Today in Soap Opera History (September 9)

1968: Search for Tomorrow and The Guiding Light each
expanded to a half hour.  1985: GH's Robert tried to figure out who
Robin was.  2009: Andrea died at the carnival on GH.

"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...

1965: On Peyton Place, Stella Chernak (Lee Grant) broke down at Ada Jacks' (Evelyn Scott) bar. Adam made an emergency call to Dr. Michael Rossi (Ed Nelson), who suddenly left the dinner party thrown by David (William Smithers) and Doris (Gail Kobe) Schuster.



1966: On Dark Shadows, Sam (David Ford) thought Bill Malloy was the one man who could help him until the sheriff (Dana Elcar) told him Malloy's body had been found.



1968: On Love is a Many Splendored Thing, Mark (David Birney) and Laura (Donna Mills) faced a marital crisis as Laura worried about Jean (Jane Manning). "There are all kinds of ways to take a man away from his wife," Laura told Mark.

1968: On The Secret Storm, Valerie (Lori March) defended Amy to Belle (Marla Adams), who wasn't convinced Amy tried to save Robin.

1968: The Guiding Light and Search for Tomorrow each expanded from 15 minutes a day to a half hour.



1985: On General Hospital, Robert (Tristan Rogers) tried to figure out who Robin (Kimberly McCullough) was, while Anna (Finola Hughes) revealed Robin was her daughter with Robert.



1991: On Another World, Ryan (Paul Michael Valley) asked Vicky (Jensen Buchanan) to go work for Grant.



2009: On General Hospital, Andrea Floyd (Martha Byrne) was struck and killed by Edward's (John Ingle) car at the carnival.



Celebrating a birthday today are:
Barry Cutler (ex-Logan, Days of our Lives) - 67
Robert Desiderio (ex-Antonio, Search for Tomorrow; ex-Orson, Ryan's Hope; ex-Steve, One Life to Live; ex-Ted, Knots Landing) - 63
Tom Wopat (ex-Hank, All My Children) - 63
John Novak (ex-Keith, Santa Barbara) - 59
Gil Brenton (ex-Alan, Santa Barbara) - 50
Constance Marie (Regina, Switched at Birth; ex-Nikki, Santa Barbara) - 49
Charles Esten (Deacon, Nashville) - 49
Brenda Epperson (ex-Ashley, The Young and the Restless; ex-Crystal, Passions) - 49
Jocelyn Seagrave (ex-Julie, Guiding Light; ex-Tanya, Days of our Lives; ex-Rita, Savannah; ex-Jessica, Pacific Palisades) - 46
Scott DeFreitas (ex-Andy, As the World Turns) - 44
Ryan Quan (Writer, Days of our Lives) - 37
Michelle Williams (ex-Jen, Dawson's Creek) - 34
Julie Gonzalo (Rebecca, Dallas) - 33
Damian McGinty (ex-Rory, Glee) - 22

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]