Claire Vaughn Labine (née Wood; June 28, 1934 – November 11, 2016) was an American soap opera writer and producer.
nytimes.com, November 15, 2016.

1990s

In 1993, Labine returned to daytime as head writer of ABC's ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

''. She brought the show much critical acclaim, and won her seventh

Daytime Emmy The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (N ...

for Outstanding Writing for her work on the show. She chose to depart the show in early 1996. During this time, she created a proposed ''General Hospital'' spin-off, ''Heart and Soul'', about two families, one black, one white, both show business families. The black family was three generations of jazz musicians. Next door was a theatrical family. The show was not picked up by

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

; Wendy Riche's competing ''

Port Charles ''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes pl ...

'' was ABC's choice instead. Labine co-wrote, with

Judith Pinsker Judith Ann Pinsker (January 17, 1940, Kenmore, New York - April 26, 2014, Englewood, New Jersey) was an American television writer. Pinsker co-wrote (with Claire Labine) the 1995 ''New York Times'' bestseller ''General Hospital'' tie-in novel ''Ro ...

, the 1995 ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' bestseller ''General Hospital''

tie-in A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prope ...

novel ''Robin's Diary'', based in the

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

storyline between characters Stone Cates and

Robin Scorpio Robin Scorpio is a fictional character from the ABC Daytime soap opera ''General Hospital'' and its primetime SOAPnet spin-off '' General Hospital: Night Shift'', originated and portrayed by Kimberly McCullough on and off for over 30 years since ...

. In 1996, Labine was offered the

head writer A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits. In fictional comedy o ...

role at

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...

but turned it down because she and her son

Matthew Labine Matthew Labine (May 5, 1959 – September 1, 2017) was an American soap opera writer, the son of Claire Labine and the brother of Eleanor Labine Mancusi. Early life Labine received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Yale University in 1981 ...

were trying to get HEART & SOUL ka Union Placeon the air. "I had to turn it down because we were in the middle of that development. I said to

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer hea ...

, 'I am gratified by this offer, but if I have any chance at all...' I didn't think there was much chance but I thought it was worth a go to do our own show. And they were very lovely about it." In late 1996, she was made

of ABC's ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...

'' because she had a year and a half left on her contract with ABC. She remained with the show until early 1998.

2000s

Most recently, Labine had a short stint at CBS' ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

''. She was head writer of the show from 2000 through 2001. Labine shared the reins of GL with her children,

and

Eleanor Labine Eleanor Labine Mancusi is an American television writer, the daughter of Claire Labine and the sister of Matthew and John. Positions held '' Another World'' *Associate Head Writer (1999) '' General Hospital'' *Associate Head Writer (1993–Septe ...

. Rumors abounded throughout Labine's tenure at GL that she, Executive Producer

Paul Rauch Paul Rauch (1930 – December 10, 2012) was an American television and film producer. Rauch's work was primarily in American soap operas. Career Rauch's earlier jobs included Vice President, Programs-East Coast for CBS, Supervising Producer for ...

, and Executive in Charge of Production

Mary Alice Dwyer-Dobbin Mary Alice ("Mickey") Dwyer-Dobbin is an American daytime television producer. Biography A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Mary Alice Dwyer Dobbin is a television executive with experience in creative development, production, and management. Her n ...

had frequent arguments about the show's direction. At one point, it was announced in the soap press that the Labines were departing, only to have the announcement recanted a week later

P&G did eventually replace the Labines the following year with writers

Lloyd Gold Lloyd "Lucky" Gold (born September 6, 1950) is an American screenwriter and playwright. Gold's plays have been produced at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, the Seattle Repertory Theatre, the McCarter Theater and others. He wrote numerous film scripts ...

and Christopher Dunn. In November 2009, Labine gave WeLoveSoaps.net an exclusive interview during which she discussed her struggles with ABC during ''Ryan's Hope'', her enjoyment of writing ''General Hospital'', and her less enjoyable experiences on ''One Life to Live'' and ''Guiding Light''. She discussed details about her aborted project, ''Union Place'', and insights into her illustrious career.

Death

Labine died on November 11, 2016 at her home in

Somers, Connecticut Somers is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut. The population was 10,255 at the 2020 census. The town center is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). In 2007, ''Money Magazine'' listed Somers 53rd on its "100 Bes ...

at the age of 82 from undisclosed causes.

Positions held

Captain Kangaroo ''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program ...

'' *Script writer: 1966-1967 '' Where the Heart Is'' *Co-head writer: 1971–1973 *Script writer: 1970–1971 ''

Love of Life ''Love of Life'' is an American soap opera televised on CBS from September 24, 1951, to February 1, 1980. It was created by Roy Winsor, whose previous creation ''Search for Tomorrow'' premiered three weeks before ''Love of Life''; he created ''Th ...

'' *Co-head writer 1973–1975 ''

Ryan's Hope ''Ryan's Hope'' is an American soap opera created by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, airing for 13 years on ABC from July 7, 1975, to January 13, 1989. It revolves around the trials and tribulations within a large Irish-American family in th ...

'' *Co-Creator *

Executive Producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

: July 1975 – June 1982 *Head writer: July 1975 – June 1982, January 1983 – November 1983, February 1987 – January 1989 ''

'' *Head writer: October 1993 – March 1996 ''

'' *Head writer: December 1996 – April 1998 ''

'' *Head writer: August 2000 – July 2001

Awards

Daytime Emmy

9 Wins *(1995; Outstanding Writing; ''General Hospital'') *(1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983 & 1984, Outstanding Writing, ''Ryan's Hope'') *(1977, 1979 Outstanding Drama Series, ''Ryan's Hope'') 12 nominations *(1978, 1981 & 1982, Outstanding Drama Series, ''Ryan's Hope'') National Academy Of New York Arts And Sciences '' Silver Circle'' Recipient *2000

Writers Guild Of America

Wins *1995, ''General Hospital'' *1994, ''General Hospital'' *1980-1983, 1986–1989, ''Ryan's Hope'' Nominations *2001, ''Guiding Light'' *1996, ''General Hospital'' *1979, ''Ryan's Hope''

Other

*Honored with Evelyn F. Burkey Award by the

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Guil ...

on February 19, 2005. The award was presented to her by friend and former ''Ryan's Hope'' star

Kate Mulgrew Katherine Kiernan Maria Mulgrew (born April 29, 1955) is an American actress and author. She is best known for her roles as Captain Kathryn Janeway on '' Star Trek: Voyager'' and Red on '' Orange Is the New Black''. She first came to attention ...

. *

Connecticut College Connecticut College (Conn College or Conn) is a private liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. It is a residential, four-year undergraduate institution with nearly all of its approximately 1,815 students living on campus. The college w ...

Gold Medal 1995 ''Inherit The Earth Award'' for ''General Hospital'' story line on

environmental racism Environmental racism or ecological apartheid is a form of institutional racism leading to landfills, incinerators, and hazardous waste disposal being disproportionally placed in communities of colour. Internationally, it is also associated with ...

, a ground-breaking plot for daytime about a trash incinerator about to be located in a low income area featured icon

Laura Webber Laura Spencer may refer to: * Laura Spencer (actress) (born 1986), American actress * Laura Spencer (''General Hospital''), a fictional character in the television series ''General Hospital'' * Laura Horton (formerly Spencer), a fictional characte ...

in fight for social justice . *Labine served the

Writers Guild of America, East The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is a labor union representing writers in film, television, radio, news, and online media. The Writers Guild of America, East is affiliated with the Writers Guild of America West. Together the guilds admi ...

, as vice president for three terms, and is a recipient of the Richard Jablow Award for devoted service to the Guild. *She has been given Lifetime Achievement Awards by the New York Chapter of

National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) is an American professional service organization founded in 1955 for "the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, edu ...

and

Soap Opera Digest ''Soap Opera Digest'' is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional in ...

Head writer A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits. In fictional comedy o ...
tenure

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Labine, Claire 1934 births 2016 deaths American soap opera writers Soap opera producers Columbia University School of the Arts alumni University of Kentucky alumni American women television producers Daytime Emmy Award winners Writers Guild of America Award winners American women television writers American women screenwriters Women soap opera writers People from Somers, Connecticut Kentucky women writers Screenwriters from Connecticut Screenwriters from Kentucky Television producers from Connecticut 21st-century American women