42nd Writers Guild of America Awards

The 42nd Writers Guild of America Awards honored the best television, and film writers of 1989. Winners were announced on March 18, 1990.^[1]

42nd WGA Awards
Date	March 18, 1990
Organized by	Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West
← 41st WGA Awards 43rd →

Winners and nominees

^[2]

Film

Winners are listed first highlighted in boldface.

Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screenplay Crimes and Misdemeanors, Written by Woody Allen Dead Poets Society, Written by Tom Schulman The Fabulous Baker Boys, Written by Steve Kloves Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Written by Steven Soderbergh When Harry Met Sally..., Written by Nora Ephron

Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Driving Miss Daisy, Screenplay by Alfred Uhry; based on his play Born on the Fourth of July, Screenplay by Ron Kovic and Oliver Stone; based on the book by Ron Kovic Field of Dreams, Screenplay by Phil Alden Robinson; based on the book by W.P. Kinsella Glory, Screenplay by Kevin Jarre; based on the book by Lincoln Kistein My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown, Screenplay by Shane Connaughton and Jim Sheridan; based on the novel by Christy Brown

Television

Episodic Comedy "Coda" – The Wonder Years (ABC) – Todd W. Langen "Please Mr. Postman" – Cheers (NBC) – Brian Pollack, and Mert Rich "Jumping Jerks" – Cheers (NBC) – Ken Levine, and David Isaacs "Respect" – Murphy Brown (CBS) – Diane English "Here's Why You Order from the Spanish Side of the Menu" – The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd (Lifetime) – Eric Ellis Overmyer "Pottery Will Get You Nowhere" – The Wonder Years (ABC) – Matthew Carlson	Episodic Drama "Rolling" – TV 101 (CBS) – Karl Schaefer "Elysian Fields" – CBS Summer Playhouse (CBS) – Joan Tewkesbury "X-Mas Chn. Bch. VN, '67" – China Beach (ABC) – John Wells "Where the Boys Are" – China Beach (ABC) – Alan Brennert "His Suits Is Hirsute" – L.A. Law (NBC) – Steven Bochco, David E. Kelley, Michele Gallery, and William M. Finkelstein "The Measure of a Man" – Star Trek: The Next Generation (Syndicated) – Melinda M. Snodgrass
Daytime Serials Ryan's Hope (ABC) – Claire Labine, Matthew Labine, Eleanor Mancusi, William Burritt, Louise Shaffer, Paul Balido All My Children (ABC) – Agnes Nixon, Margaret DePriest, Lorraine Broderick, Victor Miller, Peggy Sloane, Megan McTavish, Gillian Spencer, Mary K. Wells, Susan Kirshenbaum, Elizabeth Page, Karen Lewis, Elizabeth Wallace, Kathleen Klein As the World Turns (CBS) – Douglas Marland, John Kuntz, Stephanie Braxton, Juliet Law Packer, Meredith Post, Nancy Ford, Penelope Koechl, Richard Backus, Caroline Franz, Patricia Dizenzo	Anthology Episode/Single Program Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Closed Set (PBS) – Ellen M. Violett "The Birth" – The Cosby Show (NBC) – John Markus, Carmen Finestra, and Gary Kott "Father & Son Game" – The Twilight Zone (CBS) – Jeremy Bertrand Finch, and Paul Chitlik "Street of Shadows" – The Twilight Zone (CBS) – Michael Reaves
Original Long Form Nightbreaker (TNT) – T.S. Cook	Adapted Long Form Part 1" – Lonesome Dove (CBS) – William D. Wittliff
Children's Script "Takind a Stand" – ABC Afterschool Special – Bruce Harmon "No Means No" – CBS Schoolbreak Special (CBS) – Jeffrey Auerbach "A Matter of Conscience" – CBS Schoolbreak Special (CBS) – Paul W. Cooper "My Past Is My Own" – CBS Schoolbreak Special (CBS) – Alan L. Gansberg Big Bird in Japan" – Sesame Street (PBS) – Jon Stone	Variety – Musical Not Necessarily the News (HBO) – Nancy Harris, Larry Arnstein, Steve Barker, Joe Guppy, Matt Neuman, Duncan Scott McGibbon, Jon Ross, Lane Sarasohn, Steve Young, Merrill Markoe, Tom Kramer, Peter Ocko
Comedy/Variety – Musical, Awards, Tributes – Specials The Earth Day Special (ABC) – Steve Tamerius

Documentary

Documentary – Current Events Secret Intelligence (PBS) – Joseph Angier, and Blaine Baggett

Documentary – Other than Current Events Mr. Sears' Catalogue – Edward Gray, and Mark Obenhaus

Special awards

Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement
Donald Ogden Stewart
Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement
David Shaw
Valentine Davies Award
John Furia
Morgan Cox Award
Oscar Saul
Paul Selvin Award
Alison Cross