Daytime Dramas: The Soaps
Profiles of Popular Soap Operas: General Hospital, Another World
May 13, 2008
General Hospital debuted on TV on April 1, 1963, when the hospital shows were beginning to play to dwindling audiences. The cast of GH however, was so good that the ratings moved up a bit. The show featured such fine actors as K.T.Stevens, Roy Thinnes, John Beradino, Lucille Wall, Peggy McCay, James Sikking, Denise Alexander and many other actors of note. The theme was one of adultery, medical emergencies, deaths, murders, illegitimate children...just like everyday life in America! But the public enjoyed it and they had good ratings.
Another World, an Irna Phillips creation, had its premiere on May 4,1964 and Agnes Nixon took over the job of head writer in 1967, changing altogether the format of the show that Phillips had envisioned. The story revolved around the Matthews family and featured many actors who later became well know for their work. These included Jon Beal, Virginia Dwyer, Jacquie Courtney, Shepperd Strudwick, Val Dufour, Constance Ford, Hugh Marlowe, Nancy Wickwire, Victoria Wyndham, Beverlee McKinsey, Douglass Watson, John Considine. The sculptures shown on the show were the work of cast member Victoria Wyndham, a self-taught sculptor.
All My Children was a 'biggie' in the soap world which debuted on January 5,1970. The veteran actress Ruth Warrick ('Citizen Kane') was in the first show and played Phoebe Tyler for the rest of her career. Rosemary Prinz, Larry Keith, Hugh Franklin, Ray MacDonnell, Susan Lucci, Frances Heflin and Eileen Letchworth rounded out the cast through the years. Again, there were mysterious happenings, divorces, affairs and anything else the writers could put together to keep the audiences. It is still a very successful daytime drama.
One Life to Live is another 'soap' that had a large following. Often when a character was 'killed off' on the shows the amount of mail was staggering. Sometimes they were forced to have a short item at the end of the show explaining that the person ws still alive and it was just part of the story line. Also, actors would get fan mail and gifts when their character celebrated a birthday or was married. One Life to Live made its debut on July 15,1968, and Gillian Spencer. Patricia Roe, Doris Belack, Trish Van Devere, Robert Milli, Nat Polen, Erika Slezak and George Reinholt were featured on the soap. This show broke ground by having an inter-ethnic marriage and introduced a young black boy, Laurence Fishburne. Walter Slezak, the famous actor and father of Erika Slezak made a few appearances on the show.
For further reading:
Daytime Dramas on TV Early Radio and TV Soaps
Source Ma Perkins to Mary Hartman by Robert LaGuardia, Ballantine Boooks, 1977
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