Daytime's Master Headwriters: Their Strongest and Weakest Work

[vetsoapfan]

In interviews, he praised Pat Falken Smith's contribution to the show, but to my knowledge, he never referred to any other writer's contribution to DAYS.

 

After being largely responsible for the show's popularity in the 1960s and '70s, I also wonder if he felt frustration or disappointment at how subsequent writers gutted his once-sophisticated, adult show. Similarly, how did Agnes Nixon and Harding Lemay feel about AW's destruction by hack writers after they had both worked so hard to turn AW into a daytime legend?

 

By the way, I forgot to add in my previous comment, that after she was fired in early 1977, Pat Falken Smith sued DAYS OF OUR LIVES because the show continued to use story outlines which she, herself, had written. This also confirms that William J. Bell was not solely responsible for the show's yearly bible, although how much he contributed to the overall plot projections and how much Smith contributed, I suppose we will never know now, four decades later.

[DRW50]

I noticed you mention Thom Racina. What bothered you about him?

[titan1978]

When I think of plot driven soap writers I think of Thom Racina.  He is better at it than Pratt because he plays the beats and knows how to use suspense, not just shock.

 

He is the perfect Monty era example of an action oriented/super couple formula driven writer.  I enjoyed his work, but again, it's not sophisticated material.  Which was fine when you could watch GH for a breezy adventure, Days for serious romance, Y&R for complicated characters and psychological insight, AMC for class distinction and a touch of humor, etc.  now that they are all plot plot plot it makes enjoying any of the soaps more tedious.

[vetsoapfan]

To me, the last time any soap could boast quality writing was 1994, with Claire Labine at GH. Since then, the entire genre has been either in the toilet, or close to it.

Everything.

 

Seriously.

[DRW50]

His work at DAYS, or just in general?

[John]

I liked his OLTL it was slow but I liked it

[vetsoapfan]

 

I have loathed his work everywhere he went, and found it to be shallow, heartless, plot-driven drivel. He is responsible for the wretched Ice Princess idiocy that contaminated daytime drama with low-brow, moronic science fiction garbage.

 

UGH!

 

[zanereed]

Agreed. I wish that Smith had a longer stint on "Guiding Light" than just a few months.

Speaking of GL, I think the Dobsons' best work was their time on GL. I don't think that anything they did afterwards came close to how great their era of the show was.

[BetterForgotten]

Why was Smith canned at GL after 13 weeks? Wasn't it Doug Marland who recommended her for the job too? 

 

The less said about Smith's time at RH, the better...

[DRW50]

I wonder if it was an Allen Potter issue. Or maybe she didn't fit well with P&G. I think the only part of her run that is talked about is the formation of Company. I know saynotoursoap said she was very good with Amanda.

[vetsoapfan]

 

Yes, Smith jumped right into THE GUIDING LIGHT with great scripts, character delineation, and a focus on family, history, and community. She was wonderful. Unfortunately, after she left, the quality of the writing for that series sank noticeably. For many years in the 1980s, TGL was dreadfully written.

 

The Dobsons' work on TGL showed how talented they really were, and I agree that nothing they did later matched the quality of their work on TGL.

Yes, Marland recommended Smith to follow him at TGL, just as she had done so successfully at GH. Lord only knows why her stint at R'sH was so mediocre. Bland production values and several uninteresting characters at the forefront did not do her any favors. She really had an uphill battle there, and just did not make it.

I think by that point, P&G wanted to overhaul and dumb down TGL, to appeal to the ABC audience. Smith's adult, sophisticated, character-driven work flew in the face of that. Yes, Smith was very good with Amanda. And Vanessa. And the Bauers. And Nola. And history. Watching the show sink into mediocrity after she left was painful. I had had a long history with TGL, and it was the very first time in decades that the show became truly awful.

[Soapsuds]

This is a great post DRW. TGL did change during the 80's….I noticed the difference as well but couldn't really explain it but you did. Once TGL was dumb down …the ratings dropped and ATWT was always for the most part ahead in the ratings. At that time I felt ATWT was more adult and sophisticated….character driven….what TGL once was during its glory years.

[vetsoapfan]

Soapsuds, I think TPTB experimented with dumbing down ATWT, too, in the early 1980s. What else could explain the elimination of so many vets, and the moronic stories like Mr. Big? Fortunately, producer Robert Calhoun the late, great Douglas Marland stepped in to save the day, and reestablished the show's integrity fairly quickly. TGL was not so lucky. It, like GH, spent most of the 1980s in a state of poorly-written flux.

[Titus Andronicus]

This topic is making me a cumulative backstage history of all soaps.

[Soapsuds]

Who wrote Mr. Big? I didnt care for it…I think I really became invested in ATWT during the whole Steve/Betsy/Craig triangle…of course the James/Gunnar/Barbara stuff too….. I also enjoyed the McColls which I believe were created by the Dobsons? I wish Marland had kept them on the canvas when he arrived…although we did see Brian on occasion but it was only he and Lisa….