Henry Slesar is an unsung writer and I would say he was better than anyone named Bell. Solid mysteries year after year on EON where it always made sense. You could see something and then it wouldn't be referenced for weeks or months later but it turns out to be important. EON was so well written, the networks hired a new writer to dumb it down.

As for actors, I guess it depends best at what? Lucci is not the best actress, but if you want to pick one person who just owns the camera and own a show just on charisma, she is the one. Julia Barr was always a better actress, but never once did either embarrass the other.

Right but when Slesar co wrote OLTL breifly, for example, it just didn't work. He WAS great for EON (and apparantly pretty good when he made Somerset an EoN clone...)

I would add Judith Light to the list of actresses based on one performance and one performance only. Everyone should know what I'm talking about. If you haven't seen it, you have to. You have to! It's a true testament to what an actress can do when she's so invested with her character and so deep inside who that character is.

Who is actress Judith Light?....

JANE COX

Maggie Jones

Steve Halliwell

Andy Devine

Paula Tilbrook

Helen Worth

June Brown

Pam St. Clement

Laila Morse

Charley Webb

Charlie Hardwick

PRODUCERS/WRITERS

Bill Bell

Doug Marland

Irna Philips

Agnes Nixon

Jerome & Bridget Dobson

Claire Labine

Gloria Monty

Jill Farren Phelps

Betty Corday

Harding Lemay

Donna Swajeski

Anne Howard Bailey

ACTORS

Larry Bryggman

David Canary

A Martinez

Lane Davies

Douglass Watson

Macdonald Carey

Peter Bergman

Eric Braeden

Justin Deas

Robert S Woods

Phil Carey

David Lewis

Larry Haines

Tom Eplin

Stuart Damon

Michael E. Knight

Actresses

Linda Dano

Marcy Walker

Anna Stuart

Louise Sorel

Victoria Wyndham

Deidre Hall

Susan Lucci

Nancy Lee Grahn

Mary Stuart

Helen Wagner

Eileen Fulton

Jess Walton

Marie Masters

Maura West

Susan Flannery

Susan Seaforth Hayes

Judith Light

Elizabeth Hubbard

Colleen Zenk Pinter

Judith McConnell

Julia Barr

Robin Strasser

Beverlee McKinsey

Edited June 27, 200817 yr by juniorz1

ACTORS

David Canary

Michael E. Knight

Robert S. Woods

Jerry Ver Dorn

Jed Allan

Douglass Watson

Grant Aleksander

Peter Bergman

ACTRESSES

Denise Alexander

Julia Barr

Erika Slezak

Robin Strasser

Jane Elliot

Leslie Charleson

Suzanne Rogers

Genie Francis

Hilary B Smith

Lynn Herring

Marcy Walker

Judith McConnell

Who is actress Judith Light?....

Judith Light played Karen Wolek on "One Life to Live" from 1977 to 1983 and won two consecutive Emmys for the role in the early 1980s. One of soap opera's most memorable moments occurred on March 6, 1979, when Karen had to take the witness stand in order to clear her friend Viki of murder. In order to that, however, Karen had to out herself as a prositute. Go to YouTube, type in "Karen Wolek" and watch the first two videos and you'll understand.

ANd she's more famous as the star of Who's the Boss and is now on Ugly Betty. Watchign the recent episode of 1980--just a casual episode, you realize her stuff was great even when she didn't have huge scenes to do

I can't play because honestly until a few years ago, I didn't even have a clue what the names of most of the actors were, much less the writers, executive producers and the directors. Those were the good old days when I just watched characters I loved in stories I was entertained by. I didn't know who to give the credit to and I could have cared less. Life was good then.

Everyone has awesome lists! Some GREAT names for sure!!

Strange that you posted this Ian. Over at my site (SoapsWEB) I am running this as a contest for July.

Here is the post from over there:

**********************************

For the month of July I will be conducting a Soap's Best of the Best Contest.

In order to participate please PM me who you feel are the top 10 to 20 in each of the categories listed below:

Best Daytime Soaps of All Time

Best Daytime Actors of All Time

Best Daytime Actresses of All Time

Best Daytime Couples of All Time

Best Daytime Writers of All Time

Best Daytime Producers of All Time

Best Daytime Misc. Personnel of All Time (set designers, hairstylists, casting directors, etc.)

Best Daytime Villians/Villianesses of All Time

Best Daytime Hero/Heroines of All Time

Best Daytime Matriarch/Patriarchs of All Time

Best Daytime Psycho Characters of All Time

Best Daytime Characters of All Time (any type of character)

Please do not post your answers in this thread. Just PM them to me. I will tabulate the votes and assemble them by most votes.

*******************************************************

I would love to have all of you participate. Please go to:

http://s15.zetaboards.com/SoapsWeb/index/

The registration process is very simple. Just join up. You don't have to stay a member if you don't want to. I don't try to steal members from other sites. Mine is more of a history site anyway. I don't do the spoilers and stuff anymore. Just keep a record of the history of soaps and the like. But anyway just register and PM me the choices. I need to keep up with them over there as I always forget to check my PM's at other sites.

Thanks, Steve

Judith Light's classic Karen Wolek witness stand performance

Part 2

I can't play because honestly until a few years ago, I didn't even have a clue what the names of most of the actors were, much less the writers, executive producers and the directors. Those were the good old days when I just watched characters I loved in stories I was entertained by. I didn't know who to give the credit to and I could have cared less. Life was good then.

Yeah, ignorance is bliss. I totally hear ya on that one.

SQ, I could watch those clips all day. And still be left a mess at the end.

SQ, I could watch those clips all day. And still be left a mess at the end.

Judith told a story on her "Intimate Portrait" that really proves how powerful those scenes were. There was an autistic boy in a group home or school or something, and he hadn't spoken much at all in several months. He passed by the TV when some of the teachers were watching this episode when it originally aired. The boy simply sat down in the middle of the floor and said "Cry, poor lady, cry." The teachers were shocked and wrote a letter to the show thanking them for putting on something so powerful.

Every soap has at least one defining moment in American popular culture, for OLTL it's definitely Judith Light's tour-de-force breakdown on the witness stand as Karen Wolek. I'm a bit sad that they couldn't get Judith to make an appearance for the 40th Anniversary, she's left such an unforgettable impact on OLTL's history.

Every soap has at least one defining moment in American popular culture,

Karen's breakdown is perfect for OLTL's.