Eileen and Robert Mason Pollock

Eileen "Mike" Prince Pollock (March 22, 1926 – December 5, 2012) and Robert "Bob" Mason Pollock (March 19, 1917 – July 11, 2016) were an American married couple who worked as television screenwriters and producers best known for work on the series Dynasty and its spin-off series The Colbys, the latter of which the Pollocks co-created with Dynasty creators Richard and Esther Shapiro.[1]

Eileen Prince Pollock
Born(1926-03-22)March 22, 1926
DiedDecember 5, 2012(2012-12-05) (aged 86)
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Screenwriter
Producer
Robert Mason Pollock
Born(1917-03-19)March 19, 1917
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
DiedJuly 11, 2016(2016-07-11) (aged 99)
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Screenwriter
Producer
Notable workDynasty
The Colbys
The Doctors
General Hospital
Robert Montgomery Presents
U.S. Steel hour
Philco Playhouse
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s chief of public radio relations
AwardsGolden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars

The second-season additions of the Pollocks and actress Joan Collins (in the role of Alexis) are generally credited with Dynasty's subsequent rise in the ratings;[2] it became the number one series in 1985.[3] According to The Soap Opera Encyclopedia written by Christopher Schemering, the Pollocks "soft-pedaled the business angle" of the show and "bombarded viewers with every soap opera staple in the book, presented at such a fast clip that a new tragedy seemed to befall the Carrington family every five minutes."[2]

The Pollocks brought the daytime series The Doctors its highest ratings in the early 1970s.[2] They also wrote for General Hospital from 1976 to 1977. In 1997, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to them.[4]

On December 5, 2012, six months after Eileen Pollock "suffered a massive stroke", her obituary was published in The Desert Sun of Coachella Valley.[5][6][7]

Robert Pollock died on July 11, 2016 in Palm Springs. He was 99 years old. His obituary is published in The Desert Sun.[8]

References

edit
  1. ^ Frenzel, Gerhard G. (1999). Portrait of the Stars. Palm Springs, CA: Palm Springs Walk of Stars. pp. 122, 185. ASIN B0006FBSG4. LCCN 98093956.
  2. ^ a b c Schemering, Christopher (September 1985). The Soap Opera Encyclopedia. Ballantine Books. pp. 80–81. ISBN 0-345-32459-5.
  3. ^ 1984-1985 Ratings - ClassicTVhits.com
  4. ^ Palm Springs Walk of Stars webpage
  5. ^ "Eileen (Mike) Pollock (1926 – 2012)". The Desert Sun. Gannett; archived at Legacy.com. December 5–7, 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
  6. ^ "Robert Mason Pollock, Screenwriter On 'Dynasty,' "The Colbys,' Dies At 99, Highlight Hollywood News | Highlight Hollywood". highlighthollywood.com. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  7. ^ "Bob Pollock, 'Dynasty' screenwriter, dies at 99". Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  8. ^ "Bob Pollock, 'Dynasty' screenwriter, dies at 99". The Desert Sun. July 13, 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
edit