Soap Classic distribution license ending with ATWT and GL

[EricMontreal22]

I'm pretty sure it was 1987. I was never a huge regular ATWT viewer, but would always tape the CBS Holiday Classics they'd air,and remember that one pretty clearly.

[Soapsuds]

Here it is...it was 1987..the episode is on youtube...I think Roger said it wasnt included in the dvd Christmas release because of music rights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JIegofeTqk

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Liz Hubbard really goes for it in that singing segment, doesn't she?

[EricMontreal22]

Count me in as someone else who much prefers DVDs to online streaming. We already have youtube--and I find that often I bookmark youtube clips to watch later, and never get around to it--call me old fashioned, but I just prefer to watch them on my TV. (If they offered high quality downloads, I would pay for that and just watch them via my TV, but with streaming stuff it's not worth thehassle--plus I'd never pay for something that's streaming and could disappear at any point).

We've never had a definite answer, but it sounds like Nixon, who had always wanted to save episodes, did have a large number of AMC, and maybe OLTL *kinescopes* stored from the early 70s that were lost in a fire. Those two AMC eps on her website were apparently kinescopes her son found when cleaning up her house--or something (again, the details are sketchy). Of course when she finally agreed to let AMC go to an hour, one condition was that ABC save the video tapes--and they did that for all of their soaps. Ryan's Hope was wisely saved from the start as well--two or so years before AMC, OLTL, etc. The reasoning seems to just be that saving video was such a huge cost at the time--Nixon somewhere mentions how she was jealous that Dan Curtis could afford to do so with Dark Shadows.

(Speaking of--I wish something more would come from Nixon's website, or her book, or whatever--it's been a while since I've heard anything)

[ghfan89]

saynotoursoap answered some questions about the fire; less episodes were saved before the fire than originally thought

[EricMontreal22]

Thanks, I forgot about that post. I also know that sometimes actors would request kinescopes of an episode they were particularly proud of and wanted to have saved for auditions, or personal reasons--and later on for awards--as well as writers sometimes have the forethought to save episodes or even bits of episodes they know they will be using for flashbacks.

[EricMontreal22]

Of course this still means there are a lot of late 70s ABC soap episodes saved in video (ie good quality and colour) in full that we've never seen in the ABC vaults (I wonder where they keep them when a show is canceled). For AMC the earliest we've seen is the 1978 (?) Erica/Tom wedding, and an edited version of OLTL's birth of Kevin episode on Daytime to Remember.

[doolfan]

IMO the episodes from the two most important decades are in tack. The 80s and 90s. Soaps were at the height of their popularity and at their best when it comes to storytelling.

[EricMontreal22]

I'd actually place the two peak decades as the 70s and 80s, respectfully. It was in the 70s when ratings really started to boom, soaps started actually to become taken somewhat seriously by scholars, primetime took notice of their storytelling techniques (Hell, there are now ridiculous sounding pieces from the 70s predicting that within twenty years soaps would be the dominant form of entertainment). By the 90s--while I think the first half of the decade was largely quite strong, the decline had already started (creatively and audience wise).

[doolfan]

I would agree. I think the soaps were good all the way up until about 1996. Then they all started to take a turn for the worst. It's a shame that in their final weeks the soaps began to get it right (ATWT, GL, AMC, OLTL). But it looks like now that the other soaps have left the four remaining ones are starting to get it. Today's General Hospital for example was IMO great! I loved it. Btw, I'm new here so hi EricMontreal22 lol

[EricMontreal22]

I largely agree with that And hey! Welcome to the forum

[Steve]

ITA. I think the soaps hit their stride in the late 1970s and stayed great through most of the 1980s (with occasional exceptions like OLTL's Eterna). IMO, part of the reason for the soaps' decline in the mid 1990s was the success of Melrose Place with its fast-paced and shallow storytelling, which it seemed the daytime shows tried to emulate.

Call me Pollyanna, but I'm hopeful that Soap Classics will get the licensing rights to AMC & OLTL next, especially since the Prospect Park deal with ABC expires in January 2013.

[doolfan]

I wish ABC would do us all a favor and put All My Children and One Life to Live back on tv come January 2013. I read that Katie had 2.335 million viewers last week while GH had 2.824 million and even The Chew had higher numbers than Katie with 2.45 million. People do watch soaps. They were watching from DVR and SOAPnet. Ughhh ABC needs to restore it's legendary daypart and bring us back AMC and OLTL. Millions of viewers miss those shows. They don't have anything to watch in the daytime anymore.

[jcar03]

Once they are canceled they are not coming back. It would cost way to much money to restart them (sets, etc.). Yes, Katie had low numbers but besides Katie's salary it probably cost less to produce.

[teplin]

I got a Happy Thanksgiving message from SoapClassics, saying "We hope to be able to share some exciting news with you in the near future."