We'll be loving
you...always
Frances Reid
December 9, 1914-February 3,
2010
Frances Reid, the
beloved star of "Days of Our Lives" since its inception in 1965, has passed
away. Reid died on February 3, 2010 at her assisted living home in Beverly
Hills, California at the age of 95. Known to millions of fans throughout
the world as Salem's favorite grandmother, Alice Horton, Reid was the last
remaining original castmember of "Days", having been on contract since the
series premiered on November 8, 1965. In total, she was the star of "Days" for
44 years, 3 months. While Alice Horton had many offspring, Reid never had any
children of her own. After her husband, Philip Bourneuf died in 1979, she never
remarried. She is survived by her niece, Laurie Rocha, and her great nieces,
April, Christie, Leanne and Marie. There will be a memorial service in April.
Donations may be made in her memory to Habitat for Humanity and Save The
Children.
Frances Reid was born to
Anna Priest and Charles Reid on December 9, 1914 in Wichita Falls, Texas. She
was the third of four children for the Reids, all daughters. Her sisters were
Dorothy, Mildred and Anna May. When she was a young child, her family moved
to Berkeley, California. After attending the University of California
and Pasadena Community Playhouse, Reid pursued her acting career
immediately, appearing in the West Coast production of
"Tovarich."
Reid moved to New York in
1938 and made her Broadway debut on January 17, 1939 in "Here There's a
Will." A critic reviewing the play that evening stated that: "She is a pretty
and agreeable young actress who manages to conduct herself simply and well." The
famed columnist Walter Winchell had this to state about Reid's
Broadway debut: "Frances Reid as the young secretary is an attractive actress,
whose natural pretending kept at least one reviewer interested when she was on
view." In later years, she would appear in Broadway productions of "Cyrano de
Bergerac", "Little Women", "King Richard III", "Twelfth Night" and as
Ophelia in "Hamlet." While appearing in a summer stock production in
Connecticut, she met her future husband, fellow stage
actor Philip Bourneuf. The two were married on June 27,
1940.
Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, while she
was appearing on Broadway, Reid also had countless roles on radio soap
operas, including "Prologue to Glory", "Charlotte Corday", and "Mrs. Moonlight."
In April 1954, Reid made the transition from radio soaps to television soaps
when she was cast as the lead in "Portia Faces Life." She was picked to play
Portia because the producer thought she looked the part. She then went on to
portray Grace Baker on "As the World Turns" from 1959-1962 and Rose Pollock on
"The Edge of Night" in 1964.
In June 1965,
"Days of Our Lives" taped its pilot episode, with Macdonald Carey as Tom
Horton and Mary Jackson as his wife, Alice. When NBC ordered the pilot
as a full-time series, Frances Reid was hired to play Alice and the pilot
episode was re-shot on October 29, 1965. Throughout the years, Alice Horton was
the true heart of Salem, always willing to lend an ear and help her
children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and all of the other citizens
of Salem. And, of course, Alice was always ready to bake her famous Horton
doughnuts.
Over the years, Reid was honored with
four Soap Opera Digest Awards as outstanding actress in a mature role. She
was nominated for a Daytime Emmy as supporting actress in 1979 and as lead
actress in 1987. In 2004, she received the Emmys top honor, a Lifetime
Achivement Award.
In one of her few non-"Days"
appearances after 1980, Reid appeared on a special episode of "American
Dreams", an NBC series which was set in 1965, the year "Days" began. When
once asked about retirement, Reid said that age was no reason to retire
from the thing she loved to do best: act. She taped her final episode of "Days"
just before her 93rd birthday in December 2007. The episode aired on December
26, 2007. In her final scene, she hugged a picture of her late
husband, Tom. Fittingly, her last line as Alice was "Merry Christmas,
Tom."
Frances Reid will be remembered not just
as an actress, but as a loving "grandma" to all the "Days" fans. One will never
be able to think about "Days", Salem, or the Hortons, without thinking
about Frances. Rest in peace, dear Frances, and thank you for so many
wonderful memories.
Click here for statements about Frances from Kristian Alfonso,
Nadia Bjorlin, Shawn Christian, Jason Cook, Ken Corday, Mary Beth Evans, Farah
Fath, Deidre Hall, Bill Hayes, Susan Seaforth Hayes, Leann Hunley, Peggy McCay,
Peter Reckell, Melissa Reeves, James Reynolds, Suzanne Rogers, Louise Sorel and
Alison Sweeney
Statement from Christie Clark (Carrie Brady):
"Very sad about Frances Reid. Frances was a very special lady, with a special
twinkle in her eye. We have a birthday a couple of days apart and she would
always give me some balloons."
Click here for interviews of Frances through the
years
Frances Reid Memorial Video
(prepared
by her nieces)
Frances Reid: Through the
Years
LEFT: The Horton Family in 1966: John Clarke (Mickey), Frances Reid (Alice), Marie Cheatham (Marie), Macdonald Carey (Tom), Edward Mallory (Bill). RIGHT: Macdonald Carey (Tom) celebrates the beginning of the sixth year of "Days" with Denise Alexander (Susan), Marie Cheatham (Marie), Susan Flannery (Laura), Frances Reid (Alice), Heather North (Sandy) and Susan Seaforth (Julie) each holding a candle for each season that "Days" has been on the air.
LEFT: The
Horton Family in 1973: Back Row: Edward Mallory (Bill), John Clarke
(Mickey), Marie Cheatham (Marie), John Lupton (Tommy). Front Row: Frances Reid
(Alice), Macdonald Carey (Tom), Patricia Barry (Addie). RIGHT: Frances, Mac and
John, the three original castmembers of "Days", celebrate 10 years together as
Hortons in 1975.
RIGHT:
The two longest-running Horton couples: Mickey & Maggie and Tom &
Alice. CENTER: Alice & Tom pose for the camera.
RIGHT: Melissa Brennan
(Jennifer), Matthew Ashford (Jack), Frances Reid (Alice) and Macdonald Carey
(Tom)
celebrate 25 years of "Days" in 1990.
LEFT: The
Horton Family in 2000: Kristian Alfonso (Hope), Melissa Reeves (Jennifer), Bryan
Dattilo (Lucas), Frances Reid (Alice), John Clarke (Mickey), Suzanne Rogers
(Maggie). RIGHT: The Horton Family in 2001: Suzanne Rogers (Maggie), John
Clarke (Mickey), Frances Reid (Alice), Bill Hayes (Doug), Susan Seaforth
Hayes (Julie).
LEFT: The Hortons celebrate Christmas Day in 2002. Back Row:
Kirsten Storms (Belle), Jason Cook (Shawn), Peter Reckell (Bo),
Bryan
Dattilo (Lucas), Melissa Reeves (Jennifer), Matthew Ashford
(Jack), Kristian Alfonso (Hope), Bill Hayes (Doug), Susan
Seaforth Hayes (Julie), Suzanne Rogers (Maggie). Front Row: John Clarke
(Mickey), Frances Reid (Alice), Megan Corletto (Abigail), Darian Weiss
(Will).
RIGHT: Frances cuts the cake at the 40th annivesary "Days" party in
November, 2005.
BELOW: The call sheet for the first-ever week of taping
"Days" from October 29-November 4, 1965.
Alice Horton Through the Years
(Youtube links not
associated with Jason47.com)
"Days"
Pilot Episode, November 8, 1965.
Alice chats with Marie (Marie Cheatham) and
Tony (Dick Colla).
First
"Days" Christmas Episode, December 24, 1965
Alice and Mickey (John Clarke)
discuss the holiday.
Alice &
Tom's 50th Wedding Anniversary Episode, March 7, 1980.
The Horton
family sings Tom & Alice's song, "Always."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b34glFqs5mM
Tom
& Alice dance to "Always", 1982.
25th
Anniversary: November 21, 1990.
Tom's
Death, June 1994.
Alice reminisces about her life with Tom.
Alice reads
the Christmas Story, December 24, 1999.
35th
Anniversary Episode: November 8, 2000.
10,000th
Episode Tribute, February 21, 2005.
Fourth of
July Picnic, July 4, 2007.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDe928cOx-k
Alice's
Last Episode, December 26,
2007.