I didn't see a thread for Capitol so I decided to start one.

CBS premiered Capitol as a prime time special on Friday March 26, 1982, and the daytime premiere was three days later in the timeslot previously occupied by CBS's then-longest running daytime drama Search for Tomorrow.

Capitol was best described as Dallas meets the Reagan administration, with its Washington DC political backdrop combined with the glitz and glamour that characterized CBS's biggest primetime drama.

Despite being middle of the pack ratings-wise during it's run, Capitol ended a little less than 5 years later on Friday March 20, 1987, and three days later CBS premiered Bill Bell's 2nd show The Bold and the Beautiful.

I feel Capitol went on the air so CBS could draw a younger audience to compete with ABC (who pretty much owned daytime in the early 1980s with the action/adventure plots on General Hospital and the young love plots on All My Children). I also feel Capitol was used as a placeholder as CBS was probably waiting for Y&R (which became CBS's highest-rated daytime drama in the 1982/1983 season) to be established among the top 3 daytime dramas (which it was from the 1983/1984 season onward) before they were ready to give Bill Bell a 2nd show.

 

@slick jones @SFK @victoria foxton @Paul Raven

 

27 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

@slick jones @SFK @victoria foxton @Paul Raven

 

Cool beans! Pretty sure this material hasn't been on youtube before. Was CBS already airing commercials for BB as far back as November/86?  I want to like Capitol. But it's hard to like this soap. I don't hate it. It's just hard. I have more fun watching SFT, EON, RH and Loving. It's nice to see Rob Wargo channel active again. As always thanks for the tag.😊

Edited July 18, 20223 yr by victoria foxton

9 minutes ago, victoria foxton said:

Cool beans! Pretty sure this material hasn't been on youtube before. Was CBS already airing commercials for BB as far back as November/86?  I want to like Capitol. But it's hard to like this soap. I don't hate it. It's just hard. I have more fun watching SFT, EON, RH and Loving. It's nice to see Rob Wargo channel active again. As always thanks for the tag.😊

I didn't know they went so far back either. The commercials are always so OTT, sometimes I just have to laugh.

I tend to be the same about Capitol. 

Rob put up some of my favorite rarities. They also uploaded a big block of promos for all the soaps of the '80s.

 

5 hours ago, victoria foxton said:

Was CBS already airing commercials for BB as far back as November/86? 

The promo says 'next week' so that portion of the tape (at least) was from March 87

5 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

The promo says 'next week' so that portion of the tape (at least) was from March 87

Maybe the tape was dubbed. And a bit of what was on originally on the tape stayed. 

Edited July 18, 20223 yr by victoria foxton

An interesting bio on Rory Calhoun. I had no idea he was part Spanish. No wonder he was so striking in his youth.

Edited July 22, 20223 yr by victoria foxton

Capitol was on primetime on March 26 1982. The promo is from March 25 1982 during Knots Landing. The following Monday the soap aired it first daytime episode on March 29th.

Knots Landing ranked #53 with an 14.2 rating.

Dukes of Hazard ranked #11 with an 23.0 rating.

Dallas was #1 with an 28.0 rating.

Capitol ranked #29 with an 18.0 rating.

 

 

shame they are not in English coz there are a lot of episodes from this soap

5 hours ago, AMCOLTLLover said:

 

shame they are not in English coz there are a lot of episodes from this soap

I KNOW! i understand a little italian, and is a torture because it is  amazing, the Paula Story Alone would be a super binge watching material

5 hours ago, Joseph said:

I KNOW! i understand a little italian, and is a torture because it is  amazing, the Paula Story Alone would be a super binge watching material

Paula Denning's reign of terror was Capitol's most brilliant storyline...and Julie Adams was simply sublime as Paula.   Capitol's greatest strength was deftly using its veteran actors in front burner storyline.  

When Capitol premiered in 1987 in Spain.

 

On 8/26/2022 at 2:56 PM, victoria foxton said:

When Capitol premiered in 1987 in Spain.

This is perhaps the only piece of Myrna’s wardrobe that was seen twice. Marla Adams wore this fox-trimmed jacket when she subbed for Carolyn Jones. Nancy Reagan sported it as well.

CBS Daytime Promos from 1984 were recently uploaded.