Proposed Soaps Over The Years

[Sylph]

Refresh your memory, we've discussed this before:

[Paul Raven]

Just discovered that way back in 57,CBS had a soap called 'The Will to Dream' ready to go.It concerned the relationship between an atomic scientist and his wife,with the background being 'contemporary' and many of the problems 'topical'(whatever that meant)

But CBS daytime was doing so well that there was no need or room for this show.

Doris Frankel was listed as writer.She wrote for GH,SFT and AMC.

[bellcurve]

I guess O.J.(like all daytime writers) ended up recycling his proposed sweeps murder in 1994.

[Paul Raven]

In 1952,NBC had a plan for 4 15min soaps under the banner 'Hometown USA'.The idea is that the shows would be cheaper to produce because common permanent sets could be used.The Brooklyn studios were planned as home for these shows.

I guess that is the same studio AW taped in.

They were to air 10.00 - 12.00 each morning.

Each 15 min show would focus on different residents of the town-the doctor,a female personnel manager in a local factory,a mother seamstress and the local grocery store.

This last segment would be patterned after the successful radio soap 'Vic n Sade' and was to be written by that show's writer Paul Rhymer.

NBC would not put the show to air until they had substansial sponsorship and obviously that never happened.

So,it looks like the 60 min soap could have happened in the 50's!

[TC]

Fascinating! (said Spock)

Did the Doctors' Wives proposal have any connection to the trashy movie of the same name?

[Paul Raven]

In 1951 as CBS was readying Search,Love of Life and The Egg and I,the long running radio soap Aunt Jenny was being tested for the switch to TV.

Kinescopes were used as pilots to see how the showmight look on the small screen.

That never happened and Guiding Light became the first radio soap to move to TV.

[EricMontreal22]

It kinda had a radio precedent didn't it? When Irna's shows were turned into the General Mills Hour or something and characters would crossover between all four shows?

[Paul Raven]

In Feb 1955,there were plans for a syndicated soap based on the comic strip 'The Heart of Juliet Jones'.

Charles Irving was listed as producer and it was stated that 25 weeks of shows were planned initially.

That's the first I've heard of it,so I doubt it made it to air.

[Mr. Vixen]

I have really not heard of any of these. Except for the "Young Loves of General Hospital" one, and I think I heard of a Passions one...

I wonder what would have happened if these had been launched...I mean, would that mean there would be a whole different lineup of soaps that survived, and different soaps that were still around today.

Also, do you think there will ever be a new soap????

A daytime one I mean...I know ratings are bad for a lot of soaps (most), so I don't see it happeneing...But if a new soap came about, would anyone watch it?

I would like to see one launched on FOX. They have bever had a daytime soap before (have they????), so if they launched one, they wouldn't have to deal with the "baggage" of past mistakes.

[DRW50]

FOX nearly launched a new soap around 1996, 13 Bourbon Street, and then it fell through. I don't think they will ever have one. I also don't think we will see a new fictional soap in daytime, not for some years. I think we may eventually see one of those Hills-esque type "soaps".

[EricMontreal22]

Bourbon was a late night show--now daytime. It's sad to think how close it came to happening

[ClassicsSoapFan]

I remember seeing an interview with Dolly Parton. It was her dream to do a soap based in the Smokey Mountains and based on people she grew up with.

[All My Shadows]

My mouth waters just thinking about that, seriously. Oh, how I wished that somewhere along the way, someone would have gotten the guts to expand soaps out of just the big cities and "small Midwestern/New England towns" into other locales across the country. I've always wanted to see a more rural-based soap.

[OneCharmingBastard]

For what it's worth - and this came from one of Kathryn Leigh Scott's books - in early '82, ABC approached Dan Curtis about another go at "Dark Shadows" - which begs the question of how early was the cancellation clock ticking on EON? Assuming of course, that DS would've gotten the 4:00/3:00 central slot back.

[bellcurve]

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