All My Children

Veteran Soap Opera Director Larry Auerbach Dies: Won Daytime Emmy For OLTL, Steered Love Of Life for Nearly 30 Years

December 20, 2014

Courtesy/DGA

Iconic daytime drama director Larry Auerbach has died.

Auerbach, who is considered by many to be a pioneer in daytime television, passed away today in La Jolla, California at the age of 91 from complications of glioblastoma. Auerbach helmed CBS’ Love of Life, from 1951 to 1980, which was its entire run. He directed the talents of Warren Beatty, Jon Voight, Jessica Walters, Christopher Reeve, and Roy Scheider, who would all work on the series during the early parts of their careers.

Following Love of Life, Auerbach directed on a number of New York based soaps including: All My Children, Another World , As the World Turns and One Life to Live. It was at OLTL where he was very well known for his work, after his 29 years at Love of Life, so much so that he received a Daytime Emmy for directorial achievement in 1984. It is estimated that Auerbach clocked over 3,000 hours as a daytime television director. He was considered such a soap opera expert that Dustin Hoffman consulted with him on the film Tootsie, in which the actor played a soap opera star.

Larry was also named a DGA Honorary Life Member in 2004, joining an elite group that includes Charles Chaplin, Walt Disney, Jack Warner, Lew Wasserman, and Jack Valenti and he received the union’s 1991 Robert B. Aldrich award.

DGA president Paris Barclay made the following statement today on the passing of Auerbach: “Larry emerged as a vigorous presence right after the merger that created the modern DGA, diving headlong into a long career of service to the Guild and his fellow members. Larry worked tirelessly, out of love for his Guild and his profession, to ensure better working conditions and stronger protection of creative rights for Guild members, and he was instrumental in raising the profile of daytime serial directors, the genre to which he dedicated his career. Under his watch as National Vice President and a member of the Eastern Directors Council, Larry helped organize the renovation of the New York headquarters, and he played a major role in ensuring greater health and fiscal security for Guild members through the DGA-Producer Pension and Health Plans. He was a dynamo – a strong and powerful voice for our members for decades – and we will miss him greatly.”

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Share your thoughts on the passing of Larry Auerbach below: Did you watch Love of Life? Do you remember his work from OLTL?

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Llanviewer717

I was a little kid and watched Love of Life with my mother. So, I’m sure I saw his work. If he was directing OLTL during the 1980s, I certainly saw and enjoyed his work. That was the era of Karen, the housewife hooker, and the fabulous Marco Dane. The Buchanan clan came to town. We got our first glimpse of the evil and hard to kill Mitch Laurence. Niki Smith returned. Dorian got a family in Herb and Cassie. A lot happened during that decade.

Thank you Mr. Auerbach for your wonderful work. RIP.

jimh(leave it to beaver)

My thoughts and prayers are with his family…if there is a daytime hall of fame he should be part of it…he was behind the scenes but he is a daytime legend!!! I loved Love Of Life!!!

vinman

Loved <3 Vanessa and residents of Rosehill, USA.

Lew S

A true legend. Thanks for making soaps truly great, back in the day.

mike

Soaps owe a great deal to him, his work on Love of Life helped steer the genre in new directions.

Iakovos

When such a revered leader in the industry passes, it makes me wish for “the good old days.” We are reminded just how great they were, even if we did not realize it then. Thank you, Larry Auerbach.

LLATWTFan

I watched Love of Life and I was very sad when it was cancelled. Larry Auerbach was on camera on the final episode in the last sad scene and it is very memorable. The director’s work is always visible. He helped make Love of Life a great and memorable show.

Mark in FLA

Wasn’t he seen at the end of the last episode of LOL leaving the director’s booth & walking thru the set one last time? He is to be saluted as a giant of daytime drama.

vinman

Also the passing of Ann Marcus (93)..writer for Peyton Place (’66) along with many others LIAMST, DOOL, GH, OLTL, KL, ..many others.In addition to have been creator head writer for Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.

vinman

Died December 3,2014

jimh(leave it to beaver)

Thats more sad news…i didnt know she passed…very talented writer…thanks for letting us know!

Mary SF

As fans most of our attention goes towards the actors and the writers, occasionally to a producer but rarely do we ever focus on soap directors. What they do contributes greatly to our enjoyment of our soaps. So as we “fade to black” on this pioneer soap director, let as all take a moment on Monday as we watch our favorite soap to thank the directing team of the soap in a manner you chose.

I will be raising a glass of eggnog and saying thank you for a job well done— and if I were a younger person I would post myself doing it on social media, but since I am not verse in such things, it will be private appreciation, but perhaps a soap director is reading this I will know this fan does respect the work they do.

Rest in peace Larry

Llanviewer717

Very well said Mary SF. All the people who “male it happen” definitely desire our thanks.

Llanviewer717

That’s make it happen.

rocky83

Y&R terrible, fix this show if possible, how on earth is this soap #1 #Baffeling

All My Children

Kelly Ripa Reveals How Her Son Chose NYU Due To The Consuelos Connection To Former Soap EP/ Director, Chris Goutman

October 27, 2019

Last week on an episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan, the former star of All My Children, Kelly Ripa (Ex-Hayley) told Ryan Seacrest how a chance meeting when her son, Michael was deciding where to go to college; between her, Michael, and Chris Goutman (Ex-Executive Producer As the World Turns and former director, All My Children) changed the course of Michael’s creative and academic path.

Turns out that Goutman is now working over at NYU’s Tisch School for the Arts as an assistant professor and academic director.

During their banter on the talk show, Kelly revealed that Goutman directed the screen-test that landed Mark Consuelos the role of Mateo on All My Children, and thus how Ripa met her real-live enduring lovematch.

Ripa explained that Michael was waiting for a sign as to which college to go to as he liked most of the places he saw. Then came the sign as Ripa explained to Seacrest: “We’re walking down the hallway and I hear a voice I know say, ‘Consuelos!’ “He turns around and I see Chris Goutman, who was our director at All My Children … I worked with him for 11 years.”

Ripa says Chris then expressed to Michael: “You have to come here, because I am the reason you literally exist.”

Photo: JPI

Ripa is reportedly also working on a film for the class, as well. Watch what Kelly shared below.

Y&R, AMC and GL Alum, Jeff Branson Featured In New AppleTV+ Drama, 'For All Mankind'

Then let us know your thoughts on the story Kelly told via the comment section below.

All My Children

Y&R, AMC and GL Alum, Jeff Branson Featured In New AppleTV+ Drama, ‘For All Mankind’

October 24, 2019

Daytime Emmy winner, Jeff Branson is featured in a new drama coming your way on the new AppleTV+ platform. Branson takes on the role of famous astronaut Neil Armstrong in For All Mankind.

At the epicenter of the story is NASA and the Soviet space program as they square off in the space race of the 1970s. But this has a twist, America has lost the race and tensions boil over between the two nations.

The main focus in the series is the lives of the astronauts and the personal and professional relationships they encounter. For All Mankind presents an aspirational world where NASA and the space program remained a priority and a focal point of our hopes and dreams.

Branson is fondly remembered in soapland for his performances as Ronan Malloy on The Young and the Restless, Jonathan Randall on All My Children, and Shayne Lewis on Guiding Light.

For All Mankind is created by Emmy Award winner Ronald D. Moore (Outlander, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica), Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi.

In addition to Branson the cast includes: Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Wrenn Schmidt, Shantel VanSanten, Sarah Jones and Jodi Balfour. General Hospital’s Jason David (Aiden Spencer) also appears in the series.

Kelly Ripa Reveals How Her Son Chose NYU Due To The Consuelos Connection To Former Soap EP/ Director, Chris Goutman

The first season streams on on AppleTV+ beginning on November 1st, with the second season of the series “all systems go”.

Watch the teaser for the series and interviews with some of the cast including: what Branson had to share about playing Neil Armstrong below.

Then let us know, would you love to see Jeff back on the soaps? Will you be checking out the new streaming service featuring For All Mankind and check out Jeff’s performances? Comment below.

All My Children

TODAY: ‘Tainted Dreams’ Begins To Stream Episodes On PopStar! TV Platform

September 23, 2019

Beginning today on Monday, September 23rd, the series Tainted Dreams, which shows you the behind-the-scenes antics of a fictional hit TV soap opera, will stream its first two seasons for free on the on the Popstar! TV platforms.

To view: you can download the Popstar! TV’s mobile app or visit www.popstaronline.com to watch Tainted Dreams or for more info visit https://www.tainteddreams.com/#home-section.

For those who need a refresher: Tainted Dreams follows the cast and crew behind the scenes of a hit TV soap opera called “Painted Dreams”, and of course, it’s filled with lots of twists and turns

In addition, there is a bonus episode on Popstar! TV that gives some background on how all the characters came to be a part of “Painted Dreams”.

Courtesy: NYCBrandEnt

Sonia Blangiardo, the executive producer and creator of Tainted Dreams shared in a statement: “We are thrilled that there is more life for the show and that the new exposure will attract new viewers for the series. We’re excited to be in great company with the other shows the platform will be streaming and couldn’t be happier to be working with Craig and Jim Romanovich who has always been a loyal soap supporter.”

Tainted Dreams features a cast that includes: All My Children veterans Alicia Minshew, Walt Willey, Michael Lowry, Bobbie Eakes, Terri Ivens and the late Larkin Malloy, General Hospital’s Natalia Livingston, As the World Turns‘ Colleen Zenk, Austin Peck, Marnie Schulenburg and Kelley Menighan, Guiding Light’s Grant Aleksander, One Life to Live’s Ilene Kristen, Tonja Walker, Nathan Purdee and James DePaiva, Big Brother’s Jessie Godderz, The Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Dina Manzo, and more.