Showing posts with label Falcon Crest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Falcon Crest. Show all posts

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Today in Soap Opera History (August 1)

1980: Another World's Tracey and Russ married.
1984: Santa Barbara's Joe spotted his true love, Kelly.
1997: Rebecca Herbst debuted as Elizabeth on General Hospital.
2001: Spyder Games' Gretel performed.
"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...

1966: On Dark Shadows, Victoria (Alexandra Moltke) asked David (David Henesy) why he attempted to murder Roger and showed him the bleeder valve. He attacked her and she locked it in a dresser drawer. Later, Victoria went to show the bleeder valve to Elizabeth (Joan Bennett) it was missing.

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Today in Soap Opera History (July 10)

1979: General Hospital's Laura and Scotty were married.
1984: Guiding Light's Bert gave Josh a pep talk.
1985: Santa Barbara's Julia smuggled Amy and Brick onto a train.
2006: All My Children's Annie arrived in Pine Valley.
"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...

1952: On The Guiding Light, Trudy (Helen Wagner) and Meta (Jone Allison) discussed Meta's plans to leave New York and return to California. At home, Papa Bauer (Theo Goetz) and Bill (Lyle Sudrow) played chess as Bert (Charita Bauer) prepared the baby's bottle. Papa told Bill he spent too much time away from home on business trips. Bill received a telegram from Meta announcing her impending return.

Sunday, March 10, 2019

Today in Soap Opera History (March 10)

1961: Finale of daytime soap opera Full Circle aired on CBS.
1981: GH's Susan was shocked to learn PJ was Steven Lars.
1994: Another World's "Kate" introduced herself to John.
1997: B&B's Stephanie and Eric made love.
"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent 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...

1961: CBS aired the final episode of daytime soap opera Full Circle. The half-hour series starred Dyan Cannon as Lisa Crowder and Jean Byron as Kit Aldrich.  It was the first soap opera to be broadcast live from Hollywood. The opening credits below are from the July 1, 1960 episode.

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Today in Soap Opera History (February 19)

1985: British soap opera EastEnders premiered.
"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent 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...

1970: On Dark Shadows, Megan (Marie Wallace) reported to Nicholas about the burning of Paul Stoddard's grave. She threatened to kill Nicholas if he hurt Jeb, whom Nicholas accused her of loving. Barnabas (Jonathan Frid) found Megan and told her that Jeb punished his betrayal by turning him back into a vampire. In revenge, Barnabas bit Megan and got her under his control. Megan then told Barnabas that Schuyler Rumson -- Angelique's new husband -- was the man who turned him in. Barnabas tracked down Angelique on Long Island and informed her that Sky was a leviathan, a charge she refused to believe. However, Sky then introduced her to his mentor, Nicholas Blair. Though Angelique and Nicholas pretended to be strangers in front of Sky, the old arch-enemies reverted to form. Realizing that she truly couldn't escape her past as a witch, Angelique decided to embrace it anew. As the episode ends, Nicholas ordered Sky to burn Angelique, which he set out to do.

1980: On All My Children, Palmer (James Mitchell) threatened to turned an attack dog loose on Daisy (Gillian Spencer), who wanted to reveal herself to Nina (Taylor Miller).

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Today in Soap Opera History (January 1)

1951: Radio soap opera The Archers premiered. It continues to run to this day.
1968: Dark Shadows' Jeremiah tried to bury Angelique alive.
1981: Knots Landing's Diana and Karen "Put on a Happy Face".
1982: Miss Ellie received tragic news on Dallas.
"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...

1951: British radio soap opera The Archers premiered. The show was created by Godfrey Baseley, and originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk."

The opening line was by Dan Archer who said: "And a happy New Year to all!" His wife Doris responded with: "A very happy New Year, Dan." During the episode, Dan’s son Philip shared a kiss with a nearby farmer’s daughter, Grace, as he drove her home from a party and they discussed his job interview for the next day. The episode ended with Philip being angry at brother Jack for not returning his car, which made him late for his job interview.

The Archers is not only the world's longest-running radio soap opera but became the world's longest-running "active" soap opera in any format with the cancellation of Guiding Light in 2009.

1968: On Dark Shadows, Angelique (Lara Parker) woke up just as Jeremiah (Tim Gordon) started to bury her alive.

1971: On The Doctors, Mike Powers recalled the mistakes he made in 1970 and decided his New Year's resolution was to never be young again. Maggie encouraged Mike to find a new romance, while Matt hoped his relationship with Mike would improve in the new year.



1973: On Another World, Gil (Dolph Sweet) reminded Lenore (Susan Sullivan) that Wayne Addison's murder, for which she was acquitted, was never solved

1976: On Ryan's Hope, Jack (Michael Levin) told Sister Mary Joel (Sylvia Sidney) that he felt he would hurt Mary in the long run.



Note: In 1988, Sister Mary Joel (played by Rosemary Prinz) was revealed to be Jack's biological mother.

1981: On Another World, Amanda returned alone from her walk outside with Rachel and told Mac that Rachel was "gone." Mac, Jamie and Brian then heard car tires screeching outside.



1981: On Knots Landing, Diana (Claudia Lonow) had difficulty with her new boyfriend as felt pressured to sleep with him. Meanwhile, Karen (Michele Lee), Diana, Val (Joan Van Ark) and Ginger (Kim Lankford) performed in an ERA benefit. Val asked Gary (Ted Shackelford) to help, but he was too preoccupied helping Earl Trent (Paul Rudd). Diana needed Karen's support but she was too busy rehearsing. In frustration, Diana pulled out of the benefit. Meanwhile, with Laura (Constance McCashin) preoccupied with work, Richard (John Pleshette) spent his time with Abby (Donna Mills) and they ended up in the hot tub. Karen and Diana later made up and sang "Put on a Happy Face" at the show.



1982: On General Hospital, the residents of Port Charles felt the after effects of New Year's Eve the next morning.



1982: On Dallas, Donna’s success as an author irritated Ray (Steve Kanaly). Photographer Roger Larson encouraged Lucy (Charlene Tilton) to resume modeling. Sue Ellen and John Ross moved into a Dallas townhouse. At the Ewing barbecue, Sue Ellen and Cliff got reacquainted and Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) learned Jock was presumed dead after a helicopter crash in South America.



1982: On Falcon Crest, Julia's (Abby Dalton) husband, Tony, who deserted her and Lance twelve years earlier, suddenly reappeared.

Robert Desiderio and Judith Light
1985: Former One Life to Live co-stars Robert Desiderio and Judith Light were married.

1991: Actor Ted Demers, who briefly played Dan Wolek on One Life to Live, passed away at age 42. He died after a hypoglycemic seizure due to the Type 1 diabetes he suffered throughout his life.

2002: Actress Meg Wyllie passed away at age 84. She played Doris Roach on General Hospital in 1975, the nurse who was involved with switching Lesley's baby (Laura) years earlier. In 1994, she subbed for Anna Lee in the role of Lila Quartermaine.

2007: On Days of our Lives, passion ignited between Nick Fallon (Blake Berris) and Billie Reed (Julie Pinson).

2010: On EastEnders, an angered Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia) confronted her business partner, Christian Clarke (John Partridge), about how he was ruining her son Syed's wedding day with his "reckless infatuation." But when Zainab went one step too far and referred to Christian's feelings as "his perverted obsession," he snapped, leaving the mother of the groom with a shocking revelation of his own. A horrified Zainab would then confront Syed (Marc Elliott) over Christian's claims, resulting in his emotional confession that he's gay and loves Christian.





Thanks to FoxCrane for sending in the item above.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Sheila Mercier (ex-Annie, Emmerdale) - 100
Morris Chestnut (ex-Luke, American Horror Story) - 50
Neil Billingsley (ex-Danny, Search for Tomorrow) - 49
Alexia Robinson (ex-Alex, The Young and the Restless; ex-Claudia, Rituals; ex-Meg, General Hospital) - 49
Kimberly Page (ex-Kimberly, WCW) - 48
Nina Bott (Julia, Verbotene Liebe; ex-Celine, Alles was zählt) - 40
Eden Riegel (ex-Bianca, All My Children; ex-Heather, The Young and the Restless) - 38
Colin Morgan (ex-Merlin, Merlin) - 33

Former As the World Turns actor Michael David Morrison, the original Caleb Snyder, was born on this day in 1960. He died on February 18, 1993, at age 33.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email editor@welovesoaps.com.

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Today in Soap Opera History (December 4)

1950: The First Hundred Years premiered.
1981: Falcon Crest premiered.
2000: Port Charles kicked off the "Fate" arc.
2009: Venice premiered.
"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...

1933: After its August 14 debut on local station WLW in Cincinnati, radio soap opera Ma Perkins graduated to the NBC Red network in the 3 p.m. ET timeslot. The show was produced by Frank and Anne Hummert, the prolific team responsible for numerous radio dramas including Just Plain Bill, Backstage Wife and Young Widder Brown.

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Today in Soap Opera History (October 30)

1933: The Romance of Helen Trent premiered.
1987: Matthew Ashford debuted as Jack on Days of our Lives.
1985: Guiding Light's Reva almost ran into Josh at Cedars.
2008: All My Children's Reese and Miranda surprised Bianca.
"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...

1933: The Romance of Helen Trent debuted over CBS Radio. The show aired 7,222 episodes during its run until June 24, 1960. Created by the husband-and-wife team of Frank and Anne Hummert, Helen Trent was conceived as the epitome of virtue in a world where behavior was usually judged in black-and-white terms. Helen Trent never smoked, drank, or swore—even her thoughts were pure. Virginia Clark played Helen until 1944, when Julie Stevens assumed the role of "queen of the soaps." The show was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1990. It was the Hummerts longest-running series.

1964: On Another World, Pat (Susan Trustman) learned the infection she got after her abortion left her unable to have children. Five years later Pat's (played by Beverly Penberthy) sterility was "cured" with an operation and she had twins Michael and Marianne in 1970.

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Today in Soap Opera History (October 2)

1946: TV's first network soap opera premiered on DuMont.
1963: Hope Bauer was born on The Guiding Light.
1987: Chase Gioberti was presumed dead on Falcon Crest.
2009: Crystal Chappell returned to Days of our Lives as Carly.
"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...

1944: Procter & Gamble soap opera Rosemary premiered on NBC Radio. The show was created by Elaine Carrington and ran until July 1, 1955, switched from NBC to CBS on March 26, 1945.

1946: David P. Lewis' Faraway Hill premiered on the DuMont Network as the very first television soap opera broadcast on a network. The show lasted until December 18. The plot revolved around a widowed New Yorker, Karen St. John (played by Flora Campbell), who moved to a small town to be near relatives. NBC and DuMont were the only two networks in operation at that point.

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Today in Soap Opera History (August 1)

1980: Another World's Tracey and Russ married.
1984: Santa Barbara's Joe spotted his true love, Kelly.
1997: Rebecca Herbst debuted as Elizabeth on General Hospital.
2001: Spyder Games' Gretel performed.
"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, Victoria (Alexandra Moltke) asked David (David Henesy) why he attempted to murder Roger and showed him the bleeder valve. He attacked her and she locked it in a dresser drawer. Later, Victoria went to show the bleeder valve to Elizabeth (Joan Bennett) it was missing.

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Today in Soap Opera History (July 10)

1979: General Hospital's Laura and Scotty were married.
1984: Guiding Light's Bert gave Josh a pep talk.
1985: Santa Barbara's Julia smuggled Amy and Brick onto a train.
2006: All My Children's Annie arrived in Pine Valley.
"All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"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...

1952: On The Guiding Light, Trudy (Helen Wagner) and Meta (Jone Allison) discussed Meta's plans to leave New York and return to California. At home, Papa Bauer (Theo Goetz) and Bill (Lyle Sudrow) played chess as Bert (Charita Bauer) prepared the baby's bottle. Papa told Bill he spent too much time away from home on business trips. Bill received a telegram from Meta announcing her impending return.

Monday, June 4, 2018

Today in Soap Opera History (June 4)

1980: Douglass Watson & Judith Light won Daytime Emmys.
1984: Elizabeth Taylor surprised Carol Burnett on All My Children.
1984: Days' Bo & Hope reunited after he kidnapped her.
1997: OLTL's Dorian was not pleased with Todd's parrot.
"All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"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...

1940: On radio soap opera Young Widder Brown, Ellen (Florence Freeman) was romanced by Dr. Anthony Loring (Ned Weaver).

1968: On Dark Shadows, Carolyn (Nancy Barrett) began to experience the dream curse, but woke herself up to keep from having it. Later, Carolyn had the dream in which she saw a tombstone with her name ("Carolyn Collins Stoddard") and the following dates, Born: December 8, 1948, Died: July 15, 1968.

1973: On The Doctors, Dr. Matt Powers (James Pritchett) informed Mona Aldrich (Meg Mundy) that she needed to take more tests to find out what was wrong with her.

Friday, May 18, 2018

Today in Soap Opera History (May 18)

1960: Eileen Fulton debuted on As the World Turns.  1979: Pat
struggled to get past his religious differences with Nancy on
Ryan's Hope. 1990: The final episode of Falcon Crest.
1994: General Hospital's Maxie received B.J.'s heart.
"All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"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...

1960: Eileen Fulton debuted in the role of Lisa Miller on As The World Turns. She would play the iconic role for most of the next 50 years until the show's cancellation in 2010. The character was also was used as the focal point of the primetime spin-off Our Private World in 1965. Read our 2011 interview with Fulton here. And check out our 25 Biggest Blunders in Daytime Soap Opera History list where we chastise ATWT for the pitiful way the show ended the character of Lisa.

1967: On Days of our Lives, Tom (Macdonald Carey) called Susan (Denise Alexander) to get her back to the hospital because there were complications with Dickie.

Saturday, March 10, 2018

Today in Soap Opera History (March 10)

1961: Finale of daytime soap opera Full Circle aired on CBS.
1981: GH's Susan was shocked to learn PJ was Steven Lars.
1994: Another World's "Kate" introduced herself to John.
1997: B&B's Stephanie and Eric made love.
"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."
― Machiavelli

"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...

1961: CBS aired the final episode of daytime soap opera Full Circle. The half-hour series starred Dyan Cannon as Lisa Crowder and Jean Byron as Kit Aldrich.  It was the first soap opera to be broadcast live from Hollywood. The opening credits below are from the July 1, 1960 episode.

Monday, February 19, 2018

Today in Soap Opera History (February 19)

1985: British soap opera EastEnders premiered.
"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."
― Machiavelli

"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...

1970: On Dark Shadows, Megan (Marie Wallace) reported to Nicholas about the burning of Paul Stoddard's grave. She threatened to kill Nicholas if he hurt Jeb, whom Nicholas accused her of loving. Barnabas (Jonathan Frid) found Megan and told her that Jeb punished his betrayal by turning him back into a vampire. In revenge, Barnabas bit Megan and got her under his control. Megan then told Barnabas that Schuyler Rumson -- Angelique's new husband -- was the man who turned him in. Barnabas tracked down Angelique on Long Island and informed her that Sky was a leviathan, a charge she refused to believe. However, Sky then introduced her to his mentor, Nicholas Blair. Though Angelique and Nicholas pretended to be strangers in front of Sky, the old arch-enemies reverted to form. Realizing that she truly couldn't escape her past as a witch, Angelique decided to embrace it anew. As the episode ends, Nicholas ordered Sky to burn Angelique, which he set out to do.

1980: On All My Children, Palmer (James Mitchell) threatened to turned an attack dog loose on Daisy (Gillian Spencer), who wanted to reveal herself to Nina (Taylor Miller).

Monday, January 1, 2018

Today in Soap Opera History (January 1)

1951: The Archers premiered.
1968: Dark Shadows' Jeremiah tried to bury Angelique alive.
1981: Knots Landing's Diana and Karen "Put on a Happy Face".
1982: Dallas' Miss Ellie received tragic news.
"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...

1951: British radio soap opera The Archers premiered. The show was created by Godfrey Baseley, and originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk."

The opening line was by Dan Archer who said: "And a happy New Year to all!" His wife Doris responded with: "A very happy New Year, Dan." During the episode, Dan’s son Philip shared a kiss with a nearby farmer’s daughter, Grace, as he drove her home from a party and they discussed his job interview for the next day. The episode ended with Philip being angry at brother Jack for not returning his car, which made him late for his job interview.

The Archers is not only the world's longest-running radio soap opera but became the world's longest-running "active" soap opera in any format with the cancellation of Guiding Light in 2009.

1968: On Dark Shadows, Angelique (Lara Parker) woke up just as Jeremiah (Tim Gordon) started to bury her alive.

Monday, December 4, 2017

Today in Soap Opera History (December 4)

1950: The First Hundred Years premiered.
1981: Falcon Crest premiered.
2000: Port Charles kicked off the "Fate" arc.
2009: Venice premiered.
"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...

1933: After its August 14 debut on local station WLW in Cincinnati, radio soap opera Ma Perkins graduated to the NBC Red network in the 3 p.m. ET timeslot. The show was produced by Frank and Anne Hummert, the prolific team responsible for numerous radio dramas including Just Plain Bill, Backstage Wife and Young Widder Brown.

Monday, October 30, 2017

Today in Soap Opera History (October 30)

1933: The Romance of Helen Trent premiered.
1987: Matthew Ashford debuted as Jack on Days of our Lives.
1985: Guiding Light's Reva almost ran into Josh at Cedars.
2008: All My Children's Reese and Miranda surprised Bianca.
"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...

1933: The Romance of Helen Trent debuted over CBS Radio. The show aired 7,222 episodes during its run until June 24, 1960. Created by the husband-and-wife team of Frank and Anne Hummert, Helen Trent was conceived as the epitome of virtue in a world where behavior was usually judged in black-and-white terms. Helen Trent never smoked, drank, or swore—even her thoughts were pure. Virginia Clark played Helen until 1944, when Julie Stevens assumed the role of "queen of the soaps." The show was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1990. It was the Hummerts longest-running series.

1964: On Another World, Pat (Susan Trustman) learned the infection she got after her abortion left her unable to have children. Five years later Pat's (played by Beverly Penberthy) sterility was "cured" with an operation and she had twins Michael and Marianne in 1970.

Monday, October 2, 2017

Today in Soap Opera History (October 2)

1946: TV's first network soap opera premiered on DuMont.
1963: Hope Bauer was born on The Guiding Light.
1987: Chase Gioberti was presumed dead on Falcon Crest.
2009: Crystal Chappell returned to Days of our Lives as Carly.
"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...

1944: Procter & Gamble soap opera Rosemary premiered on NBC Radio. The show was created by Elaine Carrington and ran until July 1, 1955, switched from NBC to CBS on March 26, 1945.

1946: David P. Lewis' Faraway Hill premiered on the DuMont Network as the very first television soap opera broadcast on a network. The show lasted until December 18. The plot revolved around a widowed New Yorker, Karen St. John (played by Flora Campbell), who moved to a small town to be near relatives. NBC and DuMont were the only two networks in operation at that point.

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Anne Jeffreys Dead at 94

Golden Globe nominated actress Anne Jeffreys, who played Amanda Barrington on General Hospital and Port Charles, has died. She was 94.

Entertainment reporter for Los Angeles' KABC George Pennacchio was one of the first to tweet the news on Wednesday night. Others followed, including multiple friends on Facebook who confirmed the news. Details of her death were not widely available.

Jeffreys, who was born in Goldsboro, N.C., in 1923, got her start in entertainment as a teenager, beginning as a junior model and studying to eventually perform in the opera.

She eventually made her way into other stage musicals on Broadway.

Jeffreys had a long career on the stage, with starring roles in the 1948 Cole Porter musical "Kiss Me Kate" on Broadway as well as "Three Wishes for Jamie," "Carousel" and "Camelot."

In 1971, she joined the cast of NBC daytime drama Bright Promise as Sylvia Bancroft, the widow of the town founder with a 21-year-old daughter she clashed with on a regular basis.

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Today in Soap Opera History (August 1)

1980: Another World's Tracey and Russ married.
1984: Santa Barbara's Joe spotted his true love, Kelly.
1990: General Hospital baby racketeer Clayton had baby Lucas.
2001: Spyder Games' Gretel performed.
"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, Victoria (Alexandra Moltke) asked David (David Henesy) why he attempted to murder Roger and showed him the bleeder valve. He attacked her and she locked it in a dresser drawer. Later, Victoria went to show the bleeder valve to Elizabeth (Joan Bennett) it was missing.