Rita Lakin

Rita Lakin is an American screenwriter, with 474 produced television scripts spanning 30 productions. She is also a novelist and author of "The Only Woman In The Room," a memoire of her life as one of the first female show runners and one of the first women in television (released October 2015, Applause publishing). In fiction, Lakin created the Gladdy Gold Mystery seven-book series (published by Bantam Books), including Getting Old Is Murder, Getting Old Is The Best Revenge, and Getting Old Can Kill You. Lakin began writing regularly during the early 1960s for such television shows as The Doctors, Dr. Kildare and Peyton Place. In 1968, she began working as story editor and head writer of The Mod Squad. In 1972, she created The Rookies. In 1977, she served as executive producer of the CBS TV adaptation of the 1954 film Executive Suite. She wrote numerous "Movies of the Week" including Women in Chains, and such miniseries as Strong Medicine and Voices of the Heart. In 1981, she developed the TV series adaptation and served as show-runner of Flamingo Road. In 1989, she co-created the medical drama Nightingales. She also wrote or co-authored two original theatrical plays, No Language But a Cry and Saturday Night at Grossinger's.

Works

Nightingales

Nightingales is an American medical drama television series follows the stories of Christine Broderick, a supervisor of student nurses and her five nursing students: Sam, Bridget, Yolanda, Becky, and Allyson. Other hospital personnel include Christine's love interest, Dr. Paul Petrillo; the head nurse, Lenore Ritt; and the chief of staff, Dr. Garrett Braden.

Release Date:1989-01-21

Department:Creator

Job:Creator

Vote Count:1

Nightingales

"Nightingales" are eight student nurses living off campus in Southern California in this stylish Aaron Spelling production that ultimately was developed into a short-lived series which aired on NBC at the beginning of 1989. Subsequently edited down to 90 minutes, the film later served as the premiere episode for the series, which was reworked to add Suzanne Pleshette and Barry Newman as stars.

Release Date:1988-06-27

Department:Crew

Job:Creator

Strong Medicine

A woman starts working for a prestigious pharmaceutical company that's developing a new miraculous cure. Soon, she discovers what a devious and cut-throat business pharmaceutical industry can be.

Release Date:1986-04-26

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Episode Count:2

Strong Medicine

TV Movie A woman starts working for a prestigious pharmaceutical company that's developing a new miraculous cure. Soon, she discovers what a devious and cut-throat business pharmaceutical industry can be.

Release Date:1986-01-01

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Vote Count:1

Peyton Place: The Next Generation

Another attempt to bring the 1960s primetime serial back to network television

Release Date:1985-05-13

Department:Writing

Job:Screenplay

Dynasty

The saga of a wealthy Denver family in the oil business: Blake Carrington, the patriarch; Krystle, his former secretary and wife; his children: Adam, lost in childhood after a kidnapping; Fallon, pampered and spoiled; Steven, openly gay; and Amanda, hidden from him by his ex-wife, the conniving Alexis. Most of the show features the conflict between 2 large corporations, Blake's Denver Carrington and Alexis' ColbyCo.

Release Date:1981-01-12

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:115

Flamingo Road

Flamingo Road is an American prime time soap opera that aired on NBC. It was first seen as a TV movie on May 12, 1980, and as a series on January 6, 1981, after a rebroadcast of the pilot on December 30, 1980. The show is based on the 1949 movie starring Joan Crawford, which is, in turn, based on the novel by Robert Wilder. Flamingo Road was created to compete against CBS's Dallas and Knots Landing, nighttime dramas that were inspired by the daily afternoon soap operas that had been a staple of TV for years. The character of Constance Weldon ranked at #16 on E!'s list of The 50 Most Wicked Women in Primetime.

Release Date:1981-01-06

Department:Creator

Job:Creator

Vote Count:10

Flamingo Road

A carnival drifter marries into an aristocratic family and unwillingly takes on a ruthless sheriff who fancies himself a political kingmaker in this pilot film to the later series.

Release Date:1980-05-12

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Torn Between Two Lovers

Diane is happily married. But, one day while travelling she meets a dashing architect. With some relief, she parts ways with him at the airport, her resistance to his alluring manner having been tested. She later discovers that she has his gloves, so she returns them in person, only to end up in bed with the man, and later falling in love. She now faces the toughest decision of her life.

Release Date:1979-02-07

Department:Writing

Job:Story

Vote Count:1

A Sensitive, Passionate Man

The marriage of a wealthy, outwardly happy couple is threatened by the husband's alcoholism.

Release Date:1977-06-06

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Vote Count:2

Hey, I'm Alive

After their plane crashes, an older man and a young woman survive 49 days lost in the Yukon.

Release Date:1975-11-07

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Vote Count:1

Message to My Daughter

A confused teenager discovers a stack of tapes recorded years earlier by her dying mother.

Release Date:1973-12-13

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Vote Count:2

A Summer Without Boys

A middle-aged woman going through a divorce takes her daughter to a summer lodge where the girl experiences a powerful awakening to life's challenges.

Release Date:1973-12-05

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Vote Count:2

The Rookies

The Rookies is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It follows the exploits of three rookie police officers working in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department.

Release Date:1972-09-11

Department:Creator

Job:Creator

Vote Count:20

The Rookies

Three new officers in a large metropolitan police department adjust to their new jobs and way of life. This is another TV-pilot that was first aired as an ABC Movie of the Week before becoming a TV-series.

Release Date:1972-03-07

Department:Writing

Job:Story

Vote Count:1

Women in Chains

A parole officer goes undercover to investigate prison brutality but is trapped when the only person on the outside who knows why she's there is killed.

Release Date:1972-01-25

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Vote Count:4

Death Takes a Holiday

Death takes a human form and visits Earth to try to find out why humans want so desperately to cling to life. He unexpectedly falls in love with a beautiful young woman.

Release Date:1971-10-23

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Vote Count:4

The 48-Hour Mile

An unusual assignment for a private investigator involves two women who are in love with the same man.

Release Date:1970-11-01

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

The Mod Squad

The Mod Squad was the enormously successful groundbreaking "hippie" undercover cop show that ran on ABC from September 24, 1968, until August 23, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Pete Cochren, Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes, Clarence Williams III as Linc Hayes, and Tige Andrews as Captain Adam Greer. The executive producers of the series were Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas. The iconic counter-culture police series earned six Emmy nominations, four Golden Globe nominations plus one win for Peggy Lipton, one Directors Guild of America award, and four Logies. In 1997 the episode "Mother of Sorrow" was ranked #95 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.

Release Date:1968-09-24

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:23

The Invaders

The Invaders, alien beings from a dying planet. Their destination: the Earth. Their purpose: to make it their world. David Vincent has seen them, for him it began one lost night on a lonely country road, looking for a shortcut that he never found. It began with a closed deserted diner, and a man too long without sleep to continue his journey. It began with the landing of a craft from another galaxy. Now, David Vincent knows that the Invaders are here, that they have taken human form. Somehow he must convince a disbelieving world that the nightmare has already begun.

Release Date:1967-01-10

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:58

Family Affair

Family Affair is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966 to September 9, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do civil engineer and bachelor Bill Davis as he attempted to raise his brother's orphaned children in his luxury New York City apartment. Davis' traditional English gentleman's gentleman, Mr. Giles French, also had adjustments to make as he became saddled with the responsibility of caring for 15-year-old Cissy and the 6-year-old twins, Jody and Buffy. The show ran for 138 episodes. Family Affair was created and produced by Don Fedderson, also known for My Three Sons and The Millionaire.

Release Date:1966-09-12

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Episode Count:2

Vote Count:38

Daniel Boone

Daniel Boone is an American action-adventure television series starring Fess Parker as Daniel Boone that aired from September 24, 1964 to September 10, 1970 on NBC for 165 episodes, and was made by 20th Century Fox Television. Ed Ames co-starred as Mingo, Boone's Cherokee friend, for the first four seasons of the series. Albert Salmi portrayed Boone's companion Yadkin in season one only. Dallas McKennon portrayed innkeeper Cincinnatus. Country Western singer-actor Jimmy Dean was a featured actor as Josh Clements during the 1968–1970 seasons. Actor and former NFL football player Rosey Grier made regular appearances as Gabe Cooper in the 1969 to 1970 season. The show was broadcast "in living color" beginning in fall 1965, the second season, and was shot entirely in California and Kanab, Utah.

Release Date:1964-09-24

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:29

Peyton Place

Like the novel and film of the same name, this nighttime soap opera is set in the small New England town of Peyton Place, whose quaint charm masks a complicated web of extramarital affairs, shady business deals, scandals, even murder.

Release Date:1964-09-15

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Episode Count:9

Vote Count:7

The Virginian

The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Henry Garth, the Grainger brothers, and Colonel Alan MacKenzie. It is the setting for a variety of stories, many more based on character and relationships than the usual western.

Release Date:1962-09-19

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:28