Today in Soap Opera History (January 3)

1977: Lovers and Friends premiered on NBC.
1980: Edge of Night's Cliff ate Mrs. Corey's soup.
1995: Days' Alice interrupted Bo and Billie's wedding.
2001: All My Children's Bianca was outed at the Crystal Ball.

"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...

1938: Irna Phillips' radio soap opera Woman in White premiered on NBC Red. The show told the story of Karen Adams, a young nurse who dedicated her life to others, taking care of two young siblings after the death of her parents. Karen spent much of her time counseling others, although she did find time to marry and experience some marital difficulties of her own. The show ran until 1942 but returned from 1944 to 1948 as the story of nurse Eileen Holmes and her romance with Dr. Paul Burton, with only a few characters remaining from the original version. During this later period, Woman in White appeared as part of The General Mills Hour, along with two other Irna Phillips serials, The Guiding Light and Today's Children, and Phillips experimented with combining plots and moving characters among the three stories.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 3)

1977: Lovers and Friends premiered on NBC.
1980: Edge of Night's Cliff ate Mrs. Corey's soup.
1995: Days' Alice interrupted Bo and Billie's wedding.
2001: All My Children's Bianca was outed at the Crystal Ball.

"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...

1938: Irna Phillips' radio soap opera Woman in White premiered on NBC Red. The show told the story of Karen Adams, a young nurse who dedicated her life to others, taking care of two young siblings after the death of her parents. Karen spent much of her time counseling others, although she did find time to marry and experience some marital difficulties of her own. The show ran until 1942 but returned from 1944 to 1948 as the story of nurse Eileen Holmes and her romance with Dr. Paul Burton, with only a few characters remaining from the original version. During this later period, Woman in White appeared as part of The General Mills Hour, along with two other Irna Phillips serials, The Guiding Light and Today's Children, and Phillips experimented with combining plots and moving characters among the three stories.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 3)

1977: Lovers and Friends premiered on NBC. 1980: Edge of 
Night's Cliff ate soup Mrs. Corey intended for Deborah.
1995: Days' Alice interrupted Bo and Billie's wedding.
2001: All My Children's Bianca was outed at the Crystal Ball.

"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...

1938: Irna Phillips' radio soap opera Woman in White premiered on NBC Red. The show told the story of Karen Adams, a young nurse who dedicated her life to others, taking care of two young siblings after the death of her parents. Karen spent much of her time counseling others, although she did find time to marry and experience some marital difficulties of her own. The show ran until 1942 but returned from 1944 to 1948 as the story of nurse Eileen Holmes and her romance with Dr. Paul Burton, with only a few characters remaining from the original version. During this later period, Woman in White appeared as part of The General Mills Hour, along with two other Irna Phillips serials, The Guiding Light and Today's Children, and Phillips experimented with combining plots and moving characters among the three stories.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 3)

1977: Lovers and Friends premiered on NBC. 1980: Edge of 
Night's Cliff ate soup Mrs. Corey intended for Deborah.
1995: Days' Alice interrupted Bo and Billie's wedding.
2001: All My Children's Bianca was outed at the Crystal Ball.

"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...

1938: Irna Phillips' radio soap opera Woman in White premiered on NBC Red. The show told the story of Karen Adams, a young nurse who dedicated her life to others, taking care of two young siblings after the death of her parents. Karen spent much of her time counseling others, although she did find time to marry and experience some marital difficulties of her own. The show ran until 1942 but returned from 1944 to 1948 as the story of nurse Eileen Holmes and her romance with Dr. Paul Burton, with only a few characters remaining from the original version. During this later period, Woman in White appeared as part of The General Mills Hour, along with two other Irna Phillips serials, The Guiding Light and Today's Children, and Phillips experimented with combining plots and moving characters among the three stories.

Sloane Shelton Dead at 81

Sloane Shelton

Veteran stage and screen actress Sloane Shelton has passed away at age 81.

Born March 17, 1934, in Hahira, Georgia, Shelton was the daughter of Clarence Duffie and Ruth Evangeline Shelton.

The talented character actress played several memorable characters including Harriet Corbman on As the World Turns, Loretta Delahanty in Another World, Mildred Quinn on Lovers and Friends/For Richer, For Poorer, Elaine Robbins in Search for Tomorrow, and Dr. Thompson on Ryan's Hope.

Shelton's Broadway career stretches back to "The Affair" in 1962 where she was the understudy to Brenda Vaccaro. Her many theatre credits included "I Never Sang for My Father," "The Shadow Box," "Open Admissions," "The Imaginary Invalid," "Orpheus Descending" and "The Runner Stumbles."

Shelton also appeared in numerous films including All the President's Men, Running on Empty, What Lies Beneath, Pollock, One True Thing and Lean on Me.

FLASHBACK: A Complete, Concise Yearly History of TV Soap Operas - 1947 to 1977 (Part 8 of 8)

Y&R's original cast in 1973 included Tom Hallick (right) as Brad Eliot.

A Complete, Concise Yearly History of TV Soap Operas

The Soap Box
Vol. III No. 10 September 1978
by John Genovese

(continued from Part 7)

1973
When CBS axed Where the Heart Is and Splendored Thing, it was able to premiere a project that had been in the works for a long time. On March 26, The Young and the Restless appeared to revolutionize the business with its young, beautiful cast, romantic fairytale storylines, and top-flight production values from Television City in Hollywood. Creator William J. Bell and producer John Conboy made household idols of Trish Stewart, William Gray Espy, James Houghton, Tom Hallick and Janice Lynde, all of whom have since departed. The show, still the intense and sensuous story of the middle class Brooks family and the dirt-poor Foster clan of Genoa City, Wisconsin, still claims Robert Colbert (Stuart Brooks), Julianna McCarthy (Liz Foster) and Brenda Dickson (Jill Foster) from its originals.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 3)

1977: Lovers and Friends premiered on NBC. 1980: Edge of 
Night's Cliff ate soup Mrs. Corey intended for Deborah.
1995: Days' Alice interrupted Bo and Billie's wedding.
2001: All My Children's Bianca was outed at the Crystal Ball.

"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...

1938: Irna Phillips' radio soap opera Woman in White premiered on NBC Red. The show told the story of Karen Adams, a young nurse who dedicated her life to others, taking care of two young siblings after the death of her parents. Karen spent much of her time counseling others, although she did find time to marry and experience some marital difficulties of her own. The show ran until 1942 but returned from 1944 to 1948 as the story of nurse Eileen Holmes and her romance with Dr. Paul Burton, with only a few characters remaining from the original version. During this later period, Woman in White appeared as part of The General Mills Hour, along with two other Irna Phillips serials, The Guiding Light and Today's Children, and Phillips experimented with combining plots and moving characters among the three stories.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 3)

1977: LOVERS AND FRIENDS premiered on NBC. 1980: EON's
Cliff ate soup Mrs. Corey intended for Deborah. 1995: DAYS'
Alice interrupted Bo and Billie's wedding. 2001: AMC's
Bianca was outed at the Crystal Ball.

"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...

1938: Irna Phillips' radio soap opera WOMAN IN WHITE premiered on NBC Red. The show told the story of Karen Adams, a young nurse who dedicated her life to others, taking care of two young siblings after the death of her parents. Karen spent much of her time counseling others, although she did find time to marry and experience some marital difficulties of her own. The show ran until 1942 but returned from 1944 to 1948 as the story of nurse Eileen Holmes and her romance with Dr. Paul Burton, with only a few characters remaining from the original version. During this later period, WOMAN IN WHITE appeared as part of THE GENERAL MILLS HOURS, along with two other Irna Phillips serials, THE GUIDING LIGHT and TODAY'S CHILDREN, and Phillips experimented with combining plots and moving characters among the three stories.

Today in Soap Opera History (January 3)

On this date in...

1968: On ANOTHER WORLD, after going across the state line Rachel (Robin Strasser) and Russ (Sam Groom) were married with the magistrate's wife, Effie, as their witness. Rachel had convinced Russ they could keep the marriage a secret from his mother, Mary, since he promised her to remain free of responsibility until he's finished his internship and his residency.

When Rachel arrived back on Bay City, she gloated to Ada (Constance Ford), "Say good luck. Say you're happy. Say fireworks, music, blue skies, champagne, merry-go-round, rainbow! I'm married to Dr. Russell Matthews!"

Paul Rauch Dead at 78

Former daytime executive turned legendary soap opera producer Paul Rauch died on December 10 in New York due to complications from blood clots.  He was 78.

Rauch served as vice president of CBS daytime programming in the early 1970s before leaving to take over as executive producer of ANOTHER WORLD (1971-1983). His partnership with head writer Harding Lemay (1972-1979) produced what is considered by many to be some of the best daytime soap opera in history. In our 2009 inteview with Lemay, he described Rauch as "one of the best producers, probably the best producer I have ever worked with."

He went on to produce ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1983 to 1991), SANTA BARBARA (1991-1993) and GUIDING LIGHT (1996-2002). His most recent work was as executive producer for THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS from 2008 to 2011.

FLASHBACK: NBC Soap Crossovers 1977

Networks Play Follow Characters Hoping To Intrigue Audiences

Ocala Star-Banner
December 15, 1977

The boys and girls over at NBC are an awfully wily bunch.

As we reported two weeks ago, the characters of Amy and Austin Cushing arrived on the network's top-rated soaper, ANOTHER WORLD, in advance of last week's FOR RICHER, FOR POORER debut. If AW's audience was sufficiently intrigued by the Cushing characters, it was hoped that the audience would follow their exploits from AW's Bay City to FR, FP's Point Claire.

To further insure a sizeable audience crossover from one show to the other, most popular character, AW's most popular character, Rachel Cory, traveled with Amy and Austin to the new show. Rachel estanged husband, Mac, followed shortly after. And if viewers want to pursue the story trail of an anticipated reconcilliation between Mac and Rachel, they will have to do likewise. That's sneaky but it's also brilliant programming - hopefully.

FLASHBACK: The Week in Review 1977

Recaps from the week of February 7-11, 1977.

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: Kay showered JoAnn with a new wardrobe when she feared she'd lose JoAnn to Phil Cooper. Greg suspected Snapper pulled Bill's plug. While Vanessa hired a detective to find a copy of Laurie's book, Laurie and Lance attended Leslie's Madrid concert.

SEARCH FOR TOMORROW: David found Jennifer, who was ready to skip town, and brought her back to the courtroom. Bruce admitted his love to Amy and told her that Gail, who left town, was only a fling.