Vintage Soap Episode Question (specifically OLTL and AMC)

[EricMontreal22]

Random question that I know is pretty vague and makes me wish a site like wost.org (which I never joined when it went pay) was still free and around to ask at (luckily I saved all the episodes they posted back in their free days)...

I know ABC didn't start saving every ep (almost0 of their soaps till the pretty late 70s--I think after AMC and OLTL went to an hour--do we have an official date? And do we have any sort of list of what episodes are saves from pre then?

For OLTL the only ones I've really been able to see, pre the Karen Wolek era, are the 1976 one with Vicki and Joe naming Kevin, the original Dorian, and Tony Lord's mystery. It was aired on 1997's Daytime to Remember as their earliest OLTL. Otherwise I've seen that great, random 1969 OLTL episode with Meredith Lord that's also up on Youtube and *nothing* else, not even clips from between those two eps--anyones seen anythign else? Would be great to see bits of some of the groundbreaking early stories like Cathy Craig at Odyssey Rehab, or Gillian Spencer as Vicki/Nicki, or Carla Gray's first story.

For AMC there seems to be a bit more but the earliest ep I've seen in full was Erica's wedding to Tom from I believe 1977 (?) It was shown on an early Soapnet Weddings marathon back when they had good marathons--and is also on youtube and is GREAT. After that I knwo the ep where Tom finds Erica's birth control from the same year is easy to find--it aired both on Daytime to Remember and then on the I Love Lucci, Erica marathon from a few years back.

Earlier the only eps I've seen are 3 full 30 minute eps from 1970-1971--one aired on Daytime to Remember and two different ones aired on I Love Lucci's marathon--primarily all about Mona/Nick/Erica and Phil. Anyone seen other eps from between those dates? so many great stuff I wish I could see clips of--Mary Kennicott, early Phoebe, Kitty Shea, etc.

(is Wost still around as a pay site? and have they put up anything really amazing from those eras?)

[EricMontreal22]

CRIES

[Scotty]

There are clips on Youtube from Grayson Hall's (Julia Hoffman on Dark Shadows) time on OLTL. The clips have Bo and his girlfriend at the time going to visit Hall's character because she is a Ralston who he thinks he is related to. The clips are from either 1982 or 1983 because those are the two years Hall was on OLTL. The clip also contains the second sunrise opening (which had the sun gliding through the clouds and sky).

These clips (minus the 1969 episode and the 1976 Karen witness stand scenes) are the earliest ones I have found so far on Youtube.

[EricMontreal22]

Thanks so much--that musta been around whenSam Hall was last writing.

[Pine Charles]

Not too long ago (maybe a year) WoST had an old AMC episode up from the early ‘70s… in COLOR! I really wish I could have seen that. I haven’t seen any AMC episode pre-1976 in color. It’s really a shame ABC didn’t regularly save episodes prior to the late ‘70s.

I’m not sure any of these episodes still exist (even on kinescope), but I would LOVE to these episodes/storylines someday:

Philip & Tara secretly marrying before he leaves for Vietnam – 1972

Erica’s abortion – 1973

Margo’s facelift – 1974

[DevotedToAMC]

I would like to not only see this episode but also see the history be restored (e.g. make Josh Erica/Phil son that she thought she miscarried...never miscarried but blacked out the pregnancy and the delivery and went looney and needed to be institutionalized. Dr. Madden did her abortion and got obsessed with her and delivered Josh and stole him from her)

[EricMontreal22]

LOL I knew the unabortion would be brought up...

Surely SOMEONE saved the WOST episode? *hint hint* The oldest AMC I remember saving from there was one in wich a little Tad found a gun

[GoldenDogs]

Hi Eric...

Wasn't it little Joey that found the gun? I remember using a freeze of the kid holding the gun in the tease graphic on the index page. I always thought that shot was a little chilling! I can't remember, though, if it was Myrtle who later was accidently shot... seems like somebody was hurt...

Brian

[EricMontreal22]

Hey Brian--you'd know better than me--it probably was little joey. It was still great to see that episode--your site introduced me to a lot of things I thought I'd never see

[Pine Charles]

Yes, Joey found the gun and Grandma Kate was accidentally shot. Ruth was keeping it because she was afraid Ray Gardner would attack her again. Ruth became anti-gun after the accident and vowed never to have guns again in her home. This episode is from 1982.

[All My Shadows]

As far as I know, AMC started saving its episodes some time in 1976. ABC approached Agnes about expanding the show to an hour, but she wouldn't do it unless they would start saving the episodes for prosperity. They started saving and AMC expanded on April 25, 1977. I believe that when they aired the special Phoebe-centric episode in 2005, a few of the clips were from the 1975-1976 time period, including one of Phoebe and young Brooke going at it and one of Phoebe and Myrtle going at it.

[EricMontreal22]

It's beyond a shame that we've gotten to see so little from that era--even with channels like SOapNet appearing now. (I think they've onlyr eally shown vintage AMC with their Weddings, tad the Cad and especially I Love Lucci marathons--have their been other AMC marathons or ANY OLTL ones?)

[All My Shadows]

I believe the one and only OLTL marathon was the Jess/Tess-centric one from 2006. Other than that, there have been none. They've aired some classic episodes as part of general marathons, I think, but not many. DAYS has aired some vintage episodes every now and then on SOAPnet, including the first two episodes. GH has aired several 80s-90s episodes. Y&R, I think, has yet to get a marathon for classic episodes.

It is a shame indeed, though. I don't know what's worse...the fact that there's 30 years of soap opera history gone forever...or that there's 30 years of soap opera history that IS available but is not airing regularly anymore.

[JaneDigby]

The last time I went to the Museum of Television in NYC they had 2 very early AMC episodes, from 1970. I think they were in black and white. I've heard they have quite a few more that Agnes Nixon donated but I don't know what they might be.

[EricMontreal22]

Yeah those B&W kinescopes have popped up--liek I said I know of three full eps that I personallyhave saved from 1970/71