ALL: Proposed Soaps Over The Years

[Paul Raven]

Don Wallace mentioned in an interview that around the time of Return To Peyton Place 20th Century Fox/NBC were investigating a Novels for Television concept 5 episode per novel. Fox wanted to use titles they had in their inventory.

Wallace wrote a treatment for 'Tender is the Night' but it soon became apparent that it was not feasible budget wise and the idea died.

[Paul Raven]

John Pickard/Frank Provo, writers of Concerning Miss Marlowe, From These Roots, The Doctors and Love of Life as well as radio soaps have their papers housed at Thousand Oaks Library.

 

Included are proposals for a TV version of their radio soap "Wendy Warren" in the 60's and scripts and synopsis for 'Mary Worth' 1971.

Also included are TV proposals, some of which may have had soap opera overtones

Kenyon's Wife

Leading Lady

Royal Bay

Sentinel Square

Way of Love

Girl Alone 

52 Fifth Avenue

Edited January 25, 2019 by Paul Raven

[Paul Raven]

Variety reports in July 1958 that CBS is piloting 'The Sheriff's Wife' packaged by Don Arpell and dealing with 'the women behind the wooly men who opened up the wild west'. 

 

This was a  live daily soap.

 

Lori March was the female lead with George Wallace as the Sheriff.

[Paul Raven]

 

Agnes Nixon's proposed primetime soap 'Beggars and Choosers' announced for May 77 postponed till Spring of 78 according to newspaper report July 77.

It was to be on tape and centered on the cosmetics industry.

Veteran soap writer John D Hess was involved and his papers housed at Dartmouth College indicate that it was also titled 'Sharla'

For whatever reason, it never proceeded.

Did Agnes mention it in her book?

[Khan]

 

I don't believe so.  In fact, she doesn't even mention LOVING.

[BetterForgotten]

Loving was so forgettable that even its creator didn't remember it! 

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[Paul Raven]

1952

Florida based Ball TV Productions proposes 15 min daily strip 'Carrie Williams, Justice of the Peace'

Margaret Lindsay movie actress of 30's and 40's was to star and Addison Smith, former Paramount and radio soap writer writer/producer was scripting.

[Khan]

 

Wasn't Dan Wakefield supposed to help her create and develop LOVING before he dropped out?

 

I just feel like that show was under a dark cloud from day one.

[robbwolff]

 

As I recall, he did help her create the show and was supposed to be the head writer. Loving, originally titled Love without End, was supposed to debut in March 1983. Wakefield dropped out, Marland replaced him, and the debut was delayed until June 1983.

[Paul Raven]

Variety May 54

Robert Hutton, Adele Mara and June Kenney set as leads for 'My Sister and I' from American National Studios.

Plans were to syndicate a full years worth of shows.

[Paul Raven]

Media Week Sept 23 1996

ChrisCraft/United Television Productions and Grosso Jacobs Productions are said to be teaming on 27th Precinct, a soap opera described by one rep source as NYPD Blue meets Young and the Restless.

[Khan]

 

Well, we saw what "NYPD Blue" meets Y&R was like when JFP was EP.

[Paul Raven]

ABC Primetime pilot for 77-78 season

Delta County

'a 60- minute Peyton Place -type serialized story from Len Goldberg Productions set in the contemporary South'

The pilot movie aired as Delta County USA

 

Cast included 

Jeff Conaway (Mick B&B), Edward Power ,Morgan Brittany, Robert Hays, Joe Penny, Joanna Miles, Peter Donat and Lola Albright.

[Paul Raven]

March 65

Re NBC daytime plans

The names of 11 programs in development for future daytime stripping were given: Morningstar, West Wind, Days of Our Lives, The New Land, Two Worlds, The Bitter and The Sweet, Point Paradise, Time and Tide, Split Second, Jan Murray Show and Post Office.

 

Slit Second and Post Office were game shows. Jan Murray talk/variety.

 

The rest were soaps. Morningstar and Days made it to air as did Point Paradise (Paradise Bay) 

[Paul Raven]

In 1985, NBC took another stab at a primetime soap with 'The Covenant' which had supernatural overtones

 

The mythical Nobles was the most powerful banking family in the US and the keeper of an ancient covenant of evil. In one scene, a loan for an amount of $550 million was made in cash to a German business man Heinrich Bosch who was living in Argentina. Viewers were told, "The bank is just a front for the power of hell itself." Noble bank had many international clients. Some loans were said, made to finance "drugs, guns, revolutions." It was noted the family crest was a horned occult sign. 

 

The ability to control the force was passed on through the women in the family. In the basement of the bank's 12-level building, was home to deadly supernatural powers. Zachariah (an Old Testament name) informed, "Around 1500BC, fair skin people (Caucasian) pushed through the Hindu Kush pass (between Afghanistan and Pakistan). They conquered India (which) became a priest class.

"Now, the power that the conquerers had, came from something they called the covenant - an agreement with evil. After India, they dropped from history but re-emerged around 1000BC in Israel where their influence was challenged by the biblical judges. History lost them again but they reappeared constantly down through the ages wherever there is discord and inhumanity.

"Interestingly enough, the word for these people is Aryan. An English translation of that word is noble. I am part of a small order. We judges trace our origin back to biblical times when the Nobles first made their covenant with evil. Our purpose is to destroy them. The power of the covenant passes from generation to generation through the women."

Produced by Michael Filerman of 'Dallas', 'Falcon Crest' and 'Knots Landing', 'Covenant' was one of three pilot movies shown on NBC between June and August 1985. The first 'Code of Vengeance' (a 'Rambo' type pilot) would be retitled 'Dalton' for the TV series. Six episodes were filmed. The second 'Stingray' was created by Stephen J. Cannell. According to the NBC vice president for drama development at the time, "'Stingray' was developed as a 9 o'clock show but Stephen created a different character and arena than we had discussed. He (Stingray) was a man of mystery, with an almost surreal quality. He didn't have the humor that Stephen usually puts in that appeals to children."

The third, 'Covenant' ('The Omen' like pilot). Up against reruns of 'Kate & Allie' and 'Cagney & Lacey', 'Covenant' was ranked the 22nd most popular program that week. Like 'Dallas', the main title design featured the three-way split-screen. Similar to 'Falcon Crest', 'Covenant' was set in San Francisco. Jane Badler and Michelle Phillips played the Alexis and Krystle of 'Dynasty' or J.R. and Bobby of 'Dallas', fraternal twins (or non-identical twins) Dana and Claire.

Zachariah continued, "But Claire and Dana are fraternal twins so their power is split between them. Each of the sisters has limited power. To exercise the full potential of the covenant Dana and Claire would have to come together and act as one. But the child, Angelica, she is the monster. When she comes of age and is initiated into the covenant she will have all the power."On 'Covenant', Stuart Hall was "the man that knows" who planned to "go right up to the top. There is power and you can control it. I want to be part of it. I want to know where it comes from. I want to know how it works." Stuart's friend, David Wyman, had worked at Noble bank for 5 years as "personal advisor to the founder of the bank." In one scene, Stuart told David, "You know how the world works. It all get down to power." David countered, "But what kind of power. That's what I'm talking about."

Zachariah to David Wyman: I want to tell you the people you are working for. The Nobles. Did you know that Victor Noble was Hitler's confidant. He built his bank with Nazi gold and the purpose of that bank is to finance death, terrorism, destruction all over the world. They have an interesting family tree, the Nobles. Claire is married to Eric, a cousin of Victor's son.

Victor murdered his own brother and then married his brother's wife. Dana murdered her own mother in order to marry Victor. The family is nothing but incest and intrigue fighting to control its power. It's a very special power. The power of evil. Watch them very closely. They will do something and give themselves away. Something supernatural.

In another scene, Dana told Victor (Roman name meaning conqueror), "I'm afraid we're going to have a problem with my sister. When the time comes to initiate Angelica into the covenant, Claire is not going to give her up.

Victor (dismissively): There's nothing she can do about it. It's preordained. Once Angelica turns 21, that's it. 21 is the traditional age for investiture. It's been 21 since ancient times because of the responsibility of possessing of that power.

Dana: She's only 18 now, that's 3 years away. But it's only tradition, she can be any age and still be given the power. If we were to initiate her now we could guide her. It's about the preservation of the family. This whole family's destiny rest on the power of the covenant. You yourself have no power - only control over the one that does. That will be Angelica. If you lose her, you lose everything. 

Michele Brustin of NBC continued, "We were anxious to get audience feedback on these three pilots. It would be a misnomer, however, to call these busted pilots. They were passed over for the fall season, but we did want to see how the audience reacted. These pilots came in very late and very rough. We didn't have any time periods for them. I think in other years, when our ratings were lower, they would have gotten on the schedule."

'Flamingo Road', 'Bare Essence', 'For Love and Honor', 'The Yellow Rose' and 'Berrenger's' were all canceled due to lackluster ratings. 'Covenant' was NBC next attempt at developing a successful prime time soap. However Brandon Tartikoff maintained, "If this one fails I'll have to give up the ghost." After watching 'Covenant', 'The New York Times' expressed disappointment because "the movie ends inconclusively, and Angelica still hasn't been told about the covenant. Will she be? Only if this dippy movie turns into a series."