Fascinating trivia, inside stories, history, nostalgia -- an in-depth look at every daytime soap opera on TV! A unique look at TV's most endearing kind of show, The Soap Opera Encyclopedia is a must-have for any soap fan. Readers will find the history and stars of all the shows, including backstage anecdotes,year-by-year ratings and a who's who with cast lists of all the featured actors and behind-the-scenes personalities. Comprehensive and completely accessible, The Soap Opera Encyclopedia is the one and only reference to nearly 100 soaps from the first 50 years of TV. Discover: Which former General Hospital star's face was once insured for one million dollars. What Days of Our Lives love theme became a hit single What film legend once wrote Guiding Light a fan letter Which role on All My Children Susan Lucci originally auditioned for Which scene from The Young and the Restless was named 1985's Most Tasteless Episode by Soap Opera Digest And so much more!

As a special feature for this book, The Museum of Television & Radio conducted interviews with leading writers, producers, actors, and directors of soap operas. Dozens of revealing quotes from these interviews appear throughout the book - personal and professional comments by men and women who make their living in the field.

The period from 1925 to 1960 was the heyday of the American Radio Soap Opera. In addition to being part of popular culture, the soap opera had important commercial aspects as well that were not only related to their production, but also to the desperate need to sell products or perish. Both sides of this story are traced in this comprehensive compendium. The dictionary section, made up of more than 500 cross-referenced entries, provides brief vignettes of the more popular and also less well-known 'soaps,' among them Back Stage Wife, Our Gal Sunday, Pepper Young's Family and The Guiding Light. Other entries evoke those who brought these programs to life: the actors, announcers, scriptwriters, networks, and even the sponsors. Nor are the basic themes, the stock characters and the gimmick, forgotten. The book's introduction defines the soap opera, examines the span of the radio serial, reviews its origins and its demise, and focuses on the character types that made up its denizens. The chronology outlines the period and the bibliography offers further reading. Together, these elements make a comprehensive reference work that researchers will find invaluable long into the future.

A comprehensive survey of the history, the means of production, the content and the impact on audiences of soap operas. A sociologist and a specialist in women's studies combine to review the content of soap operas, and the way in which they are produced. How have the themes of soap operas changed with social convention? How do these massively popular serials aimed at a female audience portray women at work and at home? The impact of soap opera on its audience, the different varieties of soap operas, and the differences in structure, content, and commercial purpose between soap operas and prime time television are also discussed. `Cantor and Pingree have performed an important service by bringing together and analyzing a va

Having changed the face of daytime television with its insightful plots built around young characters and their steamy private lives, The Young and the Restless is today's most popular soap opera. With an audience of almost seven million tuning in religiously, the show has already spent ten years at the top of daytime's ratings and has earned five Daytime Emmy Awards for Best Soap Opera. For those viewers who can't get enough, here is The Ultimate Young and the Restless Trivia Book. This book holds a quarter-century's worth of juicy tidbits about the celebrity romps in front of and behind the cameras. It also looks at the stars before they hit soap opera stardom. The Ultimate Young and the Restless Trivia Book is a must have for soap opera fans everywhere.