Members NothinButAttitude Posted June 10, 2013 Members Share Posted June 10, 2013 Didn't see a thread on here like this so I wanted to start one. . . . Wanna lighten the mood up (when it comes to writers on soaps--at least the current bunch) and get everyone to take a stroll down their own memory lanes and simply ask, who is the best head writer(s) in soaps (in your opinion)? The one that defined you and had you in their palm of their hands. What stories did they pen that you loved? Characters they created that you loved? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cheap21 Posted June 10, 2013 Members Share Posted June 10, 2013 Lorraine Broderick via her work on AMC reigns supreme for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChitHappens Posted June 10, 2013 Members Share Posted June 10, 2013 The teams who wrote GL, AW and ATWT from about 1987 to about 1993 (give or take a year or two)! P & G soaps? Surprise surprise!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Soapsuds Posted June 10, 2013 Members Share Posted June 10, 2013 William J. Bell and Douglas Marland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NothinButAttitude Posted June 10, 2013 Author Members Share Posted June 10, 2013 Mine would have to be Nancy Curlee's team 90-93. I feel that those 3.5 years was some of the best produced daytime EVER. Looking back and reading old GL fans viewpoints, some felt that GL was going to die after KZ left the show (the first time), but I love watching old footage and seeing that Curlee balanced the show as a soap should be. No one character was the center of GL. Everyone shared the spotlight and took center stage every now and then. And Curlee did develop/create one of my favorite soap families--the Speakes/Grants. Gilly Grant was EVERYTHING. Smart. Sexy. Strong. She was that modern day black beauty that soaps needed at that time. Bill Bell and the small amounts that I've seen of Marland fit in there too. I liked Peggy Sloane's (92-94) & Carolyn Culliton's (94-95) reigns at AW too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members YRBB Posted June 10, 2013 Members Share Posted June 10, 2013 Based on what I've seen, Bill Bell, Kay Alden, Douglas Marland. Honorary mentions to Agnes Nixon and Harding Lemay. They would be on that list, too, if I had seen more of their material. I wonder how I would feel about Irna Phillips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted June 10, 2013 Members Share Posted June 10, 2013 Henry Slesar at Edge of Night Bill Bell Douglas Marland, especially at ATWT. Nancy Curlee. Richard Culliton at AW and AMC The Dobsons at GL (what I've seen) and some of Santa Barbara Not choosing people I have heard good things about but rarely seen their work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members YRBB Posted June 10, 2013 Members Share Posted June 10, 2013 Sorry Just had to mention them! Henry Slesar--reminds me, gotta continue with those lovely episodes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members beebs Posted June 10, 2013 Members Share Posted June 10, 2013 Going by what I've seen in my years, absolutely Bill Bell, and Henry Slesar. Doug Marland's GH was fantastic too, though I've never been enough into ATWT to really follow his work there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members P.J. Posted June 10, 2013 Members Share Posted June 10, 2013 Doug Marland---Both his GL stint and ATWT. I wish I had been older and able to watch more of GL, but the introduction of the Reardons, the Nola/Kelly/Morgan triangle and the Ross/Carrie story really hooked me. And yes, his writing on ATWT veered into some dark, depressing stories, but there was ALWAYS balance. In terms of characters and story. If someone was going through a horrible breakup, there was always someone else falling in love. Most of all, I loved his sense of community and family. Pam Long. Yeah...she rode the Reva train into the ground, but before I was sick of Reva (and secretly relieved she'd gone off that bridge) I was totally engrossed. I think (but I'm not positive) she wrote the "Three Musketeers" era, which I loved. Whoever wrote ''90-'94 of GL. Other than the Matt/Vanessa crap, it was good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted June 10, 2013 Members Share Posted June 10, 2013 I wasn't taking a jab at you, sorry. I just know the lists often include people we're told were great headwriters. I would love to list Harding Lemay but I've seen about one episode and a few scenes. She wrote Three Musketeers, yes. I'd also include her, at least for 1983. I haven't seen enough of Marland's GL but I like what I've seen, although it's a little orderly...I tend to prefer a more out of control GL. Totally agree with you about his ATWT (except perhaps the last year, which became very dark) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NothinButAttitude Posted June 10, 2013 Author Members Share Posted June 10, 2013 My mom, who was a long time GL fan, said she felt the same way about Reva when we were reminiscing about the show the other day. She said she was elated when Reva drove off that bridge but expressed that Reva never provided a dull moment her original run on the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Soapsuds Posted June 10, 2013 Members Share Posted June 10, 2013 Pam k. Long work on GL was great as well.... Marland on GL was phenomenal too The Dobsons were great on ATWt and GL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members allmc2008 Posted June 10, 2013 Members Share Posted June 10, 2013 I of course like the holy trinity (Agnes, Phillips, Bell) but I also have high respect for Clair Larine and Doug Marland. I think Clair and Agnes would be great at creating a soap together. I hope PP will pick up Heart/Soul!! I also think Doug and Bill Bell would campaign themselves real well. Others I would like to mention are Lorraine and Winser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Winchester91 Posted June 10, 2013 Members Share Posted June 10, 2013 Agnes. She's the first successful Black writer in soaps.... In all honesty, it doesn't matter so much who the writer is, but the EP in charge (Malone under Gottlieb/Susie Horgan, amazing. Under Valentini, disastrous)....or the Network running things (for example, whether Frons is the head or not ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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