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1986: Another World's Cecile refused to relent to Cass.

1986: A giant "C" fell on Santa Barbara's Mary.

1995: One Life to Live's Antonio reunited with his brother.

2002: Guiding Light's Reva disconnected Richard's life support."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1949: The Brighter Day moved to CBS Radio after having aired its first nine months on NBC Radio. Bill Smith starred as Reverend Richard Dennis, pastor of a parish in the town of Three Rivers, where he tried to be both mother and father to daughters Elizabeth,...

1986: Another World's Cecile refused to relent to Cass.

1986: A giant "C" fell on Santa Barbara's Mary.

1995: One Life to Live's Antonio reunited with his brother.

2002: Guiding Light's Reva disconnected Richard's life support."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1949: The Brighter Day moved to CBS Radio after having aired its first nine months on NBC Radio. Bill Smith starred as Reverend Richard Dennis, pastor of...

Prepare to let your jaw drop: Jennifer Jones and Charlton Heston’s sleazy bucolic ‘romance’ comes off as two-way sex harassment, with suggestive one-liners that make us cringe. Are there other pictures like this? Is this where dolts came to believe that women wanted to be treated like stupid squeeze toys? The great King Vidor directed, with no sign of intentional satire — the bizarre, eventually violent Southern-set melodrama is a one-of-a-kind grotesque spectacle.

Ruby Gentry

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1952 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 82 min. / Street Date April 24, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.96

Starring: Jennifer Jones, Charlton Heston, Karl Malden, Tom Tully, James Anderson, Josephine Hutchinson, Phyllis Avery, Barney Phillips.

Cinematography: Russell Harlan

Film Editor: Terry Morse

Original Music: Heinz Roemheld

Written by Silvia Richards from a story by Arthur Fitz-Richard

Produced by Joseph Bernhard, King Vidor

Directed by King Vidor

I have two basic thoughts on 1952’s Ruby Gentry. First,...

Charlton Heston movies: ‘A Man for All Seasons’ remake, ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ (photo: Charlton Heston as Ben-Hur) (See previous post: “Charlton Heston: Moses Minus Staff Plus Chariot Equals Ben-Hur.”) I’ve yet to watch Irving Rapper’s melo Bad for Each Other (1954), co-starring the sultry Lizabeth Scott — always a good enough reason to check out any movie, regardless of plot or leading man. A major curiosity is the 1988 made-for-tv version of A Man for All Seasons, with Charlton Heston in the Oscar-winning Paul Scofield role (Sir Thomas More) and on Fred Zinnemann’s director’s chair. Vanessa Redgrave, who plays Thomas More’s wife in the TV movie (Wendy Hiller in the original) had a cameo as Anne Boleyn in the 1966 film. According to the IMDb, Robert Bolt, who wrote the Oscar-winning 1966 movie (and the original play), is credited for the 1988 version’s screenplay as well. Also of note,...

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Actress Phyllis Avery has died at the age of 88.

The Meet Mr. McNulty star passed away on 19 May after suffering heart failure, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Avery's career spanned more than 50 years and one of her first major roles was playing Charlton Heston's onscreen wife in 1952 movie Ruby Gentry.

She is best remembered for starring opposite Ray Milland in hit sitcom Meet Mr. McNulty, while her other roles have included parts in Rawhide, Charlie's Angels and Perry Mason.

Avery was married to actor Don Taylor until their divorce in 1955. She is survived by two daughters.

Phyllis Avery, who played the wife of Ray Milland in 75 episodes of the 1953-55 CBS comedy Meet Mr. McNulty, died May 19 of heart failure at her home in Los Angeles. She was 88.

During her 50-year career, the petite blonde had roles in numerous television shows including the CBS soap opera The Clear Horizon as Anne Shelby (1960-1962) where she starred opposite Ed Kemmer (and Denise Alexander).

Filed under: TV News

Bette Midler is heading to HBO for a role in the cable channel's new TV movie based on Phil Spector.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the legendary actress will play Linda Kenney Baden, a defense attorney for Spector during his first murder trial. Midler's last scripted TV role was in her sitcom, 'Bette,' in 2000.

'Arrested Development' star Jeffrey Tambor has also joined the cast as Bruce Cutler, a member of Spector's defense team. Al Pacino will play Spector.

Spector was convicted of second-degree murder after prosecutors argued that the record producer shot Lana Clarkson in 2003.

In other TV news ...

o. From 'Bitches' to 'Belles' to 'B'? ABC's new soap starring Leslie Bibb, Annie Potts and Kristin Chenoweth has gone through three name changes before even hitting air. Originally filmed as 'Good Christian Bitches,' the show was announced to the public as '...