Five Things That Happened On May 3 In Soap History

In 1974, Steve Frame (George Reinholt) and Alice Matthews (Jacqueline Courtney) wed on Another World. The most significant coupling in the show's early years, Steve and Alice tied the knot at the home the groom had built for his bride. Robert Delaney served as Steve's best man, with Lenore Moore serving as Alice's maid of honor. The only blight on the beautiful day? John Randolph's drunken arrival at the ceremony.

In 1978, future Daytime Emmy winner Kim Zimmer made her One Life to Live (and daytime) debut as Bonnie Harmon. While the role was short-lived, it wasn't a total wash for Zimmer: It was while playing Bonnie that the actress met her husband, A.C. Weary, who himself was acting on the show in the short-term role of Dick. Zimmer returned to OLTL in a different role, Echo DiSavoy, in 1983 and reprised the role from 2010-11.

In 1983, Peter Reckell (l.) debuted on Days of Our Lives as Bo Brady, Roman Brady's (Wayne Northrop) younger brother. The actor had previously appeared on As the World Turns as Eric Hollister. In a 2015 interview with Soap Opera Digest, Reckell recalled that while he hadn't planned on doing another soap until DAYS called, "It was kind of interesting because I was at a turning point in my life of being the all-American boy, and I guess I was going through my teenage years about a decade late and just being rebellious. I had a beard at the time I went in to audition and I thought it worked because of the original description I got, but things changed right at the last minute and Al [Rabin, then executive producer] wanted everybody to look a little more clean-cut. I said, ‘No, I gotta keep my beard for something else I’m doing.’ It was obviously the only thing I was up for at the moment, and my agent wanted me to shave, but I was headstrong and overconfident.”

In 2013, Jeanne Cooper (pictured with her on-screen husband, Michael Fairman, who played Murphy) aired for the final time as Katherine Chancellor on Young and Restless. The beloved star, who had been a fixture on Y&R since the show's debut year on the air (1973), passed away on May 8, 2013.

In 2013, Brandon Barash wrapped up a short-term visit to General Hospital as Johnny Zacchara, a role he had originated back in 2007. Reflecting on his run on the show in a 2023 interview with Soap Opera Digest, Barash said, "It was life-changing and I’m not speaking hyperbole or embellishing. It gave me the opportunity to support myself full-time as an actor... Not that many people are blessed to have that opportunity.”