The Brighter Day

[danfling]

Mona Bruns was later on the California serial Paradise Bay as Judge Hastings (could this have been television first female judge/), but then, the next year, was back in New York to appear on Another World as Emily Hastings.

In California, she also appeared on My Favorite Martian, Mannix, Adam-12, Green Acres, 

Her husband, actor Frank M. Thomas, also appeared as a judge (Judge Grayson) on Paradise Bay (which was his final role as far as I can tell).

[Paul Raven]

June 11 1957

Heroine of'Brighter Day' Feels It's Not Overdrawn By CHARLES MERCER NEW YORK 

Muriel Williams, a comely and talented actress who has a few hours to say in behalf of televis­ion soap operas. As Lydia Canfield of Brighter Day(CBS-TV, Monday .through Friday. 4 p. mj she has had near­ly two years of experience in the daytime serial field. As Lydia Canfield, she says, I have a husband and have been involved in far more emotional adventures than practically any 'married' woman you can name, But each adventure in itself has not been over-dramatized or over­ly turgid. I think the reason some peo­ple criticize so-called soap opera is because they look at one once and fail to enter deeply into the story since they haven't been fol­lowing it.

It's Iike opening a book in the middle, glancing at one page, and saying,'this stinks.' Or else someone will sit down and look at three or four serials In a row. That's like eating too much dessert all at once . On one score. Miss Williams had no argument from her inquisitor: The acting in daytime television serials has a high level of excel­lence. Portraying a character over a period of time gives an actor more chance to develop depth than in a one-shot,she says it also gives viewers an opportunity to evolve genuine personal reac­tions to the characters. Occasionally an actor or actress is written out of the script of a soap opera for a while. Thus Miss Williams will shortly fade from the story line of Brighter Day for a couple of weeks in order to play in Anniversary Waltz at the Sacandaga Park Theater near Gloversville. N Y. An actor leads a rigorous sched­ule on a soap opera. In Brighter Day rehearsals begin at 12:30 p. m. and continue almost until air time. Then, after the 15 min­ute program is over, the actors rehearse on the next day's show until 6pm

Born in Dover, N H. Miss Wil­ liams was married to the late Francis Hart when he was man­ager of the Cape Playhouse m Dennis, Mass. Since her husband's death, she has remained vice president of the Boston model agency which he founded. A dedicated actress, she says, it's far better to act then to study acting. That is one of the values of the television daytime serial.

[Paul Raven]

Two headwriters I have never seen listed for The Brighter Day

David Davidson who wrote the show under the name Albert Sanders beginning March 61

He took over from another nightime writer James Cavanaugh, who wrote the original script for the Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho. Cavanaugh had written for Hitchcock's TV series and Hitchcock used many of the shows crew to keep costs down and give Psycho a low budget look. Cavanaugh's script was rejected and rewritten.

Cavanaugh wrote TBD for a couple of months beginning Jan 61.

[danfling]

This show had so many writers!

Could the list of head writers be posted?

[Paul Raven]

Here's what I could find re headwriters of the TV version of the show.Orin Tovrov was the original writer of the radio version.

Doris Frankel -Jan 54 when the show transferred to TV

John Haggart

Sam Hall

Irna Phillips -this was around the time that there was crossover from As The World Turns to Brighter Day with Ellen giving her baby to the Meadows.

Barry Lake-was writing the show in August 1960

Michael Cavanaugh early 1961

Dave Davidson as Albert Saunders March 61

Hendrik Vollaerts

 

[Mona Kane Croft]

ATWT's Ellen Lowell gave her son, Dan, to a couple on TBD?  What year did that happen?  This is the first time I have heard about this.  I've never read this in any of the old soap-opera histories.  Very cool!  How did Dan get back to Oakdale and ATWT?   

[Paul Raven]

1958

 But a new man soon comes into Ellen's life: Dr. Tim Cole, a research colleague of Dr. Doug Cassen. The two have a passionate affair, but Tim is keeping something from Ellen: he is already married to someone else. Ellen soon finds herself pregnant. Since she doesn't want anyone in Oakdale to know she's going to have a baby out of wedlock, Ellen leaves for Columbus, where she stays with Dr. Joe Meadows and his wife. It is there that Ellen gives birth to a baby boy she names James, after her late father

At some point Ellen then decides to put the baby up for adoption and David and Betty Stewart adopt him. 

Ellen realizes their son Dan is her boy and tries to get him back etc

[Mona Kane Croft]

Okay, so the Meadows did not adopt James/Dan. The adoption to David and Betty Stewart happened on ATWT.  So Ellen must have spent relatively little time in Columbus.    Still, that is interesting history to explore.  Thanks!

[Paul Raven]

Apparently, the Meadows appeared on ATWT but Ellen did not appear on TBD.

Not sure how she came to know them and entrust them with her son or how much play that situation was given on TBD. 

[danfling]

The adoption of Jimmy/Danny did not happen on As the World Turns.   The Stewart family had already adopted Jimmy prior to the time that they moved to Oakdale.   I am almost certain that Paul had already been born also before they moved.

[Paul Raven]

Yes I meant that in terms of the adoption dispute with Ellen and the Stewarts. When they arrived in Oakdale they had already adopted Dan and Paul was a little older I believe.

[DRW50]

Going through this Youtube account (which I mostly just knew for the 1974 AW) they have an episode I don't think I've seen before or if I have, I don't really remember it. 

I find soap trials tedious but there are some fun touches in this (like the defense attorney with a prop door and knife - David Kelley eat your heart out!).

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Edited July 18, 2024 by DRW50

[vetsoapfan]

Thanks, @DRW50.

I don't believe I had seen this episode, either, but I've generally enjoyed the eps of TBD which I have watched. I look forward to it.

[Paul Raven]

Thanks @DRW50  interesting episode with Mitchell Dru the only speaking part.

I remember the publicity for EON when Donald May did the same but it was done years before on TBD, admittedly for 15 min rather then 30.

[DRW50]

That's a great point. I was almost going to complain about this until I remembered the 30 minute aspect, which is much harder. I imagine there must have been a number of 15 minute soaps that had just one person talking but this must be the first we've seen. I didn't even know this was Mitchell Dru so thanks for pointing it out. The most I've seen of him. I guess even though Irna moved him to all the soaps TBD must have been his most prominent until AW.

Edited July 18, 2024 by DRW50