Today in Soap Opera History (December 16)

1966: The final episode of A Time For Us aired on ABC.
1968: David Selby debuted on Dark Shadows.
1983: Chase uncovered a bombshell hidden in his grandfather’s will on Falcon Crest.
1996: Jake made plans to steal the Lassiter Christmas tree on Another World.

ON THIS DAY IN...

1957: On The Edge of Night, Peter Dalton (Stephen Elliott) refused Mike Karr’s (John Larkin) resignation, arguing that Mike’s departure would be a disservice to the public—a defining moment for the show’s moral backbone.

1966: ABC aired the final episode of daytime soap opera A Time For Us (formerly titled A Flame in the Wind), originally created by Raphael Hayes and Joseph Hardy. Jane Elliot, Conard Fowkes and Margaret Ladd were among the stars during the series run from December 28, 1964 to December 16, 1966.

1968: David Selby debuted on Dark Shadows as Quentin Collins, with Terry Crawford also appearing for the first time as Beth Chavez.

Amy Jennings moved into Collinwood, with Elizabeth hoping she would be a positive influence on young David. Instead, the children discovered a hidden room in the west wing containing the malevolent spirits of Quentin and Beth. Quentin quickly placed the children under his control, ordering them to move his skeleton and bury it in the woods—then commanding them to systematically kill members of the Collins family.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth confided in Roger about her worries over Victoria, who had grown despondent following Jeff Clark’s disappearance. The episode ended with Quentin’s first deadly test: David strung a wire across the grand staircase. When Amy warned Roger about a prowler near the front door, he investigated—and took the fall Quentin intended. (Watch on YouTube)

1976: On Ryan's Hope, Maeve and Johnny Ryan welcomed their daughter Kathleen (Nancy Reardon), who arrived with her children. Later, Mary Ryan (Kate Mulgrew) read Delia’s letter addressed to the family.



1977: On Another World, a heated confrontation between John Randolph (Michael M. Ryan) and architect Evan Webster (Barry Jenner) escalated into a struggle for a gun, ending with Evan being shot and killed.

Note: The scene was replayed at the start of the December 19 episode. Another World frequently replayed major cliffhanger moments—sometimes lengthy ones—on the following broadcast. Ira Cirker often directed the show’s most emotionally intense episodes.

Context: John Randolph had recently ended his long marriage to Pat (Beverly Penberthy) and married the manipulative Olive Gordon (Jennifer Leak). At Olive’s urging, the couple built an elaborate new home designed by Evan Webster—who soon became Olive’s lover. The December 16–19 shooting unfolded in that very house. John, initially in shock, realized the truth only after Olive’s hysterical reaction upon discovering Evan’s body.

Aftermath: John suffered a breakdown, became mute, and was hospitalized. He was eventually cleared of all charges and divorced Olive—who would later cause his death in 1979 when a fire she set claimed his life.

Jennifer Leak delivered one of Another World’s most chilling villain performances in 1977. Olive Gordon arrived in Bay City as Raymond Gordon’s estranged wife, insinuated herself into John’s professional and personal life, and methodically destroyed the Randolph family—all while maintaining a doe-eyed façade.

1983: On Days of our Lives, Chris Kositchek (Josh Taylor) let Hope Williams (Kristian Alfonso) leave work early for a date with Bo Brady (Peter Reckell). Unfortunately, Bo never showed—he was busy helping his brother Roman (Wayne Northrop).

1983: On General Hospital, Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary) held a press conference to address the death of Stavros Cassadine.



1983: Lori Loughlin made her final appearance as Jody Travis on The Edge of Night, departing to attend Wellington College.



1983: On Falcon Crest, Chase Gioberti (Robert Foxworth) discovered a clause in his grandfather’s will granting him the legal power to remove Angela Channing from Falcon Crest.



1985: On Days of our Lives, Jennifer Horton (Melissa Reeves, then Melissa Brennan) was attacked at the hospital.

1985: On Santa Barbara, Eden Capwell (Marcy Walker) confessed to Cruz Castillo (A Martinez) that she had pulled the plug on her father, C.C.—but had no memory of doing so.

1986: Douglas Lambert (Eddie Weeks on General Hospital) died of AIDS-related complications at age 50.

1986: On All My Children, Palmer Cortlandt (James Mitchell) accused Adam Chandler (David Canary) of orchestrating Natalie Hunter’s downfall. Meanwhile, Cliff Warner (Peter Bergman) surprised Nina (Taylor Miller) with a room full of flowers and proposed that they reunite as a family.



1986: On Capitol, Kelly Harper (Jess Walton) received a surprise visit from her son Scotty (Malachi Pearson).

1988: On The Bold and the Beautiful, the Logan sisters—dubbed “the three most fabulous girls in the Valley”—prepared for Brooke Logan’s (Katherine Kelly Lang) dinner with Ridge Forrester (Ronn Moss).

1996: On Another World, Jake McKinnon (Tom Eplin) plotted to steal the Lassiter Christmas tree, knowing it would carry deep emotional meaning for Vicky Hudson (Jensen Buchanan).



2003: Madlyn Rhue, who portrayed Daphne DiMera on Days of our Lives, died at age 68.

2004: ABC aired the 9,000th episode of All My Children. “Part of it is the script is different every day,” Susan Lucci said at the time. “You have no choice. It’s hot off the presses.”



2005: John Spencer, beloved as Leo McGarry on The West Wing, died four days before his 59th birthday. The series later wrote Leo’s death into the show.

2011: Dan Frazer, who played Lt. Dan McCloskey on As the World Turns for many years, died at age 90.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS

Eugene Robert Glazer (ex-Peter, General Hospital) - 83
Larry Poindexter (ex-Justin, Santa Barbara; ex-Ben, Days of our Lives; ex-Greg, A New Day in Eden; ex-Asher, General Hospital) - 66
Melanie Smith (ex-Claire, Gotham; ex-Emily, As the World Turns; ex-Celia, Melrose Place) - 62
Benjamin Bratt (ex-Jake, Private Practice) - 62
Florencia Lozano (ex-Téa, General Hospital; ex-Téa, One Life to Live) - 56
Daniel Cosgrove (Ezra, General Hospital; ex-Aiden, Days of our Lives; ex-Scott, All My Children; ex-Chris, As the World Turns; ex-Bill, Guiding Light) - 55
Matthew Mahaney (ex-Kurt, Days of our Lives) - 55
LaChanze (ex-Yvette, One Life to Live) - 54
Paul Leyden (ex-Blake, The Young and the Restless; ex-Simon, As the World Turns) - 53
Jack Krizmanich (ex-John, Passions) - 47
Scott Bailey (Nathan, The Bay; ex-Sandy, Guiding Light; ex-Stan, Undressed) - 47
Krysten Ritter (ex-Kay, One Life to Live) - 43
Amanda Setton (ex-Kim, One Life to Live; ex-Penelope, Gossip Girl) - 40