The soap opera writers' discussion

[danfling]

This was posted elsewhere:

 

Newsday (Nassau Edition) Mar 31 1961

 Writer of TV Soap Operas Gives Synopsis of His Life By Len Chaimowitz

Glen Cove —Television dramatist Leonard Stadd has found after six months of doing it that life can be beautiful writing soap operas. Stadd,35, has been busy at it eight hours daily since he wrote his first script for "From These Roots” an NBC daytime serial (3:30 FM) "I’m more than suite satisfied with writing soap operas” Stadd said yesterday "because I’ve always considered TV a great training ground for a dramatist And writing soap operas gives me a chance to change any dramatic situations that just don’t develop the way they should It’s totally unlike one-shot TV dramas (which he also has done) that don’t give you any opportunity to re-work plot situations”

He said that in those dramas such as an "Ellery Queen” episode that he wrote he didn't have a second chance to alter a plot once it was on the air. Before he latched on to his present full-time assignment Stadd was a free-lance TV writer living in Manhattan with his wife Arlene an actress and son Robbie now 5. But last summer he discovered after three years in TV that he had to head for Hollywood and its multitudinous TV series if he wanted to really catch on as a TV writer.

"But then this job developed after I called Eugene Burr (an NBC vice president) to tell him I was heading for Hollywood. He said ‘Oh no not you too’ — then he had me write two pilot scripts for new daytime serials. Next thing I found myself writing ‘From these Roots’ when its two writers left”.Stadd said His first script went on the air Sept 26 and today’s marks his 110th.

Before he started writing the scripts the show was threatened with extinction.Since then its ratings have improved, Stadd said. Once Stadd learned he would be working fulltime on "From These Roots” he began to look for a house where he could get the work done on time. He found it in Glen Cove and doesn’t commute to Manhattan unless he has a story conference or as happened earlier this week his typewriter breaks down and needs repair. "Usually” Stadd said "if I can finish a script by 5:30 PM I hustle it over to the post office and send it special delivery to the studio Or if my wife is going into town the next day I'll ask her to drop it off at the studio or my agent's or at any one of a number of pre-arranged ‘drops' — drugstores, foodstores and the like Then I’ll call the producer and let him know where he can find the script”

[danfling]

I have long wanted to read a good biography or article about Margaret DePriest.  Has anyone else seen one?

[Contessa Donatella]

I wonder what the title would be. Would it be something like "The Serial Killer Cometh?" or maybe "The Serial Killer Always Rings Twice?" or even "The Days & Nights of  Serial Killer Writing?"

[ClassicsSoapFan]

Did DePriest do a serial killer on The Doctors?

I am watching the show on the It's real good TV app. I haven't got to her stint as Headwriter yet. I am still watching the Pollocks. They do a lot of recapping. Unlike Rita Lakin ,Rick Edelstein or Ira Avery.

[Contessa Donatella]

I watch it there, too, via my Roku. You have to admit, though, that this guy committing suicide to frame Steve Aldrich is pretty interesting as storytelling goes. Even the NY critic Renata Adler wrote about it in an essay. When her regular beat was not even soaps. 

[MichaelGL]

No she did not. Expect the pace to pick up under her though. 

[Contessa Donatella]

No. It's possible that she only did them on DAYS & Another World. She was the HW who had The Salem Strangler kill Marlena & caused such fan outrage that they quickly changed it to be Samantha. Later again at DAYS she did the Salem Slasher. I can't remember whether AW was 1 or 2. But she definitely wrote the gruesome killing of Frankie Frame by serial killer Fax Neuman. 

[Paul Raven]

Do you really believe that?

It was always intended to be Samantha and the 'fan outrage' -picketing the studio,was a publicity stunt that got the show (much needed) media coverage.

Edited February 6, 2024 by Paul Raven

[Contessa Donatella]

Is that so? I always thought that sounded made up. But, if it's so, well, I will describe it differently in future. That just sounded dubious to me. And, if so, it was stupid because we could've used Samantha many times IMO. 

[Soaplovers]

Not a serial killer story...but it's a medical story turned mystery where we see the why and how it was done so we were wondering how the other characters would find out.

Her stint was quite good.

[TEdgeofNight]

How anyone could believe that the Salem Strangler storyline had Marlena actually being killed and then changed to her twin after the outcry doesn’t deserve the self proclaimed “soap expert” title. Of course it was all carefully planned and brilliantly executed to gets Days some great publicity. And they succeeded. Having Entertainment Tonight cameras just ‘happen’ to be at NBC while Deidre was answering the phones was a great publicity stunt. Kudos to Margaret DePriest for her part in the stunt.

[slick jones]

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This is why I keep that one on ignore. She's like Simone Adamley relaying "facts" as told by random people, both real and....

[Khan]

LOL!!

[TEdgeofNight]

But she has sources. And we’re all going to suffer because she won’t tell us all the incorrect gossip anymore! lol RIP Donna’s fantasy world! 

[danfling]

Who is Donna?