THE SOAPS

A spin-cycle review of the history, essential nature and personnel of the old radio and ongoing TV soap operas. The introductory material touches briefly on the contributions of early pioneers like Amos and Andy, The Goldbergs (continuing stories, heart warming, with stable characters) or Clara, Lu an' Em, the first network daytime serial. There are other firsts, of course, but there's little doubt as to which writers made it big in radio-land -- the most impressive being the Hummert husband and wife team and their obedient stable responsible for David Harum, Stella Dallas, Young Widder Brown, etc. etc. etc. As for the message which holds ladies at home before the sets: it's love, love, love. In those WASP small towns made up of doctors, lawyers and housewives, young lovers and wicked intruders, women love babies, cherish marriage, provide TLC to temporarily muddled men. Work and religion play a minor role in these sagas of domestic relationships, trouble is constant and politics is out. Actor David Rounds, formerly a ""child molester"" in Love Of Life tells what it's like to enter a serial for the first time as a ""heavy,"" and both authors wind up defending their subject -- an American mythology in which the individual is important, virtue wins and love conquers all. With a preliminary trivia quiz for the buffs, and script excerpts. Good fun.