Today in Soap Opera History (July 21)

1972: Victoria Wyndham debuted as Rachel on Another World.
1980: Edge of Night's Kelly had competition for Jody.
1986: As the World Turns' Nancy mourned her husband.
1987: Days of our Lives' welcomed a new Jack.

"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer

"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...

1962: Actor Les Damon died at age 54. His soap roles included Ed Palmerlee in The Edge of Night, Jim Lowell in As the World Turns, and Bruce Banning on The Guiding Light.

1965: On General Hospital, Dr. Steve Hardy (John Beradino) and Nurse Jessie Brewer (Emily McLaughlin) filled Mike Costello in on the latest developments with Angie.

Today in Soap Opera History (July 20)

1966: Dark Shadows' David was angry with his father. 1984: Guiding Light's Josh and Reva got heated in the hot tub. 1988: Days of our Lives' Salemites through Kayla a surprise shower. 2010: One Life to Live's Viki plotted to reunite David and Dorian.

"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer

"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 General Hospital, Angie Weeks (Jana Taylor) asked Nurse Jessie Brewer (Emily McLaughlin) for advice.

1966: On Dark Shadows, David Collins (David Henesy) told Victoria Winters (Alexandra Moltke) that he hated his father, Roger (Louis Edmonds).

Denise Alexander Interview Archive (2010, 2013)

Actress and longtime soap opera star Denise Alexander was beloved by fans for her portrayal of Lesley Webber on General Hospital and Susan Hunter Martin on Days of our Lives.  

Early in her career Alexander voiced characters on multiple radio soaps before making her Broadway debut in “The Children’s Hour”. On primetime television she made appearances on classics Father Knows Best, The Twilight Zone and The Danny Kaye Show. In the early 1960s she moved to daytime TV on the CBS soap The Clear Horizon.

She joined the cast of Days of our Lives in 1966 as Susan, where she rose to stardom during her seven-year run. She left Days in 1973 and joined the cast of General Hospital as Lesley to help give the ratings-challenged ABC soap a boost. Lesley fell for Rick Webber (Chris Robinson) and became entangled in a love triangle with rival Monica Bard (Leslie Charleson). Lesley also confessed to the murder of David Hamilton, a crime her daughter Laura (Genie Francis) committed. Her acting earned Alexander a Emmy nomination in 1976 for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series.

When storyline called for Lesley to be killed off in a car accident in 1984, fans became outraged. (Editor's Note: Alexander shared the what really happened back then, off the record).  It wasn’t until 12 years later in 1996 that it was revealed that Lesley was actually alive. In between the two soaps, Alexander appeared on NBC’s Another World as Mary McKinnon, working once again with Robinson during a portion of her three-year stint.  She last appeared on General Hospital in 2021.

Denise Alexander passed away in March at age 85, which led me to revisit the times we spoke (always by phone).  Below are my interviews with Alexander from 2010 and 2013 below.

First published in November 2010

ROGER NEWCOMB: You were involved in the industry when it was transitioning from radio to TV.
DENISE ALEXANDER: At the tail end of it. I got to do a little bit of everything.

Today in Soap Opera History (July 19)

1966: Dark Shadows' Roger crashed due to a missing bleeder valve.
1985: John Aniston debuted as Victor on Days of our Lives.
1990: General Hospital's Wendy was murdered.
2010: Scott Clifton debuted as Liam on Bold and the Beautiful.

"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer

"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...

1940: The first episode of radio soap opera The Carters of Elm Street, written by Mona Kent, aired on the Mutual Network.

Interview Revisited: Ellen Holly on the Early Years of 'One Life to Live'

We Love Soaps TV traveled to Westchester County, New York, in 2012 to speak with daytime television legend Ellen Holly about her storied career. In the never-before-released video below, Ms. Holly talks about the early years of ABC soap opera One Life to Live, which premiered in 1968 and featured her character, Carla.