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    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Drama
    Drama TV Shows - 1950s TV Shows - 1960s 3 Mins Read

    From These Roots

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    1 9 5 8 – 1 9 6 1 (USA)
    915 x 30 minute episodes

    Created by John Pickard and Frank Provo, daytime serial From These Roots debuted on 30 June 1958 and centred on widower Ben Fraser (Rod Hendrickson initially and then Joseph Macauley), the elderly editor of The Record in the fictional New England community of Strathfield, and his offspring.

    Eldest daughter Emily (Helen Shields) was married to mill foreman Jim Benson (Henderson Forsythe then David Stewart) who died after a midlife affair with Luisa Corelli (Delores Sutton).

    Ben’s son, Ben Jr. (Frank Marth), wanted no part of the newspaper business and was content to run a farm with his plain-spoken wife and Luisa’s sister Rose (Tresa Hughes, Julie Bovasso).

    Fortunately for Ben, his literary tradition was carried on by his youngest child – attractive writer and editor, Liz (Ann Flood).

    Liz served as the show’s central heroine during its three-and-a-half-year run. She was initially romanced by the devious Bruce Crawford (Byron Sanders) and good-hearted family physician Buck Weaver (Len Wayland), but Liz ultimately found true love with dashing playwright David Allen (Robert Mandan).

    The show’s central romantic triangle involved Liz, David and alcoholic actress Lynn Franklin (Barbara Berjer). In a television first, Lynn featured in a ‘show-within-a-show’ in which she appeared in a television production of Madame Bovary, directed by her boyfriend Tom Jennings (Craig Huebing).

    Also featured prominently were adoption agent Hilda Furman (Charlotte Rae); rich, feisty Laura Tompkins (Audra Lindley); Gloria Saxon (Millette Alexander); Bruce Crawford (Byron Sanders) and Ben Fraser’s maid, Kass (Vera Allen).

    From These Roots was broadcast live to air so it was naturally prone to bloopers and foul-ups – such as the time when Julie Bovasso quit her role of Rose in an argument with producer-director Paul Lammers literally moments before air time, forcing a script girl in front of the cameras to read Rose’s lines – seated in a chair with script in hand.

    Fiercely loyal fans never got over the fact that the NBC series was cancelled at the height of its popularity, with the final show airing on 29 December 1961.

    It was replaced with a new daytime serial, Our Five Daughters.

    Ben Fraser, Senior
    Rod Hendrickson (1)
    Joseph Macauley (2)
    Emily Fraser Benson
    Helen Shields
    Liz Fraser Allen
    Ann Flood
    Ben Fraser Jr
    Frank Marth
    Rose Corelli Fraser
    Julie Bovasso (1)
    Tresa Hughes (2)
    Dr Buck Weaver
    Len Wayland (1)
    Tom Shirley (2)
    Maggie Barker Weaver
    Billie Lou Watt
    David Allen
    Robert Mandan
    Laura Tompkins
    Audra Lindley
    Gloria Saxon
    Millette Alexander
    Lydia Benson
    Sarah Hardy
    Jim Benson
    Henderson Forsythe
    David Stewart
    Tom Jennings
    Craig Huebing
    Bruce Crawford
    Byron Sanders
    Kass
    Vera Allen
    Luisa Corelli
    Delores Sutton
    Lynn Franklin
    Barbara Berjer
    Hilda Furman
    Charlotte Rae

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