40th WGA Awards
Date	1988
Organized by	Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West
← 39th WGA Awards 41st →

The 40th Writers Guild of America Awards honored the best television, and film writers of 1987. Winners were announced in 1988.^[1]

Winners and nominees

Film

Winners are listed first highlighted in boldface.

Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screenplay Moonstruck, Written by John Patrick Shanley Broadcast News, Written by James L. Brooks Hope and Glory, Written by John Boorman Radio Days, Written by Woody Allen The Last Emperor, Written by Mark Peploe, and Bernardo Bertolucci	Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Roxanne, Screenplay by Steve Martin; based on the play by Edmond Rostand Full Metal Jacket, Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick, Michael Herr, and Gustav Hasford; based on the novel "The Short Timers" by Gustav Hasford Fatal Attraction, Screenplay by James Dearden; based on his short film The Princess Bride, Screenplay by William Goldman; based on the book by William Goldman The Untouchables, Screenplay by David Mamet; based on the book by Oscar Fraley, and Eliot Ness

Television

Episodic Comedy "A, My Name Is Alex" – Family Ties (NBC) – Gary David Goldberg, and Alan Uger "Here's Why Cosmetics Should Come in Unbreakable Bottles" – The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd (NBC) – Jay Tarses "Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas" – The Golden Girls (NBC) – Barry Fanaro, and Mort Nathan "Never Love a Goalie: Part I – Cheers (NBC) – Ken Levine, and David Isaacs "My Back Pages" – Family Ties (NBC) – Ruth Bennett "Contempt of Courting" – Night Court (NBC) – Tom Straw "A Piece of Cake" – The Golden Girls (NBC) – Kathy Speer, Terry Grossman, Mort Nathan, and Barry Fanaro	Episodic Drama "Turn, Turn, Turn: Part 1" – Cagney & Lacey (CBS) – Georgia Jeffries "It's a Wonderful Job" – Moonlighting (ABC) – Debra Frank, and Carl Sautter "More Skinned Against Than Skinning" – Hill Street Blues (NBC) – David Black "Fathers and Guns" – Hill Street Blues (NBC) – Jeffrey Lewis, and Jerry Patrick Brown "The Venus Butterfly" – L.A. Law (NBC) – Steven Bochco, and Terry Louise Fisher "Fry Me to the Moon" – L.A. Law (NBC) – Jacob Epstein, Marshall Goldberg, and David E. Kelley "Big Man on Mulberry Street" – Moonlighting (ABC) – Karen Hall "Atomic Shakespeare" – Moonlighting (ABC) – Ron Osborn, and Jeff Reno "A Room with a View" – St. Elsewhere (NBC) – Channing Gibson, John Masius, and Tom Fontana
Daytime Serials Ryan's Hope (ABC) – Claire Labine, Eleanor Mancusi, William Burritt, Madeline B. David, Steve Lehrman, David Appel Days of Our Lives (NBC) – Sheri Anderson, Leah Laiman, Anne Schoettle, Thom Racina, M.M. Shelly Moore, Dena Higley, Richard J. Allen, Linda Campanelli, Maralyn Thoma, Michelle Poteet Lisanti, Peggi Schibi, Penina Spiegel, Ted Kubiak	Anthology Episode/Single Program There Were Times, Dear – Harry Cauley "A Mistaken Charity" – American Playhouse (PBS) – Lawrence DuKore, and C.R. Portz "Everybody Needs a Little Love" – Tales from the Darkside (Paramount Television) – John Harrison "The Storyteller/Nightsong" – The Twilight Zone (CBS) – Rockne S. O'Bannon "The Card/The Junction" – The Twilight Zone (CBS) – Virginia Aldridge
Long Form – Original	Adapted Long Form Escape from Sobibor (CBS) – Reginald Rose Prison for Children (CBS) – Christopher Knopf
Children's Show "An Enemy Among Us" – CBS Schoolbreak Special (CBS) – Joseph Maurer "Juvi" – CBS Schoolbreak Special (CBS) – Joanna Lee "Young Harry Houdini" – Wonderful World of Disney (ABC) – James Orr	Variety – Musical, Award, Tribute, Special Event Will Rogers: Look Back in Laughter – Bennet Tramer 19th Annual NAACP Image Award – Daryl G. Nickens, Rita Cash, and Royce Osborn Jr.

Documentary

Documentary – Other than Current Events The Grizzlies (PBS) – Theodore Thomas

Special awards

Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement
Harriet Frank Jr., and Irving Ravetch
Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement
Bob Schiller, and Bob Weiskopf
Valentine Davies Award
Lois Preyser
Morgan Cox Award
Daniel Taradash

References

External links

Writers Guild of America Awards

Writers Guild of America Awards
Film Awards	Best Adapted Screenplay Best Original Screenplay Best Documentary Screenplay
Television/ New Media Awards	Animation Comedy Series Comedy/Variety Talk Series Comedy/Variety Specials Comedy/Variety Sketch Series Daytime Serials Drama Series Episodic Comedy Episodic Drama Long Form – Adapted Long Form – Original Short Form New Media New Series Children's Script Documentary Script – Current Events Documentary Script – Other Than Current Events
Special Awards	Paul Selvin Award Valentine Davies Award Animation Writers Caucus Animation Writing Award Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement Evelyn F. Burkey Award
Former Awards	Musical Western American Scene Drama Comedy
Ceremonies	1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Years are of film release; ceremonies are held the following year

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