Lovers and Friends
| Lovers and Friends | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | 1977 – 1978 |
Lovers and Friends is an American soap opera that aired on NBC from January 3 to May 6, 1977. When the show didn't catch on immediately, NBC put the show on hiatus for seven months, and then brought it back as a retooled show, For Richer, For Poorer. The second version aired from December 6, 1977 to September 29, 1978.
The show was created by Harding Lemay and Paul Rauch, who were both also working for the daytime drama Another World. Lovers and Friends was considered to be an indirect spin-off of the former series, and took the place of a direct spin-off (Somerset) on the NBC schedule upon its premiere.
The show was set in the fictional Chicago suburb of Point Clair, Illinois, and focused on the trials and tribulations of two neighboring families, the wealthy Cushings and the more middle class Saxtons. Point Clair was a highly wealthy suburb, allegedly modeled after the real life community of Lake Forest, Illinois, the wealthiest of the North Shore suburbs in the Chicago Metropolitan area.
The Cushings were Richard Cushing (Ron Randell), a successful stockbroker who owned a brokerage house called Cushing and Sons, who also had an affair with his secretary, Barbara Manners; his proper and high society wife, Edith (Nancy Marchand, Laurinda Barrett), who stayed in the marriage, even though she knew about and tended to tolerate Richard's infidelity; their college aged son, Austin (Rod Arrants) who was an alcoholic due to his inability to be an artist and finding out his girlfriend, Laurie Brewster was sent to Europe by her mother to break up their relationship; and their daughter, Megan (Patricia Estrin; Darlene Parks) who was unhappily engaged to wealthy and stuffy Desmond Hamilton (David Knapp). She was engaged to him, because she felt that was what was prudent for her upbringing and she feared defying her mother.
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