Feb 1955 A proposed TV version of the long running radio serial. It would be years before ABC got into the soap business,

 

John L. Clark is casting this week at Trans -American in New York for several roles for his Life Can Be Beautiful pilots (5 quarter-hours) for ABC. Bill Marceau will direct the scripts by Carl Bixby.

Roles to be set include "ChiChi," a petite young girl, uncultured as the story opens; "Papa David," her father; "Stephen," a young cripple, 28-30, living with Papa David, "Mendoza," a hard character, in his late 30's and "Toby," about 25.

Edited January 31, 20205 yr by Paul Raven

From a Marylin Beck colum from Oct 1981, doesn't say much but gives an idea of when Judith Krantz was working on the CBS soap, here it is called "Judith Krantz" Beverly Hills

 

 

 

Here is Liz Smith's column from January 1982 talking about Capitol, she mentions CBS were developing a show called "Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills" with Judith Krantz

 

I love Liz Smith's snark on "the experts" who were chasing after the young demographic even then.

1954

NBC investigating bringing radio soap "Big Sister ' to TV.

It has previously had a short experimental TV run in 1945 with Mercedes McCambridge.

Frank and Doris Hursley had several soap proposals in the works over the years

Crossroads Clinic

Hollywood Girl

Lady of the Theater

Richard Douglas for the Defence.

South Paradise 1966

This Precious Hour

 

As did daughter and son in law Bridget and Jerome Dobson

Bodies and souls 1993

Co-Ed 1990

Couture

Dangerous Liasons 1994

One World 1990

Westwood

General Hospital - Sixth Floor

Heritage 1973

 

In the Bill Bell archives is a series proposal 'The Many Ways of Love'

On 7/12/2018 at 2:59 PM, Paul Raven said:

This from a SOW article in a Sept 96 article re 13 Bourbon St

 

More than 200 eager young actresses showed up at an open casting call in Nth Hollywood Calif Sept 3 in hopes of landing the contract role of Marigold Katrina Jorgensohn on Fox's latenight serial 13 Bourbon St. MK is a would be singer who arrives in New Orleans from a small town in Indiana.

 

During a break in the auditions, the show's casting director. Meg Simon, told SOW, "I'm looking for a girl who is very joyful, a positive person with a great singing voice. She should be pretty in a fresh, clean-cut kind of way." The first major hurdle for the aspirants (who included a number of SAG members) was to sing eight bars of a rock standard."If they can't sing,I'm not doing anymore with them", says Simon,who cast Ryan's Hope for two years in the early 80's. However,she amended that statement with. "It's conceivable that I may see someone who's right for another role I'm casting, in which case I'll hold on to their resume and call them back at another time".

The shows exec producer, Linda Gottlieb,did not attend the auditions. At this point, Simon says she has cast five* of the 21 principal roles. Casting will be announced when all of the principal roles are filled. Production commences in New York in November;the series is set to debut January 1997

 

*Apparently John Beck and Lonette McKee had been cast

Update

Quote

Fox soaps up after taking bath with Chase

Serialized drama to compete with late -night talk shows, appeal heavily to men By Steve Coe

More than two years after the disastrous, short -lived Chevy Chase talk show experiment, Fox is venturing back into late night with a serialized drama to air at 11 p.m. The untitled project will debut in January 1997. Rather than return to the talk show genre, Fox hopes the soap will serve as strong counterprograming to Leno, Letterman and ABC's Nightline. "We have had such great success with our prime time dramas Melrose Place and Beverly Hills, 90210 that it makes sense for us to expand what has been a very successful franchise for Fox," says John Matoian, president, Fox Entertainment. "A late -night serial drama is ideal counterprograming and will expand Fox's strength into a new arena." The hour -long show, which will air Monday through Friday, will be set in New Orleans at an aristocratic mansion- turned -hotel in the French Quarter. According to Executive Producer Linda Gottlieb, filming will take place primarily in New York, with some shooting in New Orleans. Although there is speculation that Fox will push the boundaries in language and sexual content with the project, Gottlieb says Fox's mandate for the show contains no excesses. "I've never been out to do shocking stuff. I want to do a sensual story because that's the kind of city that New Orleans is," she says. Gottlieb, who executive -produced the theatrical "Dirty Dancing" and was in charge of the daytime soap One Life to Live, says the show will be "completely different" from daytime serials. "This will have a completely different look and feel and will also include a heavy music component because that's a big part of New Orleans," she says. The show is expected to differ from its daytime cousins in that Fox expects it to appeal heavily to men. "Fox's mandate is to do a show that draws men primarily, along with women," says Gottlieb. Also, she says, the serial will feature a murder mystery at the outset. The network has made a significant commitment to the project with an initial order of 65 episodes, which will take the project through 13 weeks.

 

Edited February 28, 20205 yr by Paul Raven

It's such a shame 13 Bourbon St. never surfaced - it would've been interesting to see what it would've done, but I guess both Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90210 had started their declines back then. Still, I believe a pilot was shot and I'd kill to see it.

I still have no idea why FOX never got into the soap game.

1967

Producer William Dozier, whose Greenway Productions produces Batman and Green Hornet in association with 20th Century -Fox TV, is moving into daytime programing.

He has formed Greentree Productions, a separate organization, also associated with Fox, to turn out a pilot for a projected soap opera for NBC -TV. Plans call for the series, Brookfield, to be a daytime strip.

TV Guide reported Brookfield was set in a 'posh girls school'.

 

1970

Paramount Television is producing the pilot for daily half - hour daytime series, Holm Sweet Home, which is aimed for showing on ABC -TV this fall. The program, which is being written by Roy Kammerman, is described as a humorous soap opera that centers around a midwestern family's experience in the age of the atom, the pill and the miniskirt.

 

As for 1971 -72, WB -TV reported a number of plans for series that would include segments on the drug -abuse problem. One is a daytime serial, The Woman Inside, WB -TV says has been optioned to a network it declines to identify. 

 

1971

Universal Studio's entry into the daytime television arena will be via a drama said by its creator, George Lefferts, to be a departure from the traditional soap opera. The program is being produced for General Foods. No network has been announced. World of Women was described as an "update of the patriarchal society of the era of The Forsyte Saga with the heroine of the 'now' generation replacing the patriarch of yesterday" by Clare Simpson, vice president in charge of programing for Young and Rubicam, agency for General Foods. The half -hour show now in development, according to Universal Studios daytime programing vice president Frank O'Connor, will deal with the modern female as she confronts the problems and rewards of a contemporary existence.

Edited March 19, 20205 yr by Paul Raven

17 hours ago, SteelCity said:

I still have no idea why FOX never got into the soap game.

 

I think network affiliate clearances, or lack thereof, had a lot to do with it.

56 minutes ago, Khan said:

 

I think network affiliate clearances, or lack thereof, had a lot to do with it.

Oh. That's kinda sucky. I just feel like FOX, more than any other could push boundaries. I thought it could be due to FOX only owning about 15 hours of original television a week. Everything else is syndication and infomercials.

1966

Griffin Productions Co., NewYork, is raising its sights in the TV programming field to gain representation outside of the "game show" area and into daytime serial, primetime specials and nighttime series sectors. Last March Merv Griffin, president, appointed Bob Aaron, who had been director of daytime programs for NBC -TV for six years, as executive vice president with a mandate to accelerate the company's expansion and diversification effort.

In script form are two projected daytime serials. One is Keep It in the Family, described as the adventures of a "real family" and Best Things in Life (adventures of four American girls working abroad), which is aiming for a "new dimension" in daytime programming through production entirely in Europe.

4 hours ago, SteelCity said:

I thought it could be due to FOX only owning about 15 hours of original television a week. Everything else is syndication and infomercials.

 

Well, that's what I meant previously by lack of network affiliate clearances.  Even today, I think, FOX doesn't have an actual daytime lineup the way ABC, CBS and NBC do.  For the most part, their daypart is syndicated talk and courtroom shows, and cheap, local programming.  For that matter, I don't think FOX isn't a late-night performer either (although, not for lack of trying), which really makes me wonder how a show like "13 Bourbon Street" would have performed, had FOX persuaded enough affiliates into carrying it.

I feel like it could have worked as an advantage because it would be the only scripted program at that time and it would be all new.