Maureen Russell - Days of Our Lives: A Complete History of the Long-Running Soap Opera

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Russell, Maureen.
Days of our lives : a complete history of the long-running soap opera / by Maureen Russell.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7864-5983-4
1. Days of our lives (Television program) I. Title.
PN1992.77.D38R87 2010
791.45'72dc20 95-35873
British Library cataloguing data are available
1995 Maureen Russell. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Cover image 2010 Shutterstock
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com

For Ted, Betty, Jack and Mac

First and foremost, I want to thank Ken Corday; without his assistance I would have been unable to bring this story to you. I also give my most heartfelt appreciation to the cast, crew, writers, and production staff of Days of Our Lives, both past and present, for their generosity of time and spirit. I could not have done it without them: Matthew Ashford, Debbie Ware Barrows, Joe Behar, Bill Bell, Lee Phillip Bell, Richard Bloore, Lester Borden, Macdonald Carey, Crystal Chappell, Ken Corday, Mason Dickson, Chip Dox, Gary Fogel, Don Frabotta, Joe Gallison, Becky Greenlaw, Mike Grigaliunas, Sheryl Harmon, Elizabeth Harrower, Bill Hayes, Susan Seaforth Hayes, Wayne Heffley, Jack Herzberg, Terry Ann Holst, Roger Inman, George Jenesky, Kathy Kelly, H. Wes Kenney, Wally Kurth, Nancy Lewis, Rick Lorentz, Ed Mallory, Greg Meng, Dusty Morales, Frank Parker, Linda Poindexter, Quinn Redeker, Suzanne Rogers, Charlotte Ross, Pat Schultz, Camilla Scott, Margaret Scully, Charles Shaughnessy, Pat Falken Smith, Stephen Wyman, Ed Zimmerman.

Thanks to Paul Camp, Brigitte Kueppers, and Ray Soto of the UCLA Theater Arts Library for all their help. Thanks to Shirley Kennedy at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Library. Thanks to Norma Jane Russell for listening to my Days tales. Thanks to Days fans everywhere, but especially Julie, Laura, the Peel sisters and Joanna. And special thanks to Wanda Bryant and her red pen; I could not have done it without her.

When I began writing this book, Macdonald Carey (Tom Horton), Joy Garrett (Jo Johnson), Jack Herzberg, producer, John Lupton (Tommy Horton), and Mark Tapscott (Bob Anderson) were still with us. Now they are gone.

I had the pleasure of interviewing both Mac and Jack for this book, and I would like to briefly share my experience with these two special men.

Jack Herzberg and I exchanged several letters before he called one day and asked, Why dont you come down to Temecula and visit? Ill fix you lunch.How could I refuse?I drove down to his home. Good to his word, he had lunch ready and waiting. Ashrimp salad, made with tomatoes and cucumbers, he proudly explained, from his own garden. Lunch turned into dinner as Jack and I talked for nearly six hours. We watched videotapes of Days past. We watched Emmy ceremonies from days past. Jack talked about Days with great love and affection. We chatted about chili cook-offs and his judging beauty pageants (pictures from which he had proudly displayed on his office wall). As I left his house that day, I never suspected that only a few months later, he would be gone. Thanks for the memories, Jack.

When Mac called me, I was stunned. Here was Tom Horton, everyones surrogate grandfather, on the phone. He was as nice and charming and wonderful as any fan would have ever dreamed. He invited me to his home. When I arrived that evening, Mac gave me a tour. First, he showed me his beloved rose garden. Then, back inside the house, he led me to his library, where his treasured collection of first editions was displayed. We talked for nearly two hours. I thanked him and left. Disaster. Much to my chagrin, my car would not start. Mac lived high in the hills, so I had no choice but to walk back to the house, knock on the door and explain my problem. After I called the Auto Club, Mac, ever chivalrous, invited me to dinner. Then he apologized: would microwave lo-cal dinners be all right? As an actor, he always had to watch his weight. Smiling, he teased, maybe hed have to do a love scene in the near future, and he wanted to look his best. What could I say? I was overwhelmed. Then Mac asked if we could watch his favorite show, Jeopardy. It was just about to begin. Of course. I spent the next hour with Mac, simply enjoying his gracious hospitality. Eventually, the car was repaired, and I was on my way. I will never forget Macs kindness, his wit, his easy charm or his style.

Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

MAUREEN RUSSELL, December 1994

I am an historian and a fan of Days of Our Lives. The initial idea for this book was almost a joke. A friend and I were discussing our life-long love affair with Days of Our Lives. My friend said to me, You know so much about this show, you should write a book.I felt a little bit like Andy Hardy:Hey, kids, lets put on a show. But I could not get the idea out of my mind. Why not write a book? I had the credentials, I had the desire. I wrote a letter to Days executive producer and owner, Ken Corday. I cannot describe the shock and delight that I felt when he called and asked to meet with me. When he gave the book the go-ahead, I felt like a child let loose in a candy store. What could be more wonderful than being allowed to write a book about one of my favorite subjects and in the bargain getting to meet so many wonderful people? And thus I came to write this book combining two of my most cherished interests:history and Days.

This book does not contain an in-depth analysis of the demographics, economics, or viewing patterns of the daytime viewer because my concern is not social science. Nor does it include discussions of content analysis, textual criticism, or varying philosophies of knowledge. My goal is to write a narrative history and reference guide to Days of Our Lives that will be of interest to both the devoted fan and the casual viewer. I have used two primary research tools: archival research and oral history.

I am indebted to a great number of people for allowing me access to their files and granting me interviews. They are all gratefully recognized in the Acknowledgments. Some people may feel that I rely too heavily on quotations. But it was my feeling that readers would prefer to hear an anecdote in the storytellers own words, rather than to read my summary.

To begin the story at the beginning of the story (to paraphrase Dickens), I began watching Days when I was a child. My best friends mother got me hooked the shows very first year, 1965. Since then I have followed the vicissitudes of the Hortons, Bradys, DiMeras, Johnsons, and all the other families of