Paul Raven

I did some quick research on the character of Susan Burke Stewart. Most cast lists have her beginning in 66 but it is not unlikely that she was around in late 65.As we have seen with The Doctors being replayed,a lot of dates are off. Connie Scott is listed as the first Susan.I found a pic of her in the feature film Flipper from 1963 and she looks about 12.Luke Halpin her co star, was 15 and playing 12 so that would be about right. That would make her 15/16 by the time she was on ATWT. Jeffrey Rowland was 17 at this time. The next Susan Diana Walker was 25 in 1968 and she was replaced by Jada Rowland who was also 25. So at some point Dan and Susan took a major age leap.I wonder how this played onscreen. Were Dan and Susan away for a while? John Colenback was 29 when he began plating Dan in 66.So he was aged down and poor Pat Bruder was aged way up.

Paul's death was also totally unnecessary.He could have simply left town to get away from the whole Dan/Liz saga. Irna seemed to want to punish the characters for what the writers had done to them in her absence. Dec 16 1965 Bob fights Lisa in a custody battle for Tom. When Lisa took Tom to live with her in Chicago, she neglected to tell anybody -- including Bob, Tom, or the court -- that she had already remarried. As Tom tells the judge, he was deeply hurt when he arrived in Chicago and found that his mother had lied to him and already had a new husband. His mother's dishonesty has made him reconsider his decision to leave Oakdale. After hearing Lisa's testimony and having a private conversation with Tom, the judge arrives at a decision that puts Tom in the care of the most responsible parent. But Tom is in a no-win situation, no matter what the judge rules. Dec 24 65 In this episode, it is Christmas Eve as Chris Hughes and Pa Hughes discuss the Hughes family and Chris's wife Nancy, who is recovering from an operation. Meanwhile, at the Cassen home, Doug, Claire, and Judge Lowell discuss their Christmas plans and the date of Ellen and David's wedding. At their home, Dan Stewart and Paul Stewart discuss the gifts they've bought for Suzy and Ellen and wonder why Franny doesn't seem to like Ellen. As David Stewart and Ellen Cole admire a Christmas tree, Ellen tells David about a Christmas long ago when she was pregnant. Their conversation is interrupted by Paul and Dan, who opens a gift from his grandmother. Later, David tells Ellen he already knew about her child. Is Suzy Susan Burke(later to become Susan Stewart)?

Me too!

One looking a heck of a lot better than the other...

Not sure about Dan's later illness but it would have been interesting had there been a re-occurrence, Of course killing off Dan was a mistake.I understand that Dan and Kim had run their course and have read that the John Reilly Dan was the preferred actor in the pairing but ditching a legacy character (especially as his brother Paul had also been killed) was unwise.Instead have Dan's illness affect his judgement and have him leave for parts unknown would have been preferrable, leaving the door open for Dan return later to spoil Kim and a later partner. Or even return with a new wife and child.

That synopsis hints that a major motivation for Ellen marrying David was to get close to her son. Maybe that wasn't the case as David and Ellen remained happily married for years.The wedding was lavish by standards of the time. The fact that Pat Bruder's pregnancies were written in also solidifies Ellen and David as a happy couple as I'm sure Irna would not have allowed a young mother to have any major marital problems. Going back to Feb 23 65 Chris tells Pa about a rare disease that Dan has contracted, for which the prognosis does not look good. Chris explains that he feels that Ellen should be told the truth about Dan, given what may happen to her son. When the news is revealed to Ellen, she is very upset and asks to go the hospital to see Dan. She finds that he is in the same room in which she gave birth to him. While waiting to see Dan, Ellen thinks back to the time at which he was known as "Jimmy." She finds that Dan has been mumbling the word "mom" over and over again in his sleep, and she believes that this may be a good sign. She decides to keep vigil by his bed. By Nov 1st the Cassens and the Hughes learn that Ellen has agreed to marry David. When Ellen tells Claire, Doug, and Judge Lowell about her engagement, they are shocked because they had been certain that she would marry Donald. Doug even confronts David, accusing him of taking advantage of Ellen's love for her son, Dan. The Hughes also had been certain that Donald would marry Ellen, until he shared the news of the broken engagement at Grandpa Hughes's birthday celebration. Ultimately, Ellen and David are the only ones who seem pleased with the turn of events

Thanks for that.Don't think I've ever seen a photo of Carla Borelli as Mary.

August 8 1956 Hal tells Meg about his secret past. He admits that while he was drunk, he got into a fight with his twin brother, Bert, and killed him. Bert, a prosperous import and export merchant, had accused Hal of stealing, and in a fit of rage, Hal knocked him off a pier to his watery death. Although Hal tried to save him, Bert's body was never recovered. Hal confesses that he was so upset that he destroyed his own "self" and assumed the identity of the respectable Bert. But lately, the conflict between the two personas has been troublesome. Meg says he can no longer lead a double life and pleads with him to give their relationship one more chance

1982 Karen has absconded to Nantucket just as Viki and Clint's wedding is about to begin, and Steve plans to fly there to persuade Karen to marry him. In this episode, the following events also occur: Marco, who is late for the wedding, learns of Steve's plans and decides to try acquiring a vital reel of film from him; following the wedding ceremony, Asa surprises everyone, especially Clint and Viki, with his wedding gift; Marco decides to follow Steve after failing to stop him from leaving town; when Karen's husband, Larry, explains he is flying to Nantucket, she tells him to stay away; and, as the wedding reception ends, Gary goes to pick up Clint's car for the newlyweds. But Gary fumbles with the keys, drops them, and spots a bomb attached to the bottom of Clint's car. While Gary is busy calling the police, Clint is surprised to find his car still in the garage and prepares to start the engine.

Dec 26 1962 Austin and Toby exchange the money they plan to give Ted to keep him off Austin's back for the time being. When Austin goes to Ted's office to deliver the money, Ted says that they must abide by the conditions they previously agreed upon. Austin then informs Ted that he would never even dream about jeopardizing his career for personal business or pleasure. Meanwhile, Bill calls Reynolds to tell him that Tony has been arrested. After hearing this, Reynolds then gets a call from Nancy in which she passes on the information about Austin and Ted's meeting. Dec 23 1963 Winston tells Phil his complicated plan which will likely keep the Warrens from leaving town. Emory and Lyn discuss their soon-to-be monetary situation and why they both have to be in superior physical and mental condition for their plan to work. Lyn is worried that Emory will leave her shortly after the baby is born, but Emory assures her that he isn't going anywhere. Dec 23 1965 Louise tells Mike what happened between her and Phil. Meanwhile, Martha becomes upset when she hears children singing Christmas carols because her fragile health complicates her having children of her own. She feels that Christmas is a phony holiday without children of one's own around, and Bill tries to cheer her up. Phoebe, who is still in the hospital, gets a surprise visit and a Christmas present from Martha. Realizing Martha is upset, Phoebe says that Martha will make a great mother some day. Phil receives a phone call which bothers Louise because she thinks it is from an old flame who is back in town. Nov 8 1968 Lee Pollock is upset about something that happened at school. His classmate Miss Brown tries unsuccessfully to reassure him. Lee is worried about his involvement in the Kurtz murder. Nancy and Mike Karr consult with police chief Phil Capice about Lee's possible involvement in the murder. When Nancy visits Lee's instructor at the art institute, she learns that Lee's work began to suffer right after the murder took place.

1989 Curtis and his father Clay Alden argue about Clay's impending divorce from Curtis's mother. The argument is interrupted when a man arrives to deliver a message from Simon Hemphill. Meanwhile, Trucker and his sister Rocky try to stay warm in their cabin, while reminiscing about Trisha, Trucker's now-dead former lover. Later, the conversation shifts to Rocky mentioning how she believes she recently saw the presumed-dead Jeff Hartman and how stunned she was. Trucker and Rocky try to figure out whether Jeff is indeed alive -- which would likewise mean that Trisha may be alive too, as she was in his car that crashed -- and had just faked his death. At the same time, Jeff is outside the cabin, cutting Trucker's truck brakes and setting up a ruse to cause Trucker to drive on the snowy night. Elsewhere, Ava tries to console her mother, Kate, whose hair is beginning to fall out due to cancer treatments. Ava offers her a variety of wigs.

1986 Jeremy Hunter learns that his father, Alex, and Erica Kane may have been trapped in a landslide in Canada, where Erica had travelled to interview a famous author; Angie Hubbard tells a friend that though she would like to quit her job with the research team due to understaffing and her discomfort with the advances of Dr. John Voight, she feels compelled to stay, motivated by a visit from a world famous Korean doctor who congratulated her on her work and told her the team appeared to be on the verge of an important breakthrough; Brooke English warns Tom Cudahy that a case is building against him over the murder of her lover, Gilles St. Clair, and she asks him how he can explain why Jesse Hubbard saw him in the lobby of the Valley Inn the night of the murder though he says he wasn't there; Phoebe Tyler Wallingford gives husband Langley a gift of a toupŽe to replace the one he sacrificed so he could buy her a Christmas gift; Phoebe expresses shock to Langley that Brooke is writing a series of articles about the life and death of Gilles for the sleazy "National Intruder" tabloid; Tom begs Brooke not to write the series, telling her it will destroy her journalistic integrity, but she counters that without a job, she has no career to destroy; Jeremy decides to charter a plane and fly to the sight of the landslide in Canada in an effort to rescue Alex and Erica; Jeremy asks Alex's wife Natalie why she told him that Alex and Erica were due to arrive home tonight when they obviously had no such intention; Natalie says Alex told her so and that he appears to be up to his old tricks again; Dr. Voight insists that Angie come to his house for dessert and she reluctantly accepts; Adam Chandler arrives at Jeremy's house and offers his private jet to Jeremy, who accepts; at his house, Voight harasses Angie, implying that he will not send his letter of recommendation to the fellowship committee on her behalf unless she sleeps with him; Tom asks Phoebe to help dissuade Brooke from writing the "Intruder" series, suggesting she tell Brooke how all the publicity will affect baby Laura; Charlie Brent visits Julie Chandler while she is babysitting Laura at Brooke's house; at the Valley Inn Brooke bribes a chambermaid to gain entry to Gilles' room; a furious Angie tells Voight he won't get away with harassing her, as she leaves his house; Salange surprises Brooke by entering Gilles' room, claiming she noticed the door ajar; Salonge berates Brooke for exploiting Gilles' death for personal gain; when the Frenchwoman leaves, Brooke takes several small items of evidence from the room, including a piece of blood-stained wallpaper; Angie arrives home agitated, but pretends nothing is wrong when Jesse arrives and tells her that his business finally made a profit; lovestruck teens Charlie and Julie kiss; in her mind's eye, Brooke recalls a wound on Tom's hand; while Tom and Cliff Warner talk at a bar, Cliff gets a message that Brooke wants to see him; Charlie stops at his grandmother Phoebe's house and tells her he's met a girl; Phoebe tells Charlie she'd like to meet the girl to see if she is deserving of his attentions; though Natalie tries to keep him from going, Jeremy leaves to search for Alex and Erica; Phoebe visits Brooke and tries to convince her not to pen the tabloid articles, but Brooke is in no mood for Phoebe's meddling and shortly asks her to leave; Cliff calls Brooke, tells her the stain is human blood -- not belonging to Gilles -- and says he wants to know what's going on.

Back to the Irna Phillips era Sept 27 1965 Ellen is at a crossroads: she must decide between two men, only one of whom can reunite her with her long-lost son. Ellen has received marriage proposals from both Don and David, and although she has secretly agreed to marry Don, they have not made the announcement. And yet marrying David would reunite her with her son, Dan. While Ellen contemplates her situation, the Hughes and Cassen families wonder if, when, and whom she will choose to marry. Meanwhile, Henry is in critical condition and Bob will be treating him along with a consulting physician. But Bob is torn about whether to work with his colleague David or with Doug Cassen. I didn't realize that Ellen was actually that close to marrying Don. Is Henry Lisa's father?

Peter Burnell was the partner of Gerald Mast,a film scholar. This article talks about their Provincetown house. Burnell died in 87 and Mast in 88. Burnell was 44 and Mast 48. https://buildingprovincetown.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/581-commercial-street/#comment-704

Warner Archive Instant has added The Yellow Rose to its streaming program. The NBC drama starred Sam Elliot, David Soul, and Cybill Shepherd. It ran for 22 episodes during the 1983-1984 season. A complete DVD set was released through the Warner Archive Collection in May 2011.

From what I understand Gloria took over at the beginning of 78. The first 4 hour long shows had been taped and she persuaded the ABC execs to ditch them. Marland had already been appointed headwriter. Characters like Laura,Scotty,Bobbie were already there so Marland/Monty worked with the set up they had. The only story that was axed was Jeff and Lana (the split personality) This is the transition from the Hollands/Tom Donovan to Marland/Monty. Written by: Richard & Suzanne Holland / Douglas Marland Produced by: Tom Donovan / Gloria Monty On Monday, January 16th, the soap expanded to 60 minutes, airing from 3:00 to 4:00 When the helicopter makes emergency landing, Rick and Monica are forced to spend the night together in an isolated ranger outpost. Concern for Rick’s safety drives Lesley and David together. Laura informes Lesley her sex life is no one’s business but her own. Heather talks Diana into letting her sti with Peter Jr. on New Year’s Eve. Lana, making a prank call to Heather, is upset when Jeff picks up the phone. Gina asks Gary to wait for an answer on his marriage proposal. Mark feels lonesome when Katie goes to Boston. Lesley moves out of the house. Rick asks David to find a place of his own and persuades Lesley to return. Gina agrees to marry Gary. Heather feels guilty because she knows Steven Lars is alive while Jeff does not. Lana pretends she is going to visit an aunt but Jeff discovers her suitcase is empty and also realizes there is no aunt. Monica learns Alan wants to leave town. Katie admits to her sister she loves both Mark and Lamont. Rick is angry when he finds out Monica was supposed to cancel the helicopter trip they took. While Mark is out of town conferring about surgery for Lamont, Lamont suffers a stroke. Diana plans to return to work and have Heather watch P.J.. Laura is apprehensive because a new student nurse has eye for Scotty. Heather moves into the apartment Jeff found for her. Lana tells Peter her parents were killed by lightning. Rick informs Lesley that David took blame for getting co-ed pregnant and was expelled from college. Making love to Alan, Monica fantasizes that she is with Rick. With Lee out of town, Scotty and Laura spend night at his apartment. Lesley learns of trust when Laura leaves her wallet behind despite being covered by young nurse in training, Bobbie Spencer. Gail travels with Lee to St. Louis, where her in-laws are contesting her late husband’s will. David decides to make easy money by informing stockholders about Lamont’s health. Unaware of Lamont’s declining condition, Mark agreed to perform surgery. Lana learns about Mrs. Hadley and pretends to be Heather’s friend. In Canton, Jeff finds no trace that Lana or her family ever lived there.

Yes just goes to show you can write compelling story without resorting to the usual cliches. Today Karen would have a Lied that Matt was the father. Maggie would believe it. Karen would then seduce Matt. Matt and Maggie divorce. b.Had a miscarriage and claimed Matt was the father. Catfights between Maggie and Karen ensue causing Karen to lose the baby. She frames Maggie for the death of a patient etc etc

Let me add my thanks for those summaries.A quick glance has uncovered a treasure trove of information.Can't wait to read it all in depth. Fantastic stuff!!

By Jan 3 1961 Penny Hughes comes home for a visit, and her parents, Chris and Nancy, are worried that she's still in a state of depression over the disappearance of her husband, Jeff Baker. Penny assures them that she's fine and is now moving on with her life. Nancy is certain that Jeff will come back to Penny, but Chris seems to disagree. Penny begs Jeff's father, Dick Baker, to sell her house because of the memories of Jeff it conjures up. Meanwhile, Meg Blaine asks Joe, the bartender, to give Jack Bailey -- who is really Jeff -- a job as the piano player there. Joe doesn't know why Meg is so insistent about this, but he does offer Jack the job.

March 25 1958 Jeff Baker is on trial for the murder of Al James. In the courtroom, the prosecutor questions Penny Hughes and gets her to admit that she and Jeff had been secretly married but then had the marriage annulled. When the prosecutor upsets Penny, Jeff stands up and yells at him to stop. The prosecutor succeeds in twisting Penny's testimony so that it damages Jeff's case. In private, the prosecutor wonders if Jeff will testify in his own defense and worries that the jury will sympathize with Jeff. Jeff talks privately with his attorneys, Chris Hughes and his assistant, Tom, who convince Jeff that he should take the stand in his own defense. Tom Pope was in love with Penny, He was engaged to her, but when he heard Jeff Baker declare his love for her he released her from the engagement and later left town.

May 10 54 Vanessa tells Sarah that Beanie is in the hospital after being beaten by an unknown assailant: evidently someone is trying to frighten him from revealing a dangerous secret. Meanwhile, a mobster known as Tiny tells Senator Deacons that he had to rough up Beanie, who refused to keep quiet. Deacons, fearing the assault could cause problems, urges Tiny to leave town and hands him a wad of cash. Also, Sarah regrets that Meg became involved with Hal Craig and blames her for Beanie's fate. But Vanessa comforts her by promising to expose the truth about Hal in The Barrowsville Times. Apparently Tige Andrews (Mod Squad) appeared in this episode.I guess he played Tiny?

October 2 1962 Jill is concerned about her recently crippled husband Larry's first day on his new job; Larry, unbeknownst to Jill, never got the job and tries to deceive Jill by using his gambling winnings as income; and Jill must console her mother who has just lost her baby

Article about the Christian influence on Days at the time. http://www.charismamag.com/life/242-j15/features/claiming-our-culture-for-christ/607-saints-of-our-lives They're beautiful, and they're bold--about their faith. Some of daytime drama's brightest stars shine for Jesus in the world of soap operas. Jamie-Lyn Bauer is an intercessor. Austin Peck seeks to find God's perfect will in every contour of his life. Julianne Morris has a passion for overseas missions. Kirsten Storms refuses to take the Lord's name in vain. Hunter Tylo boldly tells everyone who will listen about her relationship with Jesus. Scott Reeves views his vocation like a ministry. It is not surprising to find such spiritually focused characteristics among churchgoers, but these Christians are also stars on daytime-TV soap operas. As members of an unlikely but growing cast of believers on the Hollywood scene, their impact for the gospel is showing up both on and off the screen. They all are part of a deeper plot than what viewers see unfolding on the sets of Days of Our Lives, The Bold and the Beautiful, The Young and the Restless and others. Perhaps it is ironic that a deeply devoted troop of actors, writers, producers, administrators and stagehands populate this particular TV genre--famous for power-grabbing and greed- and lust-driven storylines that extol duplicity, scandal and revenge. But these believers are not debating whether or not a Christian should "run in the soaps crowd." They are on Hollywood's frontlines and in studio back lots leading co-stars and crew members to the Lord, bathing studios in prayer, and solidifying real-life blowups and heartbreaks. Charisma interviewed a number of these brave believers to hear in their words what it's like to be a Christian in Hollywood. Not surprisingly, we found that they face temptations and make mistakes--while being criticized by believers and nonbelievers alike who disagree with their stand for God in the entertainment industry. They told us God is using them right where they are. And more than ever, they believe, it is the right time to share God's love with Hollywood professionals. "Before, it was just getting people saved. Now we are equipping, encouraging and covering them," says Bauer, a former star on Days of Our Lives. "It is a very exciting time to be a Christian in Hollywood." A Christian Soap Opera? It's past midnight and the 23-hour-long shoot for a Days of Our Lives special has taken a dangerous turn. The script calls for a fire that forces Laura Spencer-Horton (played from 1990-1999 by Jamie-Lyn Bauer) to flee from the psychiatric hospital where she has been institutionalized. The scene has been carefully choreographed, and firemen stand by to guarantee safety on the set. But something goes awry. A blazing 6-foot-long beam crackles and shimmies, then suddenly, ripping from its overhead moorings, plunges downward directly toward Jamie-Lyn and her co-star. This predicament is not in the script. Instinctively, and almost audibly, Jamie-Lyn prays in tongues. "By the grace of God, we were not hit," she says. "I know that God was there. I wouldn't be surprised if the enemy was, too. Satan probably was not very happy that I was on the show." This was not the first or last time Jamie-Lyn sought God's presence while at Days' Burbank, California, studio. In fact, each day while she drove the short distance from her North Hollywood home to the TV lot, she interceded. "I would plead that His blood would be everywhere I would go," she recounts. "This was my territory, God's territory. I would pray for divine order on the set. I prayed for His manifest authority to be present." She sounds like intercessory leaders Cindy Jacobs, Chuck Pierce or Frank Damazio firing up attendees at a spiritual warfare conference, not someone who has spent most of two decades acting in soaps, movies and stage plays. But following the prodding of her spiritual mentors--who include Jacobs, Pierce and Damazio--Jamie-Lyn accepts her spiritual role in Hollywood. As a Days cast member, her dressing room became her prayer closet, and God answered in a dramatic fashion. She took spiritual authority over the psychic readings sought by co-stars and the horoscopes read each day in makeup. The activities disappeared. She fervently pleaded for the salvation of every cast and crew member and asked God to bring more Christians to the show. Some were saved. More solid believers joined the cast. She asked God to bless Days of Our Lives and its executive producer, Kenneth Corday. The show strengthened its reputation. It became known as being a good place to work, having a cast who were like family, exhibiting comparatively minimal in-fighting, and standing as America's favorite and most-watched daytime soap. Jamie-Lyn has not been God's sole representative on the program. Through the years He has placed other believers in key roles to buoy it with prayer. Notably, administrator and "show mother" Nancy Lewis and sound-man Jim Thomas have gained respect and acceptance as believers and co-workers. "At times I felt all alone [as a Christian on the program]," says Lewis, who is the assistant to the head writer and wife of film producer John Lewis. "But now it is great. There are so many Christians here. It is wonderful to be able to have someone who understands and who I can pray with." In fact, in recent years the number of regular actors on Days of Our Lives who profess Jesus as Lord has multiplied, including Austin Peck (Austin Reed), though he is leaving the show this spring; Julianne Morris (Greta Von Amburg); Melissa Reeves (Jennifer Horton); Kirsten Storms (Belle Black); Brian Ditello and Suzanne Rogers. "God has these people placed in the right places at the right time," Julianne Morris says. Don't get the wrong picture. Days of Our Lives has not become a Christian soap, nor is this likely to happen. Kidnappings, switched babies, backstabbings and the like still fill Days' daily episodes, as they have for more than 30 years. Yet many characters mention God, and miracles occur in the fictionalized Days city of Salem. Once, a baby rose from the dead. Habitat for Humanity has been worked into scripts. The character Eric Brady is part of a Bible study. "While there is a lot of other stuff that goes on, characters pray, and there is always a sense of God," Julianne says. "There is a basis on God, and that is nice." In fact, the show's name comes from Psalm 23: "Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life [italics added], and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (NIV). A GQ Model Finds God In 1995 a young, brash, former GQ model and amateur boxer named Austin Peck joined the Days cast. Austin quickly rose to the top of soaps' heartthrob barometer as the jaunty, daring Austin Reed. He and co-star Christie Clark earned the Soap Digest 1997 badge for hottest romance of the year. Off-screen, Peck's life sizzled as much as any on-screen soap exploit. "I smoked pot. I did everything. I was way off-center," he says. Yet, long before the San Francisco native's network debut, God had begun the process of getting his attention. As a child, Austin heard booming warnings of an impending hell set aside for sinners. Years later, while on a modeling assignment in Zurich, Austin asked God tough questions about life and death. To his surprise, the answers came in a clear, inner voice and made sense. Later, while walking through New York's East Village, Austin talked to God about his career--even committed it to Him--yet he still spent plenty of time on the wild side living a real-life spiritual tug-of-war. God did not concede, however. Austin's sister, Casey, started reading the Bible to the young actor over the phone. When he first arrived as a cast member for Days, Jamie-Lyn, Nancy and Jim were there, rushing him to the top of their prayer lists. In September 1997, God spoke to him. "He told me, 'Austin, I see your heart, but you don't know My Son,'" he recounts. "That got my attention. I started reading the Bible. All of a sudden the words jumped off the page and became real." Almost immediately the sinner's prayer followed, and Austin's life hasn't been the same. The next day at lunch, he noticed a new actor, Paige Rowland, saying grace over her meal. On the way to makeup Austin approached her and introduced himself as a Christian. "He is phenomenal," says Paige, who attends Bel Air Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles. "From the moment he was saved he shamed me [as a bold believer]. He was on fire from the moment he started. Everyone on the set could see it." This spiritual passion has curried Austin some great moments--which have included leading co-star Brian Ditello to the Lord--but it also has led to some big headaches. "I became a Bible-thumping Jesus freak," he says. "All of a sudden purpose was flooded into my life, and that tornado inside my chest calmed down, and I felt like I was full. I had to tell everyone." On the set, Austin and co-star Julianne Morris have become friends. "When he messes up a line, I will lay hands on him," Julianne says. "Of course, [the other cast members] have no idea what I'm doing, but Austin and I know." Austin describes his character as a seeker who "wants to be...the best person he can be...has morals and...does not sleep around." In one episode, Reed prayed for a baby who was in a coma, and the child recovered. "The baby rose from the dead--right on Days, and then [Reed] becomes self-righteous. Isn't that just like some of us?" Austin says. Austin and his wife attend Oasis Christian Center in Los Angeles, and he says he has matured as a Christian. "I was pretty strong. I think I scared one [co-star] and once [an actor from another show] said I was all over him [sharing the gospel] when we were waiting at the airport," Austin says. "I look at how on-fire I was and see that I am just as much on-fire now, but more on the inside." In January he was given notice that his Days contract would not be renewed. "I could not imagine going through this without faith," he says. "I have had my private moments, but people keep telling me how well I am handling it. I think that is a witness to others because they know I am a Christian." Letting Her Light Shine Nilavae Morris once prayed three hours for her daughter Julianne's audition, until Julianne called to say she had gotten the part. "She is always praying for me and everyone on the show," says Julianne, who was on The Young and the Restless before she made her debut on Days of Our Lives. Julianne was raised in Windermere, Florida, near Orlando, and her father is Christian writer and former evangelist Max Morris. She grew up attending Pentecostal churches and is now active at Hollywood Presbyterian Church, where several ministries directed specifically at the entertainment industry are based. "I am a Christian first and then an actor," says Julianne, who has been active in overseas missions trips when not acting. "I feel this is the door God has opened. This is where He wants me." Julianne was a child actor and attended drama school in New York City before moving to California. Before breaking into Days she was cast in the lead of a South African TV series titled Sinbad. Christian actors often talk about what lines they can cross in their roles, and Julianne discovered hers when she was asked to lead a séance in an episode of Sinbad. "I read the script the night before and started crying. I just didn't know how I could do it," she says. "[The next day] I walked off the set and went back to my dressing room. I wasn't a diva or anything, but [shooting the scene] went against every single fiber in me." During five months of filming, Julianne had been a vibrant, kind presence on the set, befriending and helping co-stars and crew members. "I had let my light shine," she says. "So when it came to the séance, and I could not do it, they were nice about it. "Sometimes we find ourselves doing what maybe wasn't part of God's original plan or what God really wanted us to do. But even in the midst of that it is amazing how He's so gracious to stand by us and, like Scripture says in Romans 8:28, 'All things work together for good to those that love the Lord, to those who are called according to His purpose.'" Julianne has not had any significant problems with her character, Greta Von Amburg, on Days of Our Lives. But she, like most Christians interviewed for this article, would not take God's name in vain or act in a sex scene. "Sure, a lot of myself comes out [in Greta]," says Julianne, who is leaving the show this spring to pursue prime-time roles. "She is so sweet, but there are lots of choices Greta would make that are different than mine. That is what acting is. I hope I would be a little smarter about men." A Teen Role Model Fifteen-year-old Kirsten Storms had just been cast as Belle Black when Jamie-Lyn Bauer was seeing the close of her stint on Days of Our Lives in 1999. Kirsten was assigned to Jamie-Lyn's dressing room--and recognized immediately the presence of the Holy Spirit from the years Jamie-Lyn had used the room for prayer. "My mother and I noticed right away. There are good spirits in this dressing room," says Kirsten, who has gained fame in Disney movies, including Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century for which she won the 1998-1999 Best Performance on a TV Movie or Pilot and a Leading Young Actress award, beating out the likes of Kirsten Dunst and Tegan Moss. Kirsten grew up in Orlando, Florida, where she attended a Baptist church and later Metro Life Church, an independent charismatic congregation. Her family, including her father, Mike Storms--a NASCAR race announcer and former TV sports anchor in Orlando--moved to California in 1996 to pursue acting opportunities that had opened in Hollywood for Kirsten. They now attend a Vineyard church. "God places Christians in the entertainment business," says Kirsten, 17, and one of the most popular characters on Days. "He is going to turn lights on in dark places." Guiding Lights in Hollywood Daytime soaps trace their roots to serial fiction from the likes of Charles Dickens and radio serials of the 1930s and 1940s, acquiring their name from the advertisers who sold soap products. The first TV soap aired in the early 1950s and gained popularity in subsequent decades. Today, they are mainstays competing with talk shows and game shows. Soaps tend to focus on female characters, both bad and good. They reflect on societal issues and tend to clearly define good and evil. And, of course, the stories never end. This last element allows the scripts to explore the attitudes and emotions around touchy subjects such as AIDS, premarital sex, racial prejudice, homelessness and other real-life issues, which could include Christianity. "Why not?" Austin Peck says. "There could be a Christian character on a soap. But it would have to be an honest character [who] is allowed to struggle with his faith, stumble, fall and get up again." He's willing to play a bad character if the role is redeeming or shows the ugliness of sin. But, he adds: "[soaps] are a slice of life...you cannot take them too seriously." Soap Digest managing editor Stephanie Sloane has noticed the increasing number of actors who believe in God on the programs. "There are Christians on all of the shows, but there is a larger, more vocal contingent on Days," she says. "Soaps are not all about sex. People who say that do not watch them. They deal with poignant, ongoing stories. Yes, yes, many people have sex. But...often there are consequences." So why be a Christian on a soap? Even some of the stars themselves wrestle with the question. "The day I became a Christian I thought, Oh no, I can't work on that show anymore. I was horrified," says Hunter Tylo, a charismatic Christian who stars as Taylor Hayes Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful. "I was willing to walk away. I prayed about where God wanted me. I said: 'Lord take this career. I do not want to be a stumbling block for anyone.'" Hunter walked through the entire CBS studio anointing every room and sound stage with oil. Like Jamie-Lyn, she prayed that God would bring other Christians to the show and the network. Resolved that God indeed wanted her to stay, Hunter has been able to bring Scripture into several episodes and has shared Christ with co-stars and crew members, even leaving notes and tracts in their mailboxes. Many of the stars see God's hand at work in their careers and are careful not to cross the lines in their parts. Scott Reeves, former star with The Young and the Restless agrees that an actor's place on the soaps is a position to be taken seriously for Christ. "How can a Christian be in a soap? I don't think it is for another person to judge. It is between God and the person. You know when you are doing something you should not be doing," he says. Says Julianne Morris: "I am not on a soap to minister to other Christians. I am more concerned about the non-Christians. If I can reach one person for Christ, it is all worth it." When Life Is More Than Soap Opera Julianne Morris says abstinence iis one role she won't negociate. Julianne Morris' first role in a daytime soap was as a 16-year-old on The Young and the Restless. The storyline took a turn that challenged her faith as a Christian. It called for her character to lose her virginity. "I was mortified," Julianne says. "That is such a horrible message." She tried to reason with the producers and writers. "I did not go in like a bull in a china shop. I tried to be humble and kind and loving and backed it with facts [about teen pregnancy]," she told Charisma. But the producers had their way, and her character was unable to remain a virgin. "They were very nice about it and agreed to add several scenes--several days of me just crying and saying [the pregnancy] was the biggest mistake I'd ever made, that I wanted to wait until I was married and that I wish I had waited. "But there are a lot of situations where girls lose their virginity and then realize they made a big mistake," Julianne adds. "So there was a message in it." Julianne, who is single and is leaving Days of Our Lives this spring, clearly advocates sexual abstinence before marriage. "I am waiting. It is not always easy, but it is the right thing to do," she says. The Days star has a strong message for all singles, especially teens. "I believe marriage is ordained by God," she says. "The Bible teaches quite explicitly that the romantic attachment between a husband and a wife is a parallel to our relationship to God. There could be no stronger indication of its importance. "The idea of waiting until you are married to have sex is simply an acknowledgment of the power of sex and its unique status. Christians understand exactly how exalted and life-changing it is, which is why we don't advocate treating it as cavalier as getting a manicure." Steven Lawson is a veteran journalist based in Southern California. While he does not watch soaps, his late grandmother, Pauline Steves, was a fervent Days of Our Lives fan from the show's inception in 1965.

Was it AMC and Y&R's success in the mid 70's that began the push to more youthful stories? Also the expansion to 60 min meant there was room for them in the older shows. DOOL aged Mike and David,ATWT did the same with Annie & Dee,AW with Mike and Marianne etc DRS being set in a hospital probably found it more difficult to incorporate younger kids in major stories.

As well as Nancy,AW had potential story gold with Rachel's other half sister Pam Davis.