Gloria Monty
| Gloria Monty | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Gloria Montemuro August 12, 1921 Allenhurst, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | March 30, 2006 (aged 84) Rancho Mirage, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Saint Catharine's Cemetery, Sea Girt, New Jersey |
| Education |
University of Iowa New York University Columbia University |
| Occupation | Television producer |
| Years active | 1950–2002 |
| Spouse(s) | Robert O'Byrne (1952–1991, his death) |
Gloria Monty (August 12, 1921 – March 30, 2006) was an American television producer working primarily in the field of daytime drama.
Born Gloria Montemuro in Allenhurst, New Jersey, she attended the University of Iowa,New York University, and Columbia University, where she earned her master's degree in drama.
In 1952, she married writer and editor Robert O'Byrne, with whom she had founded a New York theater group, Abbe Theater School. With O'Byrne, Monty directed summer stock productions and led acting and speech workshops at The New School in New York City, where her pupils included Marlon Brando, Demi Moore and Tony Curtis.
After directing shows such as The First Hundred Years, The Secret Storm (for many years), and Bright Promise, she is best known for taking over the ailing ABC Daytime serial General Hospital in 1978 as Executive Producer. Fred Silverman, the head of ABC, gave Monty thirteen weeks to turn the show around, with cancellation threatened if she did not succeed. It subsequently became the top-rated American daytime drama and won several Daytime Emmy Awards.
To accomplish this turnaround, she increased the show's pace, and focused main storylines on younger characters to reach out to younger viewers, particularly the pairing of ingenue Laura Spencer (Genie Francis) and troubled criminal Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary, whom she knew from his stint on her previous series, Bright Promise). She gave the sets a more contemporary look and feel, and employed production techniques once used only in primetime. One major result of the "Monty Revolution" was the faster pace of the show, effectively doubling the number of scenes in each episode. She was known for her rigid work ethic and for being tough with the cast and crew. “She demand[ed] excellence, but she reward[ed] it,” said coordinating producer Jerry Balme.
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