Planet Soap

Cool. With all the attention on the classic episodes airing, when do you all feel was the strongest period for y&r in its history. Personally I thought it was the 90s based on storylines, lighting, directing and background music. However I notice most of the affinity for the show among classic fans dates back to the 70s.

 ATWT's corn field opener music had a powerful dramatic emotional effect to it which I enjoyed. The visuals however were bad. Come to think of it, ATWT changed their theme and intros very rapidly in the later years. The 'toilet flush opener" (which I like) was probably the last of ATWT's openers to have decent visuals. 

I wish DAYS would have released new versions of thir hourglass opener over the years, keeping the Mac Donald Carey voice over of course. Their 2004 extended theme was perhaps the best they've ever used. 

Discovered this 70s (re-created) theme for the Secret Storm. It's very soothing and relaxing. It really captures the essence of how soaps were back then. The crashing waves just adds to that effect. I like how certain soaps had their trademark icon. DAYS was the hourglass, AMC's was the photo album, ATWT's was the globe and based on seeing other openers crashing waves it for TSS. 

First saw this opening during the OLTL finale celebration marathon on SoapNet. The visuals were too corny romance novel for me and didn't really relate to the show, but the theme was excellent! Especially the closing theme. It really fits Malone's era  of OLTL. 

On 4/17/2020 at 2:31 PM, All My Shadows said:

I'm not a huge fan of the 80s ATWT theme, to be honest. I can't imagine tuning in when it debuted and having the original theme replaced by...that. It got a thousand times better with the new arrangement a few years later, but then it became synth garbage again in the late 80s.

The visuals were super basic - just the globe sliding across and then zooming out for the title card. The different nature shots in the letters for the 90s titles might have been random, but at least it did something. ATWT could have done that in the 80s with clips to match up with Edge of Night and GL.

That's how I felt about the 80s titles after first seeing them. Surprisingly I warmed up to them (the non synth version). I liked the mid 90s nature opening better though. With that being said my first memories of ATWT were the blue opener from the mid 2000s (preferred the gold version). The visuals wen't special but the theme was superb. 

I also enjoyed mid 90s early 2000s OLTL intro. The shot of the newspaper stand with walking legs interrupting the shot gave the intro and the show an urban vibe. The closing titles and theme also made Llanview feel urban Philadelphia-ish.

Surprisingly a lot of people hate this but the satin red opener was a cool remix of Nadia's theme, and the red was a great 90s touch. The Y&R logo fade in and the ending portion which the show uses for it's bumpers now is the best part!

19 hours ago, juppiter said:

 

I turned it off... had no idea that was supposed to be a classic. Do they not get that when it comes to B&B, if there is no Susan Flannery, it's not a classic?

Said the exact same thing!

5 hours ago, will81 said:

Looking at the 1991 episode, I was amazed at just how beautiful it looked. This really never came across anywhere near as well in the oirginal airing and makes me want to see more,

Agreed. Y&R probably has the strongest audience in daytime currently. All they need to do is get back basics (on a lesser budget) content wise and they'd be solid for a few more years.

It sucks that great soaps are in the past tense. Is there a future for this medium, or is the total end near? They say streaming is the future and I hope so. Streaming platforms seem to not have an aversion to niche audiences versus the mass appeal nature of broadcast so perhaps there is hope. 

I know this is on here already but it was great to see this re-aired. Fortunately someone posted this to youtube from canada as coronavirus press conferences interrupted our feed. Thanks to @Soapsuds as well.

glad someone posted the canada feed of the episode on youtube as Cuomo & Murphy interrupted the episode! I guess this is the catch for finally seeing the classics.

Hope channel creators that post y&r, b&b and days catch on that video titles are better off disguised. 

cool!

John & Jill's first divorce is up again. Hopefully this account removes all y&r labels from their video titles.

According to Laura Wright on today's GH, the show will start doing 'flashback fridays' (due to coronavirus stalling production). Today's was a rerun from the shows 56th anniversary last year. If they start airing actual classics it would cool to see:

-Lassa fever, AJ's birth (as it relates to Michael & Nelle), Alan dropping the roof on Rick & Monica, Faison & Ana from the early 90s (current crap storylines), or Alan and Susan (as it relates to FrankenDrew) .

3 hours ago, KMan101 said:

 

I hear you. I agree. 

Agreed as well. I think it's past any one EP or HW at this point. It seems somewhere after the early 2000s writers and execs apparently forgot how to make daytime dramas "good". 

Hopefully ,which I doubt, we'll see some actual classic bold episodes due to corona.

Crazy. First soaps were dying by the dozen, now soap actors. RIP

On 3/30/2020 at 8:40 PM, full hearts said:

ABC should just use the GH episodes soapnet aired for the 50th anniversary. 

 

https://www.channelguidemag.com/tv-news/2013/03/29/soapnet-general-hospital-marathon-episodes/

 

Happy to see Y&R will be showing classics. 

Agreed.

20 hours ago, DramatistDreamer said:

 

They're foolish if they don't show episodes with Dickson and especially Lester. Those are some of Y&R's 'Diamond Years'.

Y&R already hosted a stream on Facebook where Jerry Douglas, Beth Maitland and Eileen Davidson extolled the talents of Terry Lester and expressed how much he is missed. Honestly, I don't see why they wouldn't show those episodes featuring Dickson and/or Lester, unless it were out of anxiety not to show viewers how much better the show was in those days.

And speaking of GH I noticed that they're usually willing to show flashbacks despite recasts. A prime example was the 3 Carly's coming back in 2014, or David Lewis being shown in flashbacks during Jane Elliot's tribute show (despite John Ingle dying in the role of Edward Q). It would be awesome if Y&R would be willing to do the same with Ashley and Jack.

I hope whatever else they air besides the wedding is something we cant find online like Phillip II's death or Kay haunting Suzanne. If they decide to air classics as weekly arc's eventually, it would be cool to see (again): the week of Sheila baby switch/Nina shooting David; the week of Lauren/Sheila firehouse (show coinciding episodes on B&B); the week of Veronica shooting Nikki; Marge/Kay conclusion

2 hours ago, BetterForgotten said:

FOTH just seemed perfect for Wendy Riche’s interpretation of GH, which at the time was a departure from what the show had been used to.

 

Autumn Breeze definitely has a timeless quality to it though. 

Also agree. Just like Y&R's red opening from 99, and AMC's 90-94 intro, saxaphone screams nineties, and FOTH was a great fit. I prefer beauty shot intros, but since today's GH is sticking with a short opener, it would have been cool to do a remastered Autumn Breeze intro. 

I second that watching Riche episodes with autumn breeze felt odd, considering the way the show was at that point. I always thought of the Riche era coming into its own and taking shape once that opener started on the 30th anniversary show.

Hopefully someone records the (supposed) classic episodes that may start airing Friday as y&r's time slot keeps getting interrupted by coronavirus press conferences in the NY metro area.

Cool. Hopefully we see a similar situation like Y&R with classic GH episodes being aired due to COVID 19 haulting production. 

This is awesome! (Wish we could get this every holiday)

Hopefully we get to see episodes we can't find online like Mary Jo holding Christine hostage, Veronica shooting Nikki, Katherine driving off the cliff with Phillip, Phillip III's "death"...or even seeing Sheila and Lauren in the fire house again would be cool to rewatch.

What did you all think of the period between GH's golden eras? After Monty's first stint but pre Wendy Riche (1987-1992). I read that it wasnt the best era for the show, but it was most certainly better than Valentini or Phelps IMO. 

Just saw some stories from that era for the first time such as Alan & Lucy's affair & Dawn's intro, which were decent. One stand out episode I enjoyed as one from 1991 that aired during the 50th anniversaey marathon. It featured Ana tying up Robert, and the ELQ Tracy explosion. The look of the show was good, and the Quartermaines looked really Y&R/B&B level glamorus. 

On 3/18/2020 at 10:57 AM, KMan101 said:

 

I love Sara Haines and appreciate Strahan after seeing him in person a few years ago, but the show has gotta go ... for various reasons. lol. 

 

I think this is their way out of it but who knows? Just relaunch AMC and OLTL at a half hour each. AMC 1:00pm, OLTL 1:30pm. Done.

Lol! This would be an epic time to reshow encephalitis from 2006 or Lassa fever if soap net existed

Two big mistakes in GH history. Killing Alan effectively destroyed the Quartermaines — and Monica's airtime. Even worse, they brought back the writers favorite punching back AJ, and finally had Sonny & Carly answer to Michael for their misdeeds, only to kill AJ off in a case of mistaken identity. Disgusting. 

On 2/27/2020 at 10:28 AM, OldGHFan said:

 

One of the worst decisions a GH EP ever made.  Grr to Jill Farren Phelps!!

On 3/5/2020 at 6:26 PM, victoria foxton said:

 

 

Great topic! (When these shows fell off IMO):

GH: 2001 foward, when Wendy Riche left and JFP/Bob Guza took over, worse after 2002 with the stupid Rick Webber story line, and the mob consumed the show. The only thing I will give Guza/Phelps is that their sweeps events such as the PC Hotel fire, train wreck and especially the Metro Court hostage crisis were worth watching! 

OLTL: 1995 forward after Michael Malone left the fist time, the show had a dull period. It picked back up when Gary Tomlin took over but got worse after 2003 with the whole 'storm of change' regime of writers including Malone. It had bad story lines such as Al's spirit & Victor Lord being alive

Y&R: started to go bad in 2003 with Kay & Jill being mother and daughter, and worse yet after 2006 when Lynn Marie Latham took over.

B&B: 2003 forward. The last decent story lines where Sheila & Mary, and Brook sleeping with Deacon (debatable)

All My Children: somewhere after 1997 onwards when Lorraine Brodrick left, ATWT: declined post 2005.

Guiding Light: decline in quality around 1998-99 with new Annie and Reva's clone storylines.

Dallas: I think to undo Bobby's death they could have just written that someone helped Katherine fake his death, or  (like Jessie on AMC, or Taylor on B&B 2002), but to retcon an entire television season as a dream could have easily been avoided given the retcons we've seen on daytime television. 

RIP Roscoe Borne, one of the greatest soap vilains! Seems like everyone's going these days

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