Bright Promise

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Bright Promise was a U.S.-made daytime serial that ran on the NBC television network from September 29, 1969 to March 31, 1972. It aired weekdays at 3:30 p.m. Eastern/2:30 p.m. Central.

The show revolved around students and faculty at the fictional Bancroft College, located in the community of Bancroft, somewhere in the American Midwest. The name of the show reflected the overarching theme of the bright promise that the leaders of tomorrow graduating from Bancroft would ostensibly bring.

Bright Promise was created by the husband-and-wife writing team of Frank and Doris Hursley, who had previously created General Hospital, and was their last project prior to their retirement.

Original cast members included the show's star, movie favorite Dana Andrews, with Susan Brown, Paul Lukather, David Lewis, Colleen Gray, Susannah Darrow, and Eric James. Later additions included Ivor Francis, Annette O'Toole, Dabney Coleman, Anthony Geary, Gail Kobe, and Anne Jeffreys. From the Mickey Mouse Club, former Mouseketeer Tommy Cole was makeup artist for the production.

Having replaced the game show You Don't Say!, Bright Promise would give way to another serial, Return to Peyton Place, on the NBC daytime schedule. Actress Gail Kobe would become the latter's executive producer.

Bing Crosby Productions packaged the show for NBC; another notable program Crosby's company produced was the CBS sitcom Hogan's Heroes.