Gloria Monty
Encyclopedia
Gloria Monty was an American
TV producer
working primarily in the field of daytime drama
.
She died of cancer at the age of 84.
, New York University
, and Columbia University
, where she earned her master’s degree in drama.
, Bea Arthur and Tony Curtis
.
, The Secret Storm
(for many years), and Bright Promise
, she is best known for taking over the ailing ABC Daytime
serial General Hospital
in 1978 as Executive Producer
. Fred Silverman
, the head of ABC, gave Monty thirteen weeks to turn the show around, with cancellation threatened if she did not succeed. It subsequently became the top-rated American daytime drama for a nearly a decade.
To accomplish this turnaround, she increased the show's pace, and focused main storylines on younger characters to reach out to younger viewers, particularly the pairing of ingenue Laura Spencer (Genie Francis
) and troubled criminal Luke Spencer
(Anthony Geary
, whom she knew from his stint on her previous series, Bright Promise
). She gave the sets a more contemporary look and feel, and employed production techniques once used only in primetime. One major result of the "Monty Revolution" was the faster pace of the show, effectively doubling the number of scenes in each episode. She was known for her rigid work ethic and for being tough with the cast and crew. “She demand[ed] excellence, but she reward[ed] it,” said coordinating producer Jerry Balme.
Monty was accused of perpetuating dangerous misconceptions about rape
, implicitly exalting violence against women. But Monty viewed the “rape” as a “choreographed seduction.” Under Monty's tenure, GH rose to the top spot in the ratings, with Luke and Laura's 1981 wedding being the highest rated episode in daytime history (about 30 million viewers and 13 million households). The Monty Revolution consisted of couples such as Luka/Laura, Frisco/Felicia, and Robert Scorpio
/Holly. She and various Head Writer
s also created the Quartermaine family
, Bobbie Spencer
, Luke Spencer, Robert Scorpio
, Anna Devane
, Robin Scorpio
, the Cassadine family
, and many others who would dominate the show in the 80's and early 90's.
General Hospital snagged cover stories in both People
, Soap Opera Weekly
, and Newsweek
, which referred to Luke and Laura the “Rhett Butler
and Scarlett O'Hara
of Soapland.” Included in the show’s massive fan base were such celebrities as Elizabeth Taylor
and Sammy Davis, Jr.
, both of whom guest starred on the series.
She was also the executive producer of the primetime serial The Hamptons. She employed many former daytime performers for this show. The serial was unusual because it was videotaped rather than being filmed. She was the inspiration for the Rita Marshall character in the 1982 film Tootsie
.
Monty quit GH in 1987 but returned in late 1990 to increase the serial's sagging ratings. She had always been known for her tough, dictatorial attitude, but her ideas no longer seemed in touch with the world of Port Charles
and viewer expectations. In early 1991, she lured Anthony Geary back to daytime, not as the popular Luke Spencer
, but instead went along with his demand to play a brand new character, Bill Eckert, Luke's look-a-like cousin. An entire new family, the blue-collar Eckerts (one member was played by former Broadway
star Carol Lawrence), was ushered in, and quickly dominated storyline, taking up four to five days a week of airtime while the popular and wealthy Quartermaines were phased out (rumor has it that Monty wanted to get rid of the Quartermaines altogether ).
Monty also fired a dozen actors, in what the press described as a "bloodbath," including popular actress Jennifer Guthrie
, who played heroine Dawn Winthrop on the show. After appointing her sister, Norma Monty as Head Writer
, the ratings further eroded. This, combined with the refusal of stars such as Tristan Rogers
, who played Robert Scorpio, to continue working with Monty, left ABC with no choice but to fire her. In early 1992, after only a year, Monty was replaced with Wendy Riche
.
Monty produced several made for TV movies based on friend Mary Higgins Clark
's novels, and chaired the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission.
Confessions of A Married Man
The First Hundred Years
General Hospital
The Hamptons (tv series)
Moonlight Becomes You
Remember Me
The Secret Storm
The Screaming Skull
Wide World Mystery
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
TV producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
working primarily in the field of daytime drama
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
.
She died of cancer at the age of 84.
Education
Monty attended the University of IowaUniversity of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where she earned her master’s degree in drama.
Theatre Work
In 1952, she married writer and editor Robert O'Byrne, with whom she had founded a New York theater group, Abbe Theater School. With O’Byrne, Monty directed summer stock productions and led acting and speech workshops, where her pupils included Marlon BrandoMarlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
, Bea Arthur and Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
.
TV career
After directing shows such as The First Hundred YearsThe First Hundred Years
The First Hundred Years is the first ongoing TV soap opera in the United States that began as a daytime serial, airing on CBS from December 4, 1950 until June 27, 1952...
, The Secret Storm
The Secret Storm
The Secret Storm is a soap opera which ran on CBS from February 1, 1954 to February 8, 1974. The series was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Love of Life...
(for many years), and Bright Promise
Bright Promise
Bright Promise is an American daytime soap opera that ran on NBC from September 29, 1969 to March 31, 1972. It aired weekdays at 3:30 PM Eastern/2:30 PM Central.-Synopsis:...
, she is best known for taking over the ailing ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime is a programming block on the ABC Network which has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows and talk shows.-Schedule:...
serial General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
in 1978 as Executive Producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
. Fred Silverman
Fred Silverman
Fred Silverman is an American television executive and producer. He worked as an executive at the CBS, ABC and NBC networks, and was responsible for bringing to television such programs as the series Scooby-Doo , All in the Family , The Waltons , and Charlie's Angels , as well as the...
, the head of ABC, gave Monty thirteen weeks to turn the show around, with cancellation threatened if she did not succeed. It subsequently became the top-rated American daytime drama for a nearly a decade.
To accomplish this turnaround, she increased the show's pace, and focused main storylines on younger characters to reach out to younger viewers, particularly the pairing of ingenue Laura Spencer (Genie Francis
Genie Francis
Eugenie "Genie" Francis Frakes is an American actress known for her portrayal of Laura Spencer on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital. She is currently playing Genevieve Atkinson on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless...
) and troubled criminal Luke Spencer
Luke Spencer
Lucas "Luke" Lorenzo Spencer, Sr. is a fictional character in the American television soap opera General Hospital, and has been played by Anthony Geary since 1978.-Early years :...
(Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary is an American actor. He has starred on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital as Luke Spencer from 1978 to 1984 and from 1993 to present.-Life and career:...
, whom she knew from his stint on her previous series, Bright Promise
Bright Promise
Bright Promise is an American daytime soap opera that ran on NBC from September 29, 1969 to March 31, 1972. It aired weekdays at 3:30 PM Eastern/2:30 PM Central.-Synopsis:...
). She gave the sets a more contemporary look and feel, and employed production techniques once used only in primetime. One major result of the "Monty Revolution" was the faster pace of the show, effectively doubling the number of scenes in each episode. She was known for her rigid work ethic and for being tough with the cast and crew. “She demand[ed] excellence, but she reward[ed] it,” said coordinating producer Jerry Balme.
Monty was accused of perpetuating dangerous misconceptions about rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, implicitly exalting violence against women. But Monty viewed the “rape” as a “choreographed seduction.” Under Monty's tenure, GH rose to the top spot in the ratings, with Luke and Laura's 1981 wedding being the highest rated episode in daytime history (about 30 million viewers and 13 million households). The Monty Revolution consisted of couples such as Luka/Laura, Frisco/Felicia, and Robert Scorpio
Robert Scorpio
Robert Xavier Scorpio is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital, played by actor Tristan Rogers. Robert's birthday is September 15.-Appearances:Tristan Rogers originally played the role from December 1980 through February 25, 1992...
/Holly. She and various Head Writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
s also created the Quartermaine family
Quartermaine family
The Quartermaine family is a very wealthy and prestigious fictional family on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. The Quartermaines have been a staple on General Hospital since their introduction in the late 1970s....
, Bobbie Spencer
Bobbie Spencer
Barbara Jean "Bobbie" Spencer is a fictional character and popular long running character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. She made her first appearance in 1978 and is the mother of popular character Carly Corinthos Jacks...
, Luke Spencer, Robert Scorpio
Robert Scorpio
Robert Xavier Scorpio is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital, played by actor Tristan Rogers. Robert's birthday is September 15.-Appearances:Tristan Rogers originally played the role from December 1980 through February 25, 1992...
, Anna Devane
Anna Devane
Anna Devane is a fictional character on the ABC soap operas General Hospital and All My Children...
, Robin Scorpio
Robin Scorpio
Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital and its prime time SOAPnet spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift, originated and portrayed by Kimberly McCullough since 1985. The character came to mainstream attention when she was diagnosed as HIV-positive...
, the Cassadine family
Cassadine family
The Cassadines are a fictional aristocratic family on the American soap opera General Hospital. Various family members have been sometime residents of Port Charles and of the private Cassadine-owned island in Greece....
, and many others who would dominate the show in the 80's and early 90's.
General Hospital snagged cover stories in both People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
, Soap Opera Weekly
Soap Opera Weekly
Soap Opera Weekly is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
, and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, which referred to Luke and Laura the “Rhett Butler
Rhett Butler
Rhett Butler is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.-Role:In the beginning of the novel, we first meet Rhett at the Twelve Oaks Plantation barbecue, the home of John Wilkes and his son Ashley and daughters Honey and India Wilkes...
and Scarlett O'Hara
Scarlett O'Hara
Scarlett O' Hara is the protagonist in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and in the later film of the same name...
of Soapland.” Included in the show’s massive fan base were such celebrities as Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
and Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
, both of whom guest starred on the series.
She was also the executive producer of the primetime serial The Hamptons. She employed many former daytime performers for this show. The serial was unusual because it was videotaped rather than being filmed. She was the inspiration for the Rita Marshall character in the 1982 film Tootsie
Tootsie
Tootsie is a 1982 American comedy film that tells the story of a talented but volatile actor whose reputation for being difficult forces him to go to extreme lengths to land a job. The movie stars Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange, with a supporting cast that includes Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman,...
.
Monty quit GH in 1987 but returned in late 1990 to increase the serial's sagging ratings. She had always been known for her tough, dictatorial attitude, but her ideas no longer seemed in touch with the world of Port Charles
Port Charles
Port Charles was a daytime soap opera which aired on ABC from June 2, 1997 to October 3, 2003. It is a spin-off of the serial General Hospital, which has been running since 1963 and takes place in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York...
and viewer expectations. In early 1991, she lured Anthony Geary back to daytime, not as the popular Luke Spencer
Luke Spencer
Lucas "Luke" Lorenzo Spencer, Sr. is a fictional character in the American television soap opera General Hospital, and has been played by Anthony Geary since 1978.-Early years :...
, but instead went along with his demand to play a brand new character, Bill Eckert, Luke's look-a-like cousin. An entire new family, the blue-collar Eckerts (one member was played by former Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
star Carol Lawrence), was ushered in, and quickly dominated storyline, taking up four to five days a week of airtime while the popular and wealthy Quartermaines were phased out (rumor has it that Monty wanted to get rid of the Quartermaines altogether ).
Monty also fired a dozen actors, in what the press described as a "bloodbath," including popular actress Jennifer Guthrie
Jennifer Guthrie
Jennifer Guthrie is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Annie Sloan on TV's Parker Lewis Can't Lose.-Early life:Guthrie was born in Willimantic, Connecticut. She attended Fox Lane High School in Bedford, NY....
, who played heroine Dawn Winthrop on the show. After appointing her sister, Norma Monty as Head Writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
, the ratings further eroded. This, combined with the refusal of stars such as Tristan Rogers
Tristan Rogers
Tristan Rogers is an Australian–American actor. He is best known for playing Robert Scorpio on the ABC soap opera General Hospital...
, who played Robert Scorpio, to continue working with Monty, left ABC with no choice but to fire her. In early 1992, after only a year, Monty was replaced with Wendy Riche
Wendy Riche
Wendy Riche is an American television producer. She has been executive producer of ABC Daytime's General Hospital and the co-creator and executive producer of its spinoff show Port Charles....
.
Monty produced several made for TV movies based on friend Mary Higgins Clark
Mary Higgins Clark
Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins Clark Conheeney , known professionally as Mary Higgins Clark, is an American author of suspense novels...
's novels, and chaired the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission.
Positions held
Bright PromiseBright Promise
Bright Promise is an American daytime soap opera that ran on NBC from September 29, 1969 to March 31, 1972. It aired weekdays at 3:30 PM Eastern/2:30 PM Central.-Synopsis:...
- Director (1969-197?)
Confessions of A Married Man
- Director (1983)
The First Hundred Years
The First Hundred Years
The First Hundred Years is the first ongoing TV soap opera in the United States that began as a daytime serial, airing on CBS from December 4, 1950 until June 27, 1952...
- Director (1950–1952)
General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
- Executive ProducerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
(1978–1987, 1990–1992) - Head WriterHead writerA head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
(1981; During Writers Guild of AmericaWriters Guild of AmericaThe Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
strike)
The Hamptons (tv series)
- executive producer (entire run)
Moonlight Becomes You
Moonlight Becomes You
*"Moonlight Becomes You" , a 1942 popular song by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke*Moonlight Becomes You , a 1994 album by Willie Nelson*Moonlight Becomes You , a 1998 TV-movie starring Donna Mills...
- Co-Executive Producer (1998)
Remember Me
Mary Higgins Clark
Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins Clark Conheeney , known professionally as Mary Higgins Clark, is an American author of suspense novels...
- Co-Executive Producer (1995)
The Secret Storm
The Secret Storm
The Secret Storm is a soap opera which ran on CBS from February 1, 1954 to February 8, 1974. The series was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Love of Life...
- Director (1954–1969)
The Screaming Skull
The Screaming Skull
The Screaming Skull is a 1958 American horror film, inspired by the short story of the same name written by Francis Marion Crawford. The film stars John Hudson, Peggy Webber, Russ Conway, and Alex Nicol, the film's director...
Wide World Mystery
- Director (1973–1975)
External links
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0600353/ IMDB profile
- http://www.shemadeit.org/meet/biography.aspx?m=140
- http://www.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2006/04/05/gloria_monty_producer_guided_gh_to_pinnacle_of_soaps/
- http://www.monmouth.edu/news/news_story.asp?iNewsID=3359&strBack=/Default.asp
- http://www.emmys.org/news/2006/april/monty.php
- http://independent.gmnews.com/news/2003/1001/Front_Page/054.html
- http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,314802,00.html
- http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1651341_1659192_1652529,00.html
- http://www.actorstrainingstudio.com/nickdana.html
- http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401E5D71039F93BA35752C1A962948260