Saturday, February 4, 2017

Today in Soap Opera History (February 4)

1966: Guiding Light's Mike Bauer crossed over to Another World.
1980: GL's Roger dressed as a clown to kidnap his daughter.
2004: AMC's Greenlee ripped off Kendall's dress in court.
2005: Y&R's Jack threw a chair through the Jabot window.
"All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"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...

1966: The Guiding Light's Mike Bauer (Gary Pillar) debuted on Another World in a crossover involving two Procter & Gamble shows and two different networks that would last a year. His first scene was with Mitchell Dru, the first soap opera crossover character, having previously appeared on The Brighter Day and As the World Turns. Elissa Leeds would join Another World as Mike's daughter, Hope Bauer, on March 25.

1972: On The Doctors, as she drifted off to sleep Dr. Maggie Powers (Lydia Bruce) had another vision of Frank, who told her that she could not get rid of him because he was the only person who would tell her the truth. He asks if she was really going to burden her nice husband with a crazy wife for the rest of his life.



1975: On Another World Rachel (Victoria Wyndham) fretted to Ada (Constance Ford) she didn't have enough friends to be bridesmaids. Ada worried where Jamie (Robert Doran) would be living while they waited for the house to be built, so Gil (Dolph Sweet) suggested buying and renovating an old mansion.

1976: On Ryan's Hope, Jack (Michael Levin) was jealous of Mary's (Kate Mulgrew) relationship with Sam.



Thanks to Jennifer for sending in the item above.

1980: The Young and the Restless expanded to an hour. Until the previous Friday, 30 minute versions of Y&R and Search for Tomorrow had aired at 12 p.m and 12:30 p.m. ET, respectively (and had been since Y&R's premiere in 1973). The noon half hour was returned to the affiliates and the one hour Y&R moved to 1 p.m. after SFT. As the World Turns moved to 2 p.m. followed by Guiding Light at 3 p.m. One Day at a Time repeats shifted into the 4 p.m. timeslot previously occupied by canceled long-running soap opera Love of Live.

Y&R co-creator William J. Bell resisted the hour format for many years. "I thought the half-hour was such a perfect form," he said in a fascinating 1997 interview. "When I was doing Days of our Lives and they said we were going to go an hour, everyone was excited. I was the one that stopped it. I said: You go an hour, you're going without me. Then we put The Young and the Restless on the air, but after about eight years, CBS wanted to go an hour—I got a lot of pressure, and I resisted. The stories I could tell you about that."

"Finally I said, 'Look, if you want to announce it, you do that. But just know that I may not be ready and I may not go along with this when the time comes.' The next day, Lee [Phillip Bell] and I got home from Lake Geneva and there was a case of ‘64 Dom Perignon and a massive floral arrangement. Finally, in November, I said, 'Look, guys, I'm just not going to do it.' At that point they said all the affiliates were excited that their number one show was going to go an hour. They said, 'Bill, we are committed to the affiliates. The ship is going to sail in eight weeks, with or without you.' I'll never forget that line. When I told Kay [Alden], she cried for two days. We were the first place show when we went an hour. You want to know what happened? It took us four years to regain that position. Four years. "

1980: On Guiding Light, Roger (Michael Zaslow) kidnapped Rita (Lenore Kasdorf)from the Hall of Mirrors with Donna Summer's "Enough is Enough" playing in the background.



1980: On The Edge of Night, Derek (Dennis Parker) worked to get a warrant to arrest Draper for Margo's murder.



1981: On Another World, Jamie Frame (Richard Bekins) asked Cecile Depoulignac (Susan Keith) on a date.



2004: On All My Children, Greenlee (Rebecca Budig) ripped Kendall's (Alicia Minshew) dress in open court where she stood trial for killing Michael Cambias.

Thanks to Enrique for sending in the item above.

2005: On The Young and the Restless, Jack (Peter Bergman) refused to leave Jabot. After throwing his desk chair through the Jabot window, Jack said to Victor, "You like this chair? You want this chair? Have a seat, on me!"



2008: Actress Augusta Dabney died at age 82. Her soap roles include Isabelle Alden on Loving, Betty Kahlman in A World Apart, Ann Holmes on Another World, Laura Baxter in Another World, Tracy Malone on Young Doctor Malone and Barbara Norris on The Guiding Light.

2013: On General Hospital, Rafe Kovich, Jr. (Jimmy Deshler) told Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) about the night he found his murdered mother, Alison Barrington (Erin Hershey Presley).



Celebrating a birthday today are:
Jerry Adler (Howard, The Good Wife; ex-Hesh, The Sopranos; ex-Len, One Life to Live) - 88
Gil Rogers - (ex-Hawk, Guiding Light; ex-Ray, All My Children) - 83
Marie Masters (ex-Susan, As the World Turns; ex-Helen, One Life to Live; ex-Hester, Love of Life; ex-Missy, Another World; ex-Fran, Secrets of Midland Heights) - 76
Gabrielle Anwar (ex-Princess Margaret, The Tudors) - 47
Trent Dawson (ex-Henry, As the World Turns) - 46

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to submit a soap history entry for this date or a future date, email [email protected].Today in Soap Opera History (February 2)

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