AN UNUSUAL AND EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH COURTNEY SIMON (SCRIPT WRITER ON SB FROM 1985 TO 1991) - PART ONE

Courtney Simon is an American writer and actress. Miss Simon is best known for having created the role of Kathy Phillips on the long-running soap opera Search for Tomorrow. She has also played roles on Guiding Light, All My Children, and Another World. As a featured actress, she is best known for playing Dr. Lynn Michaels on As the World Turns. Miss Simon began to contribute to shows as a writer while she was still a cast member at Search for Tomorrow. As a script writer, she worked for Search for tomorrow, Santa Barbara, Loving, Guiding Light, General Hospital, Another World, All my children, As the world turns and currently for One life to live. With recurring, part-time acting roles, she has occasionally worked at a show as a writer and as an actor; she has also worked on one show as a writer while appearing on another program as an actor. She has won numerous awards including 7 Daytime Emmys (one of them for SB) and 3 Writers Guild of America Award (two of them for SB). And now the interview that Miss Simon has granted exclusively to "Santa Barbara Blog".

You were part of SB from 1985: who hired you?

I was hired by Jerry Dobson.  I was working at another show at the time and Jerry called to say that if I ever became dissatisfied there, to please let him know because there’d be a script job waiting for me at Santa Barbara.  His timing could not have been better.   I was itching to make a change and I took him up on the offer immediately! 

You worked on SB from 1985 to 1991 as a scriptwriter. In my opinion, you along with Patrick Mulcahey, Frank Salisbury, Lynda Myles and the Dobsons were the soul of SB. Really. You have seen five Executive Producers (the Dobsons, Jeffrey Hayden, Mary Ellis-Bunim, Jill Farren Phelps and John Conboy) coming and then leaving SB, four Head Writers (The Dobsons, Charles Pratt jr, Anne Bailey Howard, Sheri Anderson) coming and then leaving. Which of them gave you the most freedom to create, and who did not?

The Dobsons and Jill Farren Phelps were enormously supportive producers who always made me feel valued.  And as headwriters, the Dobsons were beyond compare. 

You worked closely with the Dobsons. Can you tell us how were the relations between them and the network? Was there a lot of tension? Did these tensions have an effect on your work? If so, how?

It was heartbreaking when they were essentially forced out of their own show, a show they had created and nurtured from the beginning.  But they never let the tensions with the network affect their relationship with the writing team. 

I liked the Dobsons  especially because they were not afraid to take risks. But I do not know them.  Can you give us a professional and human portrait of Dobsons? Do you have any anecdotes?

Most people would agree that Bridget and Jerry Dobson were creative geniuses willing to “think outside the box” and push the limits of the serial format.  But those of us lucky enough to work for them also found warm, accessible, hilarious friends who went out of their way to bestow affection and offer encouragement.  I remember picking up the phone at 8:30 one morning and it was Jerry, calling to tell me he’d enjoyed a script of mine.  I pointed out that it was only 5:30 in the morning California time!  Yet he thought nothing of it.  He was fully energized and had already run several miles before editing my script!  He and Bridget were both so generous.  If they knew any of the writers were coming to Los Angeles, they would have us over or take us out to dinner.  And they never failed to come to New York without assembling the entire team (and possibly a few cast members) at a restaurant.  I can’t remember ever having more fun as part of a writing team.  It was a lively, dedicated group and the Dobsons kept our energy at a peak.

The storyline of Eden’s multiple personalities (1991) was very controversial. Many people criticized it. Marcy Walker was not too excited about it. Who had the idea and who developed it? What do you remember and what do you think?

I wish I could remember specific storylines, but after writing about ten different serials over a period of 35 years, I must confess that too many details escape me now.  So forgive me, but I can’t remember the origin of the multiple personality story for Eden. 

Which storylines are you most proud of? And which ones did  you not love and would not have wanted to write? Was there a character you loved more than others?

I do, however, remember being very proud of the story where Eden was raped. As you point out in question 12, the handling of this story was uncompromising and extremely courageous for its time.   What stays in my mind to this day is the medical exam Eden was forced to endure afterwards, both the creative camerawork, and Marcy’s painful, exquisite portrayal. As for other things I enjoyed writing, Keith and Gina were a delight and so were Mason and Mary. Maybe now would be a good time to jump ahead to part of question 7, regarding Mary’s death by “The Big C”.  That incident may have offended some, but along with the serving of the Lockridge pet pigeon for dinner, it was pure Dobson in its complete unexpectedness.   On no other show would you find characters like Augusta and Lionel Lockridge.  I’m laughing to myself now, remembering their “circle of truth”.  Some people suggested Augusta and Lionel were alter-egos for Bridget and Jerry and there may have been a little truth in it!  They had an outrageous side that only added to their other gifts.

Take a look at a criticism that was made by Soap Opera Digest. I would like to know your opinion about it and your memory about storylines like the Carnation Killer and Mary’s death: “Mental cruelty governs this show, which deliberately chooses far-out and unusual kinds of brutality to separate its lovers. Happiness is constantly interrupted by rape, torture, explosions, bomb blasts, fires, imprisonment, mind and personality-altering drugs, systematic revenge by thwarted lovers, and death - real and imagined. When SB writes itself into a corner, their way out is to kill the offending character in a bizarre manner. Out of such a need the Carnation Killer was born, the SB earthquake occurred, and beloved Mary McCormack was brained by the letter C from the collapsing sign above the Capwell Hotel. Daily violence is the rule. Whether its Mason being kidnapped, you can be sure someone is going to be in danger whenever you tune in. In SB's favor, not everyone is in trouble at the same time, usually”.

Looking back, I really don’t feel that Santa Barbara featured more violence or cruelty than other shows.  And if so, the violence was offset by an abundance of humor and just plain wackiness.   (I can’t wait to see how the word “wackiness” translates into Italian)

In your work as a scriptwriter, did you care about any request of the actors in SB? Did you interact with them, or you were not interested in their demands? Which actors have you been more in touch?

Usually scriptwriters are not informed of requests from actors.  Those are things headwriters deal with at the studio.  I greatly admired the cast and would have loved to have gotten to know them, but we only got to meet the actors on special occasions such as the Daytime Emmys or a holiday party. 

How was it working with Robin Wright? Can you give us a personal and professional portrait of Robin?

I don’t believe I ever actually met Robin Wright and if I did, it was only in passing.  I have great respect for all the work she’s done in films but I never got the feeling she was very happy at SB.

Then Robin temporarily left Santa Barbara to film "The Princess Bride." So Kelly was sent to Switzerland to hide from the police. Thus Gina began the long blackmail with the videotape that exonerated Kelly from a murder charge. This is one of my favorite storylines. Evil Gina rocks. She blackmailed CC & Sophia, forcing CC to marry her again! DoYou know if it was planned or whether it was written only to justify the absence of Robin? (watch the videos below)

I have no idea whether Gina’s blackmail story was dictated by Kelly’s absence, but if that’s the case, it’s a perfect example of how something that seems like bad news at the time (Robin’s departure to do a film) can give birth to a story that takes off in an unexpected way. 

to be continued...