Thursday, April 4, 2013

Monty Hall & Bob Stewart To Receive Lifetime Achievement Award At Daytime Emmys. It's Time To Recognize Soap Opera Contributors Again.

Irna Phillips
Malachy Wienges, Chairman, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, announced today that that game show host Monty Hall and game show producer Bob Stewart will be honored at the 40th Daytime Emmy Awards with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. It looks like another year where people working in daytime drama are overlooked. Below is a list of Lifetime Achievement Award recipients from the Daytime Emmys. Not to take anything away from past deserving winners, but the first thought that comes to my mind when reviewing it is, "Where's Irna Phillips?"

The Museum of Broadcast TV describes Phillips in this way:
The universally recognized originator of one of television's most enduring--and profitable--television genres, Irna Phillips is responsible for the daytime drama as we know it today. Her contributions to one format are unprecedented in television history. Television comedy had many parents-- Ernie Kovacs, Jackie Gleason; TV drama had early shapers in Paddy Chayefsky, Rod Serling, Reginald Rose and others. But the soap opera had only one mother and she was it. She founded an entire industry based on her techniques, beliefs and the ongoing, interlocking stories that she dreamed.
There are also many beloved actors who spent decades working on daytime soap operas. In 2004, 10 of them were honored at once at the Daytime Emmys but they were just walked out on stage basically (Anna Lee has just died and was the only one not in attendance), with no explanation on the scale of what THE VIEW's Bill Geddie received last year for each of their individual accomplishments. Now it would be nice to see NATAS begin to honor some of the deserving icons of daytime drama that have been overlooked.

Check out the previous winners list and tell us who you think is most deserving of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

2012
Bill Geddie



2011
Pat Sajak
Alex Trebek

2010
Agnes Nixon

2009
SESAME STREET
("For its 40 years of educating and entertaining our children, their children and most of us.")

2008
Regis Philbin

2007
James Lipton
Lee Phillip Bell

2006
Caroll Spinney

2005
Merv Griffin

2004
Rachel Ames
John Clarke
Jeanne Cooper
Eileen Fulton
Don Hastings
Anna Lee
Ray MacDonnell
Frances Reid
Helen Wagner
Ruth Warrick



2003
Art Linkletter

2002
John Cannon

2001
Ralph Edwards

2000
Barbara Walters

1999
Bob Barker

1998
Oprah Winfrey

1997
Fred Rogers

1996
Phil Donahue

1995
Betty Corday
Ted Corday

1994
Dick Clark

1993
Douglas Marland

1992
William J. Bell

1991
Procter & Gamble Productions (PGP)

1990
Mark Goodson

1989
Joan Ganz Cooney

Special Recognition Award

1986
Pamela Ilott

1985
Charita Bauer
("For over 34 years of service.")

Larry Haines
("For his longevity and contribution to SEARCH FOR TOMORROW.")

Mary Stuart
("For her longevity and contribution to SEARCH FOR TOMORROW.")

5 comments:

  1. I was Mary Stuart's "date" for the ceremony in 1985 and it was a very glamorous event....those were the days. As I recall, we sat at the same table with Michael O'Leary & Don Stewart, which was VERY exciting for a lifelong P&G soap fan like me!

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  2. Nelson, did the "Special Recognition Awards" from 1985 have equal weight to today's Lifetime Achievement Award. They don't seem to be listed as actual awards anywhere versus the LAAs.

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  3. That award should be NAMED after Irna Phillips at this point!

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  4. Roger, I was a bit gobsmacked by the whole experience at the time...especially escorting Mary to the very glamorous telecast (Beverly Hilton, I think?) in my little used Nissan! I do remember it being very important to Mary as there was no one more deserving and she hadn't won one...even though she was first nominated against "Primetime" stars before Daytime had its own division!

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  5. Right On About Irna Phillips, Nelson & Roger!

    Brian :-)

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