The Secret Storm Discussion Thread

[ClassicsSoapFan]

I have enjoyed reading threads about the oild soaps here at SON. Does any body remember The Secret Storm on CBS?

It ran from February 1954 to February 1974.It was created by soap legend Roy Winsor . Gloria Monty (GH) was the director for many years.

Jada Rowland played Amy off and on for the length of the series and is one of the few characters on daytime tv that wasn't SORASed.

One of the most famous stories about The Secret Storm was when movie star Joan Crawford appeared on the show in place of her daughter,Christina who was playing Joan Borman Kane.She was drunk. You have probably read about it in 'Mommie Dearest' and seen the movie.

Here is an article about it:

http://www.joancrawfordbest.com/tv60s.htm

[ClassicsSoapFan]

Gillian Houghton was the last Head writer of The Secret Storm. She was also known as Gabrielle Upton..

Upton/Houghton also wrote for Search for Tomorrow ,Guiding Light and such primetime shows as Ben Casey,High Chapparell,The Big Valley,The Virginian and the Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

When she became headwriter,she injected some contoversey in to the show.

One plot centered around young widow Laurie Stevens (Stephanie Braxton).She fell in love with a priest. Father Mark Reddin(David Gale) went through the agony of leaving the priesthood for love. Gary Sandy (WKRP in Cincinatti) played his brother.

Amy Ames Kincaid (Jada Rowland) surprised her new husband ,Kevin(David Ackroyd),with the news she was preganant. He had an accident that left him paralysed from the waist down. She learned that she was not pregnant. Not to crush his spirit,she went through artificial insemination.The donor? Dr.Brian Nieves (Jeffrey Pommerantz,later Keith Charles) who was in love with Amy.

These plots may be tame today but there were controversial back in 1973,1974.

Here is an article I found about this. The original date:April 2,1973.

Click for Link

[SteveFrame]

I remember reading in some magazine that Upton read every fan letter personally that the show got about the Mark Reddin story. She said most were favorable.

In the interview that I did with Veleka Gray, she mentioned Gabrielle Upton and how they collaborated on the character of Mia on LOL together. I think most of the people who worked on the shows she wrote for liked her.

[Paul Raven]

Some other Secret Storm bits'n pieces

The show began on Feb 1st 1954 from 4.15 - 4.30.Woman With A Past debuted the same day at 4.00 but was cancelled in July.

The Brighter Day took over that timeslot until it too was cancelled in 1962,at which point SS expanded to 30 mins.

It held that slot until 1968. From 68-72 it played at 3.00,then it was shifted to3.30 till 73 when it returned to 4.00 until cancellation in 74.

In addition to Christina Crawford,the showe also starred Judy Lewis,daughter of another Hollywood legend LorettaYoung.

Like Christina & Joan,Judy had issues with her mother over the fact that her father was Clark Gable and she never was told.Instead Loretta pretended Judy was adopted.

During the live days,performers sometimes flubbed their lines.

Haila Stoddard was supposed to say,'I always thought she was a bit of a witch',but instead said'a whit of a bitch'.The b word was not allowed on TV at the time and the actors got very confused at the time,trying to cover.

Another time the line was 'Are you calling me a crooked cop?' instead the actor said'crooked cock' and everybody broke up including the announcer who was attempting a live commercial.

Roy Winsor produced the show till 69 ,when American Home Products sold it to CBS.

He said,'I had been producing the show on a fixed budget for AHP.I got the money,they got the show.For a long time ,they were very popular.I always worked on the sound priciples of theme and story,the same principles that dictate great novels,and they worked for my shows. Then ,when the ratings competition got heavy,CBS kept pressuring me for fancier sets,better trimmings,and with the money spent there we had to lower our acting budget and the story suffered'.

[ClassicsSoapFan]

Thank you,Steve Frame and Paul Raven for your comments.

I believe that no matter the show when the network steps in a does some tinkering with the established format that show begins to falter in quality.

[ivnkplng]

Actually, Lynne Adams was playing Amy at that time, while on an extended break from her role as Leslie Bauer on GUIDING LIGHT (Kathryn Hays played Leslie while Adams was away, btw). Here's a photo of Adams, Pomerantz, and Ackyoyd:

[ClassicsSoapFan]

Ah! Thank you for posting that picture!It brings back memories!

I love Kathy Hays,Lynne Adams and Jada Rowland. I didn't like Kathy as Leslie nor Lynne as Amy.

To me Kathy is the one and only Kim,Lynne is the best Leslie and Jada is the best Amy.

I know that Jada came back toward the end because they made a big deal about her coming back to her role.

I remember the final scene where Kevin gets up out of his wheelchair and Amy comes in and they collapse on the floor in hugs. I believe most of the cast followed!

Who was the original Kevin? I want to say Dennis Cooney (Jay,ATWT) but I may be wrong!

Thanks again for posting that picture!

[ivnkplng]

I've never actually seen an episode of THE SECRET STORM (I was born in 1971). It's just a show that I've become obsessed with, like WHERE THE HEART IS, that I have little or no hope of ever actually viewing.

Have you seen this, btw? ----> The Secret Storm

[Paul Raven]

Dennis Cooney was indeed the first Kevin.

He had previously played Alan on Love of Life.I wonder why he only lasted a year on SS.

It was a case of 'musical soap roles' on the CBS shows .

Lynne Adams left TGL and Leslie was played by Kathryn Hays and then Barbara Rodell before Lynne returned.

Kathryn went on to play Kim on ATWT.

Barbara had been killed off AW as Lee in 69 and went to SS as Jill and was killed off again before going to TGL.

Jada Rowland left SS as Amy and Lynne replaced her.Jada came back to SS so Lynne returned to TGL,ousting Barbara who landed the role of Joyce on ATWT.

[antmunoz]

Barbara Rodell could play ANYTHING. She made nice girls interesting and bad girls FASCINATING. Rodell still acts, and I yearned for Joyce to return to ATWT to make Lisa's life a living hell again up to the last episode.