The Doctors
Encyclopedia
The Doctors is a soap opera
which aired on NBC Daytime
from April 1, 1963, to December 31, 1982. There were 5280 episodes produced, with the 5000th episode airing in November 1981. The series was set in Hope Memorial Hospital in the fictional "Madison," located somewhere in New England
.
form of storytelling
. For most of the series, storylines revolved around Hope Memorial Hospital's Chief of Staff
Matthew Powers (played by James Pritchett
).
(which premiered on the same day). While the doctors on General Hospital worked in harmony with one another for the most part and in some cases were intimate friends, the physicians on The Doctors were much more cutthroat.
For example, Dr. Powers was put on trial for murder, was forced to rescind his Chief of Staff position, and became very depressed. Another doctor took over Powers' spot and immediately schemed to remove his allies, such as Dr. Althea Davis, from positions of influence in the hospital. In another storyline, one doctor's nurse found out that he killed his rival and made it look like suicide. When he discovered that she knew the truth, he tormented her every day at work until she committed suicide
herself, allowing him to get away with the murder.
Other medical storylines that was notable on the show include cancer
& drugs
. Doreen Aldrich (played by Jennifer Wood and then by Pamela Lincoln) suffered from leukemia
. Joan Dancy (Margaret Whitton) had an addiction to drugs which possibly resulted in her death, but a hospital worker framed a doctor for pulling the life support plug off of Joan. Another Storyline happened in the show's final years: A 60 Some Year Old Woman impersonated her daughter Adrienne Hunt (Nancy Stafford
) by taken a special serum that would keep the old woman younger, in the process it caused the death of Billy Aldrich (Alec Baldwin
).
for Best Drama. In the years following, announcer Mel Brandt
would inform the audience at the beginning of each episode: And now, The Doctors: The (Emmy-award winning) program dedicated to the brotherhood of healing.
For most of its run, The Doctors was packaged and sponsored by the Colgate-Palmolive
company through its Channelex division; in September 1980, NBC took over production in-house.
and Another World
, two highly rated shows. The premiere of The Doctors succeeded entertainment mogul Merv Griffin
's first daytime talk show
, and the serial didn't leave its timeslot for nearly sixteen years. This is an extraordinary feat for daytime shows of its day, especially since some of its victims in the ratings were long-running favorites such as CBS
' House Party
with Art Linkletter
and ABC
's Dating Game. Broadcasting history's longest-running soap opera, CBS Daytime
's The Guiding Light
, also competed against The Doctors on several occasions.
From the late 1960s until the mid-1970s
, The Doctors was among the higher-rated soap operas of its time. In the 1973-1974 television season, the show peaked at fourth place, behind CBS' As the World Turns
and fellow NBC serials Days of our Lives and Another World. However, within a period of three years, The Doctors plummeted from fourth to eleventh in the ratings. The decline in ratings was partly attributed to two soaps with which The Doctors shared its timeslot: One Life to Live
and Guiding Light
, which expanded to an hour in consecutive years. ABC increased the running time of One Life to Live from 45 minutes to an hour in 1976; CBS expanded Guiding Light to an hour in length in 1977. In 1979, the ratings for The Doctors took another hit after NBC decided to extend the length of its own soap opera, Another World, to 90 minutes from 60. This necessitated an earlier start time for Another World, which aired at 3:00 PM at the time, and a move of The Doctors to 2:00 PM, which alienated many of the series' longtime followers. However, the ratings drop for The Doctors was not as severe, as it finished the season just two-tenths of a point lower in the Nielsen ratings
. Still, the move after nearly sixteen years did cause some damage to the show's ratings, and the worst was yet to come.
In August 1980, NBC moved The Doctors to a timeslot that caused a much larger ratings decline. On August 4, 1980, The Doctors moved from 2:00 PM EST to 12:30 PM EST to make room for Texas
, a spinoff of Another World. The youth-oriented Ryan's Hope
on ABC and the long-running Search for Tomorrow
on CBS were already airing in that timeslot, and several NBC affiliates preempted the entire 12:00 PM hour to air local newscasts and various other syndicated programming. As a result of the loss of affiliates and the solid performance of the other two soaps in the timeslot, The Doctors went from a 6.1 rating at the end of the 1980 season to last place, with a 3.8 rating, in 1981. Then, The Doctors finished in last place again the following year, this time with a 3.3 rating at the end of the 1981-1982 television season.
On March 29, 1982, NBC Daytime
moved The Doctors for a third time in as many years. This time, the move was made to accommodate the serial's former ratings rival, Search for Tomorrow, on its schedule. Search had been moved from its 12:30 PM timeslot to accommodate an earlier starting time for The Young and the Restless
and moved to 2:30 PM. Series producer Procter & Gamble
, dissatisfied with the ratings drop, insisted on getting the show's old timeslot back, but CBS elected not to renew Search when its contract came up in early 1982. NBC was willing to give the (at the time) longest-running television soap opera the slot. In a complicated switch, Search took over for Password Plus
on NBC's daytime schedule.
The Doctors was moved into the 12:00 noon slot, which Password Plus had given up once it was cancelled. Consequently, The Doctors lost even more affiliates upon relocating to the 12:00 slot than it ever did when it moved into the 12:30 slot; many more markets preempted the first half of the hour for local newscasts than they had the second half, let alone the whole hour. In markets that did air The Doctors, the ratings were further eroded by the hit game show Family Feud
on ABC and the first half of The Young and The Restless
, which had already become a major phenomenon in its own right, in certain time zones on CBS. Thus, the already-falling ratings for The Doctors plummeted to previously unheard of levels. NBC itself didn't help the situation; on April 26, 1982, the network moved the dying Texas, which had never done well in the ratings, to 11:00 AM to serve as the lead-in for The Doctors. By the time NBC canceled the long running serial in 1982, it had reached a 1.6 in the Nielsens; this was the lowest level any soap opera had reached in the history of the rating system, breaking the record that ABC's short-lived 1970 soap, The Best of Everything
, had set with a 1.8. Guiding Light would also finish its final season with a 1.6 rating in September 2009, sharing the mark with The Doctors for the lowest-rated soap in its final season.
The Doctors aired its final episode on December 31, 1982, some three months before it would have celebrated its 20th anniversary on NBC.
picked up Somerset
, the Another World
spin-off, instead.
The five core characters during the series' run were:
Several well-known actors and actresses had roles on The Doctors throughout its long run:
, Dennis Brite, Douglas Marland
, Frank Salisbury, Malcolm Marmorstein
, Rita Lakin
, Elizabeth Levin, Gerald Straub, Orvin Tovrov, Allen Potter
, Joseph Stuart, Robert Costello, Leonard Kantor, Robert Pollack
, David Cherrill
, Doris Quinlan, A.M. Barlow, Heather Matthews, Kate Brooks
, Ralph Ellis & Eugenie Hunt
Richard Christopher(JJ.Gop) played Dr. Mike Powers in 1967 while under his management with Universal Studios /Joseph Gershensen Musical Supervisior)\
Head Writer
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
which aired on NBC Daytime
NBC Daytime
NBC Daytime is the schedule for the NBC television network's daytime television programming which consists of morning news program Today and soap opera Days of our Lives...
from April 1, 1963, to December 31, 1982. There were 5280 episodes produced, with the 5000th episode airing in November 1981. The series was set in Hope Memorial Hospital in the fictional "Madison," located somewhere in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
.
From anthology to serial
Originally, The Doctors was not supposed to be a conventional soap opera. It first aired in 1963 for a trial run as an anthology series with self-contained episodes about medical emergencies. When the show was brought back in 1964, the show adopted a serialSerial (radio and television)
Serials are series of television programs and radio programs that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode by episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from...
form of storytelling
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
. For most of the series, storylines revolved around Hope Memorial Hospital's Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
Matthew Powers (played by James Pritchett
James Pritchett
James Pritchett was an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Matt Powers on the long-running soap opera The Doctors. He was born in Lenoir, North Carolina in 1922...
).
Storylines
The Doctors was considered to be more risqué in storyline choices than its rival, General HospitalGeneral Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
(which premiered on the same day). While the doctors on General Hospital worked in harmony with one another for the most part and in some cases were intimate friends, the physicians on The Doctors were much more cutthroat.
For example, Dr. Powers was put on trial for murder, was forced to rescind his Chief of Staff position, and became very depressed. Another doctor took over Powers' spot and immediately schemed to remove his allies, such as Dr. Althea Davis, from positions of influence in the hospital. In another storyline, one doctor's nurse found out that he killed his rival and made it look like suicide. When he discovered that she knew the truth, he tormented her every day at work until she committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
herself, allowing him to get away with the murder.
Other medical storylines that was notable on the show include cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
& drugs
DRUGS
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
. Doreen Aldrich (played by Jennifer Wood and then by Pamela Lincoln) suffered from leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
. Joan Dancy (Margaret Whitton) had an addiction to drugs which possibly resulted in her death, but a hospital worker framed a doctor for pulling the life support plug off of Joan. Another Storyline happened in the show's final years: A 60 Some Year Old Woman impersonated her daughter Adrienne Hunt (Nancy Stafford
Nancy Stafford
Nancy Elizabeth Stafford is an American prolific character actress of stage, speaker and author, known for her roles in soap operas and television. She came to prominence in the 1980s as Ben Matlock's law partner and friend, Michelle Thomas, on Matlock , before she played Judge Bell on Judging Amy...
) by taken a special serum that would keep the old woman younger, in the process it caused the death of Billy Aldrich (Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
).
Awards and production
In 1972 and 1974, the serial received a Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
for Best Drama. In the years following, announcer Mel Brandt
Mel Brandt
Melville Brandt was an actor and NBC staff announcer. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.Brandt joined the network around 1948. His radio announcing credits included The Adventures of Frank Merriwell, Author Meets the Critics, and The Eternal Light...
would inform the audience at the beginning of each episode: And now, The Doctors: The (Emmy-award winning) program dedicated to the brotherhood of healing.
For most of its run, The Doctors was packaged and sponsored by the Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American diversified multinational corporation focused on the production, distribution and provision of household, health care and personal products, such as soaps, detergents, and oral hygiene products . Under its "Hill's" brand, it is also a manufacturer of...
company through its Channelex division; in September 1980, NBC took over production in-house.
Broadcast history
The popularity of The Doctors began flourishing in the late 1960s, when it was featured in advertisements for NBC's 90-minute serial block. NBC aired the show in the timeslot of 2:30 p.m. Eastern/1:30 Central, in between Days of our LivesDays of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
and Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
, two highly rated shows. The premiere of The Doctors succeeded entertainment mogul Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show on Group W Broadcasting...
's first daytime talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
, and the serial didn't leave its timeslot for nearly sixteen years. This is an extraordinary feat for daytime shows of its day, especially since some of its victims in the ratings were long-running favorites such as CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' House Party
Art Linkletter's House Party
House Party is an American radio daytime variety/talk show that aired on CBS Radio and on ABC Radio from January 15, 1945 to October 13, 1967...
with Art Linkletter
Art Linkletter
Arthur Gordon "Art" Linkletter was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was the host of House Party, which ran on CBS radio and television for 25 years, and People Are Funny, on NBC radio-TV for 19 years...
and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Dating Game. Broadcasting history's longest-running soap opera, CBS Daytime
CBS Daytime
CBS Daytime is a television programming block on CBS. It's the branding for the CBS Television Network's late morning and early afternoon programming. The block has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows, and talk shows...
's The Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
, also competed against The Doctors on several occasions.
From the late 1960s until the mid-1970s
1970s in television
The decade of the 1970s saw significant changes in television programming in both the United Kingdom and the United States. The trends included the decline of the "family sitcoms" and rural-oriented programs to more socially contemporary shows and "young, hip and urban" sitcoms in the United States...
, The Doctors was among the higher-rated soap operas of its time. In the 1973-1974 television season, the show peaked at fourth place, behind CBS' As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
and fellow NBC serials Days of our Lives and Another World. However, within a period of three years, The Doctors plummeted from fourth to eleventh in the ratings. The decline in ratings was partly attributed to two soaps with which The Doctors shared its timeslot: One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
and Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
, which expanded to an hour in consecutive years. ABC increased the running time of One Life to Live from 45 minutes to an hour in 1976; CBS expanded Guiding Light to an hour in length in 1977. In 1979, the ratings for The Doctors took another hit after NBC decided to extend the length of its own soap opera, Another World, to 90 minutes from 60. This necessitated an earlier start time for Another World, which aired at 3:00 PM at the time, and a move of The Doctors to 2:00 PM, which alienated many of the series' longtime followers. However, the ratings drop for The Doctors was not as severe, as it finished the season just two-tenths of a point lower in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. Still, the move after nearly sixteen years did cause some damage to the show's ratings, and the worst was yet to come.
In August 1980, NBC moved The Doctors to a timeslot that caused a much larger ratings decline. On August 4, 1980, The Doctors moved from 2:00 PM EST to 12:30 PM EST to make room for Texas
Texas (TV series)
Texas is an American daytime soap opera which aired on NBC from August 4, 1980 until December 31, 1982. Created by John William Corrington, Joyce Hooper Corrington, and Paul Rauch, the show was a spinoff of Another World...
, a spinoff of Another World. The youth-oriented Ryan's Hope
Ryan's Hope
Ryan's Hope is an American soap opera, revolving around 13 years of trials and tribulations within a large Irish American family in the Riverside district of New York City. It aired from July 7, 1975 to January 13, 1989 on ABC...
on ABC and the long-running Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
on CBS were already airing in that timeslot, and several NBC affiliates preempted the entire 12:00 PM hour to air local newscasts and various other syndicated programming. As a result of the loss of affiliates and the solid performance of the other two soaps in the timeslot, The Doctors went from a 6.1 rating at the end of the 1980 season to last place, with a 3.8 rating, in 1981. Then, The Doctors finished in last place again the following year, this time with a 3.3 rating at the end of the 1981-1982 television season.
On March 29, 1982, NBC Daytime
NBC Daytime
NBC Daytime is the schedule for the NBC television network's daytime television programming which consists of morning news program Today and soap opera Days of our Lives...
moved The Doctors for a third time in as many years. This time, the move was made to accommodate the serial's former ratings rival, Search for Tomorrow, on its schedule. Search had been moved from its 12:30 PM timeslot to accommodate an earlier starting time for The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
and moved to 2:30 PM. Series producer Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
, dissatisfied with the ratings drop, insisted on getting the show's old timeslot back, but CBS elected not to renew Search when its contract came up in early 1982. NBC was willing to give the (at the time) longest-running television soap opera the slot. In a complicated switch, Search took over for Password Plus
Password Plus and Super Password
Password Plus and Super Password are American game shows that are revivals of the game show Password. Both Password Plus and Super Password had the same format other than some subtle changes....
on NBC's daytime schedule.
The Doctors was moved into the 12:00 noon slot, which Password Plus had given up once it was cancelled. Consequently, The Doctors lost even more affiliates upon relocating to the 12:00 slot than it ever did when it moved into the 12:30 slot; many more markets preempted the first half of the hour for local newscasts than they had the second half, let alone the whole hour. In markets that did air The Doctors, the ratings were further eroded by the hit game show Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
on ABC and the first half of The Young and The Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
, which had already become a major phenomenon in its own right, in certain time zones on CBS. Thus, the already-falling ratings for The Doctors plummeted to previously unheard of levels. NBC itself didn't help the situation; on April 26, 1982, the network moved the dying Texas, which had never done well in the ratings, to 11:00 AM to serve as the lead-in for The Doctors. By the time NBC canceled the long running serial in 1982, it had reached a 1.6 in the Nielsens; this was the lowest level any soap opera had reached in the history of the rating system, breaking the record that ABC's short-lived 1970 soap, The Best of Everything
The Best of Everything (TV series)
The Best of Everything is an American daytime soap opera which aired on ABC from March 30, 1970 to September 25, 1970. The series was a spin-off of the 1959 film of the same name.-Plot:...
, had set with a 1.8. Guiding Light would also finish its final season with a 1.6 rating in September 2009, sharing the mark with The Doctors for the lowest-rated soap in its final season.
The Doctors aired its final episode on December 31, 1982, some three months before it would have celebrated its 20th anniversary on NBC.
Proposed spin-off
House of Hope was a proposed spin-off of The Doctors in 1970. NBC DaytimeNBC Daytime
NBC Daytime is the schedule for the NBC television network's daytime television programming which consists of morning news program Today and soap opera Days of our Lives...
picked up Somerset
Somerset (TV series)
Somerset is an American television soap opera which ran on NBC from March 30, 1970 until December 31, 1976. The show was a spinoff of another NBC serial, Another World.-Overview :...
, the Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
spin-off, instead.
Cast
List of The Doctors charactersThe five core characters during the series' run were:
- James PritchettJames PritchettJames Pritchett was an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Matt Powers on the long-running soap opera The Doctors. He was born in Lenoir, North Carolina in 1922...
as Dr. Matt Powers, who was Hope Memorial Hospital's chief of staff. - Ann Williams, Bethel LeslieBethel LeslieBethel Leslie was an American theatre, film, and television actress and a screenwriter.Born in New York City, Leslie was discovered by George Abbott, who cast her in the play Snafu in 1944...
, and Lydia Bruce as Dr. Maggie Fielding Van Alen Powers, Matt's wife, also a doctor. - David O'Brien as Dr. Steve Aldrich, a doctor who was the son of wealthy parents.
- Carolee Campbell, and later Jada RowlandJada RowlandJada Rowland is an American actress and illustrator.-Actress:Ms. Rowland was born into a family of actors and artists. She has appeared on Broadway and television, most notably in daytime soap operas. She has appeared as Dr. Susan Stewart on As the World Turns and Carolee Simpson Aldrich on The...
, as Carolee Simpson Allison Aldrich, Steve's wife. - Elizabeth HubbardElizabeth HubbardElizabeth Hubbard is an American film, soap opera, stage and television actress. Hubbard was born in New York City]. She attended Radcliffe College, and graduated summa cum laude. She pursued her theatrical education at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where she was the first American...
(replaced briefly by Virginia VestoffVirginia VestoffVirginia Vestoff was an American actress of film, television and Broadway.Vestoff was born into a family of vaudeville performers in New York City. Both her Russian immigrant father and mother, who was the great niece of American composer Stephen Foster, died and left Virginia an orphan at the age...
, 1969-1970) as Dr. Althea Davis, Matt and Maggie's friend.
Several well-known actors and actresses had roles on The Doctors throughout its long run:
- Armand AssanteArmand Assante-Personal life:Assante was born in New York City and raised in Cornwall, New York, the son of Katherine , a music teacher and poet, and Armand Anthony Assante, Sr., a painter and artist. His father was Italian and his mother was Irish, and was raised in a devoutly Roman Catholic family...
as Dr. Mike Powers, Matt's son from a previous marriage, also a doctor. - Hillary Bailey as Kit McCormick - Doctor or Nurse. Third wife of Mike Powers.
- Jane BadlerJane BadlerJane Badler is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Diana, the chief antagonist in NBC's science fiction TV series, V, between 1983-85. Badler also appeared in ABC's "reimagined" version of V in 2011, again playing an alien named Diana, who this time is the mother of...
as Natalie Bell #2 (1981-1982) - Natalie was Billy's Girlfriend and later Paul Reed's. Found out that Lt. Reed also killed Billy besides Felicia Hunt. Private nurse to Thedora. - Alec BaldwinAlec BaldwinAlexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
as Billy Aldrich (1980-1982) - Billy was married to Greta. Killed by Felicia Hunt, disguised as her daughter Adrienne. - Kathy BatesKathy BatesKathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
as Phyllis - Ellen BurstynEllen BurstynEllen Burstyn is a leading American actress of film, stage, and television. Burstyn's career began in theatre during the late 1950s, and over the next ten years she appeared in several films and television series before joining the Actors Studio in 1967...
as Dr. Kate Bartok - Chris CallowayChris CallowayChristopher Fitzpatrick Calloway was a former professional American football player who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 1990 NFL Draft. A 5'10", 189 lbs. wide receiver from the University of Michigan and Mount Carmel High School , Calloway played in 11 NFL...
as Ivy Gooding Dancy (1982). Hostess of The Medicine Man. Dated Luke Dancy. - Richard Christohper as Dr. Mike Powers #3 (1967)
- Jeannie Costigan as LeeAnn Powers (1978-1982) - Daughter of Greta Powers & Billy Aldrich
- Augusta DabneyAugusta DabneyAugusta Dabney was an American actress known for her role as Isabelle Alden on the daytime series Loving...
as Thedora Van Allen #3 (1980-1981) - Formerly Maggie's sister-in-law. Aunt of Greta Powers. Sister of Kurt. - Ted DansonTed DansonEdward Bridge “Ted” Danson III is an American actor best known for his role as central character Sam Malone in the sitcom Cheers, and his role as Dr. John Becker on the series Becker. He also plays a recurring role on Larry David's HBO sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm and starred alongside Glenn Close...
as Dr. Mitchell Pearson (1977-1982) - Julia DuffyJulia DuffyJulia Duffy is an American actress from Minneapolis, Minnesota, specializing in character roles, best known as the spoiled rich girl and Dick Loudon's inn maid, Stephanie Vanderkellen, on the 1980s sitcom, Newhart.-Career:Duffy's early caeer included parts in soap operas such as One Life to Live,...
as Penny Davis (1973-1978), daughter of Althea. - Mark GoddardMark GoddardMark Goddard is an American film actor who has starred in a number of television programs. He portrayed Major Don West, the space adversary of Dr. Zachary Smith in the cult 1960s CBS series, Lost in Space, and Detective Sgt...
as Lt. Paul Reed (1982) - Police Officer for Madison. - Dorothy Feilding as Sarah Dancy Powers #2 (1978-1980) - Mike Powers's 2nd wife after Toni.
- Thor FieldsThor FieldsThor Fields is an American actor and guitarist.-Commercials:Fields got his start in show business at the age of 18 months in a commercial for Pampers. Filmed in 1971 Thor was one of the last people to ride the carousel at the famous amusement park at Palisades Park. During the mid-1970s Thor...
as Erich Aldrich #1 (1977-1981) - Son of Steve Aldrich. - Jonathan FrakesJonathan FrakesJonathan Scott Frakes is an American actor, author and director best known for his role as Commander William T. Riker in the Star Trek franchise, as well as for his tenure as host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction ....
as Tom Carroll, Ex husband of M.J. died in a fire along with Virgina Dancy. - Jock GaynorJock GaynorJock Gaynor was an American actor, producer, and writer, whose work was confined primarily to television...
as Dr. William Scott (1963-1964) - Gil GerardGil GerardGilbert C. "Gil" Gerard is an American actor. He is most famous for his role as Captain William "Buck" Rogers in the 1979-1981 television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.-Early life:...
as Dr. Alan Stewart - Katherine GlassKatherine GlassKatherine Glass is an American actress best remembered for her television work in the 1970s.-Career:Glass was raised as a Roman Catholic in New Haven, Connecticut. Before appearing on television, Glass played in several stock company productions, including Red, White and Maddox and as Trina in...
as Mary Jane Match #3 (1978-1981) - Kathryn HarroldKathryn Harrold-Background:Harrold was born in Tazewell, Virginia. She attended Mills College in Oakland, California, majoring in Drama.-Television:She has appeared in a number of TV series, including The Rockford Files, MacGruder and Loud, The Bronx Zoo, I'll Fly Away, The Larry Sanders Show, and Mister...
as Nola Dancy Aldrich #1 (1975-1977) - Adam KennedyAdam Kennedy (actor)Adam Kennedy was an American actor, screenwriter, novelist, and painter, who starred as the Irish-American newspaper editor Dion Patrick in thirty-seven episodes during the first season, 1957–1958, of NBC's western television series, The Californians...
as Brock Hayden (1965) - Barbara LangBarbara LangBarbara Lang was an American actress and singer. During the 1950s she was one of the many "B"-level blondes to be promoted as a Marilyn Monroe type.-Early life:...
as Marilyn Langley (1982), Wife of James Langley - Louise LasserLouise LasserLouise Lasser is an American actress. She is known for her portrayal of the title character on the soap opera parody Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. She was married to Woody Allen and appeared in several of his films.-Personal life:...
as Jackie - Jean LeClercJean LeClerc (actor)Jean LeClerc is a Québécois actor. In the original French, his name is spelled Jean Leclerc. He is best known for his work in the United States as Jeremy Hunter on the American daytime soap operas All My Children and Loving in the 1980s and 1990s.LeClerc first started his career in Quebec on the...
as Dr. Jean-Marc Gautier (1982) - A French Doctor Who Experimented On Felicia/Adrienne Hunt & fell in love with Althea Davis at the end of the series. - Pamela LincolnPamela LincolnPamela Lincoln is an American actress who played many roles in television and film. She was married to Darryl Hickman The marriage ended in divorce. They had two children...
as Doreen Aldrich #2 (1977-1979) Doreen was Jason Aldrich's first wife and was at odds with Carolee, Nola & Mona on & off, thought to have leukemiaLeukemiaLeukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
but that was a lie, but after that ordeal she went insane and presuemably left Madison. Former lover of Luke Dancy. - Franc LuzFranc LuzFranc Luz is an American actor of stage, film and television, seen in popular leading dramatic film roles in the 1980s and 1990s. These credits were supplemented with TV guest appearances and several regular roles in TV series...
as Dr. John Bennett - Meg MundyMeg MundyMargaret "Meg" Mundy is an English-American actress. She was born in London, but moved to the United States in 1921.Mundy is the daughter of the Australian opera singer Clytie Hine who studied at the Elder Conservatorium of Music in Adelaide, South Australia...
as Mona Aldrich Croft (1971-1982). Madison's wealthiest citizen, mother of Steve Aldrich & Jason Aldrich; Formerly Married To Winston Croft; Grandmother of Billy, Erich, Stephanie; Great-Grandmother to Jessica Aldrich & LeeAnn Powers. - Denise NickersonDenise NickersonDenise Nickerson is an American former child actress best known for her roles as the gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde in the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Amy Jennings in the soap opera Dark Shadows.-Career:...
as Katie Harris - Terry O'QuinnTerry O'QuinnTerry O'Quinn is an American actor, most famous for playing John Locke on the TV series Lost. He made his debut in a 1980 television movie called F.D.R.: The Last Year. Since then, O'Quinn has had minor supporting roles in films and TV movies such as Young Guns, All the Right Moves, Silver Bullet,...
as Dr. Jerry Dancy #2 (1980-1982) Doctor. Son of Barney & Virgina. Brother of Luke, Sarah, Nola & Joan. - Petronia Paley as Dr. Jessie Rawlings
- John PankowJohn PankowJohn Pankow is an American film and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for a supporting role on the sitcom Mad About You .-Early life:...
as Danny Martin (1980-1982) - Carol PotterCarol Potter (actress)Carol Potter is an American actress best known for playing Cindy Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210. She was a regular on the show from 1990 to 1995...
as Betsy Match - Sister of Mary Jane (MJ) & Darren Match; Mother of Ricky Match; - Victoria Racimo as Tia Mahala
- Rex Robbins as Murray Glover
- Brooke ShieldsBrooke ShieldsBrooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....
as Elizabeth Harrington (1982) - Jocelyn Somers as Jessica Bartok
- Nancy StaffordNancy StaffordNancy Elizabeth Stafford is an American prolific character actress of stage, speaker and author, known for her roles in soap operas and television. She came to prominence in the 1980s as Ben Matlock's law partner and friend, Michelle Thomas, on Matlock , before she played Judge Bell on Judging Amy...
as Adrienne/Felicia Hunt (dual role) (1982) - Count Stovall as Dr. Hank Chambers
- Anna StuartAnna StuartAnna Stuart is an American actress. Stuart has been primarily featured in roles in daytime soap operas.- Career :...
as Toni Ferra Powers, a lab technician who was Mike Powers' first wife. - Robert Frank Telfer as Luke Dancy (1976-1982) - The playboy son of Barney & Virgina. Brother to Jerry, Nola, Joan & Sarah; Former lover of Doreen Aldrich. Formerly Married to Missy Roberts. Dated Natalie Bell & Ivy Gooding. Co-Owned restaurants Andre's & The Medicine Man.
- Kathleen TurnerKathleen TurnerMary Kathleen Turner is an American actress. She came to fame during the 1980s, after roles in the Hollywood films Body Heat, Peggy Sue Got Married, Romancing the Stone, The War of the Roses, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Prizzi's Honor...
as Nola Dancy Aldrich #2 (1977-1979) - Beatrice WindeBeatrice WindeBeatrice Winde was an American actress.Born Beatrice Lucille Williams in Chicago, she graduated from the Chicago Music Conservatory as a voice student and continued her voice studies briefly at the Yale University School of Music and at Juilliard.Winde appeared on Broadway in the 1971 Melvin Van...
as Lillian Foster - Mother of Dr. Terri Foster (Carolyn Byrd) - Jennifer Wood as Doreen Aldrich #1 (1975-1977) First actress to play Doreen.
- Ian ZieringIan ZieringIan Andrew Ziering is an American actor best known for playing Steve Sanders on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210.-Personal life:...
as Erich Aldrich #2 (1981-1982) - Kim ZimmerKim ZimmerKim Zimmer is an American actress. She is known for her role as Echo DiSavoy on One Life to Live and best known for her role as Reva Shayne on Guiding Light.-Career:...
as Nola Dancy Aldrich #3 (1980-1982)
Main Crew
Some notable writers, producers and directors of The Doctors: Henry KaplanHenry Kaplan
Henry Kaplan was a television director known for his works on Dark Shadows, Ryan's Hope, The Doctors and All My Children. He also directed seven episodes of the sitcom The Adventures of Aggie.- External links :...
, Dennis Brite, Douglas Marland
Douglas Marland
Douglas Marland was an American actor and writer of soap operas.-Career:He began his soap opera career as an actor, appearing on the Irna Phillips series The Brighter Day and As the World Turns. He also did odd jobs on the side as a director for small theatre groups...
, Frank Salisbury, Malcolm Marmorstein
Malcolm Marmorstein
Malcolm Marmorstein is a British television writer.-Positions held:Peyton Place, Love Bites, Dead Men Don't Die, ABC Weekend Specials, The Witching of Ben Wagner, Konrad, Rose Petal Place: Real Friends, Poochie, Return from Witch Mountain, Pete's Dragon, Whiffs, Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary, S*P*Y*S,...
, Rita Lakin
Rita Lakin
Rita Lakin is the creator of the Gladdy Gold mystery books. These include Getting Old Is Murder, Getting Old Is The Best Revenge, and Getting Old Is Criminal....
, Elizabeth Levin, Gerald Straub, Orvin Tovrov, Allen Potter
Allen Potter
Allen Potter was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Potter was born in Galloway and attended the common schools. He moved to Adrian, Michigan in 1830 and to Jonesville, Michigan in 1838 where he learned the trade of tinsmith...
, Joseph Stuart, Robert Costello, Leonard Kantor, Robert Pollack
Eileen and Robert Mason Pollock
Eileen Pollock and Robert Mason Pollock are married American television screenwriters and producers best known as writers on the long-running 1980s series Dynasty, its spin-off series The Colbys and the 1991 miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion....
, David Cherrill
David Cherrill
David Cherrill is an American television writer and director.-Credits:*Days of our Lives *One Life to Live *Another World...
, Doris Quinlan, A.M. Barlow, Heather Matthews, Kate Brooks
Kate Brooks
Kate Brooks is an American photojournalist who has covered the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Pakistan since September 11, 2001.At age 20, while studying Russian and photography, Kate became actively involved in the plight of Russian orphans, starting a non-profit aid group to help the children at...
, Ralph Ellis & Eugenie Hunt
Richard Christopher(JJ.Gop) played Dr. Mike Powers in 1967 while under his management with Universal Studios /Joseph Gershensen Musical Supervisior)\
Head WriterHead writerA head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
s
- Orin Tovrov, 1963- Mid-1960's
- Ian MartinIan MartinIan Martin, from the United Kingdom, is a human rights activist who has been involved in a number of human rights organisations. He was the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Nepal for the United Nations Mission in Nepal from 2007 to 2009....
, Mid-1960's - Rita LakinRita LakinRita Lakin is the creator of the Gladdy Gold mystery books. These include Getting Old Is Murder, Getting Old Is The Best Revenge, and Getting Old Is Criminal....
, 1966-Late 1960's - Rick Edelstein, Late-1960's
- Ira Avery & Stanley H. Silverman, Late-1960's-Early 1970's
- Eileen and Robert Mason PollockEileen and Robert Mason PollockEileen Pollock and Robert Mason Pollock are married American television screenwriters and producers best known as writers on the long-running 1980s series Dynasty, its spin-off series The Colbys and the 1991 miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion....
with James LiptonJames LiptonJames Lipton is an American writer, poet, composer, actor and dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in New York City. He is the executive producer, writer and host of the Bravo cable television series Inside the Actors Studio, which debuted in 1994...
, 1970's-1974 - Margaret DePriestMargaret DePriestMargaret DePriest is an American daytime serial writer.She began her career as an actress both onstage and on television. Her acting credits include a contract role as the first Abby Cameron on The Edge of Night from 1965-1966....
, 1974-1975 - Douglas MarlandDouglas MarlandDouglas Marland was an American actor and writer of soap operas.-Career:He began his soap opera career as an actor, appearing on the Irna Phillips series The Brighter Day and As the World Turns. He also did odd jobs on the side as a director for small theatre groups...
, 1975-1977 - Mel BrezMel Brez-Positions held:The Doctors* Head Writer: 1978 Another World* Script Writer: 1974, 1995As the World Turns* Co-Head Writer: 1997* Associate Head Writer: 1997, 1998Days of our Lives* Associate Head Writer: 1993 - 1994...
& Ethel BrezEthel Brez-Positions held:Another World * Script Writer Days of our Lives* Associate Head Writer One Life to Live* Associate Head Writer Passions -Positions held:Another World (hired by Harding Lemay)* Script Writer (1974)Days of our Lives* Associate Head Writer (1993–1994)One Life to Live* Associate Head...
, 1978 - Linda GroverLinda GroverLinda Grover was an American peace activist, and the founder of the Global Family Day, previously known as OneDay.-Early life and career:She was born in Nashua, New Hampshire into a military family...
, 1978 - Elizabeth Levin & David CherrillDavid CherrillDavid Cherrill is an American television writer and director.-Credits:*Days of our Lives *One Life to Live *Another World...
, 1978-1980 - Ralph Ellis & Eugenie Hunt, 1980-1981
- Lawrence & Ronnie Wencker-Konner, 1981
- Aaron ScottAaron ScottAaron Scott is a composer and jazz drummer, born June 19, 1956 in Chicago, Illinois, United States.He lived in Paris a number of years, and currently resides in New York. While in Paris, he performed with the L’Orchestre National de Jazz and studied conducting at the École Normale de Musique de...
& Anne-Marie Barlow, 1981 - Harding LemayHarding LemayHarding Lemay is an American screenwriter and playwright. Born near the Mohawk Indian reservation, where his mother grew up, he ran away to New York City at age 17, where he has lived ever since.-Career:...
& Stephen Lemay, 1981-1982 - Elizabeth Levin, 1982
- Barbara Morgenroth, Leonard Kantor & Betsy Tooker, 1982