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Since all this began with the single desire to showcase and archive some of Robin’s great work, both past and present,
I thought it was time to shine the spotlight on arguably the most famous Dorian clip – When she and Herb were trapped in the elevator.
Once again, Robin has agreed to share her thoughts, but as an extra special treat, the WONDERFUL Tony Call (Herb Callison) has graciously
agreed to answer some questions and share his recollections too. But first, let’s all get up to speed about how Tony has been keeping busy.
CP: Thanks, Tony, for taking the time to answer some questions. What a treat to get to speak to you and Robin about this episode. TC: Want to know about Robin? My wife Margo's mother just passed away. Robin was over here in a flash with gifts and much mothering: cleaning, fixing the house up, taking care of things, especially Margo, in all ways supportive. And nurturing. Really, she's a big time star and a tough girl, believe me; but let me tell you, she is also Mother Earth. I love her. Always did. Always will. So you're looking for some answers, eh? Okay. Let's see what we can do. CP: You've been doing a lot of voice-over work in recent years, and actors often remark about what a relief it is to dispense with all the hair and make-up and costumes... What about this type of work appealed to you? TC: You answered it. No more hair, no more makeup. And...No More Mirrors! God I don't ever want to look at myself again. Especially when standing right behind me, reflected in the mirror, is this unbelievably handsome, talented stud who looks better than I do and acts better than I do...No, I'm happy to be out of that competition. Robin will tell you I'm just putting myself down with that remark - she always got on me for that. But I'm happy to be out of it. Love acting, just love it. But I was born in this business, Honey, and I don't need anymore of the bad stuff that goes with it. So voice-overs pay very well, they're relatively easy work, not even work really, if I weren't writing you'd be entitled to call me a bum. CP: Yeah, but the flip side of that is you have to convey all your emotions only using your voice. How do you do that? TC: Good question. Not so easily. Easier when you are playing a character in a radio drama like Orson Welles used to do. But when you are selling stuff often with very stiff and unnatural copy (writing)...Tell you what, I think I'm a better actor since I got into that line of business. Because to pull it off you really have to dig down into yourself and be true as twenty-four carat gold. And, easy as I say it is, maybe it's not. 
CP: Well, you always made it look easy, which, as they say, is about the most difficult thing to do. So what would it take to lure you back in front of the camera? TC: About eight million dollars. And a night alone with Robin anywhere in the world; The Seychelles, or Motel Six, wouldn't matter 'cause I wouldn't know where I was anyway. CP: You mentioned writing. Tell us a little about that… TC: I've been writing seriously for about fifteen, sixteen years…Right now I'm working on something, but I'm not going to tell you anything about it. CP: Fair enough. Always leave ‘em guessing, right? So, on to THE episode. This one is legendary. It aired ONCE and, you know people are still talking about it. RS: This is beautifully done...and I haven't ever seen the whole episode...ever. I am usually hard on myself, critically speaking, but in this case I am very pleased with ALL OF IT...and so grateful to you and the people who help you find vintage material for helping to preserve it. TC: I looked at that scene not too long ago - someone wanted a copy of it. Yeah, it touched me too. And it is thrilling to know that it means so much to so many people. RS: Yes, if I pass away...let it be known this is the vintage piece to use...for the archival "tributes" LOL.... CP: Yeah, it’s a favorite of mine. Did either of you have any idea when you first read the script what a lasting impact it would have? TC: Yes, I felt it was potentially a big deal. Not legendary, but...Every scene I did with Robin I thought was a big deal. She was so beautiful to work with. She is a perfectionist and wants things done right. And more often than not she gets it done right even though many of the people she works with could care less. But to me, this lovely and demanding artist just gave herself completely. It was unbelievable...And so much fun. The most fun I've ever had as an actor. CP: Why do you think the two of you "clicked" so well creatively? RS: Because we trusted each other as actors completely...and like two good dancers, once we got up on the floor,we both heard the "music and rhythm" the same way. Like jazz musicians, we also welcomed challenging each other with going higher, faster, or slower 
TC: I dunno. It was just like life. We had a script, blocking, time limits, directions. But that was easy. We just got
on some kind of magic carpet and sucked the life out of each other and exploded into the air. I don't know why she gave herself to me that way -
made herself completely vulnerable to the moment, put herself at risk. Of course that's why she's so good.
CP: No argument here! RS: I'm going to digress for a moment and pay tribute to the director David Pressman. Mr. Pressman was one of the first television directors ever. He was a warrior for Art as he was for his country in WW2, and for Civil Rights and Justice. For the latter, he was blacklisted for many years. TC: Yeah, you know David was not just out of live television, he was out of the great traditions of The Group theatre, the Actor's Studio and even of Olivier's Old Vic in London. He was sort of the Elia Kazan of daytime television. Believe me, that's a compliment. RS: He was a director on the first soap I did Another World...he was extremely energetic and demanding of great work from everyone. Sometimes, he barked his orders, sometimes he whispered, sometimes he just lost his temper and the walls shook, but always there was this passion to make it great. TC: He was a stickler. Tough. God, he was very tough on me, I think because he expected a lot from me and when I wasn't producing up to his standards, he wouldn't tolerate it. And an artist. Watch the backgrounds of his scenes. Every person in the shot is completely involved in whatever they're supposed to be doing; and that's direction. RS: And Mr. Pressman, would allow you space to surprise him...like a great musical conductor...I used to call him the Leonard Bernstein of television. So, he carefully planned everything, gave you your notes on what he wanted, but in the magic time of actual performance, he adored alchemy and surprise. CP: Yes, but there was a LOT going on in these scenes, logistically-speaking...How much rehearsal did you get to map out all this? And how much ended up being “alchemy and surprise”? TC: David came to rehearsal with all kinds of pre-conceived notions; but as Robin and I rehearsed the first read through he just got quieter and quieter. I don't remember the blocking rehearsal, but he did insist that we shoot the entire sequence with no breaks for other scenes so that we could keep our focus and our energy. RS: And please note as you watch the material that it is mostly shot in a MASTER...it's all one long piece with no edit points, and brilliant camera work from whoever was on that main camera at the time...wish I knew who it was so I could sing his praises too. TC: It was Gene Kelly, one of the great camera men in the business. And when it was time for the dress rehearsal, Robin and I came on the stage, and there was David, sitting on the floor next to Gene, and he said, "I don't know what to tell you, just do what you want and I'll sit here and watch. And that's what he did. Threw out his shooting script, not an easy thing to do, built it around what we were doing, and that's that. Great man. 
RS: So, with David’s support we "went out there" as actors, whilst our characters "couldn't get out of there". I am claustrophobic, and when I turn on those sense memories, I often go to extremely dark and out of control places...In this case it remains present but reined in perhaps because of the pure elegance of the material, the situation and that incredible costume...I mean who had a dress and wrap like that even in the 80's...it is quintessential Dorian...I think also her almost immediate but initially covered sexual attraction to Herb, that explodes the way that it does impacts the situation. Want to know when my real life claustrophobia got control of the performance?...this past year when Adrianna locked Dorian in the closet... I haven't watched the scene but performing it made me physically ill. CP: Well, I watched it, and it was disturbing. Let’s just leave it at that. But in THIS scene, one of the ways Dorian deals with her claustrophobia is having to “doctor” Herb’s wounds. You looked pretty professional, how long did it take you to learn that? RS: I believe there was a first aid advisor...and then I just got awfully lucky with how the shirt cut easily etc... while the dialog went on seamlessly...this was all on the first take...in those days you almost never got a second chance... but I take this Dorian was a Doctor stuff just as seriously as Dorian does when she wants to "work it". CP: Yeah, that wasn’t the only thing you were “workin”… I love that big, gaping hole in your stocking - it tells us everything we need to know about what we didn't see happen between Dorian & Herb. And the way you matter-of-factly re-attached your garter to the stocking in spite of the hole was genius. Did you plan that ahead of time? 
RS: At the last minute, spur of the moment, I ripped that black stocking...and I believe that attaching the garter was also an impulse of the moment...
I was just supposed to re-arrange myself...but isn't that why garter belts were invented...and re-invented? They create a creative opportunity
to pose for your lover when you put your stockings on or take them off.
CP: And yet, after all that, Dorian and Herb didn’t get back together. I’ll confess, I was upset about that for weeks. I thought she was the love of his life. TC: She was. Who else? He was addicted to her like an addict to heroin. Can't live with her, can't live without her. But much more than that: they were simpatico, they were alike in many ways - go back and look at Herb in the old days. I think maybe they even envied each other their distinct characteristics. Another book I could write… RS: Watching this scene, I can't tell you whether Herb was the love of her life or not. Dorian is so intense about love, and all the human emotions...but love has kicked her in the butt and she's kicked back. I know that I always play her need for total connection and commitment with her lover....I've had great men to work with...great as actors, great as human beings... TC: But the characters had to break up. I always knew that, even though I hoped it would never happen. It's Dorian's way - she could never stay with the same person forever. Nope. Had to be. RS: Still, I wish the aftermath of the divorce had been allowed to play out...it was an intense relationship that seems unlikely to have ended so abruptly...but even then, the actors didn't control the writing on soaps. When Linda Gottlieb was Executive Producer, she worked really hard to get me to come back to the show...I had been in Los Angeles doing guest star parts on Night Time television...I showed up for my first day back at work, and asked our Security Guard where Tony's dressing room was and he told me Tony's contract had not been picked up. 
That should have been my first clue that there were going to be big challenges ahead. It wasn't until a year later when finally Viki and Dorian had one of their big "lock-up" scenes that I got to demonstrate to Ms. Gottlieb what my Dorian was all about...thanks to Erika Slezak and three days of like 50 pages each day of just Erika and me in mortal combat as Viki and Dorian. Ms. Gottlieb complimented me on the anger, edge, and HUMOR I got out of the material. I have surmised that since she admitted to never having watched any soaps in the past, that she had never seen me play the part. She asked me back because of FAN demand to do so...and I would like to think that had she seen me and Tony together that she would have brought him back to the show too. She was extremely smart about what worked and what did not. CP: And IF Herb had found his way back to Llanview, trapped in an elevator again with Dorian, what do you think would happen this time? TC: If I found myself trapped in an elevator again? With HER?!! Well, first I'd take my Viagra and then see if she was still interested. |
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