From These Roots

''From These Roots'' is an American soap opera that aired from June 30, 1958, to December 29, 1961. It was created and written by Frank Provo and John Pickard. The show was seen on NBC.

Storyline

Actress Ann Flood starred as Elizabeth "Liz" Fraser Allen, a successful writer who had returned to her New England hometown of Strathfield to run her family's newspaper, the ''Strathfield Record''. Her father, Ben Fraser, Sr. had suffered a heart attack, thus causing Liz, who had been living and working in Washington, D.C. to come home, leaving her D.C. fiance, Bruce Crawford. Another former beau, from her earlier days in Strathfield, Dr. Buck Weaver, eventually married his secretary, Maggie Barker.

Her family included a brother Ben, Jr. who worked a family farm, was married to Italian Rose Corelli; had three children, including a son, named Dan, and didn't have much to do with the newspaper; and a sister Emily, who was married to Jim Benson and, after Jim's death, to Frank Teton. Jim and Emily had a daughter, named Lyddy, who worked with her aunt Liz on the newspaper.

Liz's first adversary was wealthy Enid Chambers, who was the first wife of the man she would eventually marry, David Allen. Her later adversary was alcoholic actress, Lynn Franklin, who, despite her own marriage to Tom Jennings, was very much in love with David and wanted him for herself.

Famous actors

Several actors featured on ''From These Roots'' found fame in later shows. These include:
Henderson Forsythe (Jim Benson), who went on to fame as Dr. David Stewart on ''As the World Turns'';
Charlotte Rae (Hilda Furman), who played Molly the Mail Lady on ''Sesame Street'' during the show's third season; and then played Edna Garrett on ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and '' The Facts of Life'';
Billie Lou Watt (Maggie Barker Weaver) who played Stu Bergman's second wife, Ellie Harper, on ''Search for Tomorrow'' and the voice of Ma Bagge (Eustace's mother) on the series ''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' from 1999 to 2001; Audra Lindley (Laura Tompkins), best known as the first landlady, Helen Roper from ''Three's Company'' and its spin-off ''The Ropers'' (as well as Liz Matthews #2 on '' Another World''; Millette Alexander (Gloria Saxon) later appeared on ''As the World Turns'', ''Guiding Light'' and three roles on ''The Edge of Night''; Robert Mandan (David Allen) who later played pompous and philandering stockbroker Chester Tate on ''Soap'', the highly ineffective Colonel Fielding on the television adaptation of the movie, '' Private Benjamin'', and created the role of Sam Reynolds on ''Search for Tomorrow''; Barbara Berjer (Lynn Franklin) who continued serial work, most notably on ''As the World Turns'' and ''Guiding Light''; Richard Thomas (Richard), well known as John-Boy Walton #1 from ''The Waltons'' as well as other serial roles; Joseph Mascolo (Jack Lander), known for his roles as Stefano DiMera on ''Days of Our Lives'' and Massimo Marone on ''The Bold and the Beautiful''; John Karlen, later known as Willie Loomis #2 on ''Dark Shadows''; Harvey Lacey of ''Cagney & Lacey''; and
John Colenback (Jimmy Hull) who played Dr. Dan Stewart, on ''As the World Turns''.

The show was directed by Joseph Behar, and Don Wallace and Paul Lammers, who were producers as well, along with Eugene Barr. It was also known for a storyline dealing with the show-within-a-show performance of ''Madame Bovary'', which heavily featured the show's villainess, Lynn Franklin.

A dispute between Wallace and Lammers with actress Julie Bovasso which ended up getting the latter fired from the show. Bovasso, who played Rose Corelli, Ben Fraser, Jr.'s wife, had a disagreement with a specific line's meaning, and she walked off the set. A line producer stepped in for her and did her roles that day. Bovasso was later fired and actress Tresa Hughes took over as Rose until the show's end in 1961.

Cancellation

The show was cancelled in 1961 because not many people felt at home with this kind of drama, which was unusual for serials of that time. This soap opera was more literary than most that were on the air at that time. The owner of the show, Procter and Gamble, sold the show to network NBC, which cancelled the program.

As such, all the stories were wrapped up and ended happily. Ben, Sr. who had become Strathfield's mayor, had cleaned up the town of organized crime; Kass, the Fraser's lovable maid, had received a great big settlement from her late husband's estate; Lyddy had announced she was engaged; and Liz and her husband, David had achieved mutual success as writers.

References

External links

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{{US daytime soaps

American television soap operas
1958 American television series debuts
1961 American television series endings
1950s American television series
1960s American television series
Television series by Procter & Gamble Productions
Black-and-white American television shows
English-language television shows