Daytime/Primetime Serials


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

Daytime/Primetimes serials describe series in which multiple plotlines are carried over from episode to episode. In daytime, these programs are generally referred to as soap operas.

Highlights
Aaron Spelling on Joan Collins joining Dynasty
01:41
Agnes Nixon on how the process of writing soap operas evolved throughout her career
04:45
David Pressman on directing Another World 
05:18
David Canary on his first big TV role on Peyton Place, playing Mia Farrow's doctor
04:49
Felicity Huffman on her favorite scenes and moments on Desperate Housewives
01:11
Wiliam Bell on the excitement of creating new characters on The Young and the Restless
03:36
Who talked about this genre

Kay Alden

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Kay Alden on parlaying her interest in daytime television into a career
04:33
Kay Alden on writing and producing The Young and the Restless
21:32
Kay Alden on writing and producing The Young and the Restless
29:16
Kay Alden on writing and producing The Young and the Restless
14:35

Howard Anderson, Jr.

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Howard Anderson Jr. on creating the opening titles for Dynasty
00:26

John Aniston

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John Aniston on playing "Dr. Eric Richards" on Days of Our Lives
04:34
John Aniston on playing "Eddie Aleata" on Love of Life
08:27
John Aniston on playing "Victor Kiriakis" on Days of Our Lives
27:14
John Aniston on how he feels about working in daytime
03:34

Bonnie Bartlett

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Bonnie Bartlett on appearing on Love of Life
05:41

Joseph Behar

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Joe Behar on directing the pilot for General Hospital
02:57
Joe Behar on directing the Days of Our Lives pilot and becoming a regular director on the soap opera
06:14
Joe Behar on the amount of turnover in daytime soap operas
02:38
Joe Behar on working with the cast of Days of Our Lives and significant storylines while he was directing the show
09:50
Joe Behar on becoming a regular director for General Hospital in the 1990s
10:17
Joe Behar on the future of the soap opera genre
01:31
Joe Behar on working with the cast of General Hospital
04:37
Joe Behar on the sets, rehearsals, and production on General Hospital
05:33

William Bell

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William Bell on writing for Guiding Ligh t on television; on meeting and working with Irna Phillips, creator of Guiding Ligh t
19:52
William Bell on the popularity of, characters on, and writing for As the World Turns  
11:44
William Bell on writing Guiding Light in Chicago while production was in New York; on interactions with sponsors
05:53
William Bell on Walter Cronkite interrupting As the World Turns to announce President Kennedy had been killed
02:12
William Bell on taking over Days of Our Lives from Ted Corday and changes he brought to the show
12:42
William Bell on a typical workday with Irna Phillips on As the World Turns
04:54
William Bell on writing for, production of, and major storylines on Days of Our Lives
28:26
William Bell on creating the show The Young and the Restless and how the title came about
11:49
Wiliam Bell on the excitement of creating new characters on The Young and the Restless
03:36
William Bell on co-creating (again with his wife, Lee) The Bold and the Beautiful
03:52
William Bell on the format changes, adult nature, and popularity of The Young and the Restless
06:19

Frank Biondo

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Frank Biondo on getting a job as a cameraman on the soap opera The Nurses -- a three-camera setup
04:03

Eric Braeden

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Eric Braeden on his role as "Victor Newman" on The Young and the Restless; on not enjoying daytime television when he first got the role; on the love story between "Victor Newman" and "Nikki Newman"
28:50
Eric Braeden on playing "Victor Newman" on The Young and the Restless
36:21

Robert Caminiti

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Robert Caminiti on stage managing for The Doctors
11:27
Robert Caminiti on working on Another World
04:52

David Canary

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David Canary on his first big TV role on Peyton Place, playing Mia Farrow's doctor
04:49
David Canary on his early experiences in soap operas on The Doctors and Another World
05:15
David Canary on his start on and how he plays twin brothers "Adam Chandler" and "Stuart Chandler" on All My Children
13:57
David Canary on changes he's seen in soap operas over the years
01:48
David Canary on production on All My Children and working with his co-stars
20:01

Reuben Cannon

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Reuben Cannon on casting Santa Barbara 
02:54

Diahann Carroll

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Diahann Carroll on the essence of the creation of her Dynasty character Dominique Deveraux
00:28
Diahann Carroll on joining the cast of Dynasty
01:16

Robert Clary

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Robert Clary on appearing on Days of Our Lives
05:32
Robert Clary on appearing on The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful
02:29

Janis Paige with Emerson College

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Janis Paige on starring on the daytime drama Capitol
03:30
Janis Paige on appearing on the series Santa Barbara
04:26

Richard Coogan

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Richard Coogan on acting in Love of Life
08:39

Hal Cooper

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Hal Cooper on directing Search For Tomorrow
11:52

Jeanne Cooper

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Jeanne Cooper on working on The Young and the Restless
33:39
Jeanne Cooper on the cast and crew of The Young and the Restless
12:33
Jeanne Cooper on the production process for The Young and the Restless
03:21
Jeanne Cooper on learning dialogue; on the rehearsal process and shooting schedule for The Young and the Restless
09:21
Jeanne Cooper on the subject of plastic surgery on The Young and the Restless
06:03
Jeanne Cooper on the challenges of playing dual roles on The Young and the Restless
01:41

Ken Corday

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Ken Corday on the creation of and early days of Days of Our Lives
24:57
Ken Corday on the Days of Our Lives cast
22:15
Ken Corday on storylines and production on Days of Our Lives
27:54
Ken Corday on storylines and production of Days of Our Lives
28:14
Ken Corday on the Days of Our Lives legacy
03:37

Douglas S. Cramer

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Douglas S. Cramer on developing Peyton Place
06:57
Douglas S. Cramer on developing Dynasty
14:26

Elinor Donahue

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Elinor Donahue on her role as "Evil Nurse Hunnicut" on Days of Our Lives
06:12

Barbara Eden

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Barbara Eden on joining the cast of Dallas
02:14

Edie Falco

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Edie Falco on appearing on the soap opera Loving early in her career
01:19

Julian Fellowes

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Julian Fellowes on how he came to write Downton Abbey
08:23
Julian Fellowes on writing Downton Abbey  (Part 2) 
26:59

Norman Felton

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Director Norman Felton on bringing These Are My Children to television- TV's first soap opera - with creator Irna Phillips; on working in radio 
02:21

Sally Field

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Sally Field on starring in the feature "Soapdish", which was about the making of a soap opera
01:24

Dorothy Fontana

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Dorothy Fontana on writing for Dallas early in its run
02:04

John Forsythe

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John Forsythe on playing "Blake Carrington" on Dynasty
18:39

Genie Francis

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Genie Francis on taping her first on-screen kiss (with Kin Shriner) on General Hospital
00:26
Anthony Geary and Genie Francis on the wedding of "Luke and Laura" on General Hospital
05:23

Jonathan Frid

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Jonathan Frid on playing "Barnabas Collins" Dark Shadows
26:28
Jonathan Frid on playing "Barnabas Collins" on Dark Shadows
29:23

Pamela Fryman

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Pamela Fryman on directing Santa Barbara
10:32

Eileen Fulton

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Eileen Fulton on playing "Lisa Miller Hughes" on As the World Turns
09:58
Eileen Fulton on playing the character of "Lisa" on As the World Turns
28:08
Eileen Fulton on playing "Lisa" on As the World Turns
28:09
Eileen Fulton on playing "Lisa" on As the World Turns
01:44

Anthony Geary

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Anthony Geary on the evolution of General Hospital's Luke and Laura "rape" storyline
10:08
Actor Anthony Geary on his celebrity during the time of the "Luke and Laura" craze on General Hospital
04:17
Anthony Geary on the future of the daytime serial
02:38

Herb Granath

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Herb Granath on the start of Daytime cable TV programming
01:18
Herb Granath on the start of the Lifetime cable channel
04:57

Lee Grant

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Lee Grant on appearing on Search for Tomorrow
04:45
Lee Grant on starring on Peyton Place
11:55

Larry Hagman

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Larry Hagman on his role on The Edge of Night
00:50
Larry Hagman on the infamous "Who shot J.R.?" storyline of Dallas
07:10

Earl Hamner, Jr.

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Earl Hamner on the casting of Falcon Crest leads Jane Wyman, Robert FoxWorth, Susan Sullivan and other cast members
01:54

Don Hastings

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Don Hastings on appearing on The Edge of Night
08:34
Don Hastings on appearing on The Edge of Night
08:26
Don Hastings on playing "Bob Hughes" on As the World Turns
18:55
Don Hastings on As the World Turns
30:41

Katherine Helmond

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Katherine Helmond on the difficulty of writing a long-term series, such as Soap, written by Susan Harris
01:13

Leslie Hoffman

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Leslie Hoffman on doing stunts for Falcon Crest
01:27

Hal Holbrook

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Hal Holbrook on being cast as "Grayling Dennis" on the daytime drama The Brighter Day
08:13

Lee Holdridge

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Lee Holdridge on composing for the soap opera One Life to Live
02:22

Ellen Holly

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Ellen Holly on playing "Carla Gray" on One Life to Live
01:02:30
Ellen Holly on playing "Carla Gray" on One Life to Live
51:41
Ellen Holly on playing "Carla Gray" on One Life to Live
52:20

Monica Horan

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Monica Horan on her work on the Daytime series General Hospital
02:21

Felicity Huffman

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Felicity Huffman on Desperate Housewives
37:57
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on Huffman's experience at the advertising upfronts for the first season of Desperate Housewives and how Macy helped her in a tough moment
01:21
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on Huffman's experience at the advertising upfronts for the first season of Desperate Housewives and how Macy helped her in a tough moment
01:21

Kim Hunter

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Kim Hunter on appearing on The Edge of Night
03:04

David Jacobs

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David Jacobs on the genesis and production of Knots Landing and Dallas
26:15

Allison Janney

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Allison Janney on playing "Ginger" on Guiding Light
01:06

Geri Jewell

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Geri Jewell on her role on The Young and the Restless
01:12

H. Wesley Kenney

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H. Wesley Kenney on producing Days of Our Lives
13:56
H. Wesley Kenney on producing Days of Our Lives
43:32
H. Wesley Kenney on producing The Young and the Restless
10:33
H. Wesley Kenney on producing General Hospital
11:51

Lynwood King

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Lynwood King on how he came to be a freelance director for daytime dramas such as The Doctors and Ryan's Hope
01:39
Lynwood King on directing daytime dramas
09:29

Bernie Kopell

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Bernie Kopell on trying to make a living while trying to be an actor, and on appearing on the daytime drama The Brighter Day with his friend Harvey Korman
06:54

Rita Lakin

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Rita Lakin on writing for Peyton Place
09:12
Rita Lakin on being head writer for The Doctors
06:27
Rita Lakin on creating and acting as showrunner for Flamingo Road
07:28
Rita Lakin on during down Dallas, and on her very short stint on Dynasty
02:26

Louise Lasser

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Louise Lasser on playing the title character on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
47:35
Louise Lasser on the real-life incident that inspired the dollhouse episode of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
07:20

Michael Learned

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Michael Learned on appearing on daytime dramas
05:35

Judith Light

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Judith Light on playing "Karen Wolek" on One Life to Live
15:59
Judith Light on playing "Judith Ryland" on the revival of Dallas
04:51

James Lipton

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James Lipton on his earliest acting roles, and on appearing on daytime dramas early in his career
04:02
James Lipton on playing "Dr. Dick Grant" on Guiding Light
04:41
James Lipton on his time on Guiding Light, and on writing for Another World
09:25

Susan Lucci

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Susan Lucci on playing "Erica Kane" on All My Children
39:36
Susan Lucci on playing "Erica Kane" on All My Children
46:36

Stewart MacGregory

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Stewart MacGregory on being unit manager for The Doctors
02:15

Loring Mandel

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Loring Mandel on writing for Love of Life at the behest of Fred Silverman
01:51
Loring Mandel on writing for Love of Life
10:52

Randolph Mantooth

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Randolph Mantooth on appearing on Loving, General Hospital, All My Children, and As the World Turns
15:41

Ann Marcus

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Ann Marcus on writing for Peyton Place
06:22
Ann Marcus on creating The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts
06:57
Ann Marcus on writing for Knots Landing
07:30

Wink Martindale

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Wink Martindale on retiring from hosting, and on acting on The Bold and the Beautiful
03:02

Leslie H. Martinson

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Leslie H. Martinson on directing Dallas
01:25

Rue McClanahan

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Rue McClanahan on being dropped from the soap Another World and going on Where the Heart Is
02:16

Eryn Krueger Mekash

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Eryn Krueger Mekash on the type of work she did on General Hospital, and on getting her union hours on the show
04:57

Nolan Miller

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Nolan Miller on costume designing for Dynasty
16:43
Nolan Miller on designing costumes for Dynasty
27:16
Nolan Miller on Dynasty
06:29
Nolan Miller on costume designing for the Dynasty spin-off The Colbys starring Emma Samms and Charlton Heston
04:02

Paul Monash

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Paul Monash on creating Peyton Place
28:27
Paul Monash on creating and writing Peyton Place
11:37

Thomas W. Moore

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Thomas W. Moore on programming and developing Peyton Place, and on ABC dealing with the advent of color
04:02

Robert Mott

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Robert Mott on various sound effects bloopers including on Studio One, The Edge of Night, and Search For Tomorrow
10:41
Robert Mott on working on The Edge of Night
01:39

Gareth Neame

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Gareth Neame on producing Downton Abbey
29:13

Horace Newcomb

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Horace Newcomb on his first writing about television, "Reflections on the Structure of Soap Opera"
03:02

Agnes Nixon

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Agnes Nixon on collaborating with Irna Phillips on the creation of As the World Turns; on the differences between writing a thirty-minute and fifteen-minute program
07:20
Agnes Nixon on writing for the television and radio versions of Guiding Light
14:20
Agnes Nixon on the creation of All My Children and how it reflected its era; on the title and setting of the show
06:31
Agnes Nixon on creating One Life to Live; on topical storylines on the show
13:44
Agnes Nixon on how the process of writing soap operas evolved throughout her career
04:45
Agnes Nixon on creating the character "Erica Kane" on All My Children
02:02
Agnes Nixon on the humor, characters, and production on All My Children
06:27
Agnes Nixon on how the process of writing soap operas evolved throughout her career
04:45

Pam Polifroni

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Pam Polifroni on casting General Hospital when it first went on the air in 1963
03:46
Pam Polifroni on casting The Young Marrieds and Alexander the Great
01:33
Pam Polifroni on casting Santa Barbara, and on the process of casting a daytime drama
04:04

David Pressman

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David Pressman on directing Another World 
05:18
David Pressman on directing One Life to Live
22:36
David Pressman on directing One Life to Live
24:51

Frances Reid

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Frances Reid on playing "Alice Horton" on Days of Our Lives
17:00
Frances Reid on being cast as Portia Blake Manning on Portia Faces Life
00:50
Frances Reid on starring in Portia Faces Life and the state of early TV soap operas
02:22
Frances Reid on appearing on As the World Turns
03:51
Frances Reid on appearing on Edge of Night
00:28
Frances Reid on playing "Alice Horton" on Days of Our Lives
16:09

Del Reisman

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Del Reisman on being associate producer on Peyton Place
11:50
Del Reisman on writing the network presentation for the daytime version of Peyton Place, and on the show bible
01:49

Lee Rich

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Lee Rich on Dallas
24:33

Edgar J. Scherick

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Edgar Scherick on the development of Peyton Place
01:44

William Self

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William Self on developing Peyton Place
03:20

Ralph Senensky

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Ralph Senensky on his role in the creation of Dynasty
14:56

Esther Shapiro

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Richard and Esther Shapiro on writing for the soap opera Love of Life and how it helped them later when creating Dynasty
07:50
Richard and Esther Shapiro on creation of Dynasty
Richard and Esther Shapiro on the cast, producers, audience reaction, and memorable storylines on Dynasty
28:52
Richard and Esther Shapiro on memorable storylines and the legacy of Dynasty
11:22
Richard and Esther Shapiro on the Dynasty spinoff The Colbys
09:00

Richard Shapiro

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Richard and Esther Shapiro on writing for the soap opera Love of Life and how it helped them later when creating Dynasty
07:50
Richard and Esther Shapiro on creation of Dynasty
Richard and Esther Shapiro on the cast, producers, audience reaction, and memorable storylines on Dynasty
28:52
Richard and Esther Shapiro on memorable storylines and the legacy of Dynasty
11:22
Richard and Esther Shapiro on the Dynasty spinoff The Colbys
09:00

Fred Silverman

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Fred Silverman on making CBS the "serial network."
02:01

Doris Singleton

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Doris Singleton on her role on the soap opera Days of Our Lives
03:05
Doris Singleton on her role on Dynasty
02:32

Erika Slezak

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Erika Slezak on her role as "Victoria Lord" on One Life to Live and some of her character's early storylines
13:40
Erika Slezak on the popularity of the soap opera genre
01:45
Erika Slezak on the impact of One Life to Live on her life and on viewers' lives
03:41
Erika Slezak on her co-stars of One Life to Live
02:03

Herbert F. Solow

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Herbert F. Solow on Daytime Serials as a mainstay for NBC
03:17

Aaron Spelling

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Aaron Spelling on Joan Collins joining Dynasty
01:41
Aaron Spelling on Joan Collins joining Dynasty
01:41

Fred Steiner

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Fred Steiner on scoring episodes of Dynasty
01:02

Dick Stiles

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Dick Stiles on acting as assistant art director for Peyton Place
02:59

William Tankersley

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William Tankersley on CBS Standards & Practices not having many issues with daytime soap operas
02:01

Richard Thomas

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Richard Thomas on appearing on From These Roots co-starring Charlotte Rae, and on appearing on As the World Turns
01:36

Daniel J. Travanti

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Daniel J. Travanti on appearing on The Doctors and General Hospital
03:41

Helen Wagner

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Helen Wagner on appearing on Guiding Light  as a tryout for As the World Turns
01:18
Helen Wagner on playing "Nancy Hughes" on As the World Turns (Pt. 2)
28:01
Helen Wagner on how As the World Turns  changed during her tenure and why the show has been so successful 
02:00
Helen Wagner on playing "Nancy Hughes" on As the World Turns
25:40

Ruth Warrick

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Ruth Warrick on acting on Guiding Light
01:52
Ruth Warrick on her stint on As the World Turns
19:58
Ruth Warrick on playing "Hannah Cord" on Peyton Place
10:24
Ruth Warrick on playing "Hannah Cord" on Peyton Place
09:57
Ruth Warrick on playing "Phoebe Tyler" on All My Children
03:56
Ruth Warrick on playing "Phoebe Tyler" on All My Children
27:08
Ruth Warrick on playing "Phoebe Tyler" on All My Children
13:29
Ruth Warrick on working with Agnes Nixon on All My Children
03:14

Ellen Wheeler

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Ellen Wheeler on playing "Marley Love Hudson McKinnon" and "Vicki" on Another World
19:45
Ellen Wheeler on playing "Cindy Parker" on All My Children
14:17
Ellen Wheeler on appearing on Dark Shadows
00:38
Ellen Wheeler on appearing on The Bold and the Beautiful
00:54
Ellen Wheeler on appearing on As the World Turns
00:37
Ellen Wheeler on directing As the World Turns  and Another World
04:07
Ellen Wheeler on how she came to be a producer for Guiding Light
01:13
Ellen Wheeler on executive producing Guiding Light (Part 1)
28:26
Ellen Wheeler on executive producing Guiding Light (Part 2)
28:16
Ellen Wheeler on executive producing Guiding Light  (Part 3)
21:16

Perry Wolff

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Perry Wolff on going to write for Guiding Light
01:38

Alan Young

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Alan Young on guest starring on General Hospital
04:02

Kim Zimmer

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Kim Zimmer on her first TV role on One Life to Live, where she played a character based on Patty Hearst
04:49
Kim Zimmer on replacing Kathleen Turner on The Doctors in 1979
04:28
Kim Zimmer on starring on The Doctors
07:53
Kim Zimmer on returning to One Life to Live
09:22
Kim Zimmer on being hired for Guiding Light
08:00
Kim Zimmer on the particulars of playing "Reva Shayne" on Guiding Light
29:17
Kim Zimmer on a typical workday on Guiding Light and on leaving the series in 1990
05:53
Kim Zimmer on returning to Guiding Light after a five-year absence and how long she saw herself staying with Guiding Light at the time
07:01
Kim Zimmer on her favorite Guiding Light storyline and the infamous Guiding Light fountain scene
03:17
Kim Zimmer on whether or not daytime dramas will last
00:52