August 1969 article - behind the scenes at CBS Daytime

[DRW50]

August 1969 TV Radio Mirror.

[DRW50]

[DRW50]

[DRW50]

[Paul Raven]

Fantastic article Carl. Those predictions-orchestral music,1 hour shows,nightime soaps etc came to pass.

So sad we are now down to 4 shows.Somewhere along the way,things went awry.

[DRW50]

It's too bad none of the daytime shows ever made it to primetime, as the producers hoped for.

It's sad reading this but hopefully PP may start something new in the genre.

I loved the ATWT tidbits but most of all I was interested in the LIAMST stuff. That show seemed to fall out of favor so quickly ... if you read material from around 1969 or 1970 you'd think it would be around forever.

[Paul Raven]

Was LIAMST caught in the ratings crossfire when CBS lost dominance and the mighty ATWT was finally ousted from #1? It did have problems- losing a lot of its lead in numbers and the recasts of key roles.

P&G demanded their shows be in a block and LIAMST was dropped.Perhaps they would have been better to try and retool the show.Then again CBS had a lot of soaps and did have Y&R waiting in the wings.

[DRW50]

It seems to me they should have just rebooted the show - although who am I to say. For instance, Leslie Charleson returned to daytime only a few years later, so they might have gotten her back. Even if they hadn't, if they'd just found the right players and kept them, who knows what might have happened.

[saynotoursoap]

God, I love this. I loved LIAMST. Of all the short-lived serials throughout the years, the loss of this one hit me the hardest. It was a wonderful soap, and I would dearly love to get my hands on more episodes. Jean was a wonderful villainess. I get such a kick from looking at the photos and remembering the clothes and hairstyles (women looked so beautiful in that era -maybe I would have stayed straight if fashion had not changed ). Also, looking at sets I had not thought of in ages is fun. Mark and Laura's kitchen, and the scenes with Spence are set in his office -attention to detail: note the California state flag in one corner. Spence was a state senator. Great find, Carl, thank you for sharing this with us!

[DRW50]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. When I saw the article I thought you might like it. It's nice to see more details on LIAMST, and some great photos I hadn't seen before; the one with Donna Mills and the organ guy, and the photo with Leslie and Donna.

I'd seen the photo of Jean before but I get a kick out of that hair and that wild dress. I just wish we could see it in color. It's like a kaleidoscope.

[edgeofnight]

My first real encounter with the cancellation of one of 'my' soaps came in March 1973 when LIAMST was cancelled (Where the Heart Is was also cancelled the same day - March 23, 1973). Of course, nothing could compare with the devastation when my beloved Edge ended (thankfully, I was invited to its last day of taping), I do recall doing a photo montage poster from magazine clippings of the LIAMST cast in tribute.

Several years later, when LIAMST's patriarch, Dr. Will Donnelly, actor Judson Laire was playing a judge on EON, he was kind enough to send me a letter and autographed photo. I always thought of him as the grandfather I never had. Ironically, he died on my maternal grandfather's birthday in 1979 (July 5).

Similarly, I felt the same way toward Andrea Marcovicci (Dr. Betsy Chernak) as the sister I never had. Last year, I had tickets to see her perform in one of her musical concerts when she wa in NYC, but I had to cancel my reservation when my wife had emergency gall bladder surgery.

I once met actor Stephen Joyce (Dr. Sanford Hiller-LIAMST) in the Times Square section of NYC. David Birney and I, as it turns out, share the same birthday - April 23. I've always enjoyed seeing Vincent Baggetta(Dr. Peter Chernak) in his various gust spots on episodic prime time series over the years.

I have very fond memories of the show...nearly 40 years since its cancellation.

[saynotoursoap]

LIAMST had fine ratings on its own, but it was unsuccessful from CBS' point of view because its ratings dropped off significantly from its lead-in. At the height of its popularity LIAMST averaged a 9.5 rating while World Turns preceding it averaged 13.6. That is an enormous difference. This was the reason P&G wanted its programs in a block. The idea was that if GL and Edge followed World Turns, they would hold more of the audience than the house-produced soaps. Unfortunately, the network was wrong. The move caused Edge's already shaky numbers to fall permanently, and even GL had lower ratings the first two years after the time change.

Actually, LIAMST was not replaced by The Young and the Restless. Y&R replaced Where the Heart Is. LIAMST was, in effect, replaced by the shortlived game show Hollywood's Talking, which lasted three months and was itself replaced by Match Game. Of course, Match Game became THE sensation for a while with ratings that sent it to the very top of the daytime charts, frequently beating World Turns for the #1 position. In that sense, perhaps CBS did the right thing, but the loss of LIAMST was a particularly bitter one as it probably had more potential to succeed with less effort than any of CBS' other house soaps.