FLASHBACK: 'Sounds of the City' Black Radio Soap Opera (1974) - Updated

Byron Lewis saved UniWorld with branded entertainment, developing
the syndicated radio soap opera Sounds of the City for Quaker Oats in 1974.

SOUNDS OF CITY, Black Soap Opera, to Cut the Jive

By Barbara Campbell
New York Times
April 8, 1974

On May 1 the endless rhythm and blues, gospel and jazz recordings, the fast-paced hip chatter and the blaring commercials will be interrupted on 25 black radio stations in major cities across the country by the funereal rumble of organ music familiar to old time fans of Ma Perkins and Our Gal Sunday.

The music will signal the beginning of a five-day-a-week serial on the tragedies, triumphs and crises of the Taylors - a black family living somewhere in a large American city.

Ruby Dee Dead at 91

Stage and screen legend Ruby Dee, who personified grace, grit and progress at a time when African-American women were given little space in movies and on stage, died Wednesday in New Rochelle, New York. She was 91.

The death was confirmed Thursday by a family member, who declined to answer any questions pending the release of a statement.

The Cleveland-born, New York-raised actress and activist — winner of an Emmy, a Grammy and a Screen Actors Guild award, among others — not only starred on Broadway ("Take It From the Top!," "Two Hah Hahs and a Homeboy"), film (Spike Lee's 'Do the Right Thing' and Jungle Fever), and TV (All God’s Children, Feast of All Saints), but, with her husband and collaborator Ossie Davis, was a major figure in the Civil Rights movement.

CLASSIC CLIP: GUIDING LIGHT 50th Anniversary Tribute at the 2002 Daytime Emmy Awards

At the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2002, GUIDING LIGHT's 50th television anniversary was celebrated. Kim Zimmer (Reva) and Robert Newman (Josh) introduced a nice clip package, then several current and former cast members were brought on stage with Ruby Dee (Martha) escorting to the front the original Bill Bauer, Lyle Sudrow, who played the role on the radio version of the show starting in 1948 joining the original TV cast in 1952.

While it may not be perfect, this is the type of tribute I expected this year for ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE at the Daytime Emmys. Granted, the Emmys aired on CBS in 2002 and the network had more incentive to celebrate one of its own shows. When GL was canceled the Emmys brought on Betty White to introduce a shorter clip package for the show followed by bringing cast members on stage. An unaired four-minute tribute clip was released on the internet after the ceremony.

Watch the 2002 Emmys clip below followed by the 2009 celebration of GUIDING LIGHT and this year's AMC/OLTL tribute: