Today in Soap Opera History (December 1)

1967: Iris crashed her car on LIAMST. 1975: ATWT expanded
to an hour.  1975: EON moved to ABC. 1994: OLTL's Viki
and Sloan prepared to get married.

"Most of us spend too much time on the last twenty-four hours and too little on the last six thousand years."
― Will Durant

"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...

1967: On As the World Turns, after receiving a call from Lisa (Eileen Fulton), who sounded very sick, Bob (Don Hastings) prepared to go to her apartment and check on her. He convinced Chris not to mention anything to Nancy because it was probably nothing and Bob didn't want Nancy worrying. Arriving at Lisa's apartment, Bob was perplexed by her serious cough and did a routine examination on her which indicated she had pneumonia. Bob said it was imperative that Lisa get to the hospital for a thorough examination but she refused to leave the apartment. He couldn't understand why she refused to go to the hospital, but the reason became clear when Lisa told him she was pregnant. Bob was shocked by Lisa's news and couldn't understand why she would let herself become pregnant again. Bob arranged for Lisa to have a private room at the hospital and she reluctantly agreed. Meanwhile, Chris and Pa talked about the mystery behind Sandy's disappearance and whether she would show up for the holiday season.

1967: On Love is a Many Splendored Thing, Iris (Leslie Charleson) crashed her car while arguing with Mark (Sam Wade).



1975: CBS aired the first 60-minute episode of As the World Turns, the first daytime soap opera on the network to expand from the half-hour format.



1975: The Edge of Night, which had aired on CBS since its 1956 premiere, moved to ABC with a 90-minute special episode.





1986: On Santa Barbara, Jane (Jane Sibbett) wanted to know why Caroline (Lenore Kasdorf) received a package from a private investigator.



1987: Brian Lane Green debuted as Alan Brand in Days of our Lives.

1987: On Santa Barbara, Julia (Nancy Lee Grahn) told Mason (Lane Davies) she was transferring to Boston.



1994: On One Life to Live, Clint (Clint Ritchie) arrived at the hospital as Viki (Erika Slezak) and Sloan's (Roy Thinnes) wedding began.



1997: On Another World, Tyrone (Henry Simmons) searched for clues about his father.

1998: Michael Zaslow aired for the final time on One Life to Live as David Renaldi. He died on December 6, 1998.

1998: On Days of our Lives, Hope (Gina) played the same song on the piano that Greta's mother played when she was 10 years old.

1999: On The Young and the Restless, Michael realized Diane had Victor's sperm. Vanessa Evigan debuted in the episode as Brittany Hodges. Lauren Woodland replaced her as Brittany in March 2000.

2006: Alley Mills debuted on The Bold and the Beautiful as Pam.

2008: On All My Children, Annie (Melissa Claire Egan) was arrested at ConFusion in her bloody wedding gown for stabbing Erica (Susan Lucci).



Thanks to Enrique for sending in the item above.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Heather Lowe (ex-Suzanna, Days of our Lives; ex-Cynthia, The Young and the Restless) - 64
Pat Delaney (ex-Rachel, Days of our Lives; ex-Kathleen, General Hospital) - 57

Charlene Tilton (ex-Lucy, Dallas; ex-Francesca, DeVanity) - 56

Candace Bushnell (Former Executive Producer, The Carrie Diaries; Lipstick Jungle) - 56
Chip Albers (ex-Curtis, Loving; ex-Josh, All My Children; ex-Young Michael, Another World) - 52
Nestor Carbonell (ex-Richard, Lost) - 47
Golden Brooks (Ruby, Hart of Dixie) - 44
Emily Mortimer (MacKenzie, The Newsroom) - 43
Sandra P. Grant (ex-Rachel, One Life to Live)

Emily McLaughlin, best known for her portrayal of nurse Jessie Brewer on General Hospital, was born on this day in 1930.  She died on April 26, 1991.

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