I didnt realize it when I started working on the book, but one of the biggest things that made writing Llanview in the Afternoon: An Oral History of One Life to Live such a rewarding experience was the fact that I happened to be speaking with a lot of people who were well beyond their show business careers, and didnt have to worry about protecting anything by holding back. That created a lot of unguarded moments that opened what Id like to think is a relatively unique window into the experience of trying to pull off an hour of television five days a week. That also made it difficult to find a number of people, especially in the beginning, before Id conducted a lot of interviews and could occasionally rely on the kindness of those willing to reach out and network on my behalf. One of the most nerve-wracking of those early efforts was tracking down Sam Hall, who seemed to have slipped off the radar more or less entirely but had been such a crucial part of the shows success that I felt like I had to speak with him. Fortunately, Sam had been the subject of a relatively recent profile piece in one of his local papers, and the writer of that article was kind enough to give me Sams number, which I called even though I was sure hed refuse to speak with me -- Sam Hall didnt suffer fools gladly, and he seemed to have a broader definition of fool than most. Even his answering machine message was cantankerous. But to my surprise, Sam returned my call and treated me to one of the more enlightening and entertaining discussions I conducted while writing the book. A lot of his quotes sound fairly contemptuous -- of his co-workers, of his own writing, of soap operas in general -- and in many cases, they really were. But he didnt speak as someone with an axe to grind; he was simply speaking his unvarnished truth, and if it happened to portray him or anyone else in a less-than-flattering light, then there was nothing to be done. Above all, for someone who spared no one during our conversation, he didnt seem like a bitter guy. He was warm and funny, a great conversationalist with a sharp mind and terrific comedic timing; one of my favorite moments of the interview came when he told me he was working on a new play and off-handedly said, I hate it, of course, before pausing long enough for me to crack up and drolly asking, Why are you laughing? But my favorite Sam Hall story is probably one told ABOUT rather than BY him. Sam came up during my interview with original One Life to Live executive producer Don Wallace, who chuckled and recalled what might be the perfect Hall moment: We were sitting in the studio one day, in the writer’s office upstairs, tossing ideas around during a meeting. There were monitors so you could watch what was going on down on the set; I’ve forgotten the circumstances, but during this particular rehearsal, we had a small child in a scene -- maybe about three years old. Sam became fixated by this kid on the monitor -- the child was staring off into space while he was sitting on someone’s lap -- and he said, in his inimitable manner, What on Earth is that child looking at? I said, Sam, he’s probably just looking at his mother or someone who’s just outside the set. And Sam, without missing a beat, said, We should have hired an orphan. Thanks for all the years of entertainment and for taking some time out of your day to talk to me, Sam. You were one of a kind.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 01:43:32 +0000
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