Saturday, May 6, 2017

Today in Soap Opera History (May 6)

1985: Nancy Lee Grahn debuted as Julia on Santa Barbara.
1985: GH's Rick began to suspect Derrick was Mike's biological father.
1987: Dynasty's Alexis drove her car off a bridge. 1999: AMC's
Erica made her first public appearance since being disfigured.
"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...

1965: On Peyton Place, Claire (Mariette Hartley) stunned her mother, Grace (Edith Atwater), with the news that Dr. Vincent Markham (Leslie Nielsen) was actually Claire's husband. After learning Michael Rossi (Ed Nelson) knew Constance (Dorothy Malone) as an orderly in the hospital where 4she was born, Allison (Mia Farrow) decided to return home and ask Connie point-blank if Connie wanted her when she discovered she was pregnant. Connie removed her "wedding band" from "Mr. MacKenzie." Rodney (Ryan O'Neal) was unable to tell Norman (Christopher Connelly) the truth about their mother. Paul (Richard Evans) was angry that Matt (Warner Anderson) published a story that cleared Leslie of murdering Elizabeth. Norman read Matt's story and told Rodney never to mention their mother's name again when Rodney insisted she was mentally unbalanced.



1981: On Another World, Jamie (Richard Bekins) was arraigned and released on his own recognizance. Meanwhile, Mac (Douglass Watson) and Rachel (Victoria Wyndham) blamed each other for Jamie's addiction to prescription drugs.



1985: On Santa Barbara, Augusta (Louise Sorel) realized she was blind and called her sister Julia in Phoenix. This was Nancy Lee Grahn's first appearance as Julia Wainwright.



1985: On General Hospital, Rick (Chris Robinson) started to suspect Derrick (Mark Goddard) was Mike's (David Mendenhall) biological father.



1987: On the season finale of Dynasty, Alexis' (Joan Collins) car plunged off a bridge.



1994: Kristian Alfonso returned to Days of our Lives after a four year absence. Alfonso first appeared as Hope Williams in April 1983 and played the character four years before departing in April 1987. She returned from April-August 1990 for a short story that ended with Hope being presumed dead.



1997: The final episode of UK regional soap opera Quayside aired on on Tyne Tees Television in the North East England and Yorkshire Television in Yorkshire. after only four months on the air.

1999: On All My Children, at the opening of the S.O.S. club, Erica Kane's (Susan Lucci) arrival brought Opal's (Jill Larson) conga line to a halt. Later, reporter Jerry Reeves (Graham Winton) ripped off Erica's scarf to show her masked face.



2005: On Passions, Edna Wallace (Kathleen) had an epic battle at the Crane mansion in order to get to Beth (Kelli McCarty) and Alistair (John Reilly) before they made love. Edna revealed that Alistair Crane was Beth's long, lost daddy.



2006: Actor Lyle Sudrow, The Guiding Light's original Bill Bauer, died at age 85. Sudrow originated the role of William Edward "Bill" Bauer Sr. in 1948 when the show aired only on the radio, and continued in the part several years after The Guiding Light began airing on television in 1952.

2012: Actor Yale Summers died at age 78. He played Rodney Harrington on Return to Peyton Place and Dr. Bob Ayres in the first year of General Hospital.

2013: Casey Moss debuted as J.J. Deveraux on Days of our Lives. In the episode, viewers only saw J.J.'s hand in Jennifer's house looking at the photos on the mantel.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Ben Masters (ex-Julian, Passions; ex-Vic, Another World) - 70
Bill Tatum (ex-Arthur, As the World Turns) - 70
Alan Dale (ex-King George/Albert, Once Upon a Time; ex-Charles, Lost; ex-Bradford, Ugly Betty; ex-Jim, Neighbours) - 70
Kate Collins (ex-Janet/Natalie, All My Children) - 59
Roma Downey (ex-Lady Johanna, One Life to Live) - 57
Julianne Phillips (ex-Frankie, Sisters) - 57
George Clooney (ex-James, Sisters; ex-Doug, ER) - 56
Cynthia J. Popp (Producer/Director, The Bold and the Beautiful) - 55
Leslie Hope (ex-Tess, The River; ex-Linda, Knots Landing) - 52
Marshall Hilliard (Officer Marshall, General Hospital; Dylan, Days of our Lives; ex-Officer George, The Young and the Restless; ex-Hart, Guiding Light) - 46
Gregori J. Martin (Creator/Producer, The Bay) - 39
Stacey Oristano (ex-Truly, Bunheads; ex-Mindy, Friday Night Lights) - 37
Adrianne Palicki (Bobbi, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; ex-Cat, Lone Star; ex-Tyra, Friday Night Lights) - 34
Gabourey Sidibe (ex-Queenie, American Horror Story) - 34
Tyler Hynes (ex-Joshua, Warehouse 13) - 31

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email [email protected].

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