Unpopular opinions: cancelled soaps edition

[amybrickwallace]

Yeah, I went back and found that Greenlee's mother was Mary Greenlee Smythe (played by the incomparable Anna Stuart).

[DramatistDreamer]

Unpopular opinion: daytime soaps that were linked to production companies that also produced movies were/are in a much better position than the daytime soaps that were linked to corporations that had production companies. A Warner Brothers and a Sony Pictures will always treat the issue of archives with more regard than a corporation like Proctor and Gamble.

[Khan]

Agree.  It seems like the only two soaps whose archives have been carefully preserved are DARK SHADOWS and THE DOCTORS -- which, if you ask me, weren't exactly what I'd consider to be quality shows.

[DramatistDreamer]

The daytime soaps currently still on air will definitely have better preserved archives. Bill Bell Sr. didn't mess around. His episodes were archived from day one. I'm sure from his experience working on other soaps previous to Y&R, he must've learned what not to do fairly quickly. All of these shows should've known from at least the early 70s to preserve their episodes, I mean, how foolishly short-sighted. 

I still wonder about shows like Texas and Capitol, that had relatively brief runs, comparatively. There are streaming platforms for everything these days. Streaming a show like Capitol wouldn't take much, unless the archive has deteriorated.

[amybrickwallace]

If ever a soap from the 1980s would be relevant right now, it would be Capitol.

[DramatistDreamer]

This is what I've been saying for years, but the people in charge are all asleep at the wheel.

As @Khanso astutely pointed out, people in charge have found ways to continually bring back DS to various platforms. I would think political scandal can have just as much appeal as vampires.

[amybrickwallace]

Much like actual politicians...

[will81]

P&G never cared about the shows they produced (and still don't) they only cared about selling product/ad revenue. Unfortunately they made the majority of shows on the air. Many of which were broadcast live until the late 70's. Once the shows stopped serving their purpose they dismantled them and threw them away. I think for P&G, soaps were an advertising tool and nothing more. 

Sony seems to have saved both Days and Y&R from the beginning of each

Obviously Colgate-Palmolive saved The Doctors which I was suprised by.

Agnes' production company Creative Horizons saved B&W kinescope copies of OLTL and AMC but those were almost all lost in a fire and ABC didn't start saving eps until I think 1976ish and only because Agnes demanded it. Not sure about ABC saving GH. I doubt it as they were struggling to survive until the late 70's and hardly had the money and resources to archive shows prior to their boom years that started around 1976/77 (in terms of prime time anyway).

The others I am not sure.

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by will81

[amybrickwallace]

Dan Curtis Productions had DS. I don't know about the rest, either.

[Khan]

I know that LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING, LOVE OF LIFE, THE SECRET STORM and WHERE THE HEART IS are all pretty much gone (save for kinescopes that have been uploaded online, or that are gathering dust in someone's closet).

You're right, @DramatistDreamer, I totally forgot about the Bell shows (and DAYS).

If the folks at Pluto TV were smart, they'd start streaming episodes of GENERATIONS.  It wasn't a perfect show, by ANY means, but it was a groundbreaking show that had its' moments.

Edited December 20, 2021 by Khan

[will81]

What I wish (besides some miracle that would allow all these shows to somehow have survived) is that at the very least we could get access to daily episode guides. I have tried to contact P&G and Sony, the library archives that hold scripts to many shows, the networks they air on etc... to see if they have something like a reference guide with synopsis and cast/crew details. It would be a small consolation at least to have some record from the 1950's onwards. Definitely not as good as watching but better than nothing. So far no one has been able to or wants to help me. I even told them I was doing my thesis on soaps for a Bachelor degree and they still didn't give a toss. 

[j swift]

Maybe not that unpopular of an opinion, I am not entertained by watching entire episodes of old soaps, but I appreciate fan edited compilations about stories and characters like those done about Guiding Light.

Even when SOAPnet played classic Ryan's Hope and Another World, I grew quickly bored both by the pacing and the having the knowledge of what would happen to all of the characters.

I've never re-read a book, and I rarely re-watch films, so the thought of watching daily repeats of old soaps would bore me to tears.

[DramatistDreamer]

Sorry to hear that you are having so much trouble, @will81. I'm trying to think of who you might contact who might be able to point you in a more helpful direction.

Have you tried any of the actors associated with the shows you're interested in? Some may have some suggestions. Some actors are accessible via social media, a few even have YouTube channels where they have posted clips, episodes and reels.

Have you heard of a blog called We Love Soaps? Last time I checked, it hadn't been updated in quite some time but one of the blog's founders, Roger Newcomb is active on social media and he seems like an affable guy, who is fairly knowledgeable and frank. He may be a good person to contact. If you have read any books lately on your topic, check some of the writers, see if you can contact them and explain what you're working on, they may have some pointers based on their reference materials.

If I can think of anything else, I will let you know. Good luck and keep the faith!

Over the summer I read a book called When Women Invented Television by Jennifer Keishin, she had extensive passages on Irna Phillips and has done quite a bit of research on soap operas. She's on Twitter, last time I checked. She could be a good person to contact @will81. Just a suggestion.

[FrenchBug82]

It is very interesting. I don't know if it is unpopular or not; I imagine quite  a few people would feel similarly.

I know I do enjoy it but more as an appreciation of the art form than the stories. Meaning: I definitely agree that stories or special moments I want to rewatch definitely work best when selectively edited (although the comps I find are generally edited in too short snippets for my taste).
But I also love to watch actors act, if you know what I mean. Sometimes even mundane scenes are just enjoyable when it involves performers I like and admire because it is like watching a painting. I am just sucking up the artistry and creativity.
Is it corny? A tad. But there are definitely lots of soap actresses I could watch read the phonebook, to use the old cliche, so old episodes even when nothing of note was happening entertain me in that way.
But I totally see why rewatching stories when you know where it is going could be tedious at face value.

[j swift]

And, I fully support the preservation of old soap episodes for historical purposes.  It is just not something I want to watch on a daily basis.