2008: The Directors and Writers Thread

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I have to give Phelps props for once. I have three weeks of OLTL from 1998 and the show is amazingly produced at this time. The sets, lighting, music, etc. are all fantastic. The stories (Claire Labine at the time) are painfully dull which is odd considering Claire's GH and RH were never dull. Could someone who watched the show during this time, what were Claire's best and worst stories? I have seen Todd's parrot btw. He doesn't bother me because he hasn't spoke yet. He's just there as a pet in the episodes I've seen so far.

For GL fans, what was the best and worst for her there? From articles I've read, I don't blame her for that failure. Apparently there were very public disagreements over the format of the show. I read one article that said she was fired for two weeks, then rehired. Has that ever been done?

Rain, if you have any details on these stints, I'd love to know what went wrong!

Claire's OLTL stint ended in April 1998, so I assume if you're watching 1998 episodes, you won't have to put up with her material much longer. Her entire tenure at OLTL was reletively dull, which is a shame.

I guess Claire's exploration of Dorian's backstory could be counted as a initial hit, but the end of the story was a disaster. That story was in 1997 though, and it was quite gothic.

Here's another funny thing about Claire's OLTL, when she wrote Maggie Carpenter (Crystal Chappell) out, she sent the character to clown school.

Jill's OLTL tenure would morph into one huge mess by late 1998, story-wise. When Pam Long (who replaced Labine) was fire, Jill became HW of the show for a while, and then McTavish was hired. Jill and Megan were one toxic team to say the least.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I think Chris was referring to Claire's GL stint, which sucked.

It was Jill's decision to kill Maureen though, but Nancy Curlee wrote the hell out of that story and it worked initially. Jill calls that decision the biggest mistake of her career though.

[juppiter]

I think the main problem with Claire Labine's GL stint was that she, Paul Rauch, and Mary-Alice Dwyer-Dobbin all HATED each other. I remember that CL was fired and then re-hired within the span of like two weeks once. Probably the same thing happened when she was HW of OLTL. JFP is the kind of EP that wants things done HER way or no way (I am pro-JFP btw.)

[Ryan]

Thom Racina is returning to Y&R to write scripts. Thom will also be a guest on In The Zone in the coming future

Another World

* Breakdown Writer (1988)

* Script Writer (1987)

Dangerous Woman

* Head Writer (1991)

Days of Our Lives

* Co-Head Writer (1984 - 1986)

Family Passions

* Head Writer (1993 - 1994)

General Hospital

* Co-Head Writer (1981- 1984)

Santa Barbara

* Breakdown Writer (1992 - January 15, 1993)

Search For Tomorrow

* Script Writer (1980)

[Chris B]

From what I've heard Thom Racina is a bad writer, so another strike against Maria Arena Bell in my book. IIRC, he's a sci fi novelist who got his start during the 1980 strike, writing GH with Leah Laiman (another legendary hack). Why won't MAB simply bring back some of the former Bell writers? Where are all these random people coming from? Y&R was supposed to be the best of the best. Now it seems like anyone and their dog walker can be hired on the #1 soap. It's sad.

[MarkH]

From what I've heard Thom Racina is a bad writer, so another strike against Maria Arena Bell in my book. IIRC, he's a sci fi novelist who got his start during the 1980 strike, writing GH with Leah Laiman (another legendary hack). Why won't MAB simply bring back some of the former Bell writers? Where are all these random people coming from? Y&R was supposed to be the best of the best. Now it seems like anyone and their dog walker can be hired on the #1 soap. It's sad.

Sigh. I am REALLY trying not to pre-judge.

But, yes, your comment on the track record of this writer seems spot-on.

On Y&R????????? What is going on???????

But the same kinds of "huh??" are going on this week at AMC, GL....so this is really an industry wide pandemic.

There is little doubt that Y&R needs driving, energetic plots that involve the intergenerational canvas. So, I'm going to be charitable and say that maybe folks like Racina and Sheffer can do this for Y&R...while Maria and others (like Weintraub) keep the show rooted in character and history. That ying-and-yang is what the show does need. Hiring Bell legacy writers is unlikely to be successful, since there has ALWAYS been a complaint about their plodding plotting. In the modern era, more energy IS needed. Legacy Y&R writers currently on B&B have apparently rendered that show at one of its' weakest points in all of its history! (B&B is AWFUL...Heather Tom notwithstanding). So I really don't think re-hiring Bell writers is the answer, much as I wish this simple fix would work.

Still...you're dead-on regarding track records...scary times.

[dm.]

He hasn't worked on daytime since 1994. That's 14 years. Wow. But he wrote a few novels from 1977-2005. I really don't know if he's good or not.

[JackPeyton]

here is what he has to say about soaps-

(via his website)

AND he had an intersting relationship with brad Pitt- http://www.thomracina.com/bradpitt.html

he wrote snow angel, i love that book.

[dm.]

Whatever happens, I hope he'll somehow help Y&R to become more interesting than it is currently.

[Khan]

THOM RACINA? Wow. Never thought I'd see him return to soaps.

I know his reputation among soaps fans is less than sterling, but I enjoyed the work he did with Sheri Anderson and Leah Laiman at DAYS, as well as the B.J. Walker (Sydney Penny) childhood abuse story that he co-wrote with Pam Long at SANTA BARBARA.

Plus, he's no friend of Lynn Marie Latham's who has worked solely in primetime, lol.

Thanks, Ryan, for the fantastic news! Can't wait to see his name in the credits!

[Ryan]

He said he swore he'd never return but did. I'm quite excited to see him return. I've read some of his books. As far as soaps go, I'm not 100% familiar with his work, but given his experience, he may be a good fit for the show.

NOTE: Though he may have come up with the Ice Princess story, the scab writers took it in an ENTIRELY different direction (as noted when we had Marlena Delacroix on our show).

Y&R could benefit from someone with experience doing their scripts. It's obvious the FOLML's aren't doing a great job.

[dm.]

I really can't wait to see what Y&R will turn into during or after the summer. I hope that Sheffer (with Arena covering the old Y&R style) in the combination with new writers will be able to bring something refreshing and interesting. The viewers deserve that. We've been suffering enough this year so far. (Not everything was boring, but most of it was--I still watched every episode).

[Khan]

IIRC, Ryan, the writers, including then-HW Pat Falken Smith, were on-strike already when Gloria Monty first approached Racina. When PFS left, she supposedly took the rest of the Ice Princess story with her; so, Monty simply grafted Racina's novel onto it, and the rest is gloriously campy soap history. (I'm ashamed to admit, I liked what I saw of it years ago on SoapNet.)

[Ryan]

I do too. it was a hot campy mess (in a good way, lol).

[Khan]

I didn't like it because of the writing, mind you! I just loved how the acting and direction totally emphasized the life-and-death stakes of it (without shooting children in the head, or having estranged couples boink in limos). Tony Geary's performance, in particular, sold it to me.

Ironically, OLTL's Eterna was the same concept, basically; and yet, I was never so confused or annoyed in my life, lol.