Today in Soap Opera History (February 2)

1968: The Doctors' Liz was on a ledge, and on the news.
1977: David Hasselhoff performed the Y&R theme song on Merv.
1995: OLTL's Viki had an emotional confrontation with Dorian.
2006: GH's Port Charles faced an encephalitis outbreak.

"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer

"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...

1955: On The Road of Life, Sybil Overton (Barbara Becker) became upset when the bank called with news her account was overdrawn. Sybil's father, Conrad Overton (Charles Dingle), later asked attorney Byron Unger if his daughter had a claim on the estate.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 13)

1954: Radio soap The Road of Life made its TV debut.
1979: General Hospital's Monica gave birth to AJ.  1991: All 
My Children's Adam and Erica married for the second time.
2010: One Life to Live's Natalie accepted John's proposal.

"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer

"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...

1954: Procter & Gamble's popular radio soap opera The Road of Life, created by Irna Phillips in 1937, made its television debut on CBS in the 1:15-1:30 p.m. ET time slot.

Because many CBS affiliates chose to run local news and talk shows during this time, the program never achieved the popularity it might have and aired its last TV episode on July 1, 1955. The radio version of the show continued into the 1959 season when the golden age of the radio soap opera began to wind down.

Today in Soap Opera History (February 2)

1968: The Doctors' Liz was on a ledge, and on the news.
1977: David Hasselhoff performed the Y&R theme song on Merv.
1995: OLTL's Viki had an emotional confrontation with Dorian.
2006: GH's Port Charles faced an encephalitis outbreak.

"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."
― Machiavelli

"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...

1955: On The Road of Life, Sybil Overton (Barbara Becker) became upset when the bank called with news her account was overdrawn. Sybil's father, Conrad Overton (Charles Dingle), later asked attorney Byron Unger if his daughter had a claim on the estate.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 13)

1954: Radio soap The Road of Life made its TV debut.
1979: General Hospital's Monica gave birth to AJ.  1991: All 
My Children's Adam and Erica married for the second time.
2010: One Life to Live's Natalie accepted John's proposal.

"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...

1954: Procter & Gamble's popular radio soap opera The Road of Life, created by Irna Phillips in 1937, made its television debut on CBS in the 1:15-1:30 p.m. ET time slot.

Because many CBS affiliates chose to run local news and talk shows during this time, the program never achieved the popularity it might have and aired its last TV episode on July 1, 1955. The radio version of the show continued into the 1959 season when the golden age of the radio soap opera began to wind down.

Today in Soap Opera History (February 2)

1968: The Doctors' Liz was on a ledge, and on the news.
1977: David Hasselhoff performed the Y&R theme song on Merv.
1995: OLTL's Viki had an emotional confrontation with Dorian.
2006: GH's Port Charles faced an encephalitis outbreak.

"All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"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...

1955: On The Road of Life, Sybil Overton (Barbara Becker) became upset when the bank called with news her account was overdrawn. Sybil's father, Conrad Overton (Charles Dingle), later asked attorney Byron Unger if his daughter had a claim on the estate.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 13)

1954: Radio soap The Road of Life made its TV debut.
1979: General Hospital's Monica gave birth to AJ.  1991: All 
My Children's Adam and Erica married for the second time.
2010: One Life to Live's Natalie accepted John's proposal.

"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...

1954: Procter & Gamble's popular radio soap opera The Road of Life, created by Irna Phillips in 1937, made its television debut on CBS in the 1:15-1:30 p.m. ET time slot.

Because many CBS affiliates chose to run local news and talk shows during this time, the program never achieved the popularity it might have and aired its last TV episode on July 1, 1955. The radio version of the show continued into the 1959 season when the golden age of the radio soap opera began to wind down.

Today in Soap Opera History (February 2)

1968: The Doctors' Liz was on a ledge, and on the news.
1977: David Hasselhoff performed the Y&R theme song on Merv.
1995: OLTL's Viki had an emotional confrontation with Dorian.
2006: GH's Port Charles faced an encephalitis outbreak.

"The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect is already in the cause."
― Henri Louis Bergson

"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...

1955: On The Road of Life, Sybil Overton (Barbara Becker) became upset when the bank called with news her account was overdrawn. Sybil's father, Conrad Overton (Charles Dingle), later asked attorney Byron Unger if his daughter had a claim on the estate.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 13)

1954: Radio soap The Road of Life made its TV debut.
1979: General Hospital's Monica gave birth to AJ.  1991: All 
My Children's Adam and Erica married for the second time.
2010: One Life to Live's Natalie accepted John's proposal.

"The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect is already in the cause."
― Henri Louis Bergson

"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...

1954: Procter & Gamble's popular radio soap opera The Road of Life, created by Irna Phillips in 1937, made its television debut on CBS in the 1:15-1:30 p.m. ET time slot.

Because many CBS affiliates chose to run local news and talk shows during this time, the program never achieved the popularity it might have and aired its last TV episode on July 1, 1955. The radio version of the show continued into the 1959 season when the golden age of the radio soap opera began to wind down.

Today in Soap Opera History (February 2)

1968: The Doctors' Liz was on a ledge, and on the news.
1977: David Hasselhoff performed the Y&R theme song on Merv.
1995: OLTL's Viki had an emotional confrontation with Dorian.
2006: GH's Port Charles faced an encephalitis outbreak.

"A page of history is worth a pound of logic."
― Oliver Wendell Holmes

"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...

1955: On The Road of Life, Sybil Overton (Barbara Becker) became upset when the bank called with news her account was overdrawn. Sybil's father, Conrad Overton (Charles Dingle), later asked attorney Byron Unger if his daughter had a claim on the estate.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 13)

1954: Radio soap The Road of Life made its TV debut.
1979: General Hospital's Monica gave birth to AJ.  1991: All 
My Children's Adam and Erica married for the second time.
2010: One Life to Live's Natalie accepted John's proposal.

"Most of us spend too much time on the last twenty-four hours and too little on the last six thousand years."
― Will Durant

"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...

1954: Procter & Gamble's popular radio soap opera The Road of Life, created by Irna Phillips in 1937, made its television debut on CBS in the 1:15-1:30 p.m. ET time slot.

Because many CBS affiliates chose to run local news and talk shows during this time, the program never achieved the popularity it might have and aired its last TV episode on July 1, 1955. The radio version of the show continued into the 1959 season when the golden age of the radio soap opera began to wind down.

Today in Soap Opera History (February 2)

1977: David Hasselhoff performs the Y&R theme song. 1979: RH's Roger
updated Jill's family and friends on her condition.   1993: DAYS' Lexie
debuted. 1995: OLTL's Dorian and Viki had an emotional confrontation.

"Maybe if people started to listen, history would stop repeating itself."
- Lily Tomlin

"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...

1955: On THE ROAD OF LIFE, Conrad (Charles Dingle) asked Byron if his daughter had a claim on the estate.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 13)

1954: THE ROAD OF LIFE premiered. 1979: GH's Monica gave
birth to AJ.  1991: AMC's Adam and Erica married for the
second time. 2010: OLTL's Natalie accepted John's proposal.

"The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see."
- Winston Churchill

"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...

1954: Procter & Gamble's popular radio soap opera THE ROAD OF LIFE, created by Irna Phillips in 1937, made its television debut on CBS in the 1:15-1:30 p.m. ET time slot.

Because many CBS affiliates chose to run local news and talk shows during this time, the program never achieved the popularity it might have and aired its last TV episode on July 1, 1955. The radio version of the show continued into the 1959 season when the golden age of the radio soap opera began to wind down.

Today in Soap Opera History (February 2)

On this date in...

1955: On THE ROAD OF LIFE, Conrad (Charles Dingle) asked Byron if his daughter had a claim on the estate.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 13)

Don MacLaughlin & Virgina Dwyer starred in THE ROAD OF LIFE
on both television and radio.

On this date in...

1954: Procter & Gamble's popular radio soap THE ROAD OF LIFE, created by Irna Phillips in 1937, made its television debut on CBS in the 1:15-1:30 p.m. ET time slot.

Because many CBS affiliates chose to run local news and talk shows during this time, the program never achieved the popularity it might have and aired its last TV episode on July 1, 1955. The radio version of the show continued into the 1959 season when the golden age of the radio soap opera began to wind down.

Virginia Dwyer Dead at 92

Virginia Dwyer

Actress Virginia Dwyer has died at age 92.

Dwyer was an actress best know for her work on daytime soap operas. Her roles included Mary Matthews in ANOTHER WORLD, Janice Turner in AS THE WORLD TURNS, Janice Turner Hughes, Ruth Jannings Holden in THE GUIDING LIGHT, Tracey Malone in YOUNG DOCTOR MALONE, Jane Edwards Ames in THE SECRET STORM, and Jocelyn Brentof in THE ROAD OF LIFE.

On March 28, 1975, Dwyer's Mary Matthews suffered a heart attacked and died, a controversial story decision by Paul Rauch/Harding Lemay killing off one of the original characters.

"I was doing very well as a radio actress when the 10-inch tube arrived on the scene," Dwyer recalled in a 1969 New York Times interview.

Mike Wallace Dead at 93; 60 MINUTES Icon, Announcer for THE GUIDING LIGHT, MA PERKINS, THE ROAD OF LIFE

CBS News legend Mike Wallace, the 60 MINUTES pit-bull reporter whose probing, brazen style made his name synonymous with the tough interview - a style he practically invented for television more than half a century ago - died last night. He was 93 and passed peacefully surrounded by family members at Waveny Care Center in New Canaan, Conn., where he spent the past few years. He also had a home in Manhattan.

Today in Soap Opera History (February 2)

On this date in...

1955: On THE ROAD OF LIFE, Conrad (Charles Dingle) asked Byron if his daughter had a claim on the estate.

Today in Soap Opera History (December 13)

On this date in...

1954: Procter & Gamble's popular radio soap THE ROAD OF LIFE, created by Irna Phillips in 1937, made its television debut on CBS in the 1:15-1:30 time slot.

Because many CBS affiliates chose to run local news and talk shows during this time, the program never achieved the popularity it might have and aired its last TV episode on July 1, 1955. The radio version of the show continued into the 1959 season when the golden age of the radio soap opera began to wind down.

50 Greatest Soap Actors: #11 Don Hastings

NAME: Don Hastings
RANK: 11
SOAP ROLES: Bob Hughes, AS THE WORLD TURNS (1960-present); Bob Hughes, OUR PRIVATE WORLD (1965); Jack Lane, THE EDGE OF NIGHT (1956-1960); THE ROAD OF LIFE; HILLTOP HOUSE; PORTIA FACES LIFE

AWARDS:
2004 Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award
1998 Soap Opera Digest Award Editor's Award win
1992 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor: Daytime

COMMENTS FROM THE PANEL:
Damon L. Jacobs:  It has become common in soap circles to heap tons of praise and awards on the bad-boy-turned-good.  But it is far too easy to ignore the integrity, strength, and skill required to play the good guy.  Don Hastings mastered this art portraying the upstanding, kind, and dignified Bob Hughes for most of the past 50 years.  The "melting ice cream" scene last summer, in which Bob appear disoriented, confused, and terrified, was only a sample of what this brilliant thespian is capable of.  His calming and reassuring presence will be sorely missed after September 2010.

Don Hastings: The We Love Soaps Interview, Part One

I had the extreme honor of speaking with the profoundly gifted and intelligent Don Hastings recently. Although most know him as the honorable pillar "Dr. Bob Hughes" on AS THE WORLD TURNS, many are not aware of how Mr. Hastings was a pioneer embarking in a brand new entertainment called television back when other actors had their fears and trepidations about an unfamiliar new medium (sound familiar?). Please enjoy this interview as we explore his past as a child star in theater and radio, his reflections on Bob Hughes, and insights into facing unemployment for the first time in 61 years. You don't want to miss this one!

We Love Soaps: Mr. Hastings, it is such an honor and a privilege to speak with you. Let’s start by going back. I know you were born here in Brooklyn and you started singing professionally as a child, is that correct?
Don Hastings: I did some singing on the radio. I started when I was about six years old on the Blue Network at NBC. They had two networks in those days, the blue and the red. The blue became ABC. There was a show called, “Coast to Coast On A Bus,” that my brother [Bob Hastings] proceeded me on. When I went into visit him one time they asked me if I did anything, to which I said, “Not really.” I guess somebody said, “He can sing a little,” so I started singing a little. And then there was a little acting involved.