Irna Phillips Question

[saynotoursoap]

The Amy story began in March/April 1973. It was the very last story Irna created, along with Bob and Kim's one-night stand, which resulted in pregnancy. All of the characters related to the Dan/Liz/Susan story were written out in March 1973. It was around March that Chris and Nancy received word from Penny about Amy. The Hugheses went overseas to visit Penny and Anton. When they returned in April, Amy was with them. Irna had previously attempted an Amerasian plot on Love is a Many Splendored Thing, which CBS truncated. I always felt Irna really wanted to tell that story and intended to do it with Amy. Unfortunately, by the time the taped scripts went to air, there was a WGA strike. The strike lasted from March to July 1973. When it ended, instead of bringing back Irna, CBS replaced her as headwriter with the Soderbergs. The other story developing when Irna left was teen rebellion in the form of Carol Ann Stewart, who started dating a biker against Ellen's wishes. Most of these stories were quickly phased out following the end of the strike.

[saynotoursoap]

Thanks danfling for reminding me that Rita McLaughlin had indeed been dismissed from the series early on and returned. I believe Winifred Wolfe was the writer who dispatched Carol in favor of Barbara Ryan.

Also many thanks for mentioning the wonderful Lisa Cameron, who I agree was very lovely. I have such fond memories of her when she joined Another World as Susan. Cameron and Audra Lindley had hair-raising scenes with one another. Those two could go at each other like nobody's business. I felt Cameron should have enjoyed a more substantial career in daytime because she was quite good in Another World and World Turns.

[saynotoursoap]

I recall circa 1977 someone wrote in to one of those "soap opera mailbags" and asked whether or not Barbara and Rick would soon return to Oakdale. The columnist pointed out that with Jennifer dead and the writers avoiding any references to Bob and Kim's relationship, Barbara and Rick would never be resurrected! At the time, no one could have predicted that Rick would make a few returns, but that also, Barbara would come back the following year and remain an integral part of the storyline for the remainder of ATWT's life. Poor Donna Wandrey really missed the boat, eh?

[Susan Hunter]

Thank you for posting this information. I am curious about Irna being replaced. You said that CBS replaced her, so did PG not want to get rid of her and CBS insisted that she be replaced? Also, when she began her last stint on ATWT, was she also still consulting with Harding Lemay on Another World?

[All My Shadows]

Yall...I am LOVING all this discussion of 70s ATWT. I have nothing to add whatsoever, just had to drop in and say that.

[saynotoursoap]

I apologize. Sometimes there is a disparity between my thoughts and my fingers. I did not intend to imply anything regarding CBS/P&G. Obviously, P&G owned ATWT and the final decisions for hiring and firing came down to them. However, CBS placed enormous pressure on the company any time the ratings started to slide. From the beginning of television until the early 70s, CBS ruled daytime TV. But, ABC's younger demographic began to build a substantial audience for them, while NBC's success with Another World, Days of our Lives, The Doctors and several popular game shows, represented a serious threat to CBS. This is the primary reason CBS dropped LIAMST and Where the Heart Is in March 1973, even though both had survivable ratings. The bottom line for CBS was ratings. With P&G there was probably some ambivalence about Irna. She could be an absolute terror, and pardon my crassness but I am certain there were scores of P&G employees who were fed up with her [!@#$%^&*]. But at the same time, Irna built P&G's soap empire, so despite the trouble she caused, she commanded respect and loyalty.

From what I understand, her consulting with Lemay was ending about the same time she went back to World Turns. I doubt there was little, if any, crossover.

[danfling]

I think that the reason that so many people disliked her (although many claimed it was fear) is because she was the female queen of the soap operas with no one coming close to having her power in the television industry which was supposed to be dominated by males.

[Susan Hunter]

Thank you so much! The writers strike you mentioned must have been the same one that Mary Stuart mentioned on the 'Tomorrow' show that was posted on your Youtube site. So I wonder if they were planning to fire Irna before the strike even happened and had already started conversations with the Soderbergs.

[Khan]

Same.

[DRW50]

Glynnis O'Connor was the teen rebellion Carol Ann, right? I wish that and some of DW's work as Barbara was around. Donna had such presence on Dark Shadows, even if she wasn't much of an actress. I'd love to see her with Gillian Spencer.

[Paul Raven]

It's interesting looking at the timeline,that Irna spent most of 72 dealing with the Dan/Liz/Paul story before killing off Liz and Paul and writing off Dan late 72/early 73.

When reading about Irna's return,it is usually stated that she began dismantling this story immediately,but the dates say otherwise.

It is interesting that she did wait that long and then all of a sudden began dropping those characters. Maybe the ratings got shaky again. Hope we can keep the discussion going.

[Susan Hunter]

Who did Irna replace her second time around and was it ratings related?

Was Dan/Liz/Paul a popular storyline? The only thing I've ever heard about it was the infamous death from falling 'up the stairs'.

From my limited knowledge of that period, it seems that while ATWT was highly rated, it wasn't a 'buzz' show during this period.

[danfling]

I read another synopsis which said that Marion Burton was the new wife of Peter and they left town. I don't know the maiden name of Marion.

[danfling]

I have read more synopises, and Marion (Laurie Heineman) was a girl that married Peter Burton.

Her maiden name was Marion Graham.

Who played Peter?

[allmc2008]

I wish P&G expanded GL's 70th birthday for a movie of the week. Wouldn't Irna's life make a good mini-series...lol!

Seriously though she not only created the P&G soap but imagine how much revenue she brought in for the company. In my opinion P&G would be MUCH smaller if not for her!