The soap opera writers' discussion

[Contessa Donatella]

James Lipton from INSIDE INSIDE:          

In the course of the decade following my service on "Another World," on my own and using what Irna taught me, I head-wrote a covey of soap operas: "Guiding Light" in two two-year tours; "Love is a Many Splendored Thing," "Return to Peyton Place;" "The Best of Everything," which I created for ABC; and Capitol.
          In the last years of her career, Irna trained three writers, all emerging at the same time. I was the runt of the litter. The two who mattered, and whose work matters today, are William Bell and Agnes Nixon. I chose to leave the soap world, and they remained---and reigned. Bill Bell who died in 2005, was the creator of "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful". Aggie Nixon created "One Life to Live," "All My Children and "Loving." Their five shows have been on the air collectively for 154 years, so, clearly, Irna taught them well, and they learned well.
          They were right to stay, and I was right to go. But I'm deeply indebted to that world because it quite simply made everything else possible until the night in October 1976 when Leonard Bernstein called, and everything changed again.

Victoria Wyndham:

 

    VW: Well I pitched the last two years we were on. They often used me for story, long-term story, not just for my own character often but also for other characters.

Q:  They would turn to you for ideas?

    VW: Yes, because I’m a writer also.

[Contessa Donatella]

On the audience
We had a focus group on AS THE WORLD TURNS, right before I left. There were two groups, one of younger women and one of older women. When I left that room, I was so happy to write for those people. They were so smart. They really knew what these characters were like, and they liked them being complex and hard to read. They were very sophisticated; I think of them as the people who like a big, thick book to read that you can look forward to going back to every day. —–Richard Culliton, Head Writer, General Hospital

 

When Claire Labine & her partner were at "Ryan's Hope" I believe that they won 10 WGA Awards!

[Contessa Donatella]

AGNES NIXON

The Emmys 1981. I was sitting backstage in the Waldorf-Astoria grand ballroom, waiting for my cue. I was the Recipient of the Trustees Award for excellence in production. Barbara Walters: This is a very special occasion with the Emmys and the Trustees Award. The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Trustees Award recognizes achievement in television so extraordinary that it is rarely presented. Previous winners include General David Sarnoff, William Paley, Leonard Goldenson and Edward R. Murrow. Today marks some firsts. The first presentation to a writer. The first presentation to someone in the daytime part. The first time in history it has gone to a woman. The recipient today everyone must know by now is Agnes Nixon. "I thanked everyone beginning with Irna, who had never been given any such awards!"

Aggie valued Wisner Washam as a writing partner, wrote families, dialogue, social issues stories and especially Bianca well.

Claire Labine with her son & daughter, from her haunts in Park Slope, Brooklyn, worked with Wendy Riche to make magic for several years at "General Hospital". She was good at dialogue and at characterizations. She loved Crystal Chappell both at OLTL and later at GL, calling her a "peach" of a girl. She had a half hour soap that she & Matt pitched that was an urban setting around 14th Street. Instead Wendy Riche's "Port Charles" got the gig. She struggled for a year each at OLTL and at GL.

[Contessa Donatella]

There was a rumor at "Another World" that Richard Culliton couldn't stand Charles Keating, thought he was an ugly old man and had him fired. Now, Charles was not only incredibly talented and giving, mentoring the younger cast, etc. but he was the sole romantic interest for Rachel. He was also a huge fan favorite. If it was Culliton who got him fired, he did us no favors! Before the calendar year was out, they had hired Charles back.

[Contessa Donatella]

On soap operas:
MLH: What can take soap opera's place?
LEMAY: Nothing.  Because nothing touches human beings as much as other people's stories, dramatically told.  I think it will swing back to what it was.
MLH: Is the soap opera in its present form going to survive the millennium?
LEMAY: I hope so because it is a great form. It is the only form in which you follow a story day by day.  You can follow a woman's pregnancy as we did with Ada for six or seven months.  I think soaps will survive if they concentrate on that aspect of them that you don't get anywhere else, the human aspect, the great empathy.  The late Gilbert Seldes once wrote that people watch soaps as if they were listening in on other people's lives.  That is what they should be.  -- Harding "Pete" Lemay

"On the serial form" I believe with all my heart that this form is the most compelling and the most important form in television: the power of a serial to illuminate and to inspire, to help people in real, fundamental psychological ways, and to provide role models, to provide a sense of family if they don't have a family. All of that is overwhelming, and it's a tremendous responsibility. --Claire Labine, Creator, RYAN'S HOPE, former Head Writer, GENERAL HOSPITAL THE MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO WORLDS WITHOUT END THE ART AND HISTORY OF THE SOAP OPERA (1997) Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

 

[Contessa Donatella]

(Senior Vice President of Daytime Programming Lucy) Johnson and PGP instead initiated a number of production changes on the show. ("Guiding Light") My commentary: That should make some fans, at least, feel better about PGP. While the article is speaking about GL it relates to ATWT, too.

What did you think about the ABC-i-fication of ATWT? Felicia Minei Behr rode in on a white ABC horse. Fired Allyson Rice Taylor. Replaced her with Suan Batten. Barbara Bloom replaced Lucy Johnson. ... It goes on.

It's a huge shame that Irna never got any awards.

Edited October 11, 2019 by Donna B
Snip

[Contessa Donatella]

 

I am curious - not trying to be argumentative, but what did you like coming out of B&E? I know of some people who say they can always "get" to the heart of the story they're doing, but I can just never see that.

 

 

I was one who loved "Generations" and wanted to see it go on for more years. The casting was superb!

[Contessa Donatella]

--derived by me from Melissa Scardaville's piece on institutional and aesthetic logics--

Institutional logics is all about the bottom line, money, economics, advertising, etc. In recent years there's been a shift to make institututional logics more important than aesthetics. Institutional lines up with EPs & network execs. At one point n the jore distant past aesthetics was the more important where the Creator, or Writer was actually an auteur, which is no longer true. The aesthetics are still the creative side of things. Comparing fans & professionals & pros who have also always been fans in a sociological context. show sharp declines. Fans are unhappy with the way that soaps are now written. Both of these groups have one thin g in common & that is that they all think that soaps were better in the "good ole days" & are nostalgic for that time. AMC fans cited examples like McTavish & the un-abortion, the trans character, etc. Some soap's execs told their Writer to keep doing whatever they were doing at exactly 2:47 pm. The Writer wanted to know what if that just happened to be when the people left to go pick up the kids?

[Contessa Donatella]

from an unknown soap opera writer: People have no idea what goes into writing these soaps. It's all planned like the most complicated military strategy. You need a storyline for Steve or Liza, and you have to resolve the euthanasia murder and figure out who did it and tie it up, and there's a trial and you have to figure out the outcome of that too. It's like a Chess game with various different elements all going on at the same time.

Ann Marcus and Pete Lemay were both PGP writers who pitched proposals for gay stories "way back when." There were multiple conferences over it. PGP said it was too controversial & they couldn't take the chance that fans would turn it off or turn it over (to another soap).
 

Soap writers were often trained in a way by progressive inheritance. Irna Phillips trained & mentored Agnes Nixon. Then, Agnes trained & mentored Wisner Washam, who then became largely responsible for ... AMC.

James Thurber, the humorist, described soap operas: It's  kind of a sandwich, whose recipe is simple enough although it took years to compound. Between thick slices of advertising, spread about twelve  minutes of dialogue, add predicament, villainy, and female suffering in equal measure, throw in a dash of nobility, sprinkle with tears, season with organ music, cover with an announcer sauce, and serve five times a week.

 

SOAP OPERA WRITERS: "In the Beginning Was the Word..."

Actors in soaps identify very strongly with the characters they play. Concurrently with their own lives they're living another life. They never play the same scene twice so it's really like living another existence. They'll say to me, 'I know this character better than you do and she wouldn't do that ... ' I think of soaps as a marvelous form about day-to-day relationships. 

-- Harding "Pete" Lemay

[Contessa Donatella]

Dr. Thomas D. Petitjean Jr.
Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Monday, May 8, 2006, at a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Joseph Catholic Church for Dr. Thomas D. Petitjean Jr., 49, who died Friday, May 5, 2006, at his residence in Natchitoches, La.
interment was in St. Joseph Cemetery No. 2 Mausoleum.
Survivors include his parents, Thomas D. and Evelyn S. Petitjean, of Rayne; one sister, Andree' Wingate and husband, Marvin, of Rayne; two brothers, Mayor Jim Petitjean and wife, Lyn , of Rayne, and Joe Petitjean, of Rayne; five nieces, Alexis Wingate, Alanna Wingate, Elise Petitjean, Mariette Petitjean, Ann Petitjean, all of Rayne; and one nephew, Nicholas "Pete" Petitjean, of Rayne.
He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Sonnier Sr. and his paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. J. Dave Petitjean Sr.
An LSU graduate, Dr. Petitjean obtained his Masters and Doctorate degrees from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Dr. Petitjean was an Assistant Professor of English at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La. and had served in that capacity for the past seven years. He also was a member of Phi Delta Kappa Education Honor Fraternity, Phi Kappa Phi Scholastic Honor Fraternity, and the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing. Dr. Petitjean was a published author, having written three books and numerous technical writing publications.
During the ten years that Dr. Petitjean lived in New York, he held various positions including promotion director for New York Magazine, as well as being a script writer for "Another World" and "As The World Turns". Dr. Petitjean taught at Rayne High School for five years and was selected Teacher of the Year in 1995. As a teenager, he attained the rank of Eagle Scout.
“Doc” as his students referred to him, touched everyone that he came in contact with and forever changed the lives of those whom he taught. He also cherished time spent with his nieces and nephew. He will be deeply missed by family and friends.
A rosary was recited at 7 p.m. Sunday.
The family requested visiting hours be observed from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m. Sunday and continue from 8 a.m. Monday until service time.
Arrangements were entrusted to Gossen Funeral Home, Inc. of Rayne.

Read more: http://www.genlookups.com/la/webbbs_config.pl/noframes/read/577#ixzz601Ovqu3g

 

He used a pseudonym for the three novels he successfully published. With fans online, in RATSm, he used another pseudonym. He was a best firend to Anna Stuart (aka Donna Love). He & I were very close.

[Contessa Donatella]

He edited an anthology:

Disco Divas: Women and Popular Culture in the 1970s

edited by Sherrie A. Inness

Dr. Thomas D. Petitjean

 

He often put out CFPs aka Calls For Papers for Conferences.

 

Edited September 24, 2019 by Donna B
Repetition

[Contessa Donatella]

Stephanie Sloane interviews Goutman & Bloom ...

Soap Opera Digest September 30, 2008/WORLD VIEW

Stephanie Sloane interviews
CBS Daytime Vice President Barbara Bloom and Executive Producer Christopher Goutman /ATWT

DIGEST: What has you so excited about ATWT?
BARBARA BLOOM: Chris has been working on some wonderful story with Jean [Passanante, head writer]. Not only is it cross-generational, but it focuses on each core group of families. The logo is, "In a heartbeat, your whole world can change." The first story was the Hugheses and the Stewarts.The second we saw [was September 3], which is the Snyders. The third one is the Ryans. There is some overlap, but there are these three wonderful stories that will each be accompanied by a location.
DIGEST: You have done a great job integrating the veterans into current story.
CHRISTOPHER GOUTMAN: We have never tried to ignore it. It's just coming up with appropriate stories where they have more to do than just being window dressing, which we don't want and they don't want. I think, as always, it's been the hallmark of AS THE WORLD TURNS that the vets are still here.
BLOOM: And they're so important as touchstone characters. This show has always had the vets, more so than any other show. They don't just drop out as much. It depends on the direction of the story.
GOUTMAN: And their vacations [laughs]. Because Helen Wagner's {Nancy} 90th birthday is coming up, so we are coming up with a special show to celebrate her. It's essentially a prequel, what happened before anything ever happened on the air. So, our characters are playing characters of yore. For instance, Carly playing Lisa, and you'll let your imagination go from there.
DIGEST:  Speaking of Carly, let's talk about Holden and Carly. That story really has everybody talking.
GOUTMAN: I can see where people would have problems with it, but that's okay. It's not a long-term relationship, nor was it meant to be. It's just sort of where they are now.
BLOOM: But in the heat of the moment, you totally understand it. What I like about it is that Carly really got lambasted for it. She has to suffer the repercussions for all the choices she made before. And, by the way, what about Lily and Dusty? Where does she get off? You really start to get involved in the debate. It's not black and white, and that's what makes you feel like you're talking about your friends.
GOUTMAN: Carly getting involved with Holden has gigantic repercussions for Jack. For Jack, it has been Carly going off on some whimsical tangent. Now it's so close to home, it's a real watershed for him. And what that means for him and Carly will be larger than what it was before. So, as they all go forward, Jack will change the most in what he chooses to do with his life. Holden and Lily will always be bonded by their history and their children. But whether they will stay together is up to them.
DIGEST:  Were you concerned at all with this story coming right as Noelle Beck was recast as Lily?
GOUTMAN:  I didn't want to hold it off, because it would have held off three other actors on the show. Nothing is a perfect world. I just thought it was important to continue with the story.
BLOOM:  I actually think it's better, because the window into the story was Carly and Holden. I don't think it's better that it wasn't Martha [Byrne, ex-Lily]; I think it's better in that it helped the recast.If the story is in the character, then you tell the story with the character, The story isn't in the actress.
GOUTMAN: I think Noelle is doing a great job. I think she is a terrific person, too. I am looking forward to her embracing Lily more and more every day.
DIGEST:  By playing Lily as the victim, it makes Noelle more sympathetic.
GOUTMAN:  Well, that was not unintentional. We were well aware of that. Any sympathy that the character Lily can get, we'll take.
DIGEST:  Okay, let's talk about the return of Dusty, which happens next week. So you killed him off...
GOUTMAN:  What the hell happened [laughs]?
DIGEST:  Did you know that you might bring him back?
GOUTMAN:  Absolutely. And we talked about it when it happened.
BLOOM:  It was Grayson's [McCouch, Dusty] choice to leave the show; it was not our choice to lose him. Actors have windows in their lives that they need to explore and we both are very respectful of that. So, I said to Chris and Jean, "He has to be really most sincerely dead until he is not." Then they called me up a couple of months ago and they said, "Well guess what? He is not." Grayson was ready to come back and Jean and Chris came up with a really great way to bring him back that made complete sense. And we'll have a different set of consequences on the canvas when he returns.
GOUTMAN:  It's going to be great. I also think that the Lucy and Johnny thing has been out there, dangling, which has always intrigued me--and Jean--tremendously. I always knew that by the end of the year, we had to explore that. The timing felt right to me. And we will.
BLOOM:  Dusty's appearance is not the end of the story. It's the beginning.
GOUTMAN:  So that we are clear to everyone, it's not a trick, it's not a gimmick, it will change everyone's lives.
DIGEST:  What about James? He's back...
GOUTMAN:  And he has a master plan, which I can't reveal.
BLOOM:  Otherwise, James will kill him.
DIGEST:  Why get rid of Jon Prescott[Mike]?
GOUTMAN:  Jon is an incredibly talented actor and he did an incredible job. It was extremely difficult for me. Dusty coming in sort of trumped the character a bit. Mike is a character that is not related to anyone on the show. If you are not related, it's a little difficult. But Jon will only do great things.
DIGEST:  On to the writers' strike. Was it challenging for you?
GOUTMAN:  That doesn't even begin to describe it.
BLOOM:  It was horrible for him.
GOUTMAN:  It was incredibly difficult, incredibly painful and I know for all the writers who were out on strike that it was difficult for them as well. But to keep a show running for three months without writers was hard.
BLOOM:  And he did an amazing job.
GOUTMAN:  But, I learned a lot. And, that's what you always try to do, take away the positives. Would I ever want it to happen again? Absolutely not.
DIGEST;  What about the Emmys? Were you disappointed with the show's lack of of Best Show/Writing Nominations?
BLOOM:  Yes!
GOUTMAN:  I am always disappointed. As much as one tells themselves that awards aren't important, and you should take pleasure in the work itself, I think we should all be recognized for the work that we do. But with that said, it doesn't change my day to day life. I gave it about 10 minutes of thought and went on with it.
BLOOM:  How do you get that many nominations for your cast and not get a writing and producing nomination? But the reality is that this is the nature of the awards. Everybody can't be recognized. It's a deeply flawed system that for the most part has worked very well for all of CBS shows' favor but the truth is it's a deeply flawed system.
DIGEST;  Would you like to be on SOAPnet?
GOUTMAN:  Absolutely. Absolutely. I have talked about it for years.but that it not within my domain. Listen, I would love to do a Sunday marathon of GUIDING LIGHT and AS THE WORLD TURNS. Brian?
DIGEST:  Last question. Where do you both see the future of daytime?
BLOOM:: Anyone that can tell you the future of daytime is making it up.The future of network television is in flux. I think that there will always be room for serial storytelling but the reality is that the business model is changing and the delivery model has to change with it.
GOUTMAN:  I agree with Barbara. This is me speaking personally but I do think 5 shows a week is an antiquated model . All over the world serial storytelling is three days a week at mos tand repeats on the odd days and weekends. I don't think there is an appetite in this society right now to watch this show five days a week, they don;'t have the time or the energy. So, I think that is going to change first and foremost. Whether they show existing on a broadcast network or on cable, who knows?

 

(My commentary: I have to agree that there were always many ways that SOAPnet could've been better used. Mostly it was a waste of time. When they covered RH they did well. When they covered AW they did well. But, that  was not most of the time.)

[Contessa Donatella]

from AFTERNOON DELIGHT by Carolyn Hinsey ...

I was surprised to find in James Thurber's 1948 writing on soap operas in "The New Yorker" that P&G used *smoking* to show villainy in its soaps.

 

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Nancy Curlee Demorest prior GL HW

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Edited September 21, 2019 by Donna B
Draw a line.

[Contessa Donatella]

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Kay Alden & daughter

  Ann Marcus RIP

  Bridget & Jerome Dobson

  Claire Labine, RIP

  Donna Swajeski

  Lynn Liccardo

  Lorraine Broderick

  Karen Harris

  Paley Center Panel for GL, Wheeler, Hurst, etc.

  Mulcahey

  Millee Taggart

  Michael Malone

[Contessa Donatella]

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  Martha with Leah Laiman

  Pamela K. Long

  Pete Lemay

  Zas, who once wrote for AW but otherwise was a five-star actor/villain