Courier Express 26 July 1980
Soap Report Mystery Tilt Keeps Viewers on 'Edge' By TOM JORY NEW YORK (AP)
Somebody once determined that one-third of all the murders ever committed on daytime television were on "Edge of Night," the only continuing mystery show among the soaps. ''We used to get lots of letters forwarded to us by the police chief in Monticello, New York," says Erwin ''Nick"" Nicholson, executive producer of the ABC serial set in the fictional Midwestern community of Monticello. "Viewers would write to tell him who they thought the guilty party was. "I guess he just gave up sending them on. "
THE SHOW STARTED 24 years ago, on CBS, structured as a romantic mystery, dealing with police activity and criminal law," Nicholson says, "and it has way, it is unique." Nicholson gives a good deal of the credit for the serles' continuing success to Henry Slesar, who joined the "Edge of Night" staff as head writer in 1967. He won an Emmy in 1974 for his "Edge of Night" scripts. "'Before coming with us, he wrote more than 50 shows for 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents," the producer says. ''This is his milieu, the mysterious, romantic story. And he's wonderful at it." "Edge of Night" premiered on CBS April 2, 1956, and moved to ABC in 1975. It is not aired by a Buffalo channel, but can be viewed weekdays at 2 on Toronto's Ch. 5.
IRVING VENDIG, who wrote the "Perry Mason" program for radio, created "Edge of Night" as well as the series' leading man, lawyer-detective Mike Karr.John Larkin, who played Mason on radio, was cast as the original Karr. The part now is played by Forrest Compton, who joined the series in 1971. The show won an Emmy in 1973 as the best daytime drama. Aside from the mysterious story line, "Edge of Night" has distinguished itself in another way -- by avolding the traditional soap opera emphasis on sex and fashion in suburbia. ''Spending a half-hour making a pot of coffee, that's not our bag," says Nicholson, who took over the show in 1966. ' 'Edge' moves faster than most soaps, as a mystery story must. We do 45 pages of script for a half-hour, and some hour-long shows are only 60."
THE SERIES WAS broadcast live until 1975, and now is recorded on videotape. Recent technology has allowed for some on location shooting. Early in July, for Instance, a chase sequence was shot at the Rye Playland amusement park outside of New York City. "* *Edge' probably was the first to do live location work,"" Nicholson recalls. ''We did a shootout on the rooftop of our old studio on First Avenue and 76th Street. It was very effective. "All of the shows are tearing out the walls now," he says. ''They're doing remotes as far away as Greece.
"Edge of Night" is taped in a 9,000-square-foot studio on East 44th Street. "It doesn't look that big," Nichol: son says, "with all the scenery shoehorned In. We could use another 4,000 feet, but considering the limitations, we do pretty well.
By
Paul Raven ·
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