Thanks For The Memories,
Mickey!
Mickey Horton has been a part of Salem since "Days of Our Lives" premiered on November 8, 1965. For over 38 years, Mickey was portrayed by John Clarke, until his retirement, with his last episode being aired on January 28, 2004. From 2004-2008, Richard Voigts, John Ingle and Kevin Dobson all briefly appeared as Mickey. But for long-time "Days" fans, the names of Mickey Horton and John Clarke will always remain synonymous. In 1973, Suzanne Rogers joined the cast of "Days" as Maggie Simmons. Except for a few brief breaks, Mickey and Maggie would become one of Salem's longest-running couples, until Mickey's untimely passing in January, 2010. The following is a tribute to Mickey Horton, his long-time portrayer John Clarke, and to Mickey's long-time romance with Maggie.
Mickey Horton Through the Years
LEFT: John Clarke's first head shot as Mickey
in 1965. RIGHT: The Horton Family in 1966: John Clarke (Mickey),
Marie Cheatham (Marie), Edward Mallory (Bill), Frances Reid (Alice),
Macdonald Carey (Tom).
LEFT: Coleen Gray as Mickey's first love interest, Diane Hunter, in
1966.
MIDDLE: One of Mickey's early cases in court in 1967, defending Diane's
daughter, Susan Hunter (Denise Alexander).
Also pictured: Macdonald Carey as
Tom and Byron Morrow as the judge.
RIGHT: Susan Flannery as Mickey's second
love interest, Laura Spencer. Laura gave birth to Mickey's son, Michael, in
1968.
However, it was later learned that Mickey was infertile and that his
brother Bill was actually Michael's father.
LEFT: Mickey's first wedding, to Laura Spencer (Susan Flannery), in
1967.
RIGHT: The Horton Family poses for a group shot in 1973: Edward Mallory
(Bill), John Clarke (Mickey), Marie
Cheatham (Sister Marie), John Lupton
(Tommy), Frances Reid (Alice), Macdonald Carey (Tom) and Patricia Barry
(Addie).
LEFT: On August 20, 1973, Mickey, who was suffering from amnesia
and thought his name was Marty Hanson, wanders on to the farm of Maggie Simmons
(Suzanne Rogers), who had been injured in a car accident which had killed both
of her parents.
MIDDLE: This 1974 promotional shot shows the two faces of
Mickey. His 1973 bearded face, and his 1974 clean-shaven appearance.
RIGHT:
Mickey and Maggie's first wedding, January 25, 1974.
LEFT: A 1975 promotional shot, featuring the three remaining
original castmembers, Frances Reid, Macdonald Carey and John Clarke.
RIGHT: A
1980s promotional photo of the two long-running Horton couples, Mickey &
Maggie and Alice & Tom.
LEFT: The 1986 double wedding of Pete Jannings (Michael Leon) &
Melissa Anderson
(Lisa Trusel) and Maggie Simmons (Suzanne Rogers) &
Mickey Horton (John Clarke).
RIGHT: A Horton group photo from 2000: Hope
(Kristian Alfonso), Jennifer (Melissa Reeves),
Lucas (Bryan Dattilo), Alice
(Frances Reid), Mickey (John Clarke) and Maggie (Suzanne
Rogers).
LEFT: The Horton Family in 2000: Maggie (Suzanne Rogers), Mickey
(John Clarke), Alice (Frances Reid),
Doug (Bill Hayes) and Julie (Susan
Seaforth Hayes). RIGHT: Mickey & Maggie in 2001.
LEFT: The Hortons celebrate Christmas Day in 2002. Back row: Belle
(Kirsten Storms), Shawn (Jason Cook), Bo (Peter Reckell), Lucas
(Bryan
Dattilo), Jennifer (Melissa Reeves), Jack (Matthew Ashford), Hope (Kristian
Alfonso), Doug (Bill Hayes), Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes),
Maggie (Suzanne
Rogers). Front row: Mickey (John Clarke), Alice (Frances Reid), Abigail (Megan
Corletto), and Will (Darian Weiss).
RIGHT: After Maggie's supposed
death in 2003, Mickey briefly romanced Bonnie Lockhart (Judi
Evans).
After John Clarke's retirement, three other actors briefly
stepped into the role of Mickey:
Richard Voigts (2004), John Ingle
(2004-2006) and Kevin Dobson (2008).
Mickey & Maggie: Important Dates
Script of Mickey's debut, 11/8/65
Scan of Maggie & Mickey's first scene,
8/20/73
Script of Maggie's debut, 8/20/73
Script of Mickey & Maggie's first wedding,
1/25/74
Maggie & Mickey: A Brief
Timeline August 20, 1973: Maggie Simmons (on crutches) meets Marty Hanson
(Mickey Horton with amnesia), when Marty wanders onto her farm. The Interviews John Clarke as Mickey Horton: The Video File
January 25,
1974: Maggie Simmons and Marty Hanson marry on her farm.
October 2, 1974:
After he divorces Laura, Mickey and Maggie get married
legally.
June 1977: Maggie and Mickey move away from Maggie's farm and move
to Salem.
September 1978: Maggie becomes an alcoholic and is arrested for
drunken driving. (This storyline gets Suzanne Rogers a Daytime Emmy in
1979).
November 1982: With Mickey presumed dead (having been kidnapped by
Stefano), Maggie begins dating Don Craig.
April 1983: Mickey returns to
Salem, but it takes several years for him to reunite with Maggie.
October
1984-August 1985: Maggie is off-camera for a year (while Suzanne Rogers is away
from "Days").
February 14, 1986: Mickey and Maggie wed for the third
time.
November 2003: Maggie is "killed off" by the Salem Stalker.
January
28, 2004: John Clarke retires after playing Mickey for over 38 years.
June
2004: Maggie returns alive to Salem, but finds that Mickey (now played by John
Ingle) has moved on and married Bonnie Lockhart. He later divorces
Bonnie.
July 18, 2005: Maggie and Mickey are married for the fourth time.
April 2006-March 2008: Mickey stays married to Maggie but is off-camera and
never seen (no one plays the role for two years).
April 1, 2008: The
character of Mickey returns to the canvas as Kevin Dobson debuts in the
role.
October 2, 2008: Kevin Dobson's last episode is also the last time
Mickey is ever seen on screen.
January, 2010: When Maggie goes upstairs to
her bedroom, she finds Mickey has passed away.
John
Clarke & Suzanne Rogers, Soap Opera Digest, 2/25/97
John Clarke: This Is Your Life, 1/27/98
(Youtube
links not associated with Jason47.com)
John
Clarke as Mickey Horton in the "Days" pilot episode,
11/8/65
Mickey
& Alice in the first "Days" Christmas episode, 12/24/65
The
Hortons sing Tom & Alice's song, "Always", in celebration of their 50th
wedding anniversary, 3/7/80
Mickey
& Maggie's third wedding, 2/14/86
Mickey
& Maggie chat, 7/22/87
Mickey
& Maggie reminisce, 11/21/90
The
Hortons hang their Christmas ornaments, 12/25/92
John
Clarke's last scene with Suzanne Rogers, 11/10/03
Maggie thinks back to Mickey's
red shoes gift, 12/31/09
A fan's
pictorial tribute to Mickey & Maggie