SOAP OPERA WRITER TURNS TO NOVELS: AMC Alum Writes About The Cloning of Jesus

With the changing landscape of daytime dramas, Wisner Washam, long time head writer of ALL MY CHILDREN, has turned to novels. He has published a controversial novel, "The Cloning," based on the premise that ancient DNA can be used to clone the original donor. In this case, fragmentary DNA is discovered on the famous Shroud of Turin by a young American scientist who believes that he may be replicating Jesus of Nazareth.

He is given access to the sacred relic by a new forward-thinking Pope, a twenty-first century product who has recently been elected to the Throne of Peter. The young scientist has no interest in the spiritual aspects of his assignment, but he must find a suitable womb in which to gestate the baby, and the choice of a female becomes a hotly contested international battle. The winner happens to be a pretty, young, rebellious Hispanic girl, daughter of a banana republic dictator, who has as little interest in religion as the scientist himself.

FLASHBACK: Judith Barcroft & Husband - ALL MY CHILDREN's Star Couple 1976

As a tribute to ALL MY CHILDREN's final days on ABC, we continue our series of daily Flashbacks today with features on Judith Barcroft (Ann) and behind the scenes at the soap.

In the Daytime TV Super Special magazine (Issue No. 4) from 1976, a feature on Judith Barcroft and her AMC writer husband Wisner Washam, "Judith Barcroft & Husband ALL MY CHILDREN's Star Couple" was featured.

There was also a two-page behind the scenes feature on the show as well.

WLS Interview Archive: Longtime ALL MY CHILDREN Writer Wisner Washam

Wisner Washam is a Daytime Emmy Award-winning soap opera writer best known for his many years writing for ALL MY CHILDREN from the 1970s to the 1990s. In February 2010, We Love Soaps spoke with talented Washam who worked with Agnes Nixon throughout the 1970s before taking over the show in the early 1980s at the height of its popularity. Washam has been married to former ALL MY CHILDREN and ANOTHER WORLD star Judith Barcroft since 1969.

He currently has two books on Amazon Kindle, "The Cloning" and "Edie's Story," that we highly recommend. Barcroft illustrated the covers!

In our three-part interview, Washam discussed his writing stint at ALL MY CHILDREN, including writing for his wife for several years, and shared his thoughts on his post-soap career.

Wisner Washam's "The Cloning" Now Available on Amazon

Longtime ALL MY CHILDREN writer Wisner Washam has published his novel, "The Cloning," on Amazon at Kindle e-books. It originated as a screenplay, which won a Writers' Guild award and was performed at Lincoln Center.

"The Cloning" is a fast moving story of a young, hedonistic Harvard professor who clones a fragment from the Shroud of Turin believing that it contains Jesus’ DNA, then implants the cells in the womb of a hell-raising youngster named Maria. This irreligious pair finds their lives hurled into new orbits by sudden, unprecedented fame . . . and a love that blossoms in the midst of chaos caused by the possible “second coming.” Their experiences include the Pope, the U.S. President, a banana republic dictator, and clerics on three continents. The story is satirical at moments, but it’s not without a spiritual aspect; the two central characters are profoundly transformed.

Order it on Amazon.com here.

The Wisner Washam Interview, Part 3 of 3

Wisner Washam is a Daytime Emmy Award-winning soap opera writer best known for his many years writing for ALL MY CHILDREN from the 1970s to the 1990s. He also had a stint writing for GUIDING LIGHT, developed multiple soaps of his own and has been married to former soap star Judith Barcroft for the past 40 years. In this exclusive interview with We Love Soaps, Washam shares his experiences of moving to New York to be an actor, landing a writing gig with Agnes Nixon, and details of the many projects he's worked on over the past 20 years.

In Part One, Washam recalled his journey from North Carolina to New York City. In Part Two, he shared memories of working on ALL MY CHILDREN and why he ultimately left for good. In Part 3, we conclude the soap discussion and Washam revisits some of the post-daytime writing projects.

We Love Soaps: How long were you away from ALL MY CHILDREN before you returned?
Wisner Washam: I had one hiatus of about a year or so and then they asked me back. That's when I encountered Megan [McTavish]. I was there about a year or two and I couldn't bear her, and she couldn't bear me, so they let me go. But I have no regrets. I've loved the whole process and it has been a wonderful Godsend to me.

The Wisner Washam Interview, Part 2 of 3

Wisner Washam is a Daytime Emmy Award-winning soap opera writer best known for his many years writing for ALL MY CHILDREN from the 1970s to the 1990s. He also had a stint writing for GUIDING LIGHT, developed multiple soaps of his own and has been married to former soap star Judith Barcroft for the past 40 years. In this exclusive interview with We Love Soaps, Washam shares his experiences of moving to New York to be an actor, landing a writing gig with Agnes Nixon, and details of the many projects he's worked on over the past 20 years.

In Part One, Washam recalled his journey from North Carolina to New York city. In Part Two, he shares memories of working on ALL MY CHILDREN and why he ultimately left for good.

We Love Soaps: IMDB and Wikipedia are not very clear on the dates of your run at ALL MY CHILDREN or the exact time you took over as head writer.
Wisner Washam: I don't know exactly what year. There was no day in which I was crowned head writer as I recall. It just evolved that I took over as Agnes found other things she needed and wanted to do, and I was a good leader for the team of writers.

The Wisner Washam Interview, Part 1 of 3

Wisner Washam is a Daytime Emmy Award-winning soap opera writer best known for his many years writing for ALL MY CHILDREN from the 1970s to the 1990s. He also had a stint writing for GUIDING LIGHT, developed multiple soaps of his own and has been married to former soap star Judith Barcroft for the past 40 years. In this exclusive interview with We Love Soaps, Washam shares his experiences of moving to New York to be an actor, landing a writing gig with Agnes Nixon, and details of the many projects he's worked on over the past 20 years.

We Love Soaps: You grew up in North Carolina. Did you always want to be an actor?
Wisner Washam: Yes, I did very much. This morning I was remembering when I was kid I made a stage out of cardboard and used little figures from the Lionel Trains set that were about three inches tall. I would make scenery and do plays with these little characters. When I grew up and got this job, it was like a dream come true. It was a childhood dream and we really had fun in the early days of the show. It was like having little characters we could play with. We made ourselves laugh a lot, and made ourselves cry too. It was a glorious time in the early years at ALL MY CHILDREN.

Catching Up With Judith Barcroft, Part 2 of 2

In Part One of our two-part interview with Judith Barcroft, the actress shared stories of starting her acting career and playing the role of Lenore on ANOTHER WORLD. In the final part, Barcroft revisits her time as Anne on ALL MY CHILDREN as well as her many other soap roles.

We Love Soaps: It sounds like Agnes Nixon wanted you for the role of Anne on ALL MY CHILDREN after working with you at ANOTHER WORLD?
Judith Barcroft: Yes. I didn't have to audition for anything after [ANOTHER WORLD] until I came to RYAN'S HOPE.

We Love Soaps: What was it like working with Ruth Warrick (Phoebe)?
Judith Barcroft: She played my mother, of course, and was very glamorous and very, very funny, and had a dirty sense of humor. She and Larry Keith used to do all kinds of sexual jokes [laughs]. When you're acting with Ruth Warrick she was mainly looking at the lights and the camera and being sure her face was in the light. I think that was her main priority [laughs]. It was fun working with her.

Catching Up With Judith Barcroft, Part 1 of 2

We Love Soaps recently had the chance to speak with Judith Barcroft, an actress best known for her roles as Lenore Curtain on ANOTHER WORLD and Anne Tyler on ALL MY CHILDREN. She recently appeared on our critics panel's 50 Greatest Soap Actresses honorable mention list. After leaving ALL MY CHILDREN, Barcroft went on to roles on other soaps including THE EDGE OF NIGHT and RYAN'S HOPE. She also substituted for two popular actresses in famous roles (Susan on AS THE WORLD TURNS and Viki on ONE LIFE TO LIVE). In this exclusive two-part interview, the actress takes a look back on her long and successful career and catches us up on what she's doing now.

In Part One, Barcroft talks about moving around as a child and learning adaptability, landing a job her first week in New York, playing a popular role on ANOTHER WORLD and then returning to the show many years later as a dayplayer.

We Love Soaps: Tell me about your background. You were born in D.C. but then moved around a lot?
Judith Barcroft: Yes. My father was an Episcopal minister and so we lived in Germany for two years. I studied art in Rome at the Borghese Gallery. We lived in Oklahoma and Palm Beach, very contrasting places. I went to a lot of different schools - the American School On The Rhine in Germany; the National Cathedral School in Virginia; St. Mary's Hall at Fairbault, Minnesota; Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri; and then I graduated from Northwestern University. You learn adaptability I guess.
I came to New York and got a job my first week, within five days, in the theater. It was a show directed by George Abbott, "Never Too Late." I went out on a bus and truck tour.