Days of our Lives storylines (1970s)

This is a listing of all major Days of our Lives storylines from the 1970s.

Mike Horton's paternity, "Marty Hansen" and Maggie Simmons

The storyline began when a temporarily insane Bill Horton raped Laura, impregnating her. Laura sought to pass the child (Mike Horton) off as Mickey's son but ultimately, it was revealed that Mickey was sterile and the truth AbOUT their son's parentage was revealed.

Mickey had a heart attack and a subsequent stroke, which caused him to have amnesia. He checked himself out of the hospital and wandered to a farm, calling himself Marty Hansen. During this time, Mickey would meet a crippled farm girl.

Doug and Julie had a rough time getting together, as Doug had once married her mother Addie whom he married first for money, then they fell in love. Though he still loved Julie, Addie's bout with leukemia cemented his BOND to her. Addie bore him a child named Hope while she was in a coma and near death from cancer. Not long after, Addie was hit by a truck and killed, but not before she pushed her young child's stroller to safety. Even then, Doug and Julie were not free to be a couple. Julie was trapped in a loveless marriage to Bob Anderson based on security. Eventually, Doug's ex-wife Kim tricked him into returning to her by saying their divorce was never final. En route, Doug was in a car accident and Julie rushed to his side. Julie was divorced quickly and the two were married within weeks.

Marlena Evans

By the late 70s, the popular character was Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall), who was a favorite of then head writer Pat Falken Smith (who took over after the departure of Bill Bell). Marlena became the show's main heroine and started a popular romance with lawyer Don Craig (Jed Allan). They had a son (D.J., who died of SIDS). After her marriage to Don ended, Marlena became the focus of the Salem Strangler, a serial killer whose unwanted attentions caused Roman Brady to move into Marlena's apartment. Proving opposites attract, Marlena and Roman became romantically involved. The romance appeared to be short lived, when the Salem Strangler was seen [...] Marlena. Fans picketed NBC studios, but writers quickly revealed that it was Marlena's evil twin sister Samantha (who had been played by Deidre Hall's real-life twin Andrea for five years) who had died instead of Marlena, and the show finally reunited Marlena and Roman, and they became the show's main "supercouple".

The end of Laura and Bill

The show ended the 1970s with a literal bang as longtime favorites Bill and Laura Horton were written out of the show in a controversial storyline involving mental illness and adultery as Bill began cheating on Laura, whose mind had become horribly unstable due to years of hiding the identity of her son Mike's father from him. Laura began a slow and steady breakdown culminating in a nightmarish sequence where Laura forced her daughter Jennifer on a bus all by herself. After which, Laura attempted to hang herself. Laura was placed in a mental institution and entered into a catatonic state while Bill shamefully left Salem. Jennifer was sent to boarding school.

Bill and Laura's exit was part of a shift in the show that would come to be known as the Valentine's Day Massacre. Over six months, and around Valentine's Day, fourteen characters were written out of the show. They included Bob Anderson, Brooke Hamilton, Margo Horton, Linda Anderson, Phyllis Curtis, and Robert LeClair. As part of new head writer Nina Laemmle's attempt to "spice up" the show, nine new characters were written in to make up for the absences.