Sabato Jr.: 'Night' to Day?

OLTL'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY
The One Life To Live set was jumpin' on July 15 when the show celebrated its 40th anniversary with a visit from creator Agnes Nixon. ABC Daytime president Brian Frons, OLTL executive producer Frank Valentini, and head writer Ron Carlivati were among those on hand to praise the show and fete the 80-year-old writer/producer, who's taped an appearance on the show (as the Creator in heaven, no less) to commemorate the anniversary. Nixon loaned the cast and crew a scrapbook from the first years of the show that reflected how it pushed racial boundaries by integrating African Americans in the storylines.

''It's amazing that that was only 40 years ago and the world is so different that now we have a black man running for president,'' said Erika Slezak (Viki) as she pored over the scrapbook.

Nixon's eyes misted up as she remembered the Friday cliffhanger for one racially-charged storyline about Carla Benari (Ellen Holly), a woman everyone — including the audience — believed was of Italian descent. The fact that she was actually African American came to light when Sadie Grey (Lillian Hayman) was revealed as her mother. Nixon remembers the backlash created by that story when Carla became romantically involved with both a white man and a black man, including one letter that said, ''I want to protest her kissing that black doctor. But I'm confused. If it turns out that she's black, I want to protest her kissing that white doctor.''

When asked if she kept any other memorabilia from the show, Nixon said she didn't need to because, ''I carry it in my heart.''

EVERYTHING MUST GO
Despite the over-the-top, supernatural happenings that were de rigeur on Passions, the marking of its demise has been pretty businesslike. On Aug. 9, two days before the show's last air date, props and costumes from the nearly 10-year-old soap will be auctioned off. Among the items included in the auction are Tabitha's magic wands, Sheridan's Locket, and Rebecca's ''Wonder Woman'' costume. If you want to try your luck at landing your very own pair of Fluffy's paws, check out Premiere Props' website, where you'll find information on the live auction as well as how to take part online.