As The World Turns
ATWT Stars Recall Assassination of JFK And How It Interrupted Them Live On The Air!
Courtesy/NYTimesP&G
All this past week, America had been remembering the horrific events, and how the country changed because of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy 50 years ago on November 22nd, 1963 in Dallas, Texas.
But it was the beloved and iconic soap opera, As the World Turns that has a very special place in history! It was ATWT that was the only live network show going when Kennedy was shot. The episode was only ten minutes into it, when the voice of Walter Cronkite broke in with his CBS News bulletin on the shooting.
In this fascinating piece from the New York Times over the weekend they relate, “ATWT was the only regular program being broadcast nationally by a major network — specifically, throughout the Eastern and Central time zones. In Washington, the NBC and ABC affiliates were scheduled to present TV Beauty School and Divorce Court. In Dallas, a discussion of winter coats with hidden zippers was the focus of The Julie Benell Show, a local effort by the ABC affiliate WFAA. ”
Don Hastings, who played Bob Hughes related to NY Times on what went down that fatal day: “Phil Polansky, our cameraman, said, ‘Don’t tell the actors what? The president’s been shot?’ He had headphones on, and he was talking to the control room. We got our cue and we just kept going, because no one else knew what to do.” But the Times added that, “Mr. Hastings was unaware that the news was already blacking out the first half of his scene.”
Eileen Fulton, who played Lisa Hughes related her story in which she had no idea what was going on while she was performing her scene with her on-screen mom Elma (Ethel Remey): “I had a very emotional scene.“When we finished, my cameraman, Joe Hallahan, had tears running down his face. I said, ‘I’m good, but I didn’t know I was that good.’ ”
Later, when the cast got together on the Monday, to try to time and rehearse Tuesday’s live show, Don Hastings kept ducking into the control room to watch the funeral cortege. He said about rehearsals, “They kept coming to get me, because I was just destroyed at that point.”
But it was Rosemary Prinz, who played Penny that gave the most insightful news of all to NY Times! Prinz had hoped for some mention of the assassination of JFK on the next episode. But ATWT creator Irna Phillips, wanted nothing of the sort to happen to disrupt her fictional town of Oakdale and its citizens. Prinz stated, “She was the meanest bitch on the planet, and you can quote me!”
However, Prinz recalled how she got an opportunity to work it in on her own in a scene with Grandpa Hughes (Santos Ortega): “I was supposed to go on about Tom and his father,” she recalled, “and I said instead: ‘Oh, Grandpa, here we are talking about little Tom. My God, after what the country has gone through, it seems so out of proportion. But, of course, we have to go on.’ An infuriated production team promptly descended on Ms. Prinz. Prinz added. “I said, ‘I just went blank and said the first think I could think of, and then I got back to the script.’ Everyone knew I was full of it. But I made the point.”
So, what did you think about Prinz’ statement on Irna Phillips? The recollections of Don Hastings, Eileen Fulton and Prinz? We thought it was pretty terrific that the N.Y. Times remembered how historic ATWT was, and how it played into American history on that fateful day of November 22nd, 1963.
That horrible tragic moment in history i still remember but its a little fuzzy: i was 3 years old at the time…my mother and i were at a local department store…many customers were near the tv sets including me and my mother when JFKs assasination was announced…i didnt clearly understand what really happened but i remember moms sad look on her face and gasping, ‘Oh, dear God, no!’ It would be a few years later when Robert Kennedy was killed when she told me what happened that day and where we were at when President Kennedy was shot…imo it seems are country slowly went downhill after that: before there were plenty of jobs and factories, and i lived on a treelined street that was a mix of middle class and poor but most neighbors were friendly and kept their yards clean, and you could keep your doors unlocked…there were some problems in and outside our house but things were still better then than now. By the 1970s to the present factories closed or moved to China, my old neighborhood is rundown with drugs and troublemakers, and people are more rude, violent and vulgar than ever before…we’ve become trashier and more anti family(its hard to sit down and find something the whole family can watch together…there is very few choices but not much plus kids and adults have too many distractions that seperate them…its hard to get everyone together. After the loss of Kennedy things were and never wil be the same again…meanwhile, anyone who hadnt seen the moment when ATWTs was interupted for JFKs assasination report can find it on youtube.
I love reading about what Ms Prinz said live on the air that acknowledged the grief the country was going thru. Good for her. Too bad Irna Phillips did not want to acknowledge what happened. Glad that Rosemary Prinz ignored her wishes to keep reality out of Oakdale!
Love it!!
Good for Rosemary Prinz! I know nothing about Irna Phillips, but i’d say from what i read above, Ms. Prinz is probably right. I think bringing in what the country was feeling could only have helped the viewers feel better about their soap. I agree this was a terrific that the NYT included ATWT in their coverage of that horrible time in our history.
I was a 16 year old HS student in November 1963 and my HS Social Studies teacher had the same reaction as Irna Phillips. As soon as we took our seats for our first class after the assassination he announced we were not going to discuss it. How sad!
This assassination was a terrible turning point in our country’s history. Rosemary Prinz did the right thing!
Irna was so “into” her shows that she apparently insisted on referring to the actors by their character names, rather than their own names, when she spoke to them.
She must have been a creative genius, to have been largely responsible, single-handedly, for creating and evolving the soap genre, but from everything I’ve seen, she was pretty much certifiable.
I know that Rosemary Prinz had serious ongoing issues with Phillips and the other PTB practically the whole time she was playing Penny. This is a particularly telling anecdote in regard to what Phillips was like to work for–and that quote is just priceless!
I think Lisa’s (long-suffering, with a daughter like that) mother was “Alma,” not “Elma.”
What a great article, and it’s so nice to hear news about the ATWT vets. I miss them and ATWT (even as dreadful as it was for the last five years or so of its run).
Back in 1986, I attended the 30th anniversary party for ATWT at the Palladium in NYC as the guest of Joe Rothenberger, a former ATWT executive producer. While chatting with Helen Wagner (Nancy Hughes), I recalled my mother telling me that she was watching ATWT when the show was interrupted with news of President Kennedy’s shooting. I asked Ms. Wagner about this and she recounted that she was in the middle of a live scene with Santos Ortega (Grandpa Hughes) when the announcement was aired. The actors continued on, finding out a few minutes later that the President had been shot. Ms. Wagner was a gracious lady and will always remain an icon of daytime television.
I also got to meet Helen Wagner, but much later. I met her in June 2009 after she returned to the show after her husband died in real life. She was the most gracious woman I had ever met. I was on the set as part of an undergraduate school project that the National Braodcasting Museum and my school set up. She was by far my favorite interview. I also got to ask her about that fateful day in 1963 and her incredible scenes a decade earlier with Mac suffering from Alzheimer’s. Her actual scenes that day with actors Billy and Marnie were spot on!
I think it’s terrific that the NYT called upon the ATWT stars for their piece. It was a significant part of the nation’s context for that terrible tragedy; more so than we can realize today with a million channels to watch.
I loved Ms. Prinz’s comments about Irna Phillips. It reflects the strong color of the early days of television. What fascinating stories these stars must have to tell!
I adore Rosemary Prinz! She’s always been so starkly honest about everything — this, and her calling out Agnes Nixon for taking credit for All My Children’s Amy Tyler being a peace activist (the actress herself insisted on this when she agreed to sign a short-term contract to help launch AMC). Ms Prinz doesn’t go along to get along — I love that about her!
A.T.W.T. one of the best soaps ever.
Real stories, about real life, without the need
for Dracula’s, people coming back from the dead, etc.
Just great story lines performed by wonderfully talented actors.
UPDATED: Heartbreaking news to report this Sunday evening, July 13. Two-time Daytime Emmy nominee and beloved soap veteran and television actor Scott Bryce (ex-Craig Montgomery, As the World Turns) has died at the age of 68.
Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, Bryce’s longtime friend and former co-star announced his death via her Facebook under an hour ago (in a post that has now been deleted, but see below). Arnaz expressed, “a wonderful actor, a beautiful man and a terrific husband and father, Scott Bryce, passed tonight. I am going to miss his eyes, his smile, his wit, his brain, his intelligence, his talent, his bravery, his laugh and his hugs. Dearest Jodi, dear Jackson, he’s watching over you now from a place of pure joy and will always be your guide. But, I hate these goodbyes. Rest in peace you marvelous, magnificent man”.
Previously, Bryce was diagnosed with Stage 3 esophageal and stomach cancer back in October of 2024. He had credited early detection as a vital part of his journey. He had underwent medical treatment and had since reported being “on the mend.”
Photo: JPI
SCOTT BRYCE’S RUN AS CRAIG MONTGOMERY WAS MEMORABLE
However, Lucie Arnaz shared on her Facebook post in the comment thread section when asked, that Scott’s cancer had returned. She has appeared in two projects with Bryce, the Indie film, The Pack and the TV series, Sons and Daughters.
Jackson Bryce, Scott’s beloved son, shared a beautiful tribute to his father after his passing on his Instagram where he shared that, “What began as stage three esophageal cancer eventually spread and became brain tumors that took his life away from him.”
Scott was the son of actor Ed Bryce, who was best-known for his role on the soaps as Bill Bauer on Guiding Light from 1959 to 1983. On As the World Turns, Scott had a significant run as Craig Montgomery, and at one point was initially paired on-screen with Meg Ryan (ex-Betsy Stewart). Bryce had appeared on the CBS soap opera from 1982–1991, 1993–1994, and 2007–2008.
AS THE WORLD TURNS CO-STAR PAYS TRIBUTE
On As the Word Turns, Scott’s on-screen romance was with Finn Carter, who played Sierra Esteban was a fan favorite for longtime viewers.
Carter expressed her grief on Instagram following the news of Bryce’s passing sharing, “My sadness knows no bounds. My gratitude for Scott knows even fewer. Scott was the best husband a woman could ask for. As an actor he was fearless, kind, generous and forever looking for ways to grow. And what a sense of humor! It is so difficult to write this as I can not stop crying . Scott , you were a gift that I did not deserve and one the world was freely given . All of my love to you – ah, just can’t stop crying. See you soon ( not too soon) and look forward to recalling our days on As The World Turns . You patiently taught me so much . XO”
It was during his initial run that Scott received two Daytime Emmy nominations for his performances as the manipulative Craig Montgomery. Bryce was nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in both 1986 and 1987.
Bryce exited ATWT in February of 2008 and by December of that year, Jon Lindstrom, (Beyond the Gates, General Hospital) was brought in as the final Craig from 2008-2010 as the soap went off the air. Over the years, Hunt Block and Jeffrey Meek also played the role of Craig.
FROM OAKDALE TO PRIMETIME
In addition, Scott appeared in numerous episodic comedy and drama series throughout his career with roles in: Murphy Brown, The Facts of Life, ER, Law & Order, Reba and Sex and the City and Blue Bloods, The Blacklist, Homeland, 30 Rock to name but a few. On the soaps, Bryce also appeared on One Life to Live in the role of a psychiatrist, Dr. Ed Crosby, from 2006-2007.
Scott is survived by his wife Jodi Stevens and their son, Jackson.
Michael Fairman TV will bring you further updates on this developing story.
Share your remembrances and condolences for Scott Bryce via the comment section below. But first check out these scenes featuring Scott in moments from As the World Turns with Cady McClain and Marie Wilson.
Photo: LArnaz Facebook
As The World Turns
‘As the World Turns’ and ‘The Young and the Restless’ Alum, Colleen Zenk Arrested for Third DUI Since 2010
UPDATED: Fan favorite, Colleen Zenk (ex-Barbara, As the World Turns, ex-Jordan, The Young and the Restless) found herself in trouble with the law when she was arrested for a DUI in Naples, Florida near where she lives.
The incident took place back on May 15 at 7:35 pm, when the actress was charged with a DUI resulting in damage to property or person of another with a with a blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher, above the legal limit of 0.08. Both misdemeanors carry a bond of $1,000.
Soap Opera Network was the first to report the news after they had obtained records from County Sheriff’s Office and the County Clerk’s Office in Collier County.
Photo: JPI
Zenk posted bond on May 16, 2026, and court date that was set for June 10, 2026. Although she did not appear in person at the hearing after filing a Waiver of Appearance at Non-Mandatory Court Appearances, she pled not guilty through her attorney, with a continuance scheduled for July 29, 2026, for pre-trial.
Now, according to PEOPLE.com, Zenk’s attorney shared on June 30, “The charges are being defended. Ms. Zenk has not been convicted of anything. The truth will be played out in court.”
According to the arrest report, a witness told deputies they saw Zenk backing out of a handicap parking space near a Tommy Bahama store when her vehicle struck another parked car. The same witness alleged Zenk continued moving after the collision before being stopped a short distance away and claimed she appeared unsteady after exiting her vehicle.
In addition, after Zenk greed to perform field sobriety exercises, the arresting officer notated that Zenk showed multiple signs of impairment, including balance issues, swaying and difficulty following instructions.
Photo: JPI
PREVIOUS DUI TROUBLE
This is not the first time Colleen has been arrested for DUI. This is her third. She was first arrested in April 1, 2010, when she was pulled over by police in Wilton, Connecticut, for erratic driving and crossing into the oncoming lane of traffic, resulting in charges of DUI and improper lane usage. The second time was back on May 28, 2017. Zenk was charged with a DUI, marking her first offense and arrest in Collier County.
Zenk made her daytime debut as Barbara Ryan on As the World Turns in 1978 and remained with the series until its final episode in 2010. Viewers will recall, Barbara dancing with Henry Coleman (Trent Dawson) to “Last Dance” in the finale.
Along the way, Colleen earned three Daytime Emmy Award nominations for taking the once girl to a bad girl and eventually a fully evolved character. Then in November of 2023, Colleen made her triumphant return to daytime as the villainous and oft-kilter, Jordan Howard who had more than nine lives! The character was eventually killed off in 2025.
Jordan was the creation of departing head writer, Josh Griffith, who has brought Zenk and Hayley Erin as “Claire” to Y&R to shake things up for the Newmans.
Share your thoughts on the latest DUI charges for Colleen Zenk via the comment section below. Do you hope she gets the opportunity to appear on another soap? Let us know.
As The World Turns
ATWT Alum Martha Byrne Pays Tribute to Eileen Fulton: “The Original Soap Star Who Paved the Way for the Likes of a Susan Lucci or Andrea Evans”
Tributes and remembrances are pouring in for the the late Eileen Fulton, who passed away on July 14th at the age of 91. Fulton broke the soap opera mold back in the early 60’s when she was cast to play Lisa Miller on As the World Turns, who would turn out to be the first villiainess, vixen, and homewrecker of daytime television.
Fans of the soap loved to love to hate her for how she destroyed many lives in her quests to nab a husband; especially one she had set her sights set on. In fact, Lisa was married 8 times during the history of the show. Fulton was with ATWT on and off until the final year of the show in 2010.
Martha Byrne, who has been Fulton’s castmate for a time (Bryne played Lily Snyder from 1985 to 1989 and then again from 1993-2008 where she also played Rose D’Angelo), took to her account on x to share her thoughts on what Eileen meant to the genre, and also spoke on how Fulton handled not being as front and center on the soap operas as the years went by.
Photo: JPI
“What can I say about Eileen Fulton. The original soap star who paved the road for the likes of a Susan Lucci or Andrea Evans,” began Bryne. “Since Eileen started on ATWT when the show was live, there aren’t enough pieces of history for us to truly grasp the enormity of her stardom and presence in the entertainment business. I remember being so impressed that she was a writer. The best part was she would use real stories from behind the scenes and change the names. Maybe that was her way of giving the audience a wink to include them even more.”
Photo: CBS
Bryne went to share, “She (Eileen) loved her fans and she had many. I went to her one woman shows and the place was always packed. As the years went on and her role wasn’t as prominent as it had been she took it with class. I never heard her complain as many did who were frustrated they didn’t have a storyline. She was always a class act and a true pro who knew a storyline or another opportunity was only around the corner. She knew her value and was secure in herself. A national treasure who shaped the entire industry. Thank you Eileen. I’m sure there was a pink feather boa waiting for you just inside the pearly gates.”
So, what did you think about the sentiments shared by Martha on the legendary Eileen Fulton? Would you agree, as we have previously noted, that Lisa as played by Eileen, was really the prototype for all soap opera “bad girls” to follow? Did you appreciate the fact that while having a more diminished role over the last few decades of ATWT, Eileen took it in stride? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
What can I say about Eileen Fulton. The original soap star who paved the road for the likes of a Susan Lucci or Andrea Evans. Since Eileen started on ATWT when the show was live there aren’t enough pieces of history for us to truly grasp the enormity of her stardom and presence… pic.twitter.com/bN3skb2Rws
— Martha Byrne (@MarthaByrne10) July 20, 2025
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