What was it like to be around during the glory days of soaps? (Pre-2000's)

[titan1978]

Like all executives, there are good and bad things about Gloria Monty.  The issue became other soaps chasing what she was doing, as those writers moved on to other shows from her earlier teams.  Sheri Anderson was a writer on the GH team during the Luke & Laura heyday, and I think you can see that all over her supercouple heavy years at DAYS.

As tacky as the Ice Princess was when it comes down to weather machines, etc, the whole show was still very strong and had traditional roots still visible.  I think the real damage comes just after that, with Luke the hero and Genie leaving the show.  Pat Falken Smith returns to introduce Anna/Robin later, and the show is pretty well written then.  IMO Monty/PFS together are the architects of what I consider the GH style.

Does she get too much credit?  Maybe.  She certainly produced the hell out of strong material written by Marland and then  PFS.  But Bill Bell respected what she was doing, even if it was nothing like his style.  I do think her ego got the better of her several times in both her tenures.

 

[Melroser]

One of the most vivid early memories of soaps for me was Renee Dimera on Days telling off everyone at her engagement party to Alex and then being found stabbed on the floor upstairs. 1983? I was p#ssed because I loved Renee. I stopped watching Days for years after that. (I was only 10 at the time). The Anna/Tony/Renee/David quad was great.

I also was a fan of Texas. It was initially on after school at 3pm and I remember being upset when it got bumped to the 11am slot. Ruby was fun. Justin/Reena. The Hitopah storyline I thought was the coolest thing ever. The big sets, characters running around in caves looking for a lost treasure. It was so Indiana Jones. I still remember Brette (Harley Kozak) finding the treasure in some kind of glass box on a podium in the middle of a pond and retrieving it, but when she lifted up the treasure snakes rained down on her. I freaked! I hate snakes. This would have been Summer of '82? The cancellation was my first "loss" of a soap. 

I didn't have a VCR until I think 7th grade (around '86) and was overjoyed to be able to watch my soap, AW. That was my show. I watched it religiously growing up and until cancellation. Other than AW, there was no other show that I watched so consistently. I often channel hopped depending on what story was going on on what show. I rarely got to watch ABC with our antennae tv unless it was winter time and really cold outside. LOL. Then it was like an extra Christmas treat to watch GH. I watched early Holly/Robert/Anna, Frisco/Felicia. I also watched a lot of GL because my grandparents were big fans. My grandfather always had to watch Reva. So after school, I'd run next door and visit with them while watching GL. Alan Spaulding back from the dead. Sonni/Solita. (I would also anxiously wait to see my grandmother's copy of TV Guide every week so I could look for the cool, full-page ads for soaps. I'd get so excited if AW had one!)

I was obsessed with soaps in the 80's, early 90's. They were huge. I used to sneak money out of my father's dresser and buy SOD, then hide it from my parents. I couldn't get enough of the shows. 

Supercouples, current songs on the radio as their "love song", cool montages. Interrupted weddings (Cecile having Cass kidnapped at his wedding to Kathleen). Serial killers. Evil, twins (Anne Heche ruled as Vicky/Marley though I'd say Vicky was never "evil".) 

Pre-spoilers where everyone had to sit down in front of the tv together at a certain time in order to see what happened next so you could be the first to talk about it.  

Soap actors on talk shows, game shows. 

It was such a fun culture back then.

At times I filtered in and out of so many different shows: AW, TX, SB, DAYS, SuBe, GEN, SFT (on NBC), Y&R, B&B, GL, GH, PC, a little of Lov but more of the City. OLTL after AW's cancellation until its own. 

 

Edited February 16, 2023 by Melroser

[Contessa Donatella]

I like to say that she is thought of as ... all one word: GloriaMontyWhoSavedSoaps !! I've just read this interview where Kin, Tony & Jane talk about the Gloria years among many other things. Jane says she was mean. Tony says she made him do scenes over & over & over again. So, Gloria joins the ranks of Irna, Rauch, Joe Stuart, etc. as Producers that actors say ugly things about, no matter how true. 

That is not only one of my top 5 DOOL shows on YouTube but I recommend it to about every third person I see! Philece was on fire! (May she rest in peace.)