From the Archive: Ellen Holly Offers Behind the Scenes Scoop on 'One Life to Live' (Part 2)

We Love Soaps TV visited with Ellen Holly in 2012 at her home in Westchester County, New York. In this never before seen clip, Ms. Holly offers behind the scenes details about her time on One Life to Live when she portrayed Carla Gray in the 1970s.

From the Archive: Ellen Holly on the Early Years of 'One Life to Live' (Part 1)

We Love Soaps TV traveled to Westchester County, New York, in 2012 to speak with daytime television legend Ellen Holly about her storied career. In the never-before-released video below, Ms. Holly talks about the early years of soap opera One Life to Live, which premiered on in 1968, and the cultural impact of her character, Carla Gray.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 6)

1986: Capitol's Clarissa found a voodoo doll in her bed.
1994: GH's Bobbie & Tony mourned BJ on her birthday.
2010: The "Train Crash" episode of Emmerdale.
2011: One Life to Live's Cord & Tina revisited the past.

"The best prophet of the future is the past."
― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1966: On Dark Shadows, Burke Devlin (Mitchell Ryan) told Carolyn (Nancy Barrett) that Roger Collins (Louis Edmonds) may have kept the expensive fountain pen for himself on the night Bill Malloy died.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 6)

1986: Capitol's Clarissa found a voodoo doll in her bed.
1994: GH's Bobbie & Tony mourned BJ on her birthday.
2010: The "Train Crash" episode of Emmerdale.
2011: One Life to Live's Cord & Tina revisited the past.

"History is a vast early warning system."
― Norman Cousins

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1966: On Dark Shadows, Burke Devlin (Mitchell Ryan) told Carolyn (Nancy Barrett) that Roger Collins (Louis Edmonds) may have kept the expensive fountain pen for himself on the night Bill Malloy died.

Book Recommendation: Agnes Nixon's 'My Life to Live'

I normally wouldn't make a book recommendation only three chapters into a read, but there's a new release that will be the exception to that rule. "My Life to Live: How I Became the Queen of Soaps When Men Ruled the Airwaves" was released last week, and so far it's as fascinating as you might expect. Agnes Nixon's memoir takes readers on a journey through her trailblazing rise to the top of the television industry, including behind-the-scenes stories from some of the most beloved soaps of all time. Featuring a foreward to All My Children superfan Carol Burnett, "My Life to Life" starts with Nixon looking back on her family, absent father, and life in Nashville. I can't wait to read more, and highly recommend you read along with me. You can order on Amazon here.

In Memoriam: Remembering Those We Lost in 2016 (Updated)

As 2016 comes to a close, we want to pay special tribute to those who passed away this year from the world of soap operas, including beloved creators, writers, performers and executives. Watch our tribute below.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 6)

1986: Capitol's Clarissa found a voodoo doll in her bed.
1994: General Hospital's Bobbie &Tony mourned BJ on her
birthday. 2010: Emmerdale aired the "Train Crash" episode.
2011: One Life to Live's Cord & Tina revisited the past.

"More and more, I tend to read history. I often find it more up to date than the daily newspapers."
― Joe Murray

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1966: On Dark Shadows, Burke Devlin (Mitchell Ryan) told Carolyn (Nancy Barrett) that Roger Collins (Louis Edmonds) may have kept the expensive fountain pen for himself on the night Bill Malloy died.

Loved Ones Gathered to Say Goodbye at Agnes Nixon's Funeral on Saturday

Legendary soap opera creator Agnes Nixon died on Wednesday morning at a physical rehabilitation facility close to her home in Rosemont, Pennsylvania. Family and friends gathered at Saint Thomas of Villanova Parish's Rosement Chapel on Saturday morning to say goodbye to Nixon, who had just completed her memoir, "My Life to Live," a few days before she passed away.

Nixon, a longtime resident of the Main Line, left her mark in numerous daytime dramas, creating Loving and the iconic soaps All My Children and One Life to Live. Both were set in fictional towns in the Philadelphia suburbs.

Nixon was 93.

Erika Slezak on Agnes Nixon: "She Changed My Life and My Career"

Erika Slezak in 1971, shortly after joining the cast of One Life to Live.

Legendary One Life to Live actress Erika Slezak, who took over the role of Victoria Lord in 1971, paid tribute to the show's iconic creator in a tribute on her website. Agnes Nixon died early Wednesday morning at a Haverford, Pennsylvania, physical rehabilitation facility close to her Rosemont home.

"I am so terribly saddened by the death of Agnes Nixon," Slezak wrote. "She was more than a great writer, producer and boss, she was a warm, loving and wonderful woman with a truly delightful and somewhat wicked sense of humor. It was my very great privilege to have known her and to have worked for her."

Slezak credited Nixon with changing her life.

"When she hired me to play Viki on One Life To Live, she changed my life and my career and I will forever be grateful to her. I wish her peace and angels all around her. She deserves that!"

Agnes Nixon Dead at 93

Agnes Nixon

Legendary soap opera writer and producer Agnes Nixon died early Wednesday morning. She was 93.

Nixon died at a Haverford, Pennsylvania, physical rehabilitation facility close to her Rosemont home, said her son, Bob Nixon. She had checked in to gain strength for a planned book tour, he said.

She had just completed her memoir, "My Life to Live," on Sunday, a week before it was due to publisher Penguin Random House for publication in early 2017, her son said.

"She was really a great wife, mother and human being — but above all, a writer. She was writing up until last night," he said, and had called him with a few changes for the book.

The cause of death was not immediately known, he said.

Nixon suffered a stroke four years ago with serious complications, her son said, but she fought to regain her health. He confirmed her birthdate as December 1922, despite media reports that she was 88.

"I am devastated to learn that we have lost Agnes. I adored her and admired her and I am forever grateful to her!" Susan Lucci, who starred as Erica Kane on All My Children, said in a statement.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications wrote a wonderful summary of Nixon's career that included excerpts from below.

Often termed the "queen" of contemporary soap opera, Nixon was best known, and most honored, for introducing social issues into the soaps. She first wrote for the CBS daytime drama Search for Tomorrow in the 1950s, then learned her craft under the tutelage of Irna Phillips.  In the early 1960s, in her first head writing job, with The Guiding Light, she had the heroine, Bert Bauer (Charita Bauer), develop uterine cancer. Typical of this storyteller, she was also personally motivated: a friend had died of cancer and Nixon hoped to teach women to have Pap smears.

Following The Guiding Light, Nixon became head writer of Another World (1965-1967), creating the character of Rachel Davis (played by Robin Strasser).

The real beginning for the presentation of issues in television soap opera, however, was the first show Agnes Nixon created, One Life to Live (1968), written for ABC, which was then attempting to get into the soap game. In 1968 social structures and attitudes were changing, and One Life was rich in issue stories and characters: leads who were Jewish, up-from-poverty Irish-American, Polish, and the first African-American leads, Carla Gray (Ellen Holly), doctor-to-be, and Ed Hall (Al Freeman, Jr.). Gray's story, for example, had her develop from a character who was passing as white to one who embodied black pride, with white and black loves along the way, to antagonize racists. Ironically, when Holly and Freeman brought Carla and Ed back to One Life in the mid-1980s, they seemed out of place in by-then WASP-ish Llanview, Pennsylvania. "Color" in this era was created not by race, but by style, in the persons of the nouveau riche, Dallas-style oil family, the Buchanans. By the Democratic mid-1990s, however, interracial and Hispanic families had become central characters.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 6)

1986: Capitol's Clarissa found a voodoo doll in her bed.
1994: General Hospital's Bobbie &Tony mourned BJ on her
birthday. 2010: Emmerdale aired the "Train Crash" episode.
2011: One Life to Live's Cord & Tina revisited the past.

"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again."
― Maya Angelou

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1966: On Dark Shadows, Burke Devlin (Mitchell Ryan) told Carolyn (Nancy Barrett) that Roger Collins (Louis Edmonds) may have kept the expensive fountain pen for himself on the night Bill Malloy died.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 6)

1986: Capitol's Clarissa found a voodoo doll in her bed.
1994: General Hospital's Bobbie &Tony mourned BJ on her
birthday. 2010: Emmerdale aired the "Train Crash" episode.
2011: One Life to Live's Cord & Tina revisited the past.

"History cannot give us a program for the future, but it can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves, and of our common humanity, so that we can better face the future."
― Robert Penn Warren

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1966: On Dark Shadows, Burke (Mitchell Ryan) told Carolyn (Nancy Barrett) that Roger (Louis Edmonds) may have kept the expensive fountain pen for himself on the night Malloy died.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 6)

1986: CAPITOL's Clarissa found a voodoo doll in her bed.
1994: Port Charles mourned BJ on her birthday.  2010:
EMMERDALE's "Train Crash" episode. 2011:  OLTL's
Cord & Tina revisited the past.

"We should always be aware that what now lies in the past once lay in the future."
― F.W. Maitland

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1966: On DARK SHADOWS, Burke (Mitchell Ryan) told Carolyn (Nancy Barrett) that Roger (Louis Edmonds) may have kept the expensive fountain pen for himself on the night Malloy died.

NEWS: Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, Erika Slezak, Eric Winter, Michael E. Knight, Natalie Zea & Travis Schuldt

Jacqueline MacInnes Wood's next THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL appearances: July 11 & 12
"Wouldn't you like to know?" teases Scott Clifton (Liam), when asked where his storyline with Steffy was heading now that her portrayer, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, is technically off-contract with the show. "Let me be clear — she's not gone," he clarifies. "She'll be around. If you talk to her, she'll tell you she has no intention of, like, never showing up again. She's going to be coming back."

ONE LIFE TO LIVE's Erika Slezak dishes on her Philly roots, says Viki will stay busy
Slezak had a rebellious streak during her time at the now-defunct Sacred Heart at Eden Hall in the Northeast.

"My best friends used to convince the teachers that we needed to go to the library in Torresdale to study," Slezak told me. "We would spend 20 minutes there and then we would go to the Mayfair Diner. We would eat hamburgers because the school's food would leave something to be desired."

Northwestern Students To Write An Episode Of ALL MY CHILDREN

Chicago native and soap opera pioneer Agnes Nixon created ALL MY CHILDREN two decades after attending Northwestern University.  Prospect Park Chairman and CEO Jeff Kwatinetz is an alum of the school as well. Fittingly, a trio of Northwestern undergrads will be involved in an upcoming episode of the soap, which returns on April 29.

Prospect Park has commissioned three finalists from Northwestern’s annual Agnes Nixon Playwriting Festival to write a future installment of the soap, likely to stream in May or June, according to the Chicago Tribune.

In addition to real-world television experience, the students will each be paid $1,500 for their efforts and receive a professional writing credit on the episode.

Agnes Nixon: "I'm Thrilled To Tears That I'm Still Here To Witness This"

The legendary Agnes Nixon created both ONE LIFE TO LIVE and ALL MY CHILDREN and is excited about both show's returning on April 29.

"I'm thrilled to tears that I'm still here to witness this," Nixon tells TV Guide Magazine. "Soap operas made history by being the first shows to move from radio to TV. Now they're the first to move from TV to the Internet. People say we're being pioneers here, which makes me feel like I'm 150 years old, or that I should be on a coin or something. Somebody had to make the first move. I'm so glad it was us!"

Nixon is optimistic Susan Lucci will make an appearance at some point.

"Susan has so many other commitments these days but I certainly see her in our future," Nixon says. "I do hope with all my heart that Susan will be free enough to come back to us for a while. You know me. I always have a great story in mind for Erica Kane!"

RELATED:
- Susan Lucci & Agnes Nixon as Erica & Mona
- Agnes Nixon Turns 85
- Agnes Nixon Pledges 'To Do Everything In Our Power To Make The Shows Live Up To Your Expecations'
- Agnes Nixon Releases Statement Confirming Return Of ALL MY CHILDREN And ONE LIFE TO LIVE

Agnes Nixon Pledges 'To Do Everything In Our Power To Make The Shows Live Up To Your Expecations'

Agnes Nixon posted on her Facebook page on Sunday a message of thanks after receiving an outpouring of support in response to her confirmation ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE were returning.

Dear Friends,

On this birthday of All My Children the best gift was the thousands of messages expressing your love of All My Children and One Life to Live and your joy that they are returning.

I'm deeply touched and pledge to do everything in our power to make the shows live up to your expectations. Thank you!

Love you,
Agnes

Meanwhile, actress Alicia Minshew (Kendall) tweeted she has "been approached. No news yet! I am shooting 2 other projects that may interfere with the timing."

RELATED:
- Agnes Nixon Releases Statement Confirming Return Of ALL MY CHILDREN And ONE LIFE TO LIVE
- ALL MY CHILDREN Premiered 43 Years Ago (photos/interviews/features)
- Debbi Morgan & Darnell Williams Join New ALL MY CHILDREN

ALL MY CHILDREN Premiered 43 Years Ago Today

The Agnes Nixon daytime soap opera ALL MY CHILDREN premiered on January 5, 1970. Check out some of our favorite articles, features, interviews and photos from over the years about ALL MY CHILDREN below:

Agnes Nixon Releases Statement Confirming Return Of ALL MY CHILDREN And ONE LIFE TO LIVE

Susan Lucci and Agnes Nixon

Legendary ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE creator Agnes Nixon released a statement on Facebook confirming the reboot of both daytime soaps.

Dear Friends,

We did it!!

Here is the statement I am about to release to the press.

I am so pleased to share it with YOU first. This could never have happened without your unwavering support.

With deepest gratitude,
Agnes

Today in Soap Opera History (December 27)

On this date in...

1963: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Emory (William Berger) came closer to realizing his murderous plan.

1979: KNOTS LANDING, a spin-off of DALLAS featuring Gary (Ted Shackelford) and Valene (Joan Van Ark) Ewing, premiered on CBS.  The KNOTS concept was actually created before DALLAS but DALLAS made it to the air first. The show was more episodic in the first season before becoming serialized after Abby (Donna Mills) arrived.