Ann Marcus obit

Ann Marcus Dies: Emmy-Winning ‘Mary Hartman’ Writer Was 93

 

She was not on the list.

Pioneering TV writer Ann Marcus, the Emmy-winning head writer of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and a former WGA board member and TV Academy governor, died December 3 at her home in Sherman Oaks. She was 93.

A successful playwright, Marcus broke through Hollywood’s glass ceiling in the 1960s to write for such TV shows as Lassie, Dennis The Menace, Gentle Ben, Please Don’t Eat The Daisies and The Hathaways. She was also a staff writer on Peyton Place and The Debbie Reynolds Show. In 1969, she became head writer of the daytime drama Love Is A Many Splendored Thing, for which she shared a 1974 WGA nomination, followed by Search For Tomorrow, for which she shared a 1975 WGA Award.

Tapped by Norman Lear, Marcus co-created and served as head writer on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, an innovative, radical spoof of soap operas and American consumer culture that put women’s stories at the forefront. She shared a special Emmy in 1976 for the show’s pilot. She wrote on several daytime soaps including One Life To Live, Love Of Life and Days Of Our Lives, serving as head writer during the show’s 1978-79 seasons, during which she received two Daytime Emmy nominations.

“Over the course of her prolific career, Marcus broke through the entertainment industry’s glass ceiling within the male-dominated television industry over and over again,” the WGA said in a statement today. A Writers Guild member since 1961, she received the WGA West’s Morgan Cox Award in 2000 in recognition of her longtime service to the guild. Besides serving on the WGAW’s board of directors for several terms (1977-81. 1984-86, 1990-91, 1997-2003) and was the guild’s Secretary-Treasurer from 1991-93.

Marcus also served on the steering committee of the Caucus for Writers, Producers and Directors.

In 1992, Marcus was brought in as supervising producer and executive story editor of Knots Landing – and later co-wrote the TV show’s 1997 reunion miniseries, Knots Landing: Back To The Cul-De-Sac. She also wrote several TV movies, including Women At West Point in 1979. Among the many TV shows she worked on, her personal favorite was the syndicated satirical soap The Life And Times Of Eddie Roberts, which she co-created and executive produced in 1980 with her husband.

Writer

Florence Henderson, Nat Christian, and Stephanie Patton in For Heaven's Sake (2008)

For Heaven's Sake

6.3

written by

2008

 

Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac (1997)

Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac

6.8

TV Mini Series

written by

1997

2 episodes

 

Donna Mills, Joan Van Ark, Michele Lee, Constance McCashin, John Pleshette, and Ted Shackelford in Knots Landing (1979)

Knots Landing

6.9

TV Series

written by

1981–1993

7 episodes

 

Kristen Alderson, Kassie Wesley DePaiva, Erika Slezak, Trevor St. John, and John-Paul Lavoisier in One Life to Live (1968)

One Life to Live

6.9

TV Series

writer

breakdown writer (as Dorothy Goldstone)

1991–1992

2 episodes

 

Jason Bateman, Dan Ponce, Sandy Duncan, Jeremy Licht, and Josh Taylor in Valerie (1986)

Valerie

6.6

TV Series

written by

1991

1 episode

 

Finola Hughes, Maurice Benard, Genie Francis, Nancy Lee Grahn, Rebecca Herbst, and Laura Wright in General Hospital (1963)

General Hospital

6.6

TV Series

head writer

1987–1988

13 episodes

 

Falcon Crest (1981)

Falcon Crest

6.2

TV Series

written by

1984

2 episodes

 

Flamingo Road (1980)

Flamingo Road

6.5

TV Series

written by

1981

1 episode

 

The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts (1980)

The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts

6.6

TV Series

created by (creator)

1980

64 episodes

 

Birgitta Tolksdorf in Love of Life (1951)

Love of Life

7.5

TV Series

written by

1979–1980

182 episodes

 

Women at West Point (1979)

Women at West Point

6.6

TV Movie

Writer

1979

 

Days of Our Lives (1965)

Days of Our Lives

5.2

TV Series

story by

story & script writer

head writer

1977–1979

481 episodes

 

Having Babies

7.1

TV Series

created by (creator)

1978

1 episode

 

Forever Fernwood (1977)

Forever Fernwood

7.4

TV Series

created by (creator)

1977–1978

130 episodes

 

Having Babies II (1977)

Having Babies II

6.4

TV Movie

story

1977

 

All That Glitters (1977)

All That Glitters

8.5

TV Series

created by (creator)

1977

65 episodes

 

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976)

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman

7.9

TV Series

created by

writer

head writer ...

1976–1977

325 episodes

 

Jane Krakowski, Matthew Ashford, Domini Blythe, Colleen Dion, Terri Eoff, David Forsyth, Lee Godart, Louan Gideon, Marcia McCabe, Jeffrey Meek, Jacqueline Schultz, and Mary Stuart in Search for Tomorrow (1951)

Search for Tomorrow

7.1

TV Series

head writer

1974–1975

317 episodes

 

Donna Mills, Robert Burr, and Shawn Campbell in Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (1967)

Love Is a Many Splendored Thing

7.8

TV Series

headwriter

1967–1973

1424 episodes

 

Martin Sheen in Letters from Three Lovers (1973)

Letters from Three Lovers

6.9

TV Movie

Writer

1973

 

The Barbara Eden Show

6.9

TV Movie

creator

1973

 

The Debbie Reynolds Show (1969)

The Debbie Reynolds Show

6.9

TV Series

written by

1969

5 episodes

 

Peyton Place (1964)

Peyton Place

7.3

TV Series

written by

writer

1966–1969

64 episodes

 

Clint Howard and Bruno the Bear in Gentle Ben (1967)

Gentle Ben

6.5

TV Series

written by

1968–1969

2 episodes

 

Camp Runamuck (1965)

Camp Runamuck

7.6

TV Series

written by

1966

1 episode

 

Pat Crowley, Jeff Fithian, Mark Miller, Brian Nash, Joe Fithian, and Lord Nelson in Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1965)

Please Don't Eat the Daisies

6.9

TV Series

written by

1965

1 episode

 

Jay North in Dennis the Menace (1959)

Dennis the Menace

7.0

TV Series

written by

1961

1 episode

 

The Marquis Chimps in The Hathaways (1961)

The Hathaways

7.1

TV Series

written by

1961

2 episodes

 

Jon Provost, Tommy Rettig, Lassie the Dog, and Lassie in Lassie (1954)

Lassie

6.5

TV Series

written by

1959

1 episode

 

Producer

Channels (2008)

Channels

3.4

executive producer

2008

 

Florence Henderson, Nat Christian, and Stephanie Patton in For Heaven's Sake (2008)

For Heaven's Sake

6.3

executive producer

2008

 

Donna Mills, Joan Van Ark, Michele Lee, Constance McCashin, John Pleshette, and Ted Shackelford in Knots Landing (1979)

Knots Landing

6.9

TV Series

supervising producer

senior producer

1992–1993

26 episodes

 

Falcon Crest (1981)

Falcon Crest

6.2

TV Series

supervising producer

1984

13 episodes

 

The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts (1980)

The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts

6.6

TV Series

executive producer

1980

65 episodes

 

The Barbara Eden Show

6.9

TV Movie

executive producer

1973

 

Additional Crew

Channels (2008)

Channels

3.4

adr voice

2008

 

Donna Mills, Joan Van Ark, Michele Lee, Constance McCashin, John Pleshette, and Ted Shackelford in Knots Landing (1979)

Knots Landing

6.9

TV Series

executive story editor

1981–1982

22 episodes