James Pritchett as Dr. Matt Powers
Way before there was an Internet, Marlena loved being interactive with her readers. Today I am going to tell you all about my very first soap, which led me to a lifetime of soap fandom (otherwise known as addiction).
What was yours? I have also asked the same question of some of my soap journalist colleague friends who were kind enough to send me their first soap memories. In coming weeks, we will feature more — and yours too, if you’ll kindly send them to us.
But let’s start with moi! I was a 13-year-old growing up in Queens (no, not France) in 1967 when I went to visit a friend after school (our mothers both worked) We tuned in NBC. What we saw was a scene with married couple in a round bed making love (this was the swinging Seventies). It was Drs. Matt and Maggie Powers (James Pritchett and Lydia Bruce.) Matt was the head of Hope Memorial Hospital. As silly pre-teens we were titillated and wanted to watch more. I followed the show from that day until its cancellation in 1982. (And remembered just this week that Douglas Marland was an actor briefly on “The Doctors” back when I first watched in 1967.)
When the show opened an announcer said, “’The Doctors’ dedicated to the art of healing.” I particularly liked Nurse Carolee Simpson (Carolee Campbell, irl long married to actor Hector Elizondo) because like myself she was a very plain girl. Carolee went on to marry the very handsome Dr. Steve Aldrich (David O’Brien) who later on would teach his TV son Billy Adrich (a debuting Alec Baldwin, more on him later) how to act. The show had an amazing what would be later called a soap supercouple in the fiery Dr. Nick Bellini (Gerald Gordon) and Dr. Althea Davis. (Elizabeth Hubbard.) OMG, these were performers to watch — they were like volcanos erupting every day!
The show also had some very fine character actors. Peggy Cass (who had been on the game show “To tell the Truth”) played H. Sweeny. A very good young actor who died of AIDS way too young named Larry Riley played the charismatic Calvin Barnes. But most of all “The Doctors” was known as a soap that launched future soap stars. Kim Zimmer played Nola Dancy, a kind of embryonic Reva Shayne (the role she would play later on “Guiding Light,”) Hillary B. Smith, who played Nora Buchanan on “One Life to Live,” debuted on “The Doctors” as Kit McCormack R.N. David Canary, who of course had starred as Curly on “Bonanza,” made his daytime debut on “The Doctors” as Warner Far Wind before he went on to play twins Adam and Stewart Chandler on “All My Children.” Anna Stuart played Toni Ferra Powers on “The Doctors” before she went on to “Another World” playing Donna Love.
Future movie stars were also on “The Doctors.” Kathleen Turner played Nola. The show’s best-known graduate was Baldwin. When I was editor of Afternoon TV magazine in 1981, my very attractive assistant would go over to 30 Rockefeller Center often to work with NBC and visit “The Doctors” set. Alec took one look at my assistant and I would chased her within an inch of her life. He was taken aback when I asked, “Didn’t you used to be a bare-chested bus boy at Studio 54?? I remember seeing you there.” (Yes, mes chers, this actually happened!)
And of course, Baldwin went on to a glorious acting career like appearing on “Knot’s Landing” and so many movies, like “Beetlejuice” and “Working Girl.” Some trivia: NBC’s “The Doctors” premiered the same day as ABC’s “General Hospital” in 1963.
And now some first soap memories from Marlena’s fellow soap journalists and contributors:
Michael Maloney author “’The Young and Restless’ Life of William J. Bell.” Writer, Soap Central
The first soap I remember watching was “Another World.” I was about 8 or 9 years old. The opening theme song and the interlocking colored rings were almost hypnotic. The show was on at 3 P.M. so I could watch it after coming home from grammar school and later junior high. My mom was a big Steve (George Reinholt) and Alice (Jacqueline Courtney) fan (Who wasn’t?) The first story I remember was Caroline Johnson trying to poison Pat Randolph (Beverly Penberthy) so she could marry Pat’s husband John Randolph (Michael M. Ryan) and raise her twins Michael and Marianne. I also remember Lenore Curtain (Judith Barcroft) being on trial for the murder of Wayne Addison (Robert Milli) Her husband Walter Curtin (Val Dufour) represented her. I kept seeing Liz Matthews (Nancy Wickwire) flashing back to picking up a sculpture/statue and walking up beyond Wayne, but the flashback always dissolved back to real time before we saw Walter was the one who killed Wayne. Lenore was found innocent — otherwise I thought he was going to confess.
This was maybe a year or two before the late great Harding Lemay came on and took the stories in a new direction. I highly recommend (on Kindle) Lemay’s memoir “Eight Years in Another World.” Whether or not you watched “Another World,” it’s a great look into the world of soap opera.
John Reed (former critic Afternoon TV magazine, author of the “Soap Opera Digest Scrapbook”)
The first time I remember from my toddler days in the early 60’s was “Guiding Light.” It was a fifteen-minute show sponsored by Procter and Gamble. Duz detergent was advertised (“Duz does everything”) and Ivory Soap was too (99 and 44 percent pure.)
Considering that this show was in the hands of outstanding head writer Agnes Nixon I look back and realize I was a lucky kid. “GL” made for an interesting fifteen minutes during the Agnes years. It didn’t have slow, weepy scenes like the other soaps had. These were identifiable characters who had flaws and weren’t afraid to engage in real arguments and confrontations.
Charita Bauer’s Bert wasn’t yet the warm, yet cuddly grandma. Most of the times she was a pain in the ass! Theo Bauer was loving, old world loving Papa Bauer. Ellen Demming was the peace keeping Meta. Bernard Grant as the complex Dr. Paul Fletcher who grew into an idealistic hero figure. Ernest Graves as charming Alex Bowdown who took years before he finally accepted middle age. Philip Sterling his crusty lawyer pal George Hayes…all flesh and blood characters.
What was your first soap? Send Marlena your memories!
The first soap I remember watching was As The World Turns. I first remember watching with my mom around 1963 and the show was on in our house when President Kennedy was assassinated. The Hughes home was always a warm place to be and the interaction between Nancy and Grandpa was always special to me because Grandpa had bossy Nancy’s number but she would plow through anyway to the consternation of her family. Lisa was a beautiful but sneaky young woman who Bob Hughes had not long divorced and had a young son who they were fighting over. My mother hated Lisa (as did Bob’s sister Penny and her best friend Ellen). Prickly Penny was seeing and eventually married the handsome but troubled Neil Wade. Poor Ellen was pining away for little Danny who she had given up for adoption. David and Betty Stewart had adopted Danny and Betty was desperate to keep Ellen away from him but then Betty died and David was devastated and started drinking. Chris Hughes was the dad I wish I had and I wanted Doug Cassen to be my doctor. I would later have a pen pal with the show organist Charles Paul and am myself a professional organist partly because of his influence and mentorship. And because Rosemary Prinz (Penny) saw my YouTube video playing the ATWT theme we have become friends and I visit her every time I go to NYC! I stayed with ATWT until it was canceled in 2010.
How we both loved “ATWT” dear Lance. I actually remember the day that Walter Cronkite broke into the show to announced President Kennedy’s shooting in Dallas. I also remember when Liz tripped and died running up the stairs one day. So many ATWT memories–and of course we all love your renditions of the “ATWT” and other soap themes.
Thanks for you ATWT memories Lance. I remember watching when Walter Cronkite broke into the show announcing President Kennedy’s shooting in Dallas. Lance, we love your rendition of the ATWT theme and other soap themes too!
We share similar stories about the music from soaps; i was enamored of the original theme of Love of Life. I had to play it myself. Thank goodness I could play by ear, I figured out the melody and chords (not knowing what they were!). Then I went on to do every other show’s theme song. I had no idea at the time, but I “took” to playing the Hammond and later Conn organs (thanks to C. Paul’s use of Conn with LOL and The Secret Storm.) I studied organ with Mildred Alexander, a traveling Hammond artist, then started getting professional jobs here and there, and ended up performing all over the place, plus teaching. So, soap organists (not just Paul, but allthe others as well) were totally responsible for a long career that I’ve enjoyed and continue to this day; As for you, your posts are absolutely fabulous, not only the soap themes. but other music as well. You do it all so very beautifully.
I have asked Lance to look at this. Thank you for writing in!
The first story that had me running home after school to find out what happens next was when Karen and Marco switched his hooker Katrina’s live baby with her sister Jenny’s deceased one on On Life to Live. It played out for a couple of years with seemingly everyone else in Llanview learning the truth before Jenny did.
I remember that storyline. “One Life to Live” was really smoking hot then. Karen and Marco were amazing together! Thanks for writing in Steve!
I loved Karen and Marco. Judith Light and Gerald Anthony were wonderful together!
Thr first soap I paid attention to was Guiding Light. It was in early 1978, I was in fifth grade, and had just come home from school. My mother was watching the show, and the scene was this deranged looking woman holding two women hostage. The women were sisters Rita, and Eve, the woman holding them hostage was named Georgene, as my mother told me. I remember there was a struggle in the room, and then some curtains caught fire. This scene scared me, but I was fascinated. From then on I occasionally watched soaps, mainly the ones on CBS.
Thanks so much Charles. How we loved “Guiding Light!”
Ohhhhhh…My first soap was Days of Our Lives. I think it was around the time of the Salem Strangler. They killed off Marlena, only to change the story when fans picketed NBC studios.
That was a very popular story. The audience went nuts and demanded Marlena/Dee back.
Thanks as always G.L!
In 1966, I think, I began watching what my mother watched, which was ANOTHER WORLD & DAYS OF OUR LIVES. I was an NBC viewer only for a long time, also watching other soaps like THE DOCTORS & later GENERATIONS & SANTA BARBARA. At that time I was a very naive, somewhat sheltered teen. AW would become my all time favorite soap. But the first story where I remember the whole thing from beginning to end – it all was on DAYS.
Julie & Susan were best friends. Julie had a boyfriend, David, but her grandparents, Tom & Alice, disapproved, saying he was too old for her & also that they saw each other too much & too exclusively.
One night David got drunk & so did Susan & they hooked up & of course she became pregnant. The 3 of them hatched a plan where David & Susan would marry, to give the child David’s last name, Martin, but then they would divorce.
A son was born & Susan named him after her father, Richard. David was supposed to be watching little Dickie, when he fell, broke his neck & died.
Susan lost her mind & shot & killed David.
The former best friends were now mortal enemies.
I was watching then and remember that story. Very melodramatic!
Julie and Susan had quite the explosive friendship and Susan Seaforth Hayes and Denise Alexander were great together! I’d love to see those old episodes again!
Hello dear Connie/Marlena. I have just read your parts 1 and 2 of favorite soaps. Marlena’s reference of “The Doctors” had me thinking of my first introduction to the soaps. In the early 70’s my Mom was an NBC soap watcher, specifically “The Doctors”, “Another World” and Somerset”. I guess I must have been home from school at a very young age for about a week or so, and I have vivid memories of some of the goings on of these three shows. On AW, Rachel was unconscious on the ground for a week, with no one discovering her. On DOCTORS, Carolee was in a coma. And on SOMERSET, Heather was receiving menacing phone calls.
I can’t believe I remember all this!
And as you know via many convos prior, my real connection to the wonderful world of soaps, producers and writers was the spring and summer of 1980 on GH. My dear Gloria Monty at the helm, Pat Falken Smith head writing and Luke and Laura on the run. This summer led to my obsession with the full ABC line up at the time: RH (Delia and The Crystal Palace and Joe and Siobhan), AMC (Cliff and Nina and Palmer), OLTL (Pat and Bo in Paris) and EON (the puppet murders, with crazy Molly the culprit).
And thus, my love affair with soaps began!
Dearest Chrissie–I didn’t know Mom watched the NBC soaps. I was just starting my soap career when Gloria Monty came onto “General Hopsital” and literally changed daytime and all our lives. ABC Daytime was very smart with their wonderful soaps–they made tons of money with them which financed primetime programming. I liked all their shows even the ones that didn’t last like “Loving” and “Port Charles”. For me, it’s always been great to cover the original “GH”, interview the actors, writers and producers and I loved visting the set several times a long time ago. So glad that with all the negative changes in the soap world “GH” is still so very enjoyable!
What a great story! Soaps made us great friends! xo