Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 24, 1993 TAG: 9310200143
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: N.F. MENDOZA LOS ANGELES TIMES
DATELINE: HOLLYWOOD LENGTH: Medium
She holds her secret weapon in her left hand: a little car that sparks when it runs. With it, she lures nearly 3-year-old Blake and Dylan Wilhoite, toward her. They gleefully comply and race toward her - and the camera.
"Got it!" the director shouts. The cast and crew sigh with relief.
And those sighs could well be running round the dial this season as more and more series discover the supposed magic of babies. There's no telling, though, how long - or short - their on-screen life might be.
At least seven shows will be bouncing bundles of joy this season: "Empty Nest," "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," "Grace Under Fire," "The Mommies," "Northern Exposure," "Nurses" and "Roc." Add those little darlings to babies that arrived on series last year ("Sisters," "The Commish," "Evening Shade," "Full House," "L.A. Law," "Murphy Brown") and you've got a baker's dozen, at the very least, vying for attention on prime time. And that doesn't count the ABC series - "Roseanne," "Coach," "Home Improvement" and "Step by Step" - trying to decide whether bringing on a baby will be just the thing to spark the season.
For an established series, a pregnancy can mean an enhanced storyline. Dinah Manoff, who plays pregnant Carol on "Empty Nest," says, laughing, "They are going to milk this pregnancy for all they can."
But babies hired for TV shows do not always stay long at center stage. While their impending arrival and birth can provide new plot points, keeping the little tykes around after their arrivals also can put a damper on things, just like in real life. Cases in point: little Lucy on "L.A. Law" (daughter of the attorney played by A Martinez) and even the most talked-about arrival of them all, Murphy Brown's little Avery. Both are likely to be on the periphery this season, say spokespersons for those shows.
Nevertheless, business will be booming for the next little while for the babies and the entourages that must be brought on to watch over them and get them to perform. Usually producers seek out amiable, amenable, attractive twins or triplets to play the role of a single baby or toddler; state laws regulating how much time children can appear on camera are strict.
Babies, from 15 days old, may appear on camera only 20 minutes at a time, with a total on-set time of two hours. Until babies are 6 months old, a registered nurse as well as a studio teacher must be on the set with them. Even though the youngsters who play Avery are now close to 2, "Murphy" producers keep both a nurse and a teacher on the set. Tykes from six months to 2 are allowed up to four hours on the set, with two hours allotted for on-camera work and another two reserved for R&R. From age 2 on, children may be on the set for up to six hours, with four hours of on-camera time. One teacher is required for every 10 children, except during holidays or what would be summer vacation, where one teacher is required for every 24 children.
Babies cast for TV roles may find they outgrow their parts, or their parts outgrow them. Rather quickly. Last season, Emily, the daughter of the characters played by Burt Reynolds and Marilu Henner on "Evening Shade," was played by 2-year-old triplets Amanda, Samantha and Megan Braun. This fall, however, Emily - now 3 - will be played by 5-year-old Alexa Vega.
One baby who definitely will not be age-jumped is Avery Brown. "Since we've kept up with things such as (former Vice President Dan) Quayle's comments, it wouldn't work for us to jump the baby's age," says "Murphy Brown" executive producer Steven Peterman. "We're too topical for that."
While the twins who play young Avery - two female toddlers named Chelsea and Amanda Elness - are on the set, cast and crew walk on eggshells. "A baby is such an uncontrollable element," Peterman explains.
by CNB