Santa Barbara Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

https://archive.org/details/santa-barbara-august-14-1986-partial

https://archive.org/details/santa-barbara-august-19-1986-partial

[Wendy]

The latest video for Hollywood Graveyard features the final resting spot for Michelle Nicastro (ex-Sasha Schmidt). The segment covering her starts at 02:27:

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Edited August 29, 2022 by Wendy

[Liberty City]

I so want to get back into Santa Barbara... but it's the two-part Cruz & Eden wedding, and that simply does not interest me at all.

I love these videos! So intriguing!

[Marissa Gallant]

I'm watching the Robert Barr story. Eden is starting to remember and Cruz is jealous. He just told his dad that he has watched Eden courted by an older married man, an Italian count and even married to someone else. So, the older married man was Lionel. The marred to was Kirk. Would he mean Marcello as the Italian count? Because the Count-dom would have gone to Marcello right? 

And why does this show always forget Sophia is a countess?

[Keri]

Except Marcello had no interest in Eden did he? I also don't think Marcello was an Italian count.

I wonder if he was referring to Eden's time in Europe when they first met. So that would have been off screen. They spoke about it early in 1984- Cruz first meeting her in Europe.

Except that never made sense really, bc he grew up with practically every other living soul in SB wxcept the Capwells?

I may be remembering wrong.

 

[victoria foxton]

Been watching SB on Internet Archive. SB was never my cup of tea. Having grown up on ABC and P&G soaps. But these episodes from September/October of 1990 aren't half bad. Vastly superior to any soap today. The way characters are quickly disposed of was a HUGE problem. For example, Nikki Alvarez dies on September 24, 1990. After a ten-month run. A year later to the day her brother Amado was killed on September 24, 1991. After a year and a half run. Looking through the SB French fan site this was the norm.

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[Marissa Gallant]

What is internet archive?

That's an Augusta scene and since that means Louise Sorel it isn't surprising. 

Yes, SB was terrible about ditching characters without a thought. I sort of contribute this to the constant shifting of showrunners. 

Cruz grew up in the poorer neighborhood and went to public school. Eden grew up in the uber rich and went to a private school. Rosa's kids knew the Capwells because Rosa worked there. Cruz's mom didn't, but he grew up knowing the Andrades because of school. 

I don't know the Italian monarchy system, but as the Count's son, wouldn't Marcello have inherited the title? Although there might be another son who inherited since the whole "Contessa" thing was never explored. 

[chrisml]

I'm always shocked that the network or the production company didn't step in and stop the revolving door of characters. It really did harm the show because you would have months to get to know and enjoy a character and then he/she would be sent away/killed off once the new headwriter or exec came in. I suppose that's like most soaps (Especially AW the last seven or eight years), but SB just seemed to do it the worst. The show rarely had any stable characters beyond the Capwells. Since they never managed to do that, Marcy Walker's departure and Carrington Garland's firing  really destroyed the show.  

[Wendy]

Ah, but who's to say it wasn't the network CAUSING the revolving door? Remember, the networks and their focus groups did increasingly try to influence soaps.

It is an actual reason - or so I have read - that some soap writers quit altogether: Too much interference by suits that thought they knew better than the writers,

With such an atmosphere, it's no wonder soaps went downhill so sharply.

[Contessa Donatella]

And the recorded complaints of HWs specifically about network interference & meddling go well back to Irna & to Doris Hursley, etc.

[Liberty City]

Dipping back into Santa Barbara again... this time at 928, and man... is this soap f**king horrible. The time travel.. the overall stories... just bad!

[Marissa Gallant]

Well, that is your opinion, and you are entitled to it. There are a lot of people who disagree. 

That said, you are in the middle of the worst year. 

I've been very vocal about enjoying the early years more. I feel that it tanked in 88, and was a different show in 89. 

I also believe that the constant chaos behind the scenes did a lot of damage to the on air consistency. The PTB often got in their own way. Jed Allan's bio says he auditioned at the beginning but the suits didn't think he was the right age. Boy, were they wrong! Then they decided that we wanted a bunch of people from other shows when what we WANTED were the Lockridges, the Capwells and the Andrades. And good storylines for those families.

Yes, I enjoyed the over the top stuff. But I liked the humor and family relationships more. We did have multi dimensional characters and great actors who were more thsn capable of creating those dimensions with little more than a look in their eyes.

The constant new show runners needing to "put their mark" on the show was bad. We wanted the mark we had.

[Carlos Abad]

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I've just watched this video and wanted to share it here because imo is very beautiful. I think it's from a week ago or so. I like it very much because I know the fan Pier from the Internet, not personally, and his dream was to meet Robin Wright, his favorite actress from his favorite soap opera. And he finally did it! And he talked to her about our favorite soap opera.

[Contessa Donatella]

That was lovely! When called upon to say what I think is my Worst recast I say anyone who is not Robin Wright as Kelly Capwell!

 

[gimmetoo]

Wondering how Santa Barbara kept attracting so many daytime A-listers season after season...SB took stunt casting to a level never seen before or since.

Did the show have unlimited resources to offer huge contracts to stars like Justin Deas, Robin Mattson, Kim Zimmer, Jack Wagner, Eileen Davidson, Terry Lester, Vincent Irizarry, Roscoe Born, etc. ?  

Other than Robin, not many stayed around beyond a couple of years.  Were they originally signed to short-term contracts or did they fall victim to the 13-wk cycles and the revolving door of show runners ?

Any insights are appreciated...