As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

Clarice Blackburn and Mary K. Wells as well. And Don Hastings.

Edited August 2, 2014 by DRW50

[P.J.]

Y'know, I don't think soaps generally did a "good" triangle. They always needed the clear "bad" guy foil, and that was John.

[All My Shadows]

I think Soap Classics has stuff starting from 1979, hence all the great video packages on YT. There is an episode from September 1978 online as well (one of Colleen Zenk's earliest appearances as Barbara). There's also one from 1972 with poor quality B/W video, but it's definitely worth watching. Other than very short clips, however, that might be all that we have from ATWT's early 70s heyday.

[amybrickwallace]

Thanks, everyone. I knew Don Hastings did some writing, but he didn't use an alias - at least in the beginning? I also forgot to add Lois Kibbee - who helped Henry Slesar write EON for a few years.

Edited August 3, 2014 by amybrickwallace

[LoyaltoAMC]

I think Millee Taggart and Pam Long were two of the first to transition to writing. Had to have been the early '80s.

[cassadine1991]

What about James Lipton?

[Matt]

Bethel Leslie (the 2nd Maggie on The Doctors) transitioned to writing and even served as head writer for The Secret Storm for a bit. C. David Colson, who played Tom Hughes for several years in the 1970s, turned to writing and now goes by the name David Cherrill & is a script writer for DAYS and has written for OLTL & AW and once served briefly as HW for SFT.

[DramatistDreamer]

I'm not sure whether this is the proper thread to post this but, I find it interesting that Procter & Gamble is shedding a WHOLE LOT OF its brands (more than 1/2, I think).

I'm wondering if all those people who threatened to boycott their products after the cancellations of ATWT & GL had an effect?

Or is it just the sign of the times and greater competition in the market?

http://grab-media.com/premium-videos/5317919

Edited August 4, 2014 by DramatistDreamer

[amybrickwallace]

David Cherrill also wrote for The Doctors, and was at the helm with Elizabeth Levin, wife of Michael Levin (Jack Fenelli, RH).

[Khan]

I think David Cherrill wrote for ATWT as well.

He's one of several script writers (including Patrick Mulcahey, Lynda Myles, the late Roger Newman, Courtney Simon, and Michele Val Jean) I could always count on to entertain me as a viewer.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Khan

[amybrickwallace]

Speaking of Roger Newman, his wife Frannie Myers (Peggy on GL) also became a writer.

[danfling]

Here are some of the actors and actresses who became writers prior to the time that Millee Taggart and Pam Long became writers:

Irna Phillips and Agnes Nixon were both actresses. Ms. Phillips played a role on one of her radio serials. Ms. Nixon was never a professional actress, but she had studied acting in college.

James Lipton (The Guiding Light)

John Baruff and David Lasan (The Guiding Light)

Margaret DePriest (The Edge of Night)

Richard Holland (The Guiding Light, As the World Turns)

Bethel Leslie (The Doctors)

Ian Wolfe (Somerset)

Ralph Ellis (Our Five Daughters)

Don Hastings (The Edge of Night, As the World Turns)

Kenneth Harvey (Search for Tomorrow)

Mary K. Wells (As the World Turns, The Brighter Day, The Edge of Night, The Secret Storm, the serial Return to Peyton Place)

Clarice Blackburn (The Doctors, Dark Shadows, Love of Life, As the World Turns)

Ellen Holly (One Life to Live)

Gillian Spencer (The Secret Storm, The Edge of Night, The Guiding Light, One Life to Live, As the World Turns, All My Children)

Nancy Franklin (The Doctors)

Douglas Marland (The Brighter Day, As the World Turns)

Gary Tomlin (Search for Tomorrow, Another World)

Roni Dengle (Another World, Dark Shadows)

Michael Zaslow (Search for Tomorrow, Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, The Guiding Light, One Life to Live)

Then, when Millee Taggart (The Edge of Night, One Life to Live, Search for Tomorrow) became a writer, these followed her:

Megan McTavish (Texas, The Guiding Light)

Mary Pat Gleason (Texas)

Roger Newman and Frances Newman (The Guiding Light)

Ellen Weston (The Guiding Light, Another World)

Michael Zaslow (Search for Tomorrow, Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, The Guiding Light, One Life to Live)

Meg Bennett (Love of Life, Search for Tomorrow)

Stephanie Braxton (Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, The Secret Storm, All My Children, The Edge of Night)

Richard Baccus (Another World, Ryan's Hope)

Pamela Long (Long-Hammer)(Texas)

Jay Hammer (Texas, The Guiding Light)

Sofia Landon Geier (Another World, The Guiding Light)

David Cherrill (As the World Turns)

Courtney Simon (Search for Tomorrow, As the World Turns, All My Children)

Tom Wiggin (As the World Turns, One Life to Live)

Judy Pace (One Life to Live)

Trent Jones (Ryan's Hope)

David Snell (One Life to Live, The Edge of Night)

Judy Lewis (Kitty Foyle, The Secret Storm)

Lois Kibbee (The Edge of Night, Somerset, One Life to Live)

Kathleen Tolan (Ryan's Hope)

Michael Comforti (The Guiding Light, The Edge of Night)

Geraldine Court (The Doctors, Another World, The Guiding Light, All My Children)

Louise Shaffer (Search for Tomorrow, Where the Heart Is, The Edge of Night, Ryan's Hope, All My Children)

John Loprieno (Search for Tomorrow, One Life to Live)

Marie Masters (Love of Life, As the World Turns, One Life to Live)

Lewis Arlt (Search for Tomorrow, Another World)

Francesca James (One Life to Live, All My Children)

Taylor Miller (All My Children, Another World)

Ellen Wheeler (Another World, All My Children)

Richard Shoberg (Somerset, The Edge of Night, All My Children)

Glenn Turman (primetime serial Peyton Place)

Elizabeth Harrower

James Houghton

I also think that maybe Keith Charles (The Edge of Night, The Secret Storm, Where the Heart Is, Love of Life, The Guiding Light, One Life to Live, Ryan's Hope) may have written for a while.

[amybrickwallace]

That's quite a list! I remember Pam Long saying in a Brandon's Buzz interview that she would hire writers who had been soap actors because of their first-hand knowledge and experience in the genre.

[cassadine1991]

I find it interesting that on several sites including her own, Agnes Nixon is also credited as co-creator of ATWT

[danfling]

Oft times, a show's first headwriter is credited as being the co-creator of the shows. Ms. Nixon is credited as a co-creator of Search for Tomorrow, but my understanding was that the show was created by Roy Winsor and written by Agnes Eckert (Nixon).