In the realm of rare manuscripts, they’re not quite the Gutenberg Bible. As literature, they may not eclipse Shakespeare. But when it comes to shocking revelations, amnesia-inducing accidents, and sheer volume of heavily emoted dialogue, the unabridged archives of Pine Valley and Llanview are second to none. And now every last double-cross and heart attack will be safeguarded for posterity by the Annenberg School, to which creator Agnes Nixon has given the complete script collections for All My Children and One Life to Live.
Both soap operas were set in fictional Philadelphia suburbs, where their plots thickened on ABC for over 40 years. The network canceled both shows this year, bringing All My Children to a grand finale (of the cliffhanger variety, of course), and licensing both shows to a production company that plans to give them a second lease on life as Internet serials.
Nixon, known as “the queen of daytime drama,” has been lauded for injecting both soap operas with social issues ranging from gay marriage to drug addiction. One Life to Live was the first American daytime soap opera to depict an interracial relationship. The Annenberg School will have unrestricted use of the screenplay collection, which was delivered in a large moving truck.
—T.P.
