20171108

ACTING

With over 14 million viewers watching 'General Hospital' each afternoon in 1981, the daytime soap opera was declared "a genuine pop-cultural phenomenon." 'Newsweek' discovered the popularity of the show was widespread attracting viewers from airport waiting lounges around the pay TV sections to department stores - TV-appliance sections looking for a free fix. At the time, recaps were available on radio stations and newspapers and "General Hospital Happy Hours" were staged in most local bars. 

The 1981 song 'General Hospi-Tale' by the Afternoon Delight rock band became a hit peaking at No. 33 on the Billboard pop charts with lyrics such as, "Don't call me crazy, I just can't cope without my soap. You're my favorite addiction. Tell me what's goin' on. Did you see it today?" 'Newsweek' reported in September 1981, "With advertising rates that average $26,000 for a 30-second spot - and production costs that are a fraction of prime-time levels - 'General Hospital' earns something on the order of $1 million a week in profit for ABC. By comparison, even as big a prime-time hit as 'Dallas' brings the network only about half as much in weekly profit. 

"Indeed, for all the networks, no other single programing arena is more important than the afternoon serials. The 13 regular soaps broadcast daily by ABC, CBS and NBC bring in upwards of $700 million a year in advertising revenue - roughly one-sixth the networks' total ad income. 'General Hospital' has been particularly successful in attracting younger viewers, who have traditionally regarded soap addiction as a sure sign of senility. A.C. Nielsen estimates that nearly three-quarters of the show's audience falls into the 18-to-34 group so prized by TV advertisers. College students seem particularly susceptible to its appeal." 

Genie Francis was 14-year-old in 1976 when Gloria Monty casted her to play Laura Webber on 'General Hospital'. Speaking to 'TV Guide' in 1997, Genie Francis conceded, "That whole Luke and Laura phenomenon was overwhelming and scary and - speaking for myself - I don't think I ever want to go through that again. It was really hard."

On November 16, 1981, a record 30 million viewers watched Luke and Laura said "I Do". Genie Francis spoke to 'TV Guide' in 2006, "People still mark time with that wedding. They remember where they were, what class they cut to get in front of a TV.... 'GH' moved into the pop culture. Suddenly watching us was no longer just for housewives it was the cool thing for kids to do. It was a social phenomenon."

It was the start of 'The Ice Princess' storyline. John Colicos played Count Baltar in 'Battlestar Galactica' who betrayed the human race - the Twelve Colonies of Man (Council of the Twelve was the Mormon ruling body under the leadership of their Prophet) to its enemy, the robot race of Cylons. However the Cylons ended up betraying the Betrayer, with Baltar facing public execution.

On 'General Hospital', John Colicos played Mikkos Cassadine, a descendant of Russian royalty who family owned a private island in Greece. Mikkos Cassadine planned to rule the world using a weather machine to start a new ice age. The House of Cassadine domination of the civilized world would not be swift but a gradual infiltration.

During 6 weeks on a tropical island in the Caribbean Sea, 10 people (4 were experts in their chosen field) convened mostly in the crystal room of an underground paradise compound to share in a moment of history as Mikkos Cassadine began delegating their new power of authority. The fate of mankind laid in their hands with Mikkos Cassadine holding the key to the new world. The great Mikkos Cassadine would become the supreme commander of a new world society in which all citizens of the world would live by his rules.  Mikkos did not mince words, "You should all know that each of you is expendable. Anyone who stand in the way of our success will be replaced."

After 7 years (1976-1982) on 'General Hosiptal', Genie Francis decided to leave the role of Laura Webber. Although she was on a $150,000 a year salary, Genie Francis had to wake up early to leave for the studio at around 7:30 and often did not return home until around midnight. Then 20, she spoke to 'Orange Coast', "I have a real passion about living and I think not everybody has that. They kind of glide through it , and whatever happens, happens. I'm not that way.

"I like to go out and get things and make things happen and take on new challenges and get scared a little. I like to be a little daring in my life because I'm not the type of person who likes to sit back. That's why I left 'General Hospital' at the peak of its fame. I guess one of the best things 'General Hospital' gave me was discipline ... Having to do the show day after day, you know.

"When doing film, the biggest difference I noticed was in the memorization of lines. On 'General Hospital' we did a 90-page script a day and I was in 30 to 50 pages of that script. With 'Bare Essence', we would shoot a maximum of 7 pages a day, so the work load was a lot less. The difference that I see that I like so much about doing film is that it comes to an end. I mean, I work very, very hard; but it was 9 weeks, you know, and then it was over.

"With a soap opera it was all year round, and you signed 3-year contracts at a time, and there was no light at the end of the tunnel. In doing film, you get a chance to do more things for yourself and explore other avenues as far as the career instead of just soap opera, soap opera, soap opera everyday, day after day. A lot of the success of 'General Hospital' was because of Gloria Monty. She came up with a concept that had never been done before on a soap opera.

"So the tremendous fame we had I think a lot of was due to her and how she incorporated fantasy, and something never done on a soap opera before, humor. We gave them something to laugh at, and something to fantasize over, you know, like being locked in a department store overnight. It also had a feeling of hope. Now those are all ideas that were not mine, they were strictly from the producer.

"I feel my contribution was that if I was not capable of making those things believable and real to the audience, then it wouldn't have worked. So, they had the idea and I sold it to the audience along with Tony Geary, because I think we had a magnetic chemistry between the two of us, which they have yet to duplicate. I think I would make an excellent director, if I do say so myself.

"That's just something I want to pursue because I'm really into it. I mean, when I watch movies, I see the angles. The best training you can have as a director is to be on the set and watch another director. I've learned so much from the years I've been in the industry and watching the directors and how they make things work, and then I think of how I would do it. I love it. That's something I really want to do someday."

Donna Mills also starred on 'Bare Essence' with Genie Francis told 'Weekly World News' in 1981, "Actors don't make terrific mates and I would include myself in that. Anybody who is involved with an actor must be willing to give up that person for so much time. Most people can't do that. Particularly men. And particularly with me. They get very possessive."

Of her boyfriend at the time, "We were watching it together (episode 19 of 'Knots Landing' season 2; Richard and Abby in the hot tub) and while I was remembering how cold the water was, and how hard it had been to act romantic, my boyfriend was seeing something entirely different. When it was over, he went kind of silent for a while, then said, 'I wish I hadn't watched that. It has implanted an image in my mind that will be hard to get rid of.'

"He couldn't tolerate the fact that I could go away for two months, and be on a movie set with some gorgeous man, or with a director who, he feared, I would begin to look upon as some kind of god-like figure. He would also get jealous when he saw me in love scenes. This problem can be overcome, but I think two people must work at it. Acting is like no other job. There is no set amount of work, no vacations and no concrete schedule. You can't just come home at night and put it aside. It’s difficult to find somebody who can put up with all that – even understand it."

Of acting, John James told 'Orange Coast', "You know, there are a million ways to say a line, but the trick is saying it the right way. That's the trick of acting. Everyone can see it in their mind. They'll say, 'Hey, this is an interesting way to do it.' But doing it is the hard part. That's what makes for good acting. I think a good actor is someone who takes his work seriously and can entertain an audience, who can capture an audience and hold their attention.

"There is an old saying that goes, 'Boy, they're sure getting their money's worth tonight.' I think the sign of a good actor is somebody who gives them their money's worth. An audience, they've got to sit there and they've got to be entertained. The audience is the world's best critic. They're better critics than I think they're given credit for."

Christopher Atkins was 22-year-old when he joined the cast of 'Dallas' in 1983. Speaking to 'United Press International', Christopher Atkins made known, "For the last couple of years I was seriously considering going to college. But all my friends graduated this year (1983) and are going into the world to establish their lives. I've got a head start in that direction and decided to go on with my life as an actor.

"I thought it would be foolish not to join 'Dallas'. TV is the most important medium in the world today (or at the time). I don't think it is something an actor can ignore. More people will see 'Dallas' in a single night than will see any movie I make ('Dallas' attracted over 250 million international viewers weekly). Right now (in 1983), I think 'Dallas' is the best repertory company on the tube. There's never been anything like it.

"Being a member of the company is an important learning experience for any actor my age. I wanted to expand my career and this was the best way for me to go. Everyone keeps things light and humorous on the set. That's the way I like to work. The cast has been really open and friendly. It helped that I wasn't the only newcomer. Priscilla Presley joined the show this season (1983-84) too." 'People Weekly' reported Christopher Atkins signed to guest star in 27 of the 1983-84 season's 30 episodes at an estimated salary of $25,000 per episode. John Beck observed, "For most of the people on the series, it was their first big break in the business."

As Blake Carrington on 'Dynasty', John Forsythe told 'New York Daily News' in 1983, "Before I took the role I prepared several pages of history on him – his background, what drives him, what school he went to, what his parents were like, his home life, the clothes he likes to wear, and so forth. While I don't reveal these facts, they help me create the role. I've always thought of him as the quintessential American tycoon. I've known a lot of businessmen like him. They're like the Mafia. In the marketplace they can be ruthless, domineering, tough and hard, But at home, like the Mafia, they're devoted to their wives, children and friends. There's a totally different morality involved."

John Forsythe repeated to 'Orange Coast', "If you sat across the desk from a successful businessman, working out a deal, you’d sweat a little bit. But if you sat with him across a coffee table having a drink, it's a different situation. Blake is comparable to that kind of businessman. He's tough in the marketplace yet he has a totally different, gentle side with his family, his friends, and especially his wife. And that's what gives him an interesting complexity." John Beck believed, "When I would go out, people would come up to me and say, 'You're a really great guy but don't take Pam away from Bobby (on 'Dallas'). Why don't you go back to 'Flamingo Road'? You want to keep the audience guessing and preserve the suspense."

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