Anne Howard Bailey

Anne Howard Bailey

Head Writer, 1989-1990

July 26, 1924-November 23, 2006

Anne Howard Bailey, who was the head writer of "Days of Our Lives" from March 1989-January 1990, has died. Ms. Bailey died of congestive heart failure at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California on Friday, November 24, 2006. She was 82. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee on July 26, 1924. Bailey's adoptive parents found their only child as a newborn on their doorstep in Memphis. A doctor who placed infants of unwed mothers had alerted the couple to expect her. Her adoptive father's first name and grandfather's last name was Howard, and she was given that as her middle name. She remained in Memphis throughout her childhood and went on to attend Southwestern University. As a freshman, she excelled at writing, and was awarded a Stylus Cup for her efforts. Upon graduation, she moved to New York City.

She began to write for television in 1950, where her first credit was for "Armstrong Circle Theatre." She won a Christopher Award for that program as best script of the year in 1955. She amassed over 500 credits during her career, including such series as "Bonanza", "National Velvet", "87th Precinct" and "Family." In 1972, she received her first Emmy Award for writing the libretto (a script for an opera) for the PBS opera special "The Trial of Mary Lincoln." In 1974, she created the short-lived soap opera "How to Survive a Marriage." The show stirred up some controversy in its pilot episode, when two characters were implied to be nude in bed under the bedsheets. Ironically, the show was cancelled in April 1975 when NBC decided to expand "Days of Our Lives" to one hour.

In 1976, Ms. Bailey wrote for the now-famous PBS miniseries "The Adams Chronicles." In the 1980's, she began writing for soaps again. She was head writer of "General Hospital" from 1983-1986. In a 1983 interview about working on "General Hospital", she said: "What I like most about the job is the people I work with. The reportory company feeling. We're a family." She was head writer for NBC's "Santa Barbara" from 1987-1988, and won an Emmy for her work on the series in 1989.

Ms. Bailey came to "Days" in March 1989, and during her ten months with the show, she brought back the popular character Julie Williams (who had been off the canvas for six years). She also reintroduced new viewers to Scott Banning and created such characters as Isabella Toscano, Faith Taylor and Rebecca Downey. She wrote the biggest storyline of the late Richard Biggs (Marcus)'s time in Salem, when she had Marcus and several other characters go on location to South Carolina to deal with what happened to Marcus in his childhood. She also helped change the way Jack Deveraux was written, saying "Jack is going to make some major changes. People tell me that after he raped Kayla, the audience will never accept him as a good guy, but I don't believe that." Thankfully, Ms. Bailey went with her gut feeling and changed Jack into a fan favorite ever since.

In an article from December 1989 announcing her dismissal from the show, former "Days" producer Al Rabin was quoted as saying: ''She was a wonderful writer before she got here. She was a wonderful writer here and she will be a wonderful writer in her next project. It's just that the emphasis shifted slightly from romance to adventure. Since we preferred the audience that we had, we will be shifting back."

After leaving "Days" in 1990, Ms. Bailey continued to write librettos for many stage productions in New York. Ms. Bailey never married. In a 1953 interview, she said: "There is one important requirement that applies to most professional writers. Whether you like it or not: Live alone." Reflecting upon her career, she stated: "When you're in this business, you like to think you make a difference, that people will appreciate and enjoy what you do." Having been in the business since the beginnings of television in 1950 and writing for over five decades; winning both daytime and primetime Emmys; and head writing for four daytime dramas, Anne Howard Bailey definitely made a difference.

A portion of Anne Howard Bailey's 1930 census image is below, from Ancestry.com. Note that she and her parents lived with her mother's parents, Wade and Lillie Howard. Her parents were Howard and Lucille Bailey.

Name...........................Relationship..........Owned....................Age.....Age at Marriage....State of Birth



			*Anne Howard Bailey* *Head Writer, 1989-1990* *July 26, 1924-November 23, 2006*

Anne Howard Bailey, who was the head writer of "Days of Our Lives" from March 1989-January 1990, has died. Ms. Bailey died of congestive heart failure at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California on Friday, November 24, 2006. She was 82. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee on July 26, 1924. Bailey's adoptive parents found their only child as a newborn on their doorstep in Memphis. A doctor who placed infants of unwed mothers had alerted the couple to expect her. Her adoptive father's first name and grandfather's last name was Howard, and she was given that as her middle name. She remained in Memphis throughout her childhood and went on to attend Southwestern University. As a freshman, she excelled at writing, and was awarded a Stylus Cup for her efforts. Upon graduation, she moved to New York City. She began to write for television in 1950, where her first credit was for "Armstrong Circle Theatre." She won a Christopher Award for that program as best script of the year in 1955. She amassed over 500 credits during her career, including such series as "Bonanza", "National Velvet", "87th Precinct" and "Family." In 1972, she received her first Emmy Award for writing the libretto (a script for an opera) for the PBS opera special "The Trial of Mary Lincoln." In 1974, she created the short-lived soap opera "How to Survive a Marriage." The show stirred up some controversy in its pilot episode, when two characters were implied to be nude in bed under the bedsheets. Ironically, the show was cancelled in April 1975 when NBC decided to expand "Days of Our Lives" to one hour. In 1976, Ms. Bailey wrote for the now-famous PBS miniseries "The Adams Chronicles." In the 1980's, she began writing for soaps again. She was head writer of "General Hospital" from 1983-1986. In a 1983 interview about working on "General Hospital", she said: "What I like most about the job is the people I work with. The reportory company feeling. We're a family." She was head writer for NBC's "Santa Barbara" from 1987-1988, and won an Emmy for her work on the series in 1989. Ms. Bailey came to "Days" in March 1989, and during her ten months with the show, she brought back the popular character Julie Williams (who had been off the canvas for six years). She also reintroduced new viewers to Scott Banning and created such characters as Isabella Toscano, Faith Taylor and Rebecca Downey. She wrote the biggest storyline of the late Richard Biggs (Marcus)'s time in Salem, when she had Marcus and several other characters go on location to South Carolina to deal with what happened to Marcus in his childhood. She also helped change the way Jack Deveraux was written, saying "Jack is going to make some major changes. People tell me that after he raped Kayla, the audience will never accept him as a good guy, but I don't believe that." Thankfully, Ms. Bailey went with her gut feeling and changed Jack into a fan favorite ever since. In an article from December 1989 announcing her dismissal from the show, former "Days" producer Al Rabin was quoted as saying: ''She was a wonderful writer before she got here. She was a wonderful writer here and she will be a wonderful writer in her next project. It's just that the emphasis shifted slightly from romance to adventure. Since we preferred the audience that we had, we will be shifting back." After leaving "Days" in 1990, Ms. Bailey continued to write librettos for many stage productions in New York. Ms. Bailey never married. In a 1953 interview, she said: "There is one important requirement that applies to most professional writers. Whether you like it or not: Live alone." Reflecting upon her career, she stated: "When you're in this business, you like to think you make a difference, that people will appreciate and enjoy what you do." Having been in the business since the beginnings of television in 1950 and writing for over five decades; winning both daytime and primetime Emmys; and head writing for four daytime dramas, Anne Howard Bailey definitely made a difference.

		A portion of Anne Howard Bailey's 1930 census image is below, from Ancestry.com. Note that she and her parents lived with her mother's parents, Wade and Lillie Howard. Her parents were Howard and Lucille Bailey.

	Name...........................Relationship..........Owned....................Age.....Age at Marriage....State of Birth