"To believe what has not occurred in history will not occur at all, is to argue disbelief in the dignity of man."
- Mahatma Gandhi
"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...
1945: On PEPPER YOUNG'S FAMILY, Harry, Betty, Pepper and Mrs. Green discussed Harry and Betty's upcoming wedding.
1945: On THE RIGHT TO HAPPINESS, Ed (Jerry Macy) wanted an explanation about why some of Emily's (Alice Yourman) dresses were missing.
1945: On WOMAN IN WHITE, Dr. Jonathan McNeil was visited by a student nurse who revealed that she was secretly married, and pregnant.
1945: On THE GUIDING LIGHT, after being censured for wrongdoing, Peter Manno (Jay Novello) decided not to run for office and handed in his resignation as assistant state attorney.
Announcer: "While all the world waits for news from Japan, life still goes on, as it does today for Pete Manno."
1945: Actress Brenda Benet was born. She died in 1982 at age 36 while starring in DAYS OF OUR LIVES. Read her story here.
1967: On DARK SHADOWS, Barnabas (Jonathan Frid) and Julia (Grayson Hall) argued over what to do about Maggie Evans (Kathryn Leigh Scott). Barnabas decided she must die.
1975: On ANOTHER WORLD, Mac (Douglass Watson) threw Iris (Beverlee McKinsey) out of the house.
1980: On GENERAL HOSPITAL, Lee informed Hutch that he may have to go back to prison.
1984: On SANTA BARBARA, Jade (Melissa Reeves), Danny (Rupert Ravens) and Ted (Todd McKee) met Helen aka movie star Peaches DeLight (Virginia Mayo).
1985: On DAYS OF OUR LIVES, Tod (David Wallace) joined Pete (Michael Leon) and Melissa (Lisa Trusel) on the run.
1986: Kristen Marie debuted as Cheryl McKinnon in ANOTHER WORLD.
1986: On THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, Andy Richards and Farren Connor (Colleen Casey) were married in an impromptu ceremony at Paul's apartment. Unaware of the wedding, Lauren plotted with Diane to reveal Farren's identity in the newspaper. Diane was waiting in Andy's bed when he arrived home with his new wife.
1989: On ALL MY CHILDREN, Marissa (Nancy Addison) held Natalie (Kate Collins) at gunpoint. Jeremy (Jeremy LeClerc) attempted to get the gun away from Marissa but accidentally shot her instead.
2003: On THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, after Sally (Darlene Conley) and Clarke gave Macy, Deacon, and Little Eric a proper send-off, Sally proclaimed this was the Spectras moment of triumph over the Forresters.
2006: On GENERAL HOSPITAL, Jason (Steve Burton) and Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) made love.
2009: On ONE LIFE TO LIVE, Layla (Tika Sumpter) told Cristian (David Fumero) to stay out of her relationship with Fish (Scott Evans). Amanda Setton debuted as Kimberly Andrews in the episode.
Celebrating a birthday today are:
Fran Bennett (ex-Flora, GENERAL HOSPITAL; ex-Mrs. Matson, GUIDING LIGHT) - 77
Cathi Peyton Erman (ex-Nurse Christine, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) - 63
Jackée Harry (ex-Lily, ANOTHER WORLD) - 58
Susan Olsen (ex-Liza, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS; ex-Cindy, THE BRADYS) - 53
David Aaron Baker (Mr. Kozinski, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) - 51
Halle Berry (ex-Debbie, KNOTS LANDING) - 48
Catherine Bell (Denise, ARMY WIVES) - 46
Rhonda Ross Kendrick (ex-Toni, ANOTHER WORLD) - 43
Christopher Gorham (ex-Henry, UGLY BETTY) - 40
Jill Bennett (ex-Michelle, DANTE'S COVE) - 39
Shawn Batten (ex-Sarah, SUNSET BEACH; ex-Natalia, SPYDER GAMES) - 39
Mila Kunis (ex-Ashley, 7TH HEAVEN) - 31
Cassi Thomson (Nikki, SWITCHED AT BIRTH) - 21
Garrett Ryan (ex-Kyle, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) - 15
EDITOR'S NOTE: If you have a tip on a bit of soap history on this date or future dates, let us know. Send an email to [email protected]
How sad is this. There are multiple detailed notes and recordings of soap operas from 1945 while at least thirty years of recordings and detailed notes or more of contemporary tv soaps were erased in the blink of an eye!
ReplyDeleteLiz & Jason were the last couple I enjoyed on soaps. I hate that the couple was never given their due.
ReplyDeleteSoap operas are so void of romance and couples with actual chemistry.
Liz and Jason could have lit up GH. Instead we got the ratings death that was JaTank due to Fron's agenda. So sad :(
ReplyDeleteNot belabor the issue but I couldn't agree with you more! The way Liz & Jason were written under Guza was completely derailed and reeked of ABC/Brian Frons agenda. At the time, ABC wanted to create one "supercouple" per soap (AMC - Ryan/Greenlee, OLTL - John/Natalie and GH - Jason/Sam) regardless that each couple little or no chemistry! It never worked and each couple never reached the frenzy of real supercouples like Luke & Laura or Bo & Hope. Worst, on GH, Jason had off-the-charts chemistry with another legacy character in Elizabeth Webber! Instead, we got saddled with JaSam and Jake was killed off. I'm still fuming over that decision! Well, at least there are YT clips of Liason.
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