Soap promo king? I never can remember which ones he put up. I'm glad it's out there in better quality.

Yeah i think so. or jezzfan it's hard to remember.

October 1975 Afternoon TV. Cahill passed away several weeks ago.

August 1975 Weekday TV

What a fascinating insight on what I consider one of the quality EPs of Y&R. They are so right -- his production style was indeed luscious. I love how he pays tribute to film (the Ross Hunter of Daytime -- Ross Hunter produced Doris Day/Rock Hudson's Pillow Talk which is a gorgeous-looking movie and, I think, still stands up to scrutiny today as being a truly funny romcom). However, he also has such pride to be working in Daytime and perfecting every little detail on the show.

Of course, he made a lot of enemies, not least WJB himself, and his last stint at GL was completely panned. Still, I always love hearing about these ominpotent producers' trajectory and stories. There is method to their madness.

Edited May 1, 201213 yr by Cat

Doug Davidson is wonderful in this long, slow scene. Imagine if Y&R wrote for him instead of comatose Nichols and Braeden and bored smirkers like Miller.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTeZUOZy0Ss&feature=autoplay&list=ULdyiJofS3EFY&playnext=1

August 1975 Weekday TV

for some reason I thought Jeanne Cooper was sexy in the above pic

Why were the Brooks sisters were phased out and never brought back to carry story, I think it was so much potential left in those characters of the 70's.

@ Dr Neil Curtis - I have heard a lot of reasons for the Brooks sisters being phased out. As well as most of the characters of the first 10 years of the show. One was Bell was over the constant recasts of the characters. I think maybe he didn't feel the same desire to write for some of those characters once they had different actors in the role. Then when the show hit an hour in 1980 John McCook left, Brenda Dickson left, Jamie Lyn Bauer and David Hasselhoff wanted to leave and both eventually left two years later. I think Bell just moved on. He needed new characters anyway to pad the show out when it hit an hour.

Anyone know for sure or have more detail?

Hey Carl thanks for those articles. I love behind the scenes stuff, it is interesting, I was watching Bell's TV Legends interview and he didn't seem to like John Conboy at all at that point. But have to admit he did a great job with that show.

I heard the same thing. SOD did a brief article on that. Something about attempts to save shows or reboots. They said Bell was tired of the recasts and he said if one more person decided to leave, he would write out the entire Brooks family, so when Jamie Lyn Bauer chose to leave, he wrote them all out. I especially wish Leslie and Lorie could have stayed, but I am not a big recast fan so I understand. I still want Lorie back and Bauer is willing.

If they bring Lorie back MAB would probably cast Cady McClain.

LOL, Carl. The sad thing is, this can't even be a joke with MAB and would probably happen.

Lorie - Cady McClain

Leslie - that brunette in the first season of Facts of Life

Peggy - the younger sister from Reba

Chris - Tracy Melchior

That is to funny. And MAB would definitely do this. You probably just gave her the next big casting idea.

From the 5/23/98 issue of SOD on Bell's announcement to step down:

05/19/98: Comings & Goings

Scott Reeves (Ryan, Y&R) and his wife, Melissa Reeves (ex-Jennifer, Days), at the annual Y&R pre-Emmy Awards luncheon, where daytime legend William J. Bell announced that he's stepping down as the number one-rated soap's head writer.

By Meg McCaffrey

Y&R'S WILLIAM J. BELL MAKES MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT

WILLIAM J. BELL, one of the driving creative forces in daytime, has announced he is turning over the reins as Head Writer of The Young and The Restless to co-Head Writer KAY ALDEN."My name is Bill Bell and I have a secret, but it seems that the word is out," began Bell at Y&R's annual pre-Emmy Award luncheon at New York City's Rainbow Room. He addressed the crowd gathered in the elegant restaurant filled with press, CBS executives, and actors from Y&R and Bold and Beautiful, Y&R's sister soap co-created by Bell.

"After 42 consecutive years of writing and creating serials, the most exciting challenge imaginable, I've decided the time has come to slow down a bit, catch my breath," Bell announced. "I will continue to function as senior executive producer and executive story consultant."

Bell spoke of "a deep felt conviction, relative to the state of the serial today, although it does not apply to all of them, but it relates to the need to create stories that an audience can relate to, stories that deal with real people with real problems and real relationships, stories that can impact positively on the lives of our viewers."

In a moving tribute to his wife, Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist Lee Phillip Bell, the legendary soap scribe thanked her for helping him get his start in daytime. "I never could have achieved all that I have without one person above all others, and that's my lovely and talented and brilliant wife, Lee Phillip Bell," he said. "I seriously doubt that I would have made a connection with [my mentor] Irna [Phillips] if it hadn't been for Lee. I firmly believe it was because of Lee's celebrity and prominence in Chicago that opened the door to my opportunity with [irna], meeting her and given that very first opportunity we, each of us, need along the way."

Bell co-created Y&R and B&B with his wife.

Bell and Agnes Nixon, creator of All My Children and One Life To Live, were protégés of Irna Phillips, who practically created the genre of the daytime television drama. Phillips had hired Bell to write for The Guiding Light in 1957. She soon asked him to move over to As The World Turns and write for that show.

Before branching out on his own, Bell co-created Another World and served as a writer for Days Of Our Lives.

Y&R, now celebrating its 25th year, has ranked number one in the Nielsen ratings for the past 10 years. In 1987, Bill and Lee created B&B, now often ranking right behind Y&R in the ratings. Both the soaps have been remarkably successful with viewers around the world. The shows are broadcast in more than 100 countries on six continents dubbed in 45 languages.

Alden met Bell in the early 1970s while a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She interviewed Bell for her thesis, and the two have been friends ever since.

Alden joined Y&R as a script writer in 1974. She has been the number one-rated soap's co-Head Writer for the past 10 years and has won two Emmys as part of Y&R's writing team. Recently, she was honored by the Chicago chapter of Women in Film and Television. She lives in Chicago. Married to businessman Vern Nelson, Alden is the mother of three children.

"This is very exciting," said Alden upon being introduced by Bell. "I'm proud and honored to have had the opportunity to have been both personally and professionally involved with [the Bell family] and this kind of professional and talented group of people." Daytime is the Bell family business: Daughter Lauralee Bell plays Christine on Y&R, son Bradley is executive producer and head writer of B&B, and eldest son William, Jr. is president of Bell-Phillip Television Productions.

Alden then proposed a toast to Bell, "to the greatest legend in daytime television, my boss, the man who has been my mentor and always, always been my friend... To be the person chosen to succeed this great legend is the greatest honor and greatest challenge a person could possibly face."