Marlena says: Who knows more about daytime soap opera than John K. Read, formerly known as John Kelly Genovese? I met John in 1978 when I was an intern to the late editor/columnist Jon-Michael Reed. John and I discovered a mutual interest in soaps and became fast friends. He invited me frequently to his home In Connecticut to watch kinescopes of old soaps going back to the days of Irna Phillips. I was deeply impressed with his encyclopedic knowledge of soaps and his keen, humorous tutorials, and thrilled to be able to hire him as soap critic for Afternoon TV magazine when I became editor in 1981. I learned immensely from him. So, Marlena is happy to be reunited with John here on Soaps for the Thinking Fan. So many movie actors appeared on soaps over the years, enriching the medium and setting examples for younger performers. Here’s John’s rundown on the most famous – and unforgettable.
Elizabeth Taylor
By John K. Read
Soaps and films are two vastly different animals. Movie actors have the luxury of copious rehearsal time with take after take of scenes shot out of sequence. Soaps, by contrast, call for intensive line memorization with minimal rehearsal time and very little margin for second takes. There is no time for “method actor” navel gazing over motivation. The great soap creator and producer Roy Winsor said it best: “This is the land of the pros. We have no room for amateurs.”
Over the years, much has been made about “big name stars” acting on soaps. A shining example was the one-shot appearance of Sammy Davis, Jr. as himself on one of his favorite shows, “Love of Life,” before playing dramatic roles on “One Life to Live” as card shark Chip Warren and on “General Hospital” as errant dad Eddie Phillips. Davis nailed every performance. He wasn’t known as one of our best all-around actors, singers, and entertainers for nothing.
Likewise, the exquisite Kim Hunter was chilling as Norma Desmond-ish faded actress-turned-murderer Nola Madison on “Edge of Night.” We were also treated to Elizabeth Taylor as Helena Cassadine on “General Hospital,” a role later filled by another great film veteran, Constance Towers. “All My Children” fan Carol Burnett relished her guest role as down-and-out Verla Grubbs.
Ruth Warrick
Given these shining examples, it is easy for any soap viewer under the age of sixty to assume that film stars transitioning to daytime television is a fairly recent phenomenon. Not so. An early such casting was that of “Citizen Kane” supporting actress Ruth Warrick on “Guiding Light” in the early 1950s as Janet Johnson, a man-hungry barracuda in a nurse’s uniform. Warrick went on to major roles as Edith Hughes on “As the World Turns,” Hannah Cord on the prime time “Peyton Place,” and ultimately Pine Valley grande dame Phoebe Tyler Wallingford on “All My Children.”
A number of movie veterans graced the soaps during the 1960s. Esther Ralston was known for numerous movie roles since the 1920s when she played the mother on NBC’s short-lived “Our Five Daughters.” The same network later featured two film actors as soap dads — Macdonald Carey as “Days of Our Lives'” Tom Horton and Hugh Marlowe as Jim Matthews on “Another World.” The wonderfully prickly Geraldine Fitzgerald played Eileen Fulton’s mother-in-law in the ill-fated “World Turns” prime time spinoff “Our Private World,” then Violet Jordan in James Lipton’s ill-fated “Best of Everything.”
Macdonald Carey
Maybe not as prestigious but just as well-known were Ann Sheridan as Missy Palmer’s biological mother Kathryn Corning on “Another World”… Alan Alda’s father Robert Alda as philanderer Jason Ferris on “Love of Life”’ and shady business magnate Stuart Whyland on “Days of Our Lives”… B-movie actress Jan Sterling as blackmailing housekeeper Mildred Foss on “Guiding Light”… and film noir darling Coleen Gray as college dean Ann Boyd in “Bright Promise.”
Yet it was Gray’s co-star, Dana Andrews of “The Best Years of Our Lives” and “Laura” fame, who got star billing and generous publicity as college president Tom Boswell. Neither lasted long, however, as the show veered away from the college setting and brought a young Tony Geary to the fore as troubled David Lockhart. David’s unsympathetic estranged mother was played by movie and TV veteran Anne Jeffreys, who was suddenly fired with no explanation. I think it’s safe to assume that her pay was too high for the show’s dwindling budget. Nonetheless, what a rotten way to go. Jeffreys later came back to soaps as Amanda Barrington on “General Hospital.”
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Somewhat more successful as a soap with film stars was “Capitol.” We already mentioned Constance Towers who was an established movie actress and singer…and who had previously played paraplegic Marion Hiller on “Love is a Many Splendored Thing.” Silver screen cowboy Rory Calhoun played her ex-politico dad while the rough-edged Richard Egan was their wily political rival. Egan was known as the sympathetic dad in “A Summer Place” opposite Constance Ford as his toxic wife. Ford later displayed even more toxicity as Eve Morris on “Edge of Night” before her long, well-loved role as blunt, earthy Ada on “Another World.”
Yet “Edge” was not Connie’s first rodeo in soapland. Back in the 1950s, she played the tormented Rose Peterson on “Search for Tomorrow” — a role also filled by Nita Talbot and none other than Lee Grant! Ford went on to the lead role in “Woman with a Past,” a CBS soap that was barely a blip on the screen. Her on-screen romantic rival was none other than Jean Stapleton!
Another star who started on a soap and returned briefly to the medium was Robert (“How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”) Morse. In 1954, he was the first of easily half a dozen actors to play young Jerry Ames on “The Secret Storm.” Much later, he briefly played a sleazebag who fed Benny Sago’s gambling addiction on “All My Children.”
Back to Kim Hunter on “Edge of Night.” One of her character’s actor cronies, Trent Archer, was portrayed by Farley Granger. He established himself quite young in a few Hitchcock movies and was first cast in soaps as psychiatrist Will Vernon on “One Life to Live.” For whatever reason, he didn’t last long in Llanview. After “Edge,” Granger was delightful as Lisa’s Interpol-linked husband Earl Mitchell on “As the World Turns.”
Unfortunately, “Edge” was already on the Nielsen downslide by the time Hunter graced its already top-flight cast. Here was a classic illustration of star power not sufficient to boost an ailing show. Christina Crawford’s book “Mommie Dearest” describes her mother, Joan Crawford’s stint as her temporary replacement on “The Secret Storm.” I saw this travesty firsthand back in 1968. She chewed enough scenery to earn a lifetime of agita but did not help the show’s weakening audience numbers.
An especially ironic succession of movie crossovers involved “Loving,” a creation of Agnes Nixon and Douglas Marland that went through constant upheaval during its twelve years on the air. Its prime-time pilot was basically a self-contained episode featuring Lloyd Bridges and Geraldine Page in roles that did not carry over to the daytime series but introduced the main characters. Leading patriarch Cabot Alden was played by Wesley Addy, a superb actor whose film credits included “Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte” but who never garnered the universal fame of his actress spouse, Celeste Holm. Cabot’s wife Isabelle was played with quiet strength by soap veteran Augusta Dabney. Then Cabot was presumed dead and Isabelle morphed into an iron-willed boss lady in the person of — ready? — Celeste Holm! By then the show was scraping the bottom of the ratings barrel, so she came and went practically unnoticed. Jane Powell had a similar fate as Rebeka Beecham, matriarch of a family that evaporated within a year.
Finally, remember that difference between soaps and movies? “Dynasty” diva Joan Collins made a big splash as the formidable Alexandra Spaulding on “Guiding Light.” Then she couldn’t get out of that pool fast enough. The lady simply could not remember her lines.
Not to forget:
Anna Lee as Lila Quartermaine on “General Hospital”
Dame Judith Anderson as Minx Lockridge on “Santa Barbara”
Janis Paige as Iona Huntington on GH and then as Minx Lockridge on SB!
Thanks as always Roger!
Thanks.
Mr. Reed, you have committed a MAJOR sin- you left out the legendary JOAN BENNETT of “Dark Shadows” who went from being a film noir siren of the 40s to being the mistress of Collinwood in the 60s! How dare you leave her out! Don’t be surprised if you wake up tomorrow morning with two bite marks on your neck……
This letter is very funny–loved the bites on the bext!
Also Joan Bennett on Dark Shadows!
Thanks for writing in.
James Franco did a notable, also questionsble, role with its own storlyline on the modern GENERAL HOSPITAL.
And, probably the single most infamous appearance of a movie star was on THE SECRET STORM when Joan Crawford stepped into her daughter’s role temporarily when Christina was very ill. Unfortunately no video of any of those episodes has surfaced but there is audio only of one episode up on YouTube. I have a set of incredible B&W pictures of Crawford, Gloria Monty the show’s director, etc. Of course it was beyond inappropriate for her to be playing her daughter’s part because of the huge gap between their ages. But, the movie star insisted.
I am a little surprised not to see John list Juliet Mills for Tabitha on PSSN but maybe it was because she was more film star adjacent with her more famous father & sister.
John correctly noted the star billing Dana Andrews received. MacDonald Carey also received star billing for several months of DAYS OF OUR LIVES episodes beginning with its Nov. 1965 debut. MISS SUSAN did, too, and I believe that actress was also a film actress of note before her accident.
And, of course many hundreds of actors “started on soaps” & ended up, later, in films or the reverse of this column, so to speak.
Thanks Donna for all the interesting info!
So many great actors. Connie Ford was my favorite.
Loved her and Ada on “Another World” I always liked her to because she is named Constance and Connie just like me!
Hugh Marlowe who played patriarch Jim Matthews on Another World.
I’m always so entertained by your columns. Another great one.
Thanks as always dear G.L.
I was just thinking about Tommy Lee Jones on OLTL in the 1970s, and then remembered reading Bryan Cranston’s autobio where he talks about his time on Loving.
Thoroughly enjoying this post of yours, Mr Read!
Thanks for writing in. Tommy Lee was great on OLTL as Bryan was on Loving!
Connie Ford is my forever favorite all-time, hands down, beats everyone else, actress! I have compiled video entitled “The Lovely Ada” Volumes 1, 2 & 3. It was one of 4 videos the late Carolyn J. Williams did for us when we were raising $5,000 for the bench in Central Park.
And I thought of someone else that John K. Read may get into trouble for leaving them out: Farley Granger, known for first having a major career in films, then similar for primetime TV & last on ATWT & covering about 6-7 decades of entertainment.
Thanks Donna