1970 First Meeting of Daytime's Most Iconic Supercouple Happened 54 Years Ago Today
On this day in 1970, one of television's most enduring romances began on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives as Julie Olsen (Then Banning) (Susan Seaforth Hayes) met reformed bad-boy Doug Williams (Bill Hayes).
Prior to the episode, Julie's rival and former best friend, Susan Martin (Denise Alexander), had met Doug, who was targeting Susan to get a hold of her late husband's inheritance. Susan saw through his scheme, but saw an opportunity to cause drama. She agreed to pay Doug in order to have an affair with Julie and wreck her life.
Thus, on May 7, 1970, Susan brought her new ‘friend' Doug to Julie and her then-husband Scott Banning's apartment and made the introduction. Doug introduces himself to Julie and, after meeting her son, David Banning, eventually asks for a tour of her home.
Off-Screen, Bill and Susan embarked on a romance of their own, with the pair ultimately marrying in 1974.
On screen, as the story developed, Doug and Julie are credited with becoming one of television's first ‘super couples.' Their romance skyrocketed the show in popularity, with the Hayses dawning the cover of Time Magazine with the headline "Sex and suffering in the afternoon."
Their romance wasn't without its share of tribulations, including Doug marrying and impregnating Julie's mother Addie Horton (Patricia Barry). But ultimately, their love overcame every obstacle.
The pair remained on the soap opera together until 1984, until the show decided to make a shift to go after a younger direction. Ultimately, Doug and Julie would make additional appearances throughout the following years, before ultimately returning on a more regular basis in 1999.
The Hayes's remained acting together until Bill's death in 2024. The show eventually wrote Bill out of the series in November of 2024, when Doug died on Thanksgiving, surrounded by family and friends.
Since his passing, Susan Seaforth Hayes continues to appear on the soap opera, with Julie recently running a bookstore in the midst of Horton Town Square.
Days of Our Lives streams weekdays on Peacock.
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 3:00 AM.