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 29)

1967: Days of our Lives' Mickey and Laura were married.
1975: Another World's Marianne had an abortion.
1982: KVIK hosted a telethon on Texas.
1995: General Hospital's Ned found Jason unconscious.

"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...

1961: NBC aired the final episode of From These Roots after a three and a half year run. FTR actress Ann Flood starred as Liz, a successful writer who had returned to her New England hometown of Strathfield to run her family's newspaper, the Strathfield Record.  The cast included Robert Mandan (Sam), Millette Alexander (Gloria) and Barbara Berjer (Lynn).

1967: On The Edge of Night, Julie Jamison (Millette Alexander) could not escape from the menacing Harry Constable.

1967: On Days of our Lives, Mickey Horton (John Clarke) married Laura Spencer (Susan Flannery) in a church wedding. Susan Martin (Denise Alexander) was honor attendant.

Thanks to Scott for sending in the item above.

Theo Goetz

1972: The Guiding Light star Theo Goetz (born in 1894) died at age 78. He was beloved as Papa Bauer, a role he assumed on radio in the late 1940s, transitioned to television in 1952 and played until his death. The show aired a funeral for him two months later where one grandson (Ed) spoke and another sang (Mike).

1975: On Another World, Michael Randolph (Lionel Johnston) and his girlfriend Glenda Toland (Maia Danziger) arranged for Michael's twin sister, Marianne (Ariane Munker, now Ariana Chase) to have an abortion. Marianne had been deserted by her lover, Chris Pierson (Stephen Yates), when she revealed her pregnancy to him. Michael and Glenda, who had once undergone an abortion herself, made the arrangements for Marianne in New York. The twins' mother, Pat Randolph (Beverly Penberthy), was haunted by her own young pregnancy and tried to stop the event, but failed. Pat would withhold Marianne's abortion from her husband, John (Michael Ryan), which helped ruin the couple's long-term marriage.

Thanks to Scott for sending in the item above.

1977: On One Life to Live, on their tropical honeymoon, Brad Vernon's (Jameson Parker) eyes were already straying to another woman when his wife Jenny (Kathy Glass) briefly left their restaurant table.

Thanks to Scott for sending in the item above.

1982: On Texas, a KVIK telethon showcased local Houston talent including Lurlene Walker (Tina Johnson), Justin and Gregory (Linden) Marshall (Jerry Lanning and Damion Scheller), Allison Linden (Terri Garber), Vivien Gorrow (Gretchen Oehler), T.J. Canfield (David Forsyth), Paige Marshall (Lisby Larson) and Billy Joe Wright (John McCafferty).





1984: Actress Indus Arthur died at age 43 after battling skin cancer.  She played Brooke Bentley on General Hospital from 1970 to 1973. Near the end of her life, Arthur entertained as a singer and harpist in clubs like the Scripture Gardens Coffee House in Venice, California.

1986: Wordplay, the game show that replaced Search for Tomorrow, debuted to strong ratings on NBC. The show faded quickly and was canceled less than nine months later.

1986: On Santa Barbara, Tori (Kristen Meadows) returned to Santa Barbara to see Mason (Lane Davies) after her agent stole all her money.

1987: On Ryan's Hope, Maeve (Helen Gallagher) and Johnny (Bernard Barrow) fought when she demanded Dakota (Christopher Durham) move out. By the end of the episode, Johnny declared, "If he goes, I go."



1992: Ariana Chase debuted as Kimberly Brady in Days of our Lives, a role she would play for six months.

1995: On General Hospital, Ned (Wally Kurth) found Jason (Steve Burton) lying unconscious after being thrown from a car driven by a drunk AJ (Sean Kanan).



1997: On Port Charles, Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring) used her sex appeal to bait Rex (Wayne Northrop). "Rex, you'll never know what hit you," Lucy told herself.



1997: On General Hospital, Carly (Sarah Joy Brown) gave birth to a baby born, Michael Corinthos.



2002: Actor Ralph Clanton died at age 88. His soap roles included Jasper Delaney on Another World and Somerset, and William Collins in Search for Tomorrow.

2003: Actor Earl Hindman, who played Bob Reid in Ryan's Hope during its entire run (1975-1989), died at age 61 after a battle with lung cancer.

2004: Actor William Boyett died at age 77. His soap roles included Fred Eckert in General Hospital and Walter Edmonson in The Young and the Restless.

2006: On Days of our Lives, Hope Brady (Kristian Alfonso) gave birth to a baby girl, Ciara Alice Brady.

Thanks to Enrique for sending in the item above .

2008: Hayley Erin debuted as Abby Carlton on The Young and the Restless.

2010: Daniel Cosgrove returned to All My Children as Scott Chandler.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Jon Voight (Mickey, Ray Donovan; ex-Clint, Lone Star) - 80
Ted Danson (ex-Mitch, The Doctors; ex-Ted, Somerset) - 71
Patricia Clarkson (ex-Sarah, Six Feet Under) - 59
Sandra Nelson (ex-Phyllis, The Young and the Restless) - 56
David Fumero (Mike, Power; ex-Cristian, One Life to Live) - 46
Jude Law (ex-Nathan, Families) - 46
Jason-Shane Scott (ex-Brad, The Bay; ex-Will, One Life to Live; ex-Chad, The Young and the Restless) - 42
Alison Brie (ex-Trudy, Mad Men) - 36
Dylan Minnette (ex-Rex. Awake; ex-David, Lost) - 22
Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick (ex-Will, Guiding Light) - 20

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email editor@welovesoaps.com.

Robert Mandan Dead at 86

Soap and daytime soap opera actor Robert Mandan died on April 29 in Los Angeles after a long illness, his friend, playwright and screenwriter Gary Goldstein, told The Hollywood Reporter. He was 86.

Mandan had worked on such soap operas as From These Roots (as David Allen), The Doctors (Mike Hennessey/Mr. Tabor), The Edge of Night (Nathan Axelrod) and Search for Tomorrow (Sam Reynolds) when he was hired to play Chester, a conniving Wall Street stock broker, on the ABC primetime comedy Soap.

Susan Harris created the sitcom, which aired for four seasons, from 1977-1981. The show, always a critical darling, was a top 10 hit in its first season but suffered in the ratings as it was moved around the schedule.

Mandan and Helmond reunited for two episodes of her next series, Who's the Boss?, and for a 2002 production of "A Twilight Romance" at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank. He also returned to the soap opera world with gigs on Santa Barbara (Maxwell Hammer), Days of our Lives (Steven 'Jonesy' Jones) and General Hospital (Judge Bryant).

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 29)

1967: Days of our Lives' Mickey and Laura were married.
1975: Another World's Marianne had an abortion.
1982: KVIK hosted a telethon on Texas.
1995: General Hospital's Ned found Jason unconscious.

"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...

1961: NBC aired the final episode of From These Roots after a three and a half year run. FTR actress Ann Flood starred as Liz, a successful writer who had returned to her New England hometown of Strathfield to run her family's newspaper, the Strathfield Record.  The cast included Robert Mandan (Sam), Millette Alexander (Gloria) and Barbara Berjer (Lynn).

1967: On The Edge of Night, Julie Jamison (Millette Alexander) could not escape from the menacing Harry Constable.

1967: On Days of our Lives, Mickey Horton (John Clarke) married Laura Spencer (Susan Flannery) in a church wedding. Susan Martin (Denise Alexander) was honor attendant.

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 29)

1967: Days of our Lives' Mickey and Laura were married.
1975: Another World's Marianne had an abortion.
1982: KVIK hosted a telethon on Texas.
1995: General Hospital's Ned found Jason unconscious.

"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...

1961: NBC aired the final episode of From These Roots after a three and a half year run. FTR actress Ann Flood starred as Liz, a successful writer who had returned to her New England hometown of Strathfield to run her family's newspaper, the Strathfield Record.  The cast included Robert Mandan (Sam), Millette Alexander (Gloria) and Barbara Berjer (Lynn).

1967: On The Edge of Night, Julie Jamison (Millette Alexander) could not escape from the menacing Harry Constable.

1967: On Days of our Lives, Mickey Horton (John Clarke) married Laura Spencer (Susan Flannery) in a church wedding. Susan Martin (Denise Alexander) was honor attendant.

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 29)

1967: Days' Mickey and Laura were married. 1975: AW's
Marianne had an abortion.  1982: KVIK hosted a telethon
on Texas.  1995: GH's Ned found Jason unconscious after
he was thrown from a drunk AJ's car.

"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...

1961: NBC aired the final episode of From These Roots after a three and a half year run. FTR actress Ann Flood starred as Liz, a successful writer who had returned to her New England hometown of Strathfield to run her family's newspaper, the Strathfield Record.  The cast included Robert Mandan (Sam), Millette Alexander (Gloria) and Barbara Berjer (Lynn).

1967: On The Edge of Night, Julie Jamison (Millette Alexander) could not escape from the menacing Harry Constable.

1967: On Days of our Lives, Mickey Horton (John Clarke) married Laura Spencer (Susan Flannery) in a church wedding. Susan Martin (Denise Alexander) was honor attendant.

FLASHBACK: A Complete, Concise Yearly History of TV Soap Operas - 1947 to 1977 (Part 3)

Rosemary Prinz, Helen Wagner and Don MacLaughlin starred in
As the World Turns as Penny, Nancy and Chris Hughes.

A Complete, Concise Yearly History of TV Soap Operas

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

(continued from Part 2)

1955
The networks began to take it easy after such a succession of sad cases. The only two serials to begin this year were anthologies sponsored by Borden on NBC, and one succeeded the other. The first, The Way of the World, portrayed disconnected plots taken from womens' magazine stories. The narrator was Gloria Lewis, and its duration was from January 2 to October 7.

Its replacement was A Date With Life (October 10, 1955 to June 29, 1956) which starred Logan Field as Jim Bradley, editor of Bay City News, who narrated the various sagas set in Bay City (later the setting of Another World). Field was later replaced by Mark Roberts as brother Tom Bradley. It was produced by Therese Lewis, who later produced The Brighter Day.

1956
In the daytime serial world, this was the year of the innovations. On April 2, CBS and Procter & Gamble premiered the first two television soaps to air a full thirty minutes daily, rather than the usual fifteen.

'As the World Turns' Alum John Colenback Dead at 79

Actor John Colenback has died. He was 79.

Colenback, who starred as Dr. Dan Stewart on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns from 1966-73 and again from 1976-79, died May 12 in West Hollywood of complications from the pulmonary disease COPD.

On As the World Turns, Dan was involved in two of the show's most memorable love quandrangles, the Paul/Liz/Dan/Susan story of the late 1960s/early 1970s and the John/Kim/Dan/Susan story of the mid-1970s. Dan sired two daughters, Betsy and Emily, both of whom named their children after him. Dan died of a terminal illness in September 1979.

A native of Toledo, Ohio, who attended Dartmouth College, Colenback was acting in summer stock at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pa., when he was discovered by an agent.

He was brought to New York and made his Broadway debut in 1961 as the attendant to Spanish ambassador Signor Chapuys in the original Broadway production of "A Man for All Seasons."

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 29)

1967: Days' Mickey and Laura were married. 1975: AW's
Marianne had an abortion.  1982: KVIK hosted a telethon
on Texas.  1995: GH's Ned found Jason unconscious after
he was thrown from a drunk AJ's car.

"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...

1961: NBC aired the final episode of From These Roots after a three and a half year run. FTR actress Ann Flood starred as Liz, a successful writer who had returned to her New England hometown of Strathfield to run her family's newspaper, the Strathfield Record.  The cast included Robert Mandan (Sam), Millette Alexander (Gloria) and Barbara Berjer (Lynn).

1967: On The Edge of Night, Julie Jamison (Millette Alexander) could not escape from the menacing Harry Constable.

1967: On Days of our Lives, Mickey Horton (John Clarke) married Laura Spencer (Susan Flannery) in a church wedding. Susan Martin (Denise Alexander) was honor attendant.

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 29)

1967: DAYS' Mickey and Laura were married. 1975: AW's
Marianne had an abortion.  1982: KVIK hosted a telethon
on TEXAS.  1995: GH's Ned found Jason unconscious after
he was thrown from a drunk AJ's car.

"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...

1961: NBC aired the final episode of FROM THESE ROOTS after a three and a half year run. FTR actress Ann Flood starred as Liz, a successful writer who had returned to her New England hometown of Strathfield to run her family's newspaper, the Strathfield Record.  The cast included Robert Mandan (Sam), Millette Alexander (Gloria) and Barbara Berjer (Lynn).

1967: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Julie Jamison (Millette Alexander) could not escape from the menacing Harry Constable.

1967: On DAYS OF OUR LIVES, Mickey Horton (John Clarke) married Laura Spencer (Susan Flannery) in a church wedding. Susan Martin (Denise Alexander) was honor attendant.

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 29)

On this date in...

1961: NBC's FROM THESE ROOTS aired its final episode after three and a half years. FTR star Ann Flood (Liz) went on to star as Nancy Karr on THE EDGE OF NIGHT. Millette Alexander (Gloria) and Barbara Berjer (Lynn) were also part of the cast.

1967: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Julie Jamison (Millette Alexander) could not escape from the menacing Harry Constable.

1972: THE GUIDING LIGHT star Theo Goetz (born in 1894) died at age 78. He was beloved as Papa Bauer, a role he assumed on radio in the late 1940s, transitioned to television in 1952 and played until his death. The show aired a funeral for him two months later where one grandson (Ed) spoke and another sang (Mike).

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 29)

On this date in...

1961: NBC's FROM THESE ROOTS aired its final episode after three and a half years. FTR star Ann Flood (Liz) went on to star as Nancy Karr on THE EDGE OF NIGHT. Millette Alexander (Gloria) and Barbara Berjer (Lynn) were also part of the cast.

1967: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Julie Jamison could not escape from the menacing Harry Constable.

1972: GUIDING LIGHT star Theo Goetz (born in 1894!) died at age 78. He was beloved as Papa Bauer, a role he assumed on radio in the late 1940s, transitioned to television in 1952 and played until his death.

Broadway & Soap Opera Actress Tresa Hughes Has Died At Age 81

Tony Award nominee and soap opera actress Tresa Hughes has died, according to a death notice in The New York Times. She was 81.

Hughes played Emma Frame Ordway (Frankie, Molly, Wade, Sterling and Henry's mother) on ANOTHER WORLD on and off from June 1975 to June 1976. She was the second Emma (Beverlee McKinsey was the first).

Hughes also played Rose Carelli Fraser on FROM THESE ROOTS from 1960 to 1961 (she left to do "The Advocate" on Broadway) and Nurse Dumfrey on RYAN'S HOPE in 1977.