''Bright Promise'' is an American daytime

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

that ran on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

from September 29, 1969 to March 31, 1972.

Synopsis

The show revolved around students and faculty at the fictional Bancroft College, located in the community of Bancroft, somewhere in the American

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

. The name of the show reflected the overarching theme of the bright promise that the leaders of tomorrow graduating from Bancroft would ostensibly bring. At first, the main character was College president Thomas Boswell (

Dana Andrews Carver Dana Andrews (January 1, 1909 – December 17, 1992) was an American film actor who became a major star in what is now known as film noir and later in Western films. A leading man during the 1940s, he continued acting in less prestigio ...

). Later, the focus shifted from the College, to the town of Bancroft at large, and focused mainly on the Pierce and Jones families. The main character by this time was Sandra Jones, who had been a student at Bancroft College, and married herself into the wealthy Pierce family. ''Bright Promise'' was created by the husband-and-wife writing team of

Frank and Doris Hursley Frank and Doris Hursley, were an American husband-and-wife television screenwriting duo, comprising Frank M. Hursley (November 21, 1902 – February 3, 1989) and Doris Hursley (September 29, 1898 – May 5, 1984) they were best known for their s ...

, who had previously created ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...

'', and was their last project prior to their

retirement Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

. Bing Crosby Productions (under the name Frandor Productions) was the packager, with assistance from Cox Broadcasting. The title and closing sequences were filmed at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

. Having replaced the game show '' You Don't Say!,'' ''Bright Promise'' would give way to another serial, ''

Return to Peyton Place ''Return to Peyton Place'' is a 1959 novel by Grace Metalious, a sequel to her best-selling 1956 novel '' Peyton Place''. Plot summary After the phenomenal success of her first novel, Metalious hastily penned a sequel centering on the life an ...

,'' on the NBC daytime schedule; the serial had been soundly defeated in the

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

' ''

The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American mystery crime drama soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network for most of its ...

'' and

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

's ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...

''. Actress Gail Kobe, a regular on ''Bright Promise,'' would become ''Return's'' executive producer.

Cast

Original cast members included the show's star,

, with Susan Brown,

Paul Lukather Paul Lukather (August 24, 1926 – October 9, 2014) was a veteran actor known for his vast array of work across stage, television and voice-over work. Lukather graduated from Drake University and Yale University. He won the Barter Award, which wa ...

, Ruth McDevitt,

Ivor Francis Ivor Francis (October 26, 1918 – October 22, 1986) was a Canadian-American character actor and acting teacher. He is the father of television soap opera actress Genie Francis. Life and career Francis was born in Toronto and began his acting c ...

, Forrest Compton, Richard Eastham, Betsy Jones-Moreland,

Coleen Gray Coleen Gray (born Doris Jensen; October 23, 1922 – August 3, 2015) was an American actress. She was best known for her roles in the films '' Nightmare Alley'' (1947), '' Red River'' (1948), and Stanley Kubrick's '' The Killing'' (1956). ...

, Gary Pillar, Peter Hobbs, Peter Ratray, Pat Woodell, Susannah Darrow,

Cheryl Miller Cheryl Deann Miller (born January 3, 1964) is an American former basketball player. She was formerly a sideline reporter for NBA on TNT, NBA games on Turner Sports, TNT Sports and also works for NBA TV as a reporter and analyst, having worked ...

, and Eric James. Later additions included David Lewis,

Annette O'Toole Annette O'Toole (born Annette Toole; April 1, 1952) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She has received nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. She is known for portraying Lisa Bridges in t ...

Dabney Coleman Dabney Wharton Coleman (January 3, 1932 – May 16, 2024) was an American actor. He was recognized for his roles portraying egomaniacal and unlikeable characters in comedic performances. Throughout his career, he appeared in over 175 films and ...

, Marion Brash, Anne Seymour,

Anthony Geary Anthony Geary (born May 29, 1947) is a retired American actor. Geary is best known for playing the role of Luke Spencer on the ABC daytime drama ''General Hospital''. He originated the role of Luke in 1978, and went on to earn a record eight Day ...

, Gail Kobe, John Considine, Philip Carey, Anne Jeffreys and Sherry Alberoni.

References

External links

* {{US daytime soaps American television soap operas NBC soap operas 1969 American television series debuts 1972 American television series endings American English-language television shows