After Dark Shadows wrapped, the two then took over One Life to Live for Agnes Nixon who began to focus more on her other soap All My Children. During its first few years, One Life to Live was a groundbreaking soap which addressed racial, ethnic, and class issue. But under Russell and Hall's watch, the show took on more haunting character studies tied in with the exit of previous established characters.
With the onscreen death of Nixon's original character Dave Siegel came the arrival of Dr. Dorian Cramer (then, Nancy Pinkerton), her sister Melinda (Pat Pearcy) and their housekepper Hattie. Dorian prescribed Dave's widow Eileen pills for depression which lead to an out of control addiction, and stole their daughter Julie's husband Dr. Mark Toland (a then unknown Tommy Lee Jones). Melinda befriends Meredith Lord Wolek before her death. She had a short crush on widower Dr. Larry Wolek. A nun named Jenny Wolek fell in love with Tim Siegel, Julie Siegel's twin brother (a then unknown Tom Berenger), and then married him on his deathbed after fall from a flight of stairs where he had an argument with her cousin Vinnie Wolek over causing her to stray from her religious beliefs. Russell and Hall would later write out the Riley supporting roles along with early characters Dr. Mark Toland and Cathy Craig later on in addition to creating the dysfunctional Vernon family which would be a feature of the show for over a decade.
Read more about this topic: Sam Hall (writer)
Famous quotes containing the word life:
“With only one life to live we can’t afford to live it only for itself. Somehow we must each for himself, find the way in which we can make our individual lives fit into the pattern of all the lives which surround it. We must establish our own relationships to the whole. And each must do it in his own way, using his own talents, relying on his own integrity and strength, climbing his own road to his own summit.”
—Hortense Odlum (1892–?)