1970s Trends

[Paul Raven]

As suggested in the 90's thread.

I don't think the list will be as long as the soaps were more under the radar in those days and each show did its own thing,

Anyway for starters

Expanding to from 30 mins

AW, DOOL, AMC, OLTL,GH,ATWT and GL all expanded. Gh and OLTL went to 45 mins at first and AW went to 90 mins in 79.

90 min premieres

How to Survive a Marriage and Edge of Night both had movie length episodes (in EON's case to mark the move to ABC)

Dropping older/veteran characters.

Really started to accelerate throughout the 70's.

AW killed off Mary Matthews, EON Martha Marceau, SFT John and Eunice Wyatt, ATWT Dan Stewart, Susan Stewart, Sandy,Judge Lowell, OLTL Victor Lord and so on

[SoapDope]

Production values started to go up after the 1973 premiere of The Young & The Restless. Soaps started redoing their sets and dropping the organ music in favor if lush background themes.

Soaps all did Disco in some fashion during the second part of the decade.

Social issues such as rape, abortion, child abuse, breast cancer etc...became hot button storyline topics.

Soaps became more steamy and graphic with bedroom scenes, shower scenes etc...

Super couples started becoming a big thing AW: Steve & Alice, Days: Doug & Julie, Y&R: Chris & Snapper etc...

More shooting on location.

The beginnings of prime time soaps/dramas Family (1976), Executive Suite (1977), Dallas (1978) Married The First Year (1979), Knots Landing (1979).

 

[Sapounopera]

The frigid young woman was very much in fashion in the 70s.

[Paul Raven]

The beginnings of 'celebrities' making appearances as themselves.

ATWT - Bobby Short

LOL- Sammy Davis Jr

SFT -  Melissa Manchester

OLTL - Bill Anderson

GH - Mamie Van Doren

Music/singers part of the story.

Y&R lead the way and DOOL had Doug and Trish.

SFT had Steve ,DRS had Andy and I think other shows dabbled in this area.

[Sapounopera]

The Feminist showed up in several shows.

[SoapDope]

The fitness craze started in the 70's and several soaps started to jump on board. Richard Simmons started appearing on GH in 1979.

Many of the soaps had characters talking about playing tennis and racquetball which had exploded in popularity during this time, especially after the 1973 Battle Of The Sexes with Billie Jean King & Bobby Riggs.  

Super couples started having their own theme songs. 

 

 

 

 

[Paul Raven]

OLTL had the Health Club. Are there more examples?

 

Was Doug and Julie's 'The Look of Love'? What were some others?

More of a 60's trend I guess but the end of live broadcasts when ATWT and EON went to tape in 75.

[SoapDope]

Richard Simmons started doing fitness classes on GH. Y&R showed Paul, Snapper, and Greg working out at a health club.

Guiding Light had a lot of the characters swimming over at Ed & Rita's. Lainie Marler was shown working out with Ed etc...

Several characters on the soaps talked about playing tennis and racquetball and were seen wearing tennis shorts and fitness wear. Miles on EON was often in tennis shorts. On primetime shows like Family and Dallas they showed the guys playing quite often. Knots Landing showed Richard and Kenny in jogging/tennis attire...

As for Love themes for couples...On Y&R "If" by Bread was played for Brad & Leslie and "Bless The Beast & Children" by The Carpenters was often played during scenes with Chris & Snapper. 

 

[watson71]

Soaps started using exterior shots to establish a house or job location (hospitals, restaurants, etc.) before dissolving into the scene with the characters on the set. This was done a lot as transitions between scenes.

[Paul Raven]

And both GH and The Doctors finally identified their locales-Port Charles and Madison respectively.

[Khan]

It's been my observation that, perhaps as a response to the feminist movement, anti-heroines truly came into vogue during the '70's.  Of course, their roots go back further, to characters like Rachel (AW), Julie (DAYS) and Lisa (ATWT), but some notable examples from this decade might include Erica (AMC), Raven (EON), Bobbie (GH), Rita (GL), Karen (OLTL), Jennifer (SFT), Jill (Y&R), etc.

[Soaplovers]

Ingmar Bergman movies were huge in the 1960s and 1970s...which focused so much on the psychological make up of characters.

After Scenes from the marriage became popular, soaps and primetime moved more toward atmosphere and more about what wasn't said vs what was said.

By the very end of the 70s, this element gave away to action/adventure.  

[Paul Raven]

Cancellations were a feature of the 70's.

CBS cancelled Where The Heart Is, Love Is a Many Splendored Thing and Secret Storm within the space of a year and dropped Edge of Night also. And only introduced one new show Y&R.

ABC cancelled Dark Shadows,Best of Everything and A World Apart.

NBC cancelled Bright Promise, Return to Peyton Place, How To Survive A Marriage, Somerset, Lovers and Friends and For Richer For Poorer.

So only 3 successful soaps were introduced in the 70's - AMC, RH and Y&R.

[Contessa Donatella]

It was said recently that Bill Hayes's Doug singing live was the first one. 

[Paul Raven]

I think Gene Bua (Bill Prentiss) on Love of Life preceded Doug.

And Mary Stuart definitely sang live on SFT.