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

by Maureen Russell

Overview

On November 8, 1965, Days of Our Lives debuted on NBC. The show overcame a rocky beginning to become one of the best-loved and longest running soap operas on daytime television.

For 30 years, the story of the show's Horton family has been closely followed by a dedicated audience. Through extensive research, including the first-ever examination of the show's archives, and interviews with cast members, writers, producers and production personnel, the show's history is told here. This reference work provides a complete cast list from the show's debut through 1994, as well as the most comprehensive storyline of the show ever available. Also included are family trees of the show's characters, tracing the often confusing relationships involved in thirty years of developing roles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786459834
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	06/07/2010
Pages:	286
Sales rank:	382,936
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.58(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Maureen Russell lives in Burbank, California.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments    
Preface    
Introduction    

1 Beginnings    
2 On the Set    
3 The Writers    
4 The Actors    
5 The Fans    
6 The Story Line    

Chapter Notes    
Appendix A: Genealogies    
Appendix B: Cast List    
Appendix C: Main Characters    
Appendix D: Emmy Nominees and Winners    
Appendix E: Soap Opera Award Winners    
Bibliography    
Index    

Editorial Reviews

well researched...provides a complete narrative, an extensive bibliography, [and] unique information on the actors and their fans...a good addition”—Library Journal; “dishy and entertaining”—TV Guide; “enjoyable and accurate”—Soap Opera Weekly.

From the Publisher

Published to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the enduring daytime drama, Days of Our Lives: A Complete History has it all: a complete plot outline of the show's 30-year run, little-known background info on the show's early days, and a detailed description of what it takes to produce a one-hour show five days a week. True fans won't be able to resist this exhaustively researched guide to all things Salem. Includes an appendix crammed with facts and lists.

bn.com

"Like sands through the hourglass...." If you are a Days of Our Lives fan, you know the drill. This is the second book (after Lorraine Zenka's work of the same title, LJ 11/15/95) published this year in honor of the soap's 30th anniversary. Russell's book is well researched (the author is an archivist at UCLA) and provides a complete narrative covering story plots from the beginning of the series, an extensive bibliography, unique information on the actors and their fans, and, most interesting of all, background on the early days of the soaps. This section, titled "Beginnings," gives some insight into how particular soap opera writers and creators of TV shows work to produce entertainments that air five days a week. A good addition where similar titles have been popular.-Judy Hauser, Oakland Schs. Lib. Svcs., Waterford, Mich.

Library Journal

"enjoyable and accurate"

Soap Opera Weekly

dishy and entertaining

TV Guide