''Hidden Faces'' is an American

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

that aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

from December 30, 1968 to June 27, 1969. The series was created by

Irving Vendig Irving Vendig (October 11, 1902 – January 7, 1995) was an American soap opera writer best known for creating ''The Edge of Night''. Career Born in the Mississippi city of Holly Springs, Vendig created ''The Edge of Night'' for Procter and Ga ...

, who also created the serial ''

The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American television mystery crime drama series and soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that networ ...

''. The serial focused on a law firm that was dealing with a high profile murder case throughout its 127-episode run; the main romantic angle had the firm's senior partner, Arthur Adams, becoming involved with client Kate Logan, a female surgeon accused of murder, which Adams and partner Nick Turner acquitted her of. Charles Fisher was the producer of the program, which was an in-house NBC production. The show was a production of NBC, and was the only NBC-owned soap opera at the time. (The network was later to own ''

How to Survive a Marriage ''How to Survive a Marriage'' is an American soap opera which aired on the NBC television network from January 7, 1974 to April 18, 1975. The serial was created by Anne Howard Bailey, with much input from then-NBC Vice President Lin Bolen. The sh ...

'' and to purchase '' The Doctors'' from that show's sponsor, Colgate-Palmolive.) The show's leading stars were

Conard Fowkes Conard Fowkes (January 4, 1933 in Washington, D.C. – December 14, 2009 in New York City) was an American actor. He was best known for acting in soap operas, including '' Kitty Foyle'', ''Dark Shadows'', ''The Edge of Night'', '' The Secret Storm ...

as Adams, Gretchen Walther as Logan, and

Tony Lo Bianco Anthony LoBianco (born October 19, 1936) is an Italian-American film, stage, and television actor. Born to first-generation Italian American parents in New York City, Lo Bianco began his career in theater, and appeared in several Broadway prod ...

as Turner. Others in the cast included

Linda Blair Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress and activist. She played Regan MacNeil in the horror film ''The Exorcist'' (1973), for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received a nomination for an Academy Award. The fil ...

, Robin Braxton, Ludi Claire, Betsy Durkin, Joseph Daly,

Rita Gam Rita Gam (born Rita Eleanore MacKay, April 2, 1927March 22, 2016) was an American film and television actress and documentary filmmaker. She won the Silver Bear for Best Actress. Background Gam was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the daughte ...

, Lloyd Hollar, Stephen Joyce,

John Karlen John Karlen (born John Adam Karlewicz; May 28, 1933 – January 22, 2020) was an American character actor who played multiple roles on the ABC serial ''Dark Shadows'' on and off from 1967 to 1971. In 1971, Karlen starred as the male lead in ''D ...

Nat Polen Nat Polen (June 14, 1914 — May 3, 1981) was an American actor. He is known for his long-running character roles playing physicians on ABC and CBS soap operas. Polen played Dr. Doug Cassen on ''As the World Turns'' for over 9 years, from April 1 ...

Roy Scheider Roy Richard Scheider (; November 10, 1932 – February 10, 2008) was an American actor and amateur boxer. Described by AllMovie as "one of the most unique and distinguished of all Hollywood actors", he gained fame for his leading and supporting ...

, and

Louise Shaffer Louise Shaffer (born July 5, 1942) is an American actress, script writer, and author. Biography Shaffer was born in Woodbridge, Connecticut, where she showed an interest in acting early on in her life. After finishing high school, she attended ...

Broadcast history

''Hidden Faces'' replaced ''

Let's Make a Deal ''Let's Make a Deal'' (also known as ''LMAD'') is an American television musical comedy variety-game show that originated in the United States in 1963 and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The program was created an ...

'' at 1:30 p. m. (12:30 Central) after disputes between NBC and ''Let's Make a Deal'' packagers Stefan Hatos and Monty Hall caused the game/participation show to move to

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

. Facing the ABC ''Let's Make a Deal'' and

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

' ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...

'', ''Hidden Faces'' performed poorly and, in an unusual move for daytime serials in that era, was cancelled after only six months in favor of the

Bill Leyden William Leyden (February 1, 1917,Born in 1917 peSocial Security Death Index under name William Leyden/ref> in Chicago, Illinois – March 11, 1970, in Hollywood, California) was a television game show host and announcer who emceed six game shows ...

-hosted game ''

You're Putting Me On ''You're Putting Me On!'' is an NBC game show in which celebrities tried to communicate the identities of famous people through odd and interesting clues. Bill Leyden was the original host, with Larry Blyden taking over halfway through the run. ...

''. With almost all of the fans of ''Let's Make a Deal's'' following their show to ABC, ''Hidden Faces'' could not get a foothold among viewers, since soap opera fans instinctively preferred the then-top-rated ''As the World Turns.'' ''Hidden Faces'' was the first of eight programs that NBC put in the timeslot of ''

'' between its departure and the expansion of ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...

'' to an hour on April 21, 1975. Of those eight shows, only ''

Three on a Match ''Three on a Match'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime drama released by Warner Bros. The film was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and stars Joan Blondell, Warren William, Ann Dvorak and Bette Davis. The film also features Lyle Talbot, Humphrey Bog ...

'' lasted longer than a year. An episode of this program may exist, due to a scene being uploaded to YouTube in Feb. 2023, albeit most tapes of the series were erased by NBC, per the standard practices of that time.

References

External links

* {{US daytime soaps American television soap operas NBC original programming 1968 American television series debuts 1969 American television series endings English-language television shows Lost television shows