ALL MY CHILDREN scored big by hiring James Mitchell (Palmer), Peter Bergman (Cliff, now Jack on YOUNG AND RESTLESS) and Taylor Miller (Nina).... The show hit No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the first and only time.... Ruth and Joe welcomed baby Joey (later known as Jake).... Soon after Phil and Tara renewed their vows, he went missing.... Erica’s marriage to Tom famously imploded when he busted her for secretly popping birth control pills.
Y&R fave William Grey Espy joined ANOTHER WORLD as Mitch.... Mac divorced Rachel and said, “I do,” to evil Janice....Susan Keith debuted as Cecile, while Richard Bekins became the seventh Jamie.... Irene Dailey (pictured) won the Daytime Emmy for Lead Actress as Liz.... The show expanded to 90 minutes....Head Writer Harding “Pete” Lemay was out; Tom King took over in May and was joined by Robert Soderberg in November.
Photo credit: Leslie Murray
AS THE WORLD TURNS’s Kim was widowed when Dan lost his life to a brain tumor.... Douglas Marland (pictured) became the show’s head writer for the first time, temporarily, before Bridget and Jerome Dobson took over.
On DAYS OF OUR LIVES, Marlena took her first husband (Don) and got pregnant with her first child.... Bill Hayes (Doug) briefly played Doug’s half brother, Byron Carmichael....After Julie’s face was badly burned in a fire, she spurned Doug, who impulsively wed Lee.... Laura was institutionalized.... Suzanne Rogers (Maggie) took home the Daytime Emmy for Supporting Actress.... Late in the year, NBC ordered major changes, so Executive Producer H. Wesley Kenney was replaced by Al Rabin in January 1980....DAYS won the Soapy Award for Favorite Show.
Kathleen Turner exited THE DOCTORS as Nola. The role was recast with Kim Zimmer.... Doris Quinlan succeeded Charles Weiss as EP. On the head-writing front, Linda Grover, Elizabeth Levin and David Cherrill were out; Ralph Ellis and Eugenie Hunt were in.
GENERAL HOSPITAL introduced Richard Simmons as himself; the late Norma Connolly (Ruby) and Shell Kepler (Amy) began their runs.... Luke raped Scotty’s new bride, Laura (pictured), his co-worker at the Campus Disco.... Monica welcomed son Alan, Jr. (A.J.) who, at the time, she believed to have been sired by Rick, not Alan.... Audrey informed Jeff that Steve was his biological father, while Peter Taylor died shortly after learning that his son, P.J., was really Steven Lars, the bio son of Heather and Jeff.... Tracy wed corrupt DA Mitch Williams.... Bobbie’s love, Roy DiLucca, died in her arms.... Douglas Marland departed as head writer, replaced by Pat Falken Smith.... The Daytime Emmy for Supporting Actor went to Peter Hansen (Lee).
Roger married Holly on GUIDING LIGHT, then raped her. She took him to court for marital rape, a daytime first. Jerry verDorn began his run as Ross, who served as Roger’s defense attorney.... Bridget and Jerome Dobson were out as head writers; Douglas Marland landed the job.
ONE LIFE TO LIVE began a new era with theadditions of Robin Strasser (Dorian, who had just ended her run as AMC’s Christina) and its first Buchanans, Clint Ritchie (Clint) and Robert S. Woods (Bo).... Lee Patterson exited as Joe Riley, who succumbed to a brain tumor, leaving behind a pregnant wife, Viki.... Al Freeman, Jr. (Ed) was the first African-American to win a Daytime Emmy (for Outstanding Lead Actor)....Karen’s secret life as a prostitute was outed on the witness stand during Viki’s trial for the murder of Marco, who turned up alive.
RYAN’S HOPE Creators Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer sold the show to ABC.... The show won Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Drama, Writing and Directing.... Ilene Kristen exited as Delia; the role was recast twice before year’s end, first with Robyn Millan, then with Randall Edwards.... Mary was killed by a mob hit man.... Siobhan wed Joe Novak.
SEARCH FOR TOMORROW introduced Patsy Pease (pictured), DAYS’s future Kimberly, as Cissie, and Kevin Bacon as Tod.
YOUNG AND RESTLESS's Nikki was recast with Melody Thomas (now Scott), and DarleneConley (best known as BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL’s Sally) debuted as Rose DeVille.... Nikki killed her abusive father, Nick, in self-defense, then wed Greg Foster.... April Stevens, Paul’s future baby mama, was introduced...Leslie gave birth to a son, Brooks, sired by her brother-in-law, Lance....Katherine faked paralysis, then her own death, to thwart Derek’s romance with Jill, who faked a pregnancy and wed Stuart.... Chris and Snapper awaited the birth of their first child.