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 | |
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Born | March 22, 1926 |
Died | December 5, 2012 86) Palm Springs, California, U.S. | (aged
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Screenwriter Producer |
Robert Mason Pollock | |
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Born | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | March 19, 1917
Died | July 11, 2016 99) Palm Springs, California, U.S. | (aged
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Screenwriter Producer |
Notable work | Dynasty 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 |
Awards | Golden 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
- Frenzel, Gerhard G. (1999). Portrait of the Stars. Palm Springs, CA: Palm Springs Walk of Stars. pp. 122, 185. ASIN B0006FBSG4. LCCN 98093956.
- Schemering, Christopher (September 1985). The Soap Opera Encyclopedia. pp. 80–81. ISBN 0-345-32459-5.
- 1984-1985 Ratings - ClassicTVhits.com
- Palm Springs Walk of Stars webpage
- "Eileen (Mike) Pollock (1926 – 2012)". The Desert Sun. Gannett; archived at Legacy.com. December 5–7, 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
- "Robert Mason Pollock, Screenwriter On 'Dynasty,' "The Colbys,' Dies At 99, Highlight Hollywood News | Highlight Hollywood". highlighthollywood.com. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
- "Bob Pollock, 'Dynasty' screenwriter, dies at 99". Retrieved 2016-08-01.
- "Bob Pollock, 'Dynasty' screenwriter, dies at 99". The Desert Sun. July 13, 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-19.