Primetime Soaps

[EricMontreal22]

I was reading up about the crreator of 2000 Malibu Road, Terry Louise Fischer (Joel Shumacker, not a fave of mine, was co creator and main director). She quite the resume--worked on Cagny and Lacey, then co created Hooperman and LA Law with Steven Bochco before having a big falling out with him. Interesting: "She later took part in the production of a highly anticipated primetime soap opera pilot, entitled Daughters of Eve, which was to star Sophia Loren and premiere during the 1995-1996 television season. However, the series was not picked up."

Funny how I remember parts of it--I really should track down those DVDs (Jack where did you say you could get them?) It's so campy and over the top--it obviously was ahead of its time considering what Melrose became a few years later (and it has the girl from Elm Street 4 playing fat! lol)

Edited January 29, 2010 by EricMontreal22

[EricMontreal22]

And one Titan recap:

And opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SdrrCd-d5E

Did it use two themes? I remember the theme being Sneaker Pimps 6 Underground, which is a similar sounding song but def not this (wiki lists Sneaker Pimps as the theme too...)

Interesting that in the 90s even pre Melrose with Malibu, the soap themes for primetime soaps tended to be sorta steamy nightime sounding stuff, unlie the 80s when they liked those adventurous themes.

[YRBB]

_{All of the episodes of TITANS used to be on YouTube... I've downloaded them but am not sure if they're still up there....}

Edited January 29, 2010 by YRBB

[EricMontreal22]

If they are I can't find them--but it's a hard search, since entering the word Titans brings up a ton of stuff.

[SFK]

Gahd, I miss an early '90s steamy sax intro. They pretty much disappeared. Linda Gottlieb was always one to use a steamy sax during her time at OLTL too. I love the 2000MR opening (it loses something at 2:40 though), very Knots given the scroll, yet perfectly with the times. I hated Knots' final brassy ass theme. Does anyone remember the slow, sexy Another World theme for the primetime special that aired before the Emmys one year? I loved it, it was on WoST, it fit right in with these. I have to include these two favorites, quite different and many would call the second one a soulless cheap cop-out, but I loved them both (minus Raquel and Gerald both getting an "and", Raquel should have gotten a "with"). The drums in the first one under the soloist doing those melismas just gets me everytime:

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I wonder if Darren Starr has a sister or a bff named Carrie.

[EricMontreal22]

Remember that Linda Gottlieb's one (which I admit I loved--the pre and post themes on OLTL have seemed ridiculously cheary to me--Llanview never felt like where I'd go when I wanted the rainbow's end or whatever) was a redo basically of the odd theme Jaquie Babbin did for Loving during her ridiculously short stay at the show, and Fran Sears kept for her almost as short run.

It aired when I became hooked on Loving as an 11 year old AMC addict (pre my OLTL love) and I admit even then I found the guy's lips sexy...

[SFK]

Right, those were like sister opening credits and I've said from time to time that LG's OLTL theme was more appropriate for Loving, BUT I must say that in hindsight, I really love it. It worked for the time. It seemed like getting rid of Rauch's "Tour of Llanview" credits was insane, they were so perfect, and when word was out that they were working on new credits to replace LG's theme, I was ecstatic, but that's the funny thing about time and fond memories... I really like where the show was during the "Champagne" opening era and I think it actually DID fit for that Llanview (okay, maybe not so much the visuals, but the darker moody sexiness of the theme was pure Gottlieb era). It was sophisticated, and I will always love the closing credits in particular, that billowing dark blue satin. It all worked for that Y&R-like era of the show where it always felt like 5pm and late winter where Dorian and Viki were steeped in all of that Victor drama in their endless array of fur coats. It was a sensuous, darkly psychological and emotional time for the show, I am not mad at LG's opening credits at all.

Edited January 29, 2010 by SFK

[EricMontreal22]

I wonder if there was ever any thought to making all the ABC soaps have credits like that? LOL I guess not (ABC had just gotten their awesome new ones and I assume GH got theirs around the same time).

Agreed with you--I actually find the beloved 80s theme too cheesy for its own good (as was Loving's late 80s booming vocal theme) but I get why people were upset when it went. I didn't get into One Life till the Billy Douglas story and I admit even as a kid I found the opening credits kinda half embarassing and half wonderfully perfect lol (I also liked Sunset Beach's original opening much more and never got why they claimed it wasn't daytime soap enough--though now I kinda do. Interesting out of 80s soapos only Santa Barbara--maybe Capitol too--really tried to emulate the then primetime soap openings with theirs)

[SFK]

I also much preferred the original SuBe opening, and yes, it would have been perfect for primetime, but the second theme was almost *too* bright and sunshiney. I've never said to myself, "This theme is too slow and sexy, it doesn't belong in daytime! I'm not watching this stupid show!" (Well, I may have said the second sentence, but for different reasons.)

I liked Capitol's second opening that used that poster effect like Santa Barbara, it also had a better theme. The original Capitol credits look hella dated... the outdoor shots on videotape with those old wipe effects (and sometimes I think they could have gotten some better shots). At least Texas incorporated the cast shots to kind of break the vacation video feel. In Italy where Capitol was a huge primetime hit on Raidue, they got an upbeat disco theme with a couple of cast credits added in. I really like the funkier Italian theme:

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[EricMontreal22]

I never knew Capitol listed their cast

[EricMontreal22]

EXACTLY. I remember people online saying just that--that the new theme suited daytime much more, etc. Bullocks! I thought that was so silly and the last thing that needed fixing with their weak first few months (especially since Spellign wanted Melrose, etc, fans to watch it who didn't watch soaps already--so it made sense)

[SFK]

Only in Italy, sorry if I wasn't clear, this is the Italian opening which had different music than the original U.S. version.

[SFK]

Gosh, the soaps currently on the air could afford to do what SuBe did, take a few weeks off to get their [!@#$%^&*] together. I had forgotten how they did that and just recapped in the meantime. I agree that the opening could have been left untouched. And why did Sherri Saum have the final shot, at least give it to Aunt Bette or Annie.

[JackPeyton]

did anyone watch Wild Palms?

[dm.]

I liked the original theme, but when the new one premiered I immediately fell in love with it. It was just... better.