soap opera sets and set designers

[danfling]

Do you have a favorite soap opera set or several of them?   Do you have a favorite set designer?

[Khan]

My all-time favorite soap opera set has to be AMC's original Cortlandt Manor, designed, I think, by the show's longtime scenic designer, William Mickley.

Favorite Set Designer/Decorator, though?  For me, it's a toss-up between Lloyd R. Evans, Paul Hickey and Wesley Laws, who worked on several CBS and P&G soaps in the '60's, '70's and '80's; and Tom Trimble and Brock Broughton, who worked on both Y&R and DYNASTY.

[j swift]

I have a thing for penthouses and contemporary design.  So, my favorite set of all time is the Cavanaugh penthouse on Edge of Night (I know Margo lived there first, for those historical sticklers).  First of all, is there anything chic-er than having a private elevator take you right into your own penthouse?  Second, those spiral stairs were dreamy, and that fireplace was divine.  I'm surprised they didn't use the balcony more frequently, but once Raven's custody letter went flying out of April's hand I guess that was its best use as a plot point.

My second choice would be Bob Anderson's ultra swanky house on Days of Our Lives.  For being a man of a "certain age", I never understood Bob's sex appeal for everyone including Julie.  But, I totally got why any fine lady from Salem would want to get their hands on that house.  Through Melissa's inheritance Micky and Maggie lived there for awhile, and never has there been such a poor fit between character and set to have those two country bumpkins living in such lovely home.

 

Last, I have to give it up to my earliest soap crush, architect Robert Delaney, and his design for Steve Frame's house.  Those cantilevered roof lines and the floating fireplace are forever stored in my memory. If memory serves, I think Robert also designed the Cory compound, which was a very modern take on a workplace set (obviously he only designed it fictionally)

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by j swift

[AMCOLTLLover]

My all time favorite set would be from Dark Shadows: The Collins Mansion and the old house ! I loved that so much especially during the B&W era!

On GH: Wyndemere Castle! 

[Liberty City]

My favourite set? The Snyder Farm on As the World Turns. Forever classic.

[MichaelGL]

The sets on Loving, especially the Alden mansion. 

[danfling]

I agree with AMCOLTLLover.   I loved the sets on Dark Shadows.   My favorite was the caretaker's cottage.  I especially loved it during the show's early weeks when Matthew Morgan lived there.  It was a bigger set than when (later) it was occupied by Laura Collins, Chris Jennings, and Dirk Wilkens.  (The show changed studios, and the sets - including this one- were shrunk.)

[Soaplovers]

Dark Shadows:

I liked the Evan's cottage..it had that artist vibe to it.

Guiding Light:

I liked some of the restaurant sets like Company, Blue Orchid, Diner, and I even liked Millennium.

As the world turns:

Mona Lisa

Bold and the Beautiful:

I liked the original Logan house set with the living room and kitchen.

Y & R

Gina's 

Abbott Mansion

Victor's, then later Diane's, penthouse.

[danfling]

On As the World Turns, I loved the original Hughes living room and kitchen and also Wade's bookstore.   i also remember the set that was the home (an apartment) where Penny and Jeff lived.   It, just as the Evans house of Dark Shadows and the Karr house of The Edge of Night, had a set of steps which were near the front door.

I cannot remember if the Evans cottage was ever used after Sam was killed off the show and Maggie moved into Collinwood as the new governess.   Does anyone remember if the set was ever refurbished and used again?

I did like the Evans cottage as well as the home of Nicholas Blair.    For some reason, i thought for many years that Nicholas Blair's house was the same one that Victoria and Burke had wanted to move into prior to Burke's death.

[Paul Raven]

One thing that puzzled me was the staircase. Was the Hughes house meant to be more of a split level type of thing as that staircase was only a few steps.

[danfling]

I had always assumed that the stair steps that we saw were the visable part of the stairs, and that there were more that led to the second story.

 

In that picture above, who is the man standing next to Ethel Remey?  Could it possibly be Kasey Arnold, the original Grant Coleman (who had previously appeared on this show as Roy, the ex-husband of Sandy and later became Penny's husband)?    I had not remember that his looks were so dark.

[DaytimeFan]

For me, Y&R will always own this category because its sets stood the test of time and only in the last decade, as new producers came in with their own 'vision' were some of those timeless sets destroyed. Y&R has the advantage of being based in California. The NYC based soaps always had to make do with limited space and they all did very well.

The Chancellor mansion, the Newman Ranch, the Abbott mansion, Gina's restaurant, the GC Athletic Club Rooftop, Victor/Diane's penthouse (now that was a stunning set with multiple shooting angles), Jill's office, the Jabot boardroom, the GC Hospital (with room for an ambulance to drive in and for the doors to the ER to swing open)...up until 2010 or so there were very few dud sets. 

Y&R obviously invested a lot of money into their sets and it showed.

[Mona Kane Croft]

I agree.  I always thought that tiny staircase looked ridiculous.  But sometime in the 1970s, Chris and Nancy's living-room got a full sized staircase that showed all the steps -- all the way up.  I believe the staircase was also moved closer to the front door.  You can see it in some of the episodes on Youtube.  I don't know if the living-room remodel was mentioned in any scripts, or it just happened without mention.    Anyone else remember??

 

 

Edited May 11, 2022 by Neil Johnson

[danfling]

Seeing the name Neil Johnson made me think of Another World.

My relatives and I always thought that the swimming pool belonging to Iris looked silly and stupid.

[Contessa Donatella]

Speaking of swimming pools & AW in the same breath & I recall not so fondly Mac in his Speedo & cringe. Of course, Grant Aleksander playing Alec McIntyre on AMC, well he wore his Speedo well.