Beginning on radio in Chicago, she not only wrote several series at the same time, generating two million words a year, but also served as the independent producer of her work as early as 1930. The six thematic listening packages offer early, rarely heard works of Irna Phillips and other significant producers such as Frank and Anne Hummert, Gertrude Berg, and Elaine Sterne Carrington. Also among the programs are other early classic daytime serials, including Portia Faces Life , Young Dr. Malone , and Backstage Wife . The Museum has searched archives throughout the country to uncover the earliest episodes of all serials currently on the air as well as other soaps that have had a major impact on the genre. From these early episodes visitors can see the dynastic roots of the serials they watch today and appreciate how their favorite stories have changed over the years.
Seminars Producing a daily serial is one of the most complex tasks in television.
Each production team handles the enormous challenges differently. The Museum is inviting the creative teams of all the long-running soaps to discuss how writing and production are coordinated to create approximately 260 episodes a year. The book tributes the great creators of the soap genre and analyzes why the form has lasted so long. The history of the soap opera is traced from its infant days on radio to its contemporary global presence on television. Over the years the visual aspect of these ceremonies has become more elaborate and breathtaking, with careful, artful attention paid to the set design and dress.