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Edited February 17, 20241 yr by Liberty City

That lone pic of the Horton house set. I forget if this was posted on the board [probably; if it was, I apologize for repeating as I do not mean to troll!], but I do believe that set was also used in, of all things, an ad for Dial soap back in the day! (Days had an affiliation with Screen Gems in its '60s heyday, if I recall reading, which was probably a big deal as a lot of shows fell under that banner. So maybe sets were a part of that?) I just found this pretty funky!

 

2 hours ago, Darn said:

...your comments are some of the absolute best here. So intelligently shared bringing your wealth of knowledge to us on a daily basis.

You are far too kind. Thank you so much, @Darn

As I always say, soap fans are a strong and durable bunch. If we can endure years of JER, Dena Higley, Jill Farren Phelps and her friends, Charles Pratt, Ron Carlivati and Christopher Goutman, we can outlast ANYTHING!😝

2 hours ago, Wendy said:

That lone pic of the Horton house set. I forget if this was posted on the board [probably; if it was, I apologize for repeating as I do not mean to troll!], but I do believe that set was also used in, of all things, an ad for Dial soap back in the day! (Days had an affiliation with Screen Gems in its '60s heyday, if I recall reading, which was probably a big deal as a lot of shows fell under that banner. So maybe sets were a part of that?) I just found this pretty funky!

Cool! The set in the commercial certainly does look like our favorite family's living room!

4 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

Cool! The set in the commercial certainly does look like our favorite family's living room!

Has the Horton set changed a lot over the years?  I know it is basically the same layout, but isn't the foyer smaller now?  Wasn't there originally a closet door between the bottom of the stairs and the front door?  What else has changed on the set, aside from paint color and furniture??  

3 hours ago, Mona Kane Croft said:

Has the Horton set changed a lot over the years?  I know it is basically the same layout, but isn't the foyer smaller now?  Wasn't there originally a closet door between the bottom of the stairs and the front door?  What else has changed on the set, aside from paint color and furniture??  

Yes, there used to be a door where you mentioned: between the staircase and the front door. At the beginning of the show it led to Tom's office. Later it was a closet. It was a weird change, and I always wondered why no one on the show remembered that lay-out or kept it consistent.

(The same sort of change happened on THE LUCY SHOW, when the section of the set beside the staircase changed without explanation. It's strange when the houses are supposed to be the same, but the walls, rooms and closets just magically come and go, LOL.)

Overall, however, the Horton set has remained FAIRLY unchanged.

The storyline in the Dial commercial that @Wendy posted upthread plays almost exactly like something you might've seen on Bill Bell's DAYS: the bridesmaid is upset because she's not the bride (who is likely marrying the man that the bridesmaid has been in love with forever), but thanks to a bouquet toss and a piece of cake handed to her across a crowded table (not to mention, a little Dial soap), she just might be embarking on a romance of a lifetime with a tall, handsome stranger who is literally sweeping her off her feet.

Edited February 22, 20241 yr by Khan

@JAS0N47 has a complete floor plan for the Horton house from the book "Days of our Lives: A Tour Through Salem" on his website :

 

https://www.jason47.com/days/hortonhousetribute.html

TBH, I can see why they removed that door beyond space saving reasons as it's a bit confusing how the floorplan is laid out at first sight because you'd instinctively think that the den/study would expand to the left due to the front door. It's sort of counterintuitive, especially with the windows by the staircase, plus we so rarely see the outside to clarify how it might be laid out. 

And obviously this is a bit wrong anyway, as I'm sure the "family room" in this was always the dining room? But sets on television shows tend to work like the TARDIS either way. 

Edited February 22, 20241 yr by te.

36 minutes ago, Khan said:

The storyline in the Dial commercial that @Wendy posted upthread plays almost exactly like something you might've seen on Bill Bell's DAYS: the bridesmaid is upset because she's not the bride (who is likely marrying the man that the bridesmaid has been in love with forever), but thanks to a bouquet toss and a piece of cake handed to her across a crowded table (not to mention, a little Dial soap), she just might be embarking on a romance of a lifetime with a tall, handsome stranger who is literally sweeping her off her feet.

How do you know what would have been seen on Bell’s Days? Just how old are you? 

46 minutes ago, te. said:

@JAS0N47 has a complete floor plan for the Horton house from the book "Days of our Lives: A Tour Through Salem" on his website :

 

https://www.jason47.com/days/hortonhousetribute.html

TBH, I can see why they removed that door beyond space saving reasons as it's a bit confusing how the floorplan is laid out at first sight because you'd instinctively think that the den/study would expand to the left due to the front door. It's sort of counterintuitive, especially with the windows by the staircase, plus we so rarely see the outside to clarify how it might be laid out. 

And obviously this is a bit wrong anyway, as I'm sure the "family room" in this was always the dining room? But sets on television shows tend to work like the TARDIS either way. 

I have the book. They definitely had a little fun coming up with a full functioning house for many of the Salemites' residences.  Was there a separate family room ever shown back in the day? Also a notable no-show is the dining room. 

1 hour ago, te. said:

@JAS0N47 has a complete floor plan for the Horton house from the book "Days of our Lives: A Tour Through Salem" on his website :

 

https://www.jason47.com/days/hortonhousetribute.html

TBH, I can see why they removed that door beyond space saving reasons as it's a bit confusing how the floorplan is laid out at first sight because you'd instinctively think that the den/study would expand to the left due to the front door. It's sort of counterintuitive, especially with the windows by the staircase, plus we so rarely see the outside to clarify how it might be laid out. 

And obviously this is a bit wrong anyway, as I'm sure the "family room" in this was always the dining room? But sets on television shows tend to work like the TARDIS either way. 

Now the front door has been moved closer to the stairs, so the front door is now visible from the couch -- more or less straight in front of the livingroom door.   

3 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

Yes, there used to be a door where you mentioned: between the staircase and the front door. At the beginning of the show it led to Tom's office. Later it was a closet. It was a weird change, and I always wondered why no one on the show remembered that lay-out or kept it consistent.

(The same sort of change happened on THE LUCY SHOW, when the section of the set beside the staircase changed without explanation. It's strange when the houses are supposed to be the same, but the walls, rooms and closets just magically come and go, LOL.)

Overall, however, the Horton set has remained FAIRLY unchanged.

I think something similar happened to the Matthews house on Another World.  I believe in the early years, the door in the foyer near the stairs led to another room (a study or something) and was often shown open.  But by the early-1970s, that door was just a closet.  They also had stopped showing the Matthews front porch (the full porch) and kitchen by around 1972.  

Edited February 22, 20241 yr by Mona Kane Croft

6 hours ago, Khan said:

The storyline in the Dial commercial that @Wendy posted upthread plays almost exactly like something you might've seen on Bill Bell's DAYS: the bridesmaid is upset because she's not the bride (who is likely marrying the man that the bridesmaid has been in love with forever), but thanks to a bouquet toss and a piece of cake handed to her across a crowded table (not to mention, a little Dial soap), she just might be embarking on a romance of a lifetime with a tall, handsome stranger who is literally sweeping her off her feet.

😁

Right! Human, realistic and warm stories on Bill Bell's and Pat Falken Smith's golden era of DAYS, how missed they are! So many miles above what was offered by JER, Higley, Carlivati and their ilk.

6 hours ago, te. said:

@JAS0N47 has a complete floor plan for the Horton house from the book "Days of our Lives: A Tour Through Salem" on his website :

That's a nice treat to see. Thanks for posting.

I just have to wonder how Tom and Alice fit five growing children into two "guest" bedrooms!

Thank goodness the house had four bathrooms!

6 hours ago, te. said:

TBH, I can see why they removed that door beyond space saving reasons as it's a bit confusing how the floorplan is laid out at first sight because you'd instinctively think that the den/study would expand to the left due to the front door. It's sort of counterintuitive, especially with the windows by the staircase, plus we so rarely see the outside to clarify how it might be laid out. 

I agree.

6 hours ago, te. said:

And obviously this is a bit wrong anyway, as I'm sure the "family room" in this was always the dining room? But sets on television shows tend to work like the TARDIS either way. 

LOL! The exterior shots of the buildings just did not match or "work" with the interior sets for shows like All in the Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show or The Golden Girls either. We just have to go with the flow, I guess.🤷‍♂️🙂

5 hours ago, Gray Bunny said:

I have the book. They definitely had a little fun coming up with a full functioning house for many of the Salemites' residences.  Was there a separate family room ever shown back in the day? Also a notable no-show is the dining room. 

Personally, I don't recall ever seeing a family room. In the diagram, the dinning room probably should have been there, since we know that existed.

4 hours ago, Mona Kane Croft said:

 I think something similar happened to the Matthews house on Another World.  I believe in the early years, the door in the foyer near the stairs led to another room (a study or something) and was often shown open.  But by the early-1970s, that door was just a closet.  They also had stopped showing the Matthews front porch (the full porch) and kitchen by around 1972.  

Ada's first living room went through some weird changes back then too. Soaps should pay attention to sets. Fans notice and remember everything. Even changes in the sounds of doorbells makes observant fans go, "Huh???"🫢

Edited February 22, 20241 yr by vetsoapfan

5 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

Right! Human, realistic and warm stories on Bill Bell's and Pat Falken Smith's golden era of DAYS, how missed they are!

Especially in this era, when budgets, or lack thereof, restrict the kinds of stories you can still tell, or even the number of characters you can feature at one time.  I think whatever the hell is going on right now with Konstanin (sp?) is bad enough on its' own, but what makes it even worse is the fact that DAYS simply doesn't have the budget or production values anymore to make it work even a little bit.

2 minutes ago, Khan said:

Especially in this era, when budgets, or lack thereof, restrict the kinds of stories you can still tell, or even the number of characters you can feature at one time.  I think whatever the hell is going on right now with Konstanin (sp?) is bad enough on its' own, but what makes it even worse is the fact that DAYS simply doesn't have the budget or production values anymore to make it work even a little bit.

I've never liked the over-the-top sci-fi/fantasy/camp nonsense on soaps, primarily because it's so contradictory to the exploration of the human condition, which is the essence of the genre.

What makes the fantasy elements so much worse, however, is that the budget to produce such stories just isn't there, so all these dumb plots end up looking embarrassing.

Soaps need to go back to their roots. 

9 minutes ago, vetsoapfan said:

I've never liked the over-the-top sci-fi/fantasy/camp nonsense on soaps, primarily because it's so contradictory to the exploration of the human condition, which is the essence of the genre.

What makes the fantasy elements so much worse, however, is that the budget to produce such stories just isn't there, so all these dumb plots end up looking embarrassing.

Soaps need to go back to their roots. 

Agreed.  Soaps need to go back to their roots.  Compelling human drama is so much cheaper to represent on screen.  It requires no special effects, no location shooting, and minimal sets.  All it really takes is good writing and good acting.  

6 minutes ago, Mona Kane Croft said:

Agreed.  Soaps need to go back to their roots.  Compelling human drama is so much cheaper to represent on screen.  It requires no special effects, no location shooting, and minimal sets.  All it really takes is good writing and good acting.  

Right. Compelling human drama is far more mesmerizing than clones, extraterrestrials, brain implants, mad scientists freezing the world, devil possession, time travel, etc., particularly when there's no budget to handle the outlandish plots. Viewers who enjoy that sort of entertainment have theatrical films and cable TV series with king-sized budgets to enjoy. Watching soap heroines leaping into paintings and travelling through time, or becoming possessed by the devil and going on a killing spree just don't cut it by comparison. Particularly on soap budgets of $1.49, filmed on sets that look held together by Scotch tape and bubble gum, LOL.

I don't know whether Bill Bell actually said this to Ken Corday, but if he did, then he was right: all you really need to make good drama are a man, a woman and a waterfall, "and for God's sake, who needs the waterfall!?".