Today in Soap Opera History (November 17)

1981: Luke and Laura were married on General Hospital.

"History never looks like history when you are living through it."
― John W. Gardner

"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...

1964: On Another World, Ken (William Prince) assured Laura (Augusta Dabney) they would put their life in order following Tom's murder.

1979: On The Edge of Night, Steve (Denny Albee) confessed to Deborah (Frances Fisher) he still loved her.



1981: On Flamingo Road, a worker died at Sam's construction site; Constance discovered most of the barrio was Weldon property; and Sam threatened to expose Titus.

1981: On General Hospital, Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis) exchanged their wedding vows at the altar. As the ceremony concluded, Helena Cassadine (guest star Elizabeth Taylor), who was lurking in the background, put a curse on the newly married couple. Luke and Laura proceeded to get ready for their honeymoon and to toss the garter belt and bouquet to the anxious guests. As Laura threw the wedding bouquet, her ex-husband, Scotty Baldwin (Kin Shriner), snatched it from the guests' outstretched hands. Luke then took it upon himself to show Scott that Laura was now his wife and the two of them had a big fight. The newlyweds then left on their honeymoon, agreeing to put everything in the past and to start a new life together. 30 million viewers tuned in, the largest audience in daytime television history.



1986: On AS THE WORLD TURNS, Steve (Frank Runyeon) and Betsy (Lindsay Frost) were at odds over Emily (Colleen McDermott).



1986: On Another World, Michael (Kale Browne) and Donna (Anna Stuart) were married in the judge's chambers.



1987: Actress and producer Betty Corday died at age 75. She was as a producer for Pepper Young's Family and Young Doctor Malone, and a consultant for The Young and the Restless. In 1965, she co-created Days of our LivesDays of our Lives

1988: Justin Deas aired for the final time as Keith Timmons on Santa Barbara.

1989: On Guiding Light, Blake (Sherry Stringfield) had Phillip (Grant Aleksander) committed.



1993: On General Hospital, Tony and Luke spoke at Bill Eckert's funeral. Later, Damien Smith gave Bobbie a message for Luke.



Thanks to Enrique for sending in the item above.

1995: On One Life to Live, Dorian (Robin Strasser) had a heart-to-heart chat with Viki (Erika Slezak) about Victor.



1998: Actress Esther Rolle, best known for her role as Florida Evans in GOOD TIMES (and MAUDE), died at age 78. In 1971 she played Sadie Gray on ONE LIFE TO LIVE when Lillian Hayman was unavailable.

1998: Actor Dick O'Neill died at age 70. He played Fred Wilkinson in Falcon Crest in 1987. A year later he guest-starred on Knots Landing.

2004: On Guiding Light, Reva (Kim Zimmer) returned to the country club fountain, this time joining long lost son Jonathan (Tom Pelphrey) in an emotional confrontation.



2008: Actor John Napier, who played Cliff Williams in Search for Tomorrow, died at age 81.

2012: Actor and teacher Gene Bua died at age 72. Bua became a soap opera idol as Bill Prentiss on CBS TV's long-running daytime drama, Love of Life, where he met his co-star, Toni Bull. His other soap roles included Dr. Robert Monday in How to Survive a Marriage and Steve Slade in Somerset.

Celebrating a birthday today are:
Curt Lowens (ex-Claude, General Hospital) - 89
Lauren Hutton (ex-Linda, Central Park West; ex-Liz, Falcon Crest; ex-Colette, Paper Dolls) - 71
James O'Sullivan (ex-Jerry, Somerst; ex-Jeff, All My Children; ex-Ralph, Search for Tomorrow; ex-Pete, One Life to Live) - 70
William R. Moses (ex-Morgan, The Secret Life of the American Teenager; ex-Cole, Falcon Crest; ex-Keith, Melrose Place) - 55
Dylan Walsh (ex-Sean, Nip/Tuck) - 51
Daisy Fuentes (ex-Tess, Loving) - 48
Leslie Bibb (ex-Amanda, GCB) - 40
Darian Weiss (ex-Will, Days of our Lives) - 22

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