''The Greatest Gift'' was a US TV daytime

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 ...

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 ...

that ran between 1954 and 1955, featuring Ward Costello,

Anne Meara Anne Meara Stiller (September 20, 1929 – May 23, 2015) was an American actress and comedian. Along with her husband Jerry Stiller, she was one-half of the prominent 1960s comedy team Stiller and Meara. Their son is actor, director, and producer ...

and

Jack Klugman Jack Klugman (April 27, 1922 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He began his career in 1950 and started television and film work with roles in '' 12 Angry Men'' (1957) and '' Cry Terror!'' (1958). ...

as Jim Hanson. Dr. Eve Allen, played by Anne Burr, was one of the first TV women doctors. One of the last storylines before cancellation was a couple adopting a black-market baby.

Cast

The cast included: * Anne Burr: Eve Allen * Philip Foster: Phil Stone * Athena Lorde: Betty Matthews *

Will Hare Will T Hare (March 30, 1916 – August 31, 1997) was an American actor who appeared on television and films, often playing old crusty figures and father/grandpa roles. Hare was born in Elkins, West Virginia, the son of Frances Laetitia ( née S ...

: Harold Matthews (1954–1955) *

Martin Balsam Martin Henry Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. He had a prolific career in character roles in film, in theatre, and on television. An early member of the Actors Studio, he began his career on the New Yo ...

: Harold Matthews (1955) * Gene Peterson: Ned Blackman (1954–1955) * Ward Costello: Ned Blackman (1955) *

: Jim Hanson * Josef Drake: Sam Blake * Henry Barnard: Peter Blake * Helen Warren: Mrs. Blake * Margaret Heneghan: Peg *

: Harriet (1954–1955)

References

External links

Internet Movie Database
American television soap operas 1954 American television series debuts 1955 American television series endings {{US-drama-tv-prog-stub