1965: PHOTO OF MARY JACKSON AS ALICE HORTON!

This is the first-ever photo of Mary Jackson as Alice Horton that I've ever seen! Macdonald Carey (Tom), Mary Jackson (Alice) and Marie Cheatham (Marie) were the three leads when "Days" taped its original unaired pilot in June 1965. The trio are seated in the Horton Living Room set, which is still in use 49 years later. When NBC decided to make "Days" into a series, it re-taped the pilot in October 1965 and cast Frances Reid as the only Alice Horton fans would ever know.



1967: "DAYS" FAN LETTER, MAY 1967

Here's a "Days" fan letter sent to the San Diego Tribune TV Column from the May 15, 1967 edition.



1968: DID YOU KNOW: CO-CREATOR IRNA PHILLIPS ONCE SUED SCREEN GEMS REGARDING "DAYS" OWNERSHIP IN 1968??


1968: DECEMBER 1968 INTERVIEW WITH EXECUTIVE PRODUCER BETTY CORDAY

1969: SUSAN SEAFORTH MEMO Back in June 1969, Susan Seaforth (Julie) was the cast rookie. Here's a letter from Betty Corday, where she asks head writer Bill Bell to consider giving Susan two weeks off (being on contract means you can request to have time off, but the request doesn't have to be granted). If you were wondering what Bill Bell's decision was....he did grant the time off and Julie was not in the episodes taped the weeks of 9/1 and 9/8! 1969: "FAN" LETTER UPSET WITH JULIE Here's a Days fan letter published in an Omaha, Nebraska newspaper from July 27, 1969. The fan was quite upset that Julie won custody of baby David! (If it helps any, Mrs. Greenfield, Julie did end up marrying the architect, Scott Banning). 1969: A LETTER FROM ONE "DAYS" GREAT TO ANOTHER Future head writer Pat Falken Smith's year-end letter to head writer Bill Bell from December 1969. 1970: MEET THE JONES FAMILY: THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN FAMILY ON SOAPS "Days" had its first African-American family, the Jones family, on the show for a brief time from May-July 1970. In fact, an interview quote from Carol Speed (who played daughter Elaine) states that "We were the first black family to appear on a network soap opera." Graham Brown played dad Jeff, Maidie Norman played mom Gracie, Carol Speed played daughter Elaine and Christipher Joy played son Howard. Not much is written about the family in the Days history books, but it is known that Jeff Jones was involved in the Bill Horton/Doug Williams prison storyline.

1970: JOAN VAN ARK AS JANENE WHITNEY
Future "Knots Landing" star Joan Van Ark recurred on "Days" as Janene Whitney in 1970.






1970: DOUG & JULIE'S FIRST KISS...WEEKLY CAST CHART

This cast chart is for the week that Doug & Julie's first kiss was taped, on Friday, July 10, 1970. Back then, "Days" only taped 2 weeks before airdate!! For the record, the two roles yet-to-be cast went to Oscar Beregi (Sergio) and Hal Riddle (Waiter).



1972:  "DAYS" GETS MENTIONED ON "SANFORD & SON"

"Sanford & Son" was a hit comedy starring Redd Foxx that aired for six seasons from 1972-1977. In one of the show's first season episodes, Sanford gets upset when his TV is about to be repossessed, and worries about missing "Days of Our Lives." Here's the background on the story of how "Days" ended up being mentioned on the sitcom, in this article from March 3, 1972.




1972: JED ALLAN'S FIRST PUBLICITY PHOTO AS DON CRAIG



1972: A THIRD ALICE HORTON??...1972 ARTICLE STATES MARY K. WELLS WAS OFFERED THE ROLE BUT TURNED IT DOWN

"Days" fans might know that Mary Jackson portrayed Alice Horton in the first pilot that was taped back in the summer of 1965 (the role was recast with Frances Reid when NBC bought the pilot and turned it into a series). However, daytime history fan Matt has just unearthed this new piece of information, after browsing through a 1972 issue of Afternoon TV. In the issue, actress Mary K. Wells says she was offered the role of Alice Horton in 1965, but turned it down because she was living on the East Coast and didn't want to uproot her family and take her children out of school. She also stated that "I guess I love Betty Corday better than anybody in this business." Wells retired from acting in 1973 and then was a writer on "All My Children" for 20 years. She passed away in 2000.




1973: BENNYE GATTEYS JOINS "DAYS"

Here's the trade ad by NBC announcing the debut of Bennye Gatteys in the role of Susan Hunter in 1973. Gatteys replaced long-time fan favorite Denise Alexander (who had played the role since 1966). Based on the records I have available, she was never placed on contract, and recurred on the show for three years until Susan was written out in 1976.



1974: "DAYS" FAN VENTS ABOUT LONG PREGNANCY OF ADDIE!

Here's a "Days" fan in the January 3, 1974 Oregonian, who wrote to the newspaper upset at how long Addie was pregnant with Hope. In all fairness though, "Days" had a ton of preemptions in 1973 due to the Watergate Hearings, so that was the main reason Hope's birth did not take place until January 11, 1974.



1974: PATRICIA BARRY TALKS ABOUT THE DEATH OF ADDIE HORTON




1975: AD FOR THE ONE-HOUR EXPANSION OF "DAYS" ON APRIL 21, 1975



1976: OCTOBER 1976 ARTICLES DISCUSSES THE DAVID/VALERIE RELATIONSHIP...AND VIEWER REACTION






1978: "OUR GANG" ACTRESS DARLA HOOD APPEARED ON "DAYS" IN 1978:

Darla Hood, who was one of the child stars of the 1930's "Our Gang" shorts, appeared on "Days of Our Lives" as an adult in one episode in an unknown role, when she was trying to re-start her career in 1978. A letter from Darla that a fan found on sale mentions her "Days" appearance. Hood passed away the following year, in 1979. The records I have for the late 1970's are quite incomplete in regards to actors playing one-day roles, so there was no record until now that she had appeared on "Days."




1979: FARRAH FAWCETT DISCUSSES HER 1970 "DAYS" APPEARANCE

Thanks to a "Days" fan, here's an article from a 1979 issue of "TV Dawn to Dusk" (by M. George Haddad) where the late Farrah Fawcett discusses her one-day appearance on "Days", on the September 18, 1970 episode. Fawcett passed away in 2009 at the age of 62.



1983: ROBIN THICKE APPEARS AS "DAYS" CHRISTMAS EXTRA

Although some "Days" fans remember that Gloria Loring (Liz Chandler) is the mother of singer Robin Thicke, not many know that he made his acting debut on "Days of Our Lives!" Thicke, whose "Blurred Lines" became his first-ever # 1 album in 2013, appeared on several of the Christmas episodes of "Days" during the time his mom was on the show. Like most young children of the "Days" actors and crew, Thicke appeared as one of the young hospital patients who gathered in the Nurses' Station set to listen to the Christmas story being read. Here is the parking clearance, featuring a 6-year-old Thicke (who was even given his own first name as his character name, Robin) from the 1983 Christmas episode. Also of note on this list is Jed Reynolds, who is the son of James Reynolds (Abe) and Larry Rabin, the son of long-time executive producer Al Rabin. Thicke joins long-time actress Christina Applegate as two of the young children who made their acting debut on "Days." Applegate appeared as a baby boy on the 3/7/72 episode.



2010: THE ACTORS WHO NEVER AIRED ON "DAYS"
 In November 2010, Nadia Bjorlin (Chloe) was not feeling well, and "Days" had to rush in an emergency replacement, Alicia Leigh Willis, who was set to tape Chloe's scenes that day. Bjorlin felt better and Willis never made it to air, but here is Willis' name on the parking list for that day (both Bjorlin and Willis were on at the studio together, and Bjorlin eventually felt well enough to tape that day).

Willis joins a select group of actors including Mary Jackson (Alice Horton in the unaired pilot), Rene Lamart (taped 3 episodes as Jake Kositchek but never aired; Jack Coleman was hired and re-did those 3 episodes) and Christine Wilson (hired as the first Taylor in 1998, but never taped when they decided to wait to introduce Taylor further down the road) as actors who were hired by "Days" but never made it to air.



A WHOLE LOTTA ANIMALS...



There's been a few pets in Salem's history. Here's the complete list:

Admiral Perry...Eugene's penguin...9 episodes...1989
Emily...Kayla's kitten...6 episodes...1989-1990
Fluffy...Brian's police dog...33 episodes...1990-1992 (friend of Snowball)...
Herschel...Tony's dog...18 episodes...1984-1985
Honey...Craig/Nancy's dog...2 episodes...2000
John Henry...Chris's dog...7 episodes...1982-1983
Martha...Calliope's dog...17 episodes...1986-1987 (had a dog wedding to Reggie & had a litter of puppies)
Max...Bonnie's dog...23 episodes...2003-2005 (he even spoke in a dream sequence!)
Moonshine...a cat...17 episodes...1982-1983
Noelle...Vivian's dog...4 episodes...1994-1995
Phaedra...Samantha's dog...5 episodes...1978 (Andrea Hall's real-life dog)
Pookie...Nicole's dog...4 episodes...2008
Romulus...Letitia's lion...4 episodes...1983 (pictured above with Ruth Buzzi as Letitia)
Snowball...Ginger's dog...12 episodes...1991-1992 (friend of Fluffy)
Sugar...Craig/Nancy's dog...11 episodes...2000-2002
Yogi...Marcus' childhood dog...7 episodes...1989
Zeus...Lisanne's cat...23 episodes...1992-1993

Not really a pet, but qualifies in the animal kingdom!
Horton...circus tiger who "killed" Tony...11 episodes...2004

Honorary mention goes to:

Stuffed parrot on Parrot Man's shoulder, during the Aremid storyline...1995-1996