Proposed Soaps Over The Years

[Paul Raven]

rom SOD April 14th 1992

"Bible" Thumping: Marlena's DAYS Spin-Off Gets Named And Plotted

After months of speculation, Deidre Hall';s DOOL spin-off finally has a name. According to Gene Palumbo, who shares head writer duties with Sheri Anderson, the show will be called Body and Soul. Palumbo says he and Anderson 'came up with a whole list of names and showed them to people around the office. Body and Soul was thought to be the most provocative name, especially with the ladies. Of course, it's really only a working title. We haven't even gotten the go-ahead on the show yet.'

Palumbo says the NBC brass has already been presented with Body and Soul's 'bible'-a detailed description of the series and its characters, drawn up by the writing and production team. "We ought to know within the next few months whether the neywork will pick it up,' he relates.

While Palumbo couldn't give specifics about the bible, sources close to the production say it includes a slew of new characters as well as six months of story. According to these sources, the show will focus on two New York neighborhoods-one upper crust, one working class. Marlena won't come into a lot of money suddenly, but will interact with the show's wealthy family. the Waterfields, whom the sources describe as similar to the Trumps. One of the show's preliminary storylines is rumored to be a love triangle featuring single mom Marlena and a Waterfield father and son. What will become of Roman(Wayne Northrop)? Since Northrup's contract ends this summer, his character's fate is anyone's guess. Whatever the outcome, sources say Roman is not mentioned in the Body and Soul bible.

One character who is mentioned is Marlena's stepdaughter carrie (Tracy Middendorf). An issue oriented teen love story is supposedly in the works in which Carrie learns about safe sex. In addition to her stepdaughters company. Marlena will have a new best friend-PT Barnum. As her circusy name suggests, PT's an outgoing actress type based on Bette Midler's role in the movie Beaches, As mentioned in previous SOD, several ex Days stars are on the Body and Soul list, including Thaao Penghlis (Tony) and Leann Hunley (Anna). while some of the wish list actors have already been approached, real negotiations will begin if and when Body and Soul is approved for production.

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[DRW50]

That PT stuff sounds somewhat forced. I wonder if they should have just brought Calliope in.

[JackPeyton]

of course it was tony and anna, not doug and julie - my bad.

[DRW50]

In a 1973 interview Rita McLaughlin talked a little about her Mary Worth role, saying it was a difficult adjustment, as the character was originally supposed to be "a rough girl from the communes" and then was changed to the girl-next-door.

[Paul Raven]

Variety reported in Sept 65 that with The Doctors still failing to make the daytime to 20 despite changes in the format,NBC was interested in the Roy Winsor soap 'Masterton's Valley' written by Robert J Shaw.

[cassadine1991]

I think some of these writers or their families should propose these other soaps again

[Paul Raven]

The John Conboy/NBC soap 'The Starrs' mentioned on Pg 21 was reported in development March 84 and dealt with a department store dynasty from a book by Warren Leslie.

The book was published in 78 . Warren Leslie was the brother of soap writer/actress Bethel Leslie.

[SFK]

Bethel Leslie played Victor Lord's former nurse, Ethel Crawford, during my favorite era of OLTL.

I find it interesting that Conboy and Rauch, busy EPing soaps for CBS and NBC/ABC respectively, each had a couple of soaps in development for network competition. Giants like P&G and Sony aside, has there ever been an example of a production company on the level of Conboy's or Nixon's having daytime soap presence on more than one network?

[Paul Raven]

Variety May 9th 1979

"Paradise Hotel." from Spelling/Cramer Prods is being planned as a new ABC-TV daytime series, it was disclosed yesterday by Jacqueline Smith, v.p. of daytime programming for ABC-TV.

Variety Nov 22nd 1978

Aaron Spelling Productions has a development deal with ABC-TV for an original halfhour comedy strip for daytime, tentatively titled "ParadiseHotel." Project, under the supervision of John Whelpley, is anthological, with the hotel as the framework for varying stories performed by various guest stars

[DRW50]

I wonder why that never happened.

ABC seemed to want to try those comedy daytime shows, but they never worked out.

[Paul Raven]

Variety Nov 24th 1971

Production of 'Mary Worth' skedded to start in late November in preparation for a January availability. Roger Ailes, former producer of the "Mike Douglas Show," will be exec producer, with Vincent Scarza signed to direct.

Variety June 27th 1973

A syndicated soap opera is in the offing, according to Roger Ailes & Associates, which reports, its "Mary Worth" series has been sold in 20 markets

They certainly kept plugging away trying to get the show off the ground.

[cassadine1991]

I do wish that either ABC, CBS, NBC would create a new daytime soap.

Of course it depends on the writers who create it/them

[Paul Raven]

Variety July 11th 1980

Novelist Robin Brancato has been signed to write teen soap opera, "The Halls Of Haywood High," being coproduced by Scholastic Prods, and Viacom. Producers plan to shoot five half-hour pilots in November as an early evening project for commercial web tv

[All My Shadows]

An early evening teen soap? I so would have been there. What do they mean by "commercial web TV," though?

[cassadine1991]

I wonder IF these teen/young adult soaps started we might have gotten America's equivalent to Degrassi