I’m feeling very Howard Beale today. ABC Daytime has done the single most reprehensible thing I have ever witnessed in my 25 years of avidly following soap operas. Anna Lee, the venerable 90-year-old actress, who has played General Hospital's town matriarch Lila Quartermaine since 1978, has been fired. In what is apparently a cost-cutting measure, her contract has not been renewed. While the network promises us that she will appear in a recurring capacity, that means they only have to pay her when she appears. And there is no guarantee that she will appear. Making this all the more egregious is the fact that former Executive producer, Wendy Riche, once promised the actress that she had a lifetime contract with ABC.
Well, apparently, that lifetime has gone on longer than is profitable, so they are reneging on Riche’s statement (which was, of course, unofficial). Their behavior is despicable. Yes, Ms. Lee is in a wheelchair, she’s 90, so she’s not going to be driving front burner romance. But her presence is vital for the show, especially this show, because she brings warmth and a sense of family. And family, not romance, is what this genre is really about. For a show which has spent the last year showing a pregnant woman locked in a panic room by her deranged brother-in-law, then having the same woman shot in the head while delivering her baby (!), not to mention her sister in law miscarrying them hitting another woman with a car, perhaps a little warmth and familial humor shouldn’t be discounted. Lila Quartermaine is the calming presence, the one character everyone loves. And no small part of that is because the audience cares for Anna Lee so much. The woman was a nun in Sound of Music for god sakes.
Ever since Brian Frons took over as head of ABC Daytime, he has made or okay’s one bonehead move after another. The rape of Bianca and the endless and pointless “Sexiest Man” Contest on AMC, the Nathaniel Marston “he’s fired, he’s hired, he’s a ghost” and the decimation of the Holden and Gannon families on OLTL, Port Charles’ cancellation and the continued descent into brutality, misogyny and gunfire that is GH are all the hallmarks of Frons.
I understand that soaps need to cut costs in today’s economy. I understand that ratings are down and the market is crowded with other daytime fare. But firing a 90-year-old woman is not going to save that much money. My guess is the firearm budget alone could support Ms. Lee at the style to which she has become accustomed. Also, I know that there is an air of recklessness on all the soaps. Serial killers are moving in on Salem and Llanview, half the black population of Oakdale has left town or died and there is an ominous dread coming out of Pine Valley right now. But GH already fired Rachel Ames, whose Audrey hardy had been on the show since 1964, making her the closest thing the show has to an original cast member). Ms. Ames’ firing was deplorable and showed a lack of respect for any sense of history. But Anna Lee’s firing shows a complete lack of decency.
And somebody better let Eisner know that ABC is now the network known for firing little old ladies in wheelchairs.
Look, I’m a writer. In fact I want to write soap operas, so I understand that sometimes for the sake of the story, an actor is sacrificed. That’s why I’m not screaming about the massacre at Days right now. (Although I reserve the right to do so.) But this was clearly a business decision. And it’s a business decision that shows just how little the executives care about what fans want or even their own employees. I seriously doubt that the GH set is a very fun place to be right now.
I’m pissed. I want more people to get pissed. This action is unacceptable and I think it’s time for fans to take a stand. At the end of the day, these shows belong to us, not them. We’ve been watching them longer than Brian Frons and we know more about the show than Jill Farren Phelps. We want our stars treated well, especially as they get older, and we want them run not like businesses, but creative endeavors. Anna Lee should be getting a paycheck every week, she’s earned it. And we should be getting better shows with the actors we want to see. If they want to run everything exactly like a business, then that’s their right. I would just like to remind Mr. Frons and his dimwitted cronies, that in business, in the end, it’s all about the consumer. And the consumer is always right.
For information, to sign the petition or just to read about one of Daytimes Grande Dames, check out Anna Lee’s site. The best way to show your support is to write a letter to her care of ABC.
