Today in Soap Opera History (September 23)

1978: Gary and Valene Ewing returned to Dallas.
1984: Primetime soap Paper Dolls premiered on ABC.
1986: One Life to Live's Jessica Buchanan was born.
2011: All My Children aired for the final time on ABC.

"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...

1942: On radio soap opera Clara, Lu & Em, Clara (Fran Allison) was sick.

1969: On The Doctors, Mike Powers (Peter Burnell) picked up Julie Forrest (Ginger Gerlach) at the train station, and brought her to his parent's home. Julie told Matt (James Pritchett) and Maggie (Lydia Bruce) about her upbringing.

1975: On Ryan's Hope, Jillian Coleridge (Nancy Addision) encountered Delia Reid Ryan (Ilene Kristen) at Frank's campaign headquarters and refused to give in to Delia's demand that she give up on the campaign.

Today in Soap Opera History (September 23)

1978: Gary and Valene Ewing returned to Dallas.
1984: Primetime soap Paper Dolls premiered on ABC.
1986: One Life to Live's Jessica Buchanan was born.
2011: All My Children aired for the final time on ABC.

"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...

1942: On radio soap opera Clara, Lu & Em, Clara (Fran Allison) was sick.

1969: On The Doctors, Mike Powers (Peter Burnell) picked up Julie Forrest (Ginger Gerlach) at the train station, and brought her to his parent's home. Julie told Matt (James Pritchett) and Maggie (Lydia Bruce) about her upbringing.

1975: On Ryan's Hope, Jillian Coleridge (Nancy Addision) encountered Delia Reid Ryan (Ilene Kristen) at Frank's campaign headquarters and refused to give in to Delia's demand that she give up on the campaign.

Today in Soap Opera History (September 23)

1978: Gary (and Val) returned to Dallas.  1984: Paper Dolls
premiered. 1986: OLTL's Jessica Buchanan was born.
2011: All My Children aired for the final time on ABC.

"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...

1942: On Clara, Lu & Em, Clara (Fran Allison) was sick. Clara, Lu & Em was the first network radio soap opera in 1930. The drama series began as a Northwestern University sorority sketch by Louise Starkey (Clara), Isobel Carothers (Lu) and Helen King (Em). When Carothers suddenly died January 8, 1937 at age 32, Starkey and King decided not to continue. They started the show again on 1942 with another of their Northwestern University friends, Harriet Allyn, portraying Lu.

Today in Soap Opera History (September 23)

1978: Gary & Val first appeared on DALLAS. 1980: EON's Nicole
diagnosed her own disease. 1984: PAPER DOLLS premiered.
2011: ALL MY CHILDREN ended its run on ABC.

"In history, a great volume is unrolled for our instruction, drawing the materials of future wisdom from the past errors and infirmities of mankind."
― Edmund Burke

"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...

1942: On CLARA, LU & EM, Clara (Fran Allison) was sick. CLARA, LU & EM was the first network radio soap opera in 1930. The drama series began as a Northwestern University sorority sketch by Louise Starkey (Clara), Isobel Carothers (Lu) and Helen King (Em). When Carothers suddenly died January 8, 1937 at age 32, Starkey and King decided not to continue. They started the show again on 1942 with another of their Northwestern University friends, Harriet Allyn, portraying Lu.

Today in Soap Opera History (September 23)

On this date in...

1978: DALLAS aired its first episode as a regular series following a successful five-part mini-series in the spring. In "Reunion, Part 1," Jock and Miss Ellie's middle son, Gary (David Ackroyd), a recovering alcoholic, returned to Southfork after a long absence. Meanwhile, Lucy discovered her mother, Valene (Joan Van Ark), working at a diner outside of town. This was the first appearance of Gary and Val, who were first married in 1961, then reunited and remarried in 1979 (with Gary played by Ted Shackelford). Miss Ellie gave them a house in Knots Landing as a wedding gift.

1980: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Miles (Joel Carruthers) was stunned when Nicole revealed she knew she had aplastic anemia. "Which category do I fall under? Am I one of those that recovers without any difficulty? Or am I one of those that dies?"

You'll also notice future AS THE WORLD TURNS executive producer Christopher Goutman as Matt Sharkey in the episode you can below: