Today in Soap Opera History (January 8)

1975: Ryan's Hope's Pat comforted Delia with a song.
1985: Santa Barbara's Lionel fell off a train and had his ID stolen.
2008: Days of our Lives' EJ found John in Stefano's basement.
2014: Guy Wilson made his first appearance as Will on Days.

"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer

"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...

1937: Clara, Lu & Em actress Isobel Carothers died suddenly at age 37. Clara, Lu, and Em was radio's first network daytime soap opera, beginning June 16, 1930 over WGN-AM Chicago, Illinois. It moved to the Blue Network in 1931 and later NBC.

The show began as a Northwestern University sorority sketch by Louise Starkey (Clara), Isobel Carothers (Lu) and Helen King (Em). Their friends suggested they go on the radio, so the trio approached WGN and did their first shows for no pay.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 2)

1958: Irna Phillips appeared on To Tell the Truth.
1975: Serena shot her husband on The Edge of Night.
1999: Guiding Light's Drew disrupted Michelle's trial.
2009: General Hospital featured karaoke night at Jake's.

"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer

"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...

1942: On Clara, Lu and Em Lu (Dorothy Day) and Em (Harriet Allyn) discussed Christmas presents.

1958: On CBS primetime panel game show To Tell the Truth, panelists Kitty Carlisle, Hy Gardner, Polly Bergen, Jackie Cooper tried to guess which of three women was the real Irna Phillips, Phillips was the creator and writer for As the World Turns at the time, and had written more than 25,000 scripts for radio series, including The Guiding Light.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 8)

1975: Ryan's Hope's Pat comforted Delia with a song.
1985: Santa Barbara's Lionel fell off a train and had his ID stolen.
2008: Days of our Lives' EJ found John in Stefano's basement.
2014: Guy Wilson made his first appearance as Will on Days.

"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...

1937: Clara, Lu & Em actress Isobel Carothers died suddenly at age 37. Clara, Lu, and Em was radio's first network daytime soap opera, beginning June 16, 1930 over WGN-AM Chicago, Illinois. It moved to the Blue Network in 1931 and later NBC.

The show began as a Northwestern University sorority sketch by Louise Starkey (Clara), Isobel Carothers (Lu) and Helen King (Em). Their friends suggested they go on the radio, so the trio approached WGN and did their first shows for no pay.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 2)

1958: Irna Phillips appeared on To Tell the Truth.
1975: Serena shot her husband on The Edge of Night.
1999: Guiding Light's Drew disrupted Michelle's trial.
2009: General Hospital featured karaoke night at Jake's.

"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...

1942: On Clara, Lu and Em Lu (Dorothy Day) and Em (Harriet Allyn) discussed Christmas presents.

1958: On CBS primetime panel game show To Tell the Truth, panelists Kitty Carlisle, Hy Gardner, Polly Bergen, Jackie Cooper tried to guess which of three women was the real Irna Phillips, Phillips was the creator and writer for As the World Turns at the time, and had written more than 25,000 scripts for radio series, including The Guiding Light.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 8)

1975: Ryan's Hope's Pat comforted Delia with a song.
1985: Santa Barbara's Lionel fell off a train and had his ID stolen.
2008: Days of our Lives' EJ found John in Stefano's basement.
2014: Guy Wilson made his first appearance as Will on Days.

"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...

1937: Clara, Lu & Em actress Isobel Carothers died suddenly at age 37. Clara, Lu, and Em was radio's first network daytime soap opera, beginning June 16, 1930 over WGN-AM Chicago, Illinois. It moved to the Blue Network in 1931 and later NBC.

The show began as a Northwestern University sorority sketch by Louise Starkey (Clara), Isobel Carothers (Lu) and Helen King (Em). Their friends suggested they go on the radio, so the trio approached WGN and did their first shows for no pay.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 2)

1958: Irna Phillips appeared on To Tell the Truth.
1975: Serena shot her husband on The Edge of Night.
1999: Guiding Light's Drew disrupted Michelle's trial.
2009: General Hospital featured karaoke night at Jake's.

"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...

1942: On Clara, Lu and Em Lu (Dorothy Day) and Em (Harriet Allyn) discussed Christmas presents.

1958: On CBS primetime panel game show To Tell the Truth, panelists Kitty Carlisle, Hy Gardner, Polly Bergen, Jackie Cooper tried to guess which of three women was the real Irna Phillips, Phillips was the creator and writer for As the World Turns at the time, and had written more than 25,000 scripts for radio series, including The Guiding Light.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 8)

1975: Ryan's Hope's Pat comforted Delia with a song.
1985: Santa Barbara's Lionel fell off a train and had his ID stolen.
2008: Days of our Lives' EJ found John in Stefano's basement.
2014: Guy Wilson made his first appearance as Will on Days.

"The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect is already in the cause."
― Henri Louis Bergson

"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...

1937: Clara, Lu & Em actress Isobel Carothers died suddenly at age 37. Clara, Lu, and Em was radio's first network daytime soap opera, beginning June 16, 1930 over WGN-AM Chicago, Illinois. It moved to the Blue Network in 1931 and later NBC.

The show began as a Northwestern University sorority sketch by Louise Starkey (Clara), Isobel Carothers (Lu) and Helen King (Em). Their friends suggested they go on the radio, so the trio approached WGN and did their first shows for no pay.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 2)

1958: Irna Phillips appeared on To Tell the Truth.
1975: Serena shot her husband on The Edge of Night.
1999: Guiding Light's Drew disrupted Michelle's trial.
2009: General Hospital featured karaoke night at Jake's.

"The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect is already in the cause."
― Henri Louis Bergson

"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...

1942: On Clara, Lu and Em Lu (Dorothy Day) and Em (Harriet Allyn) discussed Christmas presents.

1958: On CBS primetime panel game show To Tell the Truth, panelists Kitty Carlisle, Hy Gardner, Polly Bergen, Jackie Cooper tried to guess which of three women was the real Irna Phillips, Phillips was the creator and writer for As the World Turns at the time, and had written more than 25,000 scripts for radio series, including The Guiding Light.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 8)

1975: Ryan's Hope's Pat comforted Delia with a song.
1985: Santa Barbara's Lionel fell off a train and had his ID stolen.
2008: Days of our Lives' EJ found John in Stefano's basement.
2014: Guy Wilson made his first appearance as Will on Days.

"A page of history is worth a pound of logic."
― Oliver Wendell Holmes

"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...

1937: Clara, Lu & Em actress Isobel Carothers died suddenly at age 37. Clara, Lu, and Em was radio's first network daytime soap opera, beginning June 16, 1930 over WGN-AM Chicago, Illinois. It moved to the Blue Network in 1931 and later NBC.

The show began as a Northwestern University sorority sketch by Louise Starkey (Clara), Isobel Carothers (Lu) and Helen King (Em). Their friends suggested they go on the radio, so the trio approached WGN and did their first shows for no pay.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 2)

1975: Serena shot her husband on The Edge of Night.
1989: Santa Barbara's Julia & Michael made love.
1999: Guiding Light's Drew disrupted Michelle's trial.
2009: General Hospital featured karaoke night at Jake's.

"Most of us spend too much time on the last twenty-four hours and too little on the last six thousand years."
― Will Durant

"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...

1942: On Clara, Lu and Em Lu (Dorothy Day) and Em (Harriet Allyn) discussed Christmas presents.

1964: On Another World, Pat (Susan Trustman) agreed to see a psychiatrist.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 8)

1937: CLARA, LU & EM's Isobel Carothers died at age 37.
1981: KNOTS LANDING's Gary began an affair with Judy (GH's
Jane Elliot). 2001: OLTL's Todd surprised Blair with a new
passport. 2008: DAYS' EJ found John in Stefano's basement.

"The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see."
- Winston Churchill

"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...

1937: CLARA, LU & EM actress Isobel Carothers died suddenly at age 37. Clara, Lu, and Em was radio's first network daytime soap opera, beginning June 16, 1930 over WGN-AM Chicago, Illinois. It moved to the Blue Network in 1931 and later NBC.

The show began as a Northwestern University sorority sketch by Louise Starkey (Clara), Isobel Carothers (Lu) and Helen King (Em). Their friends suggested they go on the radio, so the trio approached WGN and did their first shows for no pay.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 2)

1975: EON's Serena shot her husband. 1983: OLTL's David was
in danger. 1985: DAYS' Shane and Miss Peach search for The
Pawn. 2009: It was karaoke night on GH.

"That is the supreme value of history. The study of it is the best guarantee against repeating it."
- John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir

"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...

1942: On CLARA, LU AND EM, Lu (Dorothy Day) and Em (Harriet Allyn) discussed Christmas presents.

Today in Soap Opera History (June 8)

On this date in...

1942: CLARA, LU, AND EM, one of radio's first network soap operas in 1930 (first on WGN then NBC Blue), was brought back by CBS Radio.  CBS aired the show for 15 minutes three days a week at 11 a.m.

1948: Actress Linda Cook, known for her roles in many daytime soaps including LOVING, THE EDGE OF NIGHT, and AS THE WORLD TURNS, was born. She died much too soon last year at age 63.

1981: AS THE WORLD TURNS returned to the 1:30 p.m. ET timeslot where it had been for many years (until February 1980 when CBS expanded THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS to 60 minutes and pushed ATWT back a half hour). ATWT would remain in the 1:30 slot until March 23, 1987, the day THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL debuted.