Today in Soap Opera History (March 5)

1968: DS' Barnabas entombed Trasked. 1979: RH's Johnny said
his peace. 1990: GH's Robert, Sean & Anna listened
to Paget explain he was Duke. 1992: AMC's Donna & Chuck left
Pine Valley.

"There is no present or future, only the past happening over and over again - now."
- Eugene O'Neill

"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...

1968: On DARK SHADOWS, after forcing him to sign a confession stating Victoria Winters was not a witch, Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) trapped Reverend Trask (Jerry Lacy) in a prison of his own making.



1979: NBC aired the first 90-minute episode of ANOTHER WORLD. Olive Randolph (Jennifer Leak) doused Alice's (Jacqueline Courtney) cottage with gasoline and then set it on fire.

1979: On RYAN'S HOPE, Johnny Ryan (Bernard Barrow) gave Martin Pyle (Tom Quinn) a piece of his mind.



Thanks to Jennifer for sending in the item above.

1980: On THE EDGE OF NIGHT, as Draper Scott (Tony Craig) prepared to leave for prison, Steve Guthrie (Denny Albee) and Deborah Saxon (Frances Fisher) searched for evidence that placed Nola at the site of the murder.



1980: Margaret Mason ended a five year run as Linda Anderson on DAYS OF OUR LIVES (she had joined the show in 1970, left in 1971, and returned in 1975). She would return on a recurring basis for a couple of months in 1982.

1984: On GUIDING LIGHT, Mindy Lewis (Krista Tesreau) told Rick Bauer (Michael O'Leary) she could not go through with the abortion, at least for now.



Thanks to Jennifer for sending in the item above.

1990: On GENERAL HOSPITAL, Jonathan Paget (Greg Beecroft) tried to convince Anna (Finola Hughes), Sean (John Reilly), and Robert (Tristan Rogers) that he was actually Duke Lavery.



1991: On THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, Danny Romalotti (Michael Damian) performed in concert.

1992: On ALL MY CHILDREN, Donna Tyler (Candice Earley) left Pine Valley to move to Rhode Island with her husband, Chuck Tyler (Richard Van Vleet).



2001: A new version of UK soap opera CROSSROADS premiered.

2002: On THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, Julia Newman Martin (Meg Bennett) and Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) reminisced about when they were married.

2004: On ALL MY CHILDREN, at her baby shower, Bianca (Eden Riegel) decided to name her baby girl, Miranda Mona Montgomery, a decision that didn't sit well with her mother, Erica Kane (Susan Lucci).



Thanks to Enrique for sending in the item above.

2004: On THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, Rick Forrester (Justin Torkildsen) urged Ridge (Ronn Moss) to move on with his life without Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang).

Celebrating a birthday today are:
James Noble (ex-Grayling, THE BRIGHTER DAY; ex-Don, AS THE WORLD TURNS; ex-Bill, THE DOCTORS; ex-Edward, A WORLD APART; ex-Rev. Harris, ANOTHER WORLD; ex-Dr. Morris, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) - 92
Ray MacDonnell (ex-Joe, ALL MY CHILDREN; ex-Phil, THE EDGE OF NIGHT) - 86
Nick Ullett (ex-Graham, AS THE WORLD TURNS) - 73
Murray Head (ex-Doug, HOLBY CITY; ex-Jack, HEARTBEAT) - 68
Marla Pennington (ex-Samantha, GENERAL HOSPITAL, ex-Leslie, SOAP) - 60
Marcia McCabe (ex-Sunny, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW; ex-Carolyn, AS THE WORLD TURNS; ex-Bunny, ANOTHER WORLD; ex-Alicia, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) - 59
Dan Olivo (Jimmy, VAMPIRE MOB) - 39
T.C. Warner (ex-Kelsey, ALL MY CHILDREN) - 37
Kimberly McCullough (Robin, GENERAL HOSPITAL; ex-Robin, GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT) - 36
Aislinn Paul (Claire, DEGRASSI) - 20

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a piece of soap opera history for this daily column, please email it to [email protected].