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{{Short description|American television crime drama and soap opera (1956–1984)}}
{{refimprove|date=December 2009}}
{{About||the poem from "The Lord of the Rings"|The Edge of Night (song)|the Greek film|Edge of Night (film)}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox television
{{Infobox television
|show_name = The Edge of Night
| image = Edge56.jpg
|image = [[Image:Edge56.jpg]]
| alt_name = ''Edge of Night''
| genre = {{ubl|[[Soap opera]]|[[Drama (genre)|Drama]]|[[Crime fiction|Crime]]|[[Mystery fiction|Mystery]]}}
|caption = Original main title (1956–1967)
|show_name_2 = '''''Edge of Night'''''
| creator = [[Irving Vendig]]
|genre = [[Soap opera]]
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Donald May]]
|creator = [[Irving Vendig]]
* [[Ann Flood]]
|starring = [[Ann Flood]]<br />[[Forrest Compton]]<br />[[Lois Kibbee]]<br />[[Sharon Gabet]]<br />[[Joel Crothers]]
* [[Forrest Compton]]
|narrated =
* Lawrence Hugo
|theme_music_composer =
* [[Lois Kibbee]]
|opentheme =
* [[Sharon Gabet]]
|endtheme =
* [[Joel Crothers]]
|composer = [[Elliot Lawrence]]<br>Paul Taubman
* [[Mandel Kramer]]
|country = [[United States]]
}}
|language = {{English}}
| composer = [[Elliot Lawrence]]<br />Paul Taubman
|num_seasons =
|num_episodes = 7,420
| country = United States
|list_episodes =
| language = English
| num_seasons = 28
|executive_producer = Erwin Nicholson
| num_episodes = 7,420
|producer = Robert Driscoll<br>Rick Edelstein<br>Charles Fisher<br>Jacqueline Haber<br>Werner Michel<br>Erwin Nicholson<br>Charles Polachek
| executive_producer = Erwin Nicholson
|sup_producer = Laurie A. Durbrow<br>[[Gail Kobe]]<br>John Valente
| producer = {{ubl|Robert Driscoll|Rick Edelstein|Charles Fisher|[[Freddie Bartholomew]]|Jacqueline Haber|Werner Michel|Erwin Nicholson|Charles Polachek}}
|asst_producer = Bud Gowen<br>Catherine Maher
|runtime = 22&ndash;24 minutes
| runtime = 30 minutes
|channel = [[CBS]] (1956&ndash;1975)<br />[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (1975&ndash;1984)
| company = [[Procter & Gamble Productions]]
| network = [[CBS]]
|picture_format = [[Black-and-white]] (1956&ndash;1967)<br>[[Color]]<br>(1967&ndash;1984)
|audio_format = [[Monaural]]
| first_aired = {{Start date|1956|04|02}}
|first_aired = {{Start date|1956|04|02}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1975|11|28}}
|last_aired = {{End date|1984|12|28}}
| network2 = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|status = Ended
| first_aired2 = {{Start date|1975|12|1}}
| last_aired2 = {{End date|1984|12|28}}
}}
}}


'''''The Edge of Night''''' is an American [[Mystery fiction|mystery]] [[crime drama]] television series and [[soap opera]], created by [[Irving Vendig]] and produced by [[Procter & Gamble Productions]].
'''''The Edge of Night''''' (also known as '''''Edge of Night''''' or sometimes '''''Edge''''' or '''''EON''''') is a long-running American television mystery series/[[soap opera]] produced by [[Procter & Gamble]]. It debuted on [[CBS]] on April 2, 1956, and ran on that network until November 28, 1975; the series then moved to [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], where it aired from December 1, 1975, until December 28, 1984. There were 7,420 episodes, with some 1,800 available for [[Television syndication|syndication]].
It debuted on [[CBS]] on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network for most of its run until November 28, 1975. The series then moved to [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], where it aired from December 1, 1975, until December 28, 1984.<ref name="1997 Encyc">{{cite book|last=Waggett|first=Gerard J.|title=The Soap Opera Encyclopedia|publisher=[[Harper Paperbacks]]|date=November 1997|pages=[https://archive.org/details/soapoperaencyclo00wagg/page/254 254–266]|chapter=''The Edge of Night''|isbn=0-06-101157-6|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/soapoperaencyclo00wagg/page/254}}</ref> 7,420 episodes were produced, of which some 1,800 are available for [[Television syndication|syndication]].


Writer Sir [[P. G. Wodehouse]],<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UYgIeyIwpYkC&q=p.g.+wodehouse+edge+of+night&pg=PA528|title=P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in Letters|first=P. G.|last=Wodehouse|date=4 February 2013|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|isbn=9780393089875|via=Google Books}}</ref> actresses [[Bette Davis]] and [[Tallulah Bankhead]],<ref name="people.com">{{cite web|url=http://people.com/archive/this-time-theres-no-doubt-whodunit-as-abc-turns-out-the-lights-on-the-long-running-soap-edge-of-night-vol-23-no-1/|title=This Time There's No Doubt Whodunit as ABC Turns Out the Lights on the Long-Running Soap ''Edge of Nigh''t|website=people.com|access-date=2017-11-01|archive-date=2017-11-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107030332/http://people.com/archive/this-time-theres-no-doubt-whodunit-as-abc-turns-out-the-lights-on-the-long-running-soap-edge-of-night-vol-23-no-1/|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as [[Eleanor Roosevelt]],<ref name="people.com"/> were all reportedly devoted fans.
==Format==
''The Edge of Night'' (the working title of the show was ''The Edge of Darkness'') premiered on April 2, 1956 as one of the first two half-hour soaps on television—the other being ''[[As the World Turns]]'' (fifteen-minute-long shows had been the standard to that point). Both shows were aired on CBS and sponsored by [[Procter and Gamble]].


==Concept==
The show was originally conceived as the daytime version of ''[[Perry Mason (radio)|Perry Mason]]'', which was popular in [[novel]] and [[radio]] formats at the time. Mason's creator [[Erle Stanley Gardner]] was to create and write the show, but a last-minute tiff between him and the CBS network caused Gardner to pull his support from the idea. [[CBS]] insisted that Mason be given a love interest to placate daytime soap opera audiences, but Gardner flatly refused to take Mason in that direction. Gardner would eventually patch up his differences with CBS and ''Perry Mason'' would debut in [[prime time]] in 1957.
''The Edge of Night'', whose working title was ''The Edge of Darkness'', premiered on April 2, 1956, as one of the first two half-hour serials on television, the other being ''[[As the World Turns]]''. Prior to the debuts of both shows, 15-minute-long shows had been the standard. Both shows aired on CBS, sponsored by Procter & Gamble.


The show was originally conceived as the [[daytime television]] version of ''[[Perry Mason (radio)|Perry Mason]]'', which was popular in novel and radio formats at the time. Mason's creator [[Erle Stanley Gardner]] was to create and write the show, but a last-minute tiff between the CBS network and him caused Gardner to pull his support from the idea. CBS insisted that Mason be given a love interest to placate daytime soap opera audiences, but Gardner refused to take Mason in that direction. Gardner eventually patched up his differences with CBS, and ''Perry Mason'' debuted in [[prime time]] on September 21, 1957.
It was in 1956, however, that a writer from the ''Perry Mason'' radio show, [[Irving Vendig]], created a retooled idea for daytime—and ''The Edge of Night'' was born. "John Larkin, radio's best identified Perry Mason, was cast as the protagonist-star, initially as a detective, eventually as an attorney, in a thinly veiled copy of (''Perry Mason'')."<ref>Cox, Jim, ''Radio Crime Fighters'', 2002, p. 201, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, ISBN 0786413905</ref>


In 1956, a writer from the ''Perry Mason'' radio show, [[Irving Vendig]], created a retooled idea of the show for daytime television—and ''The Edge of Night'' was born. [[John Larkin (radio and television actor)|John Larkin]], radio's best identified Perry Mason, was cast as the protagonist-star, initially as a detective, eventually as an attorney, in a thinly veiled copy of Perry Mason.<ref>Cox, Jim, ''Radio Crime Fighters'', 2002, p. 201, McFarland, Jefferson, North Carolina, {{ISBN|0-7864-1390-5}}</ref>
Unlike ''[[Perry Mason (TV series)|Perry Mason]]'', which took place in [[Southern California]], the daytime series was set in the fictional Midwestern city of Monticello. This setting was presumably modeled after [[Cincinnati]], home base of sponsor [[Procter and Gamble]], whose skyline served as the show's logo until 1980. A frequent backdrop for the show's early scenes was a restaurant called the Ho-Hi-Ho. The state capital, however, was known generically as "Capital City"; the state in which Monticello was located was never identified.


===Setting===
In later years, the jazzier Los Angeles skyline replaced that of [[Cincinnati]]; according to the website "The Edge of Night Homepage," the city of Monticello had grown from an average-sized city to the size of a major metropolitan area. The skyline was eventually eliminated in the final two years of the show, as was the word "The" in the title.
Unlike ''Perry Mason'', whose adventures took place in [[Southern California]], the daytime series was set in the fictional city of Monticello, located in the [[Midwestern United States]]. A frequent backdrop for the show's early scenes was a restaurant called the Ho-Hi-Ho. The state capital, however, was known generically as "Capital City"; the state in which Monticello was located had never been identified. From its beginning in 1956 until roughly 1980, the downtown skyline of the city of [[Cincinnati]] stood in as Monticello. Procter & Gamble, which produced the show, is based in Cincinnati. In later years, the Los Angeles skyline replaced that of Cincinnati. The skyline motif was eventually eliminated altogether in the final two years of the show, as was the word "The" in the title.


===Format===
During most of the show's run, the show's fans were treated to an announcer enthusiastically and energetically announcing the show's title, ''"Theee Eeeeeeeedge...of Night!"''. Bob Dixon was the first announcer in 1956, followed by Herbert Duncan. The two voices most synonymous with the show, however, were those of Harry Kramer (1957-1972) and Hal Simms who announced the show until the series ended in 1984.
During most of the show's run, viewers were treated to an announcer enthusiastically and energetically announcing the show's title, ''"The Eeedge...of Night!"'' Bob Dixon was the first announcer in 1956, followed by Herbert Duncan. The two voices most identified with the show, however, were those of Harry Kramer (1957–1972) and [[Hal Simms]], who announced until the series ended in 1984.


''The Edge of Night'' played on more artistic levels than probably any other soap of its time. It was unique among daytime soap operas in that it focused on [[crime]], rather than domestic and romantic matters. The [[police]], [[district attorney]]s, and medical examiners of fictional Monticello, USA, dealt with a steady onslaught of [[Organized crime|gangsters]], drug dealers, blackmailers, [[cult]]ists, international [[Espionage|spies]], corrupt [[politician]]s, psychopaths, and murderous debutantes, while at the same time coping with more usual soap opera problems like courtship, [[marriage]], [[divorce]], child custody battles, and [[amnesia]]. The show's particular focus on crime was recognized in 1980, when, in honor of its 25 years on the air, ''The Edge of Night'' was given a Special [[Edgar Award]] by the [[Mystery Writers of America]]. It also should be stated that ''Edge'' had more prominent male characters than most soaps, and included genuine humor in its scripts to balance the heaviness of the storylines.
''The Edge of Night'' played on more artistic levels than probably any other soap of its time. It was unique among daytime soap operas in that it focused on crime, rather than domestic and romantic matters. The police, district attorneys, and medical examiners of fictional Monticello, United States, dealt with a steady onslaught of [[Organized crime|gangsters]], drug dealers, blackmailers, [[cult]]ists, international [[Espionage|spies]], corrupt politicians, [[psychopathy|psychopaths]], and murderous debutantes, while at the same time coping with more usual soap opera problems like courtship, marriage, divorce, child custody battles, and [[amnesia]]. The show's particular focus on crime was recognized in 1980, when, in honor of its 25 years on the air, ''The Edge of Night'' was given a special [[Edgar Award]] by the [[Mystery Writers of America]]. ''The Edge of Night'' had more prominent male characters than most soap operas, and included genuine humor in its scripts to balance the heaviness of the storylines.


==Cast and characters==
Finally, while most soaps centered on extended families or large hospitals that tended to be insular in their scope, ''Edge'' was probably the only daytime serial to truly capture the dynamics of a medium-sized city. Indeed, the city of Monticello—for all of its longtime friendships, age-old family vendettas, and insidiously cut-throat DAs and bad cops in the proverbial pockets of white-collar mobsters—was as vital a "character" as any human being depicted on the show.
[[File:The Edge of Night 1966 Laurence Hugo Barry Newman.jpg|thumb|230px|Laurence Hugo and [[Barry Newman]] as [[Mike Karr]] and John Barnes (1966) ]]
{{further|List of The Edge of Night characters}}


The show's central protagonist was [[Mike Karr]], tireless crimefighter, introduced as a police officer who was finishing law school. This character evolved from the earlier [[Perry Mason (radio)|Perry Mason]] character on radio.<ref name=lackman>{{cite book |title= The Encyclopedia of American radio: an A-Z guide to radio from Jack Benny to Howard Stern |first= Ronald W. |last= Lackmann |publisher= Facts On File |year= 2000 |isbn= 0-8160-4137-7 |url= https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofam00lack }}</ref> He then progressed to the district attorney's office as an assistant district attorney, hung his own shingle as a defense attorney for several years, then became district attorney of Monticello. Karr was portrayed by three actors: [[John Larkin (radio and television actor)|John Larkin]] (radio's [[Perry Mason]]<ref name=lackman/>), Laurence Hugo, and [[Forrest Compton]].
==Cast==
The show's protagonist was Mike Karr. A tireless crime-fighter, Karr was introduced as a cop who was finishing law school. This character evolved from the earlier [[Perry Mason (radio)|Perry Mason]] character on radio<ref name=lackman> {{cite book
|title= The encyclopedia of American radio: an A-Z guide to radio from Jack Benny to Howard Stern
|first= Ronald W.
|last= Lackmann
|publisher= Facts On File
|origyear= 2000
|isbn= 0816041377
}}
</ref>. He then progressed to the District Attorney's office as an ADA, hung his own shingle as a defense attorney for several years, then became DA of Monticello. Karr was played by three stellar actors: [[John Larkin]], (radio's [[Perry Mason]]<ref name=lackman/>), from 1956 to 1962, [[Laurence Hugo]] from 1962 to 1970, then [[Forrest Compton]] from 1971 to the end of the series.


Among the show's cast members who appeared on ''The Edge of Night'' early in their careers and later gained fame were [[Mariann Aalda]], [[Leah Ayres]], [[Conrad Bain]], [[David Birney]], [[Dixie Carter]], [[Kate Capshaw]], [[Philip Casnoff]], [[Thom Christopher]], [[Margaret Colin]], [[James Coco]], [[Jacqueline Courtney]], [[John Cullum]], [[Marcia Cross]], [[Irene Dailey]], [[Frances Fisher]], [[Jennifer Joan Taylor]], [[Lucy Lee Flippin]], [[David Froman]], [[Penny Fuller]], [[Scott Glenn]], [[Sam Groom]], [[Don Hastings]], [[Patrick Horgan (actor)|Patrick Horgan]], [[Earle Hyman]], [[Željko Ivanek]], [[Peter Kastner]], [[Lori Loughlin]], [[Bill Macy]], [[Nancy Marchand]], [[Kiel Martin]], [[Doug McKeon]], [[Julianne Moore]], [[John Allen Nelson]], [[Barry Newman]], [[Bebe Neuwirth]], [[Christopher Norris (actress)|Christopher Norris]], [[Antony Ponzini]], [[Lawrence Pressman]], [[Tony Roberts (actor)|Tony Roberts]], [[Reva Rose]], [[Mark Rydell]], [[Dolph Sweet]], [[Millee Taggart]], [[Holland Taylor]], [[Richard Thomas (actor)|Richard Thomas]], [[John Travolta]], [[Ann Wedgeworth]] and [[Jacklyn Zeman]].
The series hired many revered stage performers. Among those who appeared on the show in the 1960s and early 1970s were [[Kay Campbell]], [[Tony Roberts (actor)|Tony Roberts]], [[Keith Charles (actor)|Keith Charles]], [[Millette Alexander]] (who was unique in that she played three different characters; that of Gail Armstrong, Laura Hillyer, and Julie Jamison), [[Larry Hagman]], [[Bill Macy]], [[Lester Rawlins]], [[Irene Dailey]], [[Alice Hirson]], [[Anne Revere]], [[John Cullum]], [[Scott Glenn]], [[Richard Thomas (actor)|Richard Thomas]], [[James Mitchell]], [[Barbara Berjer]], [[Bernard Barrow]], [[Mari Gorman]]; [[Dan Resin]], [[Ernest Graves]], [[Jane White]], and [[Kate Wilkinson]].


Over the years, the show featured many notable performers and celebrities, usually in small cameo appearances, but some in roles important to the storylines. Among the show's guest stars were [[Willie Aames]], [[Amanda Blake]], [[Dick Cavett]], [[Nancy Coleman]], [[Professor Irwin Corey]], [[Selma Diamond]], [[James Douglas (actor)|James Douglas]], [[Alfred Drake]], [[John Fiedler]], Betty Guarde, [[Rita Gam]], [[Eva Gabor]], [[Jack Gilford]], [[Frank Gorshin]], [[Farley Granger]], [[Cynthia Gregory]], Micki Grant, [[Lisa Howard (Canadian actress)|Lisa Howard]], [[Kim Hunter]], [[Leon Janney]], [[Rita Jenrette]], [[Arch Johnson]], [[Larry King]], [[Nancy Marchand]], [[Ed Marinaro]], [[Donald May]], [[Sam McMurray]], [[James Mitchell (actor)|James Mitchell]], [[Meg Myles]], [[Tom Nardini]], [[Wade Nichols]], [[Peaches and Herb]], [[Minerva Pious]], [[Anne Revere]], [[Rosemary Rice]], [[Hugh Reilly]], [[Wallace Shawn]], [[Pat Stanley]], [[Shirley Stoler]], [[Elaine Stritch]], [[Jane White]], [[Ann Williams (actress)|Ann Williams]], and [[Jerry Zaks]].
Among its stars on ABC were [[Tony Craig]], [[Terry Davis]], [[Frances Fisher]], [[Joel Crothers]], [[Wade Nichols|Dennis Parker]], [[Charles Flohe]], [[Lori Loughlin]], [[Leah Ayres]], [[Irving Allen Lee]], [[Denny Albee]], [[Lori Cardille]], [[Stephanie Braxton]], [[Mariann Aalda]], [[David Froman]], [[Lee Godart]], [[Holland Taylor]], [[Marcia Cross]], [[Julianne Moore]], and [[Kiel Martin]] &mdash; who were helped by guest stars [[Kim Hunter]], [[Farley Granger]], [[Alfred Drake]], [[Frank Gorshin]], [[Amanda Blake]], and stage director [[Jerry Zaks]]. Schuyler Whitney ([[Larkin Malloy]]) and his indefatigable wife Raven ([[Sharon Gabet]]) became private detectives and were the new hero and heroine of the show. ''The Edge of Night'' also provided [[Dixie Carter]] with one of her first significant TV roles, playing strong-willed assistant district attorney Brandy Henderson from 1974-1976. Also, actress [[Dorothy Lyman]] played the memorably evil Elly Jo Jamison in the early 1970s.


==Storylines==
==Storylines==
{{long plot|date=May 2020}} <!--Word count: 2,052 as of 2 September 2020 - should be 400-700 per [[WP:FILMPLOT]] -->
For the show's entire duration, the stories either revolved around or had much to do with Monticello lawyer (and former Monticello police officer) Mike Karr. As the show began, Mike Karr's relationship with Sara Lane (Teal Ames) essentially reproduced the radio serial's Perry Mason/Della Street relationship. The added complication for Mike Karr was that Sara's family was involved in organized crime; her younger brother (Don Hastings) slowly being drawn into the criminal world in the early years of the show through corrupt uncle Harry Lane (Lauren Gilbert). Nevertheless, Mike and Sara eventually married. Their happiness was short-lived, however, when Sara was written out of the show as being killed as she saved the life of their daughter Laurie Ann, who had run into the street into the path of an automobile. By the 1960s, Laurie Ann was a teenager, supplying many plots for the show, and a young wife and mother by the 1970s.
For the show's duration, the stories either revolved around or touched upon Monticello lawyer (and former Monticello police officer) Mike Karr.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schemering |first1=Christopher |title=[[The Soap Opera Encyclopedia (Schemering book)|The Soap Opera Encyclopedia]] |date=1987 |publisher=Ballantine Books |isbn=0-345-35344-7 |edition=2nd |pages=90–97}}</ref>


===The 1950s===
Mike later married [[Nancy Pollock]] ([[Ann Flood]]) who was a [[journalism|journalist]] and helped in many of his cases. Other important characters were [[Chief of police|Police Chief]] Bill Marceau (Mandel Kramer), who was one of Karr's best friends and with whom was shared a tremendous mutual respect, rare between a defense [[Lawyer|attorney]] and a chief of police (perhaps due to the fact that Mike had once been a police officer himself), Marceau's secretary (and later on wife) Martha (Teri Keane), fellow lawyer Adam Drake ([[Donald May]]), his client (and later on, his wife) [[television]] personality Nicole Travis ([[Maeve McGuire]]; [[Jayne Bentzen]]; Lisa Sloan), and wealthy socialite Geraldine Whitney ([[Lois Kibbee]]), whose fall down a flight of stairs (which put her into a coma for several months) provided one of the show's more memorable mysteries. Nancy had two siblings: Lee, who eventually married Geri McGrath, and Elaine nicknamed "Cookie."
As the show began, Mike Karr's relationship with Sara Lane (Teal Ames) reproduced the radio serial's Perry Mason/Della Street relationship. Adding a complication for Mike Karr, Sara's family was involved in organized crime. In the early years of the show, Sara's younger brother, Jack ([[Don Hastings]]), was drawn into the criminal world by corrupt uncle Harry Lane ([[Lauren Gilbert]]). Nevertheless, Mike and Sara eventually married. Their happiness was short-lived when Sara was written out of the show, killed as she saved the life of their daughter Laurie Ann, who ran into the street into the path of an automobile. By the 1960s, Laurie Ann was a teenager, supplying many plots for the show, and a young wife and mother by the 1970s.


===The 1960s===
Nicole Travis Drake has had a most interesting and bizarre history. An early storyline had her victimized by two different women who wanted her dead. She romanced and later married Adam Drake, who was later feared dead in a boating accident but came back to life. Her subsequent marriage to Adam was finished for good after Adam was murdered. And in one of the foremost startling moments in this television serial's history, the character was replaced with a new actress and was subsequently de-aged a decade, a rarity for an adult character in the genre. Now younger and more vibrant, Nicole was suitable for a relationship with young doctor Miles Cavanaugh. She was eventually killed off when her makeup powder was poisoned.
Mike later married [[Nancy Pollock]] ([[Ann Flood]]), a journalist who helped in many of his cases. Nancy had two siblings: Lee, who eventually married Geri McGrath, and Elaine (nicknamed "Cookie"). Cookie, was also involved in major story arcs. Cookie was married first to Malcom Thomas, who cheated on her, and then made her a widow. Later she married Ron Christopher, whose dealings with loan sharks affected Mike's good friends Louise and Philip Capice.


Other important characters were [[Chief of Police|Police chief]] Bill Marceau ([[Mandel Kramer]]), who was one of Karr's best friends and shared a tremendous mutual respect, rare between a defense attorney and a chief of police (perhaps because Mike had once been a police officer himself), Marceau's secretary (and later wife) Martha ([[Teri Keane]]), fellow attorney Adam Drake ([[Donald May]]), his client, then secretary (and later on, his wife) Nicole Travis ([[Maeve McGuire]]; [[Jayne Bentzen]]; Lisa Sloan), and wealthy socialite Geraldine Whitney ([[Lois Kibbee]]).
Another important relationship was that between Nancy and her younger sister Cookie, who was married first to Malcom Thomas and later to Ron Christopher, whose dealings with loan sharks affected Mike's good friends Louise and Philip Capice. In the show's later years, the Karrs' beautiful daughter Laurie Ann, by now a young adult, was an important character. Her relationship with Jonah Lockwood, a [[Psychopathy|sociopath]], almost cost her her life, but he was revealed to be an alternate persona of Keith Whitney, scion of the wealthy Whitney family, nemesis of the Karrs and Marceau! One of the later major story arcs was about a train wreck and a prisoner, Draper Scott, who had been unjustly convicted of murder, escaping from the train accident, much in the style of [[Richard Kimble]] of ''[[The Fugitive (TV series)|The Fugitive]]''. Although in Draper's case, he also had amnesia, for quite a few months! There was also an interesting storyline in the mid-1970s involving a troubled woman (Nancy's cousin, Serena Faraday) who would change her personality to Josie as she donned a frizzy, black wig in perhaps a nod to ''[[One Life to Live]]'''s popular [[Victoria Lord]]/[[Niki Smith]] storyline.


In one storyline, Nicole Travis (later, Drake) was victimized by two different women, Stephanie Martin ([[Alice Hirson]]) and Pamela Stewart ([[Irene Dailey]]), who both wanted Nicole gone but for different reasons. Pamela was Adam Drake's ex-wife, and she knew Adam was falling in love with Nicole. She reasoned that Adam might return to her if Nicole were not there. Although Stephanie did attempt to kill Nicole on at least one occasion (by poisoning her bourbon), she more interested in terrorising her in revenge for the deaths of her husband and daughter. Stephanie's husband had borrowed money from loan sharks who answered to Nicole's gangster father. He could not repay the debt, so Nicole's father ordered his men to cut the brakelines on his car. The whole family, including Stephanie, her husband, their son, and identical twin daughters Karen and Debbie were in the resulting accident, which only Stephanie and Debbie survived. (Debbie was struck dumb by the incident and was receiving in-patient therapy; while Stephanie unwittingly compounded the problem by calling her "Karen," thus making it clear she wished it had been the other twin who had survived.) Nicole's father was in prison, so Stephanie went after his daughter instead - gradually moving closer and closer, and eventually taking a job as one Nicole's two shop assistants. Stephanie was working late at the shop when she stabbed in the back, just as Nicole arrived to confront her - having learned earlier that evening that Stephanie was behind the threats on her life. Debbie, who had been sleeping on a window seat until just before the stabbing occurred, saw her mother on the floor with the dagger in her back and shouted "Pull it out! Pull it out!";<ref>{{cite book |title= Soap Opera Almanac|last=Lackmann |first=Ron| author-link=Ron Lackmann|year= 1976 |publisher= Berkley Publishing Corporation, New York |page=72}}</ref> which Nicole did. Thus, Nicole was accused of murdering Stephanie because her fingerprints were on the weapon; and Debbie was struck dumb again. Adam Drake defended Nicole against increasingly impossible odds, eventually realising that Debbie was the key to Nicole's exoneration. He had to find a way to make her speak again. Knowing Debbie had strong affection for the therapist who was helping her, he proceed to accuse the woman of being the killer. This proved to be the catalyst the restored Debbie's ability to speak again, to defend her friend. Adam then showed Debbie a picture of Nicole and asked if it was the woman who killed her mother and Debbie answered no. In a classic Perry Mason-like climax, Debbie was called to testify at Nicole's trial; and when asked on the stand if the woman who killed her mother was in court, she said "Yes. Her!" as she pointed to Pamela Stewart - who had killed Stephanie by mistake. In the darkness and because she attacked from behind, Pamela thought she was stabbing Nicole.
Near the end of the series' run, came an unusual story where Mike and Nancy, after having slept in twin beds for nearly their whole married life, finally decided to "go all out, and buy a double bed", thereby retiring their twin beds for good. It was one of the more unusual moments of the show.


===The 1970s===
Uniquely among daytime dramas, ''The Edge of Night'' finished its run with an ominous (and intentional) [[cliffhanger]], revealing that an old enemy had returned to settle some scores, and none of the main protagonists were safe.
Adam subsequently left Mike Karr's law firm as partner and opened his own practice. He hired Nicole as his secretary, and their romance blossomed. But when Nicole sensed his lack of interest in marriage, she went to work for another attorney, Jake Berman ([[Ward Costello]]). She continued to date Adam and told him if he did not propose to her by New Year's Eve, their relationship was finished. Shortly afterward, she got a marriage proposal from her new boss, widower Jake Berman. She did not accept it but moved to New York City with him when he decided to become a partner at another law firm. Adam then searched for Nicole in New York until he found her at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve and proposed to her. When Adam and Nicole returned to Monticello, so did Jake, determined to prevent them from marrying. He plotted with ex-convict Johnny Dallas ([[John LaGioia]]) to frame Adam for attempted murder. Johnny did not show up, but Jake was murdered by Joel Gantry ([[Paul Henry Itkin]], [[Nicholas Pryor]]) and Adam was arrested for the murder immediately following his wedding to Nicole at the Karr residence. The day before the jury would have found Adam guilty, Joel Gantry was found by Kevin Jamison ([[Dick Shoberg]]) in San Francisco. Joel was really Edith Berman's son from her previous marriage, and he was convinced that Jake had murdered his mother. Adam and Nicole thus were reunited and settled into married life. Sometime later, she was believed to have died in a boating accident in the Caribbean but was discovered alive 18 months later by Kevin Jamison (then played by [[John Driver]]) in France. At the same time, Adam proposed to Assistant District Attorney Brandy Henderson ([[Dixie Carter]]). Adam and Nicole eventually reunited about six months after Nicole was discovered alive, and Brandy left town another six months later. Their marriage ended when Adam was murdered. A young doctor, Miles Cavanaugh, came along and became interested in Nicole. Although the actress who played Nicole was only four years older than the actor playing Miles, the producers replaced her with another actress who was ten years younger than he - a rarity in the soap opera genre, presumably done to break completely with the prior Nicole storylines. Nicole and Miles eventually married but the new actress was herself replaced four years later by another actress. Two years after that, Nicole died after her makeup powder was poisoned.

In the show's later years, Mike's beautiful daughter Laurie Ann ([[Emily Prager]]), by now a young adult, was an important character. Her relationship with Jonah Lockwood, a [[Psychopathy|sociopath]], almost cost her her life, but he was revealed to be an alternate persona of Keith Whitney, scion of the wealthy Whitney family, nemesis of the Karrs and Marceau. Laurie subsequently became engaged to marry Mike Karr's law associate Vic Lamont (Ted Tinling). During this time Mike Karr was being stalked by a gangster Lobo Haynes ([[Fred J. Scollay]]) over a shipment of drugs which led to Vic being pleading guilty to murder and going to prison to conduct undercover work where he was almost stabbed to death in a prison shower but his life was saved by inmate Johnny Dallas. Johnny was later released from prison and became the owner of a restaurant The New Moon Cafe. Laurie (now played by [[Jeanne Ruskin]]) played the piano at the restaurant leading to her and Johnny falling in love. When Vic found out Laurie and Johnny were together in Chicago when he didn't show up to shoot and wound Jake Berman, he left Laurie. In a drunken stupor, Vic married client Kay Reynolds ([[Elizabeth Farley]]). Laurie and Johnny eventually married and Vic was murdered saving Johnny's life in a staged holdup at the New Moon Cafe when it was revealed that Johnny was doing undercover work. Laurie (now played by [[Linda Cook (actor)|Linda Cook]]) and Johnny had a baby they named John Victor. However, Laurie developed mental problems that led her to being placed in a mental institution, and Johnny ran away.

Another major character introduced in the later years was Assistant District attorney Draper Scott (Tony Craig), who started out working alongside Brandy Henderson and tried to date her but she was still in love with Adam Drake. Draper prosecuted Nicole's cousin Serena Faraday ([[Louise Shaffer]]) for the murder of her ex-husband Mark Faraday ([[Bernie McInery]]) but Adam defended her and proved it was her alternate personality "Josie" and she was sent to a mental institution. Draper left the D. A. office and joined forces with Mike Karr after Adam Drake was shot and killed. He eventually married April Cavanaugh ([[Terri Davis]]) sister of Dr. Miles Cavanaugh. One of the later major story arcs was about a train wreck where Draper had been unjustly convicted of murder, escaping from the train accident. There was also a storyline in the mid-1970s involving a troubled woman (Nicole's cousin, Serena Faraday) who changed her personality to Josie as she donned a frizzy, black wig in perhaps a nod to ''[[One Life to Live]]'''s popular [[Victoria Lord]]/[[Niki Smith]] storyline. Another notable character was Charlotte "Raven" Alexander Jamison Swift Whitney ([[Juanin Clay]], then [[Sharon Gabet]]), a duplicitous coquette who became more stable and faithful in the latter years.

Whitney family matriarch, tough Geraldine Whitney ([[Lois Kibbee]]) suffered the misfortune of losing most of those close to her to untimely deaths: her first husband, two sons, a beloved daughter-in-law, a nephew, and she herself was nearly killed, having been pushed down a flight of stairs in 1975 by her ne'er-do-well son-in-law Noel Douglas ([[Dick Latessa]]). She became close to Raven Alexander and Raven's ex-husband Logan Swift during later years (and became de facto grandmother to Raven and Logan's son). However, when Logan was killed in 1984, Geraldine could hardly bear the grief to learn that, through a series of events, she had accidentally shot him.

===The 1980s===
Near the end of the series' run came a rather unusual story wherein Mike and Nancy, after sleeping in twin beds for nearly their entire married life, decided to "go all out, and buy a double bed", thereby retiring their twin beds for good.

Uniquely among daytime dramas at the time, ''The Edge of Night'' finished its run with an ominous (and intentional) [[cliffhanger]], revealing that an old enemy—Louis Van Dine, who had supposedly been sent to the state penitentiary—had returned to settle some scores, and none of the main protagonists were safe. In addition, police detective Chris Egan ([[Jennifer Joan Taylor|Jennifer Taylor]]) - spying a supposedly deceased henchman of Van Dine, Donald Hext - followed Hext into a previously unknown Monticello Street called "Wonderland Lane." There, she discovered Van Dine's sister, Alicia Van Dine ([[Chris Weatherhead]]), in a shop. Alicia's brother viciously stabbed her in the back; her allegedly dying words to Chris Egan were: "...Off, off with her head...." Egan barely escaped from the shop after Van Dine and Hext attempted to capture her and ran out of Wonderland Lane, briefly falling by the post next to the street sign, a stuffed white rabbit propped against it.

The final scene of the series is of Chris Egan telling Mike Karr and others of her encounter with Louis Van Dine and Donald Hext, in addition to Alicia Van Dine's stabbing. The show's theme plays over the dialogue, masking Karr's words, but the audience is left to know that the story of Monticello continues onward, albeit off the air. The reason for the cliffhanger was that Procter & Gamble believed that they could find another network to take over production of ''The Edge of Night'', or possibly continue the show in first-run syndication, but in 1984, there were no cable networks willing to take on such an expensive endeavor.


==Broadcast history==
==Broadcast history==
{{Main|List of US daytime soap opera ratings}}
{{Main|List of American daytime soap opera ratings}}


===CBS===
Unlike most soap operas which build a solid audience slowly over many years, ''The Edge of Night'' was an instant hit with daytime viewers; it amassed an audience of nine million in its first year, in some respects because the public did in fact perceive it as a daytime ''Perry Mason'', as the producers had intended. Through the 1960s, the show continued to flourish, consistently ranking as one of the top six rated soap operas, alongside the rest of CBS' daytime lineup. It peaked at #2 (behind ''As the World Turns'') in the 1966–1967 television season and came in at #2 between 1969 and 1971.
Unlike most soap operas, which build a solid audience slowly over many years, ''The Edge of Night'' was an instant hit with daytime viewers; it amassed an audience of nine million in its first year,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Copeland |first1=Mary Ann |title=Soap Opera History |date=1991 |publisher=Publications International |isbn=0-88176-933-9 |pages=116–121}}</ref> in some respects because the public perceived it as a daytime ''Perry Mason'', as the producers of ''The Edge of Night'' had intended. Through the 1960s, the show continued to gain popularity; it consistently ranked as one of the top six rated soap operas, alongside the rest of CBS' daytime lineup. It peaked at #2 (behind ''As the World Turns'') in the 1966–67 television season and came in at #2 between 1969 and 1971.


Due to the show's crime format, and its late start time of 4:30 PM (3:30 Central), ''Edge'' had an audience which was estimated, at one time, to be more than 50% male. In July 1963, the show was moved to the 3:30/2:30 time period (the 4:30/3:30 slot was given back to the affiliates), in which it dominated even over otherwise hit programs like NBC's ''[[You Don't Say]]'' and ABC's ''[[Dark Shadows]]'' and ''[[One Life to Live]].'' When the show moved to 2:30 PM (1:30 Central) in 1972 at [[Procter and Gamble]]'s insistence, the show slid from a solid #2 in the [[Nielsen ratings]] to near-last place, and it has been hypothesized that this drop was due to the exodus of many male viewers and teenagers who could not make it home from work or school earlier in the afternoon to watch. (This would also not be the only time that P&G's insistence on a certain timeslot for one of their soap operas would cause a catastrophic drop in ratings, with the same problem plaguing the long-running ''[[Search for Tomorrow]]'' a decade later.)
At one point, the audience for ''The Edge of Night'' was estimated to be more than 50% male, largely due to the show's crime format and its late start time of 4:30 p.m. (3:30 Central). On July 1, 1963, the show was moved to the 3:30/2:30 time period after CBS gave the 4:30/3:30 slot back to its affiliates, primarily used by them for children's programs, local or syndicated. ''The Edge of Night'' dominated the 3:30 slot even over otherwise-hit programs like NBC's ''[[You Don't Say!]]'' and ABC's ''[[Dark Shadows]]'' and ''[[One Life to Live]]''. However when ''Edge'' was moved to 2:30 p.m. (1:30 Central) on September 11, 1972, per [[Procter & Gamble]]'s insistence upon running all of its shows back-to-back, the change caused fellow P&G soap ''[[Guiding Light|The Guiding Light]]'' to be shifted 30 minutes earlier to 2&nbsp;p.m. ''[[As the World Turns]]'' and ''[[Search for Tomorrow]]'', P&G's other two soaps, were not affected by the timeslot changes nor was the interrupted affiliate break, usually for local newscasts, at 1&nbsp;p.m./noon). This timeslot change caused a drastic slide in ''The Edge of Night''{{'}}s viewership, dropping from fourth in the [[Nielsen ratings]]—among the 17 daytime serials on the air at the time—to 10th place, presumed to be because many male viewers and teenagers were unable to make it home from work or school earlier in the afternoon to watch; as a consequence, ''Edge'' became CBS's lowest-rated soap. This would not be the last time that a Procter & Gamble soap airing on CBS experienced a dramatic ratings decline after being moved to the 2:30&nbsp;p.m. timeslot; the same problem would affect its long-running sister soap ''Search for Tomorrow'' in that same slot seven years later.


By summer 1975, CBS began considering expansions of two of its Procter & Gamble-owned soap operas, ''Search for Tomorrow'' and ''As the World Turns'', to 45 minutes daily, in response to NBC's full-hour expansions of ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'' and ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'' some months earlier. The network changed its mind, however, when it realized that doing so would force them to take the 30-minute affiliate break slot at 1/noon away from local stations. CBS was also put in a bind because it had already decided to expand another of its daytime shows, game show ''[[The Price Is Right]]'', to an hour starting in November (a move that would prove to be a major ratings success for the network, more-so than the expansion of ''ATWT''). CBS decided to simply expand ''As the World Turns'', which was still the top-rated soap opera on television, to 60 minutes starting in December. Since CBS decided against taking the 1&nbsp;p.m. slot from the affiliates, and the network did not intend to move ''As the World Turns'' from its 1:30&nbsp;p.m. slot, this made the low-rated ''Edge of Night'' expendable, and CBS told Procter & Gamble that it would not be renewing the series (although the network conceivably could have returned the soap to late afternoons, keeping control of the 50% male audience it had previously before the move to 2:30&nbsp;p.m.).
By summer 1975, CBS prepared to make its first-ever expansion of a serial to 60 minutes daily, in response to NBC's lengthening of both ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'' and ''[[Days of our Lives]]'' some months earlier. Not surprisingly, daytime executives chose the ratings-leading ''[[As the World Turns]]'', which faced ''Days'' directly at 1:30/12:30. Since CBS' affiliates usually aired newscasts in the 1:00/12:00 access slot, and also would preempt ''Edge'' if it returned to 4:30/3:30, CBS had no vacant time slot into which to expand ''Edge'', and had no choice but to cancel it.<ref>[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30A1FFC3D5B157493C2A81782D85F418785F9&scp=19&sq=Another+World+NBC&st=p 'As World Turns' on CBS Will Expand to Hour Dec.1]</ref>


===Switch to ABC (1975)===
===ABC===
Despite CBS canceling it, Procter & Gamble wanted to continue ''The Edge of Night'', and soon inquired with the other networks about picking up the series. ABC expressed interest in bringing ''The Edge of Night'' to its daytime lineup, and was willing to return it to late afternoons where it had previously done so well. It was the only network that did not have, then or in the past, a P&G serial on its schedule, and was excited to work with the company. However, a major issue almost resulted in the outright cancellation of the serial before such a move, the first of its kind, would take place.
''Edge'''s audience had eroded so much that it became CBS' lowest-rated afternoon program; NBC's ''[[The Doctors (1963 TV series)|The Doctors]]'' had easily defeated it in the Nielsens for some time. Because of this, CBS informed P&G that it would have to let ''Edge'' go. Meanwhile, ABC successfully brought other networks' daytime cancellations into its schedule, namely ''[[Let's Make a Deal]]'' and the ''[[$10,000 Pyramid]].'' It also was the only network at the time to have never had a P&G-packaged program on its schedule. Thus, ABC responded positively when P&G approached it about moving the program there. However, officials informed the company that contractual obligations to other programs would not permit the network to admit ''Edge'' onto the lineup until December.


CBS had originally planned on expanding ''As the World Turns'' at the beginning of the new season in September 1975. ABC's daytime schedule was full at the time with programs whose contracts it had to honor, and the earliest it could have a spot open on the schedule would be in December. This meant that it would be approximately three months at least before ''Edge'' would air its first episode on ABC, and the network was worried that a three-month absence would result in a loss of viewers. Instead, a compromise was struck where CBS would keep ''The Edge of Night'' on its schedule for the time being, and once ABC found a place for it, which it did when it canceled ''[[You Don't Say!]]'' on December 1, 1975, the expansion of ''As the World Turns'' and network change of ''The Edge of Night'' would take place. On the date of the network switch, CBS placed ''Guiding Light'' in ''Edge''{{'}}s former 2:30 slot, returning to the timeslot where that network originally placed the show when it expanded to a half-hour broadcast seven years earlier.
This raised a serious problem because CBS wanted to expand ''As the World Turns'' when the fall season began in September, meaning that ''Edge'' would have to leave the air for nearly three months. Had this happened, it is likely that ABC would have rescinded its decision to acquire ''Edge'' due to near-certain loss of viewer interest caused by the interruption. Fortunately, P&G negotiated with CBS to delay the ''ATWT'' expansion until ABC had an available slot for ''Edge''. On December 1, ''Edge'' moved to ABC, and on CBS, ''ATWT'' began occupying the 1:30-2:30 block with ''[[Guiding Light]]'' moving down one half-hour to ''Edge'''s old place.


The last CBS episode of ''Edge'' - on November 28, 1975 - ended with the discovery that Nicole Travis Drake was alive, after she had been presumed dead in an explosion eighteen months earlier while on a boating trip with her husband Adam Drake. ABC aired the show beginning on December 1, 1975, with a 90-minute premiere. This episode picked up where CBS left off, with Geraldine Whitney still in a coma from an attempted murder by her daughter-in-law Tiffany's second husband, Noel Douglas. Nicole, with the help of Geraldine's adopted "son," Kevin Jamison, remembered who she was after suffering from amnesia since the explosion; the final scene of that day's episode was an exciting climax in which Serena Faraday, in her "Josie" split-personality, shot her husband on the steps of the courthouse.
The last CBS episode of ''The Edge of Night'', aired on November 28, 1975, ending with the discovery that Nicole Drake was alive. She had been presumed dead in an explosion 18 months earlier while on a boating trip with her husband Adam. ABC aired the show beginning on December 1, with a 90-minute premiere. This episode picked up where CBS had left off the previous Friday, with Geraldine Whitney still in a coma after having been pushed down a flight of stairs in a murder attempt by her daughter-in-law Tiffany's second husband, Noel Douglas' girlfriend Tracy Dallas. Nicole—with the help of Geraldine's adopted "son", Kevin Jamison—regained her identity after suffering from [[amnesia]] since the boating-trip explosion. The final scene of that day's episode was a climax in which Serena Faraday, in her "Josie" split personality, shot and killed her husband on the steps of the courthouse.


The move to ABC made ''The Edge of Night'' the first serial to change from one broadcast network to another. (The only other soap to do so was its former CBS stablemate and fellow Procter & Gamble serial ''Search for Tomorrow'', which moved to NBC in 1982, following a dispute with CBS over its 1981 shift from 12:30, where the show had aired since its 1952 premiere, to the 2:30 slot that caused the viewership decline that led to ''The Edge of Night''{{'}}s initial cancellation by CBS over six years earlier.)
Initially, ''Edge'' showed promise when it changed networks. It was the first serial to change networks (the only other one was the P&G-packaged ''[[Search for Tomorrow]]'' from CBS to NBC in 1982); it aired in a late afternoon time slot of 4/3 p.m. for ABC affiliates in the Eastern and Central time zones, and 12 noon for ABC affiliates in the Pacific time zone because of a different scheduling pattern for ABC's West Coast feed. At first, the show's overall ratings declined because fewer homes had access to it; this situation was caused by ABC affiliates who had, for years, opted for local or [[television syndication|syndicated]] programs at the 4/3 slot instead of the network feed and decided not to abandon the practice. Others tape-delayed the program for morning slots, either the following day or up to two weeks later. Nevertheless, ''Edge'' was typically either first (or a close second) in its timeslot for markets that cleared it in its network feed of 4/3 p.m., due mainly to the weakness of competing programs on CBS and NBC. Also, ''Edge's'' [[demographics]] were significantly better on ABC; thus, the network was actually able to charge higher ad rates for it than several more popular series with higher audience ratings.


Initially, ''The Edge of Night'' showed promise when it began airing on ABC. ABC aired ''Edge'' in the 4:00/3:00 p.m. late-afternoon time slot in the Eastern and Central Time Zones, and, due to a different scheduling pattern for ABC's West Coast feed, at noon in the Pacific Time Zone. At first, the show's overall ratings declined because fewer homes had access to it; this happened because many ABC affiliates had opted to run local or [[Broadcast syndication|syndicated programming]] in the 4:00/3:00 slot, instead of the network feed, for many years and decided not to abandon the practice. As a result, in some markets, ''Edge'' disappeared after relocating from CBS to ABC. In other markets, stations (either a local ABC affiliate or an independent station that picked the show up) taped the program for delayed broadcast in a morning slot. Nevertheless, ''The Edge of Night'' was typically either first (or a close second) in its timeslot in markets where the local ABC station cleared it at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time); this was due mainly to the weakness of competing programs on CBS and NBC. ''[[Somerset (TV series)|Somerset]]'', the spinoff to NBC's highly rated ''Another World'', was the only other soap still airing in that timeslot, but never got the ratings that the mother show received from airing one hour earlier; that show ended up being canceled the following year. Furthermore, the show's [[demographics]] were significantly better on ABC because the show got its youth and some of its male demographics back; thus, ABC was able to charge higher advertising rates for it than several series with higher audience ratings.
Although it never recovered the ground it lost from its CBS days (in fact, sliding into the lowest third in the ratings by 1977), as the 1980s began ''Edge'''s ratings improved slightly. While the numbers were not as solid, ''Edge'' still pulled in ratings in the 5.0 range and improved its position on the ratings list, peaking at 11th in both 1981 and 1982. However, from 1982 on, ratings would fall even further as even more affiliates dropped the show in favor of the aforementioned syndicated offerings. At the end of the 1981-1982 television season, ''Edge'' pulled in a 5.0 rating, but with the resulting pre-emptions, the rating lowered to a 3.8 in 1983. This caused P&G to lose more money on the program with each passing year.


Despite never recovering the ground it lost from its CBS days, even sliding into the lowest third tier in the ratings by 1977, ratings for ''The Edge of Night'' improved slightly during the early 1980s, thanks in no small part to the overall rise of ABC's other soaps in the ratings, with ''General Hospital'', ''All My Children'' and ''One Life to Live'' all winning their respective timeslots, along with fresh new characters (such as Steve, Draper, Logan, Deborah, April, Raven and Damian). While the numbers were less solid, ''The Edge of Night'' still pulled in ratings in the 5.0 range and improved its position in the Nielsens, peaking at 11th in both 1981 and 1982. However, from 1982 on, ratings fell as even more ABC affiliates dropped the show in favor of the aforementioned syndicated offerings. At the end of the 1981-82 television season, ''The Edge of Night'' pulled in a 5.0 rating, but with the resulting preemptions, the show's rating dropped to a 3.8 in 1983. This caused Procter & Gamble's profit margins on the program to shrink with each passing year.
In May 1983, P&G replaced the show's headwriter [[Henry Slesar]], whose 15-year stint with the soap was at that time the longest in daytime serial history, and appointed a new headwriter, Lee Sheldon. Sheldon modified the plot with young characters and even some humor in an effort to help the ailing serial gain new fans. However, more and more ABC affiliates continued to drop the show.


The series was also broadcast in Canada on [[CBC Television]] beginning in the early 1970s, but after more than a decade, CBC opted in the fall of 1982 to drop ''The Edge of Night'' from its daytime afternoon lineup and replace it with the ABC-owned soap opera, ''[[All My Children]]''.
By fall 1984, ''Edge'' aired on less than 62% of ABC's affiliates, and over two dozen more affiliates planned to drop the series in the first quarter of 1985. Although ABC intended to continue ''Edge'', even offering to move it to a mid-morning timeslot, the loss of revenue from frequent pre-emptions prohibited P&G from affording to produce the show any longer. On October 26, 1984, ABC and P&G made a joint announcement that ''Edge's'' December 28 broadcast would be its series finale. At this point, ''Edge's'' ratings were less than half of what they had been at the beginning of the decade (''Edge'' finished the 1984-1985 television season with a 2.6 rating in only four months of episodes). ''Edge'' was the last ABC program to air in the 4 PM timeslot; the network followed NBC in giving back the timeslot to its affiliates (NBC had done this in 1979). CBS, which was still programming the 4 PM timeslot with ''[[Body Language (game show)|Body Language]]'' at the time, joined the other two major networks in returning the slot to its stations in September 1986 following the cancellation of ''[[Press Your Luck]]''.

In May 1983, Procter & Gamble dismissed the show's head writer, [[Henry Slesar]], whose 15-year job with the soap opera was at that time the longest in daytime serial history, and appointed as its new head writer Lee Sheldon, a writer and producer of primetime television shows. (He had been a writer on CBS's ''[[Tucker's Witch]]'' earlier in the season.) Although Sheldon's emphasis on humor (an attribute he had honed while working on ''Tucker's Witch'') reflected an attempt to boost ratings, the show's ratings slump only worsened as even more ABC affiliates dropped the show.

By fall 1984, ''The Edge of Night'' aired on only 106 of ABC's 213 affiliate stations.<ref name="PP 1984-10">{{cite journal|last=Holsopple|first=Barbara|date=October 30, 1984|title=Did affiliate battle kill ''Edge of Night''?|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19841030&id=1RshAAAAIBAJ&pg=7135,8711302|journal=[[The Pittsburgh Press]]|volume=101|pages=19}}</ref> A further two dozen affiliates planned to drop the series in the first quarter of 1985, with many station managers doing so because they wanted local or syndicated programming to air in the 4:00 timeslot. Although ABC intended to continue ''The Edge of Night'', even offering to move it to a mid-morning timeslot, Procter & Gamble could no longer afford to continue producing the show due to the constant loss of revenue from frequent preemptions. Thus, on October 26, 1984, ABC and Procter & Gamble made a joint announcement that the final telecast of ''Edge of Night'' (whose title had been shortened to three words) would take place on December 28 of that year. At this point, the show's ratings were less than half of what they had been at the beginning of the decade; at the end of the 1984–85 television season, it finished last in the daytime ratings race with a 2.6 rating in only four months of episodes.

To date, ''The Edge of Night'' is the last regularly-scheduled ABC network program to have aired in the 4:00–4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) time slot; ABC returned the half-hour slot to its affiliates after ''The Edge of Night'' finished its run. NBC had done this in 1977, while CBS, which programmed the 4:00 p.m. time slot with ''[[Body Language (game show)|Body Language]]'' when ''The Edge of Night'' left the air, followed suit in September 1986 after canceling ''[[Press Your Luck]]'' a month prior.

==== Post-cancellation aftermath ====
The cancellation of ''The Edge of Night'', along with ABC's relinquishing of what had become a [[Graveyard slot|death slot]] at the time of the show's demise, had a major impact on the first-run syndication market as ABC affiliates sought new programming to fill the open timeslot in the midst of the 1984-85 television season. The most significant impact occurred in the New York City market, where the cancellation of ''The Edge of Night'' created an opening on ABC's East Coast flagship, [[WABC-TV]]. Taking advantage of this opening, distributor [[King World Productions]] reached an agreement to move the syndicated revival of ''[[Jeopardy!]]'', already in the middle of its first season, over to WABC's open 4&nbsp;p.m. slot from [[WNBC|WNBC-TV]], where it had been airing in an overnight time slot.''<ref name="Belkin">{{cite news |last=Belkin |first=Lisa |date=August 11, 1987 |title=Redefining Prime Time: It's All in Who You Ask |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/11/arts/redefining-prime-time-it-s-all-in-who-you-ask.html |access-date=January 19, 2014 |archive-date=February 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226034211/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/11/arts/redefining-prime-time-it-s-all-in-who-you-ask.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Eisenberg 1993">{{Cite book |last=Eisenberg |first=Harry |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/28365197 |title=Inside "Jeopardy" : what really goes on at TV's top quiz show |date=1993 |publisher=Northwest Pub |others=James Van Treese |isbn=1-56901-177-X |location=Salt Lake City, UT |oclc=28365197}}</ref>''

In December 1986, after struggling to find a strong lead-out to complement ''Jeopardy!'' before its 5&nbsp;p.m. newscast, WABC filled the entire hour with ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show]]'' (also distributed by King World, which came to dominate the 4&nbsp;p.m. timeslot in New York and many other markets). At the same time, WABC moved ''Jeopardy!'' to 7&nbsp;p.m., pushing ABC's broadcast of [[ABC World News Tonight|''World News Tonight'']] ahead by a half-hour and reducing the length of its 6&nbsp;p.m. newscast to 30 minutes; locally, this move would later repeat itself at WNBC and [[WCBS-TV]], and eventually at network affiliates in many other markets where such scheduling patterns are now considered standard practice.''<ref name="Belkin"/><ref name="Eisenberg 1993"/>''

As of 2021, the 4&nbsp;p.m. time slot is now largely filled by local newscasts on most major network affiliates, including most of ABC's owned-and-operated stations, since the conclusion of ''Oprah'' in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.adweek.com/tvspy/kgo-to-add-4pm-news-after-oprah-says-goodbye/11458|title=KGO to add 4pm News after Oprah says goodbye|website=www.adweek.com|date=19 May 2011 |language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-06|archive-date=2018-07-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706052056/https://www.adweek.com/tvspy/kgo-to-add-4pm-news-after-oprah-says-goodbye/11458|url-status=live}}</ref>


==Episode status==
==Episode status==
Most CBS episodes no longer exist. Despite the network ceasing its [[wiping]] practice of shows it owned in September 1972, P&G still continued wiping tapes for several more years. Many monochrome and some color episodes were kinescoped (the color kinescopes survive in black-and-white). 45 episodes of the CBS era are known to exist, the best-known of which include the [[Christmas Day]] 1974 episode and a September 1975 episode depicting the attempted murder of Geraldine. The first two years of the ABC run also followed this practice, which ceased in 1978 for ABC and all P&G shows.
Most CBS episodes of ''The Edge of Night'' no longer exist as the series was broadcast live until September 1975, shortly before the move to ABC. The network had terminated its [[Lost television broadcast|wiping]] practice of shows it owned in September 1972, but Procter & Gamble continued wiping tapes until 1978. Many monochrome episodes and some color episodes of the show were kinescoped; the color episodes in this format survive in black-and-white. Forty-five episodes of the CBS era are known to exist, the best-known of which include the [[Christmas Day]] 1974 episode and a September 1975 episode depicting the attempted murder of Geraldine. Some fans also have the second episode of the series (April 3, 1956), which featured Don Hastings, John Larkin and Teal Ames. The first two years of the ABC run also followed the tape-erasure practice, which ceased in 1978 for ABC and all Procter & Gamble shows.


From August 5, 1985 to January 19, 1989, reruns aired in a daily late-night timeslot on cable's [[USA Network]], transmitting episodes from June 1981 up to the series finale.
From August 5, 1985, to January 19, 1989, reruns aired in a daily late-night timeslot on cable's [[USA Network]], airing episodes from June 1981 up to the 1984 series finale.


In August 2006, P&G made several of its classic soap operas available, a few episodes at a time, through [[America Online|AOL]] Video Service, downloadable free of charge. AOL downloads of ''The Edge of Night'' commenced with episode #6051 from July 17, 1979.
From August 2006<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20060731005359/en/AOL-Launch-Video-Portal|title=AOL to Launch New Video Portal|date=2006-07-31|website=www.businesswire.com|language=en|access-date=2017-07-29|archive-date=2017-07-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729095146/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20060731005359/en/AOL-Launch-Video-Portal|url-status=live}}</ref> to January 2009,<ref>"PGP Classic Soap Channel," ''pgpclassicsoaps.com'', January 1, 2009.</ref> Procter & Gamble made several of its classic soap operas available, a few episodes at a time, through [[America Online|AOL]] Video Service, downloadable free of charge. AOL downloads of ''The Edge of Night'' commenced with episode #6051, from July 17, 1979, and concluded with episode #6380, from November 6, 1980.

==Awards==

===Daytime Emmy Award wins===
* 1985 "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series"
* 1984 "Outstanding Achievement in Any Area of Creative Technical Crafts - Electronic Camerawork"
* 1979 "Outstanding Achievement in Technical Excellence"
* 1974 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing"

===Primetime Emmy Award wins===
* 1973 "[[25th Primetime Emmy Awards|Outstanding Program Achievement in Daytime Drama]]" (Drama Series)


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Television}}
*[[Perry Mason]]
*[[Perry Mason (radio)]]
* [[Perry Mason]]
* [[Perry Mason (radio)]]


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
<references/>


==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://lavender.fortunecity.com/casino/403/ ''Edge of Night'' Home Page]
*[http://www.classictvhits.com/show.php?id=254 Classic TV Hits: ''The Edge of Night'']
* [http://edgehomepage.com ''Edge of Night'' Home Page]
* [http://www.classictvhits.com/show.php?id=254 Classic TV Hits: ''The Edge of Night'']
* {{IMDb title|0048860|The Edge of Night}}
*[http://video.aol.com/show/edge-of-night/103492 AOL Video: ''Edge of Night'' Episode #6380]
* ''The Edge of Night'' on [https://web.archive.org/web/20110225103521/http://www.memorabletv.com/showsaz/edgeofnight.htm MemorableTV.com]
*[http://soapworldclassicsoaps.yuku.com/forums/85 ''Soapworld Classic Soaps'' discussion forum: ''The Edge of Night'']

* {{imdb title|0048860|The Edge of Night}}
{{The Edge of Night}}
*[http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20269720_4,00.html ''EW.com'': "Photo Gallery: 12 Soap Operas We've Loved, Lost": ''The Edge of Night'']
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''The Edge of Night''
|list =
{{Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series}}
{{Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team}}
}}
{{US daytime soaps}}
{{Perry Mason}}


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[[Category:1956 television series debuts]]
[[Category:The Edge of Night]]
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[[Category:1984 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1960s American television series]]
[[Category:1950s American crime drama television series]]
[[Category:1970s American television series]]
[[Category:1960s American crime drama television series]]
[[Category:1980s American television series]]
[[Category:1970s American crime drama television series]]
[[Category:American Broadcasting Company network shows]]
[[Category:1980s American crime drama television series]]
[[Category:1950s American mystery television series]]
[[Category:1960s American mystery television series]]
[[Category:1970s American mystery television series]]
[[Category:1980s American mystery television series]]
[[Category:Black-and-white American television shows]]
[[Category:American live television series]]
[[Category:American legal drama television series]]
[[Category:American television soap operas]]
[[Category:American television soap operas]]
[[Category:Black-and-white television programs]]
[[Category:Edgar Award–winning works]]
[[Category:CBS network shows]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Crime television series]]
[[Category:Edgar Award winning works]]
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[[Category:Mystery television]]
[[Category:Television series by Procter & Gamble Productions]]
[[Category:Television series by Procter & Gamble Productions]]
[[Category:Television series with missing episodes]]
[[Category:Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series winners]]
[[Category:Perry Mason]]

[[Category:Television shows set in the Midwestern United States]]
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[[Category:CBS soap operas]]
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[[Category:American Broadcasting Company soap operas]]
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[[Category:CBS crime dramas]]
[[Category:American Broadcasting Company crime dramas]]
[[ru:На пороге ночи (телесериал)]]
[[sh:The Edge of Night]]
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Latest revision as of 07:05, 15 December 2024

The Edge of Night
Also known asEdge of Night
Genre
Created byIrving Vendig
Starring
ComposersElliot Lawrence
Paul Taubman
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons28
No. of episodes7,420
Production
Executive producerErwin Nicholson
Producers
  • Robert Driscoll
  • Rick Edelstein
  • Charles Fisher
  • Freddie Bartholomew
  • Jacqueline Haber
  • Werner Michel
  • Erwin Nicholson
  • Charles Polachek
Running time30 minutes
Production companyProcter & Gamble Productions
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseApril 2, 1956 (1956-04-02) –
November 28, 1975 (1975-11-28)
NetworkABC
ReleaseDecember 1, 1975 (1975-12-01) –
December 28, 1984 (1984-12-28)

The Edge of Night is an American mystery crime drama television series and soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions.

It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network for most of its run until November 28, 1975. The series then moved to ABC, where it aired from December 1, 1975, until December 28, 1984.[1] 7,420 episodes were produced, of which some 1,800 are available for syndication.

Writer Sir P. G. Wodehouse,[2] actresses Bette Davis and Tallulah Bankhead,[3] as well as Eleanor Roosevelt,[3] were all reportedly devoted fans.

Concept

[edit]

The Edge of Night, whose working title was The Edge of Darkness, premiered on April 2, 1956, as one of the first two half-hour serials on television, the other being As the World Turns. Prior to the debuts of both shows, 15-minute-long shows had been the standard. Both shows aired on CBS, sponsored by Procter & Gamble.

The show was originally conceived as the daytime television version of Perry Mason, which was popular in novel and radio formats at the time. Mason's creator Erle Stanley Gardner was to create and write the show, but a last-minute tiff between the CBS network and him caused Gardner to pull his support from the idea. CBS insisted that Mason be given a love interest to placate daytime soap opera audiences, but Gardner refused to take Mason in that direction. Gardner eventually patched up his differences with CBS, and Perry Mason debuted in prime time on September 21, 1957.

In 1956, a writer from the Perry Mason radio show, Irving Vendig, created a retooled idea of the show for daytime television—and The Edge of Night was born. John Larkin, radio's best identified Perry Mason, was cast as the protagonist-star, initially as a detective, eventually as an attorney, in a thinly veiled copy of Perry Mason.[4]

Setting

[edit]

Unlike Perry Mason, whose adventures took place in Southern California, the daytime series was set in the fictional city of Monticello, located in the Midwestern United States. A frequent backdrop for the show's early scenes was a restaurant called the Ho-Hi-Ho. The state capital, however, was known generically as "Capital City"; the state in which Monticello was located had never been identified. From its beginning in 1956 until roughly 1980, the downtown skyline of the city of Cincinnati stood in as Monticello. Procter & Gamble, which produced the show, is based in Cincinnati. In later years, the Los Angeles skyline replaced that of Cincinnati. The skyline motif was eventually eliminated altogether in the final two years of the show, as was the word "The" in the title.

Format

[edit]

During most of the show's run, viewers were treated to an announcer enthusiastically and energetically announcing the show's title, "The Eeedge...of Night!" Bob Dixon was the first announcer in 1956, followed by Herbert Duncan. The two voices most identified with the show, however, were those of Harry Kramer (1957–1972) and Hal Simms, who announced until the series ended in 1984.

The Edge of Night played on more artistic levels than probably any other soap of its time. It was unique among daytime soap operas in that it focused on crime, rather than domestic and romantic matters. The police, district attorneys, and medical examiners of fictional Monticello, United States, dealt with a steady onslaught of gangsters, drug dealers, blackmailers, cultists, international spies, corrupt politicians, psychopaths, and murderous debutantes, while at the same time coping with more usual soap opera problems like courtship, marriage, divorce, child custody battles, and amnesia. The show's particular focus on crime was recognized in 1980, when, in honor of its 25 years on the air, The Edge of Night was given a special Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America. The Edge of Night had more prominent male characters than most soap operas, and included genuine humor in its scripts to balance the heaviness of the storylines.

Cast and characters

[edit]
Laurence Hugo and Barry Newman as Mike Karr and John Barnes (1966)

The show's central protagonist was Mike Karr, tireless crimefighter, introduced as a police officer who was finishing law school. This character evolved from the earlier Perry Mason character on radio.[5] He then progressed to the district attorney's office as an assistant district attorney, hung his own shingle as a defense attorney for several years, then became district attorney of Monticello. Karr was portrayed by three actors: John Larkin (radio's Perry Mason[5]), Laurence Hugo, and Forrest Compton.

Among the show's cast members who appeared on The Edge of Night early in their careers and later gained fame were Mariann Aalda, Leah Ayres, Conrad Bain, David Birney, Dixie Carter, Kate Capshaw, Philip Casnoff, Thom Christopher, Margaret Colin, James Coco, Jacqueline Courtney, John Cullum, Marcia Cross, Irene Dailey, Frances Fisher, Jennifer Joan Taylor, Lucy Lee Flippin, David Froman, Penny Fuller, Scott Glenn, Sam Groom, Don Hastings, Patrick Horgan, Earle Hyman, Željko Ivanek, Peter Kastner, Lori Loughlin, Bill Macy, Nancy Marchand, Kiel Martin, Doug McKeon, Julianne Moore, John Allen Nelson, Barry Newman, Bebe Neuwirth, Christopher Norris, Antony Ponzini, Lawrence Pressman, Tony Roberts, Reva Rose, Mark Rydell, Dolph Sweet, Millee Taggart, Holland Taylor, Richard Thomas, John Travolta, Ann Wedgeworth and Jacklyn Zeman.

Over the years, the show featured many notable performers and celebrities, usually in small cameo appearances, but some in roles important to the storylines. Among the show's guest stars were Willie Aames, Amanda Blake, Dick Cavett, Nancy Coleman, Professor Irwin Corey, Selma Diamond, James Douglas, Alfred Drake, John Fiedler, Betty Guarde, Rita Gam, Eva Gabor, Jack Gilford, Frank Gorshin, Farley Granger, Cynthia Gregory, Micki Grant, Lisa Howard, Kim Hunter, Leon Janney, Rita Jenrette, Arch Johnson, Larry King, Nancy Marchand, Ed Marinaro, Donald May, Sam McMurray, James Mitchell, Meg Myles, Tom Nardini, Wade Nichols, Peaches and Herb, Minerva Pious, Anne Revere, Rosemary Rice, Hugh Reilly, Wallace Shawn, Pat Stanley, Shirley Stoler, Elaine Stritch, Jane White, Ann Williams, and Jerry Zaks.

Storylines

[edit]

For the show's duration, the stories either revolved around or touched upon Monticello lawyer (and former Monticello police officer) Mike Karr.[6]

The 1950s

[edit]

As the show began, Mike Karr's relationship with Sara Lane (Teal Ames) reproduced the radio serial's Perry Mason/Della Street relationship. Adding a complication for Mike Karr, Sara's family was involved in organized crime. In the early years of the show, Sara's younger brother, Jack (Don Hastings), was drawn into the criminal world by corrupt uncle Harry Lane (Lauren Gilbert). Nevertheless, Mike and Sara eventually married. Their happiness was short-lived when Sara was written out of the show, killed as she saved the life of their daughter Laurie Ann, who ran into the street into the path of an automobile. By the 1960s, Laurie Ann was a teenager, supplying many plots for the show, and a young wife and mother by the 1970s.

The 1960s

[edit]

Mike later married Nancy Pollock (Ann Flood), a journalist who helped in many of his cases. Nancy had two siblings: Lee, who eventually married Geri McGrath, and Elaine (nicknamed "Cookie"). Cookie, was also involved in major story arcs. Cookie was married first to Malcom Thomas, who cheated on her, and then made her a widow. Later she married Ron Christopher, whose dealings with loan sharks affected Mike's good friends Louise and Philip Capice.

Other important characters were Police chief Bill Marceau (Mandel Kramer), who was one of Karr's best friends and shared a tremendous mutual respect, rare between a defense attorney and a chief of police (perhaps because Mike had once been a police officer himself), Marceau's secretary (and later wife) Martha (Teri Keane), fellow attorney Adam Drake (Donald May), his client, then secretary (and later on, his wife) Nicole Travis (Maeve McGuire; Jayne Bentzen; Lisa Sloan), and wealthy socialite Geraldine Whitney (Lois Kibbee).

In one storyline, Nicole Travis (later, Drake) was victimized by two different women, Stephanie Martin (Alice Hirson) and Pamela Stewart (Irene Dailey), who both wanted Nicole gone but for different reasons. Pamela was Adam Drake's ex-wife, and she knew Adam was falling in love with Nicole. She reasoned that Adam might return to her if Nicole were not there. Although Stephanie did attempt to kill Nicole on at least one occasion (by poisoning her bourbon), she more interested in terrorising her in revenge for the deaths of her husband and daughter. Stephanie's husband had borrowed money from loan sharks who answered to Nicole's gangster father. He could not repay the debt, so Nicole's father ordered his men to cut the brakelines on his car. The whole family, including Stephanie, her husband, their son, and identical twin daughters Karen and Debbie were in the resulting accident, which only Stephanie and Debbie survived. (Debbie was struck dumb by the incident and was receiving in-patient therapy; while Stephanie unwittingly compounded the problem by calling her "Karen," thus making it clear she wished it had been the other twin who had survived.) Nicole's father was in prison, so Stephanie went after his daughter instead - gradually moving closer and closer, and eventually taking a job as one Nicole's two shop assistants. Stephanie was working late at the shop when she stabbed in the back, just as Nicole arrived to confront her - having learned earlier that evening that Stephanie was behind the threats on her life. Debbie, who had been sleeping on a window seat until just before the stabbing occurred, saw her mother on the floor with the dagger in her back and shouted "Pull it out! Pull it out!";[7] which Nicole did. Thus, Nicole was accused of murdering Stephanie because her fingerprints were on the weapon; and Debbie was struck dumb again. Adam Drake defended Nicole against increasingly impossible odds, eventually realising that Debbie was the key to Nicole's exoneration. He had to find a way to make her speak again. Knowing Debbie had strong affection for the therapist who was helping her, he proceed to accuse the woman of being the killer. This proved to be the catalyst the restored Debbie's ability to speak again, to defend her friend. Adam then showed Debbie a picture of Nicole and asked if it was the woman who killed her mother and Debbie answered no. In a classic Perry Mason-like climax, Debbie was called to testify at Nicole's trial; and when asked on the stand if the woman who killed her mother was in court, she said "Yes. Her!" as she pointed to Pamela Stewart - who had killed Stephanie by mistake. In the darkness and because she attacked from behind, Pamela thought she was stabbing Nicole.

The 1970s

[edit]

Adam subsequently left Mike Karr's law firm as partner and opened his own practice. He hired Nicole as his secretary, and their romance blossomed. But when Nicole sensed his lack of interest in marriage, she went to work for another attorney, Jake Berman (Ward Costello). She continued to date Adam and told him if he did not propose to her by New Year's Eve, their relationship was finished. Shortly afterward, she got a marriage proposal from her new boss, widower Jake Berman. She did not accept it but moved to New York City with him when he decided to become a partner at another law firm. Adam then searched for Nicole in New York until he found her at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve and proposed to her. When Adam and Nicole returned to Monticello, so did Jake, determined to prevent them from marrying. He plotted with ex-convict Johnny Dallas (John LaGioia) to frame Adam for attempted murder. Johnny did not show up, but Jake was murdered by Joel Gantry (Paul Henry Itkin, Nicholas Pryor) and Adam was arrested for the murder immediately following his wedding to Nicole at the Karr residence. The day before the jury would have found Adam guilty, Joel Gantry was found by Kevin Jamison (Dick Shoberg) in San Francisco. Joel was really Edith Berman's son from her previous marriage, and he was convinced that Jake had murdered his mother. Adam and Nicole thus were reunited and settled into married life. Sometime later, she was believed to have died in a boating accident in the Caribbean but was discovered alive 18 months later by Kevin Jamison (then played by John Driver) in France. At the same time, Adam proposed to Assistant District Attorney Brandy Henderson (Dixie Carter). Adam and Nicole eventually reunited about six months after Nicole was discovered alive, and Brandy left town another six months later. Their marriage ended when Adam was murdered. A young doctor, Miles Cavanaugh, came along and became interested in Nicole. Although the actress who played Nicole was only four years older than the actor playing Miles, the producers replaced her with another actress who was ten years younger than he - a rarity in the soap opera genre, presumably done to break completely with the prior Nicole storylines. Nicole and Miles eventually married but the new actress was herself replaced four years later by another actress. Two years after that, Nicole died after her makeup powder was poisoned.

In the show's later years, Mike's beautiful daughter Laurie Ann (Emily Prager), by now a young adult, was an important character. Her relationship with Jonah Lockwood, a sociopath, almost cost her her life, but he was revealed to be an alternate persona of Keith Whitney, scion of the wealthy Whitney family, nemesis of the Karrs and Marceau. Laurie subsequently became engaged to marry Mike Karr's law associate Vic Lamont (Ted Tinling). During this time Mike Karr was being stalked by a gangster Lobo Haynes (Fred J. Scollay) over a shipment of drugs which led to Vic being pleading guilty to murder and going to prison to conduct undercover work where he was almost stabbed to death in a prison shower but his life was saved by inmate Johnny Dallas. Johnny was later released from prison and became the owner of a restaurant The New Moon Cafe. Laurie (now played by Jeanne Ruskin) played the piano at the restaurant leading to her and Johnny falling in love. When Vic found out Laurie and Johnny were together in Chicago when he didn't show up to shoot and wound Jake Berman, he left Laurie. In a drunken stupor, Vic married client Kay Reynolds (Elizabeth Farley). Laurie and Johnny eventually married and Vic was murdered saving Johnny's life in a staged holdup at the New Moon Cafe when it was revealed that Johnny was doing undercover work. Laurie (now played by Linda Cook) and Johnny had a baby they named John Victor. However, Laurie developed mental problems that led her to being placed in a mental institution, and Johnny ran away.

Another major character introduced in the later years was Assistant District attorney Draper Scott (Tony Craig), who started out working alongside Brandy Henderson and tried to date her but she was still in love with Adam Drake. Draper prosecuted Nicole's cousin Serena Faraday (Louise Shaffer) for the murder of her ex-husband Mark Faraday (Bernie McInery) but Adam defended her and proved it was her alternate personality "Josie" and she was sent to a mental institution. Draper left the D. A. office and joined forces with Mike Karr after Adam Drake was shot and killed. He eventually married April Cavanaugh (Terri Davis) sister of Dr. Miles Cavanaugh. One of the later major story arcs was about a train wreck where Draper had been unjustly convicted of murder, escaping from the train accident. There was also a storyline in the mid-1970s involving a troubled woman (Nicole's cousin, Serena Faraday) who changed her personality to Josie as she donned a frizzy, black wig in perhaps a nod to One Life to Live's popular Victoria Lord/Niki Smith storyline. Another notable character was Charlotte "Raven" Alexander Jamison Swift Whitney (Juanin Clay, then Sharon Gabet), a duplicitous coquette who became more stable and faithful in the latter years.

Whitney family matriarch, tough Geraldine Whitney (Lois Kibbee) suffered the misfortune of losing most of those close to her to untimely deaths: her first husband, two sons, a beloved daughter-in-law, a nephew, and she herself was nearly killed, having been pushed down a flight of stairs in 1975 by her ne'er-do-well son-in-law Noel Douglas (Dick Latessa). She became close to Raven Alexander and Raven's ex-husband Logan Swift during later years (and became de facto grandmother to Raven and Logan's son). However, when Logan was killed in 1984, Geraldine could hardly bear the grief to learn that, through a series of events, she had accidentally shot him.

The 1980s

[edit]

Near the end of the series' run came a rather unusual story wherein Mike and Nancy, after sleeping in twin beds for nearly their entire married life, decided to "go all out, and buy a double bed", thereby retiring their twin beds for good.

Uniquely among daytime dramas at the time, The Edge of Night finished its run with an ominous (and intentional) cliffhanger, revealing that an old enemy—Louis Van Dine, who had supposedly been sent to the state penitentiary—had returned to settle some scores, and none of the main protagonists were safe. In addition, police detective Chris Egan (Jennifer Taylor) - spying a supposedly deceased henchman of Van Dine, Donald Hext - followed Hext into a previously unknown Monticello Street called "Wonderland Lane." There, she discovered Van Dine's sister, Alicia Van Dine (Chris Weatherhead), in a shop. Alicia's brother viciously stabbed her in the back; her allegedly dying words to Chris Egan were: "...Off, off with her head...." Egan barely escaped from the shop after Van Dine and Hext attempted to capture her and ran out of Wonderland Lane, briefly falling by the post next to the street sign, a stuffed white rabbit propped against it.

The final scene of the series is of Chris Egan telling Mike Karr and others of her encounter with Louis Van Dine and Donald Hext, in addition to Alicia Van Dine's stabbing. The show's theme plays over the dialogue, masking Karr's words, but the audience is left to know that the story of Monticello continues onward, albeit off the air. The reason for the cliffhanger was that Procter & Gamble believed that they could find another network to take over production of The Edge of Night, or possibly continue the show in first-run syndication, but in 1984, there were no cable networks willing to take on such an expensive endeavor.

Broadcast history

[edit]

CBS

[edit]

Unlike most soap operas, which build a solid audience slowly over many years, The Edge of Night was an instant hit with daytime viewers; it amassed an audience of nine million in its first year,[8] in some respects because the public perceived it as a daytime Perry Mason, as the producers of The Edge of Night had intended. Through the 1960s, the show continued to gain popularity; it consistently ranked as one of the top six rated soap operas, alongside the rest of CBS' daytime lineup. It peaked at #2 (behind As the World Turns) in the 1966–67 television season and came in at #2 between 1969 and 1971.

At one point, the audience for The Edge of Night was estimated to be more than 50% male, largely due to the show's crime format and its late start time of 4:30 p.m. (3:30 Central). On July 1, 1963, the show was moved to the 3:30/2:30 time period after CBS gave the 4:30/3:30 slot back to its affiliates, primarily used by them for children's programs, local or syndicated. The Edge of Night dominated the 3:30 slot even over otherwise-hit programs like NBC's You Don't Say! and ABC's Dark Shadows and One Life to Live. However when Edge was moved to 2:30 p.m. (1:30 Central) on September 11, 1972, per Procter & Gamble's insistence upon running all of its shows back-to-back, the change caused fellow P&G soap The Guiding Light to be shifted 30 minutes earlier to 2 p.m. As the World Turns and Search for Tomorrow, P&G's other two soaps, were not affected by the timeslot changes nor was the interrupted affiliate break, usually for local newscasts, at 1 p.m./noon). This timeslot change caused a drastic slide in The Edge of Night's viewership, dropping from fourth in the Nielsen ratings—among the 17 daytime serials on the air at the time—to 10th place, presumed to be because many male viewers and teenagers were unable to make it home from work or school earlier in the afternoon to watch; as a consequence, Edge became CBS's lowest-rated soap. This would not be the last time that a Procter & Gamble soap airing on CBS experienced a dramatic ratings decline after being moved to the 2:30 p.m. timeslot; the same problem would affect its long-running sister soap Search for Tomorrow in that same slot seven years later.

By summer 1975, CBS began considering expansions of two of its Procter & Gamble-owned soap operas, Search for Tomorrow and As the World Turns, to 45 minutes daily, in response to NBC's full-hour expansions of Another World and Days of Our Lives some months earlier. The network changed its mind, however, when it realized that doing so would force them to take the 30-minute affiliate break slot at 1/noon away from local stations. CBS was also put in a bind because it had already decided to expand another of its daytime shows, game show The Price Is Right, to an hour starting in November (a move that would prove to be a major ratings success for the network, more-so than the expansion of ATWT). CBS decided to simply expand As the World Turns, which was still the top-rated soap opera on television, to 60 minutes starting in December. Since CBS decided against taking the 1 p.m. slot from the affiliates, and the network did not intend to move As the World Turns from its 1:30 p.m. slot, this made the low-rated Edge of Night expendable, and CBS told Procter & Gamble that it would not be renewing the series (although the network conceivably could have returned the soap to late afternoons, keeping control of the 50% male audience it had previously before the move to 2:30 p.m.).

ABC

[edit]

Despite CBS canceling it, Procter & Gamble wanted to continue The Edge of Night, and soon inquired with the other networks about picking up the series. ABC expressed interest in bringing The Edge of Night to its daytime lineup, and was willing to return it to late afternoons where it had previously done so well. It was the only network that did not have, then or in the past, a P&G serial on its schedule, and was excited to work with the company. However, a major issue almost resulted in the outright cancellation of the serial before such a move, the first of its kind, would take place.

CBS had originally planned on expanding As the World Turns at the beginning of the new season in September 1975. ABC's daytime schedule was full at the time with programs whose contracts it had to honor, and the earliest it could have a spot open on the schedule would be in December. This meant that it would be approximately three months at least before Edge would air its first episode on ABC, and the network was worried that a three-month absence would result in a loss of viewers. Instead, a compromise was struck where CBS would keep The Edge of Night on its schedule for the time being, and once ABC found a place for it, which it did when it canceled You Don't Say! on December 1, 1975, the expansion of As the World Turns and network change of The Edge of Night would take place. On the date of the network switch, CBS placed Guiding Light in Edge's former 2:30 slot, returning to the timeslot where that network originally placed the show when it expanded to a half-hour broadcast seven years earlier.

The last CBS episode of The Edge of Night, aired on November 28, 1975, ending with the discovery that Nicole Drake was alive. She had been presumed dead in an explosion 18 months earlier while on a boating trip with her husband Adam. ABC aired the show beginning on December 1, with a 90-minute premiere. This episode picked up where CBS had left off the previous Friday, with Geraldine Whitney still in a coma after having been pushed down a flight of stairs in a murder attempt by her daughter-in-law Tiffany's second husband, Noel Douglas' girlfriend Tracy Dallas. Nicole—with the help of Geraldine's adopted "son", Kevin Jamison—regained her identity after suffering from amnesia since the boating-trip explosion. The final scene of that day's episode was a climax in which Serena Faraday, in her "Josie" split personality, shot and killed her husband on the steps of the courthouse.

The move to ABC made The Edge of Night the first serial to change from one broadcast network to another. (The only other soap to do so was its former CBS stablemate and fellow Procter & Gamble serial Search for Tomorrow, which moved to NBC in 1982, following a dispute with CBS over its 1981 shift from 12:30, where the show had aired since its 1952 premiere, to the 2:30 slot that caused the viewership decline that led to The Edge of Night's initial cancellation by CBS over six years earlier.)

Initially, The Edge of Night showed promise when it began airing on ABC. ABC aired Edge in the 4:00/3:00 p.m. late-afternoon time slot in the Eastern and Central Time Zones, and, due to a different scheduling pattern for ABC's West Coast feed, at noon in the Pacific Time Zone. At first, the show's overall ratings declined because fewer homes had access to it; this happened because many ABC affiliates had opted to run local or syndicated programming in the 4:00/3:00 slot, instead of the network feed, for many years and decided not to abandon the practice. As a result, in some markets, Edge disappeared after relocating from CBS to ABC. In other markets, stations (either a local ABC affiliate or an independent station that picked the show up) taped the program for delayed broadcast in a morning slot. Nevertheless, The Edge of Night was typically either first (or a close second) in its timeslot in markets where the local ABC station cleared it at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time); this was due mainly to the weakness of competing programs on CBS and NBC. Somerset, the spinoff to NBC's highly rated Another World, was the only other soap still airing in that timeslot, but never got the ratings that the mother show received from airing one hour earlier; that show ended up being canceled the following year. Furthermore, the show's demographics were significantly better on ABC because the show got its youth and some of its male demographics back; thus, ABC was able to charge higher advertising rates for it than several series with higher audience ratings.

Despite never recovering the ground it lost from its CBS days, even sliding into the lowest third tier in the ratings by 1977, ratings for The Edge of Night improved slightly during the early 1980s, thanks in no small part to the overall rise of ABC's other soaps in the ratings, with General Hospital, All My Children and One Life to Live all winning their respective timeslots, along with fresh new characters (such as Steve, Draper, Logan, Deborah, April, Raven and Damian). While the numbers were less solid, The Edge of Night still pulled in ratings in the 5.0 range and improved its position in the Nielsens, peaking at 11th in both 1981 and 1982. However, from 1982 on, ratings fell as even more ABC affiliates dropped the show in favor of the aforementioned syndicated offerings. At the end of the 1981-82 television season, The Edge of Night pulled in a 5.0 rating, but with the resulting preemptions, the show's rating dropped to a 3.8 in 1983. This caused Procter & Gamble's profit margins on the program to shrink with each passing year.

The series was also broadcast in Canada on CBC Television beginning in the early 1970s, but after more than a decade, CBC opted in the fall of 1982 to drop The Edge of Night from its daytime afternoon lineup and replace it with the ABC-owned soap opera, All My Children.

In May 1983, Procter & Gamble dismissed the show's head writer, Henry Slesar, whose 15-year job with the soap opera was at that time the longest in daytime serial history, and appointed as its new head writer Lee Sheldon, a writer and producer of primetime television shows. (He had been a writer on CBS's Tucker's Witch earlier in the season.) Although Sheldon's emphasis on humor (an attribute he had honed while working on Tucker's Witch) reflected an attempt to boost ratings, the show's ratings slump only worsened as even more ABC affiliates dropped the show.

By fall 1984, The Edge of Night aired on only 106 of ABC's 213 affiliate stations.[9] A further two dozen affiliates planned to drop the series in the first quarter of 1985, with many station managers doing so because they wanted local or syndicated programming to air in the 4:00 timeslot. Although ABC intended to continue The Edge of Night, even offering to move it to a mid-morning timeslot, Procter & Gamble could no longer afford to continue producing the show due to the constant loss of revenue from frequent preemptions. Thus, on October 26, 1984, ABC and Procter & Gamble made a joint announcement that the final telecast of Edge of Night (whose title had been shortened to three words) would take place on December 28 of that year. At this point, the show's ratings were less than half of what they had been at the beginning of the decade; at the end of the 1984–85 television season, it finished last in the daytime ratings race with a 2.6 rating in only four months of episodes.

To date, The Edge of Night is the last regularly-scheduled ABC network program to have aired in the 4:00–4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) time slot; ABC returned the half-hour slot to its affiliates after The Edge of Night finished its run. NBC had done this in 1977, while CBS, which programmed the 4:00 p.m. time slot with Body Language when The Edge of Night left the air, followed suit in September 1986 after canceling Press Your Luck a month prior.

Post-cancellation aftermath

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The cancellation of The Edge of Night, along with ABC's relinquishing of what had become a death slot at the time of the show's demise, had a major impact on the first-run syndication market as ABC affiliates sought new programming to fill the open timeslot in the midst of the 1984-85 television season. The most significant impact occurred in the New York City market, where the cancellation of The Edge of Night created an opening on ABC's East Coast flagship, WABC-TV. Taking advantage of this opening, distributor King World Productions reached an agreement to move the syndicated revival of Jeopardy!, already in the middle of its first season, over to WABC's open 4 p.m. slot from WNBC-TV, where it had been airing in an overnight time slot.[10][11]

In December 1986, after struggling to find a strong lead-out to complement Jeopardy! before its 5 p.m. newscast, WABC filled the entire hour with The Oprah Winfrey Show (also distributed by King World, which came to dominate the 4 p.m. timeslot in New York and many other markets). At the same time, WABC moved Jeopardy! to 7 p.m., pushing ABC's broadcast of World News Tonight ahead by a half-hour and reducing the length of its 6 p.m. newscast to 30 minutes; locally, this move would later repeat itself at WNBC and WCBS-TV, and eventually at network affiliates in many other markets where such scheduling patterns are now considered standard practice.[10][11]

As of 2021, the 4 p.m. time slot is now largely filled by local newscasts on most major network affiliates, including most of ABC's owned-and-operated stations, since the conclusion of Oprah in 2011.[12]

Episode status

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Most CBS episodes of The Edge of Night no longer exist as the series was broadcast live until September 1975, shortly before the move to ABC. The network had terminated its wiping practice of shows it owned in September 1972, but Procter & Gamble continued wiping tapes until 1978. Many monochrome episodes and some color episodes of the show were kinescoped; the color episodes in this format survive in black-and-white. Forty-five episodes of the CBS era are known to exist, the best-known of which include the Christmas Day 1974 episode and a September 1975 episode depicting the attempted murder of Geraldine. Some fans also have the second episode of the series (April 3, 1956), which featured Don Hastings, John Larkin and Teal Ames. The first two years of the ABC run also followed the tape-erasure practice, which ceased in 1978 for ABC and all Procter & Gamble shows.

From August 5, 1985, to January 19, 1989, reruns aired in a daily late-night timeslot on cable's USA Network, airing episodes from June 1981 up to the 1984 series finale.

From August 2006[13] to January 2009,[14] Procter & Gamble made several of its classic soap operas available, a few episodes at a time, through AOL Video Service, downloadable free of charge. AOL downloads of The Edge of Night commenced with episode #6051, from July 17, 1979, and concluded with episode #6380, from November 6, 1980.

Awards

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Daytime Emmy Award wins

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  • 1985 "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series"
  • 1984 "Outstanding Achievement in Any Area of Creative Technical Crafts - Electronic Camerawork"
  • 1979 "Outstanding Achievement in Technical Excellence"
  • 1974 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing"

Primetime Emmy Award wins

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Waggett, Gerard J. (November 1997). "The Edge of Night". The Soap Opera Encyclopedia. Harper Paperbacks. pp. 254–266. ISBN 0-06-101157-6.
  2. ^ Wodehouse, P. G. (4 February 2013). P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in Letters. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393089875 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b "This Time There's No Doubt Whodunit as ABC Turns Out the Lights on the Long-Running Soap Edge of Night". people.com. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  4. ^ Cox, Jim, Radio Crime Fighters, 2002, p. 201, McFarland, Jefferson, North Carolina, ISBN 0-7864-1390-5
  5. ^ a b Lackmann, Ronald W. (2000). The Encyclopedia of American radio: an A-Z guide to radio from Jack Benny to Howard Stern. Facts On File. ISBN 0-8160-4137-7.
  6. ^ Schemering, Christopher (1987). The Soap Opera Encyclopedia (2nd ed.). Ballantine Books. pp. 90–97. ISBN 0-345-35344-7.
  7. ^ Lackmann, Ron (1976). Soap Opera Almanac. Berkley Publishing Corporation, New York. p. 72.
  8. ^ Copeland, Mary Ann (1991). Soap Opera History. Publications International. pp. 116–121. ISBN 0-88176-933-9.
  9. ^ Holsopple, Barbara (October 30, 1984). "Did affiliate battle kill Edge of Night?". The Pittsburgh Press. 101: 19.
  10. ^ a b Belkin, Lisa (August 11, 1987). "Redefining Prime Time: It's All in Who You Ask". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  11. ^ a b Eisenberg, Harry (1993). Inside "Jeopardy" : what really goes on at TV's top quiz show. James Van Treese. Salt Lake City, UT: Northwest Pub. ISBN 1-56901-177-X. OCLC 28365197.
  12. ^ "KGO to add 4pm News after Oprah says goodbye". www.adweek.com. 19 May 2011. Archived from the original on 2018-07-06. Retrieved 2018-07-06.
  13. ^ "AOL to Launch New Video Portal". www.businesswire.com. 2006-07-31. Archived from the original on 2017-07-29. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
  14. ^ "PGP Classic Soap Channel," pgpclassicsoaps.com, January 1, 2009.
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