Anne Collins

Anne Collins
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Role:	Writer, "The Day They Kidnapped Cleopatra"
BSG Universe:	Galactica 1980
Date of Birth:
Date of Death:	Missing required parameter 1=month! ,
Nationality:	USA
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IMDb profile

Anne Collins Ludwick (credited as Anne Collins) is a television writer who contributed to "The Day They Kidnapped Cleopatra" teleplay, the last Galactica 1980 episode in production during which ABC issued the show's cancellation order.

Collins began her television writing career in the mid-1970s, writing three scripts for Hawaii Five-O while working at a PR firm in Denver. The show's Story Editor, Curtis Kenyon, helped her secure representation with agent John Schallert, who successfully pitched her to the producers of Wonder Woman. Moving to Los Angeles, she expected to return to Denver within a month but instead stayed for seven years, working as story editor on the series under supervising producer Bruce Lansbury.

Career

Wonder Woman

Collins joined Wonder Woman during its second season as the producers were seeking a female writer to bring "a woman's POV" to the show. Working as story editor, she frequently edited and rewrote scripts from freelance writers, mostly male at the time. She wrote the final five episodes of the series, with her favorite being "Phantom of the Roller Coaster," which became a two-part episode after successful filming at Magic Mountain amusement park.

Collins noted the constraints of working on family programming that aired at 8 PM on Fridays, which meant "no realistic violence, no swearing, no drinking, no depiction of deviant behavior, no adult situations." Her hands doubled for Lynda Carter's in the episode "The Man Who Made Volcanoes."

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

After Wonder Woman was cancelled, Bruce Lansbury became supervising producer on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and invited Collins to join as story consultant. She wrote the episode "Vegas in Space" and created the story for "Cosmic Whiz Kid."

"Vegas in Space" became notable as one of the lighter episodes of the series, featuring Buck Rogers visiting Las Vegas in a futuristic setting. The episode represented the type of adventure-comedy tone that characterized much of the show's approach to science fiction storytelling.

Galactica 1980

It is alleged, but presently unconfirmed, that Collins originated the first draft of "The Day They Kidnapped Cleopatra," after which the script became shelved and she moved on to other shows. When the script was reactivated, it was rewritten by Mark Jones, in concert with 1980 story editors Chris Bunch and Allan Cole, without either Collins' input or knowledge.^{[citation needed]}

Later Career

After her work on Buck Rogers, Collins served as story editor on Vegas and Fantasy Island before moving to the Seattle area. She continued freelancing scripts for shows including The New Twilight Zone until joining Matlock as story consultant. Working long-distance from Bellevue, Washington, she wrote and edited scripts for the series' entire eight-year, two-network run while raising two daughters.

Video Game Writing

Following Matlock's conclusion, Collins enrolled at Lake Washington Technical College to study web and graphic design, feeding her growing interest in computers. She designed and maintained websites for nonprofit groups and created online games using JavaScript and HTML. Collins joined Her Interactive as a writer, contributing to the Nancy Drew video game series where she had "the privilege of writing dialog for one of her oldest and dearest childhood buddies, Nancy Drew."

Her extensive video game career spans from 2002 to 2011, encompassing multiple roles across production, writing, and story development. As a producer, she oversaw Nancy Drew: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake (2002), The Haunted Carousel (2003), Danger on Deception Island (2003), Curse of Blackmoor Manor (2004), The Secret of Shadow Ranch (2004), The Creature of Kapu Cave (2006), Legend of the Crystal Skull (2007), and The Phantom of Venice (2008).

Collins served as script writer on thirteen Nancy Drew titles, often combining writing with production duties. Her writing credits include Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake (2002), The Haunted Carousel (2003), Danger on Deception Island (2003), Curse of Blackmoor Manor (2004), The Secret of Shadow Ranch (2004), Secret of the Old Clock (2005), Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon (2005), Danger by Design (2006), The Creature of Kapu Cave (2006), Legend of the Crystal Skull (2007), The Phantom of Venice (2008), Lights, Camera, Curses! (2008), and Resorting to Danger! (2009). She also contributed to Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek (2008) for Wii and Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch (2011) for iPhone.

In story development, Collins created story concepts for Secret of the Old Clock (2005), Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon (2005), Danger by Design (2006), The Creature of Kapu Cave (2006), Legend of the Crystal Skull (2007), and The Phantom of Venice (2008). Her only non-Nancy Drew credit was as script writer for The Hardy Boys: Treasure on the Tracks (2009) on Nintendo DS.

Personal Life

Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Collins earned a B.A. in Sociology from Ohio Wesleyan University and an M.A. in Radio/Television/Film Production from the University of Texas at Austin. She has two daughters and currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, enjoying her Writers Guild of America pension while continuing to write.

Collins credits Bruce Lansbury with defining her career, recalling his stern admonishment when she expressed self-doubt: "You are a writer."

Writer credits for Galactica 1980

• "The Day They Kidnapped Cleopatra," with Mark Jones, Chris Bunch and Alan Cole

See also: Episodes written by Anne Collins

References