"Secret Storm" memories.

[amybrickwallace]

Well, he's far from the only soap husband with that problem.

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[danfling]

Lynn Adams was playing Amy during the baby shower.    Jada Rowland was playing Amy at the time of the birth.

[Nicholas Blair]

Thanks for confirming this.

[Paul Raven]

A May 73 article states that Jada was returning after a two year absence.

So Lynne was on May 71-May 73.

[amybrickwallace]

Does anyone know why Jada left that time?

[Paul Raven]

Pure speculation, but from reading articles from that time. Jada seemed like a very 60's free spirit, creative type who maybe found soap work a little restricting after a time.

So she would do the work, make some money and then take off to travel etc. She also had a son around this time so maybe wanted to concentrate on that.

[amybrickwallace]

That makes sense. Of course, once she got TD, she was a single mom and was her son's sole support. She stayed consistently during her six plus year run there.

[Nicholas Blair]

Thanks for the info. I can't imagine what it would be like to be on a soap from the time you were a child. 

I wanted to mention Audre Johnston, who played Martha Ann Ashley, a sidekick of Belle's. Did Martha Ann work as a nurse for Dr. Neeves, and did she find out about Amy's insemination and tell her pal Belle? My memory is hazy on that. Audre Johnston was very good in the part.

As you may know, the part of Kevin Kincaid was originally played by Dennis Cooney, but not for long. He was OK, IIRC, but bringing in David Ackroyd was the right choice. Dennis later got his big chance as Jay Stallings on ATWT, where he blossomed as an actor.

[amybrickwallace]

Jada is one of the very few people in soap history who played a role from childhood through adulthood without the role being rapid-aged. The only other person I can think of in that same position would be Kimberly McCullough of GH.

[Joseph]

if that was 1967 it would be for ATWT or if it was 1969 i would say to draw for children on sesame street but no idea on 1971

[Nicholas Blair]

Another fun fact about TSS: This may be the first soap to show a gay character. Granted, this was a day player and no mention was made of his being gay. However, on one show Belle had a flamingly stereotypical designer helping her re-do her living room.

[Joseph]

that's one thing i hated about many soaps specially B&B absurdly rapid aging, i don't mind this when they wait a reasonable time like 10 years but but some like B&B, Y&R and AW aged characters way too quickly, it's too OTT to me that's why i think i would have enjoyed TSS very much sometimes i think i was born 30 years too late

[amybrickwallace]

Speaking of Marla Adams...

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[danfling]

More on Jada Rowland:

Ms. Rowland was on The Secret Storm from its very beginning in 1954.  She left the show three different times and was on the show when it left the air in 1974.es

Ms.Rowland first left the show in the 1960s.  The role was recast twice.   Both June Carter (who, at one time, had played Cookie on The Edge of Night) and Beverly Lunsford (who later moved to California and became an actress on various primetime episodic television programs) played the role of Amy.

 

Ms. Rowland returned probably in 1961 or 1962.   The character of Amy was involved with her first husband Kip Rysdale and later with Professor Paul Britton.   After she and Paul were married, they were written off the show.   It was during that time that she played Dr, Susan Burke Stewart on As the World Turns.  Nicholas Coster (Paul) played John Eldridge on borh Our Private World and (after its cancellation) and As the World Turns.

 

Both Ms. Rowland and Mr. Coster were asked to return to The Secret Storm.   I know that they were back by 1967 (Thay is when I began watching the show.  Mr. Coster left the show, and his replacemetns were Conard Fowlkes and Linden Chiles before the character was again written off the show.

 

Around 1969, Ms. Rowland left the show on a leave to appear in the premiere cast of PBS's Sesame Street.  I think that her character was named "Jeanie."  At some time, she was also in on the stage as a puppeteer.

 

She then left the show in the show in around 1972.  Lynn Adams (Leslie #1 on The Guiding Light) assumed the role.

The role of Leslie was assumed by Katherine Hayes and then by Barbara Rodell (who had been a castmate of Ms. Rowland's when she played Jill Stevens Claiborne on The Secret Storm.)

 

I was told or read somethere that Ms. Rowland contacted the show and said that she was in the South and had run out of money.    She was returned to New York and the role of Amy.

 

She remained on the show until its cancellation and last episode.

 

She was later asked by actor David O'Brien (who had been one of the actors to play Kip) if she would like to come to The Doctors where they once again would play husband and wife.  They were both on The Doctors until the cancellation of that show.

 

After that, she was in several episodes of The Hamptions on ABC, which had been created and produced  by Gloria Monty, who had directed her for years on The Secret Storm.  Also on that show was Fran Carlon, who had played her mother on As the World Turns, and John Reilley, who had played her husband on As the World Turns.   (This, of course, was before Geoffrey Rowand, her brother, was playing Dan.)

 

She also, at one time, was a temporary substitute for Marie Masters as Dr. Susan Stewart.

 

She was offered a role in the movie of Tootsie (which was set on a soap opera set), but she told her second husband that she really did not want to continue her career as an actress.   Her husband replied that she should not go to the audition for Tootsie and should continue as she pleased.

 

Sometime, she had a son named Sparks, and the father of Sparks was murdered.   Now at this time, there is no mention of her son Sparks anywhere that I can find.    I saw the obituary for her second huband, and there was no mention of a stepson.

 

Does anyone know anything about what has happened to Sparks?

 

 

[amybrickwallace]

Jada has been on a couple of Alan Locher's chats and she referred to her son a couple of times. Nothing major, just in generalities.

This is from 2010. I don't know if this is the same Sparks Grassley that is Jada's son, but here you go:

https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/David-Willinger-Directorial-Debut