media Inc., which didn't say where she died or what was the cause of her death.

Wagner opened "As the World Turns" when it premiered on April 2, 1956, with the words: "Good morning, dear." She held the Guinness World Record for playing the same role on television for the longest amount of time, 54 years, TeleNext Media said.

"All of us at 'As the World Turns' are deeply saddened by Helen's passing," executive producer Christopher Goutman said in a statement. "She is loved by generations of fans, and while we will miss her greatly Helen will always remain the heart and soul of 'As the World Turns."'

While Wagner, who was born in Lubbock, Texas, was seen less often in later decades, no other network television performer came close to her run playing a single character.

She was still part of the cast, though with a small presence, in December 2009, when CBS announced that "As the World Turns" was being canceled and its last episode would air in September 2010.

Her final appearance aired April 5, in an episode in which Julianne Moore, a series regular in the 1980s whose two half-sister characters played Wagner's granddaughters, returned for a guest walk-on. The episode was taped in March.

Interview Outtakes, Part 6

Most of the time when I am conducting an interview with a soap star, I have more interview material than space for printing the interview. Here are some blurbs from stars that did not make it to the print version of the interview, but were too good not to publish.

Sharon Case (pictured, Sharon Newman, “The Young and the Restless”): “Right now, whenever I do a scene with Nick, I am aware that the love of my life is standing next to me. We might not be together, but they still have a lot of scenes together, and they share a son together. For me, every time I am in the room with Nick, it is a love scene between Nick and Sharon. We can’t be in the same room together and it not be about love. Even if we are fighting, it is about love. It is always there. I don’t think it is really over; it is just being played continuously in another form.”

Dominic Zaprogna (Dante Falconeri, “General Hospital”): When I read (the script with the scene of Dante falling asleep before he and Lulu could finally make love), I was like: ‘No, he doesn’t fall asleep! Come on! I’ve heard of that happening before, but I didn’t think I was gonna be the one!’ However, that is the same night he leaves the hospital, and I think he’s pretty drugged up. I mean, come on, he could have a heart attack. But I think it could be worth it at this point.”


JoBeth Williams (ex-Brandy Shelloe, “Guiding Light”): “For a long time, I was a workaholic. I felt very uncomfortable if I wasn’t working. Having kids really changed my perspective, as I think it does for many people, particularly women. My husband, who is a director, and I knew that we really didn’t want to be away from our sons. You just have to make choices, and they are choices that are often hard to make. There could be work that you wanted to take, but you can’t because your spouse is away working. Once you have a family, your perspective changes on how to balance work and life.”

Eileen Fulton (Lisa Grimaldi, “As the World Turns”): “I have so many stories I could tell you from the early days of filming the show. I remember we moved to Grand Central Station for our studio at one point. There was an office building there, and we had our studio there. We came on at 1:30, and at 1:35, all the dishes in Nancy’s cabinet started to rattle. There was a train coming into the station that had a square wheel or something, and it went ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom.

“Oakdale is supposed to be out in mid-America, near Chicago. It always varied how near Chicago was: Sometimes it took an overnight train to get there, and sometimes someone could drive it in the half-hour the show was on. At one point, our studio was over on 57th Street near the Hudson River, and the Queen Elizabeth would come in with its horn blaring, unmistakably, and here we are supposedly in the middle of America with big ships coming to port.

“Oh, and I caught the set on fire one time – it was Cherries Jubilee. We had to start timing this thing in the morning. I had to serve this flaming Cherries Jubilee to all of the Hughes men. I had to look around and say: ‘I see we’ve all finished. Shall we go to the garden?’ In rehearsal, we went over and over it, timing all of our bites, so that we were finished eating when my line came. So we kept pouring more and more brandy into the dessert; we were looped by the time we went on the air. Grandpa Hughes ate a flaming spoonful of fire.”

Colleen Zenk Pinter Arrested on Suspicion of DUI

Colleen Zenk Pinter, who plays Barbara Ryan on As the World Turns, was arrested last week on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

Colleen, 57, was pulled over by police in Wilton, Connecticut, for erratic driving and crossing into the oncoming lane of traffic around 1:00am on Thursday, April 1. Police administered field sobriety tests, which she failed. She was taken into custody and charged with DUI and improper lane usage.

The Norwalk Hour reports that Pinter had a blood alcohol count of .119, which is over the limit of .08. The actress is scheduled to appear in court on April 15. She could face a $1,000 fine and up to three months in jail.

Julianne Moore Returns to Oakdale

UPDATE: Julianne's return will air Monday, April 5. THAT'S TODAY!! TUNE IN!

(from CBS Soaps In Depth)

Big-screen superstar Julianne Moore is returning to As the World Turns and the role of Frannie Hughes — if only for an episode — this spring. CBS is at last confirming the hottest rumor of the last few weeks — that Moore will make a special return to the soap that helped launch her career! The Oscar-nominated star played the dual roles of half sisters Frannie and Sabrina Hughes from 1985-’88 and won the Outstanding Ingenue Daytime Emmy in 1988, the year she exited the soap. While details regarding her stint are being closely guarded, sources share with Soaps In Depth that it's likely Frannie's arrival will coincide with Bob and Kim's anniversary. Stay tuned for more details as they become available!

Interview ATWT: Eileen Fulton and the Infamous "Granny Clause," Pt. 2

In her 50 years of playing Lisa Grimaldi on As the World Turns, you can bet Eileen Fulton has seen pretty much everything. From on-air accidents to offset death threats, Eileen has been through it all. But in true Lisa fashion, Eileen, like her alter ego, is a survivor.

Daytime Dial: Doing the show live every day, there must have been some mishaps you had to try to work around.
Eileen Fulton: I remember some horrible things that happened live on the air. Penny and Chris were having a very serious conversation in the kitchen, and Don MacLaughlin went over and opened the refrigerator, and everything fell out. But you were timed down to the second, so you had to keep on. He had cut himself, and Rosemary Prinz was taking care of his hand, wrapping it up in a dishtowel, picking up the stuff, and they still got it all timed. I thought that was amazing.

DD: I know you caught a lot of flak for instilling the “Granny Clause” in your contract. Any regrets about that?
EF: Absolutely none whatsoever. I thought it was clever. That was about 1974. I had gone on vacation, and when I came back, they had grown Tom up, and he was marrying Carol. I said, “I will not be a grandmother.” I was on the phone with Irna Phillips, and she said: “Oh yes you will. This is what happens.” I said: “No, I will not. I am in the middle of a big love affair with Michael Shea. If that happens, you’ll have to kill me off.” And she says, “Well, you have to.” And I said, “Well, I haven’t signed my contract.” They had a fit, but they finally wrote in the clause. Therefore, Carol became sterile — sterile Carol.


And it really did save my career. I remember that Claire, played by Barbara Berjer, was married to the man Lisa was having the affair with. A guardian angel must have been on my shoulder that day we were taping and told me, “Go into the control room.” One of the directors was saying how Claire, who had grandchildren, was about to become a great-grandmother, because one of her grandchildren was going to be a parent. He said: “We can’t have Barbara being a great-grandmother; she’s too young. We’ll have to kill her.” And they hit her with a truck.


It did cause me trouble later on when Tom, played by Greg Marx, married Margo, played by Hillary B. Smith, and Greg wanted to go back to the West Coast. They were like, we’ve just gotten Tom married — he can’t go. And they didn’t know how to handle it. How can they break up Tom and Margo? Back then, they didn’t replace actors so quickly, like they do now. They had Margo get pregnant and lose the baby. She decided to go on duty (as a police officer), and she had a miscarriage. People blamed me — that was ’85 or ’86. I had such horrible, threatening mail. They called me a baby-killer. I had to have a bodyguard.

DD: What was your reaction when your good friend Colleen Zenk Pinter was diagnosed with oral cancer a few years back?
EF: I was devastated, absolutely devastated. She is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever known — how she’s handled it, how she’s made it public to warn other people. I think she’s a terrific mom, and to hold down a career — words cannot express my admiration for her.

DD: How would you like to see the show go out when it wraps up in September?
EF: I think they should really wrap up the characters that people most care about, in a good way. I also think it should be done in a glamorous, fun way. I think they’ll do the best they can. Lisa needs to get with one other person, at least. She should marry a nobleman, and then she could be Lady Lisa. She needs a title! I personally want to ride out of town on a golden coach drawn by gorgeous horses.

DD: What are your plans for after the show ends? Will you do your nightclub acts, maybe write another memoir?
EF: I am already doing a big nightclub act in New York at Don’t Tell Mama’s on April 16, 17 and 18 — that’s when our last fan-club luncheon is going to be. I am going to do a tribute to “ATWT” in this show. 

The last memoir I did was in 1990, so I guess I need to do another one. I’ve been thinking about that; in fact, I’ve been encouraged by people to do it. That is definitely something to think about.

Interview (ATWT): Eileen Fulton Celebrates a Half-Century as Lisa, Part 1

Eileen Fulton is the original Diva of Daytime. As Lisa Grimaldi on As the World Turns, she has navigated uncharted territories and forged pathways for actresses who came after her — and she did it all on her terms. I spoke with Eileen recently about the time she spent on this venerable soap — 50 years in May, to be exact.

Daytime Dial: Did you have any idea when you first started on ATWT back in 1960 that you’d be celebrating your 50th anniversary with the show?

Eileen Fulton: Never! Not in a million years. I remember I screamed and hollered and yelled when they wanted me to sign a seven-year contract. I said: “Are you crazy? I’m not going to be here in seven years!” I wouldn’t sign it. They had to get it lower, but I don’t remember what I finally decided on.

DD: How has the soap-opera genre changed and evolved since you began all those years ago?

EF: Pardon the pun, but it was a world of difference. First of all, we were live and we were a half-hour show, and it was in black-and-white. We read the script in the afternoon, rehearsed, fought for our cuts and changes and blocked it. And the next morning, we came in and had a dress rehearsal, got our final notes and went on live. It was like doing a play every day. Sometimes there would only be four of us on the show that day; those were tough days. The stage managers would be offstage just in your peripheral vision, telling you to speed up or to stretch, and I would tell them, don’t do that to me, because I totally forget where I am. We made a deal, they’d do all that to Don Hastings, because he could handle that and I could not. I couldn’t even use a teleprompter; it takes you out of it.

DD: How are you and Lisa similar?

EF: Lisa is extraordinarily impulsive, like Eileen. That’s about the only thing we have in common.

DD: Lisa is THE prototype of the daytime diva, which now every show imitates. How does it feel to be such a trendsetter?

EF: I am very proud of that. I really am. It’s just terrific. The thing that really surprised me is people would come up to me and say, “I named my daughter for you.” I’d think: “How could you name your daughter after my character? She’s such a bitch.” They’d say, “Lisa is a survivor.”

DD: What are some stories from the early days of filming, while you were all finding your footing in this new way of telling stories?

EF: My first day on the set, I was supposed to meet Bob at the sweets shop for a milkshake. Being that I am a Method actress, I was supposed to enjoy it and tell him so. The prop guys were freaking out, because I actually drank it. What it was was shaving cream to really make it stand up tall and look really pretty. But I had to say how delicious it was. That really took some acting!

But the thing that really interested me was how they did it, how they got the effects they were after. For example, I loved it when we had snow, but you just didn’t stand too close to the window, because it would come right through the window, because we didn’t have window panes. The same for the rain; if you got too close, you’d get soaking wet. So later on, they finally put windowpanes in.

Stay tuned next week when Eileen talks about catching flak for instilling the infamous “Granny Clause,” as well as how she’s like to see the show end.

ATWT: Such a Tease!

SNEAK PEEK:

Julianne Moore on Her Return to ATWT

Julianne Moore (pictured left, with Steven Webber) told WENN about her cameo return to As the World Turns: "There is no time continuum in soaps, so I just came back as one of the sisters. The other one was stuck somewhere else!

"As The World Turns was my first big job and everyone was wonderful and incredibly professional and very supportive and loving. It was a great job for me, so when they said the show was ending it was incredibly sad because you don't want to see anything end like that.

"I was happy to go back and glad to be there near the end of it. I was glad to see the people who played my parents and the woman who played my sister and to see a couple of the crew members who were still there. It was cool to be able to have that opportunity and to thank people."

VIDEO: Daniel Cosgrove on His New ATWT Role

Daniel Cosgrove discusses joining the cast of As the World Turns:

ATWT: Such a Tease!

SNEAK PEEK:

(As the World Turns will be pre-empted on Thursday, March 18 and Friday, March 19 due to CBS Sports coverage of NCAA Basketball.)

ATWT: Such a Tease!

Sneak Peek:

ATWT: Such a Tease!

Sneak Peak: