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

Courtesy/DGA

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.”

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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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.

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!!!

Loved <3 Vanessa and residents of Rosehill, USA.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Died December 3,2014

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

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

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

That’s make it happen.

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

All My Children

51st Daytime Emmys: Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa Receive Talk Show Host Nominations

On Thursday, nominations were announced in the Outstanding Talk Show category for the upcoming 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards. 

Mark Consuelos (ex-Mateo, All My Children) coming off his first-year as co-host of ‘Live” with real-life wife, Kelly Ripa scored his first Talk Show Host nomination along with Ripa who has been nominated previous times.

Joining Mark and Kelly in the race are: Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, Ana Navarro, The View
Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell, Sheryl Underwood, The Talk and
Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall.

Photo: CBS

As previously reported, The Talk is coming to its end when its upcoming 15th and final season ends in December of 2024.

The 51st annual Daytime Emmys are slated to be broadcast and stream live on CBS and Paramount+ on Friday night, June 7th

Look for the full list of nominations to drop on Friday morning at 12 noon ET/9 am PT.

So, are you rooting for Kelly and Mark to win their first Talk Show host award together? Comment below.

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All My Children

Mark Consuelos Celebrates One-Year Anniversary as Co-Host of ‘Live’ Alongside Kelly Ripa

Today, April 17th marks a full-year since Mark Consuelos (ex-Mateo, All My Children) took over the co-hosting duties of ‘Live” alongside his wife, and longtime co-host, Kelly Ripa (ex-Hayley, All My Children).

Consuelos replaced Ryan Seacrest who are six seasons decided to be back on the west coast full-time. For Consuelos, now having the opportunity to work off of Ripa as co-hosts has been something of adjustment for him, but viewers have been eating it up.

Live with Kelly and Mark has remained the No. 1 entertainment talk show on television over the past year, growing 3% in average total viewers to 2.23M per episode.  It is also the most-watched daytime talk show in the last year in key demos of women 18-49 and women 25-54. All of this, since the real-life marrieds teamed-up.

Photo: ABC

Speaking with Deadline, Kelly Ripa shared why the two are gelling on-screen, “I do think that there is something very possibly relatable about our relationship. We have disagreements like a normal couple, and we’re not afraid to let them unfold on the air and in front of America, and I think people find a lot of themselves in that.”

Mark weighed in how he has progressed as a host, and what he could improve at, sharing, “I’d like to get better at my interviewing skills. I’d like to get better at reading a teleprompter…I think I’m getting better at throwing to commercial. The other day in the middle of the show as we go to commercial, my sign off was ‘See you guys around.’ I mean, the show wasn’t over. The most obvious thing to say would be, ‘We’ll be back right after this.’ But I just said, ‘See you around.’ So we went to commercial and one of the producers (goes) ‘What was that?’ I don’t know… So for the next few sign offs, as a joke, I’d say ‘See you around.’ We got a kick out of it.”

Photo: ABC

Meanwhile, Kelly has given huge props to Mark, “I find Mark utterly compelling, really interesting, super funny, and he’s bold in a way like nobody else. He says what’s on his mind. If he’s thinking it, he says it.  I’ve done this a long time and oftentimes people will adjust their natural personalities to pander to what they think the audience wants to hear, and Mark will tell people what he thinks, and he doesn’t care if it’s not a popular opinion. It gives him an edginess that I think is really missing in the landscape today. Everybody’s so afraid to say anything, and Mark is unafraid to say exactly what he’s thinking.”

In a statement, Debra O’Connell, President News Group and Networks, Disney Entertainment shared, We could not be more thrilled with how Mark has seamlessly joined the show family as permanent co-host. His undeniable charisma and his and Kelly’s natural chemistry are evident as they deliver the laughs and smiles to our viewers each morning. We are incredibly proud of how Live has continued to evolve and that the audience is responding so enthusiastically.”

So, do you think Mark Consuelos is the best co-host his wife Kelly Ripa has ever had on ‘Live’? How would you say he is doing as co-host after one full year on the job? Comment below.

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All My Children

Susan Lucci Joins the Cast of Jonah Hill’s Movie ‘Outcome’

Look who will be part of the ensemble cast in motion picture and film star Jonah Hill’s new film project! That’s right, none other than Susan Lucci (ex-Erica, All My Children).

According to Deadline, the daytime television icon joins other notables including Laverne Cox and David Spade who have been added to the cast of Outcome. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Matt Bomer (ex-Ben, Guiding Light) and Cameron Diaz.

In Outcome, which is written by, and will be directed by Hill, the dark comedy centers around Reef (played by Reeves), a damaged Hollywood star who must dive into the dark depths of his past to confront his demons and make amends after he is extorted with a mysterious video clip from his past.

Photo: JPI

Soap fans know that following her iconic run as All My Children’s Erica Kane, Susan went on to be featured in Lifetime’s Devious Maids in the role of Genevieve Delatour.  Since her Pine Valley days ended (when AMC was canceled in 2012), Susan has appeared in numerous shows and made numerous appearances.  n December of 2023, Lucci was awarded the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Photo: JPI

Outcome will debut on Apple and is an Apple Studios production. The film marks the latest collaboration for Hill and Apple Original Films, who are also developing a Grateful Dead biopic with Martin Scorsese’s Sikelia Productions, to be directed by Scorsese, with Hill starring in it and as one of the producers of the project, as well.

So, intrigued to see what kind of role Susan plays in Jonah Hill’s new film ‘Outcome’? Comment below.

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