This article was written by Jonathon Komblee for Parade.com. To view the original article on Parade, click here.
Fifty years ago today, on June 21, 1976, daytime icon Deidre Hall made her debut on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, changing the trajectory of daytime television forever.
Hall’s first episode introduced Marlena to the canvas as a psychiatrist who had been called in to work on a case. She was first seen working with Mickey Horton (John Clarke), who was spending time at Bayview Sanitarium after a severe mental breakdown following the revelation that his brother Bill (Edward Mallory) actually fathered his son Mike with his wife Laura, causing Mickey to shoot Bill in the arm and attempt to strangle his ex-lover, Linda (Nadyne Turney).
According to Days of Our Lives historian Jason 47, Hall’s first episode, #2667, was filmed just 11 days prior to her debut on June 10, 1967. In a script obtained by Jason 47, Marlene Evans (the original spelling of the character) is described as “an independent, intelligent young woman whose career as a psychiatrist never interferes with her life as a woman. Her success is due to her penetrating perception and compassion for people. She is every inch the professional.”
Over the next fifty years, Hall would become one of the most recognizable faces in daytime. Her electric chemistry made each of her major pairings more successful than the last. Her first major relationship was with Don Craig (Jed Allen).
One of Hall’s most famous storylines was a result of this relationship, as their child, Don Jr. (D.J.), died of crib death. Reflecting on the story, Hall told TVSourceMagazine that the series didn’t promote the death prior to its airing.
“What was decided in the moment was that when a woman comes in and finds that baby, she doesn’t get a warning. She walks into it. The decision was to let that happen to Marlena, and I thought that was beyond wise and disturbing… but beyond wise. “
She explained that once the series aired, the audience reaction was nothing short of astonishing. “We got an enormous amount of calls at that point. There was such an outpouring of people who trusted us with that part of their lives and hung in there with us. I was just so impressed with our ability to do that for our audience.”
In 1982, viewers believed Marlena had been killed off by the Salem Strangler; the cliffhanger angered fans. Little did they know it was actually Marlena’s identical twin sister, Samantha (played by Hall’s real-life identical twin), who died.
Viewers were so riled up and demanding the show reverse their decision that they began picketing in front of the studio. Hall recalled this moment last year with TVInsider, sharing, “I was at work that day, and Al Rabin (executive producer) knocked on the door, and he said, ‘There is apparently a picket line around the studio about you being killed off.’ I said, ‘Wow, what?’”
She explained that the episode had already aired in New York, and fans reached out to their Los Angeles family and friends, who immediately started circling the studio. Hall and Rabin discussed her options to leave at that point, as viewers who saw her would know she was at work and ruin the surprise, but ultimately, the decision was made to have her go out and meet with the fans. “Al decided it was worth the risk of that knowledge, so I went out and met with fans. It was a simpler time; secrets were secrets, and storylines stayed mysterious and weren’t being leaked, so you could surprise an audience.”
Following Marlena’s relationship with Don Craig, she had two other notable romances. First with Roman Brady (Wayne Northrop) and then with the other Roman Brady, later John Black, played by Drake Hogestyn.
Hall previously shared with TVSourceMagazine that her 1986 wedding to John, then believed to be Roman, was her favorite. “Lee Smith designed an extraordinary headpiece; we didn’t want a veil because it wasn’t quite appropriate to have one, but it had these amazing cut-out sleeves with cut-outs on the side with a lovely little train. I just adored it.”
Over the years, Hall has appeared in over 5,000 episodes and created countless memories for fans. From her stints being possessed by the devil to murdering half of Salem’s most beloved characters, only for them to be alive on an island, Hall’s performance and storylines throughout the years have been directly correlated with not only its remaining popularity but its survival in the Nielsen ratings and ultimately still being on the air today.
Having been kidnapped over 33 times, 18 on-screen weddings, two devil possessions, one stint as a serial killer, and countless memories, fans will forever be appreciative of the hard work and dedication that Hall has brought to the character of Marlena Evans and look forward to many more memories in the years to come.