TV Tidbits Shows We Love: Days of Our Lives

Days of Our Lives
Debuted: November 8, 1965

Current Stars: Deidre Hall, Kristian Alfonso, Melissa Reeves, Peter Reckell, Alison Sweeney, Drake Hogestyn

Premise: The Horton and Brady families have faced everything from serial killers to illnesses to a lovely lady possessed by Satan.

In the first episode of DOOL, teen Julie Olson was caught shoplifting a fur piece at a Bartletts Department Store. Julie was part of the soap's core family, the Hortons. She was Tom and Alice Horton's granddaughter.

One of the Horton family traditions is the decoration of their Christmas tree. Each year, Alice and the other Hortons have hung balls bearing the hand-painted names of family members.

Several DOOL actresses have posed in the buff in Playboy. Lisa Rinna (Billie Reed) posed in 1998, while 6-months pregnant. Rinna is married to Harry Hamilin, former L.A. Law star. Michael Leon, who played stripper Pete Jannings, posed nude in Playgirl. On the show, Pete worked at a club called Beefcakes.

Suzanne Rogers (Maggie Horton) was born Suzanne Crumpler. Since she was a dancer (including a stint as a Rockette at Radio City Music Hall), she chose the professional name "Rogers," in honor of Ginger Rogers.

Scenes of DOOL have often been shot "on location," including:
• The wedding of Adrienne Johnson and Justin Kiriakis took place in Greece.
• Bo and Hope had a romantic adventure in New Orleans.
• John, Marlena, Roman, Bo and Carly traveled to a Mayan pyramid in Chichen Itza, Mexico, as part of the ongoing quest for John's identity. Shooting at the tall pyramid caused some anxiety for some of the crew members who were afraid of heights.

Susan Flannery (the second of five actresses to play Laura Horton) appeared in the film The Towering Inferno. She played a sexy secretary having an affair with Robert Wagner's character. They both met firey demises.

Deidre Hall joined the DOOL cast in 1976 as Dr. Marlena Evans. She had previously played a super heroine in the kids' show Electrawoman and Dynagirl.

John Anniston (Victor Kiriakis) is the real-life father of Friends star Jennifer Anniston. On Friends, Joey has appeared on DOOL -- but it's not taped in NYC.

Peggy McCay (Caroline Brady) was a regular on Lou Grant for six years. She played Marion Hume, wife of one of the editors of the show's fictional newspaper, The Los Angeles Tribune.

After leaving DOOL, Charles Shaughnessy (Shane Donovan) played Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffeld in the Fran Drescher comedy The Nanny. In one episode, Fran was seen watching DOOL. She remarked that the soap wasn't as good as it had been when Shane was on it.

Kristen Alfonso (Hope Brady) won a gold medal for figure skating at the Junior Olympics when she was a teen.

The DOOL storyline crossed into the supernatural when main character Marlena Evans was possessed by Satan. Courtesy of custom contact lenses, her eyes glowed; she levitated; and demons showed up in her bedroom.

DOOL has often had a humorous element.Arleen Sorkin played Calliope Jones, a wacky dresser inspired by Cyndi Lauper.

Jack Coleman played serial killer Jake Kositchek. Kevin Costner auditioned for the role, but wasn't cast. Jack later starred on Dynasty as Steven Carrington.

Edward Mallory (Bill Horton) was once married to Joyce Bulifant,, who played Murray's wife, Marie, on the classic Mary Tyler Moore Show.

In 1979, the first year that supporting actor Daytime Emmys were awarded, Suzanne Rogers (Maggie Horton) won, beating castmate Frances Reid, who played her mother-in-law, Alice Horton. Rogers' storyline concerned her character's alcoholism. In the 2003-04 Salem Stalker story, Maggie was seemingly murdered by being bludgeoned with a liquor bottle. Later, Alice was also "murdered" by the serial killer. (She was choked with a donut.) In the end, it turned out that the murders were a hoax.

Famous DOOL fans include Monica Lewinsky, Jimmy Stewart, Florence Henderson, and Rosemary Clooney.

Box office champ Julia Rogers said she was very excited to be seated near the DOOL cast, when she won the People's Choice Award for her role in My Best Friend's Wedding.

Pat Sajack, longtime host of the gameshow The Wheel of Fortune briefly played a newspaper reporter on DOOL in 1983.

While on their honeymoon, Eugene and Calliope competed on The Newlywed Game. Host Bob Eubanks played himself.

Ruth Buzzi appeared on DOOL during the Salem Slasher storyline in the 1980s, as Eugene Bradford's zany cousin Letitia. She was one of the Slasher's victims.

One of John Black's lady loves was Diana Colville, played by Genie Francis -- best known as Laura on General Hospital.

Lounge singer Kaye Stevens played Jeri Clayton in the mid-1970s. Jeri, a former hooker, was the mother of Trish Clayton, who often sang on DOOL, as did Jeri. One of the primary settings in the '70s was a nightclub called Doug's Place, operated by Doug Williams. Doug was played by Bill Hayes, another crooner.

Doug and Julie were one of the first super couples in soap operas. Their portrayers, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth, fell in love and married in real life. In a landmark event for daytime television stars, they were both pictured on the cover of Time magazine at the height of their popularity. The characters have left Salem and returned many times, taking part in lots of the show's most popular storylines, including the Salem Stalker's muder spree. (Doug figured out Marlena was the stalker, and when he confronted her in a cemetary, he joined the list of victims.)