Robert Soderberg and Edith Sommer never get much credit, yet, while their 70s P&G work was seen as old fashioned compared to what ABC, etc, were doing, wasn't there stuff also seen as solid--and to some fans very good?  I know the variuous books say that when they came onto Guiding Light in the very late 60s (after a surreal turnover of headwriters once Agnes Nixon left, I believe 6 or 7 in two years, and then Irna Phillips brief return which like her later ATWT work was not exactly seen as her finest), they steadied the show again and in P&G style of the time (they specifically felt that--I guess unless someone like Irna said otherwise--the soaps should shuffle their headwriters to keep them fresh every few years), they went on to ATWT to help fix Irna's mess and seemed to do well there.  Of course shortly after they departed GL (after a brief stint that included my dreaded James Lipton yet again) the Dobsons helped modernize GL, and I assume were then moved to ATWT to do the same.

Then there are people like Ralph Ellis who seemed to get tossed from soap to soap with no real positive payoff--yet nothing extremely damagaing either from what I can tell.

Yes, Soderberg and Sommer were old-fashioned writers whose work was solid and competent, if not overly exciting. I'd take their conservative, careful-with-vet-characters approach over many other, flashier writers like Reilly or Sheffer, any day. Ralph Ellis and Eugenie Hunt were weaker writers, but certainly not as horrendous as so many who followed on their shows.

That's what I assumed--it's great to have your take on this--I know we always go back to soiap headwriters, and of course EPs and network execs play probably as important a role in the end, it is what I think I find the most fascinating about the history of soaps.

That's what I assumed--it's great to have your take on this--I know we always go back to soiap headwriters, and of course EPs and network execs play probably as important a role in the end, it is what I think I find the most fascinating about the history of soaps.

Yes, network executives and their interference are often responsible for a lot of havoc reaped onto soaps, and an incompetent producer can undermine even the most competent headwriter. But it all begins with the written word, and if a writer is weak, or has no vision for a show, then there's no chance at all for a soap to be successful. When we get a sharp executive producer in tandem with a brilliant headwriter (think Gloria Monty and Douglas Marland), they can produce soap gold.

JAMES E REILLY!

Not sure if he even qualified as a hack because hacks usually have some writing skills. Reilly had none, and it was evident the moment he created his own soap, Trassions!

ANDREA

Ok, I'm splitting my list into 3- First the cream of the crop, then the so-sos, and finally, the absolute hacks.

I will only be posting about soaps I have watched in my daily viewership, from 1982- present day, but will include shows I watched later via youtube, soapnet, dvds, etc.....that may include periods before my time that I've seen enough of to justify my judgements.

Here Goes:

THE GREATS

Bill Bell (Y&R and early B&

Agnes Nixon (AMC, LOV)

Kay Alden (Y&R)

Claire Labine (GH)

Bridget & Jerome Dobson (ATWT, GL,and SANTA BARBARA)

Anne Howard Bailey (SB)

Nancy Curlee & Stephen Demorest (GL)

Lorraine Broderick (AMC, GL, ATWT)

Donna M. Swajeski (only watched her AW run, though I liked her AMC when I felt her vision was coming through over DK's)

Maggie DePriest (DAYS, AW round 1)

Doug Marland (GL & ATWT)

Anne Schoettle (DAYS)

Millee Taggart (LOV, GL)

Carolyn Culliton (AW, ATWT)

THE SO-SOs

Hogan Sheffer (I fell in LOVE with ATWT under him, thought his DAYS had potential but was uneven, and detest his Y&R, though I blame that more on co-heads MAB and Hamner)

Thom Racina (DAYS, SB)

Megan McTavish (AMC, OLTL)

Peter Brash & Paula Cwikly (DAYS)

Richard Culliton (AW- did NOT care for his AMC at ALL- he's responsible for brain damaging and ruining my Marcy's Liza, from which she never recovered)

Barbara Essenstein & James Harmon Brown (LOV, GL)

Michael Malone (OLTL round 1 and AW)

Samuel D. Ratcliffe (SB, DAYS)

Chuck Pratt Jr. (SB ONLY, especially his work in 1990 with Conboy)

Chris Whitesell (SUN, DAYS)

James E. Reilly (DAYS- enjoyed the plots, but not turning all my fave vets (especially the returnees) as pods, GL. His PASSIONS just sucked and I never would have watched if it weren't for Josh Ryan Evans and eventually, Lindsey Hartley's RED HOT chemistry with Eric Martsolf, not to mention Justin Hartley)

Jack Smith (Y&R)

Bradley Bell (B&

Peggy Sloane (AW)

Jean Passanante (AMC & ATWT)

Sheri Anderson (DAYS, SB)

Leah Laiman (DAYS, AW, ATWT)

MarDar (DAYS)

Gene Palumbo (DAYS, GH)

Maralyn Thoma (SB, DAYS, GH)

Meg Bennett (SB, GH, SUN

THE HACKS

Dena Higley (DAYS, OLTL)

Josh Griffith (OLTL, Y&R- sorry, I think Malone was the stronger writer and Griffith was the disaster)

Bob Guza (his SB was ok, his SUN was ok, his LOV & GH were DREADFUL!)

Black & Stern (ATWT)

David Kreitzman (GL, AMC, ATWT)

Ron Carliavati (OLTL)

Anna Cascio (OLTL, AMC)

Gordan Rayfield (AMC)

LYNN MARIE LATHAM (Y&R)

PAMELA K. LONG (GL, SB, OLTL)

Tom Langan (DAYS)

Barbara Bloom (PC)

James Lipton (AW)

What did Schoettle write at DAYS?

I guess that's the thing (and this also goes with the above soap hoping list--something I'ds add Harding Lemay to although he didn't really get much of a chance at Doctors, AW in the 80s--but I still disagreed with lots of what he said while consulting ABC in the late 90s and he seemed to be scarily sympathetic and in agreement with JFP).

To me Malone (at least when paired with Griffith--even his 90s work really fell apart fast when Griffith left), McTavish, maybe Broderick even though she is less controversial than those two, all gave me a LOT of really great soap. They also gave me a lot of crap, and I can see how in some ways they were destructive--but to me the term "hack" means someone with zero talent, and I think they all showed they have some talent and potential depending on a myriad of other factors (including their own laziness).

Good points you've made. I guess I have a simplified meaning for the term "hack" (as in someone whose writing goes against what the show/characters are about). I hesitate to add Malone and McTavish because there was a time when they knew how to write good soap. However, when it fell apart, their shows went off the rails and became such ugly messes.

Charles Pratt & Bob Guza are tied for me

Pratt. I think he is maybe the worst writer daytime ever saw.

He said to the cast of AMC that he didn't care about their characters history or something along that lines. I don't know how you can be more of a hack when you have that attitude towards character.

Edited April 15, 201213 yr by RomeAt50

I will always wonder, how and where do the Cullitons fit into this thread. It's pretty difficult to categorize their history in this industry, they're always hopping from one soap to the other, very rarely as a sole Head Writer, and if they are, it seems as if their tenure is so-so for most.

Inspired by junior's list...

(Shows listed in bold beside each writer is the show(s) he/she is most well-known for.)

The "A" List

William J. Bell (ANOTHER WORLD, AS THE WORLD TURNS, B&B, DAYS, GUIDING LIGHT, Y&R)

Frank and Doris Hursley (BRIGHT PROMISE, GH, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW)

Agnes Nixon (ALL MY CHILDREN, AW, ATWT, GL, LOVING, ONE LIFE TO LIVE, SFT)

Irna Phillips (AW, ATWT, THE BRIGHTER DAY, DAYS, GL, LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING, PEYTON PLACE)

Irving Vendig (THE EDGE OF NIGHT, HIDDEN FACES, SFT)

Roy Winsor (ANOTHER LIFE, HAWKINS FALLS, LOVE OF LIFE, SFT, THE SECRET STORM, SOMERSET)

The "B" List

John William & Joyce Corrington (CAPITOL, GH, OLTL, SFT, TEXAS)

Nancy Curlee (GL)

Bridget & Jerome Dobson (ATWT, GH, GL, SANTA BARBARA)

Claire Labine (GH, GL, LOL, OLTL, RYAN'S HOPE, WHERE THE HEART IS)

Harding Lemay (AW, ATWT, THE DOCTORS, GL, SFT)

Douglas Marland (AW, ATWT, THE DOCTORS, GH, GL, LOVING)

Paul Avila Mayer (LOL, RH, SFT, WTHI)

Gordon Russell (DARK SHADOWS, OLTL)

Henry Slesar (CAPITOL, EON, OLTL, SFT, SOMERSET)

Robert Soderberg & Edith Sommer (ATWT, GL)

Wisner Washam (AMC, GL)

The "C" List

Kay Alden (B&B, Y&R)

Sheri Anderson (AW, DAYS, GH, GL, SB)

Lorraine Broderick (AMC, AW, ATWT, DAYS, GL, OLTL, PORT CHARLES)

Sam Hall (AW, DS, OLTL, SB)

Pamela K. Long (GL, OLTL, SB, TEXAS)

Michael Malone (AW, OLTL)

Ann Marcus (DAYS, FALCON CREST, GH, KNOTS LANDING, LIAMST, LOL, SFT)

Peggy O'Shea (CAPITOL, GL, OLTL, SFT)

Eileen & Robert Mason Pollock (THE DOCTORS, DYNASTY, GH, LOL)

Pat Falken Smith (DAYS, GH, GL, RH, WTHI)

Edited April 15, 201213 yr by Khan

I will always wonder, how and where do the Cullitons fit into this thread. It's pretty difficult to categorize their history in this industry, they're always hopping from one soap to the other, very rarely as a sole Head Writer, and if they are, it seems as if their tenure is so-so for most.

Although there have been times when both Richard and Carolyn Culliton committed some rather hack-like mistakes in their writing, I hesitate labelling them as pure hacks just because I do think they pay at least lip service to honoring a particular show's history. OTOH, I wouldn't say they're good HW's, because I've never felt as if their vision for any given show to be all that captivating. Therefore, I'm with you: they're both great script writers, but only so-so HW's.

Anne Howard Bailey

Mel & Ethel Brez

Stephen Black & Henry Stern

Robert Cenedella

Margaret DePriest

Lloyd Gold

Linda Grover

Robert Guza, Jr

Dena Higley

Jean Holloway

Corinne Jacker

Tom King

David Kreizman

Nina Laemmle

Leah Laiman

Tom Langan

James Lipton

Ann Marcus

Megan McTavish

Norma Monty

Barbara Morgenroth & Leonard Kantor

Jean Passanante

Eileen & Robert Mason Pollack

Charles Pratt

Thom Racina

James Reilly

AJ Russell

Jeff Ryder

Robert J. Shaw

Hogan Sheffer

Lee Sheldon

Gary Tomlin

Gabrielle Upton

Ellen Weston

Interesting List! Can you elaborate why you choose Anne Howard Bailey and Margaret DePriest? Just curious, as they are considered pretty major writers during GH's top reign in the 80's.

I always thought of a hack as someone who churned out trite work, hence the dicitionary definition of making trite through overuse. By that definition, every single headwriter on daytime during the last 10 -15 years is a hack writer. However, I try to give most the benefit of the doubt since what actually goes on screen is not soley determined by the writer. Often, good ideas are diluted or contaminated by committee decisions. As an example, I considered Lee Sheldon a hack writer when he worked on Edge of Night; however, in subsequent years I have learned that he concocted a number of good ideas that were terminated by ABC and P&G, while other bad ones were foisted on him. We all have our prejudices, though. My list of hack writers, ones whom I believe churn out intentionally inferior work are:

Creme de la Creme of Hackdom

1. Hogan Sheffer.

2. David Kreizman

3. Robert Guza

4. Maria Arena Bell

5. Black & Stern

Half and half hacks:

1. Ron Carlivati

2. Jean Holloway

3. Sherri Anderson

4. James Lipton

5. Esensten & Brown

Edited April 15, 201213 yr by saynotoursoap