Jill Farren Phelps (born August 18, 1948 in Methuen, Massachusetts) and has been the executive producer of many American television soap operas: Santa Barbara (1987-1991), Guiding Light (1991-1995), Another World (1995-1996), One Life to Live (1998-2001), and currently General Hospital (2001-present). Seal of Methuen, MA The Town of Methuen is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts. ... Santa Barbara was an American soap opera which ran on NBC for 2137 episodes from July 30, 1984 to January 15, 1993. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Another World (AW) (sometimes called Another World: Bay City to distinguish it from its spinoffs in the 1970s and 1980s) was a Daytime Emmy-winning American soap opera which ran on the NBC television network (CTV in Canada) from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. ... One Life to Live is an American soap opera which has been broadcast on the ABC television network since July 15, 1968. ... General Hospital is the longest-running daytime American soap opera on the ABC television network, and is also the longest-running soap opera produced in Hollywood (having been taped at the Prospect Avenue ABC Television Center West and Sunset-Gower Studios). ...

She got her start as a music director on General Hospital and later on Santa Barbara before she started producing. The title of music director is used by many orchestras to designate the primary conductor of the orchestra. ...

Strengths

When Phelps arrives at a show, cosmetic set changes are apparent immediately. Since Phelps began as a music supervisor, she usually revamps a show's music. She also focuses on atmospheric lighting and set design.

Phelps is not a "traditionalist" in terms of being a soap opera producer. Aside from General Hospital (where she immediately ran into creative problems) Phelps' strong-willed vision produces quality storylines and stellar performances for the first 6 months to a year of her tenure as executive producer. This was probably most evident when she became the producer of Guiding Light in 1991; the show was already in the midst of a creative upswing, but the changes she made enhanced the show's quality.

In part due to Phelps' fondness for bloc voting, she has garnered an impressive amount of Daytime Emmy nominations for cast and crew. Under her watch Santa Barbara won 3 Best Drama Emmys in a row (although the first was for material which aired before her arrival). Phelps later won another Daytime Emmy for General Hospital for Outstanding Drama Series in 2005 and 2006. Bloc voting (or block voting) (also called Plurality-at-large) refers to a class of voting systems which can be used to elect several representatives from a single constituency. ... The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A list of the actors Phelps favors has produced a few misfires, but mostly consists of extremely gifted and diverse performers who do their best with the writing they are given, such as Justin Deas, Erika Slezak, David Forsyth, Marcy Walker, Jensen Buchanan, and Linda Dano. Justin Deas (born March 30, 1948 in Connellsville, Pennsylvania) is an American actor. ... Erika Slezak, in a still from the One Life to Live opening sequence. ... David Forsyth (born September 18, 1947) is a well-known American soap opera actor. ... Marcy Walker, in a still from the opening sequence of All My Children. ... Categories: Stub | 1962 births | Soap opera actors ... Linda Dano as Felicia Gallant Linda Dano (born Linda Rae Wildermuth on May 12, 1943) is a well-known American soap opera actor. ...

Accusations

Phelps has recycled themes and, in some cases, storylines from show to show (Guiding Light, Another World, and One Life to Live all featured a story about a young woman going into the police force and falling for her tough instructor). Phelps has a quirkier and, in most cases, darker creative vision. This fits better with some shows (General Hospital) than others (Another World) This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Another World is a book by Pat Barker. ... One Life to Live is an American soap opera which has been broadcast on the ABC television network since July 15, 1968. ... General Hospital is the longest-running daytime American soap opera on the ABC television network, and is also the longest-running soap opera produced in Hollywood (having been taped at the Prospect Avenue ABC Television Center West and Sunset-Gower Studios). ... Another World (AW) (sometimes called Another World: Bay City to distinguish it from its spinoffs in the 1970s and 1980s) was a Daytime Emmy-winning American soap opera which ran on the NBC television network (CTV in Canada) from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. ...

Phelps has been accused of favoritism for using some of the same actors. The actors - Timothy Gibbs, John Bolger, Mark Derwin, Kale Browne, and Jensen Buchanan among them - were undeniably talented; however, in some cases the characters were unnecessary. In the case of Gibbs, he was an unpopular recast for an actor that many had liked. (One of the first instances of this was when Marcy Walker, an Emmy-winning actress, was cast in a role on Guiding Light that was unpopular and underdeveloped.) Fans dubbed these actors "FOJ" or "Friends of Jill", causing such tension that at a 2000 One Life to Live fan club luncheon Derwin wore a "FOJ" badge on his shirt. (It was during Phelps' reign on One Life To Live that the "FOJ" syndrome reached its peak.) Only Derwin was a fairly strong success in his new role; Gibbs, Bolger, and Browne either left or were released from One Life to Live in 2001 after Phelps' departure, and Procter & Gamble sued Phelps and won because Buchanan had a contract with them in 2002. Buchanan joined GH after her limited contract with P&G expired, but was written out of GH within a year. Timothy Gibbs (born April 17, 1967) is an American actor who starred in soap operas such as Santa Barbara as Dash Nichols, Another World as Gary Sinclair from 1995 to 1998 and One Life to Live as Kevin Buchanan from 1998 to 2001. ... Mark Derwin (born October 28, 1960) is an American actor. ... Categories: Stub | 1950 births | Soap opera actors ... Categories: Stub | 1962 births | Soap opera actors ... Marcy Walker, in a still from the opening sequence of All My Children. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... One Life to Live is an American soap opera which has been broadcast on the ABC television network since July 15, 1968. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Procter & Gamble Co. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

While she won Emmy awards for her work on Santa Barbara, her decision to fire fan favorites from shows she had worked on in the past have caused her credibility to be, arguably, damaged irreparably in the eyes of some soap opera fans. An Emmy Award. ...

On Another World Phelps released Paul Michael Valley from his contract, reportedly because she did not like him as a love interest for actress Jensen Buchanan. She also killed off popular heroine Frankie Frame (played by Alice Barrett). Frankie was strangled on-screen at the hands of the Bay City Serial Killer. Originally, fan favorite Anna Stuart was to be the victim of the Bay City Serial Killer. Phelps, with the help of head writer Margaret DePriest, encouraged the implementation of the story, which was a carbon copy of the Sin Stalker storyline which first aired on Another World in 1987. As the audience picked up clues and realized that Stuart's character, Donna Love, would be next to die, fans flooded newsgroups with their vocal opposition. Viewers called and wrote to the NBC studios in New York City, and Phelps was forced to pick another actor. In order to fit budget constraints, another "mid-level actor" would have to be fired; it was revealed later that the firing was necessary to bring back former AW actor Robert Kelker-Kelly. The two options were to kill either Barrett's character or Judi Evans Luciano's character, Paulina Cory Carlino. The focus groups liked Evans Luciano's character but were lukewarm toward Barrett; Phelps then decided on Frankie as the next victim instead of Donna. Another World (AW) (sometimes called Another World: Bay City to distinguish it from its spinoffs in the 1970s and 1980s) was a Daytime Emmy-winning American soap opera which ran on the NBC television network (CTV in Canada) from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. ... Paul Michael Valley (born September 24, 1966) is a television actor, born in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. ... Categories: Stub | 1962 births | Soap opera actors ... Categories: Stub | 1956 births | Soap opera actors ... Anna Stuart Anna Stuart (born November 1, 1948 in Bluefield, West Virginia) is an American actress. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... NBC (an abbreviation for National Broadcasting Company, its former corporate name) is an American television network based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center and is shown on basic cable in Canada. ... Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... Robert Kelker-Kelly, in a still from Another World. ... Judi Evans, as Adrienne on Days of Our Lives. ...

However, perhaps the harshest and most lasting criticism of Phelps was as a result of her decision to kill off the character of Maureen Bauer on Guiding Light in 1993. The character of Maureen died in a fatal car accident she found out that her husband had cheated on her with her rival. The role was played by noted stage actress Ellen Parker. Though the character of Frankie Frame was important to Another World, Maureen Bauer was the crucial "tentpole" character of Guiding Light. The character was the heart and soul of the show (especially after the death of the original central character, her mother-in-law Bert Bauer). In an interview years later, Phelps apologized for killing off Maureen, stating it was the most regettable mistake she had made in her career. Ellen Parker (born September 19, 1958) is a Canadian educator, homemaker, and activist, who has made Camrose, AB. her home since 1985 (www. ...

In the cases of Barrett and Parker, she was reported to have relied on focus group for her decisions. It was not that the groups hated either character, but they were indifferent to them, in part because they had not been featured as leads and were not driving story. Phelps took this as an indication that the audience as a whole would not care if the characters were killed off their respective shows. A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their attitude towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging. ...

Phelps also has been known for her failure to renew popular actors' contracts, often under extremely unpleasant circumstances. In 1992, Guiding Light's Beverlee McKinsey exited the show through a loophole in her contract because she didn't like how her character, Alexandra, was becoming a nasty villainess. (The loss of McKinsey and Parker within a year of each other had a devastating effect on the quality of Guiding Light.) Phelps was on vacation when McKinsey exited, and apparently didn't know about the clause. In 2002, a similar situation occurred with on General Hospital. Genie Francis, GH's most well-known actress, exited the show in same fashion due to dislike of the storyline. Francis would later report that a female producer had repeatedly humiliated her because of her weight gain, leading some to speculate Phelps was that female producer. 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Beverlee McKinsey (born August 9, 1940 in McAlester, Oklahoma) is an American actress. ... Genie Francis, in a still from General Hospital. ...

While One Life to Live veteran Erika Slezak is a fan of Phelps' work, Robin Strasser (also of OLTL) has publicly opposed her. Also on the opposition is Santa Barbara co-creator Bridget Dobson. When the show won one of its Best Show Emmys, Dobson apparently ran to the stage to accept the award, so that Phelps, executive producer at that time, couldn't do the honors (the material that Santa Barbara had won the Emmy for occurred under Dobson's tenure, with Phelps only recently coming on board as producer). Erika Slezak, in a still from the One Life to Live opening sequence. ... Robin Strasser, in a still from One Life to Live. ... Bridget Dobson and Jerome Dobson were writers for American soap operas and created the NBC soap opera Santa Barbara in 1984. ...

In 2004, she fired 91-year-old actress Anna Lee from General Hospital. Lee, who had been on the show since 1978, was already ill and died within a few months, just one week before receiving her lifetime achievement award at the 2004 Daytime Emmys. Many in the soap and media world, including longtime GH fans, Carolyn Hinsey from Soap Opera Digest, TV Guide's soap columnist Michael Logan and Anna Lee's son, Jeffrey Byron, hold Phelps somewhat responsible for the events that led to Anna Lee's death, as the woman's livelihood was put in jeopardy. Phelps responded with a statement saying that no one's contract on General Hospital was etched in stone, not even Lee's. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Anna Lee MBE (January 2, 1913 – May 14, 2004) was an English actress. ... General Hospital is the longest-running daytime American soap opera on the ABC television network, and is also the longest-running soap opera produced in Hollywood (having been taped at the Prospect Avenue ABC Television Center West and Sunset-Gower Studios). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... A Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming. ... The February 1977 issue of Soap Opera Digest. ... TV Guide is the name of two North American weekly magazines about television programming, one in the United States and one in Canada. ... Michael Logan is a columnist for the weekly magazine TV Guide, with a specialty in analyzing soap operas. ...

While at One Life to Live in 1999, Phelps disgusted many fans by firing popular actress Laura Koffman who plays Cassie Callison Carpenter since 1991, mere days after Koffman had left for what she thought was simply a maternity leave. In 2005, she also let actress Lesli Kay go off-contract after revealing her pregnancy. Lesli Kay has stated on her official message board that Jill Farren Phelps has said to her, "If you think GH is your place to shine, it never will be" and after days of announcing her pregnancy announced that the fate of Lesli's character was "In god's hands." All of this, like much of JFP's comments was unsolicited. In November 2005, Phelps released actress Kari Wuhrer from her contract at General Hospital. In January 2006, Wuhrer responded with a lawsuit against ABC. One Life to Live is an American soap opera which has been broadcast on the ABC television network since July 15, 1968. ... Laura Koffman (born Laura Bonarrigo on October 29, 1965 in Brookline, Massachusetts) is an American actress. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lesli Kay (born Lesli Kay Pushkin on June 13, 1965 in Charleston, West Virginia) is an American actress. ... Kari Samantha Wührer, born April 28, 1967 in Brookfield, Connecticut, USA. She is an actress and a singer. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ...

Upon the arrival of ABC Daytime Vice President Brian Frons and the return of GH powerhouse Robert Guza, Jr., Phelps reportedly has little to no power, at least not resembling her glory days at AW or GL or OLTL.

Bridget and Jerome Dobson were writers for American soap operas and created the NBC soap opera Santa Barbara in 1984. ... Mary-Ellis Bunim (July 9, 1946 - January 29, 2004) was a producer and co-creator of MTVs The Real World. ... Santa Barbara was an American soap opera which ran on NBC for 2137 episodes from July 30, 1984 to January 15, 1993. ... Paul Rauch is a producer of American soap operas, most known for his work on Another World, which he produced from 1972 to 1984. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Michael Laibson is an American television producer who famously produces soap operas such as As the World Turns (1986-1988), Another World (1988-1993) and Guiding Light (1995-1996). ... Another World is a book by Pat Barker. ... One Life to Live is an American soap opera which has been broadcast on the ABC television network since July 15, 1968. ... Gary Tomlin is an American soap opera actor, writer, producer and director. ... Pamela K. Long is an American actress and writer, most known for her stints writing the soap opera Guiding Light, from 1983 to 1986 and from 1987 to 1990. ... One Life to Live is an American soap opera which has been broadcast on the ABC television network since July 15, 1968. ... Megan McTavish (born 1949) is an American soap opera writer, most known for her head writing stints on All My Children. ... Wendy Riche is a critically acclaimed American TV producer. ... General Hospital is the longest-running daytime American soap opera on the ABC television network, and is also the longest-running soap opera produced in Hollywood (having been taped at the Prospect Avenue ABC Television Center West and Sunset-Gower Studios). ...

External Links

• GH Yahoo Groups
• ABC-TV: GH