Allison Samuel Hall (March 11, 1921 – September 26, 2014), known as Sam Hall, was a screenwriter known for his work in daytime

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

s, particularly ''

Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American Gothic fiction, Gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulatio ...

'' (from 1967 to 1971) and ''

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

'' (from 1975 to 1985). Hall also co-wrote the 1976

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

miniseries ''

The Adams Chronicles ''The Adams Chronicles'' is a thirteen-episode miniseries by PBS that aired in 1976 to commemorate the American Bicentennial. Synopsis The series chronicles the story of the Adams political family over a 150-year span, including John Adams (dr ...

''.

Personal life

Hall was born in

Carrollton, Ohio Carrollton is a village in Carroll County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 3,087 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Canton–Massillon metropolitan area. History The village was established as "Centreville" ...

in 1921 to Samuel and Beatrice Hall. He was married to actress Grayson Hall, an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nominee who appeared on both shows, as Dr. Julia Hoffman on ''

'', and as Euphemia Ralston on ''

''.Sam Hall profile
imdb.com; accessed September 28, 2014. Later in life, Hall took an active part in the production of "War Games," a play he wrote and performed at the Rhinebeck Theatre's barn in the early 2000s.

''Dark Shadows''

The first serial for which Hall wrote was ''

The Brighter Day ''The Brighter Day'' is an American daytime soap opera which aired on CBS from January 4, 1954, to September 28, 1962. Originally created for NBC Radio by Irna Phillips in 1948, the radio and television versions ran simultaneously from 1954&ndas ...

''. After his wife was hired to appear on ''

'', he was invited to become one of the writers. Hall and his writing partner, Gordon Russell, were best known for their work on ''

'' and ''

''. (His son with Grayson Hall, Matthew Hall, was a later writer for the NBC revival of ''

''.)

''One Life to Live''

After ''Dark Shadows'' wrapped, Hall and Russell then began work on ''

''. Hall later wrote for the shows '' Another World'' and then, again, for ''

'' with different collaborators (including Peggy O'Shea and Henry Slesar.)

Death

Hall died on September 26, 2014, in Rhinebeck, New York at the age of 93.

Awards and nominations

Daytime Emmy Awards 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 (NA ...

NOMINATIONS *(1980, 1981, 1982 & 1983; Best Writing; ''One Life to Live'') *(1990; Best Writing; ''Santa Barbara'')

Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility Th ...

WINS *(1986 season; ''One Life to Live'') *(1991 season; ''Santa Barbara'') NOMINATIONS *(1979 season; ''One Life to Live'')

Head writing tenure

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Sam 1921 births 2014 deaths American soap opera writers American male television writers Screenwriters from Ohio Writers Guild of America Award winners People from Carrollton, Ohio