Bill & Susan Hayes to Receive Lifetime Achievement Awards at Daytime Emmys

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) today proudly announced that Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes, stars of television, film and stage and Sid and Marty Krofft, two legendary television producers, will be honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards this year during the Daytime Emmy® Awards. The Krofft Brothers will be celebrated at the 45th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards which will take place on Friday, April 27th, 2018, while Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes will be celebrated on Sunday, April 29th, 2018 at the 45th Daytime Emmy Awards. Both presentations will take place at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Southern California.

“I’ve been star-struck by the dynamic duo of Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes for decades,” said David Michaels, SVP, Daytime Emmy Awards, NATAS. “The scope of their work across the television, film and stage landscape is amazing. Their continuing roles of almost 50 years on Days of our Lives, where they also met and married, is a Daytime story like no other! Sid and Marty Krofft, our Daytime Creative Arts honorees, are masters of children’s television programming and have been part of my family viewing since the creation of H.R. Pufnstuf, Sigmund & the Sea Monsters and Land Of The Lost. Their terrific variety programs such as Donny & Marie on ABC and Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters on NBC have only solidified the breadth of their talent across the television spectrum.”

While there are many other deserving soap opera stars that have dedicated many decades to the genre, it is nice the Daytime Emmys are finally honoring daytime actors again, for the first time in several years. Let's hope this starts a trend.

'Days of our Lives' Sneak Peek Video: The Hortons Hang Their Christmas Ornaments, Valerie Pays Special Attention to David's

Julie shares some thoughtful words with the family before the Hortons
hang their ornaments on the Christmas tree.

It wouldn't be Christmas in Soapland if the Hortons didn't hang their Christmas ornaments on NBC's Days of our Lives. TV Insider has a sneak peek at this year's family gathering.

"As we place each person's ornament on the tree, I think we should take a minute to think about why they mean so much to us," Julie says.

Valerie (Vanessa Williams) tells Abe she remembers how magical the tradition is, and pays special attention when David Banning's ornament is placed on the tree.

Watch the preview video below.

NEWS: 'EastEnders' Christmas Preview, Connie Britton, Bill And Susan Hayes, Cicely Tyson, 'Love, Sex, and Choices'

EastEnders teases its explosive Christmas storylines
In Albert Square, it will never be a quiet Christmas. But even EastEnders fans will be shocked by the chilling turn of events that are set to transpire over the festive period as teaser shots from the forthcoming episodes drop some huge hints this week.

[SPOILERS] In a spectacular crescendo in the BBC soap, the Christmas Day episode is expected to see the Hubbards and Mitchells come to blows, the birth of Stacey's baby and the Beales and Mitchells sit down for an explosive festive feast.

Connie Britton on Nashville, Friday Night Lights, Ageism in Hollywood, and Her Glorious Hair
"I find a lot of people talking now about this golden age of television for women, which really has happened in the span of my career. And yet, I think back — my inspirations were Mary Tyler Moore and Lucille Ball and Marlo Thomas, all amazing women who were doing it back in the day, and that was amazing television, too. I’ve had a great opportunity to depict women who are striving to empower themselves, but in ways where they still maintain their femininity, their grace, and their vulnerability. I never get preachy about it, never get on a soapbox about it. But I do feel fortunate that I can create characters that maybe sometimes will impact somebody in a profound way."

Bill And Susan Hayes Talk About Their On- And Off-Screen Romance
The Hayes met on the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives back in 1970. Known for their roles as Doug and Julie Williams, they originally had entirely different plots before the show's head writer William Bell saw a connection between the two.

"He wrote a romance for us before we knew we were having a romance," says Susan Hayes. "So NBC said 'let's marry them.'"

A Northeastern Professor Made a Soap Opera About HIV Prevention
Rachel Jones, an associate nursing professor at Northeastern, has focused her research on curtailing HIV and AIDS transmission among urban women, particularly African American women. To move her mission forward, the National Institute of Nursing Research, part of the National Institutes of Health, awarded Jones a $2 million grant to put toward intervention efforts targeted at urban African American women between the ages of 18 and 29.

But for Jones, a classic PSA wasn't enough. Instead, she used the money to create Love, Sex, and Choices (LSC), a 12-part soap opera laced with references to responsible behaviors like safe sex and HIV testing. LSC follows the lives of four women—who, though fictional, are based on real stories—and tackles issues ranging from concerns about cheating to having sex with at-risk partners. Each episode concludes with advice from a “guide,” who points out risky behavior such as having sex with a partner who may not be monogamous.

Vatican City Drama About Female Papal Spokesperson From The Good Wife Creators & Scott Free Set At Amazon
Vatican City tells the story of an American, female, on-screen reporter working at a financial news network in Rome. There she comes to the attention of the liberal pope, Clement, who, knowing he can’t buck tradition and make women priests, decides to shake up the curia by making her the papal spokesperson. Once there, she’s forced to navigate 2000 years of sexism and a boss who 1.2 billion people consider infallible.

Cicely Tyson: A pioneer stretches her acting muscles in a new career chapter
Throughout the 1960s, she continued to appear on television (on the soap opera The Guiding Light, as well as the prime-time dramas I Spy and Gunsmoke) and movies (The Comedians, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter). While she was doing press for “Sounder,” Tyson encountered white journalists who evinced surprise that black families were just as loving and tightly knit as their own. What those reporters were saying, she realized, was that “we’re not human beings. It was those kinds of experiences that made me sit down and think, ‘You can’t just go out there and be an actress.’ I knew then that there were several issues I wanted to address, and I used my career as a platform.”

George Lucas on his decision to "break up" with Star Wars
"The issue was ultimately, they looked at the stories and they said, 'We want to make something for the fans,'" Lucas said. "People don't actually realize it's actually a soap opera and it's all about family problems - it's not about spaceships. So they decided they didn't want to use those stories, they decided they were going to do their own thing so I decided, 'fine.... I'll go my way and I let them go their way.'"

'Days of our Lives' Stars Make a Difference in Detroit (Video)

Nadia Bjorlin, Bryan Dattilo and James Reynolds on a recent trip to Detroit.

On their trip to Detroit years ago, cast and crew from NBC soap opera Days of our Lives visited Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries Genesis House, a local women's shelter. Inspired by what they saw, they promised to be back someday. While promoting the show's 50th anniversary book last week, co-executive producer Greg Meng, and actors James Reynolds (Abe), Bryan Dattilo (Lucas), Nadia Bjorlin (Chloe), Bill Hayes (Doug Hayes) and Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie) returned to the Motor City.

"We connected here about five years ago, and we've been back a time or two since, and we were so inspired by the strength and the courage of these women, we left here so inspired," said Meng. "Anytime we're near Detroit, we want to come here."

The team also stopped by VA Hospital, a treat for Reynolds, a veteran of the Marine Corps who served in the Vietnam War.

"I love the VA, I love what they do," Reynolds said. "I love the embracing of the veterans. Days of our Lives has been incredibly supportive of that."

The Hayes visited the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum, a personal favorite.

Watch highlights from the Days visit to Detroit below in a segment from WDIV.

FLASHBACK: Mother Daughter Relationships - An "Imitation of Life" on Daytime TV (Part 2)

On Love of Life, Meg Hart (Tudi Wiggins) had an affair with
business associate Rick Latimer (Jerry Lacy).  When Rick fell
in love with Meg's daughter (then, Deborah Courtney), it was the
start of a long-running storyline that nearly ended in tragedy.

Mother Daughter Relationships: An "Imitation of Life" on Daytime TV

The Soap Box
Vol. IV No. 1 January 1979

(continued from Part 1)

Certainly, Jill and Erica contradict the proverb from Ezekiel XVI:44, "As the mother, so is the daughter." One might have expected daughters like these from a mother like Meg Hart on Love of Life.

Meg had an affair with a business associate, Rick Latimer. When Rick fell in love with her daughter, Cal, it was the start of a long-running storyline that nearly ended in tragedy. Meg tried to undercut Cal and Rick's relationship, playing both sides against the middle. When that failed, she plotted a phony suicide attempt for their wedding day; her plan nearly backfired. Although Meg didn't die, she did succeed in forcing a postponement of her daughter's wedding. After the marriage took place, she continued to come on to Rick, and had nearly succeeded in separating them permanently before they reconciled and moved to Quebec.

FLASHBACK: You Are Cordially Invited to A (Soap) Wedding (Part 1)

When Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes) and Doug Williams (Bill Hayes)
finally set their wedding date, October 1, 1976, Days of our Lives pulled
out all the stops.  After all, viewers had waited six-and-a-half years to see
them get married.

You Are Cordially Invited to A (Soap) Wedding

The Soap Box
Vol. IV No. 2 February 1979
by Linda Susman

When Julie Anderson and Doug Williams finally set their wedding date, October 1, 1976, Days of our Lives pulled out all the stops. Viewers had agonized through a six-and-a-half-year on-again/off-again love affair that many thought would never end in marriage, so they deserved a gala celebration to repay their patience and loyalty.

NBC invited dedicated fans who could get to the Burbank studio to share in the festivities, and issued an engraved on-air invitation to viewers throughout the country to watch the ceremony on TV. After the taping, the newlyweds, played by Susan and Billy Hayes--who had fallen in love and married while portraying Julie and Doug--appeared at the visitor's patio where guests had watched the taping on monitors. They were showered with rice, then driven back to the soundstage in a limousine. While the new Mr. and Mrs. were meeting the press, guests celebrated with coffee and the three-tiered wedding cake.

'Day of DAYS' Fan Event Returns To Universal CityWalk With The Stars Of DAYS OF OUR LIVES On November 9

The stars of NBC's daytime drama DAYS OF OUR LIVES will meet fans face-to-face at the "Day of DAYS" fan event on Saturday, November 9 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles.

This complimentary event for devoted DAYS OF OUR LIVES viewers will offer fans the chance to meet and greet Salem’s favorite cast members during autograph signings, a Q&A session, a trivia challenge and much more.

Cast Stars Attending Include Alison Sweeney, Deidre Hall, Bill Hayes, Susan Hayes, Shawn Christian, Eric Martsolf, Chrishell Stause, Jen Lilley, Bryan Dattilo, Camila Banus, Mary Beth Evans, John Aniston, Blake Berris, Freddie Smith, Ari Zucker, Greg Vaughan, Galen Gering, James Reynolds, Lauren Koslow, Peggy McCay, Suzanne Rogers, Kate Mansi and more.

Check out the schedule for the day below:

INTERVIEW: Kristian Alfonso Reflects On Her DAYS OF OUR LIVES 30th Anniversary

Kristian Alfonso

Kristian Alfonso made her debut as Hope Williams in DAYS OF OUR LIVES 30 years ago this month. Over the past three decades we have loved her performances in DAYS, as well as primetime soaps FALCON CREST and MELROSE PLACE. She's also hosted shows, and starred in films, but DAYS has always been "home." We Love Soaps spoke with Alfonso about her long career, DAYS OF OUR LIVES and where she sees the character of Hope today. Read our new interview below:

WE LOVE SOAPS: It is wonderful to speak with you just a few days shy of the 30th anniversary of your DAYS OF OUR LIVES debut.
KRISTIAN ALFONSO: It's shocking. I can't get my head around it. It's just like yesterday.

WE LOVE SOAPS: In honor of this milestone, can you tell our readers the story of how you first came to DAYS. I understand you had auditioned to play Hope a couple of years earlier, and then returned in 1983 when you started on the show.

CLASSIC CLIP: HOLLYWOOD SQUARES Soap Star Week 1979

1979 DAYS OF OUR LIVES stars Richard Guthrie and
Tracey Bregman (now Lauren on THE YOUNG AND
THE RESTLESS).

In early December 1979 NBC's HOLLYWOOD SQUARES are a Soap Stars special week featuring many of the stars of the day (a few of which are still starring in daytime today).

The panel consisted of the following pairs:
* Nancy Pinkerton & Franc Luz (THE DOCTORS)
* Susan Keith & Paul Stevens (ANOTHER WORLD)
* Richard Guthrie & Tracey Bregman (DAYS OF OUR LIVES)
* Dennis Cooney & Kelly Wood (AS THE WORLD TURNS)
* Sherry Mathis & Rod Arrants (SEARCH FOR TOMORROW)
* Brenda Dickson & Bob Colbert (THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS)
* Bill & Susan Hayes (DAYS OF OUR LIVES)
* Quinn Redeker & Brenda Benet (DAYS OF OUR LIVES)
* Wayland & Madame (center square)

Watch the December 4, 1979 episode of HOLLYWOOD SQUARES below:

CLASSIC CLIP: Bill & Susan Hayes On THE MIKE DOUGLAS SHOW

Legendary Bill and Susan Seaforth Hayes were guests on THE MIKE DOUGLAS SHOW on October 25, 1975. Watch their appearance below which includes a classic Doug and Julie DAYS OF OUR LIVES clip as well.

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."

FLASHBACK: "Bill Hayes & Susan Seaforth" Bring DAYS OF OUR LIVES to the Cover of Time Magazine

In 1976, Time magazine put "Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth" on the cover of its "soap opera issue." Those were the days! In this heartwarming follow-up from the third 1976 volume of "Daytime TV Super Special," we get a status update on the couple, along with a pair of adorable photos.

"It was almost inevitable that when Time was looking for the actor and actress who personified the power of the daytime serials, it just had to choose Bill and Susan," observes "Daytime TV".

50 Greatest Soap Couples: #2 Doug & Julie From DAYS OF OUR LIVES

COUPLE: Doug Williams & Julie Olson
SHOW: DAYS OF OUR LIVES
RANK: 2
PLAYED BY:
Doug: Bill Hayes
Julie: Susan Seaforth Hayes
YEARS: 1970-present (with some years off starting in 1984)

STORY:
Doug was a con artist who met Bill Horton in prison in 1970.  When Doug was released, he came to Salem to find Susan Martin (Denise Alexander), a widow with money Bill had spoken about.  Susan ended up hiring Doug to come between Scott Banning and his girlfriend, Julie.  Doug and Julie had an instant rapport.  Doug took a job as a singer at Sergio's and fell for Julie.  Doug's real identity was orphan Brent Douglas and this helped him for a bond with Julie's mother, Addie Horton Olson (Patricia Barry).   After a fight with Julie over her son, David, Doug went to Addie's and she proposed to him.  He accepted and the two of them were married.   In 1974 they had a daughter together, Hope.   After surviving leukemia, Addie died after being struck by a car pushing Hope's carriage out of the way just in time to save her daughter.   Eventually Julie, who had married and divorced Bob Anderson, reunited and the two of them married in a beautiful ceremony in 1976.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Sound The "Trumpets" - Bill And Susan Hayes Are Back (Part 1)

When most actors get to a certain point in their career they slow down creatively, take it easy, and rest on the laurels of their past successes.

But most people aren't Bill and Susan Hayes.

The beloved duo known around the globe as Doug and Julie Williams on DAYS OF OUR LIVES are back and taking the world by storm with their first fictional book "Trumpet."  Set in 1803, this epic novel takes the reader on a roller coaster journey through the highs and lows of a young woman's life, her triumphs, and her shame.   Perfect as a gift, and now available for download, you can't go wrong this Mother's Day with giving Trumpet to the DAYS fan you love. 
 
WE LOVE SOAPS TV: So glad to speak with both of you about the release of you first nonfiction book.  I have been enjoying "Trumpet" very much.  What led the two of you to write this fascinating piece of fiction?

DAYS OF OUR LIVES Stars Bill and Susan Hayes Release Historical Novel

Decadent Publishing has released "TRUMPET," by Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes, longtime stars of DAYS OF OUR LIVES. Their debut novel, full of fascinating facts researched on site, is a historical romp through the theatrical world of the Regency Era. The adventures of heroine Elizabeth Trumpet, from innocence to experience, include famous characters of the time. Trumpet's conflicts with love and fame in history's most elegant yet brutal age mirror women's struggles in our own turbulent times.

Hayes and Hayes enthusiastically spent their lives acting; this wealth of wit and experience colors every page. Their enticing fiction moves from 1803 London to Egypt, the blossoming America and beyond with heartfelt emotion and adventurous fun - just like the romantic scenes Bill and Susan love to play.

COUNTDOWN: Top 30 Soap World (Auto)Biographies, from Mona Bruns Thomas to Christina Crawford, Judy Lewis to Bill & Susan Hayes

We mentioned new memoirs by Kim Zimmer and Susan Lucci in our Cyber Monday list of merchandise to check out. Now we are expanding that list looking at life stories from the world of daytime dramas. Check out our Top 30 list below:

1. "Both of Me" by Mary Stuart

2. "Eight Years in Another World" by Harding Lemay

3. "From the Raven to the Dove" by Sharon Gabet

4. "The Confessions of Phoebe Tyler" by Ruth Warrick and Don Preston

5. "Please, Spell the Name Right" by Jed Allan

Bill & Susan Hayes - The We Love Soaps Interview, Part 5

In Parts One, Two, Three, and Four of my interview with the legendary Bill and Susan Hayes, my mother and myself discussed their early years on DAYS, as well as working with MacDonald Carey, Frances Reid, Betty Corday, and Brenda Benet.  Susan reflected on her history of on-set behavior and regrets about being "mean" to others.  In Part Five, they share what led to the end of Doug & Julie's reign in Salem, as well as their individual comebacks on DAYS in the following years.  

We Love Soaps: In 1982, under a new head writer [Margaret DePriest], the character of Doug started being written in a very different way.
Bill Hayes: Quite.  We had a new head of daytime for NBC and basically changed our story from families of all ages to [the idea] “we have to go for the 12-22 age demographic and tell stories about young people.”  Only young people.  My character had always been a free swinger.
Susan Seaforth Hayes:  Cool, his character was cool.
Bill Hayes: He could cope with anything.  He was wise.  He suddenly became an old jerk.
Susan Seaforth Hayes: A nay-saying alarmed father.
Bill Hayes:  I suddenly was saying all old lines like “When I was your age...” All his lines were old.  He griped at Hope all the time.  I was very uncomfortable.

Bill & Susan Hayes - The We Love Soaps Interview, Part 1

They ruled daytime in the 1970s.  They were the first (and only) soap actors to grace the cover of Time Magazine.  And they helped shape my life, personally and professionally. I have few words to convey the humbled gratitude I experienced sitting down and speaking with Bill and Susan Seaforth Hayes.  The only thing that could possibly have made it more special was to have my mother with me, the woman who introduced me to the world of Doug and Julie and the turbulent going-ons in Salem throughout the 1970s.  And so Joy Jacobs, my mother, came to our meeting as well, and participated in our discussion.  Please enjoy this candid and revealing interview, and one of the most special days of my life.   

We Love Soaps: I don’t have words to express what an honor it is to sit here with both of you, and my mother, who got me hooked on DAYS as a child.  I have told you that I work as a therapist, and one of the reasons why I love soaps is because I feel they have the capacity to psychologically enhance their audience.  You two have been a large part of that.
Susan Seaforth Hayes: Thank you for that.  We had a burn story.  Julie was scarred in the face and hesitant to go forward with corrective surgery.  She was in such state of depression, and she was frightened.  And then she made the decision and it was successful.  Then we went to Greenbay, Wisconsin, to do a telethon about a year and a half later.  A mother and a her little daughter came up to us.  The girl must have been five years old or maybe six.  Her mother said, “I want to thank you.  My daughter had to have surgery for a burn accident.  She didn’t want to.  She had been terribly frightened and had already been hurt so badly.  She saw the story, she saw Julie decide to do it.  The day Julie decided to do it, she decided to do it.  And it was a successful surgery for her.”  So her life had been changed, her mother’s life had been eased.  It was profoundly moving to us.  I never felt that the contributions of the long running actors were trivial after that.  The shows  have the capacity to do good in the world, and they have the ability not to.

50 Greatest Soap Actresses: #37 Susan Seaforth Hayes

NAME: Susan Seaforth Hayes
RANK: 37
SOAP ROLES: Julie Willams, DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1968-1984, 1990-1993, 1994, 1996, 1999-present); Joanna Manning, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (1986-1989, 2005, 2006); Joanna Manning, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (2003); Patricia Steele, SUNSET BEACH (1999); Carol West, THE YOUNG MARRIEDS (1965-1966); Dorothy Bradley, GENERAL HOSPITAL (1963)

AWARDS:
1979 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
1978 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
1976 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
1975 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series

COMMENTS FROM THE PANEL:
Connie Passalacqua Hayman (Marlena De Lacroix): The great soap heroine of my youth. Ultra-popular Doug (singing “The Look of Love”) and Julie (those black peignoirs!) taught a teenage moi sex. (It was very innocent era, boys!) Viva Mr. and Mrs. Daytime, Susan and Bill Hayes, forever!

New Year's With The Hayes!

One of my favorite moments of 2009 was getting the opportunity to sit down at the Day Of DAYS event in November and talk with Bill and Susan Hayes.  This was personally a momentous and meaningful event for me, and it gives me great pleasure to share the transcript down below. 

We Love Soaps: I am talking to beloved and legendary Hayes.  My mother was watching DAYS OF OUR LIVES when I was in the womb.  Everything stopped in our house when DAYS came on.  In fact the day of Doug & Julie’s first wedding in 1976, we had a huge party for it.
[Both applaud]
Susan Hayes: Did she send pictures?  So many people sent pictures. 
Bill Hayes: Some people took pictures, they were wearing hats...
Susan Hayes: They had wedding cake.
Bill Hayes: Everything was all on doilies, it was very fancy.

We Love Soaps: It was such a treat for us, and those are some of the best memories I have growing up.  I’m also a therapist, and one of the reasons I love doing these interviews is because I believe daytime soap operas have the power to promote mental wellness and healing.  One of the ways you two have been part of that is watching Doug and Julie survive every obstacle that came their way.  Deaths, trauma, violence, their own psychological problems to be together.  I think this is a very powerful message the soaps used to tell.  That we can survive the obstacles in our lives, we can overcome adversity.