Today in Soap Opera History (October 12)

1953: Valiant Lady premiered on CBS.
1979: As the World Turns' Lisa was spooked
1981: David Canary debuted on Another World as Steve Frame.
1993: Days of our Lives' Jack Deveraux left Salem.

"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...

1950: NBC aired the final primetime episode of Hawkins Falls, one of network television's first successful soap operas. The show premiered in June 1950 as an hour-long weekly nighttime drama in a summer replacement slot but was cut back to a half-hour in August until the end of its run. Hawkins Falls returned to the air in April 1951 as a fifteen-minute weekday soap for NBC.

1953: Daytime soap opera Valiant Lady premiered on CBS-TV. The series--created by Allan Chase, produced by Leonard Blair, and directed by Ted Corday, Herb Kenwith and Ira Cirker--was sponsored by Toni and General Mills. Nancy Coleman (later Flora Campbell) starred as Helen Emerson, widow of an inventor and mother of three children, who found a source of income in the lock washer her husband had devised. The prestigious cast included James Kirkwood Jr., Sue Randall, Earl Hammond, Dolores Sutton, Helen Wagner, Jerome Cowan, Martin Balsam, Margaret Hamilton, Abby Lewis, and Lawrence Weber.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 12)

1953: Valiant Lady premiered on CBS.
1979: As the World Turns' Lisa was spooked
1981: David Canary debuted on Another World as Steve Frame.
1993: Days of our Lives' Jack Deveraux left Salem.

"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...

1950: NBC aired the final primetime episode of Hawkins Falls, one of network television's first successful soap operas. The show premiered in June 1950 as an hour-long weekly nighttime drama in a summer replacement slot but was cut back to a half-hour in August until the end of its run. Hawkins Falls returned to the air in April 1951 as a fifteen-minute weekday soap for NBC.

1953: Daytime soap opera Valiant Lady premiered on CBS-TV. The series--created by Allan Chase, produced by Leonard Blair, and directed by Ted Corday, Herb Kenwith and Ira Cirker--was sponsored by Toni and General Mills. Nancy Coleman (later Flora Campbell) starred as Helen Emerson, widow of an inventor and mother of three children, who found a source of income in the lock washer her husband had devised. The prestigious cast included James Kirkwood Jr., Sue Randall, Earl Hammond, Dolores Sutton, Helen Wagner, Jerome Cowan, Martin Balsam, Margaret Hamilton, Abby Lewis, and Lawrence Weber.

Documentary 'World by the Tail: The Bill Hayes Story' Now Streaming

Legendary singer, actor and dancer Bill Hayes has been entertaining viewers since the 1940s. Best remembered as the handsome crooner on Your Show of Shows and the heartthrob Doug Williams on NBC daytime soap opera Days of our Lives, Bill has led a fascinating life. He's been leading man to legendary actresses over the years. Shirley Jones, Florence Henderson and the great Carol Lawrence are just some of the memorable moments in Bills life. And don’t forget, it was Bill Hayes’s version of "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" that topped the Billboard charts and garnished the Best Record of the Year from Dick Clark. The new documentary World by the Tail: The Bill Hayes Story takes a look at his fascinating life.

Narrated by Bill himself along with his friends, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks and the cast of Days of our Lives, viewers get a glimpse of what it’s really like for a seasoned entertainer and all the ups and downs that go along with it. Born during the great depression, Bill always loved to sing. Taking his ill brother’s place for an audition of Roger and Hammerstein’s "Carousel," Bill found himself thrown into the world of entertainment. Realizing his talent, Producer Max Liebman chose Bill to be the singing star of Your Show of Shows. Along with Sid Caesar and Imagine Coca, Your Show of Shows was the biggest thing on TV to-date. This role led Bill to Broadway where he starred in Rogers and Hammerstein’s Me and Juliet. Being a great the great talent that Bill is, Gower Champion hired him to star in the national tour of Bye Bye Birdie. Causing a strain on his marriage, ultimately leading to his divorce in the late '60s, Bill took his children west to start a life in Hollywood. Quickly Bill was snatched up by Days of our Lives, where he met his new glamorous wife Susan Seaforth. The two revolutionized daytime soaps ultimately leading to the cover of Time Magazine.

At 91 years old, Bill Hayes is still going strong. When he isn’t telling stories about his 19 great grandchildren, you can find him leading a tap dancing class, or singing with his church choir. You can still catch him from time to time on Days of our Lives as Doug Williams. Bill loves entertaining but if you ask him what life is all about, he will tell you family.

Check out the trailer for World by the Tail: The Bill Hayes Story below.

NEWS: Susan Seaforth Hayes, Wesley Burrowes, Barbara Windsor

Days of our Lives Commemorates 50 Years by Becoming Part of the Smithsonian
Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie Williams) is the only actress to have appeared on all six decades of the show's production and she noted that the public has consumed thousands of hours following her character's every move.

"No show lasts forever," she told ET. "No job lasts forever, and yet we have been given a half century with the American public."

Days is currently renewed through September 2016.

EastEnders actress Barbara Windsor To Be Made A Dame
A Buckingham Palace source is quoted as saying: "The Queen was delighted when Barbara's name was put forward. Like Her Majesty, she is someone who has been part of the fabric of the way of life in Britain for many years." She also devotes her time to championing causes for the elderly. In 1994 Windsor joined the cast of BBC soap opera EastEnders, playing barmaid Peggy Mitchell.

Wesley Burrowes created many of Ireland TV's most memorable characters
It was only last Sunday night, at the close of RTÉ1's hour-long documentary on Glenroe, that viewers learned of Wesley Burrowes's fragile health - the end credits stating that he had been too ill to participate in its making. Burrowes was the main scriptwriter of Ireland's first rural soap, The Riordans, which initially aired in 1965 and then ran for 14 years. He created Bracken in 1980 which introduced the characters of Miley and Dinny Byrne, later to become the pivots of Glenroe.

Top 5 Pinoy soap operas of 2015
This year’s soap operas in the Philippines prove that both the local genre has come of age because of the industry's exciting ventures and treatments, even if the networks were reworking old material.

'Days of our Lives' Artifacts Donated to Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (Photos/Audio)

Diedre Hall, Greg Meng, Susan Seaforth-Hayes and ceremony host Tippi
Hedren with items from Days of our Lives. Photo Credit: Lisa England

On Wednesday, November 4, 2015, The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History added artifacts that reflect the contributions of daytime television programming to the national entertainment collection in a ceremony that continues an ongoing partnership with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS).

The donation from NBC soap opera Days of our Lives, which is marking 50 years on the air, included show scripts, original art and other memorabilia, including sets of Horton family Christmas ornaments and a pledge of the iconic hourglass that opens each episode. Actresses Deidre Hall (Dr. Marlena Evans) and Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie Williams) and Executive Producer Greg Meng, who wrote a book about the show's 50th anniversary, presented the objects.

The ceremony continued a collecting initiative established in 2013 between the National Museum of American History and NATAS to help the museum tell the story of daytime television.

“Since its advent in the 1940s, television has become integral to American culture,” said John Gray, director of the museum. “By adding the contributions of daytime television to our collections, we are recognizing television's influence on everyday life and capacity to explore national values such as democracy, opportunity and innovation.”

Deidre Hall, Susan Seaforth Hayes and Greg Meng To Present 'Days of our Lives' Donation to Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (Updated)

The Days or our Lives cast in 1994.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History will soon be adding artifacts that reflect the contributions of daytime television programming to the national entertainment collection in a special ceremony that continues an on-going partnership with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS). The donations—from Days of our Lives, in celebration of the show 50th Anniversary—will be presented by Deidre Hall (Dr. Marlena Evans), Susan Seafoth Hayes (Julie Williams) and Executive Producer Greg Meng, who is also the author of the 50th Anniversary book.

The objects range from show scripts and original art to set props and other memorabilia, including sets of the iconic Horton Family Christmas Ornaments and a pledge of the iconic Hourglass which has opened each episode for 50 years.

The presentation will take place on Wednesday, November 4th at 12 p.m.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 12)

1953: Valiant Lady premiered on CBS.
1979: As the World Turns' Lisa was spooked
1981: David Canary debuted on Another World as Steve Frame.
1993: Days of our Lives' Jack Deveraux left Salem.

"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...

1950: NBC aired the final primetime episode of Hawkins Falls, one of network television's first successful soap operas. The show premiered in June 1950 as an hour-long weekly nighttime drama in a summer replacement slot but was cut back to a half-hour in August until the end of its run. Hawkins Falls returned to the air in April 1951 as a fifteen-minute weekday soap for NBC.

1953: Daytime soap opera Valiant Lady premiered on CBS-TV. The series--created by Allan Chase, produced by Leonard Blair, and directed by Ted Corday, Herb Kenwith and Ira Cirker--was sponsored by Toni and General Mills. Nancy Coleman (later Flora Campbell) starred as Helen Emerson, widow of an inventor and mother of three children, who found a source of income in the lock washer her husband had devised. The prestigious cast included James Kirkwood Jr., Sue Randall, Earl Hammond, Dolores Sutton, Helen Wagner, Jerome Cowan, Martin Balsam, Margaret Hamilton, Abby Lewis, and Lawrence Weber.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 12)

1953: VALIANT LADY premiered. 1979: Lisa Colman was spooked
on ATWT. 1981: David Canary debuted on AW. 1993: DAYS'
Jack Deveraux left Salem.

"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...

1950: NBC aired the final primetime episode of Hawkins Falls, one of network television's first successful soap operas. The show premiered in June 1950 as an hour-long weekly nighttime drama in a summer replacement slot but was cut back to a half-hour in August until the end of its run. Hawkins Falls returned to the air in April 1951 as a fifteen-minute weekday soap for NBC.

1953: Daytime soap opera Valiant Lady premiered on CBS-TV. The series was created by Allan Chase and produced by Leonard Blair. Helen Emerson was the central character during the show's four year run and was played by two actresses along the way, Nancy Coleman and Flora Campbell. As the World Turns legend Helen Wagner played Jane Lyman for a year.

SPOTLIGHT: 'Days of our Lives' Star Susan Seaforth Hayes Shines In Poignant Scenes With Blake Berris

On November 8, 1965, the very first episode of Days of Our Lives aired. It featured a teenage Julie Olson (originally played by Charla Doherty), who had been arrested for shoplifting.

Julie believed her Grandfather Tom and Uncle Mickey weren't helping her, and she accused them of ganging up on her. She declared that no one cared about her in the entire world and she broke into tears.

On the May 9, 2014 episode, a loving, wise and protective Julie Olson Williams (played by Susan Seaforth Hayes since 1968) counseled her cousin Nick Fallon (Blake Berris) as he shared his deep feelings of isolation. Nick worried that everyone was out to get him, and it turned out he was right. As the episode came to close, Nick had been shot.

Before Monday arrives, and we segue into the “Who killed Nick Fallon?” story, I can’t let the beautiful performance of Susan Seaforth Hayes go without recognition, as well as the importance of the Julie character to Days of Our Lives.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 12)

1953: VALIANT LADY premiered. 1979: Lisa Colman was spooked
on ATWT. 1981: David Canary debuted on AW. 1993: DAYS'
Jack Deveraux left Salem.

"We should always be aware that what now lies in the past once lay in the future."
― F.W. Maitland

"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...

1950: HAWKINS FALLS, one of network television's first successful soap operas, aired for the final time in primetime. The show premiered on NBC in June 1950 as an hour-long weekly primetime drama in a summer replacement slot but was cut back to a half-hour in August until the end of its run. HAWKINS FALLS returned to the air in April 1951 as a fifteen-minute weekday soap for NBC.

1953: Daytime soap opera VALIANT LADY premiered on CBS-TV. The series was created by Adrian Spies and written by Charles Elwyn. Helen Emerson was the central character during the show's four year run and was played by two actresses along the way, Nancy Coleman and Flora Campbell. AS THE WORLD TURNS legend Helen Wagner played Jane Lyman for a year.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 12)

On this date in...

1950: HAWKINS FALLS aired for the last time in prime time.  The show was one of network television's first successful soap operas, though it first aired---in June of 1950---as an hour-long weekly prime time drama in a summer replacement slot. In August of 1950, the show was cut back to a half-hour finishing its run in October.

HAWKINS FALLS returned to the air in April of 1951 as a fifteen-minute weekday soap for NBC. Heading up the cast was Bernadine Flynn, who from 1932 to 1946 had played "Sade" on the VIC AND SADE radio soap.

The HF plot dealt with the mildly problematical lives of the residents of a small Midwestern town. The physical model for Hawkins Falls was the town of Woodstock, Illinois, forty miles northwest of Chicago in McHenry County. The show's main title and closing credits consisted of a crawl rolled over film shot in Woodstock.

The commercials---for the soap product "Surf"---were delivered live by Hugh Downs. Each episode closed with a memorable announcer tag: "This program has come to you from Hawkins Falls---by way of Chicago."

1953: VALIANT LADY premiered on CBS television. The series was created by Adrian Spies and written by Charles Elwyn. Helen Emerson was the central character during the show's four year run and was played by two actresses along the way, Nancy Coleman and Flora Campbell. AS THE WORLD TURNS legend Helen Wagner played Jane Lyman for a year.

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".

CLASSIC CLIP: Doug & Julie's First Kiss On DAYS OF OUR LIVES

Doug and Julie were one of the most popular couples in soap opera history. They shared their first kiss on July 23, 1970 (42 years ago today!). Watch it below:

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Sound The "Trumpets" - Bill And Susan Hayes Are Back (Part 2)

Bill & Susan Hayes/ Photo by Joy Jacobs

In Part One of my new interview with the beloved duo Bill and Susan Hayes, we discussed their new (and first) fictional book "Trumpet," the painstaking research that went into detailing 1800s London, Bill's ability to write in iambic pentameter, as well as how the themes of "Trumpet" are relevant for those struggling in 2012's economy.  In Part Two below, the Hayes's reflect on the future of DAYS, the relevance of television soaps, and 1803 condoms! 

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: On a historical note, I had no idea condoms were readily available in the early 1800s.
Susan Seaforth Hayes: Oh yes they were.
Bill Hayes: They were made from sheep bladders. 
Susan Seaforth Hayes: They have been around for some time.  When you start researching you go through the art of the period.  A lot of the social art were cartoons.  And you can see in a Thomas Rowlandson painting the picture of an old lady selling them.  "Oh look at that!" I guess somebody was doing it or they wouldn’t have drawn a picture of it.
Bill Hayes: The cartoonists we talk about, Thomas Rowlandson and James Gillray, were the rockstar cartoonists of their day. 

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Now some questions about DAYS OF OUR LIVES.  I am missing Doug and Julie horribly!
Susan Seaforth Hayes: So are Bill and Susan. 

CLASSIC CLIP: Doug & Julie's Reunion On DAYS OF OUR LIVES in 2004

Doug and Julie were one of the most popular couples in soap opera history. Doug was "murdered" in 2004 but turned up alive. Watch his reunion with Julie below:

NEWS ROUNDUP: New Bill & Susan Hayes Book, Tristan Wilds Off 90210, GH Music Director From OLTL

DAYS' Bill & Susan Hayes Author Historical Novel
“Though it has romantic elements, Trumpet is actually a sweeping historical adventure set against the backdrops of London’s stage, Egypt’s pyramids and the America of the early 1800s.”

GLEE planning a full WHITNEY HOUSTON tribute episode
New Directions will once again and more purposefully celebrate the musical icon this season with one of its signature tribute episodes.

Tristan Wilds to miss four 90210 episodes due to illness
90210 star Tristan Wilds will be MIA from roughly four episodes of the CW soap near the end of its current season due to an undisclosed illness, E! Online reports. Wilds will be seamlessly written out, though, when the musically-inclined Dixon leaves town to go on tour.

CLASSIC CLIP: Doug & Julie's 1976 & 1981 Weddings On DAYS OF OUR LIVES

Doug and Julie were one of the most popular couples in soap opera history. They were married in 1976 and again in 1981. Watch both weddings below:

CLASSIC CLIP: Doug and Julie (and Foxy Humdinger) on DAYS OF OUR LIVES 1982

Doug and Julie were one of the most popular couples in soap opera history. Their chemistry was on fire in 1982 during a romp in Foxy Humdinger's bedroom! Watch the clip below:

Today in Soap Opera History (October 12)

On this date in...

1953: VALIANT LADY premiered on CBS radio and television. The series was created by Adrian Spies and written by Charles Elwyn. Helen Emerson was the central character during the show's four year run and was played by two actresses along the way, Nancy Coleman and Flora Campbell. AS THE WORLD TURNS legend Helen Wagner played Jane Lyman for a year.

1974: DAYS OF OUR LIVES costars Susan Seaforth (Julie) and Bill Hayes (Doug) were married in real life. Less than two years later their characters were married on the show. Happy Anniversary!