4 hours ago, kalbir said:

How does this board rank Y&R's big three producers: John Conboy, H. Wesley Kenney, Ed Scott.

 

Tough question!  All contributed tremendously to Y&R's classic look and feel throughout the '70's, '80's and '90s.  However, if I had to make the choice...

 

1. Kenney

2. Scott

3. Conboy

4 hours ago, Khan said:

 

Tough question!  All contributed tremendously to Y&R's classic look and feel throughout the '70's, '80's and '90s.  However, if I had to make the choice...

 

1. Kenney

2. Scott

3. Conboy

I'm with Khan.

Each was suited to their eras.

Conboy's intimate, lush look suited the 30 min format and 70's Y&R.

Kenney add a more contemporary and brighter look to the  60 min more 'action orientated' format of the 80's.

Scott really carried on from what Kenney had established.

10 hours ago, kalbir said:

How does this board rank Y&R's big three producers: John Conboy, H. Wesley Kenney, Ed Scott.

 

Don't forget David Shaugnessy! I thought he did a great job in the early 00s of refreshing the look of the show while keeping it Y&R. I also loved Ed Scott. The other two I can't speak too much on because I haven't seen enough of their material. With Ed Scott in particular, I remember being devastated when he was let go when they started the merry go round of HWs. It's a shame as well because giving all those HWs EP titles I feel spread them too thin and left them without someone to reign in bad habits. I feel LML would've worked with Ed Scott as EP and her not being allowed to fire Kay Alden and Jack Smith (right after returning after taking time to grieve his sons death!) and every other long term writer on staff. 

 

When Ed Scott went to DAYS I know there was drama with the writing, but the show instantly looked better and he was able to get better performances out of the actors. Then when they moved him to B&B, he refreshed that shows look to the point it now looks comparable to primetime. That show had become so stagnant and he doesn't get enough credit for bringing that show into the present. Still, it is 100% a Bell soap and doesn't look like an ABC soap or trying to be a primetime show. The sets are all fresh and the lighting and directing is perfect. They've also done the best job of blending location shooting in and including standing outdoor sets. My biggest wish for Y&R beyond any writing change is that Ed Scott returned as EP.

Out of all of them, Kenney seemed to be the only one Bell treated as an equal. His relationship with Conboy was, tumultuous, to say the least and he treated Ed Scott mostly as his executor and didn't necessarily seem to lean on him for writing/creative input beyond production and casting. 

 

Bell leaned heavily on Kenney's input for Y&R's shift to 60 minutes, and there was probably already an established trust there as Bell had worked with him at DAYS. I know Kenney later said he regretted leaving Y&R to go to GH, and out of the shows he produced, Y&R was his favorite. So much of the format that eventually drove Y&R to #1 was established with Kenney. I think for these reasons alone, I have to go with him.

Edited September 30, 20196 yr by BetterForgotten

On 9/29/2019 at 5:25 PM, Donna B said:

My favorite PGP promos:

 

Those ads are embarrassing ..skinny dipping???Does your baby need a daddy? WTF?  Though I would love for Mike to call me Daddy, but...well, that's another topic...

33 minutes ago, Mitch said:

Those ads are embarrassing ..skinny dipping???Does your baby need a daddy? WTF?  Though I would love for Mike to call me Daddy, but...well, that's another topic...

Well, if they are embarrassing, then, maybe I just have weird taste.

@Khan @BetterForgotten I also rank Wes Kenney #1. He's really the one that laid all the groundwork for Y&R as we've known it for the last 35 years.

18 hours ago, Donna B said:

Well, if they are embarrassing, then, maybe I just have weird taste.

LOL..who doesn't???

14 minutes ago, Mitch said:

LOL..who doesn't???

Bwa ha HA ha, okay, I'll claim it. It's quite enough for me to like something with guys in it, after all.

On 9/30/2019 at 4:57 AM, Chris B said:

 

Don't forget David Shaugnessy! I thought he did a great job in the early 00s of refreshing the look of the show while keeping it Y&R. I also loved Ed Scott. The other two I can't speak too much on because I haven't seen enough of their material. With Ed Scott in particular, I remember being devastated when he was let go when they started the merry go round of HWs. It's a shame as well because giving all those HWs EP titles I feel spread them too thin and left them without someone to reign in bad habits. I feel LML would've worked with Ed Scott as EP and her not being allowed to fire Kay Alden and Jack Smith (right after returning after taking time to grieve his sons death!) and every other long term writer...

Agreed. Under them Y&R still remained solid from 98-01, despite Bell's lessening his role in 98. That team helped Y&R remain decent from 01-05 aswell. Too bad Kay Alden's return a few years ago basically did nothing for the show. 

Edited October 9, 20196 yr by ironlion

Not that I think she is the worst, I think she is one of our better EPs, an excellent Director, a remarkable actress, one smart cookie, etc. but, anyway,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELLEN WHEELER!

 

And, I missed it yesterday, so one day late,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOAP OPERA NET COMMUNITY!

 

🎵🎶

 

 

 

 

Good lord Donna. I will take JFP anyday over Ellen Wheeler!! Jill was at least a strong woman who made hard decisions, unpopular or not. Ellen Wheeler was an embarrassment to GL. Peapack was a worse decision over killing Maureen Bauer.  Peapack? I still shudder over that mess. No wonder the show was cancelled. 

49 minutes ago, VanessaReardon said:

Good lord Donna. I will take JFP anyday over Ellen Wheeler!! Jill was at least a strong woman who made hard decisions, unpopular or not. Ellen Wheeler was an embarrassment to GL. Peapack was a worse decision over killing Maureen Bauer.  Peapack? I still shudder over that mess. No wonder the show was cancelled. 

 

#truth

 

Wheeler should have stayed an actress or director ... I think she 'meant well' (meaning she clearly cared about the cast, IMO) but wasn't the right person to handle that kind of transition. 

You are welcome to JFP if you choose her. I definitely do not choose her. And, I am a huge fan of Ellen Wheeler's. That's not a new thing for me to be saying here. I've said it before. She was a complicated lady but she was on the side of brilliance. And, she was strong. And, she made hard decisions. There's no way that Peapack was worse than killing Mo! Heck, John Conboy was probably one of GL's show killers! And, he wasn't even alone: he had Weston with him. She came up with solutions when they were needed. And, after Conboy spent his own budget & hers, too, leaving her with a deficit, she came up with money, with budgets. And, then, there was the writing: Otalia and Jammy were two of GL's best storylines. The Wednesday shows were so special. Going out into the community & building houses was an amazing that that they did. While I'm at it, did you all know that Beth Chamberlin knew how to use every power tool?!!! The only thing wrong with GL at the end was that they had to scramble so much for budget - which they successfully did - and that they needed to have been free of ConWest period - and that they didn't have enough time. If they had only had the amount of time that ATWT did ... If Jess hadn't had to be away for maternity leave ... GL just had a crunch.

While I'm talking about Ellen, which I rarely do unless I'm talking to AW fans or people on the GL team, I'll sort of break my habit & post an interesting anecdote: "My agent called me on a Friday at about 6 pm and said 'Now, what soap did you audition for first?' I said, 'RYAN'S HOPE.' And he said, 'Then what?' I said 'SANTA BARBARA.' 'And then what?' 'DAYS OF OUR LIVES.' 'Well, you were just cast on ANOTHER WORLD and you start on Tuesday.' Imagine how fast she had to begin. (She played Marley Love Hudson and Vicky Love Hudson 1984-1986; Marley Love Hudson 1998-present. ALL MY CHILDREN 2 roles Cindy & Karen; BOLD & BEAUTIFUL Sarah, Sheila's friend; AS THE WORLD TURNS Director; GUIDING LIGHT Executive Producer. Marley & Cindy won Emmys.) Wheeler left the role in 1986 and returned in 1988. ... "I felt that total connection to Jensen, the second I was back. I didn't even know her, so that's really weird. We had been parts of the same person. We had helped create the same people. A part of what I did influences how Vicky is today and part of what she did influences how my Marley is today, so it's an odd thing to say, but it gave us a common ground immediately." (Oddly, at the end of ANOTHER WORLD, Ellen played a taller Marley than Jensen played a shorter Vicky. - twins that were different heights.) Ellen Wheeler was once married to Tom Eplin. She has nothing but glowing things to say about him as an acting partner to different actresses - herself, Anne Heche, Jensen Buchanan and Molly Conlon.