William Bell
Soap Opera Creator / Writer
About This Interview
In his three-and-a-half hour Archive interview, William Bell (1927-2005) fondly recalls his first soap opera writing job at Guiding Light. He discusses his working relationship with creator and friend Irna Phillips, and with fellow Phillips protege, Agnes Nixon. He talks of co-creating As The World Turns and Another World with Irna Phillips, as well as becoming head writer for Days of Our Lives in 1965. Bell proudly speaks about his creative relationship with wife/writing partner Lee Phillip Bell, with whom he created two successful daytime soap operas, The Young and the Restless, and The Bold and the Beautiful. He discusses his sons' and daughter's involvement with his shows, and speaks of the then-current state of soap operas. Alan Carter conducted the interview on July 15, 1998 in Beverly Hills, CA.
Related To This Video
Featured Content
Watch Lauralee Bell as "Cricket" on The Young and the Restless:
YouTube video player - HTML5 compatible.
Highlights
William Bell on how the title of The Young and the Restless came about
Clip begins at: 00:19, Duration: 00m 55s- William Bell on casting his daughter, Lauralee Bell, on The Young and the Restless
Clip begins at: 24:51, Duration: 01m 31s - William Bell on the social responsibility of television and educational summer storylines about young people on The Young and the Restless
Clip begins at: 26:22, Duration: 01m 32s 
William Bell on Walter Cronkite interrupting As the World Turns to announce President Kennedy had been killed
Clip begins at: 11:48, Duration: 02m 12s- William Bell on co-creating Another World with Irna Phillips
Clip begins at: 06:35, Duration: 01m 35s
Interview
- Part 1
- On his early years and influences; on listening to radio serials when he was young
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On getting hired at BBM radio and McCann-Erickson advertising
Clip begins at: 08:48 - On how he left a high-paying advertising job to pursue writing; on growing up during the Depression; on first starting to write for radio
Clip begins at: 15:35 - Part 2
- On being an advertising copywriter
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On writing for Guiding Light on television; on meeting Irna Phillips, creator of Guiding Light
Clip begins at: 06:51 - On his early memories of television; on the first Guiding Light script he wrote for Irna Phillips and working with her
Clip begins at: 09:34 - On leaving Guiding Light
Clip begins at: 26:43 - Part 3
- On writing Guiding Light in Chicago while production was in New York; on interactions with sponsors
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On co-creating Another World with Irna Phillips; on the popularity of As the World Turns
Clip begins at: 06:35 - On Walter Cronkite interrupting As the World Turns to announce President Kennedy had been killed; on soap operas becoming topical
Clip begins at: 11:48 - On how writing for soaps has changed over the years; on his writing style, the popularity of soap characters, and his credits
Clip begins at: 15:56 - Part 4
- On expanding the format of soaps from half-hour to an hour-long; on a typical workday with Irna Phillips on As the World Turns; on decisions to kill off major characters
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On creating characters and casting for Another World; on the term "soap opera"
Clip begins at: 10:46 - On how he came to take over as writer on Days of Our Lives from Ted Corday; on changes he brought to the show; on never having an agent
Clip begins at: 17:12 - Part 5
- On production on Days of Our Lives; on the show's success and surpassing As the World Turns; on the writing on Days of Our Lives
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On a memorable storyline involving "Laura Horton" on Days of Our Lives; on NBC executives trusting his judgment
Clip begins at: 07:52 - On incorporating events of the Vietnam War into the storylines of Days of Our Lives; on famous feuds on the show; on not attending cast parties
Clip begins at: 14:30 - On the show transitioning from half-hour to an hour (after he left); on leaving Days of Our Lives to create The Young and the Restless
Clip begins at: 21:54 - Part 6
- On creating The Young and the Restless with his wife
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On the beginnings of The Young and the Restless and the show's emphasis on youth and romance in the Midwest (Genoa City, Wisconsin); on creating characters
Clip begins at: 11:50 - On the process of collaborating with his wife to create The Young and the Restless; on casting the show (and casting his daughter, Lauralee Bell); on educational summer storylines about young people
Clip begins at: 20:10 - Part 7
- On the adult nature of The Young and the Restless; on winning an Emmy for The Young and the Restless; on expanding the show to an hour-long format
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On creating The Bold and the Beautiful; on celebrity cameos and major storylines on the show
Clip begins at: 06:22 - On the then-current state of soap operas; on crediting his wife, Lee Philip Bell, with his success; on the highlight of his career
Clip begins at: 12:27 - On his thoughts on people with whom he's worked, including family members
Clip begins at: 16:34
Shows
People
Topics
Genres
Professions
Today of the current daytime soaps, William J. Bell has the most created characters still airing...
1973 Y&R-HW 1973-98: All characters created between 1973-1995
1987 B&B-HW 1987-93: Stephanie, Eric, Ridge, Brooke, and Taylor (1990-)
1965 DOOL-HW 1966-75: Doug Williams (1970-), Hope Williams-Brady (1971-) Kristian Alfonso began playing the character in '83 as an adult, and Maggie Horton (1973-)
The best soap opera writers ever were...Irna Phillips, Agnes Nixon, William J. Bell, Douglas Marland, Henry Slesar, and Harding Lemay.
Post new comment