Irna Phillips mentored two especially creative geniuses of modern day soap operas. Mere toddlers when the domestic soaps began, William J. Bell (read more about him on Page 9) and Agnes Nixon both served arduous apprenticeships, emerging with the belief that soap opera had meaning and relevance in the turbulent world of the 1960s. Born on December 10, 1927, Agnes Nixon met Irna Phillips during the production of her 1940s radio soap opera, “The Woman in White,” for which Nixon eventually wrote dialogue. Agnes also shared in Irna’s creative credit (circa 1956) for the televised soap, “As the World Turns”. After a long & illustrious career, the now-84-yr. old Agnes Nixon is succinctly described on her own website as, “…the celebrated creator, writer and packager of daytime dramas. She is a pioneer in the genre and forever changed the face of television by creating a mosaic of ethnic and religious characters, infusing humor, and tackling potent social issues such as abortion and AIDS when no one else on television dared. Among the more memorable characters she has created are two of the genre’s best-known and loved, Erica Kane of ‘All My Children’ and Victoria Lord Buchanan of ‘One Life to Live’. Among the other shows she has also created are ‘Loving’ and ‘The City’. She is a story consultant to ABC Daytime.” Ever since word spread in April of 2011, livid & heartbroken soap fans have blamed executive villainy & incompetence at the ABC network level for the cancellations of “All My Children” (ended Sept. 23, 2011) and “One Life to Live” (scheduled to end in January of 2012). However, an optimistic, post-cancellation entry appears on Agnes Nixon’s homepage, as well: “I am so thrilled to tell you that our shows will live on! I’m looking forward to working with our amazing team alongside Prospect Park to continue the tradition and make the shows better than ever. I am incredibly grateful to you, our loyal fans, who have been so supportive over the past 40 plus years. Your tireless advocacy over these past few months has touched me deeply. You made this day happen. Thank you!” So, if all goes well, we’ll be able to enjoy the exploits of Erika Kane, Victoria Lord Buchannan, et. al., streaming on the Internet for years to come! Recent information published in Variety indicated that in January of 2012 devoted fans of “AMC” & “OLTL” should look for Prospect Park’s “The Online Network” (TOLN for short). At press time, yours truly is holding her breath & crossing her fingers!
This collection of color coordinated fashion fabrics is from the Winter 2011 issue of Vogue Fabrics By Mail. Order a subscription to this swatch club catalog service to receive home delivery.
This collection of color coordinated fashion fabrics is from the Winter 2011 issue of Vogue Fabrics By Mail. Order a subscription to this swatch club catalog service to receive home delivery.
