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.

Today in Soap Opera History (November 25)

November 25, 1960: "The Day Radio Drama Died"

"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...

1960: Often referred to by aficionados as "the day radio drama died" or "the day the radio soap opera died," this day has been identified as a watershed moment in broadcasting. CBS Radio aired the final episodes of the last network radio soap operas: Ma Perkins, Young Doctor Malone (which also aired on NBC-TV), The Right to Happiness (a spin-off of The Guiding Light), The Second Mrs. Burton, The Couple Next Door, Whispering Secrets and Best Seller.

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.

Today in Soap Opera History (November 25)

November 25, 1960: "The Day Radio Drama Died"

"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...

1960: Often referred to by aficionados as "the day radio drama died" or "the day the radio soap opera died," this day has been identified as a watershed moment in broadcasting. CBS Radio aired the final episodes of the last network radio soap operas: Ma Perkins, Young Doctor Malone (which also aired on NBC-TV), The Right to Happiness (a spin-off of The Guiding Light), The Second Mrs. Burton, The Couple Next Door, Whispering Secrets and Best Seller.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 4)

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

"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...

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.

Today in Soap Opera History (November 25)

November 25, 1960: "The Day Radio Drama Died"

"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...

1960: Often referred to by aficionados as "the day radio drama died" or "the day the radio soap opera died," this day has been identified as a watershed moment in broadcasting. CBS Radio aired the final episodes of the last network radio soap operas: Ma Perkins, Young Doctor Malone (which also aired on NBC-TV), The Right to Happiness (a spin-off of The Guiding Light), The Second Mrs. Burton, The Couple Next Door, Whispering Secrets and Best Seller.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 4)

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

"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...

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.

Today in Soap Opera History (November 25)

November 25, 1960: "The Day Radio Drama Died"

"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...

1960: Often referred to by aficionados as "the day radio drama died" or "the day the radio soap opera died," this day has been identified as a watershed moment in broadcasting. CBS Radio aired the final episodes of the last network radio soap operas: Ma Perkins, Young Doctor Malone (which also aired on NBC-TV), The Right to Happiness (a spin-off of The Guiding Light), The Second Mrs. Burton, The Couple Next Door, Whispering Secrets and Best Seller.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 4)

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

"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...

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.

Today in Soap Opera History (November 25)

November 25, 1960: "The Day Radio Drama Died"

"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...

1960: Often referred to by aficionados as "the day radio drama died," this day has been identified as a watershed moment in broadcasting. CBS Radio aired the final episodes of the last network radio soap operas: Ma Perkins, Young Doctor Malone (which also aired on NBC-TV), The Right to Happiness (a spin-off of The Guiding Light), The Second Mrs. Burton, The Couple Next Door, Whispering Secrets and Best Seller. Audiences still loved radio drama, but many stations around the country wanted that air time for local news and information features.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 4)

1950: THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS premiered. 1981: FALCON
CREST made its debut.  2000: PORT CHARLES kicked off
"Fate." 2009: VENICE premiered.

"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...

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.

Today in Soap Opera History (November 25)

1960: Known as "The Day Radio Drama Died."

"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...

1960: Has been identified as a watershed in broadcasting. It's often referred to by aficionados as "the day radio drama died." CBS Radio aired the final episodes of the last network radio soap operas: MA PERKINS, YOUNG DOCTOR MALONE (which also aired on NBC-TV), THE RIGHT TO HAPPINESS (a spin-off of THE GUIDING LIGHT), THE SECOND MRS. BURTON, THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR, WHISPERING SECRETS and BEST SELLER. Audiences still loved radio drama, but the local stations wanted all of the air time for local news and information features.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 4)

On this date in...

1933: Radio soap MA PERKINS moved to the NBC Red network. It had debuted on August 14 on WLW in Cincinnati. 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.

In his New Yorker essay “O Pioneers!,” James Thurber discussed how the Hummerts recognized the potential that the serials that aired in the evenings would have if they were broadcast during the day instead. This simple move acknowledged that women at home were the primary decision makers when it came to purchasing, and rightly recognized that a women’s household routine might be supplemented with narrative escapism. Radio historian and biographer Jim Cox noted that the pair did even more: they “intended to seize the housewives’ attention and alter the pattern of their daily existence.” For sponsors and the female audience, it proved a match made in heaven.

1950: THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS premiered on CBS. It was the first show on television to use the new invention known as a teleprompter. Pictured to the right are two stars of the early TV soap, Nana Bryant (Mrs. Martin) and Olive Stacey (Connie Martin Thayer). The show was replaced in 1952 by a TV version of radio soap THE GUIDING LIGHT.

1974: On ANOTHER WORLD, Ada (Constance Ford) told Sam (Jordan Charney) she wasn't sure Rachel would ever get over Steve.

1981: FALCON CREST premiered.  The show's cast included Jane Wyman, Robert Foxworth and Susan Sullivan.   DALLAS moved to the Friday 9 p.m. ET timeslot (one hour earlier) to provide a strong lead-in for the new primetime soap.

Today in Soap Opera History (November 25)

On this date in...

1960: Has been identified as a watershed in broadcasting. It's often referred to by aficionados as "the day the radio drama died." YOUNG DOCTOR MALONE (which also aired on NBC-TV), THE RIGHT TO HAPPINESS (a spinoff of THE GUIDING LIGHT), THE SECOND MRS. BURTON and MA PERKINS aired their final episodes.

To find out more, check out our 25 Biggest Blunders in Soap Opera History list.

1964: On ANOTHER WORLD, Pat (Susan Trustman) was indicted for murder in the first degree.

1986: On GUIDING LIGHT, Josh (Robert Newman) found a honeymooning couple when he busted into what he thought was Gerhardt's hotel room.

FLASHBACK: Bill & Susan Seaforth Hayes Cover Time Magazine's Sex and Suffering in the Afternoon Issue (1976)

Sex and Suffering in the Afternoon

TIME Magazine
January 12, 1976

Sometimes it seems that there is no escape from the world of soap opera. Eileen Fulton, who has played the wicked Lisa on As the World Turns for 16 years, was punched in front of Manhattan's Lord & Taylor by an irate fellow shopper who had confused the TV screen with real life. Said Fulton: "At first I thought she wanted my autograph."

An actor on the mystery soap Edge of Night was asked by a physician to stop killing off characters. One of the doctor's patients, a 94-year-old woman, was suffering agony over the deaths of so many people whom she felt she knew.

A few years ago, CBS was obliged to eliminate soap opera characters who were poor because the network was receiving piles of care packages. When Susan Seaforth Hayes as Julie of Days of our Lives mulled over an abortion, she was mailed pictures of fetuses. And the endlessly frustrated romance of Alice Matthews and Steve Frame drove fans of Another World crazy.

"Why don't you let them get married?" wailed one viewer. "Four times I've bought a new dress for the wedding. Four times I've bought champagne."

Mike Wallace Dead at 93; 60 MINUTES Icon, Announcer for THE GUIDING LIGHT, MA PERKINS, THE ROAD OF LIFE

CBS News legend Mike Wallace, the 60 MINUTES pit-bull reporter whose probing, brazen style made his name synonymous with the tough interview - a style he practically invented for television more than half a century ago - died last night. He was 93 and passed peacefully surrounded by family members at Waveny Care Center in New Canaan, Conn., where he spent the past few years. He also had a home in Manhattan.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 4)

On this date in...

1933: Radio soap MA PERKINS moved to the NBC Red network. It had debuted on August 14 on WLW in Cincinnati. 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.

In his New Yorker essay “O Pioneers!,” James Thurber discussed how the Hummerts recognized the potential that the serials that aired in the evenings would have if they were broadcast during the day instead. This simple move acknowledged that women at home were the primary decision makers when it came to purchasing, and rightly recognized that a women’s household routine might be supplemented with narrative escapism. Radio historian and biographer Jim Cox noted that the pair did even more: they “intended to seize the housewives’ attention and alter the pattern of their daily existence.” For sponsors and the female audience, it proved a match made in heaven.

1950: THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS premiered on CBS. It was the first show on television to use the new invention known as a teleprompter. Pictured to the right are two stars of the early TV soap, Nana Bryant (Mrs. Martin) and Olive Stacey (Connie Martin Thayer). The show was replaced in 1952 by the TV version of THE GUIDING LIGHT.

1981: DALLAS moved to the Friday 9 p.m. ET timeslot with FALCON CREST premiering after at 10 p.m.

Today in Soap Opera History (November 25)

On this date in...

1960: Has been identified as a watershed in broadcasting. It's often referred to by aficionados as "the day the radio drama died." YOUNG DOCTOR MALONE (which also aired on NBC-TV), THE RIGHT TO HAPPINESS (a spinoff of THE GUIDING LIGHT), THE SECOND MRS. BURTON and MA PERKINS aired their final episodes. To find out more, check out our 25 Biggest Blunders in Soap Opera History list.

Margaret Draper, Radio Soap Opera Star (BRIGHTER DAY, MA PERKINS, PEPPER YOUNG'S FAMILY), Has Died At Age 94 (Video Clip)

Margaret Draper, who starred on radio soap operas such as THE BRIGHTER DAY, MA PERKINS and PEPPER YOUNG'S FAMILY, has died at age 94.

NBC Radio's THE BRIGHTER DAY followed the Dennis family and Draper played the oldest daughter, Liz, from 1949 until 1954, when the show began airing simultaneously on CBS television.

Draper then moved on to the role of Linda Pepper on PEPPER YOUNG'S FAMILY.

FLASHBACK: Father of Soaps Defends Serial Art 1955

Soap Opera Father Defends Serial Art

By Wayne Oliver
Associated Press
April 4, 1955

New York -- The man who's often referred to as the father of soap opera comes clean about a pet peeve:

"I've resented the term 'soap opera' from the very start," says William M. Ramsey, director of radio for the biggest sponsor of daytime serials (Procter & Gamble.)

"I think now everybody uses the word, though," he concedes. He also thinks the terms has lost some of its earlier derisive connotations.