ALL: Short lived Headwriter stints

[Michael]

Dena Higley's first run on Days. She was head writer (for air shows, at least) from like... April to early September 2003?

[Taoboi]

Yeah, I can already tell I'm going to love this thread when I get more time. Some of the stints listed...I liked. 

[Titus Andronicus]

Ruth Brooks Flippen was never mentioned in newspapers at the time. Days was a MASSIVE mess that year, but the writing department seemed be a massive mess by itself.

It was publicly announced in January 1980 that Elizabeth Harrower was fired and that Nina Laemmle was coming in. Except Harrower continued to write a few weeks more. Laemmle wasn't credited, as you see above, until April, nearly three months after she was initially announced.

Nothing was said in early 1980 what took Laemmle so long - she wasn't exactly writing anywhere else - but I'm wondering if there were some personal problems going on. Laemmle's daughter died a few months later, which was mentioned a couple of times at around the time she stepped down that fall.

Jason's database has Bill Hayes doing some writing in March 1980, which would have been about where Harrower quit being credited.

Flippen seems to be an emergency option at worst and transitional at best, She wrote a couple of episodes of Love Boat after Days, then died in July 1981.

Edited June 3, 2024 by Titus Andronicus

[YRfan23]

I think that was Sally Sussman who introduced Kirsten Storms when she came on.

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[j swift]

I've never heard that before, but how nuts is that?  Susan Seaforth Hayes went from acting out her mother's scripts to then working on her husband's scripts.  I recall her talking about in interviews that it was difficult amongst the cast when her mother was writing.  So, I wonder what it was like when Bill pitched in?

[Paul Raven]

Going off topic re Susan

She has acknowledged that BITD she could be a extra at times, so it's quite possible she might have been in her mom's ear about ideas/direction for Doug/Julie bit maybe Elizabeth was strong enough to block it all out. Just specualtion, of course.

I'm convinced Ruth Brooks Flippen was brought in due to some contractual or other mitigating circumstances to hold down the fort.

[John]

Thanks

[Maxim]

This is extremely fascinating... Like... the topic of a Documentary... level of fascinating. Thank you for this list. 

[te.]

The first ones I thought was were Brash & Cwikly on DAYS, but they were there for just short of a year! They then got replaced by Higley Round One before she managed to run it into the ground so badly that they had to get JER back.

 

I'm not sure why they replaced Brash and Cwikly in the first place - their stuff wasn't all home runs, but I do remember liking them alright especially efter the messy Langan run.

[MichaelGL]

Speaking of Brash and Cwikly, I would include Darrell Ray Thomas and Marlene McPherson as writers who had short stints on DAYS.  

[VelekaCarruthers]

Scab writer Don Chastain on SFT

Maggie DePriest stint on AMC and OLTL

Karpfs on Capitol

Corringtons GH, Capitol, OLTL

David Cherrill (who took over from Ellis/Hunt) on SFT 

Gary Tomlin's two SFT stints

Mayer/Braxton SFT 

As you can see SFT was one of the worst as far as firing head writers. As bad or worse than the doctors.

Swajeski supervised the scab writing team on AW for over five months which included Iacubuzio, Mimi Leahey, Michael Zazlow (yes Roger Thorpe) and his wife Susan Hufford, Nerissa Radell (who I believe is the wife of an exec or lawyer for the P&G advertising company that supervised AW at the time).  The scab material was lively and somewhat interesting. Lemay's material starting in September was boring and uninspired. NBC and/or P&G wanted the scabs and got them back.  

[JAS0N47]

I think he co-wrote material for the two variety show episodes in 1979 and the Tom/Alice 50th anniversary episode in March 1980. He wasn't on staff as a script writer.

UPDATE: I just checked the script writer file, and yes, he is just an additional credited writer along with the regular script writer for those 3 episodes. He probably wrote a song or two for those episodes.

3325  Michael Robert David & Bill Hayes
3326  Laura Olsher & Bill Hayes

3628  Paul Harrison & Bill Hayes

Dena Higley...........................................3/7/03-8/8/03.............9512-9617     (106)

Here's my "Days" writer database list:    http://www.jason47.com/days/writers.html

Writer(s)...........................................Start Date-End Date.........Episodes (Total)

Peggy Phillips & Kenneth Rosen...........11/8/65-12/31/65.............0001-0038      (38)

Peggy Phillips......................................1/3/66-7/4/66..................0039-0167    (129)

William J. Bell.......................................7/5/66-5/6/75.................0168-2378   (2211)

Pat Falken Smith..................................5/7/75-4/19/77...............2379-2880     (502)

Ann Marcus..........................................4/20/77-2/26/79.............2881-3362     (482)

Elizabeth Harrower................................2/27/79-3/14/80.............3363-3633     (271)

Ruth Brooks Flippen..............................3/17/80-4/18/80.............3634-3658       (25)

Nina Laemmle.......................................4/21/80-10/9/80.............3659-3782     (124)

Michelle Poteet-Lisanti...........................10/10/80-10/17/80 ........3783-3788        (6)

Gary Tomlin & Michelle Poteet-Lisanti.....10/20/80-10/20/81.........3789-4044     (256)

Pat Falken Smith..................................10/21/81-4/16/82...........4045-4170     (126)

Margaret DePriest & Sheri Anderson.......4/19/82-9/21/84............4171-4802     (632)

Margaret DePriest, Sheri Anderson & Thom Racina..9/24/84-10/25/84.........4803-4826      (24)

Sheri Anderson & Thom Racina...............10/26/84-11/30/84........4827-4852      (26)

Sheri Anderson, Thom Racina & Leah Laiman......12/3/84-11/10/86..........4853-5352     (500)

Thom Racina & Leah Laiman..................11/11/86-11/18/86........5353-5358         (6)

Leah Laiman.........................................11/19/86-3/14/89..........5359-5955     (597)

Anne Howard Bailey..............................3/15/89-1/19/90............5956-6175     (220)

Richard J. Allen & Anne Schoettle..........1/22/90-6/18/91............6176-6536     (361)

Gene Palumbo......................................6/19/91-1/30/92............6537-6694     (158)

Richard J. Allen & Beth Milstein.............1/31/92-6/11/92............6695-6789       (95)

Sheri Anderson.....................................6/12/92-7/9/92.............6790-6807       (18)

Sheri Anderson & Gene Palumbo...........7/10/92-8/6/92..............6808-6827      (20)

Sheri Anderson.....................................8/7/92-12/18/92............6828-6922      (95)

Sheri Anderson & James E. Reilly..........12/21/92-4/28/93..........6923-7012      (90)

James E. Reilly.....................................4/29/93-11/20/97.........7013-8172    (1160)

James E. Reilly & Sally Sussman Morina............11/21/97-12/23/97..........8173-8194      (22)

Sally Sussman Morina.........................12/24/97-10/14/99...........8195-8651    (457)

Lorraine Broderick..................................10/15/99-11/10/99.......8652-8670      (19)

Tom Langan..........................................11/11/99-3/28/02.........8671-9272     (602)

Peter Brash & Paula Cwikly....................3/29/02-3/6/03............9273-9511     (239)

Dena Higley...........................................3/7/03-8/8/03.............9512-9617     (106)

Dena Higley & James E. Reilly................8/11/03-8/15/03..........9618-9622      (5)

James E. Reilly......................................8/18/03-10/4/06..........9623-10414   (792)

Hogan Sheffer........................................10/5/06-1/24/08.........10415-10747   (333)

Dena Higley...........................................1/25/08*-8/25/11.......10748-11659   (912)

Marlene McPherson & Darrell Ray Thomas, Jr.......8/26/11-8/16/12.........11660-11898   (239)

Gary Tomlin & Christopher Whitesell....8/17/12-8/18/15..........11899-12656   (758)

Josh Griffith & Dena Higley...................8/19/15-2/19/16..........12657-12785   (129)

Josh Griffith, Dena Higley & Beth Milstein..2/22/16-9/2/16......12786-12912   (127)

Dena Higley & Ryan Quan.....................9/6/16-7/18/17..........12913-13131   (219)

Ron Carlivati..........................................7/19/17-Present........13132-Present  (+)

Edited June 4, 2024 by JAS0N47

[kalbir]

Days three definitive eras.

I had no idea there was so much writer turnover in the 1983-1990 supercouple era. 

[Paul Raven]

I recall reading somewhere that they had trouble keeping  to budget ie too many characters per episode too many sets etc. Maybe someone else can add to this.

The other thing I guess is that the ratings didn't improve in their year so their contracts weren't renewed.

[Khan]

By the way, @JAS0N47, do you know what happened to longtime DAYS scribe Michael Robert David?  I seem to recall reading he was a playwright before joining the show's writing staff, but it seems like he never wrote anything else after leaving the show.  Thanks!