Looking back on the good old 'Days'

One of the grand dames of daytime will bid adieu early next year when Deidre Hall retires her beloved "Days of Our Lives" character Dr. Marlena Evans, whom she's played on and off for 32 years. Hall and costar Drake Hogestyn, who has played John Black for two decades, were recently let go as a cost-cutting measure by the NBC soap. Here's a look back at some small-screen highlights of Hall's life and "Lives."

Her secret history

Prior to donning Marlena's white coat, Hall played superhero "ElectraWoman" on the Sid and Marty Krofft kids show "ElectraWoman and Dyna Girl."

Mirror, mirror

Hall's first great, soapy story line came when her real-life twin sister Andrea showed up as her drug-addled "Days" twin Samantha, wreaking havoc by impersonating Marlena and committing her to an asylum.

Family tragedy

With the death of her son from SIDS in a 1980 story line, Hall delivered the kind of emotional payoff that would become her hallmark on the show.

The devil made her do it

Hall had a grand, evil time in 1994 when Marlena was possessed by Satan - complete with scary voices and levitation.

Play what you know

In 1995 Hall portrayed herself in the personal chronicle of her quest for motherhood through surrogacy in the TV movie "Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story."