Days of Our Lives Celebrates 53 years

November 8, 1965, the sand of the hourglass started for NBC only remaining daytime drama, Days Of Our Lives. Days began as a half-hour drama but after ten years, expanded to a one hour show. Days still have a large following of viewers who have watched all of their lives, or all of the life of the show. There are four core families in Salem at that time.

Tom And Alice Horton Were An Inspiration

Tom (MacDonald Carey) and Alice (Frances Reid) were pillars of the community in Salem. The doctor and his wife raised their five children and were inspirations to all who knew them. The Horton house was never empty while Tom and Alice were alive and their entire family respected them and valued their advice. Tom would also moonlight as poet Norm Deplume. Alice and Tom didn’t fight often, but her escapades with Bo Brady sometimes got her into hot water with her husband. Alice’s doughnuts have also managed to get a few people out of jail here and there as well.

Caroline And Shawn Were Another Core Family

Shawn (Frank Parker) and Caroline(Peggy McKay) ran the Brady Fish Market and later the Brady Pub. Shawn and Caroline raised four children together, although Bo’s father is Victor Kiriakis. Bo and Hope married for the first time in 1985 uniting the Brady and the Horton families. Unfortunately both Frank and Peggy passed away earlier this year before the anniversary occurred.

The Kiriakis Family

Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston) appeared in Salem in 1985 in the story involving the Pawn (Drake Hogestyn), later thought to be Roman Brady (Josh Taylor), he has been John Black for years. John (Drake Hogestyn) and Victor’s daughter Isabella ( Staci Greason) had one child before her death, Brady Black (Eric Martsolf). Victor is now married to Maggie Horton (Suzanne Rogers), Mickey Horton’s (John Clarke) widow.

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The Dimera Family

The Dimeras have been in Salem since 1981, and Stefano (Joe Mascolo) was the arch-enemy of Roman Brady. Stefano shot Roman in 1985 and John Black was given Roman’s memories. Revealed years later, Roman was indeed alive, and John took the name, John Black. Stefano was obsessed with Marlena (Deidre Hall) and kidnapped her several times. Stefano’s son E.J. (formerly James Scott), who just returned from the dead, is married to Sami, Marlena and Roman’s daughter.

Awards And Recognition

Days has been nominated for several awards through the years and led the 2018 Daytime Emmy Awards taking home Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Directing, and veteran actor James Reynolds took home his first Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor.

A Special Treat For Fans

Days writers chose to commemorate this milestone with a message from Frances Reid, who placed Alice Horton from the beginning of the series until the actress’ death in 2010. Alice’s last appeared on Days December 26, 2007. Frances thanks all Days viewers, past, present, and future for their continued support. Congratulations Days of Our Lives, may the sands in the hourglass continue for many years to come.

As always, more detailed spoilers and a full collection of pictures for the week in question will appear here on Soap Opera Spy, when there could be more clues and hints over exactly what’s going on.

Days of Our Lives airs weekdays on the NBC network.

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