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The show focuses upon four young secretaries and their lives in an intense publishing firm: Linda, April, Kim, and
Barbara. They were tormented by their ruthless head editor, Amanda Key, and counseled by the warm and loving Violet Jordan. Although the soap opera was short-lived, there were several
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artist Connie Eaton recorded a version of the series' instrumental theme, using lyrics which she sang on an episode telecast near the end of the program's network run. The single was released in 1970 by the Chart label. Both the theme song's melody and lyrics were composed by headwriter James
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was the worst in the
Nielsens, coming in at the bottom with an awful 1.8 rating, one of the lowest figures ever recorded for a US soap opera. One reason for the show's failure was its time slot: 12 noon Eastern Time (11am Central), in which it competed against the original run of
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Later in the 1970s, these failures, along with a few others, prompted networks to opt instead for expansion of some of their existing 30-minute serials to a full hour each day, minimizing the risk of new programs taking an overly long time to develop an audience.
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plotlines, including Kim being brutally attacked by a mysterious villain named
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made practically no impact upon the ratings. ABC ran it for the then-minimum six months before canceling. This had also been the fate of an NBC serial that aired the previous year,
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The series was executive produced by creator/headwriter James Lipton. Jacqueline Babbin was the producer. The packager was 20th
Century Fox Television, in association with ABC.
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on NBC, then at the height of its daytime popularity. (Also, "Best" was not cleared by many ABC affiliates, who preferred running local newscasts in the time slot.)
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The 1969-70 season was the zenith of the soap opera format in the United States, as a record 19 soaps crowded the three major networks. Unfortunately,
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The soap opera premiered on March 30, 1970, at 12 Noon
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on ABC, which followed it at 12:30/11:30. However, the original version of
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from March 30, 1970, to
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524:"Bing And Bill Top TV Slate" by Jack Gaver,
385:List of American daytime soap opera ratings
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540:Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1970-08-22).
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1600:1970 American television series debuts
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500:. Publications International. p.
277:was videotaped at ABC-TV Studio 17 in
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469:The Soap Opera Encyclopedia, 2nd ed
1635:Adaptations of works by Rona Jaffe
16:1970 American TV series or program
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320:Julie Mannix as April Morrison #1
651:(1965–2022 TV; 2022–present Web)
471:. Ballantine Books. p. 44.
467:Schemering, Christopher (1987).
374:Bonnie Bee Buzzard as Joanna Key
1610:American television soap operas
1047:Love is a Many Splendored Thing
356:Stephen Grover as Johnny Lamont
341:Ginnie Curtis as Gwenn Mitchell
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371:James Davidson as Dexter Key
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344:Gregory Rozakis as Squirrel
119:20th Century Fox Television
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640:The Bold and the Beautiful
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368:Diane Kagan as Anne Carter
365:Ted LePlat as Randy Wilson
197:1959 film of the same name
1178:How to Survive a Marriage
1170:Bird of the Iron Feather
932:The World of Mr. Sweeney
353:Barry Ford as Ken Lamont
226:and premiered alongside
762:The First Hundred Years
249:The Best of Everything,
173:is an American daytime
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1198:Return to Peyton Place
1191:For Richer, For Poorer
1162:The Best of Everything
582:The Best of Everything
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447:The Best of Everything
391:The Best of Everything
275:The Best of Everything
218:The Best of Everything
192:The Best of Everything
170:The Best of Everything
23:The Best of Everything
902:Three Steps to Heaven
699:These Are My Children
527:The Sandusky Register
691:Highway to the Stars
626:in the United States
326:as April Morrison #2
303:Geraldine Fitzgerald
115:Production companies
57:Theme music composer
43:Geraldine Fitzgerald
1015:A Flame in the Wind
940:Young Doctor Malone
888:Search for Tomorrow
784:For Better or Worse
707:A Woman to Remember
622:Daytime television
430:Search for Tomorrow
247:at that point, and
220:replaced reruns of
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1135:The Young Marrieds
1127:Where the Heart Is
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732:As the World Turns
562:has generic name (
496:Soap Opera History
439:Where the Heart Is
412:As the World Turns
258:Where the Heart Is
212:Production history
155:September 25, 1970
99:Executive producer
62:Laurence Rosenthal
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924:Woman with a Past
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864:Portia Faces Life
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777:Follow Your Heart
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648:Days of Our Lives
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338:as Barbara Lamont
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1557:(2012–2016)
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1157:(1970–2011)
1138:(1964–1966)
1130:(1969–1973)
1122:(1964–1969)
1114:(1965–1966)
1090:(1968–2012)
1082:(1965–1967)
1074:(1965–1966)
1066:(1965–1966)
1050:(1967–1973)
1042:(1968–1969)
1026:(1960–1961)
1023:Full Circle
1018:(1964–1966)
1010:(1963–1982)
1007:The Doctors
1002:(1965–2022)
994:(1966–1971)
986:(1960–1962)
978:(1969–1972)
962:(1964–1999)
943:(1958–1963)
935:(1954–1955)
919:(1953–1957)
905:(1953–1954)
891:(1951–1986)
883:(1954–1974)
875:(1954–1955)
867:(1954–1955)
859:(1954–1955)
843:(1951–1980)
832:Kitty Foyle
827:(1950–1955)
819:(1952–2009)
811:(1954–1955)
803:(1954–1955)
795:(1958–1961)
787:(1959–1960)
779:(1953–1954)
773:(1954–1955)
765:(1950–1952)
757:(1956–1984)
749:(1954–1962)
741:(1953–1954)
735:(1956–2010)
624:soap operas
560:|last=
241:Art Fleming
189:1958 novel
86:of episodes
1594:Categories
1538:What If...
1522:They Go On
1466:EastSiders
1394:Web series
1079:The Nurses
967:Ben Jerrod
848:Miss Susan
770:First Love
478:0345353447
454:References
239:hosted by
175:soap opera
159:1970-09-25
149:1970-03-30
110:30 minutes
94:Production
29:Created by
1579:The Gates
1410:Anacostia
552:cite book
543:Billboard
397:Jeopardy!
360:M'el Dowd
290:Nashville
235:Jeopardy!
223:Bewitched
1573:Upcoming
1506:The Spot
1450:DeVanity
1332:Passions
1324:The City
1214:Somerset
293:Lipton.
195:and the
183:spin-off
145:March 30
67:Composer
39:Starring
1426:The Bay
1289:Rituals
1265:Capitol
632:Current
379:Ratings
157: (
153: –
147: (
142:Release
132:Network
1582:(2025)
1549:(2015)
1541:(2010)
1525:(1997)
1501:(2012)
1485:(2013)
1437:(2014)
1421:(2008)
1405:(2013)
1386:(2001)
1367:(1990)
1364:Tribes
1359:(1992)
1281:Loving
1173:(1970)
1165:(1970)
1106:(1965)
1098:(1962)
1058:(1965)
970:(1963)
927:(1954)
911:(1958)
897:(1954)
851:(1951)
835:(1958)
727:(1954)
710:(1949)
702:(1949)
694:(1947)
686:(1946)
508:
475:
1305:Texas
587:IMDb
564:help
506:ISBN
473:ISBN
445:19.
436:13.
433:10.0
424:10.8
415:13.6
297:Cast
203:Plot
585:at
502:264
449:1.8
427:3.
418:2.
409:1.
253:CBS
245:NBC
185:of
179:ABC
136:ABC
89:126
84:No.
1596::
556::
554:}}
550:{{
504:.
288:.
281:.
199:.
1189:/
615:e
608:t
601:v
566:)
514:.
481:.
267:.
260:,
237:,
161:)
151:)
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