FLASHBACK: A Complete, Concise Yearly History of TV Soap Operas - 1947 to 1977 (Part 2)

Brook Byron starred as Althea Dennis in The Brighter Day.

A Complete, Concise Yearly History of TV Soap Operas

The Soap Box
Vol. III No. 10 September 1978
by John Genovese

(continued from Part 1)

1954
An unprecedented year for serial premieres, the first was another radio hit which ran almost nine years on television: The Brighter Day, which was televised from January 4, 1954 to September 28, 1962. An Irna Phillips creation which went through several writers, including Doris Frankel (now of All My Children), Sam Hall (now of One Life to Live) and Eileen and Robert Mason Pollock (later of Love of Life, The Doctors and General Hospital), it revolved around kindly minister Rev. Richard Dennis and his five children who moved to New Hope, Pennsylvania, after their home in Three Rivers (from the radio soap) was washed away by a flood. Bill Smith was soon replaced by Blair Davies as the Reverend, Mona Bruns joined shortly after its debut as Aunt Emily Potter, and the supporting cast over the years included such top draws as Hal Holbrook, Anne Meacham, James Noble, Mary K. Wells, June Dayton, Paul Langton, Murial Williams, Herb Nelson, Forrest Compton, Lois Nettleton and Patty Duke. A Procter & Gamble Production, it eventually succumbed to too many writing upheavals.

Remembering NBC Soap Opera 'The Greatest Gift', Whose Cast Included Anne Meara

Anne Burr starred as Dr. Eve Hunter opposite Phil Foster, who played
Dr. Philip Stone.

NBC daytime soap opera The Greatest Gift premiered August 30, 1954, and told the dramatic story of Eve Allen, a young doctor who returns from the Korean War to assume control of her late uncle's practice in the small American town of Ridgton. The short-lived series has been mentioned this week in numerous stories about the passing of Anne Meara, credited as her TV debut.

When she moved to Ridgton, Eve took the biggest and most decisive step toward her life-long dream of becoming a general practitioner. Prior to this, her medical activities had been centered about laboratory work and, although she was acclaimed for having discovered the antidote to a virus which had killed her fiance, the glory of her accomplishment was dimmed in the light of her unrealized dream. Eve's settling in Ridgton, however, rekindled her fondest hopes, for at last she saw herself becoming the kind of doctor she had always wanted to be. But even the happiest occasions can be tinged with trouble, and Eve found her situation was no exception. From the beginning she had to fight the inherent prejudice against "women doctors." After finally winning an appointment on the hospital's staff — though not without an intense and bitter struggle — her capabilities as a doctor, and as a woman, were tested constantly. Obstacles, however, were nothing new to Eve; she met and overcame many along her life's path. Although each one left her with an invisible scar, they also continued to make her life — and the lives of those she dealt with — more meaningful and rewarding.

Anne Meara Dead at 85; Recurred on 'All My Children' in the 1990s, Starred in 'The Greatest Gift'

Anne Meara

Anne Meara died at 85 on Saturday, her family said. Meara and her husband, Jerry Stiller, were married for 61 years and worked together almost as long, the family said in a statement. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her children, comic actor Ben Stiller, daughter Amy Stiller and grandchildren.

"Anne's memory lives on in the hearts of daughter Amy, son Ben, her grandchildren, her extended family and friends, and the millions she entertained as an actress, writer and comedienne," the family statement said.

Meara was born in 1929 in Brooklyn, New York, to parents of Irish-Catholic descent. She studied under acting teacher Uta Hagen and aspired to become a "serious" actor in the tradition of Maureen Stapleton and Kim Stanley. Then she met Stiller, a Jewish boy from Brooklyn, and turned to comedy even though she "disdained" comedians, she said in a 2005 interview.

Jack Klugman Dead at 90

Jack Klugman, one of television's most-loved actors, died peacefully on Monday at his home in Northridge, California, with his wife, Peggy Crosby, by his side, according to an announcement by his attorney.

In a career that spanned more than 60 years, Klugman was best known for two popular television series of the 1970s and early 1980s: THE ODD COUPLE and QUINCY, M.E.