Today in Soap Opera History (April 2)

1956: As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiered on CBS.
1971: ABC aired the final episode of Dark Shadows.
1978: Primetime soap opera Dallas premiered on CBS.

"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: Hawkins Falls, a primetime dramedy in 1950 returned as 15-minute five-days-a-week daytime soap opera on NBC titled Hawkins Falls: A Television Novel, created by Roy Winsor and Doug Johnson. Its large cast of "townspeople" included Frank Dane, Bernadine Flynn, Ros Twohey, Hope Summers and Barbara Berjer. Produced and directed by Ben Park, it ran four years.

Don MacLaughlin and Helen Wagner  pose
for a photo in March 1956 as CBS prepared
to launch ABC.

1956: Procter & Gamble's As the World Turns, the first 30-minute daytime soap opera, premiered on CBS. The show starred Don MacLaughlin and Helen Wagner as Chris and Nancy Hughes, roles they would both play until their real-life deaths (Wagner had some time off in the early 1980s). Wagner said the first line in ATWT history, "Good morning, dear." Other original cast members included Rosemary Prinz, Ruth Warrick, Les Damon, Wendy Drew, William Lee and Hal Studer..  Read creator Irna Phillips' original story bible for the fictional Oakdale-based soap (As the World Turns) here.

ATWT became the top-rated daytime soap for much of the first two decades and ran more more than 54 years. CBS aired the final episode on September 17, 2010. The final line was, fittingly, "Goodnight."

Today in Soap Opera History (March 28)

1977: Ryan's Hope's Maeve tried to reason with her son-in-law.
1983: Guiding Light's Silas held Quint at gunpoint.
1997: The final episode of ABC daytime soap opera The City.
2008: Guiding Light's Gus crashed his motorcycle.

"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...

1955: On Hawkins Falls, reporter Mitch Fredericks (Jim Bannon) and Millie Flagle (Ros Twohey) persuaded the biggest donor to the town's fair, Andy Anderson, that he had psychic powers. Once Andy was convinced of his abilities, Mitch got him to predict that Hawkins Falls would become a booming industrial city, with the intention of printing a story quoting Andy's predictions. Mitch believed he could fulfill the prophecy by publishing it, thus bringing interest and future success to Hawkins Falls.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 21)

1982: General Hospital's Bryan visited his father.
1988: Guiding Light's Rick had an epiphany on his wedding day.
1997: Another World's Felicia removed her bandages.
2004: Guiding Light's Reva told Cassie that JB was Jonathan.

"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...

1953: On Hawkins Falls, May Shipley (Vivian Lasswell) came to Dr. Floyd Corey (Maurice Copeland) for help with a problem. Meanwhile, Sue Riga (Toni Gilman) tore into Mitch Fredericks (Jim Bannon). Hugh Downs was the announcer for the show at this time.

Today in Soap Opera History (April 2)

1951: A daytime version of Hawkins Falls premiered.
1956: As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiered
on CBS. 1971: ABC aired the final episode of Dark Shadows.

"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...

1951: Hawkins Falls, a primetime dramedy in 1950 returned as 15-minute five-days-a-week daytime soap opera on NBC titled Hawkins Falls: A Television Novel, created by Roy Winsor and Doug Johnson. Its large cast of "townspeople" included Frank Dane, Bernadine Flynn, Ros Twohey, Hope Summers and Barbara Berjer. Produced and directed by Ben Park, it ran four years.

Don MacLaughlin and Helen Wagner  pose
for a photo in March 1956 as CBS prepared
to launch ABC.

1956: Procter & Gamble's As the World Turns, the first 30-minute daytime soap opera, premiered on CBS. The show starred Don MacLaughlin and Helen Wagner as Chris and Nancy Hughes, roles they would both play until their real-life deaths (Wagner had some time off in the early 1980s). Wagner said the first line in ATWT history, "Good morning, dear." Other original cast members included Rosemary Prinz, Ruth Warrick, Les Damon, Wendy Drew, William Lee and Hal Studer..  Read creator Irna Phillips' original story bible for the fictional Oakdale-based soap (As the World Turns) here.

ATWT became the top-rated daytime soap for much of the first two decades and ran more more than 54 years. CBS aired the final episode on September 17, 2010. The final line was, fittingly, "Goodnight."

Today in Soap Opera History (March 28)

1977: Ryan's Hope's Maeve tried to reason with her son-in-law.
1983: Guiding Light's Silas held Quint at gunpoint.
1997: The final episode of ABC daytime soap opera The City.
2008: Guiding Light's Gus crashed his motorcycle.

"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...

1955: On Hawkins Falls, reporter Mitch Fredericks (Jim Bannon) and Millie Flagle (Ros Twohey) persuaded the biggest donor to the town's fair, Andy Anderson, that he had psychic powers. Once Andy was convinced of his abilities, Mitch got him to predict that Hawkins Falls would become a booming industrial city, with the intention of printing a story quoting Andy's predictions. Mitch believed he could fulfill the prophecy by publishing it, thus bringing interest and future success to Hawkins Falls.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 21)

1982: General Hospital's Bryan visited his father.
1988: Guiding Light's Rick had an epiphany on his wedding day.
1997: Another World's Felicia removed her bandages.
2004: Guiding Light's Reva told Cassie that JB was Jonathan.

"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...

1953: On Hawkins Falls, May Shipley (Vivian Lasswell) came to Dr. Floyd Corey (Maurice Copeland) for help with a problem. Meanwhile, Sue Riga (Toni Gilman) tore into Mitch Fredericks (Jim Bannon). Hugh Downs was the announcer for the show at this time.

Today in Soap Opera History (April 2)

1951: A daytime version of Hawkins Falls premiered.
1956: As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiered
on CBS. 1971: ABC aired the final episode of Dark Shadows.

"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...

1951: Hawkins Falls, a primetime dramedy in 1950 returned as 15-minute five-days-a-week daytime soap opera on NBC titled Hawkins Falls: A Television Novel, created by Roy Winsor and Doug Johnson. Its large cast of "townspeople" included Frank Dane, Bernadine Flynn, Ros Twohey, Hope Summers and Barbara Berjer. Produced and directed by Ben Park, it ran four years.

Don MacLaughlin and Helen Wagner  pose
for a photo in March 1956 as CBS prepared
to launch ABC.

1956: Procter & Gamble's As the World Turns, the first 30-minute daytime soap opera, premiered on CBS. The show starred Don MacLaughlin and Helen Wagner as Chris and Nancy Hughes, roles they would both play until their real-life deaths (Wagner had some time off in the early 1980s). Wagner said the first line in ATWT history, "Good morning, dear." Other original cast members included Rosemary Prinz, Ruth Warrick, Les Damon, Wendy Drew, William Lee and Hal Studer..  Read creator Irna Phillips' original story bible for the fictional Oakdale-based soap (As the World Turns) here.

ATWT became the top-rated daytime soap for much of the first two decades and ran more more than 54 years. CBS aired the final episode on September 17, 2010. The final line was, fittingly, "Goodnight."

Today in Soap Opera History (March 28)

1977: Ryan's Hope's Maeve tried to reason with her son-in-law.
1983: Guiding Light's Silas held Quint at gunpoint.
1997: The final episode of ABC daytime soap opera The City.
2008: Guiding Light's Gus crashed his motorcycle.

"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...

1955: On Hawkins Falls, reporter Mitch Fredericks (Jim Bannon) and Millie Flagle (Ros Twohey) persuaded the biggest donor to the town's fair, Andy Anderson, that he had psychic powers. Once Andy was convinced of his abilities, Mitch got him to predict that Hawkins Falls would become a booming industrial city, with the intention of printing a story quoting Andy's predictions. Mitch believed he could fulfill the prophecy by publishing it, thus bringing interest and future success to Hawkins Falls.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 21)

1982: General Hospital's Bryan visited his father.
1988: Guiding Light's Rick had an epiphany on his wedding day.
1997: Another World's Felicia removed her bandages.
2004: Guiding Light's Reva told Cassie that JB was Jonathan.

"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...

1953: On Hawkins Falls, May Shipley (Vivian Lasswell) came to Dr. Floyd Corey (Maurice Copeland) for help with a problem. Meanwhile, Sue Riga (Toni Gilman) tore into Mitch Fredericks (Jim Bannon). Hugh Downs was the announcer for the show at this time.

Today in Soap Opera History (April 2)

1951: A daytime version of Hawkins Falls premiered.
1956: As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiered
on CBS. 1971: ABC aired the final episode of Dark Shadows.

"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...

1951: Hawkins Falls, a primetime dramedy in 1950 returned as 15-minute five-days-a-week daytime soap opera on NBC titled Hawkins Falls: A Television Novel, created by Roy Winsor and Doug Johnson. Its large cast of "townspeople" included Frank Dane, Bernadine Flynn, Ros Twohey, Hope Summers and Barbara Berjer. Produced and directed by Ben Park, it ran four years.

Don MacLaughlin and Helen Wagner  pose
for a photo in March 1956 as CBS prepared
to launch ABC.

1956: Procter & Gamble's As the World Turns, the first 30-minute daytime soap opera, premiered on CBS. The show starred Don MacLaughlin and Helen Wagner as Chris and Nancy Hughes, roles they would both play until their real-life deaths (Wagner had some time off in the early 1980s). Wagner said the first line in ATWT history, "Good morning, dear." Other original cast members included Rosemary Prinz, Ruth Warrick, Les Damon, Wendy Drew, William Lee and Hal Studer..  Read creator Irna Phillips' original story bible for the fictional Oakdale-based soap (As the World Turns) here.

ATWT became the top-rated daytime soap for much of the first two decades and ran more more than 54 years. CBS aired the final episode on September 17, 2010. The final line was, fittingly, "Goodnight."

Today in Soap Opera History (March 28)

1977: Ryan's Hope's Maeve tried to reason with her son-in-law.
1983: Guiding Light's Silas held Quint at gunpoint.
1997: The final episode of ABC daytime soap opera The City.
2008: Guiding Light's Gus crashed his motorcycle.

"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...

1955: On Hawkins Falls, reporter Mitch Fredericks (Jim Bannon) and Millie Flagle (Ros Twohey) persuaded the biggest donor to the town's fair, Andy Anderson, that he had psychic powers. Once Andy was convinced of his abilities, Mitch got him to predict that Hawkins Falls would become a booming industrial city, with the intention of printing a story quoting Andy's predictions. Mitch believed he could fulfill the prophecy by publishing it, thus bringing interest and future success to Hawkins Falls.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 21)

1982: General Hospital's Bryan visited his father.
1988: Guiding Light's Rick had an epiphany on his wedding day.
1997: Another World's Felicia removed her bandages.
2004: Guiding Light's Reva told Cassie that JB was Jonathan.

"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...

1953: On Hawkins Falls, May Shipley (Vivian Lasswell) came to Dr. Floyd Corey (Maurice Copeland) for help with a problem. Meanwhile, Sue Riga (Toni Gilman) tore into Mitch Fredericks (Jim Bannon). Hugh Downs was the announcer for the show at this time.

Today in Soap Opera History (April 2)

"Mankind are so much the same, in all times and places, that history informs us of nothing new or strange in this particular. Its chief use is only to discover the constant and universal principles of human nature."
― David Hume

"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: HAWKINS FALLS, a primetime dramedy in 1950 returned as 15-minute five-days-a-week daytime soap opera titled HAWKINS FALLS: A TELEVISION NOVEL.

Don MacLaughlin and Helen Wagner  pose
for a photo in March 1956 as CBS prepared
to launch ABC.

1956: Procter & Gamble's AS THE WORLD TURNS, the first 30-minute daytime soap opera, premiered on CBS. The show starred Don MacLaughlin and Helen Wagner as Chris and Nancy Hughes, roles they would both play until their real-life deaths (Wagner had some time off in the early 1980s). Wagner said the first line in ATWT history, "Good morning, dear." Other original cast members included Rosemary Prinz, Ruth Warrick, Les Damon, Wendy Drew, William Lee and Hal Studer..  Read creator Irna Phillips' original story bible for the fictional Oakdale-based soap (AS THE EARTH TURNS) here.

ATWT became the top-rated daytime soap for much of the first two decades and ran more more than 54 years. CBS aired the final episode on September 17, 2010. The final line was, fittingly, "Goodnight."

Today in Soap Opera History (March 28)

1977: Ryan's Hope's Maeve tried to reason with her son-in-law.
1983: Guiding Light's Silas held Quint at gunpoint.
1997: The final episode of ABC daytime soap opera The City.
2008: Guiding Light's Gus crashed his motorcycle.

"Mankind are so much the same, in all times and places, that history informs us of nothing new or strange in this particular. Its chief use is only to discover the constant and universal principles of human nature."
― David Hume

"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...

1955: On Hawkins Falls, reporter Mitch Fredericks (Jim Bannon) and Millie Flagle (Ros Twohey) persuaded the biggest donor to the town's fair, Andy Anderson, that he had psychic powers. Once Andy was convinced of his abilities, Mitch got him to predict that Hawkins Falls would become a booming industrial city, with the intention of printing a story quoting Andy's predictions. Mitch believed he could fulfill the prophecy by publishing it, thus bringing interest and future success to Hawkins Falls.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 21)

1982: GH's Bryan visited his father.  1988: GL's Rick put
the pieces together about the baby his bride was having.
1997: AW's Felicia removed her bandages. 2004: GL's Reva
told Cassie that JB was Jonathan.

"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...

1953: On Hawkins Falls, May (Vivian Lasswell) came to Floyd (Maurice Copeland) with a problem. Meanwhile, Sue (Toni Gilman) tore into Mitch (Jim Bannon). Hugh Downs was the Announcer for the show at this time. Watch the episode below:

Today in Soap Opera History (March 28)

1997: ABC aired the final episode of THE CITY.

"There is no present or future, only the past happening over and over again - now."
- Eugene O'Neill

"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...

1955: On HAWKINS FALLS, reporter Mitch Fredericks (Jim Bannon) and Millie Flagle (Ros Twohey) persuaded the biggest donor to the town's fair, Andy Anderson, that he had psychic powers. Once Andy was convinced of his abilities, Mitch got him to predict that Hawkins Falls would become a booming industrial city, with the intention of printing a story quoting Andy's predictions. Mitch believed he could fulfill the prophecy by publishing it, thus bringing interest and future success to Hawkins Falls.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 21)

"The man for whom history is bunk is almost invariably as obtuse to the future as he is blind to the past."
― J. Frank Dobie

"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...

1953: On HAWKINS FALLS, May (Vivian Lasswell) came to Floyd (Maurice Copeland) with a problem. Meanwhile, Sue (Toni Gilman) tore into Mitch (Jim Bannon). Hugh Downs was the Announcer for the show at this time. Watch the episode below:

Today in Soap Opera History (April 2)

On this date in...

1951: HAWKINS FALLS, a primetime dramedy in 1950 returned as 15-minute five-days-a-week daytime soap opera titled HAWKINS FALLS: A TELEVISION NOVEL.

Don MacLaughlin and Helen Wagner  pose
for a photo in March 1956 as CBS prepared
to launch ABC.

1956: Procter & Gamble's AS THE WORLD TURNS, the first 30-minute daytime soap opera, premiered on CBS. The show starred Don MacLaughlin and Helen Wagner as Chris and Nancy Hughes, roles they would both play until their real-life deaths (Wagner had some time off in the early 1980s). Wagner said the first line in ATWT history, "Good morning, dear." Other original cast members included Rosemary Prinz, Ruth Warrick, Les Damon, Wendy Drew, William Lee and Hal Studer..  Read creator Irna Phillips' original story bible for the fictional Oakdale-based soap (AS THE EARTH TURNS) here.

ATWT became the top-rated daytime soap for much of the first two decades and ran more more than 54 years. CBS aired the final episode on September 17, 2010. The final line was, fittingly, "Goodnight."

Today in Soap Opera History (March 28)

On this date in...

1955: On HAWKINS FALLS, reporter Mitch Fredericks (Jim Bannon) and Millie Flagle (Ros Twohey) persuaded the biggest donor to the town's fair, Andy Anderson, that he had psychic powers. Once Andy was convinced of his abilities, Mitch got him to predict that Hawkins Falls would become a booming industrial city, with the intention of printing a story quoting Andy's predictions. Mitch believed he could fulfill the prophecy by publishing it, thus bringing interest and future success to Hawkins Falls.

1969: On DARK SHADOWS, Barnabas (Jonathan Frid) discovered Dirk outside, and claimed Jamison was missing.

1980: Mark Tapscott aired for the final time as Bob Anderson in DAYS OF OUR LIVES. Tapscott died in 1993 at age 68 after a battle with lung cancer.

1984: On DYNASTY, Dex (Michael Nader) was angry with Alexis over her dealings with Rashid Ahmed

1985: On KNOTS LANDING, Karen refused to sell Knots Landing Motors since it was Sid's dream for Eric and Michael, but they told her it's not their dream.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 21)

On this date in...

1953: On HAWKINS FALLS, May (Vivian Lasswell) came to Floyd (Maurice Copeland) with a problem. Meanwhile, Sue (Toni Gilman) tore into Mitch (Jim Bannon). Hugh Downs was the Announcer for the show at this time. Watch the episode below: