The Secret Storm
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| The Secret Storm | |
|---|---|
| Format | soap opera |
| Created by | Roy Winsor |
| Starring | Peter Hobbs Jada Rowland Marla Adams |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 5195 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 15 (later 30) minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Original run | February 1, 1954 – February 8, 1974 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Secret Storm was a soap opera which aired on CBS from February 1, 1954 to February 8, 1974.
The Secret Storm was created by Roy Winsor, the man responsible for the long-running soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Love of Life. Gloria Monty of General Hospital fame was a longtime director of the series.
For most of its run, The Secret Storm aired at either 4 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time), and was usually the final soap opera in CBS's afternoon block.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
At the soap's center was the Ames family, a prominent clan in the fictional Northeastern town of Woodbridge (eventually located in New York). The Ames family consisted of Peter, his wife Ellen, and their three children: Susan, Jerry and Amy. The mother Ellen was killed off in the first episode and subsequent stories focused on the widower Peter raising his three children. Lending a hand, however dubiously, was Peter's former fiancee/sister in-law, Pauline Rysdale.
An interesting fact to note is the character of Amy was allowed to age in real time and not to be subjected to rapid aging as most soap operas do. Jada Rowland played the character, minus a few breaks, for the length of the show's run.
One of the most unforgettable villains of the time was Belle Clemens. Belle was played by Marla Adams, up to the show's end and was the main source of trouble for Woodbridge, taking up where Aunt Pauline, who was the show's original villainess, left off. Origially due to die of kidney disease, the writers had Belle's daughter drown in an accident, and Belle blamed Amy for the death.
Actress/writer Stephanie Braxton and actor Dan Hamilton met while performing on the show. They later married in real life. Lori March, who played Valerie Hill Ames for many years, later played the wife of her real-life husband Alexander Scorby. Actress Diana Muldaur married her co-star, James Vickery, in real-life, also.
[edit] Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford guest starred on this series playing the role of Joan Borman Kane, from 21 - 25 October 1968. Although no full shows with Joan Crawford are known to exist, clips from some episodes have appeared on YouTube.
[edit] Demise
The main reason for the show's demise was CBS's choice to buy the show from the original sponsor/producer, American Home Products, in 1969. The show suffered from numerous changes in head writers and producers, as well. In September 1973, the CBS affiliate in San Francisco, KPIX, stopped airing The Secret Storm without warning, replacing it with The Mike Douglas Show. According to Bob MacKenzie of TV Guide, KPIX's switchboards received 400 calls that afternoon, and one woman in Oakland wrote, "We all are wondering what Belle is up to and what Amy is doing and how Brian is coping with his problems." Another viewer wrote to TV Guide, "I am addicted to it, and they simply cut it off in the middle of a fascinating plot. This is not fair! Onions to the station!" In November, a decision was made to cancel the serial.
The final episode aired in February 1974. CBS replaced the show in its timeslot with Tattletales
[edit] Title sequences
The series had three distinctive opening visuals. The first was a shot of a tree with windblown branches. The second was a shortlived shot of a town with shots of people walking about similar to Peyton Place. The third, perhaps the most remembered one, had shots of the surf at high tide, crashing against the rocks in the opening titles similar to that of Dark Shadows (the ABC television show which aired opposite The Secret Storm and whose popularity contributed to its demise). The in-house organist was Charles Paul. Carey Gold provided the music during the show's last years.
[edit] Theme Song
For the last several years of the show, the theme song was the theme from the second movement of the Concerto for Violin and Violincello by Johanes Brahms.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Susan Ames Dunbar
Susan was the eldest daughter of Peter Ames and his wife, Ellen. After her mother's tragic death in a car accident, she became the new mother figure in the family. She was usually responsible for the well being of her younger siblings, Jerry Ames, and her youngest sister, Amy. She also resented any plans of her father to remarry, a situation shared by her maternal aunt, Pauline Rysdale. Despite all her plans, though, he did eventually remarry.
She was married to a man named Alan Dunbar, a former golf pro who was involved in a drug ring. He slowly broke away from that life, and married Susan. She also had his son named Peter, named after her father, Peter. Susan and Alan were happy, despite some storms, especially dealing with his fellow newspaper reporter Ann Wicker, who was seducing Alan. He almost succumbed to tempation, but still remained a good husband, until he was presumed dead in Vietnam.
Thinking that he's dead, Susan married a man named Frank Carver. Until Alan turned up alive, and his war experiences made him psychotic. He also reestablished his mafia connections. Susan annulled her marriage to Frank and returned to Alan. She and Alan left Woodbridge in the late 60's and early 70's, leaving her sister, Amy, to be the only Ames left in Woodbridge. Her brother, Jerry, married to a painter named Hope, had already moved to Paris. Susan Ames Dunbar Carver was played by several different actresses. Jean Mowry originated the role in 1954 and departed The Secret Storm in 1956, going on to play Pat Cunningham in As the World Turns from 1957-1959 until retiring from acting to marry. Rachel Taylor then took on the role before departing the show in 1957. Actress Tori Darnay temporarily played Susan. Norma Moore stepped into the role in 1958 but was soon replaced by Mary Foskett that same year who successfully carried on Susan's role until 1964 when Frances Helm took on the role for a few months before she was replaced by Judy Lewis (the illegitimate daughter of Loretta Young and Clark Gable). Lewis left the show in 1968 and Diana Van der Vlis temporily replaced her. Van der Vlis was then replaced by Mary McGregor who was in turn replaced by Lewis when she returned to the show in 1969. Lewis played the role until 1971 when the character took her exit.
