Bridget Dobson: Parents Frank & Doris Hursley 'Never Accepted That I Was A Success On My Own'

Jerome & Bridget Dobson

There are some fascinating quotes from longtime soap opera writer Bridget Dobson in the latest installment of her interview with the Santa Barbara Blog. Dobson talks about the years she and her husband spent working on P&G soaps GUIDING LIGHT and AS THE WORLD TURN, as well as the negative reaction her parents, GENERAL HOSPITAL creators Frank and Doris Hursley, had to her success.

On P&G: "When our bosses, Bob Short and Ed Trach, and we didn't agree about a character or a storyline, we had long and healthy (informative and productive) arguments, There was a climate of mutual respect and affection. We were always told we could do it our way (not theirs), and risk being fired if the ratings didn’t hold up. So, in accordance with our philosophy that the writers’ will must prevail, we took that risk, and we were never fired. It was all very up front and forthright. Unlike Hollywood, there was never the feeling that if we turned around we would be stabbed in the back."

INTERVIEW: Denise Pence Reminisces About Her Time At GUIDING LIGHT (Part 2)

In the latest installment of our series highlighting the many special performances preserved in the various Soap Classics DVD collections, We Love Soaps visits with Denise Pence, still fondly remembered for her eight year run as Nurse Katie Parker on GUIDING LIGHT, which started 35 years ago.

(continued from Part 1)

When the Dobsons left GUIDING LIGHT to write AS THE WORLD TURNS, Pence almost switched soaps as well.

"When the Dobsons were leaving and Doug Marland was coming in," Pence explains, "there was talk of this character that was a 'Denise Pence type' on AS THE WORLD TURNS and they asked if I would be interested in going over.  My comment was, 'I'd love to see how a new writer would write for me.' I had such a great track record on GUIDING LIGHT and I'd had so much fun up until that point. I thought, 'A new writer, let's see where I go with this.' "

INTERVIEW: Denise Pence Reminisces About Her Time At GUIDING LIGHT (Part 1)

In the latest installment of our series highlighting the many special performances preserved in the various Soap Classics DVD collections, We Love Soaps visits with Denise Pence, still fondly remembered for her eight year run as Nurse Katie Parker on GUIDING LIGHT, which started 35 years ago.

Denise Pence joined the cast of GUIDING LIGHT in 1977 when the show's head writers, Bridget and Jerome Dobson, created the character of Katie.