The Daytime Serials of Television, 1946-1960

The popularity of soap operas on radio made them a natural for the new medium of television, where soaps quickly became an audience favorite. As television soap operas developed, so did the level of sophistication in delivery, writing and production. Even with technical difficulties, clashing actor egos, and hurried production schedules, television managed to corral a massive audience for the continuing narrative, which combined the excitement of the new visual medium with the old-fashioned pleasures of a story well told. This history of television's "golden age" soaps begins with an overview of earlier serialized entertainments that set the stage for the televised daytime soap. A detailed analysis of early TV soap stars, personnel and production follows, taking 40 programs into account. Ensuing chapters offer in-depth treatments of the serials Search for Tomorrow, Love of Life, The Guiding Light, The Secret Storm, As the World Turns and The Edge of Night. Appendices include chronological and alphabetical directories of period daytime serials and rankings of the durability of programs, actors and actresses, announcers and sponsors.

Jim Cox, a leading historian of radio programming in the 20th century, is an award-winning author of numerous books about old time radio. A retired college professor, he lives in Louisville, Kentucky.