Friday, May 4, 2018

Today in Soap Opera History (May 4)

1964: Another World premiered.
1982: Dynasty's Cecil died while making love with Alexis.
1984: Guiding Light's "Dreaming Death" virus killed Lesley Ann.
1987: Days of our Lives' Kim and Shane were married.
"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 BrontĂ« 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...

1943: On Vic and Sade, Chuck Brainfeeble visited Sade with a gross of "Little Leather Ringmasters." He proposed to use them to repay his $40 debt to Vic, and wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

1958: Elaine S. Carrington, the radio writer who created Pepper Young's Family and other daytime dramas, died at New York Hospital. She was 66.

1964: Irna Phillips and William J. Bell's Another World premiered on NBC. The script from this episode is archived at the National Museum of American History. When the show began, announcer Bill Wolff would say over the opening title: "We do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand other worlds. . . And now, Another World."

During its first year, the show, set in the fictional town of Bay City, set new standards for its time by taking on topics like abortion and illegitimate pregnancy.

The story initially revolved around the Matthews family in Bay City. The original characters were Liz Matthews (Sarah Cunningham, replaced after the first episode), Bill Matthews (Joseph Gallison), Jim Matthews (John Beal, replaced after the first episode), Mary Matthews (Virginia Dwyer), Pat Matthews (Susan Trustman), Alice Matthews (Jacqueline Courtney), Russ Matthews (Joey Trent), Janet Matthews (Liza Chapman), Granny Matthews (Vera Allen), Missy Palmer (Carol Roux), Ken Baxter (William Prince) and Tom Baxter (Nicholas Pryor).

Another World ran for 35 years, achieving its greatest ratings success in the 1970s. The final episode aired on June 25, 1999.



1981: On Another World, Sandy (Christopher Rich) took Blaine (Laura Malone) and Jerry (Paul Tinder) to a museum and planetarium in New York City for the day. When they returned, Sandy noticed that the hotel room door had been tampered with.



1982: On the Season 2 finale of Dynasty, Cecil Colby (Lloyd Bochner) suffered a heart attack while making love to Alexis (Joan Collins) on the night before their wedding.



1984: On Guiding Light, Lesley Ann Andrews (Carolyn Ann Clark) died after being infected with the Dreaming Death virus. Elsewhere, Reva (Kim Zimmer) hosted the Mr. Springfield contest.



Thanks to Jennifer for sending in the clip above.

1987: On Days of our Lives, Kimberly Brady (Patsy Pease) and Shane Donovan (Charles Shaughnessy) were married.



1987: On The Bold and the Beautiful, while Mother Logan (Lesley Woods) and her daughter-in-law, Beth (Judith Baldwin), discussed why Beth's husband, Stephen, had deserted The Logan Family, Stephanie & Eric Forrester (Susan Flannery & John McCook) talked about a past of their own, which had included Beth. Meanwhile, Thorne Forrester (Clayton Norcross) pleaded with his sister Kristen (Teri Ann Lynn) to divulge where Caroline Spencer was now living, with Thorne confessing his love for his brother's ex-fiancée.

Thanks to FoxCrane for sending in the item above.

1992: On Santa Barbara, Cruz (A Martinez) and Jodie (Kim Zimmer) rescued Lily and Rafe.

2005: On Passions, Sheridan (Mackenzie Westmore) tore into Luis (Galen Gering) for not believing Marty was their son and for defending Beth. Later, a suspicious Sheridan found Beth (Kelli McCarty) lurking around the club and asked if she came with Alistair (John Reilly). Sheridan warned Beth she was going to get her son back and gave her rival a hard shove, starting an all-out brawl between the two women. Meanwhile, as Edna (Kathleen Noone) prayed for guidance and help, a horrified Tabitha (Juliet Mills) found herself stuck in place as angels descended upon her.



2007: On One Life to Live, Blair Cramer (Kassie DePaiva) was determined to find Todd Manning before leaving Chicago.



Celebrating a birthday today are:
Susan Brown (ex-Gail, Port Charles; ex-Dorothy, Santa Barbara; ex-Nancy, The Edge of Night; ex-Adelaide, As the World Turns) - 86
Lynn Wood (ex-Allison, The Young and the Restless; ex-Aunt Janet, General Hospital) - 86
Leonie Norton (ex-Kate, Love of Life; ex-Cindy, Another World; ex-Julie, One Life to Live) - 75
Richard Jenkins (ex-Nathaniel, Six Feet Under) - 71
Tanya Falan Welk-Roberts (Guest Star, General Hospital) - 70
Scott Stevensen (ex-Harvey, All My Children) - 67
Mary Beth McDonough (ex-Heidi, General Hospital) - 57
Matthew Crane (ex-Perry, Gotham; ex-Ross, General Hospital; ex-Matt, Another World) - 51
Grace Phipps (ex-April, The Vampire Diaries) - 26

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

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