Mary Alice Dwyer-Dobbin
Encyclopedia
Mary Alice Dwyer-Dobbin is an American
daytime television producer
.
, Mary Alice Dwyer had the nickname "Mickey" since childhood. Online she is commonly referred to by her initials, "MADD". She is married to Leon Dobbin, who is a retired NBC executive.
Dwyer-Dobbin is a graduate of Webster University
where she studied theater and speech. She earned her master's degree in theater from The Catholic University of America
(CUA).
network in several production capacities; she was part of the production team for several game shows. She initially became involved with daytime drama when she was selected to be a part of the production team for Ryan's Hope
, which debuted on the network in 1975 and ran until 1989. Dwyer-Dobbin was also involved with the ABC Afterschool Special
program.
She briefly left ABC to become involved in Daytime, a women's television network that was a precursor to Lifetime Television
. After she returned to ABC, she was eventually named head of the network's East Coast daytime shows and then, eventually, all of the network's programming.
Dwyer-Dobbin remained head of the P&G soaps for several years, and even served briefly as executive producer of Guiding Light
while it sought a new executive producer. On September 6, 2005, Dwyer-Dobbin announced plans to vacate her position the following month at the end of her contract. Procter & Gamble decided not to name a successor, saying that they would leave creative decisions to their programs' executive producers, Christopher Goutman
and Ellen Wheeler
.
on NBC
and As the World Turns
, and Guiding Light
on CBS
) and was put in charge of revitalizing the aging franchises. Dwyer-Dobbin initially stated that no soap opera would be canceled under her watch; however, that promise was broken when, in 1999, Another World
was cancelled after 35 years on television. This decision appears to have ultimately been made because NBC
and Procter & Gamble
could not agree on the fee NBC
would pay for the show; nonetheless, viewers blamed Dwyer-Dobbin.
Several personnel issues made her unpopular with fans, who began to mockingly refer to her as "MADD", especially in the Internet communities that were dedicated to the P&G shows. The first misstep was to bring talent from ABC
onto her shows; she attempted to swiftly put her stamp on a revised As the World Turns
by bringing in former ABC
scriptwriter Lorraine Broderick
and firing longtime ATWT actor Allyson Rice-Taylor, replacing her with former One Life to Live
star Susan Batten
. Though there is some information the decision to switch to Batten was made by executive producer Felicia Minei Behr as a result of Taylor's vocal unhappiness with changes Behr made in the show's taping schedule. These moves were wildly unpopular, though Broderick's writing did eventually solidify and stabilize the show. In general, under Dwyer-Dobbin's oversight, all of the P&G shows experienced turnover in terms of the acting crews and production crews. In the last year of Dwyer-Dobbin's reign alone, Guiding Light
lost nearly a third of its veteran cast from the ranks of contract players, and several backstage vets, most notably longtime producer Robert D. Kochman and director Bruce S. Barry.
Detractors of Dwyer-Dobbin are most vocal and negative about the sequence of events surrounding Guiding Light
and the dismissal of veteran actor Michael Zaslow
. Zaslow, a member of the cast from 1971 to 1980 and who had returned to the show in 1989, learned shortly after Dwyer-Dobbin came on board that he had Lou Gehrig's Disease. Procter & Gamble unceremoniously dropped him when he developed speech difficulties, choosing to recast his character. Dwyer-Dobbin defended this decision to the press with what could best be defined as an unfortunate choice of words, stating that viewers wouldn't want to see Zaslow's character, villain Roger Thorpe, portrayed as a "wizened old man." Fans were furious, and in the ultimate insult, Dwyer-Dobbin's former employee, ABC Daytime, snatched up Zaslow to reprise his role of David Renaldi on One Life to Live
. Although Dwyer-Dobbin apologized for the comment numerous times, many fans refuse to forgive her for not allowing Zaslow the chance to finish the role of Roger Thorpe before his death in 1998.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
daytime television 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...
.
Biography
A native of St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Mary Alice Dwyer had the nickname "Mickey" since childhood. Online she is commonly referred to by her initials, "MADD". She is married to Leon Dobbin, who is a retired NBC executive.
Dwyer-Dobbin is a graduate of Webster University
Webster University
Webster University is an American non-profit private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Webster University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools...
where she studied theater and speech. She earned her master's degree in theater from The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
(CUA).
Early career
Dwyer-Dobbin worked for the ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
network in several production capacities; she was part of the production team for several game shows. She initially became involved with daytime drama when she was selected to be a part of the production team for Ryan's Hope
Ryan's Hope
Ryan's Hope is an American soap opera, revolving around 13 years of trials and tribulations within a large Irish American family in the Riverside district of New York City. It aired from July 7, 1975 to January 13, 1989 on ABC...
, which debuted on the network in 1975 and ran until 1989. Dwyer-Dobbin was also involved with the ABC Afterschool Special
ABC Afterschool Special
The ABC Afterschool Special is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1996, usually in the late afternoon on week days. Most of the episodes were dramatic presentations of situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were...
program.
She briefly left ABC to become involved in Daytime, a women's television network that was a precursor to Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
. After she returned to ABC, she was eventually named head of the network's East Coast daytime shows and then, eventually, all of the network's programming.
P&G
Dwyer-Dobbin was hired in 1996 by daytime production company Procter and Gamble Productions to be their head of production for their three daytime dramas, replacing veteran production head Kenneth Fitts in that capacity. (Unlike most daytime shows, which are owned either partly or wholly by their creators or the network, Procter and Gamble acted as a supplier of the show to the networks, and had a substantial say in how they were produced.)Dwyer-Dobbin remained head of the P&G soaps for several years, and even served briefly as executive producer of Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
while it sought a new executive producer. On September 6, 2005, Dwyer-Dobbin announced plans to vacate her position the following month at the end of her contract. Procter & Gamble decided not to name a successor, saying that they would leave creative decisions to their programs' executive producers, Christopher Goutman
Christopher Goutman
Christopher Goutman is an American soap opera producer, writer, actor, and director. He has played minor roles on Search for Tomorrow, Texas and The Edge of Night. After leaving acting, he began to direct on All My Children, As the World Turns, Guiding Light, and Another World...
and Ellen Wheeler
Ellen Wheeler
Ellen Wheeler is an American actress, director and producer. She has appeared in several soap operas, including Another World and All My Children. In 1986, she won the Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Ingenue in a Drama Series" for her work as twins Marley and Vicky Love Hudson on Another World...
.
Controversies
When she joined P&G, Dwyer-Dobbin inherited three veteran soaps (Another WorldAnother World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
, and Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
) and was put in charge of revitalizing the aging franchises. Dwyer-Dobbin initially stated that no soap opera would be canceled under her watch; however, that promise was broken when, in 1999, Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
was cancelled after 35 years on television. This decision appears to have ultimately been made because NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
could not agree on the fee NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
would pay for the show; nonetheless, viewers blamed Dwyer-Dobbin.
Several personnel issues made her unpopular with fans, who began to mockingly refer to her as "MADD", especially in the Internet communities that were dedicated to the P&G shows. The first misstep was to bring talent from ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
onto her shows; she attempted to swiftly put her stamp on a revised As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
by bringing in former ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
scriptwriter Lorraine Broderick
Lorraine Broderick
Lorraine Broderick is an American television soap opera writer who got her start on All My Children as a protégée of the show's creator, Agnes Nixon.-Bio:...
and firing longtime ATWT actor Allyson Rice-Taylor, replacing her with former One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
star Susan Batten
Susan Batten
Susan Batten is an American soap opera actress, best known for her role as Luna Moody Holden on One Life to Live, a role she originally played from 1991 to 1995....
. Though there is some information the decision to switch to Batten was made by executive producer Felicia Minei Behr as a result of Taylor's vocal unhappiness with changes Behr made in the show's taping schedule. These moves were wildly unpopular, though Broderick's writing did eventually solidify and stabilize the show. In general, under Dwyer-Dobbin's oversight, all of the P&G shows experienced turnover in terms of the acting crews and production crews. In the last year of Dwyer-Dobbin's reign alone, Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
lost nearly a third of its veteran cast from the ranks of contract players, and several backstage vets, most notably longtime producer Robert D. Kochman and director Bruce S. Barry.
Detractors of Dwyer-Dobbin are most vocal and negative about the sequence of events surrounding Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
and the dismissal of veteran actor Michael Zaslow
Michael Zaslow
Michael Joel Zaslow was an American actor. He was best known for his role as villain Roger Thorpe on CBS's Guiding Light, a role he played from 1971 to 1980 and from 1989 to 1997.-Life and career:...
. Zaslow, a member of the cast from 1971 to 1980 and who had returned to the show in 1989, learned shortly after Dwyer-Dobbin came on board that he had Lou Gehrig's Disease. Procter & Gamble unceremoniously dropped him when he developed speech difficulties, choosing to recast his character. Dwyer-Dobbin defended this decision to the press with what could best be defined as an unfortunate choice of words, stating that viewers wouldn't want to see Zaslow's character, villain Roger Thorpe, portrayed as a "wizened old man." Fans were furious, and in the ultimate insult, Dwyer-Dobbin's former employee, ABC Daytime, snatched up Zaslow to reprise his role of David Renaldi on One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
. Although Dwyer-Dobbin apologized for the comment numerous times, many fans refuse to forgive her for not allowing Zaslow the chance to finish the role of Roger Thorpe before his death in 1998.
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