THE SECRET STORM

FEBRUARY 1, 1954 - FEBRUARY 8, 1974

CBS

INTRODUCTION

The Secret Storm , which began February 1, 1954, lasted exactly twenty years and one week. The show was cancelled on February 8, 1974 to the shock and dismay of millions of devoted viewers. This long-running serial was originally title The Storm Within. The title wasn't appealing to one of the show's sponsors, Bisodol ( an antacid), who was worried it would inspire images of an upset stomach. To appease Bisodol, the serial was retitled The Secret Storm.

The serial was set in the small town of Woodbridge, New York. It centered on the newly rich, neurotic Ames family. In the first episode, patriarch Peter Ames ( Peter Hobbs, then Cec Linder, and later Ward Costello) was left to raise his three children alone after his wife Ellen, was killed in an automobile accident. The audience would soon discover that sudden deaths, mental illnesses, exotic diseases, and extramarital affairs figured heavily in storylines.