Love of Life is an American
soap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
which aired on
CBS DaytimeCBS Daytime is a television programming block on CBS. It's the branding for the CBS Television Network's late morning and early afternoon programming. The block has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows, and talk shows...
from September 24, 1951 to February 1, 1980. It was created by
Roy WinsorRoy Winsor was an American soap opera writer, creator and novelist.Roy Winsor was born in Chicago Illinois in 1912. He is most famous for creating some of the longest running soap operas in television history. Before he created television soap operas he wrote for many radio serials. He also...
, whose previous creation
Search for TomorrowSearch for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
had premiered three weeks before Love of Life, and who would go on to create
The Secret StormThe Secret Storm is a soap opera which ran on CBS from February 1, 1954 to February 8, 1974. The series was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Love of Life...
two and a half years later.
Production
Love of Life originally came from "Liederkranz Hall" where
Studio 54Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque from 1977 until 1991, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was originally the Gallo Opera House, opening in 1927, after which it changed names several times, eventually becoming a CBS radio and television studio. In 1977 it...
was. Mike and Buff (
Mike WallaceMichael Wallace may refer to:*Mike Wallace , television correspondent**The Mike Wallace Interview, his TV series*Mike Wallace , American historian...
),
Ernie KovacsErnie Kovacs was a Hungarian American comedian and actor.Kovacs' uninhibited, often ad-libbed, and visually experimental comedic style came to influence numerous television comedy programs for years after his death in an automobile accident...
,
Douglas EdwardsDouglas Edwards was America's first network news television anchor, anchoring CBS's first nightly news broadcast from 1948–1962, which was later to be titled CBS Evening News.-Early life and career:...
and the news, as well as "Search for Tomorrow and "The Guiding Light" also came from that location. The serial was taped at several other studios in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as well, but primarily at the
CBS Broadcast CenterThe CBS Broadcast Center is a television and radio production facility located in New York City, New York. It is CBS's main East Coast production center, much as Television City in Los Angeles is the West Coast hub.-Overview:...
on West 57th Street and CBS' Studio 52 behind the Ed Sullivan Theatre. In 1975, the studio was moved to make way for a
nightclubA nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
that would eventually become known as
Studio 54Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque from 1977 until 1991, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was originally the Gallo Opera House, opening in 1927, after which it changed names several times, eventually becoming a CBS radio and television studio. In 1977 it...
. Until its final show in 1980, Love of Life was taped in Studio 44 at the
CBS Broadcast CenterThe CBS Broadcast Center is a television and radio production facility located in New York City, New York. It is CBS's main East Coast production center, much as Television City in Los Angeles is the West Coast hub.-Overview:...
.
Format
Unlike most other soap operas, Love of Life was originally not split up into segments dictated by commercial breaks. Because the show was owned by packaged-goods giant American Home Products and merely licensed to CBS, all commercials were for AHP brands, and occurred before or after the show. In the 1960s, one commercial break was allotted around the middle of the program, but this was mostly to allow affiliates to reconnect with the feed after airing local commercials. Love of Life adopted the "five segments per half-hour" standard in the 1970s.
Broadcast history
Love of Life began, as most other television serials of that era, as a 15-minute program, airing at 12:15 PM Eastern (11:15 AM Central). The program became so popular that CBS expanded it to 30 minutes on April 14, 1958, moving it to Noon/11. During that period, Love of Life generally placed in the ratings among the top six soaps in the 1950s and 1960s.
Starting on October 1, 1962 the episode duration was reduced by five minutes to accommodate a newscast.
By the late 1960s Love of Lifes audience share had been eroded by
Jeopardy!Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
on NBC. Jeopardy! had become the second highest rated daytime
game showA game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
behind
Hollywood SquaresHollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
- Jeopardy!'s then lead-in. To accommodate new in-house serial
Where the Heart IsWhere the Heart Is is an American soap opera telecast on the CBS television network from September 8, 1969 to March 23, 1973. Created by Lou Scofield and Margaret DePriest, the program ran for 25 minutes, the remaining five minutes of its timeslot ceded to a CBS news break.Scofield and DePriest...
, starting on September 8, 1969 CBS moved Love of Life ahead thirty minutes, which put it against the highly popular Hollywood Squares. From this date episodes again had a full thirty minute duration. On March 26, 1973 episodes were again reduced to fit a 25 minute slot to accommodate a newscast. By this time CBS had assumed production from the original packager, American Home Products, as it had with
The Secret StormThe Secret Storm is a soap opera which ran on CBS from February 1, 1954 to February 8, 1974. The series was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Love of Life...
.
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
canceled the in-house soaps
Love is a Many Splendored ThingLove Is a Many Splendored Thing is an American daytime soap opera which aired on CBS from September 18, 1967 to March 23, 1973. The series was created by Irna Phillips, who served as the first head writer. She was replaced by Jane Avery and Ira Avery in 1968, who were followed by Don Ettlinger,...
and
Where the Heart IsWhere the Heart Is may refer to:In film:* Where the Heart Is , a film starring Dabney Coleman and Uma Thurman* Where the Heart Is , a film starring Ashley Judd and Natalie PortmanIn television:...
in 1973, and
The Secret StormThe Secret Storm is a soap opera which ran on CBS from February 1, 1954 to February 8, 1974. The series was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Love of Life...
in early 1974. Love of Life managed to escape cancellation due to a brief rise in the ratings in the mid-1970s, occasioned largely by the reintroduction of Meg to the storyline. The show's ratings climbed as high as 9th, above
General HospitalGeneral Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
and
One Life to LiveOne Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
, in the
1975-1976 television seasonThe year 1976 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1976.-Global television events:*The Olympics, broadcast from Montreal, Canada, draw an estimated one billion viewers worldwide....
.
On April 23, 1979, CBS moved Love of Life to the 4 PM slot that had opened when
Match GameMatch Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
was canceled. For this slot, episodes again had a full thirty minute duration. However, ratings plummeted upon the move as many CBS affiliates pre-empted the serial to show more profitable syndicated programming- which, beginning in September 1979, included a new daily syndicated Match Game that went up against (and, in some cases, shown in place of) Love of Life. Within ten months Love of Life was canceled.
Black-and-white years
In the early 1950s, a typical episode began with announcer Don Hancock saying, "Good afternoon. Don Hancock speaking. Welcome to Love of Life" over a shot of the fountain outside
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's
Plaza HotelThe Plaza Hotel in New York City is a landmark 20-story luxury hotel with a height of and length of that occupies the west side of Grand Army Plaza, from which it derives its name, and extends along Central Park South in Manhattan. Fifth Avenue extends along the east side of Grand Army Plaza...
with the show's title appearing diagonally across the screen in elegant sweeping
calligraphyCalligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
. After a brief commercial was the main title sequence, where Charles Mountain said over this visual, "Love of Life: The exciting story of Vanessa Dale and her search for human dignity." This was followed by some credits. The theme song was done by organist John Gart.
In 1957, the show changed visuals twice. The show briefly used a time-lapse shot of a
flowerA flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
, with announcer Herbert Duncan saying "To live each day for whatever life may bring...this is Love of Life" over it. This was changed to a shot of a starry sky, as seen in the accompanying picture. By the early 1960s, the opening narration had been shortened to simply "This is...Love of Life" with
Ken RobertsKen Roberts was an American radio and television announcer known for his work during the Golden Age of Radio and for his work announcing the daytime television soap operas The Secret Storm, Texas and Love of Life, each for a two-decade span.-Early life and education:Roberts was born on February...
(father of actor
Tony RobertsDavid Anthony "Tony" Roberts is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in several Woody Allen movies, usually cast as Allen's best friend.-Early life:...
) at the microphone.
Color era
On October 30, 1967 the show switched to color and a picture of sunlit flowers by a window for its title sequence. This visual lasted about ten years, and was accompanied with three different themes: "And Then It Happened" by
Charles PaulCharles Paul is an American composer and organist, most known for his musical accompaniment on radio and television.Originally providing musical accompaniment to such old-time radio programs as The Adventures of Ellery Queen and Young Doctor Malone, he transitioned to television in the 1950s...
(1966–1973), "Love of Life Theme" by
Eddie LaytonEdward M. "Eddie" Layton played the organ at old Yankee Stadium for 31 seasons, earning him membership in the New York Sports Hall of Fame.-Career:...
(1973), and "The Life That You Live" by Carey Gold (1973–1977). Gold also changed the show's music from organ-based to light orchestral/synthesizer pop.
The final years
In 1977 (at the latest), the show used as its theme a pop-style ballad composed by
Hagood HardyHugh Hagood Hardy, CM was a Canadian composer, pianist, and vibraphonist. He is best known for the 1975 single, "The Homecoming", originally created as music to a 1972 TV commercial for Salada tea, and for his soundtrack to the Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea films.Born in Angola,...
. The main title visuals consisted of a series of head shot profiles of the main characters set against a black background, followed by the show's new logotype designed by
Lou DorfsmanLouis "Lou" Dorfsman was a graphic designer who oversaw almost every aspect of the advertising and corporate identity for the Columbia Broadcasting System in his 40 years with the network.-Early life and education:...
.
1951-1960
The original story was a morality play of good versus evil, illustrated by the interactions between two sisters,
Vanessa DaleVanessa "Van" Dale Raven Sterling, was the main character and the lead heroine in the now-defunct American Soap Opera Love of Life. She was originally played by Peggy McCay; then by actress Bonnie Bartlett and Audrey Peters played Vanessa to the show's end.-The Good Sister:Vanessa, or "Van" as she...
(originally
Peggy McCayPeggy McCay is a long-time American actress with a career lasting over sixty years in film and television...
) and
Meg DaleMeg Dale Harper Andrews Aleata Hart was the second major female character and the main villain in the now-defunct American soap opera Love of Life...
(originally
Jean McBrideJean McBride was appointed to the Provincial Court of Manitoba on June 18, 2008, filling an opening in Portage la Prairie.Judge McBride studied law at the University of Manitoba, graduating in 1998. From her graduation until her appointment to the bench, she practiced as a provincial Crown attorney...
, from 1951–1958. Vanessa (often referred to as "Van" for short) was "the good girl". She stood up for what was right in life and in her community. Meg was the schemer and all-around "bad" girl as well as the mother of "Beanie (later "Ben") Harper," originally played by Dennis Parnell. While Van disapproved of Meg's actions, she still loved her and taught the audience the value of forgiveness which often involved Beanie, and his strained relationship with Meg, his mother. The show was painted black-and-white in this regard, which was evident in the tagline recited at the beginning of each of the earlier episodes: "Love of Life: The exciting story of Vanessa Dale and her courageous struggle for human dignity."
The show changed directions when the character of Meg was phased out and the show changed locales; first set in the fictional town of Barrowsville, it moved to Rosehill where it would remain for the rest of the show's run.
The actress who originated the role of Van (Peggy McCay) left the show in 1955 and was replaced by actress
Bonnie BartlettBonnie Bartlett is an American television and film actress. Her career spans over 50 years, with her first major role being on a 1950s daytime drama, Love of Life. She is best known for her role as Ellen Craig on the medical drama series St. Elsewhere. She and her husband, actor William Daniels,...
(1955–1959). Bartlett was subsequently replaced by
Audrey PetersAudrey Peters is an American actress.- Career :Peters is best known for her 21 year run as Vanessa Dale Sterling on the CBS daytime soap opera Love of Life. Peters was the third actress to play the role , but she became the actress most identified with the role...
, who played Van for the rest of the run (1959–1980). Peters had an unusual debut - Bartlett had played the role of Vanessa up to Vanessa's wedding day. The next day, when Vanessa walked down the aisle, Bruce Sterling raised Vanessa's veil and revealed Audrey Peters. Peters admitted that, during the wedding reception scenes afterward, she didn't know the names of all the characters that were interacting with Vanessa, so she called everyone "dear".
1960-1973
In the 1960s, most of the drama was focused on Van and her new marriage to Bruce Sterling (played by
Ron TommeRon Tomme was an American actor, best known for his long-running role as Bruce Sterling on the CBS soap opera Love of Life from 1959 to 1980. He also did a short term role on the ABC soap opera, "Ryan's Hope" and the CBS prime-time serial "Dallas." He is buried at Fairview Cemetery in Linden,...
). The late 1960s involved attempts to shake up the somewhat staid atmosphere through campus unrest and a return of Vanessa's first husband, who had been killed off in the mid-1950s. Vanessa divorced Bruce to reunite with her first husband, outraging many in the audience who could not accept their heroine getting a divorce.
The other major story of the late 1960s involved Tess Krakauer and Bill Prentiss, played by real-life couple Toni Bull Bua and Gene Bua. Tess and Bill had the perfunctory tortured love story, including separations, children, and murder trials, until Bill died of a "rare blood disease" in 1972 and Tess left town in 1973.
1973-1980
As ratings began to slide in the 1970s, Meg and her son Ben Harper were reintroduced. Meg was played by
Tudi WigginsTudi Wiggins , born Mary Susan Wiggins in Victoria, British Columbia, was a Canadian actress best known for her work in television daytime drama....
, from 1974-1980. Ben, now an adult, was most notably played by
Christopher ReeveChristopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist...
. Under the reins of
Claire Labine-Early career:Although she originally aspired to be an actress, Labine eventually became a critically acclaimed writer. She attended the University of Kentucky where her major was journalism, but later she switched to playwriting major at Columbia University’s School of Dramatic Arts...
and
Paul Avila MayerPaul Avila Mayer was an American television writer and producer. His father was the late screen writer Edwin Justus Mayer, and his daughter is director Daisy von Scherler Mayer.-Positions held:...
, the show returned to the original "good Vanessa, bad Meg" theme. In one episode, Meg called her son's newborn daughter Suzanne a "
bastardBastard may refer to:* A child whose birth lacks legal legitimacy—that is, one born to a woman and a man who are not legally married* Bastard , illegitimacy in English law* Bastard , a blackletter typeface...
", one of the first times the word was spoken on daytime television.
However, Labine and Mayer left, and the show lost the original intended focus. There was increased emphasis on gritty storylines (one implied Ben had been
sodomizedSodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
while in prison), but these were not warmly received by the audience, and the ratings dropped. The show occupied a vulnerable timeslot. Since the beginning, Love of Life had aired in the late morning - and few soaps had been successful when airing before noon. The show's ratings had been respectable but middling in the 1950s and 1960s, but dropped sharply in the early 1970s.In 1976 Rick Latimer (Jerry Lacy)and his wife Cal(Roxanne Gregory)welcomed a young vet Michael Blake(Richard E. Council)into their garage apartment.Michael's secret "crush" on Cal led to a vacation rendez-vous and a fatal boating accident resulting from Blake's failed attempt to save Cal's son (Hank) from a sudden lake squall.
Their son survived but Blake drowned.Rick,Cal and their son left Rosehill for Montreal to start a new life.
On April 23, 1979, in a last ditch effort to save Love of Life, CBS moved the show to 4.00 pm.
Head writerA head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
s Jean Holloway and
Ann MarcusAnn Marcus ia an American television writer, producer and playwright. She graduated from Western College for Women, worked for the New York Daily News and Life, where she worked with famed photographers such as Alfred Eisenstadt....
' stories did not catch on with the audience.
Love of Life ended its run with a cliffhanger on February 1, 1980. After testifying in a trial, Betsy Crawford (Margo McKenna) collapsed while leaving the stand. No other networks picked up the show, and the cliffhanger remained unresolved. The final shot of the series was longtime director
Larry AuerbachLarry Auerbach is an American television director.Auerbach's career as a director coincided with the early years of television and the organization of the fledgling medium's directors during the first years after the Second World War.A director for half a century, he was a member of the Directors...
walking through the empty sets as
Tony BennettTony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
's "
We'll Be Together Again"We'll Be Together Again" is a 1945 popular song composed by Carl Fischer, with lyrics by Frankie Laine. Fischer was Laine's pianist and musical director when he composed the tune, and Laine was asked to write lyrics for it...
" played.
Main Crew
- Larry Auerbach
Larry Auerbach is an American television director.Auerbach's career as a director coincided with the early years of television and the organization of the fledgling medium's directors during the first years after the Second World War.A director for half a century, he was a member of the Directors...
- Heather Hill
Heather Hill is a former English-Australian politician.Hill was born in 1960 in London. In 1971 her family moved to Australia, arriving in Brisbane, Queensland on 6 October of that year. She attended school in Brisbane...
(unknown episodes)
- Robert Myhrum (unknown episodes)
- Robert Scinto
Robert Scinto is an American television soap opera director. He has been working on daytime for nearly 30 years.-Directing credits:All My Children* Director * Occasional Director The City...
(unknown episodes)
- George Taweel (unknown episodes)
- Art Wolff
Art Wolff is an American television director and acting coach.For much of his career Wolff has amassed a number notable directing credits. Directing episodes of The Tracey Ullman Show, It's Garry Shandling's Show, The Powers That Be, Dream On and most notably the original Seinfeld pilot episode...
(unknown episodes)
- Loring Mandel
Loring Mandel is an American playwright and screenwriter whose notable works include the TV movie Conspiracy.-Career:...
(1970-1972)
- Paul Avila Mayer
Paul Avila Mayer was an American television writer and producer. His father was the late screen writer Edwin Justus Mayer, and his daughter is director Daisy von Scherler Mayer.-Positions held:...
(1973-1975)
- Claire Labine
-Early career:Although she originally aspired to be an actress, Labine eventually became a critically acclaimed writer. She attended the University of Kentucky where her major was journalism, but later she switched to playwriting major at Columbia University’s School of Dramatic Arts...
(1973-1975)
- Lionel Chetwynd
Lionel Chetwynd is a London-born Canadian-American screenwriter, motion picture and television film director and producer.-Life and career:...
- Don Ettlinger (unknown episodes)
- John D. Hess (unknown episodes)
- Harry W. Junkin (unknown episodes)
- John Pickard
John Pickard may refer to:* John Pickard , Canadian businessman and politician* John Pickard , British composer of classical music* John Pickard , British actor...
(unknown episodes)
- Frank Provo (unknown episodes)
- Phyllis White (unknown episodes)
- Roy Winsor
Roy Winsor was an American soap opera writer, creator and novelist.Roy Winsor was born in Chicago Illinois in 1912. He is most famous for creating some of the longest running soap operas in television history. Before he created television soap operas he wrote for many radio serials. He also...
- Tirrell Barbery - Carol Raven - (1954 - 1957)