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SERIAL SCOOP: SOAP OPERA HISTORY: Bill Bell & Claire Labine on Writing Daytime Serials (1997)

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  • Member

Labine is a "mixed bag," Jonny? Compared to who? Jean Passanante?

  • Member

Labine is a "mixed bag," Jonny? Compared to who? Jean Passanante?

Ha ha

  • Member

I think stories were definitely Labine and Mayer's strong suit. However, IMO, they tended to fail whenever they had to write "big" stories that were heavy on melodrama and action and light on everything else.

The Puerto Rico remote is a goof argument against the theory that they couldnt do big climax storyline.

They were also responsible for the Ryan Chamberlain psycho storyline which i feel qualify for big drama and managed to make Steve Hardy and Audrey relevant after many years of just being there without much story.

To me its the hour-long format that didnt suit LABINE as she herself stated but at this point there were only two half hour show left and while i think she would have been an excellent headwriter for LOVInG I think she was still holding grudges at AbC for canceling RH to make room for LoVInG.

  • Member

The Puerto Rico remote is a goof argument against the theory that they couldnt do big climax storyline.

They were also responsible for the Ryan Chamberlain psycho storyline which i feel qualify for big drama and managed to make Steve Hardy and Audrey relevant after many years of just being there without much story.

To me its the hour-long format that didnt suit LABINE as she herself stated but at this point there were only two half hour show left and while i think she would have been an excellent headwriter for LOVInG I think she was still holding grudges at AbC for canceling RH to make room for LoVInG.

They didn't cancel RH for loving they moved RH to a different time slot.

  • Member

My bad but i know that some sort of change didnt please LaBine and that might have been why she didnt want to take over at LOVING where i think she would have done wonderful work.

And i think i have read somewhere that she partly blame the timeslot change for the rating slide

  • Member

I was under the impression Labine came in after Ryan's initial rampage which featured Audrey.

  • Member

Didnt she take over in early 1993? I started watching when they introduced Lois Cerullo but i know LaBine was around a few months before that. I always assumed that the Audrey vs Ryan storyline was a LaBine signature story that mixed vets with new vilains.

  • Member

Based on the character wikipedia page Lois made her first appearance on december 15 1993. But it might be incorrect info.

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  • Member

Based on the character wikipedia page Lois made her first appearance on december 15 1993. But it might be incorrect info.

I meant Labine, Lois' airdate is correct
  • Member

Labine started in August '93. Ryan, etc. was all introduced a year before. I believe Labine created both Kevin and Lois, four months after her arrival.

Edited by Vee

  • Member

Im on it Cassadine :P

I cannot track down an exact date for LaBine official debut as headwriter but from a statement made around that era she seems to be taking the credit for the Jagger/Karen/Jason triangle so it is possible that she took over around summer

Labine started in August '93. Ryan, etc. was all introduced a year before. I believe Labine created both Kevin and Lois, four months after her arrival.

I will trust you on it Vee but the Ryan stalks Audrey storyline sounds like such a LaBine storyline to me at least so thats why i was under the impression that it was a LaBine story.

  • Member

Every source, including Labine herself, cites her starting in August '93. All the teen stuff with Jagger, Karen, Jason, etc. was in swing well before that, as was Ryan Chamberlain (who attacked Audrey in May). Labine came in in late August and wrote Jagger and Karen off early the following spring.

Per We Love Soaps:

We Love Soaps: You also created the role of Sonny Corinthos.

Claire Labine: I didn’t create it actually. He had been on the show for about four weeks when we took over. I found the thrust for the character really detestable. I hated the stripper story. He was supposed to be feeding Karen drugs in order to get her to do it. By the end of the first week we had her throw the drugs in his face and then turn around and walk out. I can’t stand what I call Dickinsonian heroines who are dominated by someone else or fate, and fall down on the floor and swoon when things aren’t going well. I can’t stand it! We got that going and the Brenda thing was magical. After we saw them on the Valentine’s Day show, each buying a car, we knew that was pay dirt. We had a number of writers who really invested as well. It went well.

Sonny debuted on August 13, 1993. I'm going over this because I made this mistake myself once.

Edited by Vee

  • Member

Thank you very much Vee

I was myself under the impression that she created Sonny. I guess she came in and made sonny the likable thug as opposed to the drug-feeding one so I will still credit her for creating the Sonny that many fans embraced ( i never did though lol)

But, and not to be nitpicking or anything, but did her stuff start airing in august or did she officially stepped in as hw in august?

  • Member

She started HW in Late July. Her material began end of August Early September 93

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