From These Roots

[LoyaltoAMC]

If there's any long-gone soap I would LOVE to see, it's From These Roots. There's not much about it online, but I remember reading about in Chris Schmering's incredible book in the 80s. Supposedly, it was very literate, intelligent, and well written. And of course it didn't last very long. Anyone remember this long-lost gem? See wiki link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_These_Roots

[Sylph]

Again John Pickard and Frank Provo, who I mentioned in that other thread.

I think Eric from Montreal mentioned them once or twice before the SON crash.

[Paul Raven]

Some info on From These Roots

It ran on NBC from 3.30 -4.00 from July 58 till Dec 61.

The lead in was Today Is Ours which premiered the same day but lasted only a few months and then Young Dr Malone which outlasted FTR by about a year and in fact replaced it when FTR was cancelled.

The competition CBS The Verdict Is Yours ABC Do You Trust Your Wife/Who Do You Trust?

At the premiere,Liz Fraser,a fiction writer, had just returned to Strathfield,a New England own,to rejoin her father Ben and work as areporter on his newspaper,The Record.

Ben was the patriach of the wealthy Fraser family.

Lis often confided in Kass,the family maid,played by Vera Allen.

Ben's son,Ben Jr, wed Rose Corelli.They had marital difficulties.

Dr Buck Weaver loved Liz,but Liz loved playwright David Allen and Maggie,Buck's receptionist loved Buck.

Eventually,when Liz married David,Buck married Maggie on the rebound.

Barbara Berjer was only supposed to play on the skids actress Lynn Franklin for a few episodes,but was so popular she stayed for most of the showsrun.

Lynn married director Tom Jennings,but was eallyin love with Liz's husband David.

Since both Liz and david were writers,their marriage began to suffer from career conflict,and scheming Liz took advantage of their difficulties to get David for herself.

FTR concluded happily,with Liz and David staying together and experiencing career success.

[ivnkplng]

I've heard the title of this show quite a bit, but never read about it until today. It sounds fascinating.

I love Barbara Berjer from GUIDING LIGHT and would really enjoy seeing the Madame Bovary storyline that her character was involved with.

[Paul Raven]

Not much has been mentioned about this show,which is always given positive reviews in write-ups.Thought I'd bump this thread to perhaps get discussion going.

One of FTR's claims to fame is the incident when actress Julie Bovasso walked off the set shortly before live airing and a production assistant had to go on in the role of Rose.

This article from Aug 61 mentions an actress and character that I've never seen mentioned in any reference books.As the show was cancelled in December.that story probably had barely got off the ground and matbe was curtailed when news of cancellation came through.

Israeli actress Yardena has joined the cast of NBC TV's From These Roots, in the role of a sophisticated girl who poses a threat to the happy marriage of Liz and David Allen (Ann Flood and Robert Mandan).

Yardena plays Helene,a new fashion consultant on the staff of 'Lady Fair', the magazine on which Liz Allen is editor. In coming shows,Roy Cleveland (Richard X Slattery), the millionaire publisher of 'Lady Fair', enlists the glamorous newcomer in his attempts to break up Liz and David.

Once a private in the Israeli Army,and a member of the Oroth Repertory Company in Jerusalem for five years, Yardena has appeared in numerous television shows,two movies and Off broadway theater since coming to the Us three and a half years ago.She had a small role in From These roots a year ago.

her name is pronounced Yar-day-na and is the Israeli equivalent of Jordana. "I was named for the river Jordan",she says,explaining that it is a common practice in Isreal to name babies after rivers,trees,flowers and mountains.

[DRW50]

Thank you for finding this. Like you said, I'd never heard of this story. It could have been very interesting if given the chance. When people say all soaps were alike, I am even more disappointed that this show isn't around to prove them wrong.

How long was the Roy Cleveland character around?

So much talent came out of this show. I especially would like to see the episode which was all about an episode of a television show, or a play, or whatever.

[dc11786]

One of the soap books was shocked this show managed to last as long as it did because NBC was cancelled crazy. NBC did cancel the show in 1959 and planned for the final episode to be in June 1959. I'm pretty sure a game show was set to replace it. Sarah Hardy, who played the show's younger female lead, said the writers planned to leave the story up in the air in case someone changed their mind. At last minute, they did change. Sarah Hardy played Lyddy Benson, Liz Frazer's niece.

I don't know if this is documented in soap books, but she was a reporter like her aunt. She also worked at the Strathfield Record, the family newspaper. Lyddy married Lance Patterson, an English professor. At one point in the story, Lyddy's mother, Emily, suffered from a hysterical pregnancy.

According to another article, Yardena also appeared on the serial a year earlier.

[DRW50]

That's crazy, NBC canceled and then changed their mind. How often does that happen?

If the show was that tough imagine how it would have lasted on CBS or even ABC.

[soapfan770]

Here is what Matt P. Smith had to say about From These Roots:

[DRW50]

I would guess NBC just wanted the show gone - and P&G must have too if they sold it. I can't imagine anyone actually having faith in a vehicle for a woman who had not been seen in a major role in almost thirty years. This wasn't exactly Garbo.

I wish some of From These Roots was available. I especially would like to see Barbara Berjer's work.

[All My Shadows]

I *really* want to see some of those early 60s soaps. It seems like a lot of them were ambitious in trying to bring primetime-ish qualities (like the taped anthology shows from the 50s) to daytime. It's so unfortunate that so little of this stuff is still around because it would be great evidence of how wide the spectrum of what's considered good soap opera can be.

[All My Shadows]

http://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=from+these+roots&f=all&c=all&advanced=1&p=1&item=B:02159

Looks like the Paley Center has an episode. Honestly, I would plan a trip to NYC just to visit that place, just to watch their soap stuff. I'm that much of a geek. They have (relatively) tons of episodes of ATWT from 1965-1968.

[DRW50]

They should sell those online in order to raise money for the center.

[DRW50]

August 1960 TV Radio Mirror. Julie was the actress who walked off the set right before taping and a production assistant had to take her place.

[DRW50]