RavenWhitney

It's ashame they couldn't stick with DePriest. I wonder if Ann Howard Bailey was consulting with Jeff Young while writing scripts since they both worked together on How to Survive A Marriage; he was only 30 years old and had been put in charge of that soap before it was cancelled.  Wonder why they didn't give Ann the head writing job.  Margaret wrote 150 episodes; contracts were usually 13 week so she outlasted 26 weeks but it seems like the last month of scripts might have been edited by Marland (bringing in Lew, ending the clunker Scott Conrad plot so quickly).  We know Marland worked with Nancy Franklin on many soaps and she showed up as a scriptwriter a month before Marland episodes starting airing.  Why they couldn't hold on to a good head writer is weird after the Pollacks lasted over four.  The execs killed a good show with the endless HW changes.

Totally blown away by Aug 10, 11 and 12 1976 episodes.  Wow.  The writing was amazing at times.  Maggie DePriest wrote the Aug 11 and there's a doozy of a progressive scene where Paul describes women's roles through history and present, to cray cray Stacy.

Then the final 8 minute scene in Aug 12 episode with Mamma Dancy addressing each of her three children.  A scene so b-movie campy, genuine and soapy, with stellar acting by the great Elizabeth Lawrence.  Before Karen's witness stand, Reva's fountain there was this scene.  Lanie Bertram's script is up there with Pat Mulcahey's Maureen death episodes.  Not to mention the scene between Paul and Ann.  Geraldine Court, what a revelation. And Paul the actor and the character....

And I haven't even watched Friday, Aug 13th with Luke's introduction.  

I've just started watching the July 1976 episodes. Wow

- Maggie DePriest was ahead of her time.  The show was so well written. The script writers were outstanding: Lanie Bertram, Anne Howard Bailey and Lee Zlottoff (who went on to nighttime fame). 

- The acting is so fierce with the exception of Billy, Greta, Wendy and Iverson.  Paul, Anne, Mona, Maggie, Steve wow.  Love those actors.

- Gene Lasko was a great director. Norman Hall was senior director but his episodes are sometimes sloppy.

- When does Marland take over?  I can't believe Depreist didn't last; probably network execs fiddling.

- Score productions music is awful.  Some of the sets were nicely done; but the nurses station is so cheap.

- Is Toni Carorlee's daughter?  Weren't the actresses near the same age?  How did they write Carolee off? When does Jada start airing?

- Did Cenedella or Depreist create the Dancy family?

BEST: All of the openings for Edge except the last one before cancellation. Horrible

Second Best: All the Guiding Light openings in early 1990s

Best update: AW under Goutman

Worst update:  GH current opening is absolutely horrible.  Fake outer space skyline.  Dumb orchestral accompaniment.  Inexplicable really...I've generally been a fan of Valentini's visuals on GH but not the opening.

Wow, Ralph Ellis gave a bunch of his SFT stories and scripts to SU.  

https://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/e/ellis_search_for_tom.htm

oh lordy

Joanna Cohen wrote Tuesday's script.  The outline writers decide how things are going to play though.

OMG: Jamie Lunar...gross drugged 17 year old actor on Melrose Place and did nasty things.  

https://www.thewrap.com/melrose-place-jamie-luner-drugging-filming-oral-sex-anthony-oliver/

OMG catching some April 1975 episodes and the campy scenes with Rex and Iris are hysterical.  The actor playing Rex was as gay as the day is long. Unfortunately, the actor died in 2008.  Tanny McDonald played Iris and she died in 2005 of melanoma.  Sad.  The Pollock's writing was smart a lot of the times.   The show had more spunk and character development that today's shows.  And most of the acting is very good.  But I have to say I never liked the actor playing Matt; he sounded like he had a pile of tobacco in his mouth in every scene.

Lee Sheldon (EONs last and worst writer) discussed his time head writing EON in the following interview:

http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/257/

Deborah Sherwood was an accomplished novelist and wrote for several soaps.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?pid=184461122

9 hours ago, danfling said:

ravenwhitney, was all of this said on the same evening? Meg Myles' character (Sid) was written of the show a long time before Mr. Slesar was dismissed from the show. The network (ABC) was unhappy with Procter and Gamble's decision to replace Mr. Slesar with another writer. That is why he became the co-headwriter of One Life to Live (with Sam Hall). However, the two writers did not work well together, or so I understand, and Mr. Slesar left when his one-year contract expired.

All of this happened on one day/evening during Slesar's tenure and after the writer's strike.  The info I have on Slesar firing comes other sources at a later date:) I lived in Manhattan for ten years and worked in the east village.  For college money I worked at a xerox copy shop and met Melissa Salmons (who had been hired as a new script writer on Search just as it was cancelled) and often talked with Joe LeSeur, now deceased Another World script writer.  Joe had the scoop on P&G; poor Joe was a raging drinker and often came into the shop to copy his AW scripts while sauced.  In those days Robert Soderbergh and/or Tom King assigned script writers one day a week, usually the same day and I think Joe wrote Tuesday or Wednesday episodes.  I also took a writing class by Barbara Seiger who was on AW script writing staff during that time.  What a piece of work she was.

I had the wonderful privilege of meeting Ernie Townsend one day on a NYC street and he invited me to his show with Marianne Aalda (Didi) that evening.  He revealed a lot about the behind the scenes.  He confirmed that in 1981 Slesar had left a story outline during the writer's strike and that Lois Kibbie and Laure Durbrow wrote the show for those months. That's why Kibbee replaced Steve Lehrman as Slesar's sole script writer.  Townsend said Henry was incredibly bright and that P&G and the network interfered a lot less with him and his stories than they did on the other shows.  (By the way: Henry was let go by P&G and it was partly a budget decision as Less Sheldon was 33 years old and was paid a lot less; second reason for firing P&G wanted more control over stories and pacing and thought Henry was outdated).  My brothers and I attended the show that evening and met practically the entire cast.  Ernie, Marianne, Dennis Parker, Meg Myles, Larkin Malloy, and a few others were at the show.  Meg Myles was tipsy and crying and revealed that she had just been fired.  The writer was done with her character, she said.  It was fantastic to meet them all and hear about Slesar whom I idolized as a writer.  I watched Search when he took over as well as Capitol.  The best of EON at the end were his creations: Sky, Raven, Gunther, Mitiz, Didi, Cliff, Derek, Miles, Preacher, Geraldine, Mike, Nancy, Laurie Anne. Lee Sheldon almost destroyed the show's credibility but he couldn't mess with those classy actors and memorable characters.

5 hours ago, Nothin'ButAttitude said:

 

What a great group of writers. So sad that Phelps and P&G had to tinker with the writing.  Although I think Curlee needed to retire to raise her kids.  She was the emotional backbone of the team.

Hopefully, this latest scandal regarding that scumbag Trump will sink him before the final debate.  Friday cliffhanger!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-recorded-having-extremely-lewd-conversation-about-women-in-2005/2016/10/07/3b9ce776-8cb4-11e6-bf8a-3d26847eeed4_story.html?postshare=3561475870579757&tid=ss_tw

Yes, Season 2 has been plagued by some bad story decisions, some bad scripting and some bad acting. But then there are marvelous moments of sheer talent with the intersection of music and plot and character. So far the weakest episode was this most recent one as written/directed by creator Danny Strong. It was embarrassingly overdramatic.  Andre crumpled on the floor.  Too much.  Lucious screaming and breaking down to Cookie, the gun.  Too over the top and cheesy.  When they focus on Cookie and branch out from the music biz plot they have gold.  Cookie and her sister's search for the drugged out sister was great as were the prison concert scenes.  The actor playing Hakeim can't carry the material they give him and his bevy of women strains all dramatic license.  Naomi Lurch Campbell is not fun to watch at all; she's not an actress; she's a strange looking model.  Give me more Cookie family history, more Portia.  And stop with Gabby S.  She can't act.  I don't care if she rocked in Precious.  She stinks on this show.   They need some seasoned writers to come in and help with story.  They are in danger of making a mockery of their own success.  Some of the costumes have been too over the top. I get it that they want to be fabulous but reign it in just a lil and it'll be more compelling and fun.  I still watch because the talent on the show is astounding overall. 

I don't know if this has been posted but it's a one hour parody of Guiding Light, written and produced by Marcia Clark during 1980 over a three month period.  It's fantastic and great to see all the actors and sets!

two incredibly well written and acted scenes between Rachel and Mac. WOW. The first clip: this either Harding Lemay's last episodes or Tom King's first episodes without Lemay. The second clip was during DePriest/Racina stint I believe.

And ABC did some tinkering with EON after the first two years. They wanted younger demos and pressured the producers and Henry Slesar to write in younger characters. Jayne was 15 or so years younger than Mauve. ABC was glad to go with a younger actress. In 1980/81 the show dramatically changed with the arrival of Gavin, Jody, Kelly et al.

That Jordan plot was a clunker. I remember now hating it. And thinking why, why did they have to do that.

Ugh, James Lipton. Did you know that Henry Slesar replaced him on EON years ago then decades later Slesar was fired from Capitol and replaced by Lipton who embarrassingly ran the show into the ground with those final story lines.

Can someone give me a synopsis of the Jordan Stark story? Maybe it was ahead of its time...given what Carlivati is doing on GH now with Jason and Victor...

The sets on this show, the directing and scripts were great. It was getting good again when they cancelled it. That's why they hired the same team to take over ATWT but it didn't work out so well. Leah Laiman ran out of ideas.

Robert Reed left because he was battling AIDS.

Pam Long had retired from soap writing to have her babies with Charles Jay Hammer. She was effectively the headwriter of SFT and Addie Walsh/Trent Jones were her outline writers/associate headwriters. But Pam wrote the long story for the last six months of the show which I thought sucked. Gary Tomlin was doing a good job and didn't need to be replaced but P&G loved Pam Long and wanted her in the fold; she needed a break from the grind of writing GL, an hour long show.

Does anyone have any info on the final producer of SFT, David Lawrence?

The best thing about the show was the casting in the last year or two. They hired many wonderful EON actors including Ann Flood, William Prince and Mauve McGuire!

why hasn't a soap hired her for some guest work. she'd be great!

Picture of Ann Flood from a few years ago; she's on the left and looks fantastic!. Her married name is Ann Granath