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Professional. I'm serious.
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The folks on this edition of Daytime Today, we have
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to me two legends. You will say legend, and they
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throw that word around and half the time it's not true.
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But these two in my mind and many others, they
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are legends. And they're actually doing something today, I mean
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today the time. They have a new play that's coming out.
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It's not a new play, but it's a play that
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they're doing. That's that they're doing new and it's called
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Plot Twist, and it's gonna be in Atlanta, good old
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hot Lanta, and it's it's supposed to be gonna ask
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more question about it sposed me be. It's like kind
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of live right there in front of you kind of experience,
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so you're not just like watching it from far away.
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It's like it's right there in there. So we tell
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what that means. They have a great cast and the
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folks that are putting together mean these two guys have
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a pedigree that is just I mean, for soap fans,
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it's just outrageous.
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The one we're gonna do him first.
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I mean, creator, producer, I'll be extraordinary of as my
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fans know, my friends, though, my favorite soap opera of
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all time, always will be, always will be. That's Santa Barbara,
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and that is Jerome Jerry Dobson.
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Hello, sir, Hello there, Thanks for having us for goodness sakes.
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Obviously you were raised right to love Santa Barbara.
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Yes, a gentleman of taste and perception.
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Now this person, I saw him not too long ago
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on our screens on General Hospital. He was reunited of
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sorts with an old co star. And that and that that,
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that chemistry was still there. One of my favorite characters
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of all time on daytime. And I'll explain why we
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we're talking and on behalf of my brother Jr. Who's
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not here, and myself, who want to tell you guys
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how this person was a Greek tragedy, was a one
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man show, was a excellence ensemble. And I'm just I'm
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just so happy to have when he's directing this, this play,
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mister Lane Davies, Helane.
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Hi, James, pleasure to be here.
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Oh my god, it said, yes, it's for me too.
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So first we're gonna get to the play. So I
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promise you we're gonna we're gonna promote the f out
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of it. Don'torr, We're gon We're gonna get to the play.
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We're gonna work it out. But congratulations to also, because
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you're putting. Putting a play together is not you know,
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it's not easy. It's it's a whole thing. But I
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got me into Santa Barbara, of course, obviously. And it's
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funny that is forty years. I feel like, was it
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just yesterday? Like was it just I don't unders I
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don't understand. Yeah, right, isn't that crazy?
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Guys, time flies, tempest fugit.
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Yes, yes, exactly, Jerry, what do you think about that?
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Forty I mean forty years. I mean but and before that,
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you're filipping it. So before that, Memore.
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It was on NBC and way back there, NBC and
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it's Brillus thought it would be a good time to
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start the show at the beginning of the Olympics. They
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thought we disagreed with him, but they thought, no woman
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is going to be watching the Olympics, and therefore all
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the women in the world are going to be watching
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the beginning of Santa Barbara. So we put it on
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the air and I think somebody's grandmother was watching someplace,
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and that was about the only person that watched the
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show in.
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The beginning eighty four La Olympics.
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Everybody watched them, and I was here, I was living
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here and I was watching the Olympics. But I did
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watch Santa Barbara too, But I was watching I was,
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I did. I was here for the Olympics.
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So we none of us claimed to be geniuses, and
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at that time nobody was a genius. Kind of embarrassing
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to even talk about it.
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Jerry, that was your first time. We run into NBC. Well,
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that career, that was like that, you know, you know, okay,
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stuff going on with them.
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We ran into with our career, we ran into ABC, CBS, NBC. Uh.
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We had a career on public broadcasting for a while.
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I mean, goodness, gracious, We've run into a lot of people,
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and some of them were worthwhile. Running into Lane, of course,
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was a perfect example genius of us to have got
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him on Santa Barbara. And right away we knew we
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had gold here. We knew that he could be he
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could do anything. And when you've got somebody who can
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do anything, boy any story as possible, and so let's
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just set you free, you.
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Know, Lane, I agree with Jerry completely. And Lane, the
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thing is you had so many great co stars. Yes,
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I mean from you know, from a Nancy grond to
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Jed Allen to uh Robin Matson to I mean, I
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mean there's just so many people on that I mean
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he said, we says off camera. The cast was so
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extraordinary that it was just kind of like you could
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bounce off of any of them. And because you guys
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think comedy and serious, serious drama the same time, Lane.
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Thank you.
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Yeah, I think in all modesty, there's an especially at
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that time, there was an astounding number of really good
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actors on daytime television. But I think there was one
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point in history where we had the best ensemble uh
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in daytime. It's like there was hardly a weak link.
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And when you combine that with first rate writing, you
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know you're bound to have something memorable.
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Yeah.
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Some credit to Reuben Cannon, who was casting director, and
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he was heavily involved in almost everything we did. And
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the man is a genius.
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Yeah. Oh yeah, I mean, come on, I mean we're
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talking Marcy Walker, We're talking Louis Charel, We're talking you know,
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Nicholas Cos He's are I mean, he's I mean, we
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look at that.
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Cat Kozak, you know, oh my god.
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And Okay, I have to say it. I have to
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say it, and I watched it live. I got one
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of the people who saw it happen. You know, you
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know what happened when I watched that episode. The big
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scene that literally is one of the craziest, funniest tragic
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scenes in daytime history ever. They said, and it was
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so it was hilarious and sad. We loved Mary and
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it was so hilarious. So can you guys talk about that?
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I have to ask you about that scene.
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I mean, come on, folks, they I was speaking for me.
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What I suspect is that I was about to go
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away and do Shakespeare again for the summer, and they thought, well,
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we need something big to get him off the show
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for a while. So they squashed Harley Jane Kozak like
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a bug on the roof of the hotel. And so
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I had to do these incredibly, extremely well written, somewhat
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melo dramatic scenes on top of the Capitol Hotel over
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Harley Jane Kozak's dying corpse. And I was fighting or
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leaving the show at that time. I didn't think that
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story line was finished. So I was saying, look washer
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off the roof with the big waves, so we don't
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know what happened, but no, Bridget and Jerry said, we
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got a squasher. So it turned out, you know, it
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led to the storyline with Nancy Lee Ron. So in hindsight,
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there was nothing wrong with the decision, but at the
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moment it was, it was. It was difficult for me.
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It was a it.
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Was a difficult when we thought of the idea. Nobody
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involved agreed with that idea, the idea of the way
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to kill her. And and now, yes, the show belonged
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to us, the doptions. It didn't belong to NBC or
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Procter and Gamble. It was our show, so we had
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the final say. But my god, that was a difficult
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say to get people on board, to try to get
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people behind what we were doing with that particular stunt,
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and and it was it certainly was worthwhile. It was
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one of those fights that you have behind the scenes
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till it took quite a while, but it was a
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worthwhile fight. Yeah, but we glad it worked out.
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And you say, you know, it led to naturally to
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Julia rain White.
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And you gotta lead. You always have to think ahead.
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If you do something like that, you got to know
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where you're going to be six months after that, and
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what's going on? And you can't you can't just rest
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on your laurels. You have to keep thinking, keep keep creating.
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That makes sense.
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Yeah, and but again I said, it led to you
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one of the greatest couplings I think ever on.
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And here's here. We'll get to the coupling in a second.
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So my great grandmother Arthur, her name was Arthur Redda
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and she was like four foot nothing, eight hundred years
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old whatever.
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She was the best. I loved her. She was my
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girl in New York.
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And I went to New York that summer and I
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was there for like a month and a half.
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I go visit or whatever.
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She's one of the few that didn't watch soap operas.
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I gotta understand a Barbara, Oh really, I love it.
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She loved Mason. That was her man. She's like, if
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I could meet Mason in a dark alley. And I
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was sudden, like, okay, Granny, how did you hear all
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that thought? You were just a bomb dignity? But she
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was a huge fan of Mason and Julia that was somebody.
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And we would and we would, and once I came
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back to la we were talking we were talking about
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do you see this week?
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How do we have?
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That was our connection. She actually died about six months
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after the showing off the air. I'm not saying that
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Sam Robert's cancelation made her tell.
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Me nothing to live for.
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She died peacefully. It was great. It was always easy,
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you know.
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I was like, okay, maybe and I from there, But no,
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she loved She said that she thought and it was
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These were her words, And I agree with her that
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Mason and Julia were written so well that she was like,
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this is actually prime time worthy work.
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So what what do you both say about the When
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I mentioned when I say that, what do you both
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think about that?
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I love Jerry dig that for now.
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It the quality of the writing. I mean we when
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you're dealing with very skilled people at all levels, when,
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as as I said before, when they they know you
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know that they can tell any story, act any story,
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then you you have a freedom of creativity that helps
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get you to the for the core of your characters
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and make it so personal that that they're unforgettable. And
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that's that is the reason. And and that was one
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of the We've known that lesson for thirty years. But
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when we you remember Dame Judith Anderson. Yes, he was
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the first person we hired for Santa Barbara. And and
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we went to visit her and asked her if she joined,
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and she said, well, tell me about her character. And
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at the time, all I knew was that she was
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going to be the matriarch of the family. So named
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jud just spent the next four hours asking me questions
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about her character. And and so we got to see
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what a really great actress, how she gets into a character.
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And boy did Dame Judith get into that character. Just
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on that afternoon. I took notes, and we made stuff up,
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and I went back to Bridget and talked about it.
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But but Dame Judith wanted to know how many marriages
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she'd had her character. She wanted to know how many
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elicit affairs that she had character. She wanted to wanted
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to know when at what age did she lose her virginity.
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She wanted to know how many the dogs that she
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that she had, the cats that her character had, would
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was she a dog person or a cat? I mean,
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did she write? I mean she wanted to know everything.
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And and and she'd come into the studio with to
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do a scene, and and she'd call up to my
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office and say, Jerry, I don't know why I'm saying
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this line from the script, and she'd say, and she
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would I come down and talk about it to her.
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So I'd go down to the to the makeup and
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we talk about that line, and I'd have to explain
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why the line is there and what it meant for
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the past of the show, and what it meant for
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the future of the show, and why was it important,
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and and everybody, the other act you know, Lane and
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everybody sort of would see the way Dame Judith went
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after us on that character, and boy did she make
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that character her own, and it was exhilarating, so that
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a few weeks later, somebody like Robin Wright would call
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up and say, Jerry, I don't like this line. Why
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am I saying this line? And I'd have to go
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down there and try to explain it to I mean,
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god damn. These people were so smart and good and
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all the way through the cast they wanted to know
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what was going on. So we did our best, and
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of course helped us frame what we were doing. So
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it was a collaborative ever from top to bottom.
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The collaboration was a big part of what made Santa
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Barbara work. Bridget and Jerry and the producers would listen
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if you were having trouble with a scene or a
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line or even a storyline, they would listen to your
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problems and fix them.
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You know, betwe you this.
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Sometimes there'd be some wrestling creatively, but we always got
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to a fair solution, and that made being on the
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show much more comfortable. I've been on shows where the
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producers or writers were much less flexible about changing dialogue
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and stuff like that, and it becomes very confining for
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the actor. But we had this sense of freedom on
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Santa Barbara.
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I also want to remember, you know, we had good
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people working with it, good writers, Uh Courtney Simon for instance,
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Patrick mackay and and uh Linda Miles, you remember Linda Miles.
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And and so we Malee Taggart another one, I.
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Mean, Frank Frank Salisbury was one of mine.
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Frank Stallsbury was huge. It was really important. I mean,
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so so we got to work with these talented people
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and and we we talked about the scripts that they
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were working on and and was it working or not.
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I mean it was a collaboration up and down the line.
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And that was one of the nice things about owning
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the show itself. We could do that as as opposed
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to say a Procter and Gamble show, where you were
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somewhat restricted on who you not that we were bacheful
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about complaining or talking about stuff or disagreeing with our
276
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show ideas. But but Santa Barbara was unique and that
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in this way.
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Yeah, and everybody I've talked to from the show years
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mentioned the collaboration effort. I mean, Louis Charell and that's
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right involved and like, oh yeah, we all worked together
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to make scenes better. And you know, we all we
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we did all we could to make And I said,
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but it showed, it showed, It showed on screen. You know,
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we saw these you know, we saw these scenes and
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we saw the level I said, a young Robin Wright
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before she was famous, you know she was you know,
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we had you know, Tom McKey, all these people that
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were so there were even the younger cast was well
289
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justin he was amazing. I mean, like, you know, there's
290
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there was something was these young kids and younger actors
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that were also good, which.
292
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Is not always good. It was not it was kind
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of not always on shows too. Yeah, from her to younger.
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Yeah, it was, you know, And we were heavily involved
295
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in the cassidy of course, and and Rubin was wonderful.
296
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But once in a while the network would put its
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orient and say they didn't want a certain person. And
298
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and and there was a case where we the lady
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you just mentioned, but I won't mention her name at
300
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the moment, brought her back three or four times, wrote
301
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different casting scenes to make sure that she got on
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the show and got everybody on board, and I got
303
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it paid off. Now we we we worked hard to
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write different tryout scenes and work her with different people.
305
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But boy, oh boy, you had to stick to your guns.
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You had to fight for stuff all the way along,
307
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and always the fight was worthwhile.
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Speaking of fourth while, I have to ask Lane about Mason.
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To me, Mason was such a well set up character,
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being the oldest and his family kind of half something
311
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to the others. We already opened with the you know,
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the death of the other brother, who was kind of
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like a golden child. He was a like I said,
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it was a Greek tragedy of his own. He would
315
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know sabotage. He was very smart. What what are the
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00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:06.640
things that you you like? Said of my fair courts
317
00:18:06.680 --> 00:18:09.039
are all time. What are some of your thoughts about
318
00:18:09.039 --> 00:18:11.359
me now, especially now looking back on it, your thoughts
319
00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:12.359
about Mason.
320
00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:16.319
Well, you know, it's funny. It's like talking about an
321
00:18:16.319 --> 00:18:22.039
old friend who passed away or something. But it was
322
00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:25.720
his that that sort of sardonic sense of humor that
323
00:18:25.799 --> 00:18:28.519
he had that seemed to piss all the other characters off.
324
00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:31.839
There was probably the most fun to play. And then
325
00:18:31.880 --> 00:18:35.240
the Dobbsons would either throw in some Shakespeare or let
326
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me throw in some Shakespeare from time to time, which
327
00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:41.119
which made it fun for me as an old stage
328
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actor or a young stage actor at that time. That's
329
00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:49.440
how Yes, and then the and then the layers, you know,
330
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the jealousy of the of you know, of a dead
331
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brother and the other kids. He was, you know, he
332
00:18:57.240 --> 00:18:59.359
was the odd man out. And I think that's why
333
00:18:59.400 --> 00:19:01.519
a lot of people identified with them. A lot of
334
00:19:01.559 --> 00:19:06.000
people that have had daddy issues or mommy issues identified
335
00:19:06.039 --> 00:19:11.119
with Mason trying desperately to please his parents. Some of
336
00:19:11.160 --> 00:19:15.920
that came from from Bridget and Jerry's own own family
337
00:19:16.319 --> 00:19:19.079
issues over over the years, I think, and that's part
338
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of what made it so real. When Mason opened his
339
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mouth to to rant about the unfairness of being the
340
00:19:28.359 --> 00:19:31.000
odd man out. Some of that was coming from the
341
00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:34.640
heart of the creators of the show. Correct me, you
342
00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:37.559
know I'm wrong, Jerry, But but I always got the feeling,
343
00:19:37.599 --> 00:19:43.640
and even heard from Bridget that that she was working
344
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out some of her issues with her mother, who was
345
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a formidable but difficult woman.
346
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From all reports, Bridget had problems with her family. I
347
00:19:55.559 --> 00:20:02.400
am my family. They didn't leave Bridgie and I wrote
348
00:20:02.440 --> 00:20:06.079
the show. They believe the characters on the show wrote
349
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the show. I mean my father had gone to Wellesley,
350
00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:14.720
smart lady, my sister going to Stanford, and they would
351
00:20:14.759 --> 00:20:17.240
talk to me and they would tell me what the
352
00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:19.799
characters are going to say tomorrow or the next day,
353
00:20:20.079 --> 00:20:24.960
and and and I would tell them, you know, you guys,
354
00:20:25.640 --> 00:20:28.960
Bridgie and I write the show. We put the words
355
00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:32.680
into their mouths, and it went right past those My penny,
356
00:20:33.640 --> 00:20:37.440
Now I did, I have to admit that. For we
357
00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:42.200
wrote Guiding Light for something like seven years, and for
358
00:20:42.519 --> 00:20:46.240
two and a half years of that I dished up
359
00:20:46.279 --> 00:20:49.519
my own family on my show. So I wrote about
360
00:20:49.559 --> 00:20:52.640
them and they never figured it out, which.
361
00:20:52.640 --> 00:20:56.720
Is so bunny. I know.
362
00:20:56.759 --> 00:21:01.759
He was also folks. That's that's one other story to you. Yeah,
363
00:21:01.880 --> 00:21:04.279
but you know, I think of Mason, which I just mentioned,
364
00:21:04.279 --> 00:21:07.400
the Shakespearean moments. I always wonder if those were you know,
365
00:21:07.440 --> 00:21:08.880
I think those were written by I wonder if any
366
00:21:08.920 --> 00:21:12.200
of those were improvised, Y always some of.
367
00:21:12.839 --> 00:21:17.039
Some of them. At the at the last moment, I
368
00:21:17.079 --> 00:21:20.519
remember my favorite, my favorite ad lib I think from
369
00:21:20.559 --> 00:21:22.480
from the whole time I was on the show was
370
00:21:23.799 --> 00:21:27.079
Jed Allen. I'm not sure if it was Jed Allen.
371
00:21:27.400 --> 00:21:31.079
Charlie Bateman was in bed because they had been shot
372
00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:38.400
in the behind, and and I had I asked if
373
00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:41.119
I could say friends, romans, countrymen led me you were
374
00:21:41.279 --> 00:21:47.480
rears as I exited the hospital room with CC throwing
375
00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:48.160
things at me.
376
00:21:48.599 --> 00:21:50.039
I think I remember that. Actually, that's kind of right
377
00:21:50.599 --> 00:21:50.960
back to me.
378
00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:54.440
Yes, a lot of you know, a lot of writer
379
00:21:54.640 --> 00:21:56.880
creators wouldn't have let me get away with that lot,
380
00:21:57.440 --> 00:22:01.720
you know, But because Jerry and Bridget have a wicked
381
00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:07.359
uh sense of humor themselves, they they you know, they
382
00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:08.279
let me keep it in.
383
00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:09.000
Well.
384
00:22:09.079 --> 00:22:12.799
I like I like another one. A good scene, the
385
00:22:13.480 --> 00:22:17.000
last poor Yorick scene that you had with the salmon.
386
00:22:17.079 --> 00:22:18.160
I think isn't that right?
387
00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:21.920
Yeah, Yeah, I had forgotten.
388
00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:25.880
That and that worked beautifully. Yeah, it was such fun
389
00:22:25.960 --> 00:22:28.720
figuring out stuff like that and letting Mason run with.
390
00:22:28.640 --> 00:22:33.400
It, right comment for our male characters on so to
391
00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:35.559
do that, it just it just wasn't We didn't see that.
392
00:22:35.720 --> 00:22:37.400
There was I can't even another character that was like
393
00:22:37.480 --> 00:22:41.319
that wasn't. Yeah I did that. That's what's made Mason
394
00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:45.480
stand out. But Jerry have to ask you because another
395
00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:47.720
thing that I was very proud of what you guys did,
396
00:22:47.720 --> 00:22:50.279
and I've talked to A Martinez about. Of course years later,
397
00:22:51.119 --> 00:22:55.759
you had an interracial couple in the true in the
398
00:22:55.880 --> 00:22:59.200
lead of a soap opera and it works.
399
00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:01.960
It could work. We know it worked, but it works.
400
00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:05.759
And I don't see openly on anybody we said anything
401
00:23:05.839 --> 00:23:08.480
much about it. Like I felt like they both went
402
00:23:08.519 --> 00:23:10.640
Emmy's four and the whole big thing on Marcy Walker
403
00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:13.119
and they did other stuff, but I felt like he
404
00:23:13.240 --> 00:23:15.160
was the first one of the second guy to win
405
00:23:15.319 --> 00:23:17.279
lead actor and a personal color. It was like it
406
00:23:17.319 --> 00:23:21.160
was crazy. They were huge. Cruise was huge, all right.
407
00:23:21.200 --> 00:23:22.359
We didn't think about it.
408
00:23:22.359 --> 00:23:24.720
It never occurred to me when we were doing the
409
00:23:24.759 --> 00:23:27.640
show that they were you know, interracial.
410
00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:31.400
That's true from our point of view as the writers,
411
00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:35.279
as we put them together, we didn't think inter racial.
412
00:23:35.559 --> 00:23:40.079
We thought, my got these two powerhouse characters. Let's get
413
00:23:40.119 --> 00:23:46.240
them together and see what happens. Yeah, and that the
414
00:23:46.359 --> 00:23:50.400
interracial stuff never ended into our thinking whatsoever.
415
00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:52.640
Which I appreciate them. That's the whole point. It's kind
416
00:23:52.680 --> 00:23:56.079
of like, it's you care, like soap opa two characters
417
00:23:56.079 --> 00:23:58.680
who have this amazing chemistry. It was lightning in a bottle.
418
00:23:59.240 --> 00:24:01.359
It shouldn't matter what they look like in a sense,
419
00:24:01.400 --> 00:24:04.079
you know. I mean, it's so popert but they worked.
420
00:24:04.119 --> 00:24:05.640
That's why I like, that's why I liked about because
421
00:24:05.640 --> 00:24:08.240
it didn't turn into this kind of he was he
422
00:24:08.319 --> 00:24:10.599
was a Castille, she was a kapita, and it just
423
00:24:10.759 --> 00:24:14.759
it worked. Yeah, but you guys did change a little
424
00:24:14.759 --> 00:24:16.319
bit of television with that. I mean, it just doesn't
425
00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:18.599
it hasn't hasn't happened since really mean, it's not really
426
00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:20.079
happening now. I mean it's kind of like so it's
427
00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:22.799
kind of like, wow, how groundbreaking that was, and you
428
00:24:22.839 --> 00:24:23.920
weren't even trying to do that.
429
00:24:25.319 --> 00:24:30.599
No, we were in the business of coming up with
430
00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:33.720
the best drama we could. We weren't worried about issues
431
00:24:33.759 --> 00:24:40.359
at the time, never have. It's relationships that build shows
432
00:24:40.400 --> 00:24:45.240
and build audiences. And how many layers of that onion
433
00:24:45.319 --> 00:24:48.680
can you peel off of personality? And how many times
434
00:24:48.720 --> 00:24:52.240
can you paint people like Mason into a corner where
435
00:24:52.279 --> 00:24:55.039
it's impossible for him to get out, and then get
436
00:24:55.079 --> 00:24:56.960
him out of that corner, get him out of that
437
00:24:57.039 --> 00:24:59.799
fix that we painted him into. Well, that that was
438
00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:03.000
all always a great fun and it always revealed another
439
00:25:03.119 --> 00:25:07.839
aspect to Mason's character that we hadn't seen before because
440
00:25:07.880 --> 00:25:10.039
he hadn't been in that particular corner. We put him
441
00:25:10.039 --> 00:25:14.640
into that corner and suddenly a new part of Mason
442
00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:17.559
comes out, and boy, it's worthwhile hanging on to that.
443
00:25:19.160 --> 00:25:23.680
It's funny you mentioned Greek tragedy. For a time or
444
00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:25.519
a lot of my time on the show, I thought
445
00:25:25.559 --> 00:25:30.000
of Mason as a Greek chorus. He would because he would.
446
00:25:30.599 --> 00:25:32.720
It seemed like every other month I would put on
447
00:25:32.799 --> 00:25:37.079
the tuxs and then and then stagger stagger drunk around
448
00:25:37.079 --> 00:25:40.160
the party and tell everybody what was actually going on.
449
00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:43.079
And it was always truth, you know, but it usually
450
00:25:43.160 --> 00:25:48.480
ended up with somebody knocking me down. But but that
451
00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:51.880
was my function on the show frequently was basically to
452
00:25:52.359 --> 00:25:55.079
sort of bring everybody up to date on what all
453
00:25:55.119 --> 00:25:59.880
the subtexts was, which which people frequently don't want to
454
00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:01.640
year speaking.
455
00:26:01.279 --> 00:26:05.839
The Greek court, were you aware of as the World Turns?
456
00:26:05.880 --> 00:26:07.880
When As the World Turns? When we wrote it and
457
00:26:07.920 --> 00:26:12.799
we went to Greece, Greece and and and filmed in
458
00:26:12.880 --> 00:26:14.119
the Parthenon.
459
00:26:14.079 --> 00:26:16.119
Yeah, I saw those Yes.
460
00:26:16.359 --> 00:26:22.119
Well that's what is it? Kathy Hayes hay Kim, Yeah, yep,
461
00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:26.039
and the two Greek brothers. And I know I've strayed
462
00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:29.920
away from Santa Barbara, but but that whole incident that
463
00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:33.200
was to arrange that was a tough one to go
464
00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:38.559
and and it worked out beautifully. That That's a long
465
00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:41.359
story and sometimes I'll tell it to you.
466
00:26:41.519 --> 00:26:42.319
You can any time.
467
00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:45.000
Tell me love, I Love I loved aswel turns kind
468
00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:49.240
of light, that's good. Two last things I'll talk about
469
00:26:49.240 --> 00:26:53.960
this but this play. One is the iconic fountain that
470
00:26:54.079 --> 00:26:56.559
it's like, I mean, the iconic you know, the fountain.
471
00:26:57.079 --> 00:26:58.680
I just I just think that's such. I mean, who
472
00:26:58.759 --> 00:27:00.319
thought of the fountain? First wall?
473
00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:03.920
Because it became I mean atrium in the in the
474
00:27:04.200 --> 00:27:08.079
in the big main set. I have no idea it
475
00:27:08.119 --> 00:27:11.000
was modeled. Jerry can tell you better than I, but
476
00:27:11.079 --> 00:27:14.039
there there was an actual house in Monacito, not far
477
00:27:14.079 --> 00:27:16.640
from Dame Judics, because she took me over there one
478
00:27:16.680 --> 00:27:19.119
time and marched in and said, we want to see
479
00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:22.160
the house. But there was an actual house in Monacito
480
00:27:22.279 --> 00:27:27.160
that had that that the set was based on. So
481
00:27:27.240 --> 00:27:29.920
I guess that's where the fountain came from. Am I am?
482
00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:30.920
I correct? Jerry?
483
00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:35.599
I think you're right. And we did managed to stagger
484
00:27:35.720 --> 00:27:38.440
through a number of rather large holes in Santa Barbara,
485
00:27:38.440 --> 00:27:41.799
got acquainted with people and you could get lost in
486
00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:42.720
some of those houses.
487
00:27:43.680 --> 00:27:45.240
Amazing Manito.
488
00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:49.240
Yeah, oh my god, Yeah, I bet, but that's an iconic,
489
00:27:49.279 --> 00:27:51.440
that's the thing for some of our fans. And then lastly,
490
00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:54.079
I mean, I couldn't I have you right here, Jerry,
491
00:27:54.839 --> 00:27:57.000
and I mean and Lane worked with both of them. Also,
492
00:27:57.880 --> 00:28:02.799
Justin Dees and Robin Matson, Keith and Gina talk about
493
00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:09.799
another magical otherworldly lighting a bottle situation. There's gonna be any
494
00:28:09.799 --> 00:28:12.359
comments on them, and I mean, I know Justin is
495
00:28:12.440 --> 00:28:14.799
very private and rob is not doing it anymore. But
496
00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:17.039
I'm just like they're just so they're magical. And you
497
00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:18.759
worked at I mean you worked at Lane also, I mean,
498
00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:19.759
and they're just magical.
499
00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:25.440
Yeah, Justin was a it was a force of nature,
500
00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:30.759
you know, and Robin was like, you know, like a
501
00:28:30.799 --> 00:28:34.079
great white shark on camera. You just you know, you
502
00:28:34.200 --> 00:28:36.680
just sort of tried to stay out of her way,
503
00:28:36.680 --> 00:28:38.039
and then if you had to work with her, you
504
00:28:38.119 --> 00:28:41.160
knew you had your work cut out for her for you.
505
00:28:41.559 --> 00:28:45.839
So both of them were great fun to work with
506
00:28:45.920 --> 00:28:47.839
and part of what maybe being on Santa Barbara was
507
00:28:47.880 --> 00:28:49.960
so much fun, you know, which It's like, if you're
508
00:28:49.960 --> 00:28:53.200
playing tennis with somebody that's really mediocre and doesn't know
509
00:28:53.200 --> 00:28:56.039
how to play, it's boring. But if you're playing with
510
00:28:56.119 --> 00:28:59.599
people that are humming them past your head, you got
511
00:28:59.640 --> 00:29:02.119
to stay on your toes. That's the way it was
512
00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:03.200
working with those people.
513
00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:05.480
Work with Justin D's on As the World Turns, I
514
00:29:05.519 --> 00:29:10.519
believe for quite a while. Uh it was, it was
515
00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:17.720
and Margaret Colin and Justin D's were an item then, remember.
516
00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:21.599
Margaret, Yes, yes, the very nice stay an item. I
517
00:29:21.599 --> 00:29:22.680
think they're still married.
518
00:29:24.799 --> 00:29:25.240
I'm not sure.
519
00:29:25.240 --> 00:29:28.960
I think because we were at the time when their courtship,
520
00:29:29.240 --> 00:29:34.079
and their courtship was you wouldn't write about it for
521
00:29:34.079 --> 00:29:37.759
for a TV for soap because nobody would believe it
522
00:29:38.799 --> 00:29:40.920
what was going on with those two. And as it
523
00:29:41.039 --> 00:29:44.480
was Justin D's on As the World Turns, we got
524
00:29:44.519 --> 00:29:48.640
to call it at what midnight and Santa Barbara and
525
00:29:48.680 --> 00:29:51.880
got that Justin decided to leave the show As the
526
00:29:51.880 --> 00:29:55.119
World Turns and we had to do something to write
527
00:29:55.160 --> 00:29:59.079
him out and how to do that, and and so
528
00:29:59.240 --> 00:30:02.400
we we did all night. We figured out how to
529
00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:05.559
get him out of the show, and we wrote him out,
530
00:30:05.599 --> 00:30:09.640
and then that we did ask if any chance you
531
00:30:09.640 --> 00:30:12.160
can get him to just give us one line, come
532
00:30:12.200 --> 00:30:15.359
in and give us one line, and then we're set.
533
00:30:15.519 --> 00:30:18.880
So they found him someplace and brought him in and
534
00:30:18.920 --> 00:30:21.200
he did the one line, and then he said, well,
535
00:30:21.759 --> 00:30:24.680
have you got another line, and before we know he
536
00:30:24.720 --> 00:30:25.720
was back on the show.
537
00:30:27.720 --> 00:30:28.000
He was.
538
00:30:28.319 --> 00:30:29.960
It was tumultous there for a while.
539
00:30:31.799 --> 00:30:34.279
Wow, it was wonderful to write.
540
00:30:34.039 --> 00:30:35.720
For it, well, he said, he was.
541
00:30:35.839 --> 00:30:38.039
I mean, obviously it's like what twenty I means or
542
00:30:38.079 --> 00:30:40.240
whatever at this point, if all the shows he's done,
543
00:30:40.279 --> 00:30:42.680
I mean, he's such I mean, he's such a unique
544
00:30:42.720 --> 00:30:45.720
actor and just again, you guys can do comedy. And
545
00:30:46.079 --> 00:30:47.920
Robert manson to another person who was on all these
546
00:30:47.920 --> 00:30:51.599
shows too, who they can do comedy, they can do drama.
547
00:30:51.720 --> 00:30:53.640
They could do they could, He would say, like we
548
00:30:53.680 --> 00:30:55.839
were with Lame with Mason, you can you there are
549
00:30:55.880 --> 00:30:57.720
times you want to give him a hug and there
550
00:30:57.720 --> 00:30:59.160
are times you want that you want to punch him.
551
00:30:59.160 --> 00:31:00.839
Like I said, do you know how many times you've
552
00:31:00.880 --> 00:31:02.640
been punched on the show or slapped on the show?
553
00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:06.920
I didn't keep count, but it was a lot, you know,
554
00:31:07.680 --> 00:31:11.279
it was. It was I tended it.
555
00:31:10.519 --> 00:31:12.559
At you deserved everyone.
556
00:31:12.920 --> 00:31:13.359
Everyone.
557
00:31:15.759 --> 00:31:19.559
Imagine what pleasure was to write that stuff.
558
00:31:21.359 --> 00:31:26.680
Like we're gonna slap slap Lain today, like you know,
559
00:31:26.839 --> 00:31:29.599
brushing back a batter that's hitting him too.
560
00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:30.319
Good, says.
561
00:31:30.400 --> 00:31:33.319
We're at the studio all the time, it's easy to
562
00:31:33.359 --> 00:31:36.920
wander down to the stage and suggest to somebody who
563
00:31:37.079 --> 00:31:39.200
was going to hit him, do it a little harder
564
00:31:39.279 --> 00:31:39.720
this time.
565
00:31:42.680 --> 00:31:45.279
Oh my goodness, Well, thank you for indulging me. I
566
00:31:45.319 --> 00:31:48.039
just just made my made my my month, So thank
567
00:31:48.079 --> 00:31:49.759
you very much. I had to I had to ask
568
00:31:49.880 --> 00:31:54.480
those questions, so thank you. And it leads to this
569
00:31:54.640 --> 00:31:58.960
collaboration again that you said earlier. You work together, you go,
570
00:31:59.119 --> 00:32:03.119
you go. Sometimes friendships last, sometimes they don't. But actually
571
00:32:03.119 --> 00:32:06.400
to work together is a very unique situation. And so
572
00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:11.720
at the kind of Swegas Shakespeare Coalition. Uh, And it's
573
00:32:11.759 --> 00:32:12.279
at the U.
574
00:32:13.519 --> 00:32:14.079
I done here.
575
00:32:14.640 --> 00:32:20.640
It's kind is the actual I saga Indian word very
576
00:32:20.680 --> 00:32:23.599
good And it's in Atlanta, and what's about where it is?
577
00:32:23.640 --> 00:32:25.119
And I'll put it underneath everything.
578
00:32:25.519 --> 00:32:27.720
But yeah, there's play plot twist which is not it's
579
00:32:27.759 --> 00:32:30.480
been rather the plot twist that not the playground for
580
00:32:30.680 --> 00:32:34.680
a while. And then so please explain Lane, exactly what
581
00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:35.720
are we what are we seeing?
582
00:32:36.200 --> 00:32:41.400
Well, Jerry came came to me with it a while back,
583
00:32:41.599 --> 00:32:48.920
and finally in April two years ago, together we workshopped
584
00:32:48.960 --> 00:32:51.759
it in Prague. I've done about twelve shows with the
585
00:32:51.759 --> 00:32:56.160
Prague Shakespeare Company because I love hanging around in Prague
586
00:32:56.599 --> 00:32:58.960
and it gives me a good excuse to be over
587
00:32:59.000 --> 00:33:03.480
there and beautiful city. We're talking about the play and
588
00:33:03.519 --> 00:33:07.799
decided that it needed one more workshop before we did
589
00:33:07.799 --> 00:33:10.960
a final production of it. So we did that and
590
00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:14.119
then Jerry took it back in make more revisions and
591
00:33:14.160 --> 00:33:18.000
then some scheduling issues. But the upshot is that two
592
00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:22.640
years after it's it's workshop premiere, it's now getting its
593
00:33:22.680 --> 00:33:26.799
world premiere at Synchronicity in Atlanta.
594
00:33:27.559 --> 00:33:31.880
First of all, I mentioned beautiful city, beautiful place. First
595
00:33:31.880 --> 00:33:35.319
of all, I mean great history, but it's also very
596
00:33:35.359 --> 00:33:36.240
I mean cost of Polity.
597
00:33:36.400 --> 00:33:37.960
It's a beautiful city.
598
00:33:38.720 --> 00:33:41.640
Yeah, oh yeah, it's got everything you want in a
599
00:33:41.720 --> 00:33:45.160
European city without a lot of the problems that big
600
00:33:45.240 --> 00:33:46.559
European cities had.
601
00:33:46.799 --> 00:33:50.960
Correct, right, But you also you also are working with
602
00:33:51.880 --> 00:33:55.240
I guess music by Dominic Messenger, who is also part
603
00:33:55.240 --> 00:33:56.359
of Santa Barbara is.
604
00:33:56.400 --> 00:33:56.880
Kind of fun.
605
00:33:58.039 --> 00:34:01.559
Yeah, And okay, so what is the story.
606
00:34:03.640 --> 00:34:09.280
Well, the story got started because way back there, Bridge
607
00:34:09.320 --> 00:34:12.639
and I were in a story meeting on a show
608
00:34:13.440 --> 00:34:17.000
and the head of the network came in and said
609
00:34:17.000 --> 00:34:20.199
he liked what we were writing, but would we add
610
00:34:20.199 --> 00:34:25.119
a gun to the last act to the show.
611
00:34:25.920 --> 00:34:27.199
And at that.
612
00:34:27.360 --> 00:34:31.960
Point I sort of sort of dropped out of the meeting.
613
00:34:32.039 --> 00:34:35.440
It went on and I spent twenty minutes figuring out
614
00:34:35.440 --> 00:34:40.119
how to kill the network executive, how to wipe him
615
00:34:40.119 --> 00:34:45.039
off the face of the earth. And so several decades later,
616
00:34:45.119 --> 00:34:47.679
here we are and I get to kill the network
617
00:34:47.760 --> 00:34:49.679
executive on stage.
618
00:34:52.119 --> 00:34:55.880
The play is kind of who done it? About who
619
00:34:55.960 --> 00:34:58.519
actually kills him? You know, it's not too much of
620
00:34:58.559 --> 00:35:00.280
a spoiler to let you know that he you know,
621
00:35:00.320 --> 00:35:04.360
somebody always dies in a murder mystery. But mixed in
622
00:35:04.440 --> 00:35:09.559
with that is some autobiographical material about Jerry uh and
623
00:35:09.599 --> 00:35:13.800
this wonderful sort of homage uh, not only to to
624
00:35:13.960 --> 00:35:20.760
daytime television, but to the eighties themselves. And then and then,
625
00:35:21.639 --> 00:35:25.079
you know, any Santa Barbara fan is is a fan
626
00:35:25.159 --> 00:35:31.960
of stuff that's slightly ott, as we say, and so
627
00:35:32.239 --> 00:35:36.280
we we have this mix. It's a there's a it's
628
00:35:36.320 --> 00:35:41.440
a play about a soap opera about a murder, all
629
00:35:41.559 --> 00:35:45.960
rolled into one, and somehow or other, Jerry has woven
630
00:35:46.039 --> 00:35:52.159
all of these elements together into a logical narrative that
631
00:35:52.320 --> 00:35:56.639
is just great fun. He's We've got We've We've got
632
00:35:56.679 --> 00:36:01.039
some uh like Atlanta A list actors and some people
633
00:36:01.039 --> 00:36:06.000
from out of town. I'm just incredibly pleased with the
634
00:36:06.079 --> 00:36:09.280
cast we managed to put together for this. Because the
635
00:36:09.400 --> 00:36:12.159
characters are so well drawn on the page. It's it's
636
00:36:12.199 --> 00:36:14.519
a blessing for a director to be able to find
637
00:36:14.719 --> 00:36:16.239
people to bring them to life.
638
00:36:17.239 --> 00:36:21.400
Well, you know, and you talked about the beginning of
639
00:36:21.440 --> 00:36:25.679
this interview, you talked about your grandmother. Well, the play
640
00:36:25.920 --> 00:36:31.559
talks about a grandmother in the very opening dialogue about
641
00:36:31.599 --> 00:36:34.239
grandmother getting the grandson hooked on.
642
00:36:34.360 --> 00:36:39.360
So yeah, you got the grandson, who is the lead
643
00:36:39.480 --> 00:36:40.960
character in the play hooked on.
644
00:36:41.079 --> 00:36:45.880
So so, I mean I would, except we're so close
645
00:36:45.920 --> 00:36:49.079
to the opening. I mean, I would probably change a
646
00:36:49.079 --> 00:36:54.840
word or two thanks to your introduction. Everybody's grandmother got
647
00:36:54.920 --> 00:36:55.360
us hooked.
648
00:36:56.880 --> 00:37:03.079
I forbid any more changes process. But I want I
649
00:37:03.119 --> 00:37:05.480
ask you Lane in terms of I love directing. So
650
00:37:05.519 --> 00:37:08.519
in terms of directing, what is it about directing stage
651
00:37:09.039 --> 00:37:09.800
that you enjoy?
652
00:37:13.000 --> 00:37:16.159
Well, you know, there's so many things I like working
653
00:37:16.199 --> 00:37:21.159
with actors. The older I get, the less I do
654
00:37:21.320 --> 00:37:24.119
as an actor. I tell my actors that I'm God's
655
00:37:24.280 --> 00:37:27.719
laziest director. If you get good actors and give them
656
00:37:27.920 --> 00:37:33.920
a good script and then give them just a logical
657
00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:36.880
place to stand and move, they'll they'll do the rest
658
00:37:36.880 --> 00:37:39.480
of the work for you, you know, because after the
659
00:37:39.519 --> 00:37:42.400
first week they probably know the characters better than you do,
660
00:37:42.559 --> 00:37:50.000
and all you're doing is sort of it is nudging
661
00:37:50.039 --> 00:37:53.079
them in directions. You want to see them go, you know,
662
00:37:53.519 --> 00:37:56.400
I'm you know, I tell them I'm a director, not
663
00:37:56.480 --> 00:37:59.320
a dictator. If you want something different, will change it.
664
00:38:00.679 --> 00:38:05.639
But with these guys, it's it's it's just been a joy.
665
00:38:05.800 --> 00:38:10.480
And I realized late in life that this is what
666
00:38:10.559 --> 00:38:12.760
I this is what I like most.
667
00:38:13.000 --> 00:38:13.679
I'm really a.
668
00:38:13.639 --> 00:38:16.599
Regional theater guy. At heart, I don't think I could.
669
00:38:16.800 --> 00:38:18.920
I don't think I could handle eight shows a week
670
00:38:19.000 --> 00:38:22.159
for weeks and weeks on end on Broadway. Not that
671
00:38:22.199 --> 00:38:26.719
I would turn down a Broadway play, but that would
672
00:38:26.800 --> 00:38:31.599
drive me nuts. And I had you know, I had
673
00:38:31.599 --> 00:38:33.679
a good run in Hollywood. I have no complaints, and
674
00:38:33.760 --> 00:38:35.679
a lot of what I did was a lot of fun.
675
00:38:35.800 --> 00:38:37.960
But at heart, what I what I like to do
676
00:38:38.039 --> 00:38:40.000
is get a bunch of good actors together with a
677
00:38:40.039 --> 00:38:43.679
good script and and and watch it turn into this
678
00:38:43.840 --> 00:38:46.239
living breeding production.
679
00:38:46.719 --> 00:38:50.880
I have to say that Lane there's an excellent job
680
00:38:50.920 --> 00:38:55.559
in nudging the actors in the directions that they know
681
00:38:55.639 --> 00:38:58.440
they want to go and may need just a little nudge.
682
00:38:58.480 --> 00:39:01.400
And Lane is very good and he handles people. He
683
00:39:01.480 --> 00:39:07.840
gets along with everybody. Writers don't get along with anybody
684
00:39:08.960 --> 00:39:09.719
does a good job.
685
00:39:12.079 --> 00:39:14.960
I love the cat tail I can't tail is there
686
00:39:15.599 --> 00:39:19.599
in the frame at my fans love animals.
687
00:39:19.440 --> 00:39:20.760
It's it's it's it's totally fine.
688
00:39:21.679 --> 00:39:24.239
I'm also dealing with a dog who's jealous of the cat,
689
00:39:24.360 --> 00:39:32.079
so yeah, I can multitask.
690
00:39:32.960 --> 00:39:34.880
My thing is I always tell people and why they
691
00:39:34.880 --> 00:39:37.760
should they should see this play for hi Baby, for
692
00:39:37.840 --> 00:39:41.239
many reasons. But I also think there's nothing like a
693
00:39:41.280 --> 00:39:44.519
live experience. I tell people I have friends, you've never
694
00:39:44.599 --> 00:39:50.880
seen a live nothing concert or a musical or state. No,
695
00:39:51.039 --> 00:39:53.920
I'm like, you're missing out. There's something about that live
696
00:39:54.159 --> 00:39:57.199
thing that's Movies are great. We love movies, we love TV,
697
00:39:57.280 --> 00:39:59.960
we love that stuff. But just right, you guys, at
698
00:40:00.239 --> 00:40:03.159
being sitting and sitting there live and seeing it like
699
00:40:03.280 --> 00:40:04.480
it's something like it.
700
00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:12.440
Yeah, as an actor, it's both. It's terrifying and and
701
00:40:13.679 --> 00:40:16.840
exhilarating at the same time because here is this is
702
00:40:16.840 --> 00:40:19.360
not a big theater. The actors will be you know,
703
00:40:20.159 --> 00:40:23.519
eight feet from the front row probably, so it's a
704
00:40:23.639 --> 00:40:28.880
very intimate experience. And uh and you do, like, like
705
00:40:28.920 --> 00:40:33.960
in any group situation, the audience becomes their energy becomes
706
00:40:34.000 --> 00:40:38.559
a part of the play. Yes, it's it's a back
707
00:40:38.599 --> 00:40:42.639
and forth. And it's unfortunate that it's that it's so
708
00:40:42.800 --> 00:40:46.280
hard to get people out, you know, away from Netflix
709
00:40:46.480 --> 00:40:49.960
or TikTok and into a theater to see how exciting
710
00:40:50.079 --> 00:40:53.920
live theater can be. You know, I was fortunate to
711
00:40:54.039 --> 00:40:55.719
get you know, I had a lot of fans that
712
00:40:55.800 --> 00:40:57.679
had never seen a play but would come see me
713
00:40:57.760 --> 00:41:02.559
do Shakespeare because I've been Mason Capell Right, So I
714
00:41:02.599 --> 00:41:05.760
felt like I was, you know, helping the calls by
715
00:41:05.800 --> 00:41:08.920
doing theater. Besides the fact that I just love doing theater.
716
00:41:09.400 --> 00:41:11.480
Yeah, no, it's true, and I have. I took my
717
00:41:11.519 --> 00:41:14.320
brother to see Musical last year. It's this first one.
718
00:41:14.360 --> 00:41:16.400
After he was like, this was really fun, I go.
719
00:41:16.519 --> 00:41:18.320
I know the audience, when the audience gets into it
720
00:41:18.360 --> 00:41:21.400
and feeds off the energy, and it's just it means.
721
00:41:21.320 --> 00:41:23.079
Just nothing like it. It's a fun night. It's a
722
00:41:23.079 --> 00:41:24.679
fun night or day out.
723
00:41:25.000 --> 00:41:29.239
You know that it's funny. It is and you're clear
724
00:41:29.320 --> 00:41:34.039
to this collective experience. So folks go see this. We're
725
00:41:34.039 --> 00:41:35.840
gonna tell everyone I can see and everything in a second.
726
00:41:35.880 --> 00:41:38.559
Iat that's one last question because it's kind of relevant.
727
00:41:38.679 --> 00:41:42.119
You're in Atlanta, right, We have a new soap opera
728
00:41:42.920 --> 00:41:44.880
as want, especially with Jerry, I want to know your
729
00:41:44.880 --> 00:41:45.280
thoughts on it.
730
00:41:45.559 --> 00:41:46.679
We have beyond the Gates. Now.
731
00:41:47.199 --> 00:41:49.320
I never thought we see a new, a new soap
732
00:41:49.360 --> 00:41:51.920
on a network in my rest of my lifetime. I
733
00:41:51.920 --> 00:41:54.159
thought we'd never it'd been like, what thirty years since
734
00:41:54.239 --> 00:41:56.599
Well the Beautiful or whatever? What are your I mean,
735
00:41:56.639 --> 00:41:58.519
what are your thoughts on it? It just got renewed
736
00:41:58.519 --> 00:42:00.800
for two more seasons. It's kind of doing its thing.
737
00:42:01.639 --> 00:42:02.199
What are you thinking?
738
00:42:02.280 --> 00:42:02.599
Jerry?
739
00:42:03.280 --> 00:42:09.280
First, the writer worked with us and clear back. I
740
00:42:09.320 --> 00:42:15.239
think we had her on General Hospital, uh way back then.
741
00:42:15.679 --> 00:42:20.599
So it's been fun to see that she's gone and done,
742
00:42:20.960 --> 00:42:24.639
done what she's done, and and and succeeding because it's
743
00:42:24.760 --> 00:42:29.360
it's a tough business h soaps dying away right and left,
744
00:42:29.360 --> 00:42:32.360
and here she's got one back on plane and it's
745
00:42:32.559 --> 00:42:33.559
it's exciting for.
746
00:42:33.519 --> 00:42:38.840
Us, exciting and lane for you. If you did, god,
747
00:42:38.880 --> 00:42:40.599
go back to the General Hospitals a different character, you
748
00:42:40.639 --> 00:42:43.000
did go back as a brother of It was kind
749
00:42:43.000 --> 00:42:45.840
of fun. Would you go back to any soapsych for
750
00:42:46.000 --> 00:42:47.159
more appearances or anything?
751
00:42:47.400 --> 00:42:48.559
I would?
752
00:42:48.840 --> 00:42:51.480
I mean, the ideal thing for me would would be
753
00:42:52.320 --> 00:42:56.639
something recurring. You know, I'm I'm at an age where
754
00:42:56.639 --> 00:43:04.239
I've gotten really lazy, and you know, I'd like to
755
00:43:04.280 --> 00:43:06.159
spend a lot of time out of the country, which
756
00:43:06.159 --> 00:43:10.280
makes doing you know, shows in the country difficult to do.
757
00:43:10.400 --> 00:43:13.559
But you know, i'd love to sort of. I'd be
758
00:43:13.719 --> 00:43:15.679
more than happy to sort of pop in and make
759
00:43:15.719 --> 00:43:18.360
trouble for a while and then disappear for a while,
760
00:43:18.880 --> 00:43:21.960
you know, and then come back sort of like what
761
00:43:22.440 --> 00:43:27.559
Tony Geary had going on, a really good guy. What
762
00:43:27.639 --> 00:43:30.159
he had going on General Hospital towards the end was
763
00:43:30.320 --> 00:43:31.239
just about ideal.
764
00:43:31.360 --> 00:43:31.559
You know.
765
00:43:31.639 --> 00:43:34.559
He'd go hang out in Amsterdam for as long as
766
00:43:34.559 --> 00:43:38.280
he wanted, and then he'd come back in and be
767
00:43:38.440 --> 00:43:41.960
luke for a while, and then he'd disappear again. That's
768
00:43:42.280 --> 00:43:44.039
that's not a bad way to go, because I still
769
00:43:44.159 --> 00:43:46.039
like the work enough. I just I don't think I
770
00:43:46.039 --> 00:43:48.960
could get back into thirty pages of a day, six
771
00:43:49.039 --> 00:43:55.360
days a week. That would break my old brain. But
772
00:43:55.519 --> 00:43:58.719
you actually, my dog would would not forgive me.
773
00:43:59.119 --> 00:44:04.440
But I always say that we're not dog owners, that
774
00:44:04.599 --> 00:44:05.320
they own us.
775
00:44:05.480 --> 00:44:07.920
That's what I always say, so true.
776
00:44:07.920 --> 00:44:14.079
And it's not even my dog, you know, just Jerry
777
00:44:14.280 --> 00:44:18.559
Harry's met Daisy becomes a personal now and then.
778
00:44:19.320 --> 00:44:19.800
I love that.
779
00:44:20.360 --> 00:44:23.239
So at the Synchronousity Theater on Peach Street, I know
780
00:44:23.280 --> 00:44:27.480
Peachtree Street actually in Atlanta, Georgia. Starting on April twenty
781
00:44:27.519 --> 00:44:30.199
fourth and twenty fifth. They have shows at eight pm
782
00:44:30.639 --> 00:44:33.440
April twenty six, three pm, April thirtieth, eight pm, and
783
00:44:33.519 --> 00:44:37.480
May first and second APM. I will put in the description, folks,
784
00:44:37.559 --> 00:44:40.239
where you can go get tickets and where the theater
785
00:44:40.400 --> 00:44:43.159
is and all of that. Go see plot twists, go
786
00:44:43.159 --> 00:44:45.119
go go, go go tell them. James sent you, I
787
00:44:45.119 --> 00:44:46.880
don't know to tell whatever. You go and see it.
788
00:44:47.400 --> 00:44:50.639
Have a nice night out. I mean, go see some theater. Seriously,
789
00:44:50.679 --> 00:44:54.360
support theater, support the arts, right you guys.
790
00:44:54.039 --> 00:44:56.960
Say hello to me Jerry and I. I'm sure we'll
791
00:44:56.960 --> 00:45:02.440
be there every night, probably making changes there to watch it.
792
00:45:03.000 --> 00:45:06.760
So make sure if you do show up.
793
00:45:08.559 --> 00:45:12.840
And hopefully it's so it's just wildly successful. You'll have
794
00:45:12.880 --> 00:45:14.400
to bring it to Los Angeles.
795
00:45:15.800 --> 00:45:19.239
That's it. There's a I mean, that's that's being talked about.
796
00:45:19.159 --> 00:45:26.760
Okay, on I mean I'll be there first opening nights. Yeah,
797
00:45:26.840 --> 00:45:28.119
you guys have made my day.
798
00:45:28.199 --> 00:45:29.480
Thank you so much, Thank.
799
00:45:29.880 --> 00:45:30.679
You for having us.
800
00:45:30.679 --> 00:45:34.079
Thanks good pleasure, James, my plays The Pleasure is online.
801
00:45:34.480 --> 00:45:37.039
Thank you to Jerry Dobson and Lane Davies and I said,
802
00:45:37.039 --> 00:45:39.280
the show is called Plot Twist and thanks for all
803
00:45:39.320 --> 00:45:41.599
you Santa Barbara fans. How you say James got to
804
00:45:41.639 --> 00:45:44.079
ask us questions? You know, we we talked about it,
805
00:45:44.960 --> 00:45:46.960
so you guys, I know that, and I just you know,
806
00:45:47.079 --> 00:45:49.559
just like say again, made my day daytime to day.
807
00:45:49.599 --> 00:45:52.280
Is on all social media platforms. We are everywhere. We're
808
00:45:52.280 --> 00:45:55.760
on all the audio streaming service platforms and the granddaddy
809
00:45:55.760 --> 00:45:58.400
of them all, I have a grandfather to granddaddy of
810
00:45:58.440 --> 00:45:58.679
them all.
811
00:45:59.400 --> 00:46:01.960
Uh you you j l J Media. We'll see you
812
00:46:02.000 --> 00:46:04.719
next time. Great h
1
00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:09.199
Professional. I'm serious.
2
00:00:10.759 --> 00:00:14.080
The folks on this edition of Daytime Today, we have
3
00:00:14.359 --> 00:00:16.480
to me two legends. You will say legend, and they
4
00:00:16.480 --> 00:00:18.559
throw that word around and half the time it's not true.
5
00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:21.679
But these two in my mind and many others, they
6
00:00:21.719 --> 00:00:25.320
are legends. And they're actually doing something today, I mean
7
00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:28.440
today the time. They have a new play that's coming out.
8
00:00:28.519 --> 00:00:30.559
It's not a new play, but it's a play that
9
00:00:30.600 --> 00:00:33.119
they're doing. That's that they're doing new and it's called
10
00:00:33.159 --> 00:00:36.240
Plot Twist, and it's gonna be in Atlanta, good old
11
00:00:36.280 --> 00:00:39.240
hot Lanta, and it's it's supposed to be gonna ask
12
00:00:39.320 --> 00:00:40.679
more question about it sposed me be. It's like kind
13
00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:45.119
of live right there in front of you kind of experience,
14
00:00:45.399 --> 00:00:47.039
so you're not just like watching it from far away.
15
00:00:47.079 --> 00:00:48.520
It's like it's right there in there. So we tell
16
00:00:48.600 --> 00:00:51.880
what that means. They have a great cast and the
17
00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:54.200
folks that are putting together mean these two guys have
18
00:00:54.280 --> 00:00:57.399
a pedigree that is just I mean, for soap fans,
19
00:00:57.439 --> 00:00:58.479
it's just outrageous.
20
00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:02.399
The one we're gonna do him first.
21
00:01:02.520 --> 00:01:08.519
I mean, creator, producer, I'll be extraordinary of as my
22
00:01:08.680 --> 00:01:11.560
fans know, my friends, though, my favorite soap opera of
23
00:01:11.640 --> 00:01:16.280
all time, always will be, always will be. That's Santa Barbara,
24
00:01:16.519 --> 00:01:19.159
and that is Jerome Jerry Dobson.
25
00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:24.040
Hello, sir, Hello there, Thanks for having us for goodness sakes.
26
00:01:24.760 --> 00:01:28.400
Obviously you were raised right to love Santa Barbara.
27
00:01:28.680 --> 00:01:32.879
Yes, a gentleman of taste and perception.
28
00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:38.400
Now this person, I saw him not too long ago
29
00:01:38.799 --> 00:01:41.599
on our screens on General Hospital. He was reunited of
30
00:01:41.719 --> 00:01:44.719
sorts with an old co star. And that and that that,
31
00:01:44.719 --> 00:01:47.959
that chemistry was still there. One of my favorite characters
32
00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:51.120
of all time on daytime. And I'll explain why we
33
00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:54.359
we're talking and on behalf of my brother Jr. Who's
34
00:01:54.400 --> 00:01:56.599
not here, and myself, who want to tell you guys
35
00:01:56.599 --> 00:02:02.400
how this person was a Greek tragedy, was a one
36
00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:08.240
man show, was a excellence ensemble. And I'm just I'm
37
00:02:08.240 --> 00:02:11.400
just so happy to have when he's directing this, this play,
38
00:02:11.639 --> 00:02:14.120
mister Lane Davies, Helane.
39
00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:16.360
Hi, James, pleasure to be here.
40
00:02:16.639 --> 00:02:18.639
Oh my god, it said, yes, it's for me too.
41
00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:22.280
So first we're gonna get to the play. So I
42
00:02:22.360 --> 00:02:24.360
promise you we're gonna we're gonna promote the f out
43
00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:25.800
of it. Don'torr, We're gon We're gonna get to the play.
44
00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:30.120
We're gonna work it out. But congratulations to also, because
45
00:02:30.120 --> 00:02:32.039
you're putting. Putting a play together is not you know,
46
00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:35.759
it's not easy. It's it's a whole thing. But I
47
00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:39.240
got me into Santa Barbara, of course, obviously. And it's
48
00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:43.080
funny that is forty years. I feel like, was it
49
00:02:43.159 --> 00:02:45.000
just yesterday? Like was it just I don't unders I
50
00:02:45.039 --> 00:02:48.240
don't understand. Yeah, right, isn't that crazy?
51
00:02:48.280 --> 00:02:51.759
Guys, time flies, tempest fugit.
52
00:02:51.960 --> 00:02:55.199
Yes, yes, exactly, Jerry, what do you think about that?
53
00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:57.199
Forty I mean forty years. I mean but and before that,
54
00:02:57.280 --> 00:03:00.159
you're filipping it. So before that, Memore.
55
00:03:00.919 --> 00:03:05.400
It was on NBC and way back there, NBC and
56
00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:08.479
it's Brillus thought it would be a good time to
57
00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:16.400
start the show at the beginning of the Olympics. They
58
00:03:16.479 --> 00:03:20.039
thought we disagreed with him, but they thought, no woman
59
00:03:20.199 --> 00:03:23.080
is going to be watching the Olympics, and therefore all
60
00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:25.319
the women in the world are going to be watching
61
00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:29.280
the beginning of Santa Barbara. So we put it on
62
00:03:29.319 --> 00:03:34.960
the air and I think somebody's grandmother was watching someplace,
63
00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:37.120
and that was about the only person that watched the
64
00:03:37.159 --> 00:03:37.879
show in.
65
00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:40.800
The beginning eighty four La Olympics.
66
00:03:40.840 --> 00:03:44.400
Everybody watched them, and I was here, I was living
67
00:03:44.439 --> 00:03:46.960
here and I was watching the Olympics. But I did
68
00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:49.319
watch Santa Barbara too, But I was watching I was,
69
00:03:49.759 --> 00:03:51.439
I did. I was here for the Olympics.
70
00:03:51.479 --> 00:03:55.879
So we none of us claimed to be geniuses, and
71
00:03:56.319 --> 00:04:00.800
at that time nobody was a genius. Kind of embarrassing
72
00:04:00.840 --> 00:04:01.800
to even talk about it.
73
00:04:03.400 --> 00:04:07.800
Jerry, that was your first time. We run into NBC. Well,
74
00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:11.000
that career, that was like that, you know, you know, okay,
75
00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:12.159
stuff going on with them.
76
00:04:12.599 --> 00:04:19.279
We ran into with our career, we ran into ABC, CBS, NBC. Uh.
77
00:04:19.480 --> 00:04:22.040
We had a career on public broadcasting for a while.
78
00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:26.160
I mean, goodness, gracious, We've run into a lot of people,
79
00:04:26.600 --> 00:04:30.399
and some of them were worthwhile. Running into Lane, of course,
80
00:04:30.519 --> 00:04:35.879
was a perfect example genius of us to have got
81
00:04:35.920 --> 00:04:38.879
him on Santa Barbara. And right away we knew we
82
00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:42.560
had gold here. We knew that he could be he
83
00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:45.560
could do anything. And when you've got somebody who can
84
00:04:45.639 --> 00:04:50.040
do anything, boy any story as possible, and so let's
85
00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:52.319
just set you free, you.
86
00:04:52.279 --> 00:04:54.639
Know, Lane, I agree with Jerry completely. And Lane, the
87
00:04:54.680 --> 00:04:59.000
thing is you had so many great co stars. Yes,
88
00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:03.360
I mean from you know, from a Nancy grond to
89
00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:08.240
Jed Allen to uh Robin Matson to I mean, I
90
00:05:08.279 --> 00:05:09.959
mean there's just so many people on that I mean
91
00:05:09.959 --> 00:05:11.959
he said, we says off camera. The cast was so
92
00:05:12.079 --> 00:05:15.920
extraordinary that it was just kind of like you could
93
00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:17.959
bounce off of any of them. And because you guys
94
00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:23.839
think comedy and serious, serious drama the same time, Lane.
95
00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:25.000
Thank you.
96
00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:31.560
Yeah, I think in all modesty, there's an especially at
97
00:05:31.560 --> 00:05:34.399
that time, there was an astounding number of really good
98
00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:38.360
actors on daytime television. But I think there was one
99
00:05:38.360 --> 00:05:42.720
point in history where we had the best ensemble uh
100
00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:46.959
in daytime. It's like there was hardly a weak link.
101
00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:52.000
And when you combine that with first rate writing, you
102
00:05:52.040 --> 00:05:54.879
know you're bound to have something memorable.
103
00:05:55.560 --> 00:05:56.000
Yeah.
104
00:05:59.480 --> 00:06:03.639
Some credit to Reuben Cannon, who was casting director, and
105
00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:08.079
he was heavily involved in almost everything we did. And
106
00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:09.879
the man is a genius.
107
00:06:10.439 --> 00:06:13.480
Yeah. Oh yeah, I mean, come on, I mean we're
108
00:06:13.480 --> 00:06:17.439
talking Marcy Walker, We're talking Louis Charel, We're talking you know,
109
00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:20.319
Nicholas Cos He's are I mean, he's I mean, we
110
00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:20.839
look at that.
111
00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:25.519
Cat Kozak, you know, oh my god.
112
00:06:25.639 --> 00:06:32.360
And Okay, I have to say it. I have to
113
00:06:32.360 --> 00:06:35.000
say it, and I watched it live. I got one
114
00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:36.639
of the people who saw it happen. You know, you
115
00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:40.040
know what happened when I watched that episode. The big
116
00:06:40.120 --> 00:06:44.959
scene that literally is one of the craziest, funniest tragic
117
00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:49.360
scenes in daytime history ever. They said, and it was
118
00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:53.279
so it was hilarious and sad. We loved Mary and
119
00:06:53.279 --> 00:06:55.879
it was so hilarious. So can you guys talk about that?
120
00:06:55.920 --> 00:06:57.040
I have to ask you about that scene.
121
00:06:57.480 --> 00:07:01.959
I mean, come on, folks, they I was speaking for me.
122
00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:04.639
What I suspect is that I was about to go
123
00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:09.600
away and do Shakespeare again for the summer, and they thought, well,
124
00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:11.959
we need something big to get him off the show
125
00:07:12.040 --> 00:07:16.040
for a while. So they squashed Harley Jane Kozak like
126
00:07:16.120 --> 00:07:21.160
a bug on the roof of the hotel. And so
127
00:07:21.639 --> 00:07:28.319
I had to do these incredibly, extremely well written, somewhat
128
00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:31.639
melo dramatic scenes on top of the Capitol Hotel over
129
00:07:32.920 --> 00:07:37.680
Harley Jane Kozak's dying corpse. And I was fighting or
130
00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:40.319
leaving the show at that time. I didn't think that
131
00:07:40.439 --> 00:07:43.720
story line was finished. So I was saying, look washer
132
00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:46.639
off the roof with the big waves, so we don't
133
00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:51.240
know what happened, but no, Bridget and Jerry said, we
134
00:07:51.319 --> 00:07:55.680
got a squasher. So it turned out, you know, it
135
00:07:56.560 --> 00:08:00.199
led to the storyline with Nancy Lee Ron. So in hindsight,
136
00:08:00.720 --> 00:08:02.680
there was nothing wrong with the decision, but at the
137
00:08:02.680 --> 00:08:05.920
moment it was, it was. It was difficult for me.
138
00:08:06.920 --> 00:08:07.800
It was a it.
139
00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:13.519
Was a difficult when we thought of the idea. Nobody
140
00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:19.800
involved agreed with that idea, the idea of the way
141
00:08:19.839 --> 00:08:23.920
to kill her. And and now, yes, the show belonged
142
00:08:23.959 --> 00:08:26.680
to us, the doptions. It didn't belong to NBC or
143
00:08:26.959 --> 00:08:30.040
Procter and Gamble. It was our show, so we had
144
00:08:30.040 --> 00:08:33.879
the final say. But my god, that was a difficult
145
00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:38.960
say to get people on board, to try to get
146
00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:41.919
people behind what we were doing with that particular stunt,
147
00:08:42.399 --> 00:08:46.360
and and it was it certainly was worthwhile. It was
148
00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:50.159
one of those fights that you have behind the scenes
149
00:08:50.639 --> 00:08:53.200
till it took quite a while, but it was a
150
00:08:53.240 --> 00:08:56.519
worthwhile fight. Yeah, but we glad it worked out.
151
00:08:57.120 --> 00:09:00.240
And you say, you know, it led to naturally to
152
00:09:00.360 --> 00:09:01.399
Julia rain White.
153
00:09:01.240 --> 00:09:05.000
And you gotta lead. You always have to think ahead.
154
00:09:05.399 --> 00:09:07.120
If you do something like that, you got to know
155
00:09:07.159 --> 00:09:09.799
where you're going to be six months after that, and
156
00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:13.879
what's going on? And you can't you can't just rest
157
00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:17.559
on your laurels. You have to keep thinking, keep keep creating.
158
00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:19.480
That makes sense.
159
00:09:19.559 --> 00:09:22.000
Yeah, and but again I said, it led to you
160
00:09:22.039 --> 00:09:23.960
one of the greatest couplings I think ever on.
161
00:09:24.360 --> 00:09:26.279
And here's here. We'll get to the coupling in a second.
162
00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:30.440
So my great grandmother Arthur, her name was Arthur Redda
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and she was like four foot nothing, eight hundred years
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old whatever.
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She was the best. I loved her. She was my
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girl in New York.
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And I went to New York that summer and I
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was there for like a month and a half.
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I go visit or whatever.
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She's one of the few that didn't watch soap operas.
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I gotta understand a Barbara, Oh really, I love it.
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She loved Mason. That was her man. She's like, if
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I could meet Mason in a dark alley. And I
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was sudden, like, okay, Granny, how did you hear all
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that thought? You were just a bomb dignity? But she
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was a huge fan of Mason and Julia that was somebody.
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And we would and we would, and once I came
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back to la we were talking we were talking about
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do you see this week?
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How do we have?
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That was our connection. She actually died about six months
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after the showing off the air. I'm not saying that
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Sam Robert's cancelation made her tell.
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Me nothing to live for.
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She died peacefully. It was great. It was always easy,
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you know.
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I was like, okay, maybe and I from there, But no,
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she loved She said that she thought and it was
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These were her words, And I agree with her that
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Mason and Julia were written so well that she was like,
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this is actually prime time worthy work.
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So what what do you both say about the When
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I mentioned when I say that, what do you both
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think about that?
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I love Jerry dig that for now.
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It the quality of the writing. I mean we when
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you're dealing with very skilled people at all levels, when,
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as as I said before, when they they know you
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know that they can tell any story, act any story,
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then you you have a freedom of creativity that helps
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get you to the for the core of your characters
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and make it so personal that that they're unforgettable. And
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that's that is the reason. And and that was one
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of the We've known that lesson for thirty years. But
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when we you remember Dame Judith Anderson. Yes, he was
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the first person we hired for Santa Barbara. And and
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we went to visit her and asked her if she joined,
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and she said, well, tell me about her character. And
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at the time, all I knew was that she was
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going to be the matriarch of the family. So named
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jud just spent the next four hours asking me questions
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about her character. And and so we got to see
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what a really great actress, how she gets into a character.
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And boy did Dame Judith get into that character. Just
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on that afternoon. I took notes, and we made stuff up,
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and I went back to Bridget and talked about it.
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But but Dame Judith wanted to know how many marriages
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she'd had her character. She wanted to know how many
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elicit affairs that she had character. She wanted to wanted
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to know when at what age did she lose her virginity.
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She wanted to know how many the dogs that she
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that she had, the cats that her character had, would
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was she a dog person or a cat? I mean,
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did she write? I mean she wanted to know everything.
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And and and she'd come into the studio with to
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do a scene, and and she'd call up to my
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office and say, Jerry, I don't know why I'm saying
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this line from the script, and she'd say, and she
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would I come down and talk about it to her.
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So I'd go down to the to the makeup and
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we talk about that line, and I'd have to explain
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why the line is there and what it meant for
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the past of the show, and what it meant for
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the future of the show, and why was it important,
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and and everybody, the other act you know, Lane and
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everybody sort of would see the way Dame Judith went
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after us on that character, and boy did she make
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that character her own, and it was exhilarating, so that
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a few weeks later, somebody like Robin Wright would call
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up and say, Jerry, I don't like this line. Why
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am I saying this line? And I'd have to go
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down there and try to explain it to I mean,
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god damn. These people were so smart and good and
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all the way through the cast they wanted to know
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what was going on. So we did our best, and
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of course helped us frame what we were doing. So
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it was a collaborative ever from top to bottom.
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The collaboration was a big part of what made Santa
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Barbara work. Bridget and Jerry and the producers would listen
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if you were having trouble with a scene or a
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line or even a storyline, they would listen to your
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problems and fix them.
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You know, betwe you this.
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Sometimes there'd be some wrestling creatively, but we always got
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to a fair solution, and that made being on the
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show much more comfortable. I've been on shows where the
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producers or writers were much less flexible about changing dialogue
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and stuff like that, and it becomes very confining for
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the actor. But we had this sense of freedom on
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Santa Barbara.
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I also want to remember, you know, we had good
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people working with it, good writers, Uh Courtney Simon for instance,
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Patrick mackay and and uh Linda Miles, you remember Linda Miles.
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And and so we Malee Taggart another one, I.
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Mean, Frank Frank Salisbury was one of mine.
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Frank Stallsbury was huge. It was really important. I mean,
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so so we got to work with these talented people
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and and we we talked about the scripts that they
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were working on and and was it working or not.
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I mean it was a collaboration up and down the line.
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And that was one of the nice things about owning
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the show itself. We could do that as as opposed
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to say a Procter and Gamble show, where you were
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somewhat restricted on who you not that we were bacheful
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about complaining or talking about stuff or disagreeing with our
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show ideas. But but Santa Barbara was unique and that
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in this way.
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Yeah, and everybody I've talked to from the show years
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mentioned the collaboration effort. I mean, Louis Charell and that's
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right involved and like, oh yeah, we all worked together
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to make scenes better. And you know, we all we
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we did all we could to make And I said,
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but it showed, it showed, It showed on screen. You know,
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we saw these you know, we saw these scenes and
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we saw the level I said, a young Robin Wright
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before she was famous, you know she was you know,
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we had you know, Tom McKey, all these people that
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were so there were even the younger cast was well
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justin he was amazing. I mean, like, you know, there's
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there was something was these young kids and younger actors
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that were also good, which.
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Is not always good. It was not it was kind
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of not always on shows too. Yeah, from her to younger.
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Yeah, it was, you know, And we were heavily involved
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in the cassidy of course, and and Rubin was wonderful.
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But once in a while the network would put its
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orient and say they didn't want a certain person. And
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and and there was a case where we the lady
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you just mentioned, but I won't mention her name at
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the moment, brought her back three or four times, wrote
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different casting scenes to make sure that she got on
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the show and got everybody on board, and I got
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it paid off. Now we we we worked hard to
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write different tryout scenes and work her with different people.
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But boy, oh boy, you had to stick to your guns.
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You had to fight for stuff all the way along,
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and always the fight was worthwhile.
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Speaking of fourth while, I have to ask Lane about Mason.
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To me, Mason was such a well set up character,
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being the oldest and his family kind of half something
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to the others. We already opened with the you know,
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the death of the other brother, who was kind of
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like a golden child. He was a like I said,
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it was a Greek tragedy of his own. He would
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know sabotage. He was very smart. What what are the
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things that you you like? Said of my fair courts
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are all time. What are some of your thoughts about
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me now, especially now looking back on it, your thoughts
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about Mason.
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Well, you know, it's funny. It's like talking about an
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old friend who passed away or something. But it was
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his that that sort of sardonic sense of humor that
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he had that seemed to piss all the other characters off.
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There was probably the most fun to play. And then
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the Dobbsons would either throw in some Shakespeare or let
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me throw in some Shakespeare from time to time, which
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which made it fun for me as an old stage
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actor or a young stage actor at that time. That's
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how Yes, and then the and then the layers, you know,
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the jealousy of the of you know, of a dead
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brother and the other kids. He was, you know, he
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was the odd man out. And I think that's why
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a lot of people identified with them. A lot of
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people that have had daddy issues or mommy issues identified
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with Mason trying desperately to please his parents. Some of
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that came from from Bridget and Jerry's own own family
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issues over over the years, I think, and that's part
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of what made it so real. When Mason opened his
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mouth to to rant about the unfairness of being the
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odd man out. Some of that was coming from the
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heart of the creators of the show. Correct me, you
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know I'm wrong, Jerry, But but I always got the feeling,
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and even heard from Bridget that that she was working
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out some of her issues with her mother, who was
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a formidable but difficult woman.
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From all reports, Bridget had problems with her family. I
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am my family. They didn't leave Bridgie and I wrote
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the show. They believe the characters on the show wrote
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the show. I mean my father had gone to Wellesley,
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smart lady, my sister going to Stanford, and they would
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talk to me and they would tell me what the
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characters are going to say tomorrow or the next day,
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and and and I would tell them, you know, you guys,
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Bridgie and I write the show. We put the words
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into their mouths, and it went right past those My penny,
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Now I did, I have to admit that. For we
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wrote Guiding Light for something like seven years, and for
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two and a half years of that I dished up
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my own family on my show. So I wrote about
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them and they never figured it out, which.
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Is so bunny. I know.
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He was also folks. That's that's one other story to you. Yeah,
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but you know, I think of Mason, which I just mentioned,
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the Shakespearean moments. I always wonder if those were you know,
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I think those were written by I wonder if any
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of those were improvised, Y always some of.
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Some of them. At the at the last moment, I
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remember my favorite, my favorite ad lib I think from
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from the whole time I was on the show was
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Jed Allen. I'm not sure if it was Jed Allen.
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Charlie Bateman was in bed because they had been shot
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in the behind, and and I had I asked if
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I could say friends, romans, countrymen led me you were
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rears as I exited the hospital room with CC throwing
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things at me.
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I think I remember that. Actually, that's kind of right
377
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back to me.
378
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Yes, a lot of you know, a lot of writer
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creators wouldn't have let me get away with that lot,
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you know, But because Jerry and Bridget have a wicked
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uh sense of humor themselves, they they you know, they
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let me keep it in.
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Well.
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I like I like another one. A good scene, the
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last poor Yorick scene that you had with the salmon.
386
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I think isn't that right?
387
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Yeah, Yeah, I had forgotten.
388
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That and that worked beautifully. Yeah, it was such fun
389
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figuring out stuff like that and letting Mason run with.
390
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It, right comment for our male characters on so to
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do that, it just it just wasn't We didn't see that.
392
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There was I can't even another character that was like
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that wasn't. Yeah I did that. That's what's made Mason
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stand out. But Jerry have to ask you because another
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thing that I was very proud of what you guys did,
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and I've talked to A Martinez about. Of course years later,
397
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you had an interracial couple in the true in the
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lead of a soap opera and it works.
399
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It could work. We know it worked, but it works.
400
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And I don't see openly on anybody we said anything
401
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much about it. Like I felt like they both went
402
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Emmy's four and the whole big thing on Marcy Walker
403
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and they did other stuff, but I felt like he
404
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was the first one of the second guy to win
405
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lead actor and a personal color. It was like it
406
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was crazy. They were huge. Cruise was huge, all right.
407
00:23:21.200 --> 00:23:22.359
We didn't think about it.
408
00:23:22.359 --> 00:23:24.720
It never occurred to me when we were doing the
409
00:23:24.759 --> 00:23:27.640
show that they were you know, interracial.
410
00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:31.400
That's true from our point of view as the writers,
411
00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:35.279
as we put them together, we didn't think inter racial.
412
00:23:35.559 --> 00:23:40.079
We thought, my got these two powerhouse characters. Let's get
413
00:23:40.119 --> 00:23:46.240
them together and see what happens. Yeah, and that the
414
00:23:46.359 --> 00:23:50.400
interracial stuff never ended into our thinking whatsoever.
415
00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:52.640
Which I appreciate them. That's the whole point. It's kind
416
00:23:52.680 --> 00:23:56.079
of like, it's you care, like soap opa two characters
417
00:23:56.079 --> 00:23:58.680
who have this amazing chemistry. It was lightning in a bottle.
418
00:23:59.240 --> 00:24:01.359
It shouldn't matter what they look like in a sense,
419
00:24:01.400 --> 00:24:04.079
you know. I mean, it's so popert but they worked.
420
00:24:04.119 --> 00:24:05.640
That's why I like, that's why I liked about because
421
00:24:05.640 --> 00:24:08.240
it didn't turn into this kind of he was he
422
00:24:08.319 --> 00:24:10.599
was a Castille, she was a kapita, and it just
423
00:24:10.759 --> 00:24:14.759
it worked. Yeah, but you guys did change a little
424
00:24:14.759 --> 00:24:16.319
bit of television with that. I mean, it just doesn't
425
00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:18.599
it hasn't hasn't happened since really mean, it's not really
426
00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:20.079
happening now. I mean it's kind of like so it's
427
00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:22.799
kind of like, wow, how groundbreaking that was, and you
428
00:24:22.839 --> 00:24:23.920
weren't even trying to do that.
429
00:24:25.319 --> 00:24:30.599
No, we were in the business of coming up with
430
00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:33.720
the best drama we could. We weren't worried about issues
431
00:24:33.759 --> 00:24:40.359
at the time, never have. It's relationships that build shows
432
00:24:40.400 --> 00:24:45.240
and build audiences. And how many layers of that onion
433
00:24:45.319 --> 00:24:48.680
can you peel off of personality? And how many times
434
00:24:48.720 --> 00:24:52.240
can you paint people like Mason into a corner where
435
00:24:52.279 --> 00:24:55.039
it's impossible for him to get out, and then get
436
00:24:55.079 --> 00:24:56.960
him out of that corner, get him out of that
437
00:24:57.039 --> 00:24:59.799
fix that we painted him into. Well, that that was
438
00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:03.000
all always a great fun and it always revealed another
439
00:25:03.119 --> 00:25:07.839
aspect to Mason's character that we hadn't seen before because
440
00:25:07.880 --> 00:25:10.039
he hadn't been in that particular corner. We put him
441
00:25:10.039 --> 00:25:14.640
into that corner and suddenly a new part of Mason
442
00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:17.559
comes out, and boy, it's worthwhile hanging on to that.
443
00:25:19.160 --> 00:25:23.680
It's funny you mentioned Greek tragedy. For a time or
444
00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:25.519
a lot of my time on the show, I thought
445
00:25:25.559 --> 00:25:30.000
of Mason as a Greek chorus. He would because he would.
446
00:25:30.599 --> 00:25:32.720
It seemed like every other month I would put on
447
00:25:32.799 --> 00:25:37.079
the tuxs and then and then stagger stagger drunk around
448
00:25:37.079 --> 00:25:40.160
the party and tell everybody what was actually going on.
449
00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:43.079
And it was always truth, you know, but it usually
450
00:25:43.160 --> 00:25:48.480
ended up with somebody knocking me down. But but that
451
00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:51.880
was my function on the show frequently was basically to
452
00:25:52.359 --> 00:25:55.079
sort of bring everybody up to date on what all
453
00:25:55.119 --> 00:25:59.880
the subtexts was, which which people frequently don't want to
454
00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:01.640
year speaking.
455
00:26:01.279 --> 00:26:05.839
The Greek court, were you aware of as the World Turns?
456
00:26:05.880 --> 00:26:07.880
When As the World Turns? When we wrote it and
457
00:26:07.920 --> 00:26:12.799
we went to Greece, Greece and and and filmed in
458
00:26:12.880 --> 00:26:14.119
the Parthenon.
459
00:26:14.079 --> 00:26:16.119
Yeah, I saw those Yes.
460
00:26:16.359 --> 00:26:22.119
Well that's what is it? Kathy Hayes hay Kim, Yeah, yep,
461
00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:26.039
and the two Greek brothers. And I know I've strayed
462
00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:29.920
away from Santa Barbara, but but that whole incident that
463
00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:33.200
was to arrange that was a tough one to go
464
00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:38.559
and and it worked out beautifully. That That's a long
465
00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:41.359
story and sometimes I'll tell it to you.
466
00:26:41.519 --> 00:26:42.319
You can any time.
467
00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:45.000
Tell me love, I Love I loved aswel turns kind
468
00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:49.240
of light, that's good. Two last things I'll talk about
469
00:26:49.240 --> 00:26:53.960
this but this play. One is the iconic fountain that
470
00:26:54.079 --> 00:26:56.559
it's like, I mean, the iconic you know, the fountain.
471
00:26:57.079 --> 00:26:58.680
I just I just think that's such. I mean, who
472
00:26:58.759 --> 00:27:00.319
thought of the fountain? First wall?
473
00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:03.920
Because it became I mean atrium in the in the
474
00:27:04.200 --> 00:27:08.079
in the big main set. I have no idea it
475
00:27:08.119 --> 00:27:11.000
was modeled. Jerry can tell you better than I, but
476
00:27:11.079 --> 00:27:14.039
there there was an actual house in Monacito, not far
477
00:27:14.079 --> 00:27:16.640
from Dame Judics, because she took me over there one
478
00:27:16.680 --> 00:27:19.119
time and marched in and said, we want to see
479
00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:22.160
the house. But there was an actual house in Monacito
480
00:27:22.279 --> 00:27:27.160
that had that that the set was based on. So
481
00:27:27.240 --> 00:27:29.920
I guess that's where the fountain came from. Am I am?
482
00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:30.920
I correct? Jerry?
483
00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:35.599
I think you're right. And we did managed to stagger
484
00:27:35.720 --> 00:27:38.440
through a number of rather large holes in Santa Barbara,
485
00:27:38.440 --> 00:27:41.799
got acquainted with people and you could get lost in
486
00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:42.720
some of those houses.
487
00:27:43.680 --> 00:27:45.240
Amazing Manito.
488
00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:49.240
Yeah, oh my god, Yeah, I bet, but that's an iconic,
489
00:27:49.279 --> 00:27:51.440
that's the thing for some of our fans. And then lastly,
490
00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:54.079
I mean, I couldn't I have you right here, Jerry,
491
00:27:54.839 --> 00:27:57.000
and I mean and Lane worked with both of them. Also,
492
00:27:57.880 --> 00:28:02.799
Justin Dees and Robin Matson, Keith and Gina talk about
493
00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:09.799
another magical otherworldly lighting a bottle situation. There's gonna be any
494
00:28:09.799 --> 00:28:12.359
comments on them, and I mean, I know Justin is
495
00:28:12.440 --> 00:28:14.799
very private and rob is not doing it anymore. But
496
00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:17.039
I'm just like they're just so they're magical. And you
497
00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:18.759
worked at I mean you worked at Lane also, I mean,
498
00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:19.759
and they're just magical.
499
00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:25.440
Yeah, Justin was a it was a force of nature,
500
00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:30.759
you know, and Robin was like, you know, like a
501
00:28:30.799 --> 00:28:34.079
great white shark on camera. You just you know, you
502
00:28:34.200 --> 00:28:36.680
just sort of tried to stay out of her way,
503
00:28:36.680 --> 00:28:38.039
and then if you had to work with her, you
504
00:28:38.119 --> 00:28:41.160
knew you had your work cut out for her for you.
505
00:28:41.559 --> 00:28:45.839
So both of them were great fun to work with
506
00:28:45.920 --> 00:28:47.839
and part of what maybe being on Santa Barbara was
507
00:28:47.880 --> 00:28:49.960
so much fun, you know, which It's like, if you're
508
00:28:49.960 --> 00:28:53.200
playing tennis with somebody that's really mediocre and doesn't know
509
00:28:53.200 --> 00:28:56.039
how to play, it's boring. But if you're playing with
510
00:28:56.119 --> 00:28:59.599
people that are humming them past your head, you got
511
00:28:59.640 --> 00:29:02.119
to stay on your toes. That's the way it was
512
00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:03.200
working with those people.
513
00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:05.480
Work with Justin D's on As the World Turns, I
514
00:29:05.519 --> 00:29:10.519
believe for quite a while. Uh it was, it was
515
00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:17.720
and Margaret Colin and Justin D's were an item then, remember.
516
00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:21.599
Margaret, Yes, yes, the very nice stay an item. I
517
00:29:21.599 --> 00:29:22.680
think they're still married.
518
00:29:24.799 --> 00:29:25.240
I'm not sure.
519
00:29:25.240 --> 00:29:28.960
I think because we were at the time when their courtship,
520
00:29:29.240 --> 00:29:34.079
and their courtship was you wouldn't write about it for
521
00:29:34.079 --> 00:29:37.759
for a TV for soap because nobody would believe it
522
00:29:38.799 --> 00:29:40.920
what was going on with those two. And as it
523
00:29:41.039 --> 00:29:44.480
was Justin D's on As the World Turns, we got
524
00:29:44.519 --> 00:29:48.640
to call it at what midnight and Santa Barbara and
525
00:29:48.680 --> 00:29:51.880
got that Justin decided to leave the show As the
526
00:29:51.880 --> 00:29:55.119
World Turns and we had to do something to write
527
00:29:55.160 --> 00:29:59.079
him out and how to do that, and and so
528
00:29:59.240 --> 00:30:02.400
we we did all night. We figured out how to
529
00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:05.559
get him out of the show, and we wrote him out,
530
00:30:05.599 --> 00:30:09.640
and then that we did ask if any chance you
531
00:30:09.640 --> 00:30:12.160
can get him to just give us one line, come
532
00:30:12.200 --> 00:30:15.359
in and give us one line, and then we're set.
533
00:30:15.519 --> 00:30:18.880
So they found him someplace and brought him in and
534
00:30:18.920 --> 00:30:21.200
he did the one line, and then he said, well,
535
00:30:21.759 --> 00:30:24.680
have you got another line, and before we know he
536
00:30:24.720 --> 00:30:25.720
was back on the show.
537
00:30:27.720 --> 00:30:28.000
He was.
538
00:30:28.319 --> 00:30:29.960
It was tumultous there for a while.
539
00:30:31.799 --> 00:30:34.279
Wow, it was wonderful to write.
540
00:30:34.039 --> 00:30:35.720
For it, well, he said, he was.
541
00:30:35.839 --> 00:30:38.039
I mean, obviously it's like what twenty I means or
542
00:30:38.079 --> 00:30:40.240
whatever at this point, if all the shows he's done,
543
00:30:40.279 --> 00:30:42.680
I mean, he's such I mean, he's such a unique
544
00:30:42.720 --> 00:30:45.720
actor and just again, you guys can do comedy. And
545
00:30:46.079 --> 00:30:47.920
Robert manson to another person who was on all these
546
00:30:47.920 --> 00:30:51.599
shows too, who they can do comedy, they can do drama.
547
00:30:51.720 --> 00:30:53.640
They could do they could, He would say, like we
548
00:30:53.680 --> 00:30:55.839
were with Lame with Mason, you can you there are
549
00:30:55.880 --> 00:30:57.720
times you want to give him a hug and there
550
00:30:57.720 --> 00:30:59.160
are times you want that you want to punch him.
551
00:30:59.160 --> 00:31:00.839
Like I said, do you know how many times you've
552
00:31:00.880 --> 00:31:02.640
been punched on the show or slapped on the show?
553
00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:06.920
I didn't keep count, but it was a lot, you know,
554
00:31:07.680 --> 00:31:11.279
it was. It was I tended it.
555
00:31:10.519 --> 00:31:12.559
At you deserved everyone.
556
00:31:12.920 --> 00:31:13.359
Everyone.
557
00:31:15.759 --> 00:31:19.559
Imagine what pleasure was to write that stuff.
558
00:31:21.359 --> 00:31:26.680
Like we're gonna slap slap Lain today, like you know,
559
00:31:26.839 --> 00:31:29.599
brushing back a batter that's hitting him too.
560
00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:30.319
Good, says.
561
00:31:30.400 --> 00:31:33.319
We're at the studio all the time, it's easy to
562
00:31:33.359 --> 00:31:36.920
wander down to the stage and suggest to somebody who
563
00:31:37.079 --> 00:31:39.200
was going to hit him, do it a little harder
564
00:31:39.279 --> 00:31:39.720
this time.
565
00:31:42.680 --> 00:31:45.279
Oh my goodness, Well, thank you for indulging me. I
566
00:31:45.319 --> 00:31:48.039
just just made my made my my month, So thank
567
00:31:48.079 --> 00:31:49.759
you very much. I had to I had to ask
568
00:31:49.880 --> 00:31:54.480
those questions, so thank you. And it leads to this
569
00:31:54.640 --> 00:31:58.960
collaboration again that you said earlier. You work together, you go,
570
00:31:59.119 --> 00:32:03.119
you go. Sometimes friendships last, sometimes they don't. But actually
571
00:32:03.119 --> 00:32:06.400
to work together is a very unique situation. And so
572
00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:11.720
at the kind of Swegas Shakespeare Coalition. Uh, And it's
573
00:32:11.759 --> 00:32:12.279
at the U.
574
00:32:13.519 --> 00:32:14.079
I done here.
575
00:32:14.640 --> 00:32:20.640
It's kind is the actual I saga Indian word very
576
00:32:20.680 --> 00:32:23.599
good And it's in Atlanta, and what's about where it is?
577
00:32:23.640 --> 00:32:25.119
And I'll put it underneath everything.
578
00:32:25.519 --> 00:32:27.720
But yeah, there's play plot twist which is not it's
579
00:32:27.759 --> 00:32:30.480
been rather the plot twist that not the playground for
580
00:32:30.680 --> 00:32:34.680
a while. And then so please explain Lane, exactly what
581
00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:35.720
are we what are we seeing?
582
00:32:36.200 --> 00:32:41.400
Well, Jerry came came to me with it a while back,
583
00:32:41.599 --> 00:32:48.920
and finally in April two years ago, together we workshopped
584
00:32:48.960 --> 00:32:51.759
it in Prague. I've done about twelve shows with the
585
00:32:51.759 --> 00:32:56.160
Prague Shakespeare Company because I love hanging around in Prague
586
00:32:56.599 --> 00:32:58.960
and it gives me a good excuse to be over
587
00:32:59.000 --> 00:33:03.480
there and beautiful city. We're talking about the play and
588
00:33:03.519 --> 00:33:07.799
decided that it needed one more workshop before we did
589
00:33:07.799 --> 00:33:10.960
a final production of it. So we did that and
590
00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:14.119
then Jerry took it back in make more revisions and
591
00:33:14.160 --> 00:33:18.000
then some scheduling issues. But the upshot is that two
592
00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:22.640
years after it's it's workshop premiere, it's now getting its
593
00:33:22.680 --> 00:33:26.799
world premiere at Synchronicity in Atlanta.
594
00:33:27.559 --> 00:33:31.880
First of all, I mentioned beautiful city, beautiful place. First
595
00:33:31.880 --> 00:33:35.319
of all, I mean great history, but it's also very
596
00:33:35.359 --> 00:33:36.240
I mean cost of Polity.
597
00:33:36.400 --> 00:33:37.960
It's a beautiful city.
598
00:33:38.720 --> 00:33:41.640
Yeah, oh yeah, it's got everything you want in a
599
00:33:41.720 --> 00:33:45.160
European city without a lot of the problems that big
600
00:33:45.240 --> 00:33:46.559
European cities had.
601
00:33:46.799 --> 00:33:50.960
Correct, right, But you also you also are working with
602
00:33:51.880 --> 00:33:55.240
I guess music by Dominic Messenger, who is also part
603
00:33:55.240 --> 00:33:56.359
of Santa Barbara is.
604
00:33:56.400 --> 00:33:56.880
Kind of fun.
605
00:33:58.039 --> 00:34:01.559
Yeah, And okay, so what is the story.
606
00:34:03.640 --> 00:34:09.280
Well, the story got started because way back there, Bridge
607
00:34:09.320 --> 00:34:12.639
and I were in a story meeting on a show
608
00:34:13.440 --> 00:34:17.000
and the head of the network came in and said
609
00:34:17.000 --> 00:34:20.199
he liked what we were writing, but would we add
610
00:34:20.199 --> 00:34:25.119
a gun to the last act to the show.
611
00:34:25.920 --> 00:34:27.199
And at that.
612
00:34:27.360 --> 00:34:31.960
Point I sort of sort of dropped out of the meeting.
613
00:34:32.039 --> 00:34:35.440
It went on and I spent twenty minutes figuring out
614
00:34:35.440 --> 00:34:40.119
how to kill the network executive, how to wipe him
615
00:34:40.119 --> 00:34:45.039
off the face of the earth. And so several decades later,
616
00:34:45.119 --> 00:34:47.679
here we are and I get to kill the network
617
00:34:47.760 --> 00:34:49.679
executive on stage.
618
00:34:52.119 --> 00:34:55.880
The play is kind of who done it? About who
619
00:34:55.960 --> 00:34:58.519
actually kills him? You know, it's not too much of
620
00:34:58.559 --> 00:35:00.280
a spoiler to let you know that he you know,
621
00:35:00.320 --> 00:35:04.360
somebody always dies in a murder mystery. But mixed in
622
00:35:04.440 --> 00:35:09.559
with that is some autobiographical material about Jerry uh and
623
00:35:09.599 --> 00:35:13.800
this wonderful sort of homage uh, not only to to
624
00:35:13.960 --> 00:35:20.760
daytime television, but to the eighties themselves. And then and then,
625
00:35:21.639 --> 00:35:25.079
you know, any Santa Barbara fan is is a fan
626
00:35:25.159 --> 00:35:31.960
of stuff that's slightly ott, as we say, and so
627
00:35:32.239 --> 00:35:36.280
we we have this mix. It's a there's a it's
628
00:35:36.320 --> 00:35:41.440
a play about a soap opera about a murder, all
629
00:35:41.559 --> 00:35:45.960
rolled into one, and somehow or other, Jerry has woven
630
00:35:46.039 --> 00:35:52.159
all of these elements together into a logical narrative that
631
00:35:52.320 --> 00:35:56.639
is just great fun. He's We've got We've We've got
632
00:35:56.679 --> 00:36:01.039
some uh like Atlanta A list actors and some people
633
00:36:01.039 --> 00:36:06.000
from out of town. I'm just incredibly pleased with the
634
00:36:06.079 --> 00:36:09.280
cast we managed to put together for this. Because the
635
00:36:09.400 --> 00:36:12.159
characters are so well drawn on the page. It's it's
636
00:36:12.199 --> 00:36:14.519
a blessing for a director to be able to find
637
00:36:14.719 --> 00:36:16.239
people to bring them to life.
638
00:36:17.239 --> 00:36:21.400
Well, you know, and you talked about the beginning of
639
00:36:21.440 --> 00:36:25.679
this interview, you talked about your grandmother. Well, the play
640
00:36:25.920 --> 00:36:31.559
talks about a grandmother in the very opening dialogue about
641
00:36:31.599 --> 00:36:34.239
grandmother getting the grandson hooked on.
642
00:36:34.360 --> 00:36:39.360
So yeah, you got the grandson, who is the lead
643
00:36:39.480 --> 00:36:40.960
character in the play hooked on.
644
00:36:41.079 --> 00:36:45.880
So so, I mean I would, except we're so close
645
00:36:45.920 --> 00:36:49.079
to the opening. I mean, I would probably change a
646
00:36:49.079 --> 00:36:54.840
word or two thanks to your introduction. Everybody's grandmother got
647
00:36:54.920 --> 00:36:55.360
us hooked.
648
00:36:56.880 --> 00:37:03.079
I forbid any more changes process. But I want I
649
00:37:03.119 --> 00:37:05.480
ask you Lane in terms of I love directing. So
650
00:37:05.519 --> 00:37:08.519
in terms of directing, what is it about directing stage
651
00:37:09.039 --> 00:37:09.800
that you enjoy?
652
00:37:13.000 --> 00:37:16.159
Well, you know, there's so many things I like working
653
00:37:16.199 --> 00:37:21.159
with actors. The older I get, the less I do
654
00:37:21.320 --> 00:37:24.119
as an actor. I tell my actors that I'm God's
655
00:37:24.280 --> 00:37:27.719
laziest director. If you get good actors and give them
656
00:37:27.920 --> 00:37:33.920
a good script and then give them just a logical
657
00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:36.880
place to stand and move, they'll they'll do the rest
658
00:37:36.880 --> 00:37:39.480
of the work for you, you know, because after the
659
00:37:39.519 --> 00:37:42.400
first week they probably know the characters better than you do,
660
00:37:42.559 --> 00:37:50.000
and all you're doing is sort of it is nudging
661
00:37:50.039 --> 00:37:53.079
them in directions. You want to see them go, you know,
662
00:37:53.519 --> 00:37:56.400
I'm you know, I tell them I'm a director, not
663
00:37:56.480 --> 00:37:59.320
a dictator. If you want something different, will change it.
664
00:38:00.679 --> 00:38:05.639
But with these guys, it's it's it's just been a joy.
665
00:38:05.800 --> 00:38:10.480
And I realized late in life that this is what
666
00:38:10.559 --> 00:38:12.760
I this is what I like most.
667
00:38:13.000 --> 00:38:13.679
I'm really a.
668
00:38:13.639 --> 00:38:16.599
Regional theater guy. At heart, I don't think I could.
669
00:38:16.800 --> 00:38:18.920
I don't think I could handle eight shows a week
670
00:38:19.000 --> 00:38:22.159
for weeks and weeks on end on Broadway. Not that
671
00:38:22.199 --> 00:38:26.719
I would turn down a Broadway play, but that would
672
00:38:26.800 --> 00:38:31.599
drive me nuts. And I had you know, I had
673
00:38:31.599 --> 00:38:33.679
a good run in Hollywood. I have no complaints, and
674
00:38:33.760 --> 00:38:35.679
a lot of what I did was a lot of fun.
675
00:38:35.800 --> 00:38:37.960
But at heart, what I what I like to do
676
00:38:38.039 --> 00:38:40.000
is get a bunch of good actors together with a
677
00:38:40.039 --> 00:38:43.679
good script and and and watch it turn into this
678
00:38:43.840 --> 00:38:46.239
living breeding production.
679
00:38:46.719 --> 00:38:50.880
I have to say that Lane there's an excellent job
680
00:38:50.920 --> 00:38:55.559
in nudging the actors in the directions that they know
681
00:38:55.639 --> 00:38:58.440
they want to go and may need just a little nudge.
682
00:38:58.480 --> 00:39:01.400
And Lane is very good and he handles people. He
683
00:39:01.480 --> 00:39:07.840
gets along with everybody. Writers don't get along with anybody
684
00:39:08.960 --> 00:39:09.719
does a good job.
685
00:39:12.079 --> 00:39:14.960
I love the cat tail I can't tail is there
686
00:39:15.599 --> 00:39:19.599
in the frame at my fans love animals.
687
00:39:19.440 --> 00:39:20.760
It's it's it's it's totally fine.
688
00:39:21.679 --> 00:39:24.239
I'm also dealing with a dog who's jealous of the cat,
689
00:39:24.360 --> 00:39:32.079
so yeah, I can multitask.
690
00:39:32.960 --> 00:39:34.880
My thing is I always tell people and why they
691
00:39:34.880 --> 00:39:37.760
should they should see this play for hi Baby, for
692
00:39:37.840 --> 00:39:41.239
many reasons. But I also think there's nothing like a
693
00:39:41.280 --> 00:39:44.519
live experience. I tell people I have friends, you've never
694
00:39:44.599 --> 00:39:50.880
seen a live nothing concert or a musical or state. No,
695
00:39:51.039 --> 00:39:53.920
I'm like, you're missing out. There's something about that live
696
00:39:54.159 --> 00:39:57.199
thing that's Movies are great. We love movies, we love TV,
697
00:39:57.280 --> 00:39:59.960
we love that stuff. But just right, you guys, at
698
00:40:00.239 --> 00:40:03.159
being sitting and sitting there live and seeing it like
699
00:40:03.280 --> 00:40:04.480
it's something like it.
700
00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:12.440
Yeah, as an actor, it's both. It's terrifying and and
701
00:40:13.679 --> 00:40:16.840
exhilarating at the same time because here is this is
702
00:40:16.840 --> 00:40:19.360
not a big theater. The actors will be you know,
703
00:40:20.159 --> 00:40:23.519
eight feet from the front row probably, so it's a
704
00:40:23.639 --> 00:40:28.880
very intimate experience. And uh and you do, like, like
705
00:40:28.920 --> 00:40:33.960
in any group situation, the audience becomes their energy becomes
706
00:40:34.000 --> 00:40:38.559
a part of the play. Yes, it's it's a back
707
00:40:38.599 --> 00:40:42.639
and forth. And it's unfortunate that it's that it's so
708
00:40:42.800 --> 00:40:46.280
hard to get people out, you know, away from Netflix
709
00:40:46.480 --> 00:40:49.960
or TikTok and into a theater to see how exciting
710
00:40:50.079 --> 00:40:53.920
live theater can be. You know, I was fortunate to
711
00:40:54.039 --> 00:40:55.719
get you know, I had a lot of fans that
712
00:40:55.800 --> 00:40:57.679
had never seen a play but would come see me
713
00:40:57.760 --> 00:41:02.559
do Shakespeare because I've been Mason Capell Right, So I
714
00:41:02.599 --> 00:41:05.760
felt like I was, you know, helping the calls by
715
00:41:05.800 --> 00:41:08.920
doing theater. Besides the fact that I just love doing theater.
716
00:41:09.400 --> 00:41:11.480
Yeah, no, it's true, and I have. I took my
717
00:41:11.519 --> 00:41:14.320
brother to see Musical last year. It's this first one.
718
00:41:14.360 --> 00:41:16.400
After he was like, this was really fun, I go.
719
00:41:16.519 --> 00:41:18.320
I know the audience, when the audience gets into it
720
00:41:18.360 --> 00:41:21.400
and feeds off the energy, and it's just it means.
721
00:41:21.320 --> 00:41:23.079
Just nothing like it. It's a fun night. It's a
722
00:41:23.079 --> 00:41:24.679
fun night or day out.
723
00:41:25.000 --> 00:41:29.239
You know that it's funny. It is and you're clear
724
00:41:29.320 --> 00:41:34.039
to this collective experience. So folks go see this. We're
725
00:41:34.039 --> 00:41:35.840
gonna tell everyone I can see and everything in a second.
726
00:41:35.880 --> 00:41:38.559
Iat that's one last question because it's kind of relevant.
727
00:41:38.679 --> 00:41:42.119
You're in Atlanta, right, We have a new soap opera
728
00:41:42.920 --> 00:41:44.880
as want, especially with Jerry, I want to know your
729
00:41:44.880 --> 00:41:45.280
thoughts on it.
730
00:41:45.559 --> 00:41:46.679
We have beyond the Gates. Now.
731
00:41:47.199 --> 00:41:49.320
I never thought we see a new, a new soap
732
00:41:49.360 --> 00:41:51.920
on a network in my rest of my lifetime. I
733
00:41:51.920 --> 00:41:54.159
thought we'd never it'd been like, what thirty years since
734
00:41:54.239 --> 00:41:56.599
Well the Beautiful or whatever? What are your I mean,
735
00:41:56.639 --> 00:41:58.519
what are your thoughts on it? It just got renewed
736
00:41:58.519 --> 00:42:00.800
for two more seasons. It's kind of doing its thing.
737
00:42:01.639 --> 00:42:02.199
What are you thinking?
738
00:42:02.280 --> 00:42:02.599
Jerry?
739
00:42:03.280 --> 00:42:09.280
First, the writer worked with us and clear back. I
740
00:42:09.320 --> 00:42:15.239
think we had her on General Hospital, uh way back then.
741
00:42:15.679 --> 00:42:20.599
So it's been fun to see that she's gone and done,
742
00:42:20.960 --> 00:42:24.639
done what she's done, and and and succeeding because it's
743
00:42:24.760 --> 00:42:29.360
it's a tough business h soaps dying away right and left,
744
00:42:29.360 --> 00:42:32.360
and here she's got one back on plane and it's
745
00:42:32.559 --> 00:42:33.559
it's exciting for.
746
00:42:33.519 --> 00:42:38.840
Us, exciting and lane for you. If you did, god,
747
00:42:38.880 --> 00:42:40.599
go back to the General Hospitals a different character, you
748
00:42:40.639 --> 00:42:43.000
did go back as a brother of It was kind
749
00:42:43.000 --> 00:42:45.840
of fun. Would you go back to any soapsych for
750
00:42:46.000 --> 00:42:47.159
more appearances or anything?
751
00:42:47.400 --> 00:42:48.559
I would?
752
00:42:48.840 --> 00:42:51.480
I mean, the ideal thing for me would would be
753
00:42:52.320 --> 00:42:56.639
something recurring. You know, I'm I'm at an age where
754
00:42:56.639 --> 00:43:04.239
I've gotten really lazy, and you know, I'd like to
755
00:43:04.280 --> 00:43:06.159
spend a lot of time out of the country, which
756
00:43:06.159 --> 00:43:10.280
makes doing you know, shows in the country difficult to do.
757
00:43:10.400 --> 00:43:13.559
But you know, i'd love to sort of. I'd be
758
00:43:13.719 --> 00:43:15.679
more than happy to sort of pop in and make
759
00:43:15.719 --> 00:43:18.360
trouble for a while and then disappear for a while,
760
00:43:18.880 --> 00:43:21.960
you know, and then come back sort of like what
761
00:43:22.440 --> 00:43:27.559
Tony Geary had going on, a really good guy. What
762
00:43:27.639 --> 00:43:30.159
he had going on General Hospital towards the end was
763
00:43:30.320 --> 00:43:31.239
just about ideal.
764
00:43:31.360 --> 00:43:31.559
You know.
765
00:43:31.639 --> 00:43:34.559
He'd go hang out in Amsterdam for as long as
766
00:43:34.559 --> 00:43:38.280
he wanted, and then he'd come back in and be
767
00:43:38.440 --> 00:43:41.960
luke for a while, and then he'd disappear again. That's
768
00:43:42.280 --> 00:43:44.039
that's not a bad way to go, because I still
769
00:43:44.159 --> 00:43:46.039
like the work enough. I just I don't think I
770
00:43:46.039 --> 00:43:48.960
could get back into thirty pages of a day, six
771
00:43:49.039 --> 00:43:55.360
days a week. That would break my old brain. But
772
00:43:55.519 --> 00:43:58.719
you actually, my dog would would not forgive me.
773
00:43:59.119 --> 00:44:04.440
But I always say that we're not dog owners, that
774
00:44:04.599 --> 00:44:05.320
they own us.
775
00:44:05.480 --> 00:44:07.920
That's what I always say, so true.
776
00:44:07.920 --> 00:44:14.079
And it's not even my dog, you know, just Jerry
777
00:44:14.280 --> 00:44:18.559
Harry's met Daisy becomes a personal now and then.
778
00:44:19.320 --> 00:44:19.800
I love that.
779
00:44:20.360 --> 00:44:23.239
So at the Synchronousity Theater on Peach Street, I know
780
00:44:23.280 --> 00:44:27.480
Peachtree Street actually in Atlanta, Georgia. Starting on April twenty
781
00:44:27.519 --> 00:44:30.199
fourth and twenty fifth. They have shows at eight pm
782
00:44:30.639 --> 00:44:33.440
April twenty six, three pm, April thirtieth, eight pm, and
783
00:44:33.519 --> 00:44:37.480
May first and second APM. I will put in the description, folks,
784
00:44:37.559 --> 00:44:40.239
where you can go get tickets and where the theater
785
00:44:40.400 --> 00:44:43.159
is and all of that. Go see plot twists, go
786
00:44:43.159 --> 00:44:45.119
go go, go go tell them. James sent you, I
787
00:44:45.119 --> 00:44:46.880
don't know to tell whatever. You go and see it.
788
00:44:47.400 --> 00:44:50.639
Have a nice night out. I mean, go see some theater. Seriously,
789
00:44:50.679 --> 00:44:54.360
support theater, support the arts, right you guys.
790
00:44:54.039 --> 00:44:56.960
Say hello to me Jerry and I. I'm sure we'll
791
00:44:56.960 --> 00:45:02.440
be there every night, probably making changes there to watch it.
792
00:45:03.000 --> 00:45:06.760
So make sure if you do show up.
793
00:45:08.559 --> 00:45:12.840
And hopefully it's so it's just wildly successful. You'll have
794
00:45:12.880 --> 00:45:14.400
to bring it to Los Angeles.
795
00:45:15.800 --> 00:45:19.239
That's it. There's a I mean, that's that's being talked about.
796
00:45:19.159 --> 00:45:26.760
Okay, on I mean I'll be there first opening nights. Yeah,
797
00:45:26.840 --> 00:45:28.119
you guys have made my day.
798
00:45:28.199 --> 00:45:29.480
Thank you so much, Thank.
799
00:45:29.880 --> 00:45:30.679
You for having us.
800
00:45:30.679 --> 00:45:34.079
Thanks good pleasure, James, my plays The Pleasure is online.
801
00:45:34.480 --> 00:45:37.039
Thank you to Jerry Dobson and Lane Davies and I said,
802
00:45:37.039 --> 00:45:39.280
the show is called Plot Twist and thanks for all
803
00:45:39.320 --> 00:45:41.599
you Santa Barbara fans. How you say James got to
804
00:45:41.639 --> 00:45:44.079
ask us questions? You know, we we talked about it,
805
00:45:44.960 --> 00:45:46.960
so you guys, I know that, and I just you know,
806
00:45:47.079 --> 00:45:49.559
just like say again, made my day daytime to day.
807
00:45:49.599 --> 00:45:52.280
Is on all social media platforms. We are everywhere. We're
808
00:45:52.280 --> 00:45:55.760
on all the audio streaming service platforms and the granddaddy
809
00:45:55.760 --> 00:45:58.400
of them all, I have a grandfather to granddaddy of
810
00:45:58.440 --> 00:45:58.679
them all.
811
00:45:59.400 --> 00:46:01.960
Uh you you j l J Media. We'll see you
812
00:46:02.000 --> 00:46:04.719
next time. Great h