Gordon Russell

For other people named Gordon Russell, see Gordon Russell (disambiguation).

Gordon Russell (August 15, 1929–January 19, 1981) and Sam Hall (born March 11, 1921) were a pair of writers well known for their work in daytime soap operas.

Dark Shadows

They are best known for their works on Dark Shadows and One Life to Live. A trademark of theirs was introducing characters who would, under normal circumstances, be considered villains but tell the storyline in their point of view to gain more sympathy from the viewers. They wrote on Dark Shadows from the time Barnabas Collins (played by Jonathan Frid) was introduced as a blood sucking vampire, transforming him over the years to be more of anti-hero capable of displaying many shades of gray. The same goes for the character’s cousin, the ghostly werewolf Quentin Collins (played by David Selby).

One Life to Live

After Dark Shadows wrapped, the two then took over One Life to Live for Agnes Nixon who began to focus more on her other soap All My Children. During its first few years, One Life to Live was a groundbreaking soap which addressed racial, ethnic, and class issue. But under Russell and Hall’s watch, the show took on more haunting character studies tied in with the exit of previous established characters.

With the onscreen death of Nixon’s original character Dave Siegel came the arrival of Dorian Cramer, who prescribed Dave’s widow, Eileen, pills for depression, which lead to an out-of-control addiction. Dorian then stole their daughter Julie’s husband, Dr. Mark Toland (a then unknown Tommy Lee Jones), and Dorian’s sister Melinda befriended Meredith Lord-Wolek before her death. Her cousin by marriage, a nun named Jenny Wolek fell in love with Tim Siegel, Julie Siegel’s twin brother (a then unknown Tom Berenger), and then married him on his deathbed after fall from a flight of stairs where he had an argument her cousin Vinnie Wolek over causing her to stray from her religious beliefs. Russell and Hall would later write out the remaining Siegels along with early characters Dr. Mark Toland and Cathy Craig later on in addition to creating the dysfunctional Vernon family which would be a feature of the show for over a decade.

Legacy

In addition to their long lasting work on Dark Shadows, their work on One Life to Live led to very memorable storylines with elements and characters which last on the latter show to this day. A storyline which involved Dorian giving terminal patient Rachel Wilson a dosage of treatment going unmarked on her medical chart prompted her lover Mark Toland to give her a second more lethal dosage and Dr. Larry Wolek get framed for her mercy killing (ironically Rachel Wilson wanted him to end her life in the first place). When the truth was revealed, the board of directors at Llanview Hospital took a vote to decide whether or not to suspend her medical license with Victoria Lord casting the deciding against her. To get even, Dorian became her ailing father Victor Lord’s private physician, and withheld his medication during a heart attack and walking away, allegedly causing his death and starting the Viki/Dorian feud which has lasted almost 35 years.

Russell and Hall also wrote the infamous Karen Wolek storyline Dr. Larry Wolek’s wife and cousin Karen turned to prostitution after boredom with being a simple housewife because of her need to be wanted, and in light of her pimp Marco Dane’s alleged murder had to reveal she was a prostitute on the stand in tears to clear Viki’s name at the murder trial. They also created The Buchanans which were introduced when Clint Buchanan came to town to take over The Banner for Viki’s dying husband Joe Riley and brought his father Asa Buchanan on along with brother Bo Buchanan, the genesis of a family which has become the most prominent on the show.

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Name	Russell, Gordon
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Date of birth	1929
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Date of death	1981
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