The soap opera writers' discussion

[Contessa Donatella]

Hyatt, W. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Billboard Books.

Schemering, C. (1987). The Soap Opera Encyclopedia. Ballantine Books.

"Faraway Hill" was the first televised soap opera but it was one of only 3 on the DuMont network. That was 1946. "These Are My Children" was the first televised soap on a major network. That was NBC in 1949. And, according to both of these sources it ended on Feb. 25, 1949, making today its Endiversary. To all who celebrate I raise a glass! It's just a crying shame that "Television World" printed this in its review, "There is no place on television for this type of program, a blank screen is preferable." And, "Variety" stated "this type of hausfrau fodder will have extremely hard sledding on the medium ... Acting of any of the principals won't win any awards." It aired M-F 5-5:15 pm. It was out of Chicago & it is noted that it was the shortest-lived TV soap. 

Edited February 26, 2024 by Donna L. Bridges
typos are always with us

[danfling]

The man who was originally was announced to be the co-creator of Loving (with Agnes Nixon) has passed away.   I will post an obituary of Dan Wakefield later.

[VelekaCarruthers]

Great 1972 article from The New Yorker magazine on soap plots!  Wow.  Amazing details about some classic soap storylines.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1972/02/12/afternoon-television-unhappiness-enough-and-time

[Contessa Donatella]

 

Renata Adler is an American author, journalist, and film critic. Adler was a staff writer-reporter for The New Yorker, and in 1968–69, she served as chief film critic for The New York Times. She is also a writer of fiction who uses the pen name Brett Daniels. She was born October 19, 1938 in Milan, Italy. Her family fled Nazi Germany and later moved to America. She grew up in CT.

 

CANARIES IN THE MINESHAFT: Essays on Politics and Media. by Renata Adler. St. Martin's Press. New York. © 2001. "Afternoon Television: Unhappiness Enough, and Time"

 

This is a book that is out of print but available. There is a kindle edition. However only one of the essays is about soaps, this one. They were not her regular beat. But, she loved them, as we do. Amazon kindle has several of her books that are collected nonfiction, which means they likely are also television criticism. They also have fiction by her. 

Edited March 23, 2024 by Contessa Donatella
Amazon info

[Paul Raven]

Chicago Tribune 17 May 2000.

Warren Swanson worked with Irna Phillips. I never knew he was gay. Looks like ha came out later in life. The claim in the article that he was involved  on 15 soaps I find a little suspect. Also a mention of Steve Babecki. Katherine Phillips wrote under that name so perhaps Steve was her husband?

Warren L. Swanson wore many hats–he was an attorney, a soap-opera writer and the co-author of well-known guides to Chicago. He dreamed up the idea of the first Easter Seal telethon and owned some prime real estate in the city.

“He was a Renaissance man,” said his son, Sheridan Christopher. “He tried everything and he had a knack for it.”

The 66-year-old South Loop resident who lived two doors away from Mayor Richard M. Daley died May 7 of a brain hemorrhage in Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago.

Mr. Swanson was born and lived most of his life in Chicago.

Mr. Swanson graduated from the University of Chicago and then Northwestern Law School. He at one time tutored former Gov. James Thompson through law school, his son said.

During the early part of his career, Mr. Swanson butted heads with the late Mayor Richard J. Daley. As one of two special prosecutors in a vote fraud probe 40 years ago, Mr. Swanson won convictions against three Democratic precinct workers who pleaded guilty to altering ballots in the 1960 election. Then, in 1968, when board members of a civic group he headed, the Citizens of Greater Chicago, decided to give the late mayor an award for “safeguarding lives and property” during the Democratic convention, Mr. Swanson resigned the group in protest.

 

But he considered himself a friend of the younger Daley and his wife, Maggie.

Mr. Swanson’s partner of 17 years, Thomas Brown, called him “one of the finest attorneys I know.”

 

Mr. Swanson helped the city of Palos Heights incorporate during the 1950s and then stayed on as the city attorney for 40 years.

It was while working as an attorney that Mr. Swanson landed a job writing for soap operas.

Back in the ’60s, many of the well-known TV dramas were being created in Chicago. An attorney friend who had been asked to write a courtroom drama for “As the World Turns” was not interested and so he passed on the job to Mr. Swanson who took the assignment and ran with it. He became the lead writer for “As the World Turns” and “Another World” and helped create 15 other shows, including “Somerset.”

In 1977, Mr. Swanson joined forces with Steve Babecki and wrote a 38-page guide to Chicago-area museums, “Museums of Chicago.”

Mr. Swanson also owned such properties as the building housing the Ann Taylor store on Oak Street and he once owned the Helene Curtis building in the North Loop.

Survivors also include a grandson. Services were held Friday; the family is planning a celebration of his life at an as yet undetermined date in June.

Edited March 31, 2024 by Paul Raven

[VelekaCarruthers]

Just came across this writer connection. Deceased ATWT writers' assistant (95-96/Culliton period), Hallie Leland Leighton, was the daughter of veteran script writer, Lynda Myles.

https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9501E5DE1E3AF93AA25756C0A9659D8B63.html

[Paul Raven]

The Boston Globe June 11 2007

Jeanne Davis Glynn, 75, Emmy-nominated writer ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW FAIRFIELD, Conn. -

Jeanne Davis Glynn, an actress who received several Emmy nominations as a writer for daytime soap operas, died Friday at a local healthcare center, according to family members. She was 75. Ms. Glynn had been in treatment for cancer since 1999 and her health had started to fail earlier this year, said her former husband, Malachy Glynn.

Ms. Glynn received five Emmy Award nominations as a script writer in the 1980s and 1990s on the shows "General Hospital," "Guiding Light," "As the World Turns," "One Life to Live" and "Port Charles." She won a Writers Guild of America Award in 1984 for her work on "Search for Tomorrow," and received a Soap Opera Digest Award six years later for "General Hospital" scripts. "It was an actor in New York City who first challenged me to write soap operas," Ms. Glynn said in an interview last year with the News-Times newspaper of Danbury. "He said it was a good way of reaching young people and I already knew, of course, that TV was the greatest commercial tool in the world for telling stories about the human condition," she said.

Ms. Glynn was born in Chicago, and she grew up near Buffalo. She graduated from Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and later toured Europe and the United States as an actor, producer, and director, family members said. In New York, she appeared in Christopher Plummer's television production of "Oedipus Rex" and acted, directed, and stage managed productions at Circle in the Square. Ms.

Glynn was a longtime resident of New Fairfield and had two sons: Danbury attorney Liam Glynn and John Glynn, an advertising executive in New York City. "She beat the odds both in her life and her illness," said her son John. "She was a role model both for her family and for many other people.".

[Paul Raven]

Robert Cenedella died Saturday afternoon, September 28, 2002 at Tucson Heart Hospital. He was 90 years old. Born in Milford, MA on October 8, 1911, Mr. Cenedella taught high school English and became principal there in the 1930's. Before moving to Tucson 10 years ago, he had a long and successful career as a writer and actor in New York City.

He published the critically acclaimed novel "A Little To The East" in 1963, as well as dozens of stories in magazines such as Playboy, Redbook, and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. He wrote for radio, notably for Helen Hayes. As a member of the Board of the Radio Writers Guild in 1949 he founded the Radio Writers Guild committee against the blacklist - the first union to publicly acknowledge and actively oppose the McCarthy-era persecution of writers and others for their political beliefs or affiliations. He was the head writer of such daytime serials as "Another World" and "The Guiding Light," and he mentored several young writers who went on to successful careers themselves. Never the retiring type, Robert embarked on an acting career at age 65, and performed in theatre, film and TV roles until he was 89.

In Tucson he was a member of the Old Pueblo Playwrights, as well as other writing groups, continuing throughout the last years of his life to write and refine, and to help younger writers learn their craft. He was working on a new novel when he died. He is survived by his beloved wife of 41 years, Betsy Boyd Cenedella, and by his children: educator and writer Joan Cenedella; artist and teacher Robert Cenedella, Jr.; teacher and writer Michael Cenedella; and musician and writer Peter Cenedella; by three grandchildren; his sister Carlotta Catusi; and his Tucson family, Andrew, Camilla and Maura Cenedella. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Robert's name to Habitat for Humanity or the Actor's Fund