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).

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.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 23)

"The best prophet of the future is the past."
― Lord Byron

"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...

1978: On Another World, Rachel Cory (Victoria Wyndham) cut off Jamie's (Tim Holcomb) allowance after finding out he had married Blaine Ewing (Laura Malone).

1981: On General Hospital, the residents of Port Charles wanted Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis) to have a big wedding.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 22)

"The best prophet of the future is the past."
― Lord Byron

"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...

1968: On Dark Shadows, Joe Haskell (Joel Crothers) stabbed himself with a letter opener after Angelique (Lara Parker) told him that he bored her and wanted him to go.

1973: On The Doctors, Dr. Matt Powers (James Pritchett) reassured Dr. Althea Davis (Elizabeth Hubbard) while Dr. Nick Bellini (Gerald Gordon) performed surgery on her daughter, Penny.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 9)

"The best prophet of the future is the past."
― Lord Byron

"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...

1957: On The Right to Happiness, Nurse Helen Mason (Ruth Newton) reported overhearing a racketeer's confession of drugging her patient which broke the defense of the fraudulent insurance claim case.

1967: On Dark Shadows, Dave Woodard (Peter Turgeon) told Julia Hoffman (Grayson Hall) that he discovered the "original" Barnabas Collins had a sister named Sarah. He then revealed he met and walked with Sarah (Sharon Smyth) in the mausoleum.

Today in Soap Opera History (October 8)

"The best prophet of the future is the past."
― Lord Byron

"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...

1968: On The Doctors, Congressman Jason Randall (M. Emmet Walsh) arrived at Hope Memorial for a hospital tour with a posse of reporters, flustering Nurse Simpson (Carolee Campbell).

1969: On Dark Shadows, Count Andreas Petofi (David Selby), in Quentin's body, informed Angelique she had to follow his orders in the future. Julia (Grayson Hall) realized that Petofi (Thayer David) was really Quentin but then disappeared back to 1969.

History Developing Scripted Series 'The Boys of '67'

History is in development on The Boys of '67, a scripted series about the First Platoon of Charlie Company, 9th Infantry Division; the only division raised, trained and deployed en masse to service in Vietnam.

A+E Studios is producing The Boys of '67 in association with executive producer Jim Head (Ricochet) of Head First Productions and executive producer Michael Prupas (Being Human) of Muse Entertainment.

Award-winning screenwriter Jeb Stuart will pen and executive produce the series based on the book of the same name by noted historian Andrew Wiest. Stuart penned the screenplays for films including Die Hard, Another 48 Hours, The Fugitive and Switchback. Over the past 25 years his features have grossed more than $2.5 billion. Dirk Hoogstra and Julian P. Hobbs are executives in charge of production for History.

'These Are My Children' Premiered 66 Years Ago Today, Daytime TV's First Soap Opera

Soap Comes to TV

Pathfinder News Magazine
February 9, 1949

Last week television caught the dread disease of radio–soapoperaitis. It happened in Chicago, which holds, rather bashfully, undisputed claim as originator of radio's daytime serials.

What Chicago viewers saw over station WNBQ was the first in a daily series of 15-minute capsule dramas called These Are My Children. The camera focused first on the widowed Mother Henehan, and with her thumbed through an old family album to introduce the characters who will form the framework for the Henehans' lives, loves and family troubles.

Temptation. Whether soap opera on television can coax housewives to leave their domestic duties to watch a small screen was a question yet to be answered. But if anything will catch the housewife's eye, These Are My Children, written by 47-year-old Irna Phillips,* should do the trick. In 18 years and 30 million words she has probably brought more tears and laughter to more women than any other daytime serial writer.

Peter Bergman Debuted as Jack Abbott on 'The Young and the Restless' 25 Years Ago Today

Peter Bergman was recently celebrated on the set of Y&R for his 25 years as Jack Abbott.

Three-time Daytime Emmy winner Peter Bergman made his first appearance as Jack Abbott on CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless on November 27, 1989.

Bergman's first day on the Y&R set was "daunting and kind of lonely, frankly," he said in a recent TV Guide Magazine interview. "I got along with everybody but — coming from All My Children where everyone was a tight family, talking, connecting, running lines with each other — it took me a while to adjust to things at Y&R. I felt I was a one-man army against the establishment. Everybody was off in their fabulous Hollywood dressing rooms — well, fabulous by New York standards — and I felt kind of isolated, alone in it all."

"Every prop guy and lighting technician knew more about my character than I did and let me know it," Bergman added, with a laugh. Jess Walton [Jill] was "simply wonderful from the moment I met her and such a character! Jerry Douglas [John] was a larger-than-life guy whose hairpiece was flipping all over the place. And he was very comfortable without his shirt on. That first day he pulled me into his dressing room to tell me all about the importance of the Jack-John relationship and I'm, like, 'I don't even know your name yet and you don't have any clothes on.' It was absolutely insane."

Watch Bergman's 1989 debut below as well as a recent onset celebration which included kind words from fellow cast members Eric Braeden (Victor Newman), Eileen Davidson (Ashley Abbott) and Jerry Douglas (ex-John Abbott), as well as executive producer Jill Farren Phelps.

The Complete Story of 'The Doctors' (1963-1973)

Daytime TV covered the world of soap operas for decades before finally folding in the 1990s. In the mid-70s, the magazine did an excellent series titled "The Complete Story of..." recounting the history of a soap opera from its inception. Below is the historical feature on the first 10 years of NBC's The Doctors (1963-1973), which is currently being aired on Retro TV.

Some of the interesting tidbits include:

* The Doctors did not start as a serial; it began as a "half-hour anthology series of medical dramas, set in the large metropolitan Hope Memorial Hospital, and with the four principals alternating daily in the lead role, according to NBC's original announcement. The roles were Dr. William Scott (played by Jock Gaynor), Dr. Jerry Chandler (portrayed by Richard Roat), Dr. Elizabeth Hayes (played by Margot Moser) and Rev. Samuel Shafer, a hospital chaplain (played by Fred J. Scollay).

* Later in the first season, Herb Kenwith and Paul Lammers became the directors. But after nine months, The Doctors shifted to a continuing story line, and by 1965, James Pritchett was portraying Dr. Matt Powers, chief of staff at Hope Hospital, and Elizabeth Hubbard was playing Dr. Althea Davis, chief of the Outpatient Clinic.

* James Pritchett did a single performance during The Doctors' one-story-a-week phase, on June 20, 1963. "I played a corporation president running away and having a broken back that brought me to the hospital." He returned to The Doctors on July 9, 1963 as Dr. Matt Powers when the serial was still was still a one-story-a-week show.

The Wedding of Luke & Laura on 'General Hospital' Aired 33 Years Ago Today

General Hospital's Luke and Laura were married on November 16-17, 1981.

General Hospital averaged 14 million viewers a day in 1981, and the show became a pop culture phenomenon. The epic love story of Luke and Laura was front and center in the soap opera Newsweek called "TV's Hottest Show." The happy couple was married in a ceremony that aired November 16-17, 1981, and was watched by 30 million viewers, still a daytime record. Watch the two wedding episodes below, which include guest star Elizabeth Taylor as Helena Cassadine and the return of Kin Shriner as Scott Baldwin.

FLASHBACK: "Ladies of the Day" Lunch with Jeanne Cooper, Rachel Ames, Judy Lewis, Emily McLaughlin, Dorothy Green & Patty Weaver

In the mid-1970s, an informal federation of Hollywood soap opera queens, called the "Ladies of the Day," met for occasional lunchtime gabfests. The photo above is from one of those lunches. Reprinted in the May 22, 1976 issue of TV Guide ("Love of Lunch [a continuing saga]"), one of the legendary actresses pictured is celebrating a birthday today.

Jeanne Cooper (October 25, 1928 – May 8, 2013)
Ms. Cooper played Katherine Chancellor on CBS' The Young and the Restless from 1973-2013. At the time of the lunch, Kay was a bored, widowed, filthy rich drunk being tortured by her late husband's lover. Ms. Cooper complained about the salary of soap stars at the time ($400-3,500 a week). During her run on the show, she was nominated 10 times for a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance (winning in 2008), and received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.

21 Years After Debuting as Lucky Spencer, Jonathan Jackson's Star is Still on the Rise

Jonathan Jackson first appeared as Lucky Spencer on ABC daytime drama General Hospital on October 27, 1993. Five Emmy Awards and 21 years later, Jackson's career is still on an upward trajectory with a starring role in primetime and a brand new album.

Jackson plays Avery Barkley in Nashville, currently in its third season on ABC. Avery fell in love with feisty country music diva Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) but dumped her after learning she had sex with slimy Edgehill boss Jeff Fordham (Oliver Hudson). Avery hit the bottle and his life fell apart, and now he's dealing with the fact that Juliette is pregnant with his baby. In a recent episode, the troubled character alters the verses to "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World," changing the tune from a happy love song into a bitter breakup ditty, showing off Jackson's range as both an actor and singer. As Avery's downward spiral continues, Jackson is turning in one mesmerizing performance after another.

Academy Award Winner Adrien Brody Stars in 'Houdini' - Two-Night Miniseries-Event Premieres September 1

Houdini premieres Labor Day on History.

Houdini, a new two-night scripted miniseries airing on September 1 and 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on History, is the story of a man who can defy death, but who really was the man behind the escapes? The event miniseries follows the epic tales of Harry Houdini as he emerges as America's first bonafide world-renowned superstar.

From humble beginnings at circus sideshows to sold-out concert halls, Eastern European immigrant Erich Weiss rose to become a household name across the globe - Houdini. Academy Award winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist) stars as The Great Harry Houdini as he finds fame, engages in espionage, battles spiritualists, and encounters the greatest names of the era, from U.S. presidents to Arthur Conan Doyle and Rasputin. A thrilling ride throughout Harry's psyche, Houdini delves deep behind the curtain into his life through his stunts, his visions, and his mastery of illusion.

SOAP OPERA HISTORY: Bill Bell & Claire Labine on Writing Daytime Serials (1997)

William J. Bell and Claire Labine

In the December 1997 issue of On Writing, legendary daytime soap opera writers William J. "Bill" Bell and Claire Labine went in-depth on the process of telling stories for daytime television. Check out what they had to say below in a very fascinating and informative interview.

ON WRITING: Can you, Claire and Bill, talk through the steps involved from idea to finished show?
BELL: First of all, you have to structure your show. You have to decide what you're going to put in the show, and what characters you're going to use—
LABINE: Over the long term.
BELL: See, I've never worked with the long term. I haven't for 12 years. The network, God bless them, doesn't know what I'm doing until they get the finished script.
LABINE: Good for you.

ON WRITING: How far ahead do your stories get planned?
BELL: I make them up as I go along.
LABINE: This is the sound of two hands clapping.
BELL: It's not as though I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow. But with some characters I don't know, and I find story as I go along.
LABINE: Bill doesn't do it the way it's usually done. In the traditional way—not in the traditional way at all—in the contemporary way, writers submit long story documents to the network that are purportedly the story for a year on a show. From those long story documents, outline writers structure weekly outlines, sometimes with a hell of a lot of help from the executive producer, the producers, and the network executives: an outline a day for each show. These outlines are overseen by the senior writing team and by the head writer, and then distributed to script writers, who write the dialogue. Then there is another person called an editor who edits the scripts for continuity and tone.
BELL: I've never had an editor.
LABINE: No, I haven't either. And I never will.