If someone did an oral history of soaps, who/what should be included?

[DramatistDreamer]

Yes, Khan, that is pretty darn impressive. Don't expect mine to be alphabetized like Khan's list but I want to add to that:

Speaking of diversity, I think I'd add:

Marguerite Ray, Stephanie E. Wiliams, Phil Morris, Nathan Purdee, Elizabeth Sung, Phillip Moon (Y&R) and John St. Elwood

Also, Quinn Redeker because I think he'd have a lot to tell and being a screenwriter, he'd probably be terrific at relating those stories.

Patty Weaver

Maura West (specifically her time at Y&R)

Would love for Beth Maitland, Eileen Davidson, Jerry Douglas and Marguerite Ray to talk about Terry Lester.

Would love to hear from Tonya Pinkins (She's known to be very frank), concerning her time on As The World Turns specifically

Hugo Napier

Brian Bloom

Tamara Tunie and Michael Swan,

Count Stovall,

Eddie Earl Hatch,

Paul Taylor,

Lamman Rucker,

Napiera Groves

Ming-na,

Lea Salonga

Robert Harris (okay he played a boring character in Ben Harris but the actor might surprise us with what he has to tell)

Lauren B. Martin

Patricia Bruder (Dobsons and Douglas Marland)

Finn Carter

Scott Bryce

Hayley Barr (ATWT & GL)

Nia Long and Monty Sharp (Guiding Light)

Jean Carole

Jordan Clarke and Amelia Marshall, Nia Long and Monty Sharp (Vince Williams)

Audrey Peters and Gil Rogers

I'd also love to hear from some behind the scenes people, former PAs, interns, people who were heavily relied on but might otherwise be rendered invisible in a credits listing.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Charity Rahmer (on raising the bar for acting on daytime television).

[Khan]

More names:

Grant Aleksander, Judi Evans (Luciano), Michael O'Leary and Krista Tesreau (about GL's "Four Musketeers" story)

Denise Alexander

Rod Arrants (about Travis and Liza's romance on SEARCH FOR TOMORROW)

Matthew Ashford & Melissa Reeves (about her affair with Jason Brooks -- KIDDING)

Julia Barr & Richard Shoberg (about Laura Cudahy's death on ALL MY CHILDREN)

Felicia Minei Behr

Jeff Beldner, Lorraine Broderick, Hal Corley, Frederick Johnson and Michelle Patrick (about the conception and execution of Michael Delaney's coming out story on ALL MY CHILDREN)

Meg Bennett

Roscoe Born

Tracey Bregman

James Harmon Brown (mostly about the noble, but failed, experiments that were THE CITY and PORT CHARLES' telenovela format)

Kimberlin Brown

Ron Carlivati & Frank Valentini (Let's be fair...)

Tricia Cast

Crystal Chappell (about Carly's buried alive story on DAYS and Otalia on GL)

Leslie Charleson

Maree Cheatham

Christie Clark & Ali Sweeney (about DAYS in the early '90's, and the Carrie/Sami/Austin/Lucas storyline)

Michael Corbett

Nicolas Coster

Nancy Curlee

Shelley Curtis

Michael Damian

Stuart Damon

Doug Davidson

Eileen Davidson (about Kristen/Susan/Sister Mary Moira/etc.'s antics on DAYS)

Lane Davies

Don Diamont

Ellen Dolan (about working on AS THE WORLD TURNS during the "mercy killing" story and about Margo's rape/AIDS scare)

Jerry Douglas

William Grey Espy

Andrea Evans

Mary Beth Evans & Stephen Nichols

John Gabriel

Helen Gallagher

Linda Gottlieb

Nancy Lee Grahn (about working on SANTA BARBARA)

Josh Griffith

Malcolm Groome

Robert Guza, Jr.

Ron Hale

Lindsay Hartley, Liza Huber and Eric Martsolf (on the Ethan/Theresa/Gwen triangle on PASSIONS)

Susan Haskell

David Hasselhoff (I think they'd be remiss not to try and interview him)

Kathryn Hays

Lynn Herring & Jon Lindstrom (about their experiences on PORT CHARLES)

Susan Bedsow Horgan

Roger Howarth

James Houghton

Finola Hughes

Liz Keifer

Maeve Kinkead

Harley Jane Kozak (C'mon, "The Big C"?)

Wortham Krimmer (about the AIDS/Homophobia story on ONE LIFE TO LIVE)

Michael Levin

Julianna McCarthy

Kimberly McCullough

Megan McTavish (yes, Megan McTavish!)

Beth Maitland

Michael Malone

Brad Maule (if nothing else, for The Moment...you know what I'm talking about)

Donna Mills (about the hugely popular triangle w/ her, Leslie Charleson and David Birney on LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING, the first of a wave of soaps that emphasized youth-oriented storylines)

Juliet Mills (about PASSIONS)

Julianne Moore (she'd be willing to talk)

Phil Morris (about Tyrone Jackson's "White Like Me" story on Y&R)

Lisa Peluso

Audrey Peters (about LOVE OF LIFE)

Wendy Riche

Chris Robinson

Tristan Rogers

Frank Runyeon (about working with Meg Ryan on ATWT)

Emma Samms

Edward Scott

Louise Shaffer

Kin Shriner

Courtney Simon (about playing proto-feminist Kathy Parker Phillips on SEARCH FOR TOMORROW)

Peter Simon (about GL, and specifically about the Bauer clan)

Tina Sloan

Hillary B. Smith (about AS THE WORLD TURNS, Doug Marland and OLTL's "Spring Fling" date rape storyline)

Louise Sorel (about SANTA BARBARA and about crazy Vivian on DAYS)

John Stamos

Sherry Stringfield

Susan Sullivan (about ANOTHER WORLD in the '70's)

Michael Sutton (about Stone and Robin's love story)

Brynn Thayer

Gary Tomlin

Jessica Tuck (about Megan's death on ONE LIFE TO LIVE)

Michael Tylo (about the Quint/Nola romance on GL)

Jerry verDorn

Jack Wagner

Kristina Wagner

Ellen Wheeler (about playing twins on ANOTHER WORLD, Cindy and Stuart's love story on ALL MY CHILDREN -- and, Lord, yes, even Peapack)

Robert S. Woods (about the early days of the Buchanans on OLTL)

Jackie Zeman (hey, SoapBoy!)

Colleen Zenk

I'd also like to talk with network execs such as Michael Brockman, Michael Eisner, Michael Filerman and Fred Silverman, many of whom "cut their teeth," so to speak, supervising daytime programming at the different networks.

[Khan]

Meanwhile, how's this for a title: "When Every Day Was Friday: An Oral History of the American Soap Opera."

[Bright Eyes]

Beverly Penberthy: About Pat's abortion story, her alcoholism, John Randolph, her thoughts on Harding Lemay planning to have Michael be homosexual ...

Carol Roux

Joseph Gallison - Especially on why his story on OLTL never truly came to fruition.

Michael Storm / Agnes Nixon, others from Dark Shadows - As much as can be said about the most underrated soap writer of all time, Gordon Russell.

[All My Shadows]

Charita Bauer's real-life sons, also named Mike and Ed, if they're still alive.

[Bright Eyes]

Was that on purpose or just coincidence?

[Khan]

Forgot another one: Christine Jones. I want to hear as much as possible about Rachel and Janice in the pool in St. Croix.

[All My Shadows]

The way I've always read it is that when Bert gave birth on the show, CB requested that they name the child Mike after her own son so that if she slipped and called her TV son by her real son's name, no one would know the difference. I'm not 100% sure if she had another son named Ed or not.

[edgeofnight]

The magazine article that I was featured in (Mental Floss magazine - the magazine for knowledge junkies - Sept/Oct. 2011) is entitled 'An Oral History of the American Soap Opera.' Other interviewees included Ken Corday, former NBC executive and TV historian Tim Brooks, Wendy Riche, Don Hastings, Chris Goutman, Erika Slezak, Jackie Zeman, Kimberly mcCullough, Kay Alden, Michael Fairman, Tina Sloan, Eden Riegel, Julie hanan Carruthers, Bill and Susan Seaforth Hayes, Suzanne Rogers, Tristan Rogers, Genie Francis, Barbara Bloom and Roger Newcomb.

[Khan]

So, end of thread?

[~bl~]

I don't think a magazine article though is sufficient for a full oral history of soaps. When I read that article, I felt it didn't have enough of certain programs.

[antmunoz]

I think there was only a Michael. Ed was originally called Billy on TGL.

[SoapDope]

I always wished that there would be a in depth interview with lovely Meg Bennett. Meg first played Liza on Search For Tomorrow in the early 70's and then headed to L.A. and became the original Mrs. Newman "Julia" on Y&R . Bill Bell intended to kill of Victor shortly and have her character to be a love interest for Beau Kayser (Brock). Bill then became obsessed with Eric Braeden and kept the Victor character. Bell discovered Meg's quick way of rewriting scenes, lines etc.....and suggested she might consider soap writing. She went on to write for Y&R, B&B, GH, Santa Barbara, Sunset Beach and some prime time. Meg also had a role on SB in the late 80's and a role on GH as Allegra.

[y&r_fan]

Fixed.