Douglas Marland (born Marland Messner ; May 5, 1934 – March 6, 1993) was an American writer, known for his work as the head writer of several soap operas .
49-692: Marland began his career as an actor, appearing on the Irna Phillips series The Brighter Day and As the World Turns . He also did odd jobs on the side as a director for small theatre groups. On one such job, staging the DeSylva, Brown, and Henderson musical Good News! , he worked with Broadway dancer Edie Cowan and pianist Ethan Mordden , both of whom went on to professional careers as, respectively, choreographer and writer. Marland began his writing career by authoring some Nick Carter mysteries, under one of
98-615: A Lonely Number (1972). In 1987, Elliot appeared in the films Some Kind of Wonderful and Baby Boom . Elliot made her daytime debut in the short-lived ABC soap A Flame in the Wind in 1965. She is best known for her role as Tracy Quartermaine on the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital . Elliot debuted as Tracy in 1978 and became a fan favorite. Her first stint included a scene which underscored Tracy's ruthlessness, where Tracy withholds her father's heart medication when he appears to be suffering
147-495: A critical but not commercial success during the time that he wrote it. During the 1982–1983 season, he co-wrote, with James Rosin, a show that he had created, A New Day in Eden for the cable channel Showtime . The show was hailed as TV's first "nude" serial, in which many cast members would perform their love scenes without clothes. The show thrived on the taboo, showcasing bodies and a perverse combination of sex and violence, including
196-650: A daughter, Katherine Louise Phillips. After working as a staff writer on a daytime talk show, Phillips created the serial Painted Dreams , which aired daily except Sundays on local Chicago station WGN . Phillips wrote every episode of the series in addition being a starring cast member as the characters Mother Moynihan and Sue Morton. Mother Moynihan was a widowed matriarch of a large Irish-American family. Phillips based Mother Moynihan's struggles on her own mother's obstacles. After creating, producing and starring in Painted Dreams , Phillips became credited with innovating
245-463: A daytime serial format for radio geared toward women. Later known as “Queen of the Soaps”, she introduced techniques such as the organ bridge to give a smooth flow between scenes and the cliff-hanger ending to each episode. Phillips endured much disapproval for her writing, especially from sponsors like Procter & Gamble . The radio business during the 1930s was heavily male-dominated, and as result, it
294-534: A deflowering in a barn, a sexual assault in a shower, and one story in which a woman seduced the rival for another man's affections in a lesbian storyline. Despite its controversy and the fact that the cast included Steve Carlson, Jane Elliot (fresh from her run as Tracy on GH & Carrie on GL ), and Lara Parker (famous as the witch Angelique on the cult Dark Shadows ) and that it was produced and sometimes directed by daytime veteran actress Susan Flannery , A New Day in Eden only lasted 66 episodes. Marland
343-461: A heart attack. Elliot left in 1980 and won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for the role in 1981. The same year, she landed the recurring role of Judy Trent on the prime time CBS series Knots Landing . From 1981 to 1982, Elliot appeared on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light as Carrie Todd, a character who was involved with Ross Marler; Ross learns that Carrie
392-455: A son, Scott Eldridge, hitherto unknown to viewers, who tracked her down as an adult. (He was said to have been born during the several-month-long lapse between when Private World ended and when Lisa resurfaced on ATWT in mid-1966.) He also introduced a new working-class family, the Snyders, into the storyline and added new dimensions to the wealthy Lucinda Walsh ( Elizabeth Hubbard ) by tying
441-472: A stillborn child at age 19, she found spiritual comfort listening to sermons by a preacher of a church centered on the brotherhood of man. It was these sermons that formed the nucleus of the creation of The Guiding Light . From 1937 to 1946, the series was broadcast from Chicago on the NBC radio network. The show was cancelled by NBC twice; once in 1939, and once in 1946. After the first time on October 13, 1939, it
490-596: A variety of new acting talent were added to the program: Kathy Bates (Phyllis), Glenn Corbett (Jason Aldrich), Carol Potter (Betsy Match), Ted Danson (Mitch Pierson), and Jonathan Frakes (Tom Carroll), among other actors. Marland was instrumental in shifting the serial's focus away from Hope Memorial Hospital to the Powers and Aldrich families, as well as the Dancy family, introduced by previous head writers Robert Cenedella and Margaret DePriest. After his job on The Doctors , he
539-523: A white man. CBS and Twentieth Century-Fox Television were co- producers of the show. All 1,430 episodes of Love Is a Many Splendored Thing were recorded on videotape at CBS Broadcast Center Studio 41 in New York. Phillips was the unofficial story editor for A World Apart , an ABC soap opera that was created by her daughter, Katherine. One of the main characters was a soap opera writer who lived in Chicago and
SECTION 10
#1732855757267588-464: Is a murderer and has a split personality . Elliot considers her time as Carrie as one of her favorite roles, saying "the most was asked of me when I was doing that role." From 1984 to 1986 she played Cynthia Chandler Preston Cortlandt on All My Children . Cynthia seduced wealthy, older Palmer Cortlandt, broke up Palmer and Daisy's marriage and married Palmer, while sleeping with Ross Chandler. In 1986 producer Gail Kobe contacted Elliot, to offer her
637-560: Is an American actress, best known for her role as Tracy Quartermaine in the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital . Elliot appeared in a number of episodic prime time television series, such as The Mod Squad , Kojak , Barnaby Jones and Police Woman . She had a lead role in the short-lived NBC series Rosetti and Ryan in 1977. Elliot also made film appearances, including Change of Habit (1969); opposite Elvis Presley , Mary Tyler Moore , and Barbara McNair ; and One Is
686-523: The Walshes and Snyders together. This resulted in the pairing of Lily Walsh ( Martha Byrne ) and Holden Snyder ( Jon Hensley ). It was also revealed that Iva Snyder ( Lisa Brown ) was the biological mother of Lucinda's adopted daughter Lily. The new Snyder family was based largely on Douglas Marland's own experiences; he grew up on a farm in West Sand Lake, NY . In several interviews, Marland remarked that
735-453: The World Turns , Rosemary Prinz did a scene, and when we were only off the air five minutes, Irna was on the phone and tore her to pieces. I don't think Irna liked actors." Phillips and Bell would cede the head writing role at Another World to James Lipton ; Agnes Nixon would succeed him. In 1965, Phillips was a story editor for Days of Our Lives and was a story consultant on Peyton Place before co-creating Our Private World ,
784-592: The World Turns , and Another World . She was also a mentor to several other pioneers of the American daytime soap opera, including Agnes Nixon , William J. Bell and Ted Corday . Phillips was one of 10 children born to a German-Jewish family in Chicago . Her father died when she was 8, leaving her mother alone to raise the children. She claimed to be a lonely child always given hand-me-down clothes and making up long and involved stories for her dolls to live out. At 19, she
833-491: The World Turns , Marland gave an interview to a soap magazine with his rules on "how NOT to ruin a soap". In the years that followed, and since his death, the rules have been much discussed in the serial press and by Internet soap opera fans. [1] The rules are: Marland won several Daytime Emmy Awards , including one in 1974-75 as the associate writer for "Another World," and two as head writer for "Guiding Light." He also earned several Emmy nominations as head writer for "As
882-602: The World Turns" Daytime Emmy Awards WINS NOMINATIONS Writers Guild of America Award NOMINATIONS Irna Phillips Irna Phillips (July 1, 1901 – December 23, 1973) was an American scriptwriter, screenwriter, casting agent and actress. She is best remembered for pioneering a format of the daytime soap opera in the United States geared specifically toward women. Phillips created, produced, and wrote several radio and television daytime serials throughout her career, including Guiding Light , As
931-444: The backstory of the radio series, told from the point of view of the "keeper of the guiding light", Reverend John Ruthledge. In 1949, Phillips created the first serial broadcast on a major television network, These Are My Children , which ran on NBC for one month. In 1956, she created As the World Turns , one of the first two daytime serials to run a half-hour in length (the other being The Edge of Night , which premiered on CBS
980-400: The changes at General Hospital were a success, Marland was not interested in moving to Los Angeles, where the show was produced, and didn't like the show's increased pacing by Monty. Marland left the show a year later. Back in New York, he was asked by CBS Daytime to temporarily assume the head writing reins at As the World Turns , which he did for thirteen weeks. In 1979, he assumed
1029-467: The character of Seth Snyder was based largely on his own life. Seth was the oldest child, who had been taken on great responsibility in helping to raise his siblings following patriarch Harvey Snyder's death. This event was key to the formation of the Snyder family dynamic, in that Marland was allowed to write a strong and independent yet maternal figure in matriarch Emma Snyder ( Kathleen Widdoes ). Marland
SECTION 20
#17328557572671078-452: The first primetime series to be spun off from a daytime serial. The series featured the As the World Turns character Lisa Miller ; the series ran during the spring, summer and early fall of 1965, before being cancelled. She left Love is a Many Splendored Thing when CBS censors refused to fully tell a love story involving an Amerasian woman (born out of the love affair in the original film ) and
1127-399: The head writing reins of Guiding Light . Marland's run on GL produced popular storylines and characters. One character Marland introduced was Nola Reardon, played by Lisa Brown . The unconventional Nola started as a villainess and became the heroine of the show. Another story was an envelope-pushing story that featured the character of Carrie Todd Marler (played by Jane Elliot ). Carrie
1176-527: The internal workings of a hospital; it was one of the first daytime serials to be set in a hospital. It was on Woman in White that Phillips first began working with Agnes Nixon . William J. Bell also began his apprenticeship under Phillips during her radio days. In 1937, Phillips collaborated with Emmons Carlson on her third radio serial, The Guiding Light (shortened to simply Guiding Light after 1975), basing it on personal experiences; after giving birth to
1225-424: The many that followed during her career. By 1938, Painted Dreams emerged from the courts and was purchased by CBS . The nature of the court settlement prohibited Phillips from any future involvement with the series. That year, when Phillips's mother died, she demanded that Today's Children be discontinued out of respect. CBS agreed and replaced it with her new series, Woman in White , a serial which focused on
1274-518: The marriage and birth). Another story featured town matriarch Nancy Hughes helping a young, illiterate African-American girl (played by singer/actress Lauryn Hill ), learn to read. Marland also penned a story featuring the character of Ellie Snyder having an abortion ; abortion is a rarity in daytime and this again allowed Marland to write about both sides of a controversial issue. Marland wrote ATWT until his death from complications after abdominal surgery on March 6, 1993. During his tenure at As
1323-473: The much younger Justin Kiriakis (played by Wally Kurth ), and becomes pregnant with his child. Complications ensue when Anjelica discovers that Harper is sterile, and has always known about it. Elliot played the part of Anjelica for two years, with the character being involved in many additional complications and intrigues. After leaving Days of Our Lives , she returned to General Hospital in 1989, and in 1991
1372-440: The news that Hank was gay. Hank was written off of the show to take care of his lover Charles, who was dying of AIDS . Starcher was nominated for a Soap Opera Digest Award in 1990. Marland diversified the previously white canvas of As the World Turns, introducing an Amerasian character as the child of a Vietnam vet, and also featuring a story of a mixed-race couple marrying and having a baby (and showing negative reactions to
1421-455: The object of radio advertising has failed". With this in mind, she wrote in an engagement and a wedding which provided the possibility of product tie-ins. In 1932, Phillips urged WGN to sell Painted Dreams to a national network. When they refused, Phillips took them to court, claiming the series as her own property. WGN manager Henry Selinger claimed to have come up with the original daytime serial to sell products for women. However, Phillips
1470-415: The publisher's standard pseudonyms. He first started writing scripts for soap operas in the 1970s, as a script writer for Harding Lemay on Another World . He was hired by NBC Daytime in 1976 after then head writer , Margaret DePriest , left The Doctors . Although Marland's writing received critical acclaim and the show received Daytime Emmys, ratings dropped. During his tenure on The Doctors ,
1519-539: The remainder of its run until its television conclusion in September 2009. In the 1940s, Phillips wrote two million words a year, dictated six to eight hours a day, and earned $ 250,000 a year. Her other serials of the era included The Right to Happiness (1939–60) and The Brighter Day (1954–62). In 1938, Phillips supervised the creation of the tie-in book, The Guiding Light , published by The Guiding Light Co. of 360 North Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois. The book traced
Douglas Marland - Misplaced Pages Continue
1568-560: The role of Stephanie Douglas Forrester on the newly created CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful . Elliot accepted the role, but on Christmas Eve 1986, Kobe called Elliot to tell her that Susan Flannery was returning to daytime as Stephanie, and creator Bill Bell had given Flannery the part instead. Elliot next appeared on daytime as Anjelica Deveraux on Days of Our Lives from 1987 to 1989. Although married to Harper Deveraux (played by Joseph Campanella ), Anjelica has an affair with
1617-409: The same day). Within two years, As the World Turns had become the highest-rated drama, a position it would retain for over two decades. Within six months of the series' debut, Phillips fired lead actress Helen Wagner because she reportedly did not like the way she poured coffee. Procter & Gamble and CBS both backed Wagner, and Phillips was forced to rehire her. Wagner remained as a cast member on
1666-540: The series until her death in 2010, just months before As the World Turns concluded. Phillips co-created Another World with William J. Bell in 1964, originally planned as a sister show to As the World Turns . Although Procter & Gamble owned both series, CBS had no room for the program and rival network NBC acquired broadcast rights. Phillips fired veteran actor John Beal from Another World after only one episode, and actress Fran Sharon after two weeks. Actress Kay Campbell stated, "I'll never forget once on As
1715-725: Was a creative consultant on Peyton Place (1964–69), and was an unofficial consultant on A World Apart , which was created by her adopted daughter Katherine. Phillips was also a story editor on Days of Our Lives . Irna Phillips died in Chicago on December 23, 1973, aged 72, from undisclosed causes. Harding Lemay wrote her obituary and he and his wife paid to have the words placed in The New York Times . Agnes Nixon learned of Phillips' death when she called her mentor to wish her well on Christmas Day. According to Nixon, Phillips had not wanted anyone to know that she had died. Jane Elliot Jane Elliot (born January 17, 1947 )
1764-503: Was also credited with bringing original cast members Helen Wagner and Don MacLaughlin back to the center the show as Nancy and Chris Hughes, after they'd been bumped to recurring status in 1982. When McLaughlin (and his character) died in 1986, Marland paired Nancy with Chief of Detectives Dan McClosky, and then chronicled McClosky's subsequent battle with Alzheimer's disease. He also reached back to Lisa McColl's 1965 stint on short-lived ATWT spinoff Our Private World , giving her
1813-500: Was also responsible for adding the first gay male character on an American soap opera to his story during his tenure, Hank Elliot (Brian Starcher). The story was short-lived (Hank was featured for about 18 months), but groundbreaking; the soap opera became a pioneer for others who wished to put gay male characters, heretofore unseen, on their respective shows. Although the story centered on Hank, it allowed viewers to see another side to long running characters, when those characters reacted to
1862-496: Was brought back by popular demand of the listening audience and began again only four months later on January 22, 1940. NBC cancelled the series a second time on November 29, 1946, coinciding with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission forcing a split of NBC and the creation of the ABC network. CBS would pick up the series seven months later on June 2, 1947, where it transferred to television in June 1952, and where it would stay for
1911-428: Was claimed the audience for Phillips' serials were childlike, unrealistic, vulgar, and distasteful. In reality, her female characters were depicted as strong women with options, education, and personality. Phillips' characters were not something of the ordinary for the stereotypical 1930s women. No regular male roles were introduced until later in the series' run. The conflict most basic to the programs' dramatic structure
1960-400: Was diagnosed with multiple personalities , and Marland had barely delved into her psychosis when Elliot's contract was abruptly terminated by Executive Producer Allen M. Potter in 1982; Marland resigned in protest. Marland next teamed up with fellow writer Agnes Nixon to create Loving , which premiered in June 1983. He served as head writer for the show's first two years. The show was
2009-484: Was hired by ABC Daytime in 1978 to work with Gloria Monty on their serial General Hospital . At that time, the show was near cancellation. Marland's writing, along with Monty's extensive production changes, helped the show rise in the ratings. Marland was instrumental in pairing the iconic of Luke Spencer and Laura Webber , as well as creating vixen nurse Bobbie Spencer , and the Quartermaine family . Although
Douglas Marland - Misplaced Pages Continue
2058-529: Was hired in 1985 to return to As the World Turns . Marland refocused the show and made the Hughes family central to the plot again. He utilized over 30 years of history to create new storylines for core characters Bob Hughes and Kim Hughes . (One story, where a child previously thought to be dead was found to be alive and living in England, was a dual role played by future Oscar -winning actress Julianne Moore .) He
2107-419: Was hired to write as well as perform in this first series. Disputes of ownership over the innovative serial ended Phillips' association with WGN and she was picked up by opponent station WMAQ. Painted Dreams was then changed to Today’s Children featuring the same plot and debate over starting a career or starting a family. Phillips had then learned to retain all rights and ownership to her newly titled show and
2156-503: Was in charge of a soap opera in New York. Soon after, As the World Turns asked her to come back and write for them. Phillips introduced a number of characters to the show and integrated them with the core Hughes family. Her new story, and the show's new heroine, Kimberly Sullivan ( Kathryn Hays ), became involved with longtime hero, Bob Hughes ( Don Hastings ). Bob was married to Kim's sister Jennifer, but Phillips had Kim seduce Bob. She became pregnant. P&G fired Phillips in early 1973; it
2205-465: Was pregnant, abandoned by her boyfriend, and then gave birth to a still-born baby. She studied drama at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (where she became a member of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority), receiving a Master of Arts degree before going on to earn a master's degree in journalism at the University of Wisconsin–Madison . Phillips wanted to be an actress, but her teachers told her she
2254-473: Was reunited with Kurth, who was cast as Tracy's son, Ned Ashton . Elliot left again in mid-1993, later becoming a producer on the 1995 ABC soap opera The City . From 1996 to 1997 she reprised the role of Tracy Quartermaine on The City after briefly appearing as Tracy again on General Hospital . In 2003, Elliot returned to General Hospital as a regular cast member. In 2014, she was nominated for another Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in
2303-421: Was that between traditional and changing gender roles: Irene Moynihan, the daughter was characterized as the “aspiring modern girl, with ambitions toward a career”, against Mother Moynihan's and Sue Morton's more traditional views. Although Painted Dreams began as an unsponsored program, Phillips believed that a radio series must be a "utility to its sponsors" and that it must "actually sell merchandise; otherwise
2352-663: Was to be her last writing gig. On January 25, 2007, in an episode celebrating the 70th Anniversary of Guiding Light , the current cast portrayed actors and behind-the-scenes personnel from the early years of the series (both radio and TV). Beth Ehlers played Phillips, and several incidents in her life were fictionalized in the series. Phillips was a fiercely independent entrepreneur who retained ownership rights to all her series, producing through Carl Wester and Company and allowing agencies, sponsors, and networks little control over her soap opera empire. Phillips created (and co-created) radio and TV soap operas including: Phillips also
2401-497: Was too plain to have any real success. From 1925 to 1930, she worked as a school teacher in Dayton, Ohio , teaching drama and theatre history to schoolchildren. While working in this capacity she continued to attempt a career as an actress, and after performing several acting roles for radio productions at WGN in Chicago, she left her career as a teacher. At the age of 42, Phillips adopted a son, Thomas Dirk Phillips. A year later, she adopted
#266733