Commemorating 60 Years of Soap Operas on CBS-TVBy Rob Wargo
On December 4, 1950, CBS-TV aired its very first daytime soap opera – THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS – sponsored by Procter & Gamble. The series starred James Lydon as “Chris Thayer,” who married “Connie Martin” (played originally by Olive Stacey and later by Anne Sargent) during the first week of the series, and thereafter moved his new bride into a decrepit three-story Victorian mansion. The couple’s problems with their living quarters, their middle in-laws, including Connie’s sister Margy, and the typical problems any newlyweds face gave credence to the show’s title, a reference to the old staying that the “first 100 years of marriage are the hardest.”
The series was produced on a budget of $8,650 per week and was directed by Gloria Monty, who subsequently directed THE SECRET STORM and produced GENERAL HOSPITAL.