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2008: The Directors and Writers Thread

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I have a question though, how were soaps so good in the 70's and early 80's when the breakdown position didn't exist? I remember reading that Harding LeMay had 4 writers on his staff when AW expanded to 90 minutes. Even though ratings fell, the quality was still consistent. These days writing staffs are beyond bloated, yet consistency doesn't exist, even with someone writing breakdowns.

Harding was never happy with his team. He always complained how he had to rewrite the whole script and at one point started writing three scripts a week himself and gave the other two to the other staff writers. I believe he was the one who basically founded the P&G workshop for soap opera writers and one of the first people to attend this was - you guessed it - Douglas Marland. Doug was good friends with Pete and often visited Pete's house on Fire Island.

The quality was consistent because Harding is a perfectionist (:wub:) who tidied up when mess came along (and it came along often). He was also very industrious working for hours, usually starting at 4 AM.

Here's a list of SW changes during Harding's tenure of AW:

Harding "Pete" Lemay, August 1971 - May 1979

  • In 1971, with Robert Cenedella, Kathy Callaway, Theodore Apstein, and Robert Newman
  • In 1972, with Kathy Callaway, Theodore Apstein, Robert Newman, Robert Cenedella, and Stan Silverman
  • In 1973, with Theodore Apstein, Robert Newman, Rodney Anderson, Tom King, Jan Merlin
  • In 1974, with Rodney Anderson, Tom King, Charles Kozloff, Jan Merlin, Douglas Marland, Mel Brez, Ethel Brez, Bibi Wein
  • In 1975, with Tom King, Jan Merlin, Bibi Wein
  • In 1976, with Tom King (Monday), Peter Swet (Tuesday), Jan Merlin (Wednesday), Barry Berg (Thursday), Arthur Giron (Friday), Kathy Callaway, Douglas Marland, Kevin McDonnell. Swet, Berg, and Giron were also playwrights

(Note: Lemay's last script was Friday, May 11, 1979)

Edited by Sylph

  • Member

^Douglass Marland also had 4 writers on his team at GL (Harding LeMay being one of them), and the show had already expanded to an hour. However, we all know Douglass wrote so much of that show himself as well...

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Is it Douglass or Douglas? Sorry, but I get real anal about names. It's not Debbie or Debi, it's Debbi Morgan. It's not Zack or Zak, but Zach Slater.

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Is it Douglass or Douglas? Sorry, but I get real anal about names. It's not Debbie or Debi, it's Debbi Morgan. It's not Zack or Zak, but Zach Slater.

It's Douglas, typo on my part. ;)

  • Member

Oh, okay. Names just take on a different appeal to me depending on how a person spells theirs. Like Jennifer is a nice name... but I met a girl named Genipher and I was like *GAG!*

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Anyone know if there is an email address to email Kate Hall at AMC? The woman is a truly great writer and deserves some praise! :)

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Latest Updates:

Y&R

- Michael Montgomery OUT

- Brett Staneart OUT

GOOD! But there's more that need to go and hopefully that happens soon.

- Lisa Seidman IN (on trial for breakdowns)

WTF? She better not last long, and she's been mostly a primetime writer. They're making Latham-like moves and she's not even there!

Oh and thanks for the scoops, Toupsy. :)

  • Member

I hope when Hogan gets there he advises Maria that a smaller staff is the way to go. The last thing I want is more writers on an already extremely choppy and incoherent show.

Seriously, this is making me hate Maria and Josh even more. :lol:

  • Member
That's true, watch Y&R top out at like 25 staff writers soon. <_<

I'm confused about the Lisa Seidman hiring. :mellow: And she fired one wrong person: Michael Montgomery. The guy was promoted from Story Coordinator/Writers’ Assistant position and I think she should've kept him a little longer.

Why isn't she firing friends of Latham? :rolleyes:

Latest Updates:

Y&R

- Michael Montgomery OUT

- Brett Staneart OUT

- Lisa Seidman IN (on trial for breakdowns)

Note - these happned before Sheffer's hiring.

Thank you, Toups!

Was this everything you had for us? :D

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