Today in Soap Opera History (September 5)

1960: Search for Tomorrow's Alison dealt with her mother-in-law.
1980: General Hospital's Monica faced a divorce decision.
1989: As the World Turns Paul shot his father., James Stenbeck.
2008: Hollyoaks' John Paul found Kieron's body.

"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...

1960: On Search for Tomorrow, after talking things over with Joanne (Mary Stuart), Alison (Anne Pearson) endured an uncomfortable evening with her in-laws, the Metcalfs, who came over for dinner.



1967: CBS broadcast The Edge of Night in color for the first time.

1967: Marcella Martin aired for the final time as Flo Murray on Another World. Flo had killed Danny Fargo. Ralph Oliver also aired for the last time that day as Charlie Rushinberger.

1980: On General Hospital, Alan (Stuart Damon) told Monica (Leslie Charleson) she could leave but she wasn't taking the baby. "You've never been a bargain as a wife," Alan told her, "but let's see how you do as a mother."



1983: On Ryan's Hope, Jill (Nancy Addison) felt pangs of jealousy when she saw Frank (Geoffrey Pierson) with Rae (Louise Shaffer).



1989: On As the World Turns, Paul (Andrew Kavovit) walked in on James (Anthony Hererra) attacking Emily (Melanie Smith) and shot him three times.



1989: On Guiding Light, Phillip (Grant Aleksander) told Lillian (Tina Sloan) he thought Beth could still be alive. Lillian she angrily refused to believe him.



1992: Irving Allen Lee, who played Calvin Stoner in The Edge of Night and Evan Cooper on Ryan's Hope, passed away at age 43. He died of AIDS-related lymphoma, according to his companion, John Uehlein.

1994: Marie-Alise Recasner debuted as Lynn Burke in Days of our Lives.

1996: Dallas executive producer Leonard Katzman died at age 69.

2002: MTV aired the final episode of Undressed.

2006: MyNetworkTV, an upstart network launched by News Corporation, launched two with nightly serials. After the moderate success of Desire and Fashion House, ratings began to decline. The second pair of soaps, Wicked Wicked Games and Watch Over Me had decent ratings but not as successful as the debut telenovelas. By the time the third batch, American Heiress and Saints and Sinners, were shown, the ratings were disastrous and the format was phased out.

2008: On Hollyoaks, while Craig Dean (Guy Burnett) made a last ditch effort to win back ex-lover, John Paul McQueen (James Sutton), Niall Rafferty (Barry Sloane) was beginning his final revenge plot against the entire McQueen family. First up, Niall would drug and kill John Paul's fiancé, Kieron Hobbs (Jake Hendriks), and in doing so, would maneuver to have the ex-priest "hear his confession" before making his murder look like a suicide, thereby leaving John Paul wracked with guilt, thinking he was responsible for Kieron's death.



Thanks to FoxCrane for sending in the item above.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Bob Newhart (ex-Morty, Desperate Housewives) - 85
Carol Lawrence (ex-Angela, General Hospital) - 82
Johnny Briggs (ex-Fin, Echo Beach; ex-Tom, Holby City, ex-Mike, Coronation Street) - 79
William Devane (ex-Edward, Revenge; ex-Greg, Knots Landing) - 75
George Lazenby (ex-Logan, Rituals; ex-Reginald, General Hospital) - 75
Raquel Welch (ex-Dianna, Central Park West) - 74
Rod Arrants (ex-Travis, Search for Tomorrow; ex-Steven, The Young and the Restless; ex-Richard, Days of our Lives; ex-Austin, Another World; ex-Austin, Lovers and Friends; ex-Austin, For Richer, For Poorer; ex-Andre, Dallas; ex-Henderson, Falcon Crest) - 70
Rick Moses (ex-Jefferson, General Hospital) - 62
Bill Shanks (ex-Casey, As the World Turns; ex-Mark, Another World) - 56
Roberta Weiss (ex-Flame, Santa Barbara) - 53
Kristian Alfonso (Hope, Days of our Lives; ex-Lauren, Melrose Place; ex-Pilar, Falcon Crest) - 51
Michael McLafferty (ex-Brian, General Hospital; ex-Dr. Whitaker, Days of our Lives) - 42
Rose McGowan (ex-Teddy, Nip/Tuck; ex-Paige, Charmed) - 41
Davida Williams (ex-Jade, As the World Turns; ex-Lois, The Young and the Restless; ex-Days of our Lives) - 28

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]