I recollect that commercial web tv was Variety's term for network television.

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

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.

It seems strange to want to adapt Mary Worth in the 70s when it already was starting to seem pretty old fashioned (of course the comic strip is still running in some markets, so...)

Variety Feb 5th 1969

7 Year Itch' May Be NBC Soaper

"The Seven Year Itch," first a Broadway success and later a theatrical film, may come to television in the form of a daytime soaper.

Hard to imagine how this could be fashioned into a daily soap.

Variety Feb 9th 1973

"Salem Village," half-hour soaper created by Ken Johnson and Justin Edgerton, written by Rita Lakin.

No network mentioned or whether it was for daytime or primetime.

It would appear "Salem Village" was restructured into a television film that aired on ABC as "The Last Bride of Salem." Saynotoursoap has the film available on his channel.

Would be awesome if someone would bring up these ideas

Would be awesome if someone would bring up these ideas

Or even shows that didn't quite work like LIAMST or Hawkins Falls.

Or even shows that didn't quite work like LIAMST or Hawkins Falls.

Oh LIAMST worked. VERY well. It's the recasts and changes in writers that ended up killing the show off. They made it to #5 in '69-70 I believe...

Would've loved to have an original Rita Lakin show on the air. Everything I've heard about her sounds like she'd have been a great asset to daytime if she'd stuck around after leaving The Doctors. Anyone know what she's done since then?

Edited November 9, 201312 yr by beebs

Rita Lakin has a website.She now writes light hearted mystery novels.The website details some of her primetime work but ignores The Doctors.

http://www.ritalakin.com/

You know, I never realized she helped create Flamingo Road, or that she'd been involved with Dynasty. I'm glad she's had a good, long career. It's a shame talented folks like her aren't involved in daytime anymore. They certainly are needed.

Millie Taggart's Saints & Sinners

Here's a link to the 1954 pilot of 'Heart of Juliet Jones' based on the comic strip and intended for syndication.

Produced and directed by Charles Irving and written by Charles Gussman, both of whom worked on Search for Tomorrow.

Thanks.

That wasn't too bad, although the dialogue between the younger sister and the boyfriend creeped me out and he seemed like a creep period. I think that part was a little bit much for 1954 TV, and the melancholy of the bedridden father may have been as well.

Was that a story in the comics?

Edited February 26, 201411 yr by DRW50

I was looking through the comics. The story starts with Juliet engaged to a school teacher in April 1953, then she is involved with and engaged to Dan Mason (a banker's son's) by June 1953, and to a doctor (not named Rex Palmer) in October. I'm not sure how long the romance with the doctor went on, but it seems that this would be the basis of the television version.

I was rather impressed with the technical aspects of the pilot, but I don't think they could have kept it up. I wonder if they filmed more than just a pilot. I didn't see the other Palmers listed in the cast list in the episode.

October 1980

CBS has a proposed gothic soap for late night entitled 'Castle Rock'.