Passing javascript vars to a cgi script

First I get the data from the form on the page via:

$acct_name = document.requests.acct_name.value ;

I know that I have the data by testing:

alert("Account Name: " + $acct_name) ;

So far so good.

Now the menu, which is the javascript including the above, submits the following when the menu item is clicked:

document.write('<tr>');
document.write('<form action="http://www.somewebpage.com/cgi-bin/requests.cgi" method="post">');
document.write('<td align="left" valign="center">');
document.write('<input type="submit" value="File Requests" class="menulinks1"><br></td>');
document.write('<td><input type="hidden" name="acct_name" value=$acct_name></td>');
.
.
.
document.write('</form></tr>');

The above code is only for one of a number of menu items.

Result:

The .cgi gets called ok but the name of the field $acct_name is displayed instead of the value.

I have tried it value="$acct_name", value='$acct_name', value=$acct_name, and even value=document.requests.acct_name.value --- Everytime I get the field name.

The requests.cgi is currently in use and working fine. It is being called by another .cgi which passes the variables via _POST. I have to incorporate this into a new site that is PHP/MySQL, so I just mimic the use of the _POST variables by using the javascript.

I can rewrite the whole thing PHP/MySQL, which will probably happen in the future, but I am just trying to use what is already working for now.

Any suggestions/observations/etc., are gratefully welcomed. I have combed the javascript resources but can not find anything that helps. I had a previous post here trying to do the same thing with _SESSION vars, but no results yet.

Thanks !!!