THE JOURNAL-NEWS, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1983
Life is not all suds for writer of soap operas By LYNDA HIRSCH
On a recent Monday, L. Virginia Browne was assured by a Procter & Gamble executive that she would have a long life as “Guiding Light’s” head writer. On the following Thursday she was asked to stop down at the office before lunch, where Allen Potter told her she was fired. It was Potter’s last day as executive producer before he was to head out to fill that spot at 'Another World.” Browne called us and said she was “stunned. If I hadn’t been assured just four days earlier that they loved me and my work, loved the storyboards and the long-term plot lines, I wouldn't have been so surprised. We all assumed with a new producer coming in that things would change, so being told that everything was fine was a great relief.”
Why was Browne assured one day that she was doing well and a few days later let go? “The man who assured me that my job was safe was conspicuously absent. When I asked the others why I was let go, I was told that I was ‘too strong’ a head writer, whatever that means.”
According to Browne, under her head-writership the show had gone , from No. 7 to No. 5 in the daytime ratings. Browne, who served along with several other writers as dialoguers to Doug Marland when he was head writer of the show, took over a mere 13 weeks ago, right after Pat Falken Smith was let go. Browne said she had a conversation with Falken Smith, who told her, “At least you beat the length of my term as head writer.” Gene Palumbo, who came on with Browne to be cohead writer, is going to continue in that role.
According to Browne, she has been asked to continue working on the show’s long-term stories through July. “They may throw it out the window when I’m done with it, but I’m at least pleased that it appears I might have some say on how the show goes through July.” As for future projects, Browne says that she has a nighttime idea that is being serious connsidered, and of course she would still love to do daytime. “I truly love ‘The Guiding Light.’ I’ve worked I on other soap operas, and of course they’re all special to you, but ‘Guiding Light’ was more so than others. I loved the group of people I worked with and the characters. Although I may have been head writer for only 13 weeks, I worked on the show in a writing capacity for over a year.”
As to who decided to axe her, Browne says she’s not certain; she was unable to reach Gail Kobe, the show’s new executive producer, as Miss Kobe was on vacation before taking over her duties. The Cullitons, who served as head writers on “Texas” before that show’s demise last month, are coming over to “Guiding Light.”It would appear that life is not all suds for those working in the world of soap opera.
L Virginia Browne could have been good for SFT or ATWT but she never had a headwriting position again,
By
Paul Raven ·
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