Jump to content

Headwriters who change with their shows


Recommended Posts

  • Members

This is true.

It was definitely Susan Seaforth Hayes that he wanted for the role, not Bauer.

According to Hayes too.

As far as writing styles, I thought that Michael Malone's OLTL was drastically different from what he did on AW. I expected stories with heart, humanity, depth, and a nudge of creativity and was I ever disappointed. The only good thing he did on AW IMO was create the character of Lila, Shane's ex-wife.

Another one I feel who's style differs from show to show is Jean Passanante. Though she may not be the greatest headwriter in history, I don't think anything she's done on ATWT is even remotely similar to her stint on AMC. She had this knack on AMC for creating just terrible new characters. Kit & Raquel both come to mind as two of the most ill-conceived characters in the history of soaps. The only storyline she did on AMC that I liked was killing Stuart & I think Tad (can't remember who exactly but I think it was him) and bringing them "back from the dead" on the same day. I thought that was terribly original & tongue-in-cheek. Very Santa Barbara-like lite. On ATWT, she started out with the baby switch, spiraled that into Emily gunning down Paul into Meg nursing him back to health into Dusty's mystery kidnapping into Jennifer's death & so on & so forth. Her work has been a mixed bag, though I still think she plotted & mapped out a great baby switch storyline. Everything was so meticulously planned, from Iris vs Cawrly (MY BOOOOOOYYYYY!) to Casey not being the paternal father of Gwen's baby (it was really Jenn's) to Emily becoming obsessed with keeping the secret in order to hold onto Paul, to Meg falling for Dusty while watching him fall for Jenn, then finding out of the switch, then coming up with such a clever way to expose the secret while not making herself look too bad in the process, to Jennifer being reunited with her baby & Carly having to be the one to tell Gwen that hers was dead, plus Carly & Gwen as half sisters & Carly being a b!tch adopting the baby in the name of Ro & screwing Gwen at every turn, not to mention that Nancy was the one (I believe) who figured out that Carly drugged Gwen- sorry, but sheer greatness. Made Kwak & her baby girl keeping Bianca's daughter away from her, even though Babe thought for the first few months that her son's penis fell off & she had a girl, look like bumbling idiocy of a storyline (which it was, in hindsight). And, I gotta say, the Barbara/Henry/Vienna triangle has to be the best-plotted triangle I've seen on daytime since the years of the Reilly-angle on DAYS.

The last one I can think of is Bob Guza, another good writer who became mediocre. He penned some really great stuff at SB and his first run at GH was vastly different from what he did at SB. He then moved onto SUN, a show that was night & day when compared to GH & could have been a carbon copy of SB, but he went in a very different direction. He & Meg Bennett did a great job plotting out the Gregory/Olivia/Cole/Caitlin storyline. It's a shame they cast Vanessa Dorman in the part of Caitlin, though, because it took away from the plot. Kam Heskin was an improvement, but by then, the initial story was pretty much over. It was a doozy though & it helped that Leslie Anne Down & Eddie Cibrian looked like Queen Victoria & her jeweled boytoy together. Talk about chemistry- Colivia was where it was at and no couple on the show ever had chemistry like those two. Tim & Annie did, but they never were a couple. Plus, he created the role of Annie Douglas, one of the best anti-heroines to ever grace soaps IMO. It's a shame that what SUN had in camp & writing they lacked in casting, because, once again, a potentially great storyline was spoiled by the casting of Susan Ward as Meg (UGH!) and the subsequent (disappointing) casting of Christina Chambers as Maria. Maria was so often referred to by Annie, Ben, and Ricardo and so built up that they needed to cast someone luminous in the role and, as anyone who watches ATWT or OLTL could tell you, Chambers wasn't going to cut it. But back to Guza- seriously, you can't say that anything SUN even compares to anything GH.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 84
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members

I really wonder how much of Malone's heart at his first OLTL run was down to Gottlieb. His second OLTL tenure was full of shock and horror and emptiness and a real disconnect to any emotion (the attempts at emotion were like weights falling through a rotting floor).

His AW run was like a warmed-over version of his OLTL tenure. The ha ha story of a psychopath becoming mayor. The storyline about a rape victim who cannot clearly remember her accuser. That story was especially clumsy -- Nick randomly become some kind of sleep-raging town wanderer right before the rape, and endless scenes of Nick as the suffering victim while Toni and her family were hostile to the point of berating Cass for even taking Nick's case. They somehow made the rape victim the least sympathetic person in the story. They also made a mistake in trying to make the real rapist a mystery when it was extremely obvious from the start.

The only part of his AW tenure I liked, besides Lila, was the Jake/Vicky relationship.

That was McTavish. Jean created such deathless characters as Dogboy.

Her AMC was a bottomless pit of horrors, so what I've seen of her ATWT isn't as bad, but some of her unbelievably sicko stories for Emily (like having a pregnant KMS play Emily being roughed up by a john) and the wholesale destruction of Adam Hughes are up there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

THIS! This was the Jake/Vicky relationship I yearned for since, like, forever. But I'll be forever disappointed that it happened with Buchanan in the part & not Heche. Eplin had chemistry with Anne's Vicky like no other (sorry Ellen Wheeler Eplin Wheeler). Can you imagine how much better those Lassiter scenes would have been with Heche in the part?

I gotta ask, who's Dogboy?

And yes, I was going to mention what she did to Emily- it started with the baby switch, when I kept saying why on Earth is EMILY going along with this, but making her a call girl was just wrong on all kinds of levels. Yes, it gave Robin Mattson some work (which is always a +) but it just ruined Em. Emily was always misguided, but never without a moral center IMO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

That's right. I forgot that Finola Hughes started out as Alex & then morphed into Anna. Really, Alex just should've been Anna all along. One thing I was disappointed in was that Hughes & Walker didn't share many scenes. I always thought they'd be interesting together & they never really crossed paths until the tail-end of Hughes' stint.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Does anyone know why Susan Hayes didn't end up as Stephanie Forrester?

I totally agree about Michael Malone. I was so jazzed when I heard he was coming to AW, because even though I didn't watch his OLTL, I was excited about the ideas he presented there. But his AW tenure was just awful. I did enjoy Jake & Vicky, but I much preferred Jake & Paulina, and I couldn't understand why everybody didn't appreciate the chemistry between Tom Eplin and Judi Evans.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I think Susan turned down the role.

I loved Jake and Paulina but I think that Judi's weight gain worked against her, as did the show wanting to help keep Jensen Buchanan in a star role. Jake was there, waiting, when Shane/Vicky died an ignoble death.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Josh Griffith as co-headwriter deserves more credit than he gets as well(to be fair, Malone makes an effort to give him credit whenever he can). While no great writer on his own, he really seems to keep Malone in check--OLTL fell apart when he left in 95 or so (?) and Malone went solo. And while little was good about Malone's second run at OLTL it *was* better for the period Griffith was back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • How did I never notice how tall Colton was?

      Please register in order to view this content

    • They didn't need to have some slutty gay dude as their representation. Just a 'normal' guy getting involved with another guy or two (or three). Just like the straight characters. Thinking about it, they missed the boat by not having a few other single charcters at the beginning. Maybe Naomi or Ashley could be shown meeting Derek/Jacob and  we could follow their romance. Too many characters were coupled up at the start. As a tattoo hater I was surprised to see Tomas so inked. Don't find it attractive or sexy. I'm surprised an actor would do that as it's definitely a statement and may not be appropriate for some roles. Suppose they can cover if necessary. I didn't buy Kat being all girly and then paying off Darius to get into Eva's room. Way too cliche. She should have just come along when the housekeeping was leaving and breezed in saying it was her room. And her smug looks in the hotel room and 'Now I've got you!!' talks to herself at Orphey Gene's...no.  
    • Omg I was so annoyed. Like girl calm down. Coming on way too strong. Omg I forgot about this

      Please register in order to view this content

    • I thought it got stale before Jocks death lol. His death picked things back up for me.
    • 1976 Pt 5 Tony is summoned to the reading of the will in the Llanfair library,as he’s a principal in the will. He tells Joe there’s not a chance of coming to terms with Dorian, as he is sure she brought about Victor’s death by torturing him emotionally when he was her helpless prisoner after his stroke. Ironically, Chapin hand delivers to Viki a letter her father wrote before his stroke, praising Dorian and asking Viki to befriend and support his widow when he was no longer there. Viki feels a responsibility to her father’s wishes and vows to try with Dorian. Victor’s will leaves the expected amounts to members of his family and staff, with the lion’s share of his stock and property going to Dorian. Victor’s will explains that his son Tony expressed the desire that he not be “bought from the grave,” and, in keeping with his son’s wishes, the only bequest to him is the knowledge of his father’s love and respect. Tony is deeply moved. Dorian’s first attempt to use her new power is the recommendation of Peter as head of the Merideth Lord Wolek hospital wing, claiming that naming Larry would be virtual nepotism. Peter, who has devoted considerable time and effort to helping Jenny get over Tim’s death with gentle, affectionate support, is happy at this suggestion, but Jenny points out Dorian is merely using him to hurt Larry. Viki disregards Dorian’s ingenuous assurances that she’s not trying to wield her new power but is merely putting Peter up for consideration for a future opportunity, if not this one, and tells her she won’t be able to fulfill her father’s desire that they be friends unless Dorian stops interfering. Larry, fully understanding Dorian’s personal motives, warns her he’s going to fight for the appointment no matter what. Realizing that she has made a tactical error, Dorian announces that she won’t even attend the board meeting but will give her proxy to Jim. She admits to Matt McAllister, still her confidant, that this was humiliating, but it was a necessary protective tactic. Dorian manages to win her next round at Joe’s office when, after he praises her decision to yield on appointing Peter, she expresses concern for Viki “at a time like this.” Joe, of course, jumps on her words, and Dorian, pretending great distress at having mentioned something she shouldn’t have, is “forced” to explain that she knew about the congenital heart condition Megan had and that any child of Joe’s is likely to inherit it. She overheard the doctors discussing it at the time of the accident, she continues, and naturally assumed that Joe already knew.  Joe arranges a meeting at home with Viki and asks her how she could live a lie like this; how she could go through their lives as if everything were fine while every moment was a lie. He is further upset when, in trying to explain that it was out of her love for him that she kept the truth from him, she mentions that Jim and Larry also know but Cathy still hasn’t been told. Viki tells Joe that Dorian deliberately told him this way to hurt their marriage, and she is very upset when he starts toward the door, pleading that they have always talked things out in the past. Joe coolly points out that she didn’t do that when she learned about Megan and continues out the door.  A tearful Viki is shaken and when Joe later returns, having spent several hours in a bar drinking only soft drinks,she breaks down, crying that she was convinced he’d left her. Joe assures her they can get through this despite everything, because their relation is based on love and mutual respect. 
    • If you think about it, DALLAS and DYNASTY grew stale right about the same time, even if the ratings were slow to reflect that.  FC and KL, on the other hand, tried to stay fresh, but KL was way more successful at it, I think, than FC.  (That [!@#$%^&*] with The Thirteen does not hold up well, lol).
    • GH 1976 Pt 8 Heather takes advantage of the situation by asking Jeff to come and look at Tommy. She uses sympathy, compassion, and her own feminine wiles, together with his misery and his pills, to lure him into bed. Later, sober, he apologizes. Learning from Pearson that Monica has seen a divorce lawyer, Jeff confronts her, and she insists it’s a lie. Avoiding his attempts to kiss her, she musses her hair and tears her blouse, then rushes to Rick’s, claiming that she can’t stay with that maniac any longer. They wind up in Rick’s bed, and after making love he confesses he always loved her. Rick replies to her question of whether he wants to marry her by saying he has to talk to Jeff. Monica insists that Jeff not bear any pressure from their problems. As she leaves, Rick gives her a key to his apartment. Jeff, having spent the night drinking, misses his surgical assignment, and Steve, informing him that his personal life can’t interfere with his profession, puts him on suspension. Rick can’t persuade Steve to reverse his decision, but Mark, sensing what’s at the heart of Jeff’s problem, convinces Steve to lift Jeff’s suspension and transfer him to Mark’s service. Rick asks for his key back, telling Monica they can’t do anything as long as she’s under Jeff’s roof. So she has a duplicate made and moves into intern’s quarters, explaining that Jeff’s violence drove her out. She tells Jeff she needs privacy to work things out, and tells Rick Jeff wanted her out. Thinking that this is the preliminary to a divorce, Rick tells her she can come to his place. In New York, Leslie’s abortion is delayed by a mix-up in scheduling, and she calls Terri to commiserate. Rick overhears Terri’s conversation and forces the whole story from her. He flies to New York to stop Leslie, feeling responsible for pointing out how evil Cam was, and arrives to find that she has decided she can’t deny her child the right to live. Monica, meanwhile, expecting that Rick will be home, uses her key to let herself into his apartment and is shocked to find Mark there; knowing that Mark was uncomfortable at the hotel, Rick offered Mark use of the apartment in his absence. Monica is upset to learn that Rick is in New York with Leslie, and Mark doesn’t know why. Mark does advise Monica to play fair with Jeff, but she resents his interference. The next day, while covering for Leslie at the clinic, Monica discovers Leslie’s lab test report and jumps to the conclusion that the baby is Rick’s. When Rick and Leslie return, Monica wastes no time in accusing him. He is dismayed to see that she is still as suspicious and possessive as she was before he went to Africa, and points out that her making a duplicate  key proves she hasn’t changed. Terri encourages Leslie to see Rick in a romantic light and then suggests to Rick that Leslie is interested in him. Rick likes this idea and tells Mark he’s growing ‘unwilling to cope with Monica’s unreasonable demands. But Monica immediately recognizes the threat Leslie represents and decides to attack. She goes to Leslie and tells her flatly that she and Rick are having an affair and he’s her exclusive property. Leslie, who realizes she has been falling in love with Rick, is hurt, and Rick is mystified when he feels Leslie pulling away from him. Monica’s big moment comes when she brings Rick a housewarming gift and seduces him into letting her stay overnight. She is in the bedroom when Leslie stops by to apologize for refusing his dates, and makes a dramatic entrance into the living room draped in Rick’s bathrobe. Leslie turns and runs out. Rick later informs her he’s disappointed in her, because she prejudged Monica and him rather than giving him the benefit of the doubt. Heather tries to arrange another tryst with Jeff, but he replies that he still loves his wife. Heather decides there’s only one way to get Jeff to be pregnant with his child. She manages to overhear Monica putting Jeff down by telling him he no longer turns her on and should look for someone he does. Heather goes to Jeff and tells him that she heard Monica and that she is the one he’s looking for. She manages to get him into bed again, and sweetly assures him this is right. She then sets the stage for future meetings. Steve, meanwhile, offers to help Monica and Jeff work out their problems. Jeff is willing, but Monica turns the idea down. Instead, she presses Terri to convince Jeff to end the marriage. Terri now knows that Monica isn’t a good wife for Jeff and promises to try. But Jeff makes it clear to Monica that he still loves her and won’t let her go. She is bitter and upset, as she has already implied to Rick that she will soon be free. Audrey is upset to find that Florence Andrews has been inquiring about Tommy and herself. She goes to Florence’s home and finds she’s away now. Florence has gone down to Mexico to sign a sworn statement that she purchased a false death certificate for Tom, to protect his son after his wrongful conviction. Tom, learning from her that Steve and Audrey are to be married and Steve is planning to adopt Tommy, tells  Florence not to do anything, as there’s still no assurance that he’ll ever get out. But the judge does accept the statement, and, ironically, on the day that Steve  and Audrey are married, Tom is released from prison.
    • 1976 Pt 12 Final part Laurie agrees with Stuart that Peggy is rushing into marriage to prove that the rape didn’t ruin her life.  She points out that the only way Peg can be sure is to make love with Jack before the wedding. Stuart admits she’s right but points out that he can’t suggest that to Peggy. As the wedding approaches, Peg seems happy that Jack’s become close to the family. However, her happiness is shattered by a nightmare in which her loving bridegroom turns into a leering Ron Becker, forcing her to cancel the wedding. Jack reassures her he’ll wait as long as it takes, and Chris confides that she and Snapper didn’t consummate their marriage on their wedding night because of her own rape experience, but Peggy tells Chris she might never be ready.  Despite her desire to keep Karen as her own daughter, Chris helps a police artist create a sketch of Nancy so it can be printed in the newspaper as part of a search for her. When the attempt proves fruitless, however, Chris asks Greg to file application for permanent custody of the child. Greg points out that adoption is the only way to prevent Ron from returning and claiming the child, and that it will take quite a while. Meanwhile, a nurse in the psychiatric ward sees a resemblance  between the newspaper drawing and her autistic patient, Mrs. Jackson, but since “Fran” doesn’t respond to the name Nancy and no one else sees the similarity, she fears she’s mistaken. Jill is horrified to overhear Kay, when brihging baby Phillip a Christmas gift, telling the child she remembers the night he was conceived. Kay has to then admit to Jill she saw her with Phillip in the bunkhouse that night. Jill is aghast to realize that Kay new the truth all along and put her through such agony in spite of it, denying her baby his father’s name. Lance tells Laurie they’ll marry on Valentine’s Day. He laughs that it’s corny but agrees, secretly wishing it were sooner, as Vanessa has vowed to prevent it. Indeed, Vanessa makes an unprecedented venture out of the house to visit Brad, telling him to rebuff any advance Leslie might make to him, as she’s reaching out to him only from a sense of duty. But Laurie then makes a concerted effort to reach Vanessa. Without being sure why she’s trying so hard, she tries to assure the woman she’s not losing Lance and she, Laurie, will help her find a plastic surgeon somewhere who can help her. Grudgingly, Vanessa seems to be reconsidering her view of Laurie, and Laurie is delighted when Lance offers her a choice between two diamond necklaces, explaining that her preference will be Vanessa’s Christmas gift. Learning from Les about Brad’s blindness, Stuart tells Brad he could have turned Leslie away only out of great love. Knowing that Les is going to see Brad again, Laurie warns him not to bring the baby into their discussion, as Leslie will come back only she’s convinced he loves her, not for the babies sake. Leslie finds Brad disheveled and sloppy, and proceeds to straighten the apartment, stating that she can't respect him if he lets himself go. Realizing that neither Brad nor Les will make the first move, Laurie hurries things along by refusing to help Brad with his grooming, saying he should ask his wife. Then, having learned  that Brad offered Les the use of their piano, Laurie untunes the Brooks' piano forcing Leslie to accept his offer. By refusing to cater to his  blindness, Les manages to get Brad to stop wallowing in pity, and by the time Leslie’s Christmas braille message of her love and her need for him arrives, they are husband and wife again Lance takes Laurie on a business trip on New Year's Eve, and tells her, on board his plane, she won't be  won't be able to call him “Mr. All Talk and No action” after tonight. When Laurie protests that waited this long and will continue to wait until married, Lance delights her by instructing his pilot to land in Las Vegas, where they are married immediately.
    • Yeah, not sure why Jack and Jen didn’t rush to Marlena - or even Carrie - to offer their condolences. A few flashbacks would've been a nice touch too. Instead, we got a whole episode of them talking about Chad and Abby? Come on. On the bright side, I loved Anna’s scenes with Marlena and Carrie - sweet and heartfelt, felt like a real 80s throwback.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy