Bright Promise

[ranger1rg]

Anyone remember "Bright Promise"?

It aired on NBC at 3:30 pm from Sept. 1969-March 1972, and centered on young people in a university town.

I was in high school at the time, and remember falling for Susan Brown, who played BP's heroine Martha Ferguson -- whose college professor husband cheated on her with a student.

I write to Susan numerous times during the show's run, as well as afterwards when she joined GH and PC, and she responded every time with nice notes, BP scripts, and more... what a classy lady.

"Bright Promise" was a terrific soap, I thought, ahead of its time -- no doubt aided by Gloria Monty's leadership.

A young Tony Geary was in the cast, and I remember his making an indelible impression as a young man of seemingly "limited capacity" taken in by Martha (Susan Brown) who turned out to be a creative, artistic type. Geary sang on the show, strumming a guitar, and I can still hear one of those songs in my head, "Hello, Rainbow," that played in one of the show's last episodes.

[dc11786]

I would kill to see "Bright Promise". There is a wonderful site devoted to Susan Brown's work and unfortunately this is the only soap they seem to be lacking information on. What a pity as it sounds rather fascinating once it dumped the Boswells and the college and focused on the antics of Sandra Jones and the Pierce family.

The set up for the later episodes seems like classic soap with the Martha/Sandra rivalry and the Sandra's marriage to Martha's brother. I would love to see the storyline with Anthony Geary playing David Lockhart who turned out to be the illegitimate son of the late Sylvia Bancroft, who Martha went on trial for killing.

I think both Bright Promise and Return to Peyton Place should have been given more time to develop.

[DRW50]

From the January 1972 TV Dawn to Dusk (Ideal Publishing Corp).

[DRW50]

Edited November 24, 2010 by CarlD2

[DRW50]

Edited November 24, 2010 by CarlD2

[Khan]

"Tony [Geary] considers himself a loner but hopes to find the right girl and settle down."

No comment. ;-)

[DRW50]

I thought someone would comment on that.

He looks a bit like Bill Eckert there.

Khan, is this one of those shows you wished you'd seen?

All I've seen is the opening credits shot with Dana Andrews, who was already gone by this time apparently.

[Khan]

Not really, no. In fact, come to think of it, there aren't any old soaps that I haven't seen that I'd like to. Except, maybe classic DOCTORS and EDGE OF NIGHT. (I watched those shows with my mom when I was little, but both were in serious decline by that point.)

Edited November 25, 2010 by Khan

[DRW50]

When did you start watching those shows? I know EON's decline was supposed to have started what, 83?

Heh, I always enjoy your analysis of soaps, so I was hoping you were as obsessed with the older soaps as I am.

There are some I don't care about seeing -- of the old ones I mostly want to see SFT, LOL, and Where the Heart Is.

This one, on paper, doesn't do a lot for me, but reading some comments about it and knowing the cast from elsewhere, I get a little more interested.

I also want to see all of A World Apart, because of the cast, and because of the last episode, with the christening and Clifton Davis singing "Everything Is Beautiful." I love that episode.

Is any of Bright Promise available?

When I saw this stuff I thought some fans here might want to read it -- I hope a few BP fans are still here.

I guess BP isn't the greatest term these days...

Edited November 25, 2010 by CarlD2

[DRW50]

Also from this issue, Bright Promise celebrates 500 episodes (how many did they run to in the end?).

[TC]

This is one of those shows I never knew about until WOST. What a fascinating cast.

[teplin]

I remember both "Bright Promise" and "How to Survive a Marriage" very, very vaguely ... nothing about the storylines, really, just a fond feeling for certain cast members ... Susan Brown, Dabney Coleman and Tony Geary on BP and Fran Brill, Rosemary Prinz and Jennifer Harmon on HTSM. I'd love to see both shows again.

[DRW50]

I'd like to see them too. I am especially interested in the story on HTSAM about Fran Brill becoming a widow and having to learn to take care of herself.

Were you surprised when Dabney Coleman became such a prominent film and primetime actor? Did he ever talk about his soap work?

I have a few HNTSAM things and one or two more BP things I will be posting when I can, so I hope you get to read them.

[All My Shadows]

I'd say it's quite possible all of BP exists. It was produced by Bing Crosby Productions (Ben Casey, Hogan's Heroes), which is now owned by CBS, so perhaps perhaps.

[DRW50]

That would be great!

Did they produce any other soaps?